"BOOM!!!"
An invisible slash sliced off two strands of hair beside Mirai's ear—but that was all it managed to do!
The light of the Rinnegan revolved, and the instant Mirai raised his hand, the Simple Domains surrounding the two of them shattered violently!
"RUMBLE—!"
A massive explosion erupted before Mirai!
At this moment, Sukuna was just like Gojo Satoru earlier—
Blasted deep underground in a single strike!
"How interesting."
Mirai looked down at the crater beneath him, amusement flickering across his face.
"A collaboration between the heroes and the villain?"
"The mighty King of Curses actually teaming up with others in battle."
"Your change has truly been delightful to watch."
The technique Yuta had copied—Boogie Woogie—was certainly useful, but its weakness was also easy to see through.
Having already experienced it once, there was no way Sukuna couldn't determine the technique's effective range.
And the stance Mirai had taken the moment he landed clearly showed he had been waiting for Yuta to activate his technique.
Without exchanging a single word, Sukuna and Yuta completed a perfectly coordinated maneuver.
Pain surged through Sukuna's chest as the surrounding earth compressed around him.
At the bottom of the crater, Sukuna grinned, all four arms spreading outward as he forcibly halted his descent.
Mirai was right.
Sukuna had correctly predicted that Yuta would use his technique to rescue Yuji.
Not only did Sukuna not resist it—he had deliberately prepared himself beforehand, stepping into the activation range of Boogie Woogie first.
Yuta would never pass up an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
And Sukuna could use the chance to close the distance with Mirai as quickly as possible.
"Dismantle."
A casual slash shattered the rock and soil compressing around Sukuna while simultaneously blocking Mirai's line of sight.
But Sukuna's plan went even further than that…
He knew that even if he got close, there was a high probability it would still amount to nothing.
But even being blown away after failing was merely one step in the plan.
Because whenever someone gains the upper hand—especially when they believe victory is already assured—
There is always a brief instant of carelessness.
And Mirai's taunting earlier had been perfect for that.
As his vision was obscured, Sukuna pointed both hands toward the location he sensed through cursed energy and formed hand signs.
The mouth on his stomach rapidly began chanting the incantation, quickly pushing the technique into activation.
"'Dragon Scales.'"
"'Repulsion.'"
"'Twin Meteors.'"
As the chant finished, a savage bloodthirsty grin spread across Sukuna's face.
He had enjoyed the earlier battle immensely.
No—
He had been exhilarated beyond restraint.
A thousand years of invincibility and loneliness had finally found release today.
What could possibly be more entertaining than a battle fought to the fullest?
Just like the question Kenjaku once asked:
Why do people live?
And Sukuna's answer back then had been:
"Human life has no meaning to begin with…"
"But as long as you live, you can find something interesting."
Taking over Megumi Fushiguro's body and Mahoraga's abrupt death had left Sukuna with slight regret.
But the spatial fractures spreading across the edge of the entire barrier…
The sensation of the whole island being dragged into an unknown dimension…
That was resistance against the will of the world itself.
And also…
The division of the world.
Having observed everything carefully, Sukuna reached an understanding.
With the support of his second innate technique—Open—
He was confident he could unleash that strike.
A slash capable of cutting through space itself…
A slash capable of cutting through the world.
The target of the slash would no longer be limited to Mirai himself—
But the space he occupied.
His existence.
Even the world itself.
And what Sukuna lacked…
Was a single instant of carelessness from Zenin Mirai.
So Sukuna had continued waiting…
Like a veteran hunter patiently waiting for the moment a beast dozes off.
Now, all preparations were complete.
The charge-up had finished.
"BOOM!"
Sukuna explosively kicked off the shattered underground bedrock and shot upward!
Bursting through the smoke that blocked Mirai's vision—
Sukuna flashed into the sky and roared savagely:
"Technique Extension—Dismantle!!!"
SLASH!
A trace of astonishment flashed through Mirai's eyes as the world-cutting slash passed through his waist in an instant!
Even the residual shockwave from the slash alone carved a bottomless canyon across the earth!
Looking at the body split cleanly in two and collapsing into a pool of blood—
Sukuna landed back upon the ground.
Bathed in the stench of blood from his earlier wounds, he burst into exhilarated laughter.
"HAHA… HAHAHAHA!"
"Delightful! Truly delightful!"
An unprecedented feast of battle!
Both of Sukuna's mouths licked the blood covering his body, his expression filled with satisfaction.
"You truly are incredible, Zenin Mirai."
"I probably will never forget you…"
After sighing in admiration, Sukuna glanced toward Yuta, Yuji, and the others in the distance.
But seeing the complicated expressions on their faces, Sukuna's smile faltered slightly.
A puzzled frown appeared.
And then—
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
A rhythmic round of applause suddenly sounded from behind him.
Sukuna violently turned around, all four eyes trembling!
"What a wonderful speech, King of Curses."
Mirai applauded while smiling playfully.
"I doubt I'll forget a chef with knife skills as sharp as yours either."
What…?!
Looking at the completely unharmed Zenin Mirai before him, Sukuna wore an expression as though his entire worldview had collapsed.
"Hah!"
Enjoying Sukuna's shock and disbelief, Mirai chuckled softly before calmly explaining what had happened.
"I never underestimated people favored by destiny like Gojo Satoru… or you."
"Even without Mahoraga, I figured you would eventually comprehend that attack."
"Though you're both protagonists, at least spare a thought for how I feel."
Mirai pointed toward the Tokyo Jujutsu High group nearby and sighed helplessly.
"That trick of obscuring vision? They've practically overused it."
"And now even the mighty King of Curses is pulling the same stunt?"
"Blocking vision is indeed useful…"
"But what about yourself?"
Hearing this, Sukuna's gaze shifted toward the previously severed corpse lying nearby.
"You noticed?"
Mirai laughed lightly.
"Your original body has an expanded field of vision, yet you still insisted on copying their cheap little tricks."
"The reason for your defeat…"
"…was your own self-righteous scheming."
"Defeat?"
Sukuna sneered coldly, all four fists spreading into a combat stance.
"The real battle is only beginning now."
He finally understood why Zenin Mirai hadn't been injured.
The one who had been cut earlier wasn't the monster's true body at all.
It had been a physical clone created from that bizarre domain.
Two clones plus the original—
Three bodies in total.
One had been playing around with the lightning-user.
Another had vanished long ago after Yuta entered the battlefield.
At first, Sukuna assumed the clone had disappeared due to time limits or excessive cursed energy consumption during battle.
But he never expected that the instant both sides lost sight of each other—
The positions had been switched.
Inside the three-person domain, not even Sukuna—or Gojo Satoru with the Six Eyes—could distinguish the real body from the fake.
The perfectly identical cursed energy signatures had also caused Sukuna to misjudge after losing vision.
This monster wasn't terrifying merely because of his strength…
Facing the fully alert Sukuna, Mirai spoke calmly:
"Beginning?"
"No."
"Everything is already over."
"BOOM!!!"
All four of Sukuna's arms were severed instantly, blood spraying across the ground!
A terrifying force suddenly erupted from behind him, sending Sukuna stumbling violently forward!
Zenin Mirai in front of him hadn't moved at all…
As Sukuna collapsed, the corner of his eye shifted toward what stood behind him—
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