The clash didn't feel like it was progressing anymore.
It felt like it was looping—two forces trading infinite momentum inside a collapsing space that refused to decide what reality should be.
Hakari and Takeru collided again.
And again.
And again.
BOOM—
BOOM—
BOOM—
Yuji's voice was barely holding together."…This is endless…"
Nobara swallowed hard."…It can't actually be endless… right?"
Megumi didn't answer right away.
His eyes were fixed.
Unblinking.
"…It isn't."
A pause.
"…Something's changing."
Inside the fractured domain space—
Hakari suddenly slipped mid-step.
Not physically.
Not visibly injured.
Just… a fraction of delay.
Takeru noticed instantly.
His Six Eyes sharpened.
"…Your rhythm broke."
Hakari blinked.
Then smiled.
"…Hah?"
For the first time in the entire fight—
His cursed energy stuttered.
Not stopped.
Not gone.
Just… uneven.
Sukuna's voice echoed faintly in Takeru's mind.
"…One jackpot cycle is ending."
Takeru's gaze tightened.
"…So it's you."
Hakari laughed, but it wasn't as loud as before.
"…Yeah… looks like it."
Above them, the invisible timer flickered.
The "4:11" glow that had been stabilizing Hakari's existence—
began to distort.
Yuji stepped forward."…Wait… his jackpot's ending?!"
Nobara's eyes widened."…THAT'S A THING?!"
Megumi's voice turned sharp."…First cycle. Not the domain. The state."
Inside—
Hakari exhaled slowly.
"…Tch."
"…Guess I got a bad spin."
Takeru didn't hesitate.
He moved.
Not a punch.
Not a strike.
Just distance closing—
precision movement through the system.
Hakari raised his arm to block—
But it was slower now.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
BOOM—
Takeru's strike landed clean.
Hakari slid back for the first time since jackpot started.
Silence hit the battlefield like a shockwave.
Yuji froze."…He moved him."
Nobara whispered."…He actually moved him…"
Hakari steadied himself.
And smiled again—
but this time it was different.
Less playful.
More honest.
"…Alright."
His cursed energy flickered once more.
Weaker.
Unstable.
"…That was fun."
Takeru's expression stayed calm.
But his stance tightened.
Because he understood what just changed.
Hakari raised a hand slightly.
"…Your turn's still going, right?"
A beat.
Takeru nodded.
"…Yeah."
Hakari grinned faintly.
"…Then don't waste it."
And just like that—
his body faded out of jackpot mode.
The immortal pressure vanished.
The overwhelming output collapsed.
The domain fragments around him stuttered violently as stability returned to one side.
Yuji shouted immediately."…HE'S OUT?!"
Nobara pointed."…SO THAT MEANS—"
Megumi finished quietly."…The advantage shifted."
Takeru stood still.
Now alone in full jackpot state.
No mirror.
No equal.
No shared system.
Just him.
And Sukuna's voice, almost amused:
"…Now you understand."
Hakari stretched his arm once, rolling his shoulder.
"…Let's see what you do with it."
Takeru didn't respond.
But his cursed energy surged higher.
Sharper.
More controlled.
Because now—
he wasn't surviving Hakari anymore.
He was fighting the gap.