"Has it adapted already?"
"That was fast."
Sukuna watched the strange barrier appearing on Mahoraga's body, his scarlet eyes flashing with extreme excitement.
He wasn't wary of the opponent's cheat-like ability; instead, he was like a madman who had found the perfect toy, completely invigorated.
"Then let's see just how far your adaptation can go!"
Sukuna laughed maniacally, his hands suddenly spreading open in front of his chest.
"Dismantle!"
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!—!!!"
This time, it wasn't just a single probing shot.
Countless invisible horizontal slashes, like a torrential storm, poured toward Mahoraga, blotting out the sky!
In that instant, the air in the center of Shibuya seemed to be shredded completely.
Sharp whistles of air being sliced intertwined, forming a terrifying sonic boom loud enough to pierce eardrums.
Not just the air, but dozens of skyscrapers over a hundred meters tall were sliced through like fragile blocks of tofu within that indiscriminate net of slashes, collapsing with a deafening roar and kicking up clouds of dust hundreds of meters high!
Facing this dense barrage capable of instantly mincing a modern armored division...
Mahoraga let out a low growl.
It didn't choose to retreat; instead, it kicked off with its legs, crushing the hard asphalt into a massive crater!
It swung the massive Sword of Extermination on its right arm, charging head-on into the sky-covering slashes with a near-savage posture!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The deafening sound of metal grinding exploded frantically in mid-air, every collision stirring up visible rings of white shockwaves.
Mahoraga's sword speed was unbelievably fast, the massive blade dancing in front of it to form an airtight white barrier.
Countless invisible 'Dismantles' slammed violently against the Sword of Extermination, sending sparks flying everywhere.
Although Mahoraga's defense was near perfect, Sukuna's slashes were simply too dense.
Over a dozen 'Dismantles' still bypassed the blade's protection, hacking deep into Mahoraga's body.
"Pffft!"
Its hard white armor was sliced open, and over a dozen bone-deep wounds instantly appeared on Mahoraga's massive frame, dark purple blood gushing out.
However, the moment Mahoraga was injured...
*Click... clack... click... clack...*
The sacred Dharma wheel floating behind it began to spin rapidly once again!
As the wheel turned, those shocking wounds on Mahoraga's body healed completely in the blink of an eye—at a rate ten times faster than before!
Furthermore, the cursed energy barrier covering its body became deeper and more solidified.
It was rapidly adapting to Sukuna's 'Dismantle'!
"Now's my chance!"
Suguru Geto, who had been looking for an opening, had a sharp glint in his eyes.
His hands quickly formed seals, pouring his massive reserves of cursed energy without reservation into the few remaining Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirits behind him.
"Go!"
At Geto's command...
Three massive cursed spirits, emitting a nauseating stench and terrifying pressure, hurtled toward Sukuna from the flank like cruise missiles!
They opened their maws to spew corrosive, poisonous miasma, attempting to block off all of Sukuna's escape routes and buy time for Mahoraga to counterattack.
"Annoying pests."
Sukuna snorted coldly, not even sparing a glance at those Special Grade spirits.
*Whoosh!*
His figure blurred strangely where he stood, his entire being transforming into a black afterimage that slipped through the gaps of the three spirits' pincer maneuver at an impossible angle.
In the instant he passed through, Sukuna casually unleashed three 'Dismantles'.
"Pffft! Pffft! Pffft!"
Those three Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirits, who were like nightmares to ordinary sorcerers, didn't even have time to scream before they were smoothly sliced into countless pieces, turning into a rain of blood.
While slaughtering the cursed spirits in a split second, Sukuna's figure appeared like a ghost directly in front of Mahoraga!
"Let's see how tough your fist is!"
Sukuna laughed wildly, his right hand shaped like a blade, carrying terrifying cursed energy capable of crushing mountains as it hacked toward Mahoraga's head!
Faced with this sudden fatal blow...
Mahoraga demonstrated a horrifying reaction speed that completely contradicted its massive size.
"Roar!"
It let out a roar, its right arm swinging upward as the massive Sword of Extermination blocked its front like a shield.
"Boom—!!!"
The hand-knife and the blade collided violently in mid-air.
The power of this collision was comparable to the direct explosion of a heavy bomb!
A visible ring of shockwaves frantically expanded outward in a hemispherical shape, centered on the two of them!
The debris and wreckage within hundreds of meters were instantly blown away and ground into powder like scrap paper under this world-destroying gale!
Even Suguru Geto, streets away, was forced back by the terrifying wind pressure, having to summon a defensive cursed spirit to block it while his feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground.
"Not a bad show of strength."
Sukuna felt the vibration traveling through his hand-knife, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes.
But the cruel grin on his face became even more rampant.
"However, compared to that Sorcerer Killer, you're still a bit lacking!"
Sukuna was prepared to exert more force to crush Mahoraga.
But just then...
*Click... clack... click...*
The Dharma wheel on Mahoraga's back began to spin more urgently than ever before!
Its movements changed!
Mahoraga, who was previously only capable of passive defense, suddenly thrust its left hand forward the moment it blocked Sukuna's strike, grabbing Sukuna's wrist like a steel vice!
"Hm?"
Sukuna was momentarily stunned.
Following that, Mahoraga's massive frame actually performed a high-difficulty backflip in mid-air with agile grace.
Using the centrifugal force from the flip, the Sword of Extermination in Mahoraga's right arm, carrying a terrifying sword intent that tore through space, slashed upward toward Sukuna's chest!
The speed and power of this slash had increased by more than double!
"It's not just adapting to the damage of the slashes..."
Watching from afar, Suguru Geto's pupils constricted to their limit.
"It's even... starting to adapt to Sukuna's speed and rhythm?!"
Faced with Mahoraga's sudden violent counterattack...
Even Sukuna could no longer respond as casually as before.
*Whoosh!*
At the last second, Sukuna forcibly twisted his waist and arched his body backward.
"Rip—!"
The razor-sharp tip of the Sword of Extermination grazed Sukuna's nose.
Although he avoided the fatal injury of being disemboweled, the terrifying sword intent still left a bone-deep bloody gash on Sukuna's arm!
Dark red blood slowly dripped from Sukuna's arm.
Just as everyone thought Sukuna would be enraged by the injury...
Sukuna stopped moving.
He looked down, glancing at the wound on his arm that was oozing blood.
There wasn't a hint of anger.
Instead, a crazed, maniacal smile of excitement curled on his lips.
"Intriguing..."
Sukuna stuck out his tongue and licked the blood from his arm, his scarlet eyes fixed on Mahoraga.
"You can not only adapt to the damage of a technique but also perfectly apply the results of that adaptation back into your own speed and attacks?"
"Hahahaha!"
Sukuna threw his head back and laughed, his voice filled with bloodlust and madness that made one's skin crawl.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"Now this is a toy that can actually pique my interest!"
Sukuna slowly lowered his arm, the smile on his face gradually receding, replaced by a terrifying pressure that seemed capable of dragging the entire world into a bottomless abyss.
He looked at Mahoraga, his voice becoming exceptionally cold, yet carrying a hint of anticipation.
"Then..."
"Let's see just where the limit of your adaptation lies, you ultimate shikigami..."
"Show me exactly where it is."