Endless darkness.
Countless giant palms formed the barrier of this space, radiating a sickening malice.
This was Mahito's Domain—Self-Embodiment of Perfection.
Within this Domain, Mahito's technique, Idle Transfiguration, would gain a sure-hit effect.
In other words, as long as one was inside the Domain, Mahito's hand had already touched their soul.
Life and death rested solely on his whim.
"Hahahaha! Is this what a Domain feels like? It's incredible!"
Mahito stood atop a throne made of countless palms, feeling the surging power within his body, laughing with wild abandon.
"Now, your lives are entirely in my grasp!"
Kento Nanami's face turned incredibly grim.
A sure-hit effect.
This meant defense was now meaningless.
"I'm sorry, Itadori-kun, Yoru-kun."
Nanami gripped his blunt blade tightly, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.
"I'm the one who dragged you into this."
"If I sacrifice myself, I might be able to create a single opening..."
However, just as Nanami prepared for a desperate final struggle, a voice suddenly rang out within the Domain.
"In your grasp?"
Yoru maintained his sword-handling stance, but the veins on the back of his hand were already bulging.
He was enduring.
Enduring the terrifying pressure that felt as if it were crushing and distorting his very soul.
"Did you misunderstand something?"
Yoru looked up. Though his red eyes remained calm, a fire of desperate resolve burned deep within them.
Mahito froze for a moment, then sneered, "Bluffing! In my Domain, I am God!"
"Now die!"
With a thought, he activated the sure-hit technique.
Countless invisible hands instantly lunged at Yoru's soul, attempting to twist and shatter it.
In that moment, the shadow of death completely enveloped Yoru.
Facing this sure-hit strike aimed at the soul, physical sight had lost its meaning.
One could only feel by instinct that the reaper's scythe was already pressed against their neck.
'No way to dodge! No way to defend!'
[DING! DETECTED HOST IS IN ABSOLUTE PERIL, STATE OF MIND AND CHARACTER SYNCHRONIZATION HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED!]
[SYNCHRONIZATION RATE INCREASED TO 17%!]
Since he could not defend, he would use speed that transcended the sure-hit to cut down everything before the technique could take effect!
Yoru lowered his body slightly, his right foot slamming into the ground.
Boom!
The ground beneath him instantly shattered.
The muscles in his legs tightened to their absolute limit, even letting out the crisp sound of snapping fibers.
"Whew..."
A breath of scorching white air escaped his mouth, mingled with faint flecks of blood.
Sizzle—!
Violent gold-and-red lightning instantly erupted around him, transforming into a roaring thunder dragon that forcibly tore through the darkness of the Domain.
"Thunder Breathing, Seventh Form."
Yoru's figure vanished instantly.
All that remained was an afterimage of lightning tearing through space and the lingering boom echoing in the air.
"Honoikazuchi no Kami!"
Clang—!
The clear ring of a blade echoed throughout the Domain, and time seemed to stand still in that instant.
The sneer on Mahito's face hadn't fully faded, but the fanaticism in his eyes had frozen.
He stared blankly ahead.
At some point, Yoru had appeared right in front of him.
That pitch-black katana had already severed everything.
Blood trickled from the corner of Yoru's mouth, and his sword-hand trembled slightly.
Forcing out a strike that transcended his body's limits took a heavy toll on him as well.
But behind him, the two hands that had just finished forming the seal were slowly sliding off.
Thud.
The severed hands hit the ground.
The cut was smooth as a mirror, yet marked with charred burn scars.
"Wha... what..."
Mahito's pupils trembled violently, his mind a complete blank.
The Domain he was so proud of...
It had been cut down before it even had a chance to fully take effect?
How was this possible?!
"Your movements are too slow," Yoru said calmly.
His voice wasn't loud, but it struck Mahito's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Forming seals, activating techniques..."
"Before my blade, they're all too slow."
This was the terror of the Yoriichi Tsugikuni template.
Even without Cursed Energy or a Domain.
As long as he was fast enough—fast enough to transcend the moment of activation, fast enough to sever the threads of causality.
Then the so-called sure-hit became a joke.
Meanwhile.
Inside Yuji Itadori's innate domain.
Ryomen Sukuna sat upon his throne of bones, watching everything through Yuji's eyes.
When he saw Yoru's lightning-fast quick-draw, a playful smile appeared on the King of Curses' face.
'Heh...'
'No Cursed Energy, yet he can reach this level?'
Sukuna stroked his chin, a dangerous light glinting in his eyes.
'That breathing style... and that blade...'
'How nostalgic.'
Then, he glanced at the pathetic Mahito and let out a ruthless laugh.
'How pathetic, Mahito.'
'To have your hands severed before you even earned the right to touch a soul.'
'Is this what you call a Special Grade? How utterly boring.'