Fushiguro Megumi Takes Massive Damage

"Fushiguro, I'm fine. I've withdrawn for now!"

Fushiguro Megumi lowered his head to look at the message on his phone. After a long while, he let out a laugh. "Fine, my ass. But as long as he's alive, that's good enough."

Seeing that Lin Ran was safe, Fushiguro Megumi relaxed slightly. Now, all he could do was wait for Yuji to return.

A steady drizzle fell beneath the gloomy sky. Fushiguro Megumi looked toward the Juvenile Detention Center when he suddenly sensed something.

"Unfortunately, he won't be coming back."

A calm voice rang out. Fushiguro Megumi heard the voice he least wanted to hear, but he did not immediately run. At this distance, escape was impossible. If the other party wanted to kill him, it would happen in an instant.

Ryomen Sukuna glanced at Fushiguro Megumi, who stood rooted to the spot. After taking a few steps forward, he said, "I'm in a good mood right now, so let's talk. This is the price he paid for using me without hesitation. He must've run into some trouble and can't switch me out."

"But that's only a matter of time, right?" Ryomen Sukuna raised both hands and tore open his shirt, revealing a muscular physique marked by black stripes across his skin. "So I started wondering what I could do right now."

Fushiguro Megumi's expression changed as he watched one of Ryomen Sukuna's hands plunge swiftly into his own chest.

"What are you doing?" Fushiguro Megumi shouted in shock.

Ryomen Sukuna did not answer. Instead, he used his actions to pull out Yuji Itadori's heart. Blood burst forth at once, mixing with the rainwater on the ground.

Holding Yuji Itadori's heart in one hand, Ryomen Sukuna grinned. "I'm going to use the brat as a hostage."

"A hostage?"

"That's right. I can survive without this, but the brat can't." Ryomen Sukuna tossed Yuji Itadori's heart onto the rain-soaked ground as though throwing away trash. "If he switches me out, he'll die. And then, to seal the deal..."

Ryomen Sukuna took out the finger from inside Cursed Womb: Heavenly Restriction's body and swallowed it whole.

"Sukuna's Fingers? Did the Special Grade Cursed Spirit in the back absorb one?" Fushiguro Megumi's emotions gradually settled, but he became even more alert.

"All right, I'm finally free. You can start being afraid now. I'm going to kill you. No particular reason." Ryomen Sukuna spread his sharp hands, the pointed black claws a horrifying sight.

"Our positions have been reversed from back then." Fushiguro Megumi spoke softly. An image surfaced in his mind—a beautiful woman lying on a bed with her eyes closed. "Only the unequal reality exists equally for everyone."

Ryomen Sukuna watched Fushiguro Megumi's muttering impassively. When Fushiguro Megumi came back to himself, he took up a fighting stance and fixed his gaze on Ryomen Sukuna. "You don't understand... That guy, Itadori—he'll come back. Even if it means he'll die, he'll come back. That's just the kind of person he is."

"You're giving him too much credit. He's only a little tougher and duller than an ordinary person. Just now, too, he was trembling in fear of death while babbling on about pretty words to himself." Ryomen Sukuna raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, then smiled. "I can say for certain that he doesn't have the courage to kill himself."

Fushiguro Megumi paid no attention to Ryomen Sukuna's words. Yuji Itadori did not need it to judge him. Right now, he was only focused on Ryomen Sukuna's physical condition. His hand recovered. He can use Reverse Cursed Technique - Healing. Sukuna has completely taken over. Even if he doesn't need a heart, there should still be some damage. Before Itadori returns, I need to make him restore his heart. I need to make him think that a body without a heart can't beat me.

Can I do this? Fushiguro Megumi suppressed the tension and unease in his heart. I couldn't even move against a Special Grade... This isn't about whether I can do it. I have to!

"Nue!"

A shadow emerged behind Fushiguro Megumi. A massive brown bird burst from within it, bearing a face somewhat like a human's and resembling an owl.

"Since we're finally outside, loosen up and let yourself go." Ryomen Sukuna stretched as he watched Fushiguro Megumi charge at him, though his hands remained tucked in his pockets.

Fushiguro Megumi threw punch after punch at Ryomen Sukuna, but his opponent was as relaxed as if sightseeing, effortlessly dodging every attack.

"Interesting. You're using shikigami, yet the sorcerer himself is charging in too?"

Nue swooped down at that moment. Fushiguro Megumi and Nue attacked Ryomen Sukuna together, but the result remained the same—they still could not touch him.

"Come on. That's not enough, not nearly enough. Bring out your cursed energy." Ryomen Sukuna grabbed Fushiguro Megumi's hand and yanked him close, then kicked him away.

A trace of blood spilled from the corner of Fushiguro Megumi's mouth. After landing, he formed another hand sign. "Great Serpent!"

The Great Serpent, with its white body and black stripes, suddenly burst from the shadows. It bit down on Ryomen Sukuna's body and carried him into the sky.

"Attack together!" Fushiguro Megumi knew the Great Serpent's strength alone would not be enough. They had to attack together if they wanted even the slightest chance of success.

Nue had long been waiting in the sky for an opening. As the Great Serpent carried Ryomen Sukuna upward in its jaws, electricity coursed along Nue's wings. It swooped directly onto Ryomen Sukuna.

After attacking back and forth four or five times, Ryomen Sukuna was not only uninjured—he had grown excited. The next instant, the Great Serpent's head, which had been biting him, burst apart.

Ryomen Sukuna fell from the sky and landed behind Fushiguro Megumi. He grabbed Fushiguro Megumi's clothes and hurled him away. "I told you, didn't I? Let yourself go!"

Fushiguro Megumi was thrown an unknown distance. The scenery around him blurred past at incredible speed. Had Ryomen Sukuna really thrown him this far with brute strength alone?

Before he could think any further, Ryomen Sukuna caught up and kicked him in the stomach midair. Fushiguro Megumi spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed onto a rooftop below, rolling like a ball.

Before Fushiguro Megumi could hit the ground, Ryomen Sukuna appeared before him again and threw another punch. Fushiguro Megumi smashed into one building, then burst out through the other side.

Nue caught Fushiguro Megumi's body at that moment and sped into the distance.

"Urgh..." Fushiguro Megumi's face was covered in blood, and blood continued dripping from his mouth. His vision began to blur. "This isn't even a matter of Cursed Technique proficiency. His strength and speed aren't remotely comparable."

"Your Cursed Technique is pretty good." Ryomen Sukuna's voice rang out in the air, right beside his ear. Then he clasped both hands together and brought them down like a hammer on Nue below.

"Boom!"

Nue and Fushiguro Megumi crashed into the building beneath them, smashing through walls and floors before finally falling to the ground.

Even injured, Nue protected Fushiguro Megumi's body, covering him with its other wing. But it was clearly at death's door.

What do I do? To pass through the Innate Domain, I've already used every shikigami once. "Divine Dog: White" and "Great Serpent" have both been destroyed, and "Nue" is already at its limit. Better to dispel it before it's destroyed. Fushiguro Megumi raised a hand and placed it on Nue's fluffy head. It vanished just like that.