"Pfft—cough... cough cough cough..."
Mahito crashed down from the hospital building and landed hard on the pavement below. He lay face-down, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with teeth.
What's going on? That feeling just now...?
Mahito's Innate Technique, Idle Transfiguration, allowed him to freely reshape the souls of others—or himself.
The shape of the physical body was guided by the shape of the soul.
As long as Mahito used his technique to maintain his soul's form, he could negate any physical damage to his body.
Kento Nanami possessed the strength of a standard Grade 1 sorcerer—a man capable of exorcising Special Grade curses solo.
The reason Nanami had been heavily injured was precisely because of Mahito's ability to ignore physical attacks.
But...
"Cough cough... cough cough cough..."
Mahito staggered to his feet and wiped the blood from his lips.
So strange...
Normally, that strike shouldn't have done anything.
But Sukuna's vessel just now... struck my soul directly through my physical body?!
"This guy... I see. He's been suppressing his cursed energy all along, lying in wait for me to take the bait."
But Junpei Yoshino clearly didn't leak my information to him. How did he know?
This guy houses Sukuna's soul within him—so he can naturally perceive the contours of a soul through Sukuna.
Therefore, this talented boy found a way to strike the contours of my soul, dealing direct damage.
"Interesting..."
A smile spread across Mahito's lips.
He licked the blood trickling from his nose.
Sukuna's vessel was far more troublesome than anticipated. But it didn't matter. This was urban Kanagawa Prefecture—shops and residential buildings packed densely on both sides of the street. He just needed to grab some civilians and use them as shields. The boy would naturally yield.
"Hehe..."
Mahito grinned, revealing a sinister smile.
As long as he killed those ordinary people one by one in front of Yuji Itadori, the boy would spiral into anxiety and rage. Once angry, he'd make mistakes. Once he made mistakes, he'd be defeated. After defeat, the furious boy would have no choice but to sign a Binding Vow with Sukuna to exchange bodies.
Simply perfect.
"Hm?"
Mahito suddenly frowned.
An invisible pressure descended from above. He looked up and found a pitch-black barrier slowly forming overhead, like a giant spider web enveloping the entire street.
"...A Curtain?"
Mahito was stunned.
At that moment, a figure dropped from the sky, feet smashing heavily onto the ground.
BOOM—!
The instant the pink-haired boy landed, the impact shattered the asphalt beneath him. Cracks spread outward like a spider web.
Yuji looked up. "When I left earlier, I notified the auxiliary team to lock down this area immediately. By now, all civilians have been evacuated."
"Mahito. It's just the two of us here now."
"You have nowhere to run."
The pink-haired boy's voice was cold.
"...?"
Because of the Curtain, the surroundings had turned black. Only neon lights illuminated the two of them.
Mahito's smile froze.
He'd tried to steal a chicken and lost the rice instead.
He'd planned to use hostages to threaten Yuji—but instead, he'd been outmaneuvered. Not only were all potential hostages evacuated, but the entire area was sealed with a Curtain, trapping him inside.
"Hehe..."
Mahito lowered his head, shoulders trembling slightly.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"
He suddenly looked up at the night sky and burst into laughter. The piercing sound echoed through the empty street, utterly unhinged.
"Interesting! So interesting! Yuji Itadori, you're the first human I've met who's this entertaining!"
He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the entire street.
"Don't go looking down on me! You think you can trap me with just this? It doesn't matter!"
He grinned, revealing two rows of pristine teeth. His smile dripped with killing intent.
"As long as I beat you into the ground and drag your broken body in front of those residents, the effect will be the same!"
But there was one prerequisite: Mahito's strength had to exceed Yuji Itadori's.
Yuji stared at him expressionlessly. "Then why don't you try?"
"Try? It won't be as simple as trying, Yuji Itadori. I will completely destroy your dignity here and toy with you like a maggot!"
As his words fell, both assumed their fighting stances.
Yuji clenched his fists. Veins bulged along his arms.
Flowing Red Scale plus the 120% potential "Zone" state from Black Flash.
After consuming the fourth Sukuna finger, Yuji's strength had leaped forward with the increase in cursed energy—stepping firmly into the realm of Grade 1 sorcerers.
Now, he could use Blood Manipulation far more freely.
Scarlet blood coated his arms, completely enveloping his fists and forming a thick layer of blood armor.
Doing this would slightly decrease his chances of landing a Black Flash due to delayed synchronization between physical strikes and cursed energy impact. But the blood armor provided a massive boost to both offense and defense. If he could still land a Black Flash in this state, the damage to Mahito would be devastating.
The only risk was that over-solidifying his blood could cause sudden thrombosis.
But with sixty-eight years of combat experience and precision in cursed energy manipulation, Yuji could ignore such risks.
The most terrifying thing about Mahito wasn't Idle Transfiguration itself—it was his latent talent. Mahito could grow instantaneously during battle. In his past life, Yuji had stumbled against him countless times because of this.
He wouldn't underestimate his opponent out of arrogance.
Two figures faced off beneath the streetlights.
A jujutsu sorcerer and a Special Grade cursed spirit.
The night breeze swept across the empty street, scattering a few stray newspapers.
A showdown spanning sixty-eight years—
Began here.
Whoosh—!
Both charged simultaneously. Mahito rushed at Yuji, his arm transforming into a white mace, aiming a brutal blow at his face!
BANG—!
The curse's strike landed on Yuji's vertically raised blocking arm.
CRACK—!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the blood armor, but Yuji seized the opening. He raised his fist and swung forward with everything he had!
BOOM—!
The punch landed on Mahito's crossed defensive arms. Mahito was launched backward violently, feet carving deep grooves into the ground. The sound of breaking bones reached Yuji's ears.
Yuji gave him no chance to breathe. He leaped forward, raised his right leg, and aimed a kick at Mahito's neck. Pitch-black lightning emerged—
Black Flash!
A kick wreathed in dark lightning. But just before impact, Mahito rapidly changed his arm's shape, curling it into a tentacle that wrapped around Yuji's calf.
"?!"
Yuji's eyes widened slightly. Mahito yanked the boy's leg outward, trying to disrupt his balance.
"Tch!"
Yuji snorted coldly. His right foot exerted force abruptly. Relying on cursed energy enhancement, he wrenched the tentacle back down and pinned it to the ground with his foot. The asphalt shattered like glass from the impact!
"Hehe, you took the bait."
But this was Mahito's trap. The curse revealed a sinister smile. The moment Yuji pinned his tentacle-arm to the ground, several sharp spikes shot upward, piercing straight through Yuji's instep!
Squelch!
Blood splattered. But the severe pain didn't change Yuji's expression in the slightest.
Instead, the boy stomped his foot down harder, driving the wound even deeper through his sole—and locking Mahito's movements completely!
"?!"
Mahito was stunned by the insane action.
A normal person would dodge, right?
This madman!
"Now you can't run."
Yuji's cold voice reached his ears. The boy raised his blood-armored fist. Cyan cursed energy sparks turned pitch-black in an instant—
This next punch might hurt a little.
"Black Flash."
BOOM—!
"BLERGH—!"
Pitch-black lightning exploded, accompanied by the wet sound of tearing flesh. Mahito's face caved in like dough struck by a sledgehammer.
A mouthful of filthy blood mixed with broken teeth sprayed out. The immense force sent him rocketing backward through the air like an arrow.
CRASH—
He snapped a streetlight in half. His broken body continued unabated, smashing through the closed metal shutter of a shop!
BOOM—!
Dust mixed with sparks from metal friction billowed outward, engulfing the entire area. Mahito lay in the wreckage, body twitching. The flesh on his face was torn beyond recognition—stark white skull and brain faintly visible on his forehead.
Dizziness flooded his mind. Stars danced in his vision. His head swam.
Three moves.
From start to finish, Yuji Itadori had used only three moves.
And those three moves were enough to leave Mahito critically wounded.
This guy... what's going on?
This power...
But as a curse, Mahito could use cursed energy to repair his wounds. His torn face slowly knit itself back together. The dust gradually settled. The once-grinning curse staggered to its feet.
No... no, no, no...
I can't possibly lose to a brat like this!
"The battle! It's not over yet! Yuji! Itadori!"
The cursed spirit's roar echoed through the street.
"...Is that so?"
Yuji stood with his hands in his pockets.
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~ Evey 150 PS = Bonus Chapter
~ ush the Story forward with your [Power Stones]