The battle continued.
The surrounding environment had been completely wrecked by the intense fight, and the nearby cursed spirits had been wiped out just from the shockwaves. This, in turn, earned Yukinoshita Yukino more points.
Meanwhile, her coordination with Mahoraga was improving under the pressure of high-intensity combat.
Ryoumen Sukuna could barely keep up against their combined assault. He was losing ground, and victory seemed completely out of reach.
If Mahoraga fully adapts to the slashes, his disadvantage will become irreversible.
Even though Ryoumen Sukuna had guessed that Mahoraga could adapt to anything, he still wasn't sure whether Mahoraga was adapting to his technique's deconstruction or to the very concept of slashes themselves.
If it was the former, then it wouldn't be a big problem, since he hadn't used Cleave from the start. But if it was the latter, things could get a bit tricky.
However, he still had one move that could decide the battle.
"You've already mastered Reverse Cursed Technique." Sukuna leaped high into the air and landed on the corner of a traditional-style rooftop. A slight grin appeared on his lips. "So, what about your Domain?"
From above, he looked down at the black-haired girl and the white shikigami, forming the Enma Mudra with his hands.
But before he could complete the hand sign, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind. Sukuna had no choice but to abandon the seal and turn to block the black wolf's bite.
Just as she was about to cut off Divine Dog's head, the shikigami was dismissed, melting into a puddle of inky shadow that seeped into the ground and disappeared.
After all, Ryoumen Sukuna wasn't the only one she had trained against.
Back when Hayashizaki was still inside Yukinoshita Yukino's body, all the memories that controlled her were precious battle recordings—valuable experiences she could learn from.
"As if I'd let you activate your Domain so easily."
Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her hands, her delicate face returning to its usual calm expression. She had snapped out of the excitement from just mastering Reverse Cursed Technique and grasping the core of cursed energy.
She tilted her head slightly and spoke in her usual indifferent tone, laced with a hint of mockery. "Did you take me for an idiot? Or are you just a fool who thinks everything will go your way?"
The girl narrowed her eyes and covered her mouth with a soft chuckle. "You really live up to your title as the King of Curses from a thousand years ago."
Standing behind Yukinoshita Yukino, Mahoraga grinned as well, flashing a mouthful of perfectly aligned white teeth in a mocking sneer.
"You little brat..." Sukuna's temple twitched, and his smile almost faltered.
Yukinoshita Yukino's taunt reminded him of an even more irritating brat—Hayashizaki.
Abandoning his defensive stance, the King of Curses took the initiative to attack.
With a powerful step, the rooftop beneath him shattered, and Sukuna shot toward the black-haired girl like an arrow.
Mahoraga stepped forward, shielding its master while twisting its body to throw a punch.
Sukuna brushed aside Mahoraga's straight punch with one hand, while simultaneously unleashing a slash filled with immense cursed energy. A deep gash appeared on Mahoraga's thick neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain.
Then, with a crushing blow to Mahoraga's stomach, he sent it flying backward. The moment Sukuna landed, he spun around and swung his right hand like a blade at the black-haired girl.
Yukinoshita Yukino leaned back to dodge the incoming hand strike, then flipped backward to evade the following slash.
But as she dodged, Sukuna had already closed the distance.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she hastily raised her arms to block his attack.
Thanks to Hayashizaki's sparring, she had specifically trained in close-quarters combat. Even after Hayashizaki's temporary departure, Yukinoshita Yukino never neglected her practice.
Though the fight was intense, she managed to block all of Sukuna's attacks.
Suddenly, Sukuna lifted his leg and kicked straight at her face. She blocked it with both arms, but the sheer force sent her flying backward.
The light around her suddenly dimmed—Sukuna was now covered by a shadow.
Instinctively, he looked up.
Mahoraga was descending from above.
Sukuna easily dodged the stomp, but Mahoraga's follow-up punch landed squarely on his body, sending him flying.
Yet, in midair, Sukuna suddenly grinned.
He stabilized himself and landed lightly on the ground.
Raising both hands, he quickly formed the Enma Mudra, grinning wide.
"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Kitchen, Triple Talisman!"
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino regained her footing, her pupils contracted sharply.
There was no time to stop him!
It was as if time had frozen. Behind the pink-haired boy, countless white skulls of strange creatures burst from the ground, piling up around a shrine that rose from below. A crimson glow spread outward from Ryoumen Sukuna as the center.
Like Hayashizaki-kun's domain, Ryoumen Sukuna's domain was an open-type domain. There was no enclosed barrier she could use as an outer shell!
That meant she couldn't fully activate her incomplete domain to counter it.
But an open-type domain allowed enemies to enter and leave freely—her only choice was to endure the attacks with Reverse Cursed Technique and escape!
Just as Yukinoshita Yukino was thinking this, the expanding domain had already swallowed both her and Mahoraga.
Inside the domain "Malevolent Shrine," everything within its range was relentlessly slashed by "Dismantle" and "Cleave." Whether it was a target with cursed energy or lifeless buildings and landscapes, nothing was spared.
The moment the domain reached them, the black-haired girl and the white shikigami were instantly covered in deep cuts. Blood splattered from their wounds as their flesh was torn apart—only to be restored again by Reverse Cursed Technique, repeating the cycle over and over.
The unbearable pain surged like a tidal wave. Tears welled up at the corners of the girl's eyes. She gritted her teeth, barely holding on. Escaping while being slashed nonstop was nearly impossible.
The surrounding trees and buildings were completely reduced to fine dust under the relentless slashes.
Ryoumen Sukuna's wild laughter echoed in Yukinoshita Yukino's ears.
He spread his hands, and flames began to rise from his palms.
…
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Outside Ryoumen Sukuna's domain, a white-haired man floated high in the sky. His hands were clasped together, and red and blue sparks flickered behind him, moving closer, touching, and merging.
The infinite forces of reversal and lapse clashed, generating a massive, imaginary energy that condensed in his hands.
Gojo Satoru extended his right hand, locking onto the strongest cursed energy reaction within his perception range.
A purple lightning surged from his fingertips. His lips parted slightly:
"Hollow Purple."
Boom!
A massive purple energy sphere, carrying unstoppable force, roared toward Ryoumen Sukuna in the distance!
…
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