"No one can disturb us anymore."
Yoru gripped the hilt of Shiranui with both hands, the crimson flames on the blade flickering wildly in the gale.
His red eyes, reflecting the firelight, were locked firmly onto Ryomen Sukuna.
The air seemed to have completely solidified at this moment.
The atmosphere on the ruins was suppressed to the extreme; even breathing brought a searing pain to the lungs.
"Insolence!"
A cold shout filled with extreme rage suddenly broke the brief silence.
Standing in the distance, Uraume's cool face was now twisted to the point of distortion.
He could not tolerate this!
He absolutely could not tolerate a mere human daring to provoke the supreme deity in his heart with such a condescending and arrogant posture!
"Ice Formation: Icefall!"
Uraume slammed his hands together, and the cursed energy within his body poured out without reservation.
Rumble!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, a massive ice pillar capable of instantly freezing an entire skyscraper lunged toward Yoru's back like a roaring frost dragon!
This extreme cold even covered the surrounding burning ruins with a thick layer of frost instantly.
However, facing this terrifying attack capable of insta-killing a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer,
Yoru didn't even turn his head.
He simply stood calmly on the spot, slightly twisting his right wrist as he held Shiranui.
"Sun Breathing, Second Form..."
"Clear Blue Sky."
Swish!
A 360-degree circular flame slash bloomed from Yoru as the center!
That was no ordinary flame, but a crimson fire containing the extreme high temperature of the sun!
Sizzle!
The massive roaring ice pillar didn't even make a sound of shattering when it touched the flame arc.
It was instantly evaporated by the terrifying high temperature!
Turning into a sky full of white steam, it dissipated into the air.
"What?!"
Uraume's pupils shrank to the size of needle points.
The Ice Formation he was so proud of had been completely dismantled by the opponent's casual strike?
How could an ordinary person without a trace of cursed energy do such a thing?!
Uraume gritted his teeth and formed hand seals again, preparing to activate a larger-scale technique.
"Enough, Uraume."
Just then, a low and dignified voice interrupted his movements.
Sukuna raised a hand, his crimson eyes flashing with chilling madness and excitement.
"Step back."
"This is my prey."
Uraume trembled. Although he was extremely unwilling, under Sukuna's absolute command, he could only obediently withdraw his cursed energy and bow his head respectfully.
"As you wish, Lord Sukuna."
Uraume stepped aside, but his cold eyes remained fixed on Yoru, ready to tear him to pieces the moment Lord Sukuna gave the order.
Sukuna paid no more attention to Uraume.
He turned his head and sized up the youth holding the bright red sword.
The wild smile at the corner of his mouth widened, eventually revealing his stark white teeth.
"I remember now."
"The ant at the Juvenile Detention Center who couldn't even dodge a casual strike of mine and could only exchange his life for power."
Sukuna's voice was full of mockery and cruel pleasure.
In his mind, the battle from several months ago at the Juvenile Detention Center surfaced.
Back then, facing Sukuna with the power of only two fingers, Yoru had been pushed to his limits.
"I remember it very clearly, Yoru."
Sukuna stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
"That day, you watched helplessly as I ripped out the heart of that brat Yuji Itadori and crushed it into pulp."
"That expression of powerlessness, extreme rage, and utter helplessness... I've truly savored it for a long time."
Sukuna's words were like the sharpest poison blades, stabbing directly into Yoru's heart.
He was trying to provoke Yoru, hoping to see his prey lose his mind and show openings.
However,
Yoru's expression remained as calm as water; not even his breathing rhythm faltered.
In those red eyes, there was no anger, no fear.
Only an extreme calm that seemed capable of seeing through all illusions.
"You're right, Sukuna," Yoru said slowly, his voice clear and devoid of any impurities.
"That day at the Juvenile Detention Center, I indeed couldn't stop you from ripping out Yuji's heart."
"I failed to save him, and I failed to kill you."
"That was my weakness."
Having said that, Yoru gripped Shiranui tighter.
The crimson glow on the blade began to flicker at a terrifying frequency in sync with his breathing!
The surrounding air began to distort and warp violently under the searing heat.
"But today,"
"Don't even think about taking another life in front of me again."
"Not even a single strand of hair."
Yoru's words were calm and resolute.
It was a will of steel, tempered through countless struggles on the brink of death and witnessing numerous partings!
"Hahahaha!"
Sukuna suddenly burst into laughter, filled with disdain and arrogance.
"What a boastful brat!"
"Do you think I'm still that incomplete piece from the Juvenile Detention Center with only two fingers' worth of power?!"
Boom!
Before the words even finished,
The ground beneath Sukuna's feet instantly collapsed into a huge crater several meters in diameter!
He moved like he was teleporting, instantly crossing dozens of meters to appear in front of Yoru!
Too fast!
Fast enough that even Uraume's eyes couldn't capture Sukuna's movement trajectory!
The King of Curses with fifteen fingers—his physical explosive power had reached an inconceivable level!
Sukuna's black-patterned fist tore through the air, heading straight for Yoru's face!
Although the power of this punch was less than seventy percent of its peak due to the cursed technique burnout from his Domain Expansion and the exhaustion from fighting Suguru Geto, Toji Fushiguro, and Mahoraga...
The foundation of fifteen fingers was still there; it was enough to smash a heavy tank into scrap metal!
"Die!"
Facing this terrifying punch, there wasn't a hint of panic in Yoru's eyes.
[DING! EXTREME LETHAL THREAT TO THE HOST DETECTED!]
[YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI SYNCHRONIZATION RATE IS RISING RAPIDLY!]
[56%... 58%...]
The system notification rang frantically in Yoru's mind.
But Yoru could no longer hear it.
His entire world had become completely silent at this moment.
"Transparent World... Full output!"
Hum!
The world in Yoru's eyes changed instantly.
All colors faded away, leaving only muscle fibers, skeletal structures, and blood flow.
Sukuna's fist, which remained lightning-fast despite being weakened, became as clear as slow motion in his eyes.
He could even see every contraction of Sukuna's arm muscles and every sluggish flow of cursed energy perfectly!
[DING! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE HOST! YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI SYNCHRONIZATION RATE HAS BROKEN THROUGH 60%!]
[REWARD OBTAINED: ALL PHYSICAL FUNCTIONS UNLOCKED! UNDER THE SLAYER MARK STATE, BASE PHYSICAL STRENGTH REACHES SORCERER KILLER LEVEL!]
[REWARD OBTAINED: SUN BREATHING, THIRTEENTH FORM FULLY UNLOCKED!]
[REWARD OBTAINED: BRIGHT RED NICHIRIN SWORD (COMPLETE FORM) UNLOCKED! ACTIVATION DURATION GREATLY EXTENDED!]
Along with the cold mechanical voice of the system,
The deep red Slayer Mark on Yoru's left forehead erupted with a dazzling light!
On the premise of zero cursed energy,
His already extremely powerful body completely broke through human limits at this moment!
It was physical violence in its purest form!
An ultimate shell completely equivalent to Toji Fushiguro's Sorcerer Killer body, and even more terrifying under the enhancement of breathing techniques!
Bang!
Yoru didn't retreat; he raised his left hand directly and steadily caught Sukuna's thunderous punch!
A violent shockwave expanded outward in a ring with the two of them as the center!
Although Yoru's arm was trembling violently and blood even seeped from the web of his thumb, he had indeed blocked it!
"What?!"
Sukuna's pupils shrank suddenly.
He never expected that his punch, which was enough to shatter a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, would be caught by this human without a trace of cursed energy!
Even if he was currently in the weakened period of Cursed Technique Burnout, this pure physical strength was simply like...
'That man named Toji Fushiguro?'
The figure of the man who had struggled in the domain just now flashed through Sukuna's mind.
'I see. While I'm suffering from Cursed Technique Burnout, you want to bet everything on the peak of Heavenly Restriction?'
A flash of realization crossed Sukuna's eyes, followed by even more frantic excitement.
"This is getting more and more interesting!"
"Then try this!"
Sukuna swung his other hand violently.
Technique: Dismantle!
Although the power and density of these slashes were far inferior to when the domain was open because the burnout period hadn't fully passed,
There were no chants, no telegraphing.
Countless invisible slashes, like a dense laser net, blanketed Yoru!
Back at the Juvenile Detention Center, Yoru couldn't even see the trajectory of 'Dismantle' swung by Sukuna at full strength with only two fingers.
But now,
Facing a fifteen-finger Sukuna in a weakened state whose technique hadn't fully recovered!
Having broken through the 60% synchronization rate and fully activated the Transparent World!
Those invisible slashes composed of cursed energy were as clear as searchlights in the dark night to Yoru!
"Too slow."
Yoru's voice echoed eerily in Sukuna's ear.
In the next second,
Yoru's figure suddenly vanished from the spot!
It wasn't teleportation, but terrifying movement exceeding the speed of sound, achieved purely through physical explosiveness!
Rumble!
The ground where he had just stood was instantly sliced into countless pieces by Sukuna's slightly sluggish 'Dismantle.'
Meanwhile, Yoru had already appeared at Sukuna's side!
"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form..."
"Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!"
Roar!
Accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar,
Shiranui in Yoru's hand turned into a roaring crimson fire dragon, carrying extreme heat that incinerated everything, and hacked down at Sukuna!
Sukuna reacted instantly, immediately mobilizing a massive amount of cursed energy to cover his arms in an attempt to block the blow.
Had he been at full strength, this strike might have only scratched his skin.
But now, his unrecovered cursed energy defense appeared somewhat thin before the Bright Red Nichirin Sword!
Pfft!
The crimson blade sliced through Sukuna's hastily gathered cursed energy defense without resistance, hacking deep into his arm bone!
'Hiss!'
Even Sukuna couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air when he felt the agonizing pain of his soul being scorched.
He exerted sudden force, kicking Yoru's abdomen and using the reaction force to retreat dozens of meters.
Sukuna looked down at his arm, which had been hacked with a wound deep enough to see the bone.
There was no blood flowing from the wound.
Because the terrifying high temperature had carbonized the blood vessels and flesh instantly!
Furthermore, no matter how he pushed his Reverse Cursed Technique, the golden flames at the wound were like maggots in bone, stubbornly preventing the flesh from regenerating!
"..."
Looking at the unhealable wound, Sukuna didn't get angry; instead, he let out a spine-chilling wild laugh.
"That's it!"
"That disgusting flame that rejects regeneration!"
"To give me such a surprise while I'm at my weakest?"
"Exquisite! Yoru!"
Sukuna looked up abruptly, his crimson eyes burning with unprecedented battle intent.
He could feel his Cursed Technique Burnout repairing rapidly.
"Compared to those boring jujutsu sorcerers, an anomaly like you who can precisely capture my openings makes me feel much more pleasure!"
"Come! Let me see to what extent you can keep dancing once my technique is fully recovered!"
Sukuna spread his arms. Though still tired, the terrifying cursed energy of fifteen fingers was reconsolidating at an amazing speed!
The true fight to the death had only just begun!
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