Zenin Takeshi's laughter was a serrated edge of madness. Behind him, a pristine white cocoon materialized from the shadows, pulsating with a rhythmic, sickening thrum.
Suddenly, the cocoon split wide. Mahoraga's gargantuan, distorted maw emerged, unleashing a roar that vibrated through the very marrow of the buildings.
Takeshi turned his bloodshot eyes toward Toji Fushiguro, his lips curling into a dying sneer. "I'll be heading off to the afterlife first. You... make sure to do your best against this!"
Having failed to tame Mahoraga himself, Takeshi had invoked the taming ritual and forcibly dragged Toji into the circle of slaughter. From this moment on, it was a battle to the death between the Zenin monster and the Ten Shadows' ultimate blade.
BOOM!!!
Mahoraga didn't wait. Its first movement was a heavy strike that sent Zenin Takeshi flying like a discarded rag. Bone snapped, and internal organs ruptured upon impact. The dying Takeshi slumped into a corner of the ruins, too weak to even summon the Round Deer for a final breath of healing.
"ROOOAAAR—!"
Mahoraga turned its attention to Toji. A concentrated wave of sonic pressure erupted from its throat, hitting like a physical cannonball.
Toji was blasted backward, crashing through several high-rise structures before finally skidding to a halt. Tightening his grip on the Soul Liberation Blade, he watched the divine general charge toward him. His eye twitched as he spat out a mouthful of grit. "What kind of freakish monster is this?"
Mahoraga raised the Sword of Extermination attached to its right arm, bringing it down in a vertical cleave that hummed with pure positive energy.
Toji parried with the Soul Liberation Blade. The collision was tectonic; even though he held the strike, the surrounding earth disintegrated under the sheer weight of the pressure.
Toji knew of Mahoraga—his son Megumi possessed the same technique—but knowing was a far cry from experiencing. This raw power and blinding speed... it felt as though he were fighting one of those three "monsters" from the High.
CRASH!!!
The ground gave way. Toji and Mahoraga plummeted into the darkness of the abyss, two silhouettes flickering among falling debris.
They hit the floor of the deep, sprawling subway tunnels. The moment they landed, both lunged. No complex techniques, no flashy energy—just the pinnacle of physical combat.
Shadows and steel clashed, sparks illuminating the gloom like miniature stars. The tunnel was filled with the whistle of blades and the hum of freezing air. Anything in their path—metal railings, support beams, or the unlucky transfigured humans wandering the tracks—was reduced to a fine red mist.
BOOM!
The ceiling shattered again. Toji and Mahoraga tore their way back up to the surface.
Toji moved with predatory precision, lashing the Chain of a Thousand Miles around Mahoraga's limbs to bind it. He swung the Soul Liberation Blade in a frantic blur, targeting the head. In a single heartbeat, he had carved Mahoraga's skull into a pulp of shadow and bone.
But a second later, the wheel atop Mahoraga's head turned. Click.
The head reformed instantly. Mahoraga flexed its massive arms, snapping the chain's grip and sending Toji flying with a brutal kick.
The ultimate adaptation. The wheel of fate had turned.
Toji's advantage was simple: he was the pinnacle of physical combat. At the start, he could suppress Mahoraga with sheer skill. But now, Mahoraga had adapted to his rhythm, his weight, and his speed. It wasn't just matching him—it was evolving past him.
They clashed again in a brutal exchange of blows, but the tide had turned. Toji was being forced back, his defense narrowing as he fought a desperate, retreating battle.
A distance away, the dying Zenin Takeshi watched the spectacle with a sickly, triumphant smile. He looked down at his feet, which were slowly beginning to dissolve into light.
"Ah... is this body finally giving out?"
"At least... let me see Mahoraga cut this man in half before I fade away..."
Takeshi closed his eyes, taking a shallow breath. In the quiet of his final moments, a memory of Kenjaku's warning flickered in his mind.
Wait. That man... Kenjaku told me to stop him for a reason. What was it?
Oh, right! To prevent him from reaching the Prison Realm... because of that tool. The Inverted Spear...
Takeshi's eyes snapped open. He tried to sit up, but the agonizing pain in his chest made him vomit a thick glob of blood. His gaze remained fixed on the fight, filled with a sudden, dawning terror.
"The Inverted Spear of Heaven! Where is it?"
"He's been fighting me this whole time, and he's fighting Mahoraga now... but he hasn't pulled it out once!"
"Even if it can't kill Mahoraga, its ability to nullify techniques would surely hinder the regeneration. Even if it were useless, wouldn't a man like him at least try it? Unless..."
A horrific realization chilled Takeshi's soul.
"Unless the Inverted Spear of Heaven... isn't even in his hands!"
Shibuya Outskirts
"Divergent Fist!"
Yuji Itadori pulverized a lingering curse with a single blow, his eyes darting toward the pillar of smoke rising from the city center.
"There are so many of them even out here. I wonder how Souma-sensei and the others are doing!"
Nanami Kento adjusted his signature goggles. "The battles at the center are beyond our concern. Focus on your duty; that is the greatest support you can offer them."
Nanami paused, looking at Yuji with a grave intensity. "Itadori-kun, I must remind you of something."
"If you are looking for a goal to strive for as a sorcerer, do not choose Souma Gojo, Satoru Gojo, or Suguru Geto."
Yuji blinked. "Huh? Why not?"
"Because those three... they aren't 'normal.'"
"Ehh???"
Nanami sighed. "Cursed techniques are a system built over a thousand years. Sorcerers are individuals who follow the rules within that system. But those three? They treat the system like a suggestion and the rules like paper. Every established law of our world ceases to exist in their presence. If you view them as your benchmark, you will find only despair, not motivation."
Megumi Fushiguro nodded solemnly. Nobara looked thoughtful. Yuji just looked completely lost.
"I don't get it."
Nanami let out a weary breath. "Never mind. Just trust me on this."
"Yo! Brother!"
A shirtless Aoi Todo appeared, his teeth gleaming in a brilliant, blinding smile.
Yuji's face lit up. "Todo! What are you doing here?"
Todo gave a thumbs-up. "I finished cleaning my sector ahead of schedule, so I applied for more work to come and help you, my brother!"
Nanami looked impressed. "Finished already? That's efficient. Though, I cannot condone the act of seeking out 'overtime.'"
"Labor is shit."
The group fell silent. Haibara Yu scratched his head. "Is Nanami-kun suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress from being pranked by Souma-senpai too much?"
"Itadori!"
A voice shrieked. Mahito appeared from an alleyway, a jagged grin on his stitched face. Without warning, he began hurling human survivors at the group like sandbags.
"Save them!"
Haibara and Ino lunged forward instantly. Yuji and Todo caught several people as they flew through the air.
However, Mahito's smile turned into a sickening, ecstatic curve. His hands formed a seal.
"Polyisomorphism!"
The survivors in their arms began to bloat and warp at a terrifying speed.
"Drop them!" Todo roared, sensing the spike in cursed energy.
Todo threw his person clear, but Yuji, Haibara, and Ino were a fraction of a second too slow.
BOOM!!!
The distorted bodies collided and underwent a violent rejection reaction, resulting in a massive explosion of gore and kinetic force.
"Haibara! Ino!"
Haibara and Ino, caught in the heart of the blast, were thrown back, their bodies riddled with shrapnel. They were incapacitated instantly.
"Damn it!" Nanami gritted his teeth. Fortunately, their wounds weren't immediately fatal, but they were out of the fight.
Yuji, possessing a body built like a tank, took the same blast head-on. Aside from shredded clothes and a bloody nose, he was standing firm.
"Eh? Not dead?" Mahito pouted, sounding like a disappointed child.
Watching Mahito use human lives as disposable bombs, Yuji felt a cold, white-hot rage ignite in his chest. His eyes burned with a literal fire.
"You bastard... what do you think a life is?"
"Oh? Are you angry?"
Seeing Yuji's expression, Mahito began to giggle uncontrollably. It was like he had found his favorite toy.
Initially, Mahito was only interested in Yuji because he was Sukuna's vessel. But as their paths crossed again and again, that interest had curdled into a deep, primal "hatred."
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