One year later.
Pushing open the heavy wooden gate to the forbidden Cursed Tool storehouse, the Disgraced One did not see Uraume's figure inside.
After a slight hesitation, the Disgraced One leaped directly down to the bottom of the empty bath.
Today, a massive batch of artifacts, which had soaked in the cursed solution for ten months and ten days, had officially been transformed into magical implements.
This tedious retrieval work was usually handled by Uraume.
This was also the very first time the Disgraced One had physically immersed himself in the residual, highly concentrated blood and poison of Cursed Spirits.
With a slight, imperceptible tremor in his four eyes, the Disgraced One was completely unaware of the subtle, dark changes that were taking place on half of his face.
The demonic runes that rapidly flashed across his skin were also hidden by his thick clothing.
...
It was still the exact same altar.
After retrieving the newly forged Cursed Tools, the Disgraced One returned to this brutal courtyard once again.
The massive difference was that this time, the one tied securely to the sacrificial stake was Uraume, whom he hadn't seen all morning.
And surrounding her were the dozen or so lowly servants who had once had a good relationship with his mother.
"Join the 'Nirvana Suppression Team' and find a perfect opportunity to get close to the current head of the main Sugawara clan and carry out his beheading!"
The sharp tip of the knife in his father's hand was pressed firmly against Uraume's neck, and the other wooden posts where the innocent servants were tied had already been completely doused with highly flammable kerosene.
"This is absolutely not a request between father and son, but a mandatory task assigned to you by the Clan Chief!"
"Either you stand there and watch these people die agonizing deaths, or you agree to complete the assassination mission!"
The father's cold, calculating words violently reminded the Disgraced One once again of the deeply resentful look in his mother's eyes before she burned to death.
The newly retrieved Cursed Artifact in his hand was violently crushed by his powerful grip, and for the very first time in his life, a dark glint appeared on the Disgraced One's face...
Killing intent!
The gentle, pathetic expression instantly vanished, replaced by a violent, suffocating torrent of evil Cursed Energy!
"Dismantle."
Just like the exquisite, flawless knife skills Uraume displayed in the storehouse, the human body before him was cut incredibly neatly into pieces.
And bright red bloodstains scattered violently all over the snowy ground.
"Was it the demon-awakening ritual of the 'Bath' that fully awakened you?"
Looking to the side at the spiritual Sukuna, Mirai said, "No wonder you said earlier that the Disgraced One back then wasn't you."
"Or perhaps it shouldn't be described as 'awakening'... you've just been quietly lurking inside that boy's body since birth, maliciously observing the outside world and waiting."
When the Domain unfolded, Mirai had specifically confirmed with his Rinnegan that he was viewing Ryomen Sukuna's true soul memory.
The images, starting flawlessly from infancy, heavily suggested that Sukuna was already fully conscious as a separate entity within the same body.
He just wasn't perfectly formed yet, or rather, he lacked the physical power to take over.
Sukuna smiled coldly at Mirai and did not respond.
The 'Bath' was merely a convenient physical trigger for his release, the exact same psychological trigger as when the Disgraced One's mother was burned to death.
...
"Tch. This meat is really fucking awful!"
Sukuna cradled his father's terrified, severed head in his hands. Half of the man's face was covered in blood and had a deep, massive tooth mark taken out of it.
His crimson eyes looked over at the bound figure beside him. "Uraume, besides your excellent knife skills... are you good at cooking?"
After her initial, paralyzing shock at the slaughter, Uraume's lips slowly curled into a strange, devoted smile.
The main reason Uraume strongly disliked the Disgraced One from the very beginning was precisely because of his hypocritical, pathetic kindness.
Despite physically possessing the raw power to overthrow absolutely everything in the clan, he actively allowed himself to be trampled and used by ants.
In this brutal Heian era where it was entirely about who was crazier and stronger... the previous Disgraced One was undoubtedly foolish.
And now...
"Yes... Lord Disgraced One."
Uraume was one crucial step ahead of the Disgraced One in personally experiencing the "bathing" ritual of becoming a demon.
Sukuna licked the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, stretching his four arms wide to deeply feel the absolute freedom before him.
"No. From now on... call me Sukuna."
A strange, devoted flush rose on Uraume's cheeks as she knelt firmly on one knee. "Yes, Lord Sukuna."
...
In one single day, the Disgraced One's entire branch family was wiped out.
Whether they were Sorcerers or ordinary human servants, they all became delicious cakes to celebrate the true birth of Ryomen Sukuna.
"That naive, pathetic guy could wake up at any moment and try to take back control."
"What we need to do now is to systematically cut off absolutely all of this guy's lingering hopes in the world."
After changing into brand-new, luxurious robes and thoroughly enjoying Uraume's superb culinary skills using human flesh...
Sukuna led Uraume to their very first location.
A minor branch of the Emperor's Guard.
A literal scene of hell, with rivers of blood flowing freely and bodies cut into countless pieces scattered everywhere.
"Tch. That girl isn't here."
Sukuna muttered in deep dissatisfaction as he searched the bloody ruins for the only friend of the Disgraced One.
All they needed to do was kill that sky-blue-haired girl and swallow her whole.
Presumably, the weak soul of the Disgraced One would then completely shatter and sink even deeper into the abyss of his subconscious.
Mirai actively sped up the process of reviewing Sukuna's memories within the Domain.
He had already sensed the gradual, structural changes taking place in the real world outside his barrier.
After a long time...
Sukuna finally found the girl from back then at one of the larger, fortified bases of the Emperor's Guard.
Right before the girl's incredulous, horrified eyes, the kind-hearted 'Disgraced One' effortlessly slaughtered her entire family line.
He's not the Disgraced One...
Because of her special Cursed constitution, the girl keenly sensed the desperate cry of another, chained soul within that monstrous body.
He was not the Disgraced One... he was a spirit of absolute exorcism!
It was just a hair's breadth away; at the very last moment, the fatal blow was violently stopped from within by the Disgraced One's soul rebelling.
With the sudden help of a young monk who could use advanced barrier techniques, Uraume was temporarily stopped, and the girl was successfully rescued and dragged away.
...
Sukuna's unbridled, horrific killing spree across the country finally attracted the full attention of the Four Major Powers.
The 'Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad', the 'Five Empty Generals', and the 'Nirvana Suppression Team'.
The sheer military power invested in eliminating Sukuna grew ever stronger with each passing week.
Meanwhile, Sukuna's raw strength and Jujutsu mastery continued to exponentially increase with each brutal battle.
But at this specific point in time, he was not yet capable of facing the combined, coordinated forces of several major powers all alone.
So, on Uraume's cunning advice, Sukuna temporarily concealed his whereabouts and secretly infiltrated the main "Abe clan" residence.
Before enemy reinforcements could arrive, Sukuna went directly to their forbidden Cursed Tool storehouse and stole the Abe family heirloom: Kamutoke.
With the massive blessing of Yin-Yang techniques, the Special Grade Cursed Tool Kamutoke possessed the incredibly powerful ability to generate and control lightning.
There was an interesting, fateful side story during this specific infiltration process: one of the elite guards who was directly responsible for protecting the Abe clan's forbidden storehouse...
She was a Sorcerer with two pure white wings and a glowing halo above her head, known as "Angel".
The Four Major Powers were already fully aware that the 'Bathing' ritual carried the massive risk of turning ambitious Sorcerers into evil demons.
However, they all had their own secret, specific means of eliminating these hidden dangers, and the absolute purification of Angel's Cursed Technique was one of them.
Angel's Jacob's Ladder was so politically and militarily important that it spared her from execution for failing to protect the storehouse... but someone always has to bear the blame for such massive mistakes.
Just like how the Fujiwara Northern House ruthlessly killed each other in their internal power struggle and then pinned the blame for the assassinations on Takako Uro.
The Four Major Powers always shift the blame for their own incompetence onto their disposable subordinate families.
Angel narrowly escaped punishment, but her entire family had to bear the fatal consequences of losing the clan's greatest heirloom.
Angel's parents and the clan elders were all quietly executed the very day after Kamutoke was lost.
After completely succeeding in the Abe clan, Sukuna immediately rushed to the second station.
With the massive, long-range blessing of the supreme Cursed Artifact Kamutoke, he once again flawlessly infiltrated the Sugawara clan's forbidden storehouse.
He seized their ultimate family heirloom: Hiten.
With the combined blessing of the two greatest weapons in Japan, Sukuna was absolutely unstoppable!
In just six short months...
Sukuna had even attacked the main headquarters of the Four Major Powers several times, carrying out exceptionally bloody massacres before retreating.
Ultimately, the Four Major Powers were completely forced to put aside their ancient feuds and join forces because of just one person.
Angel, filled with boundless, burning resentment over her family's execution, officially joined the Sugawara family—whose members had also lost their family heirloom—along with the remaining elites of the Abe clan.
The two major forces joined hands to form a brand-new, elite "Nirvana Pacification Team".
The Four Major Powers no longer waited defensively and actively chose to take the initiative to attack Sukuna.
After discovering Sukuna and Uraume's hidden location, the four major factions mobilized their absolute strongest forces.
Sukuna could easily deal with a single military force at this time.
However, even with two Special Grade Cursed Weapons in hand, he still struggled immensely against the combined, coordinated forces of the Four Major Powers attacking simultaneously.
Especially Angel's purifying beam of light—Jacob's Ladder—that violently pierced through heaven and earth!
That was also the very first time the invincible Sukuna let out an unbearable, miserable wail of absolute agony!
Feeling the purifying, tearing pain actively trying to extinguish his soul, Sukuna screamed in agony... but at the exact same time, he keenly realized that this was a golden opportunity!
An opportunity to gain absolute, permanent control of this body is even easier than killing that girl!
Kamutoke flashed with a dazzling, blinding burst of lightning, but Sukuna was met with incredulous, horrified gazes from everyone on the battlefield.
He pointed the sharp blade of Kamutoke directly at his own cheek!
With a swift, utterly decisive stroke, Sukuna violently severed half of his own head!
With the unexpected, chaotic aid of Angel's purifying incantation actively separating them... Sukuna cut off much more than just flesh...
He completely severed the Disgraced One's soul!
.....
.....
.....
Give me powerstones.
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter