The air didn't change slowly this time.
It snapped.
Like something inside reality finally stopped pretending it was being shared.
Yuji froze.
"…No."
Nobara's grip tightened instantly."…That feeling again… but worse."
Megumi didn't move.
His eyes were locked on Takeru.
"…It's not interference anymore."
Takeru stood perfectly still.
Sunglasses slightly tilted.
Expression blank.
Too blank.
Then—
he tilted his head slightly.
And smiled.
Not Takeru.
"…Ah."
The voice was calm.
Familiar.
Wrong.
Yuji stepped forward immediately."…Sukuna?! Hey—DON'T—"
But the cursed energy surged outward.
Not leaking.
Not resisting.
Rewriting ownership.
Takeru's posture changed.
Subtle at first.
Then absolute.
Like someone had taken control of every joint at once and decided there was no reason for hesitation anymore.
Megumi's voice sharpened."…Full possession."
Nobara snapped."…THAT'S FULL?!"
Yuji clenched his fists."…GET OUT OF HIM!"
But Sukuna only exhaled through Takeru's body.
"…This vessel…"
A pause.
Then a faint chuckle.
"…It finally stopped resisting properly."
The cursed energy pressure exploded outward.
And then—
it stabilized.
Not chaos.
Control.
Megumi's eyes widened slightly."…He's not rampaging."
"…He's assessing."
Yuji shook."…That's worse."
Sukuna rolled his shoulders inside Takeru's body like he was testing fit.
"…Let's see."
A beat.
Then—
he lifted one hand slightly.
The air folded.
Nobara took a step back instantly."…Wait—don't tell me he's—"
Megumi's voice dropped."…Hakari's technique is still embedded."
Yuji turned sharply."…What does that mean?!"
Megumi answered immediately.
"…If he activates it…"
"…Idle Death Gamble is now Sukuna's too."
Silence.
Yuji's face went pale."…NOPE."
And then Sukuna smiled.
"…Lucky me."
The domain manifested instantly.
No hesitation.
No buildup.
Just reality flipping into motion-based gambling logic.
Yuji shouted."…HE OPENED IT?!"
Nobara:"…WITHOUT EVEN THINKING?!"
Inside the domain—
pachinko systems, train station logic, probability rules all reactivated instantly.
But now—
they obeyed Sukuna's cursed energy instead of Hakari's luck.
Megumi's voice was tight."…He's overriding the system's owner priority."
Yuji:"…CAN HE DO THAT?!"
Megumi:"…Apparently."
And then—
Sukuna took a step forward inside the domain.
"…Now."
The ground shifted.
Not spinning.
Calculating.
Yuji swallowed hard."…Is he going for a jackpot?!"
Megumi's eyes widened slightly.
"…He doesn't need luck."
"…He's rewriting probability weighting."
Nobara stepped back further."…That's not gambling, that's CHEATING REALITY."
And then—
a second presence stirred.
Deep inside the system.
A faint resistance.
Hakari's residual cursed energy trying to assert structure.
But Sukuna only smiled wider.
"…Oh?"
A pause.
Then—
"…You left me toys."
Yuji's voice cracked."…STOP HIM!"
Megumi immediately stepped forward.
"…We can't engage inside the domain directly."
Nobara snapped."…WHY NOT?!"
Megumi's expression darkened.
"…Because Mahoraga is still part of him."
Silence.
Yuji froze."…Oh."
Nobara slowly turned."…Oh NO."
Megumi continued.
"…And if adaptation triggers inside this system…"
"…We don't get a second chance."
Inside the domain—
Sukuna tilted his head.
"…Ah."
A faint sound of amusement.
"…I see the issue."
Then he exhaled.
And the air changed again.
Not expansion.
Not destruction.
Summoning.
The cursed shadow beneath him stirred.
Megumi's eyes widened instantly.
"…Don't tell me—"
Yuji whispered."…Mahoraga…"
And Sukuna smiled.
"…Let's see how obedient it still is."
The wheel began to turn.
Slowly.
Awakening.