Sukuna

"You handle the ones around us. I'll take care of the biggest one." Fushiguro Megumi charged straight at the largest Cursed Spirit. He could sense the aura of a Special Grade Cursed Object on it.

However, the largest Cursed Spirit was not easy to deal with. As Fushiguro formed hand signs, he dashed forward, closing the distance as quickly as possible.

Although the Cursed Spirit that had eaten Sukuna's Finger could not complete its transformation so quickly, it was already far tougher than before.

As Fushiguro approached, several Cursed Spirits pounced at him. Though Divine Dogs tore some of them apart, several still impeded Fushiguro's speed. At that moment, the largest Cursed Spirit found an opening and slammed a palm into him.

"Pfft!"

Fushiguro spat out a mouthful of blood and crashed into the wall along the corridor. Cracks instantly spread across it, showing just how powerful the blow had been.

"Dammit!" Fushiguro gritted his teeth as blood streamed down his forehead, but he barely felt the pain. What mattered most was exorcising this Cursed Spirit. If it escaped, it would be much harder to exorcise later.

And if this Cursed Spirit hid away and absorbed the Special Grade Cursed Object, its strength would increase exponentially. Then it would no longer be a minor problem, but an extremely troublesome one.

"Looks like I'll have to use that..." Fushiguro propped himself up with one hand and raised the other.

"Hand them over!" A furious roar came from outside the window. The glass instantly shattered, and Yuji Itadori burst in through it, kicking the Cursed Spirit in the head.

"Perfect timing!" Though Fushiguro had no idea why Yuji had appeared from there, he had to seize this chance.

His hands formed a complex series of signs before snapping together. A sharp purple blast of cursed energy shot out and directly decapitated the Cursed Spirit before it could react.

"Didn't I tell you to look after them downstairs?" After exorcising the Cursed Spirit, Fushiguro stood up. Only then did he have time to wipe the blood from his forehead.

"Where's Lin Ran...? Why isn't he here?" Yuji found no sign of Lin Ran inside the Cursed Spirit's body, only a blackish-purple finger.

"You mean the guy those girls mentioned? I didn't see him when I came up. Ordinary people can't escape a Cursed Spirit's pursuit. Maybe he's already dead." Fushiguro was telling the truth. It was completely impossible for an ordinary person to evade a Cursed Spirit's hunt. Otherwise, Cursed Spirits would not be so dangerous.

"Dead?" Yuji froze. He had not known Lin Ran well, but they were classmates in the same year. An unpleasant feeling rose within him. Why hadn't I come up sooner?

"Anyway, once I retrieve the Special Grade Cursed Object, this place will be safe." Fushiguro knew Yuji felt awful, but there was nothing that could be done. Ordinary people were that fragile. Even Jujutsu Sorcerers like him were just as fragile.

"BOOM!"

The next instant, the ceiling collapsed. A Cursed Spirit even larger than the previous one fell through, swallowed Sukuna's Finger in one bite, then struck Fushiguro flying again with a single palm.

"Pfft!"

Fushiguro nearly passed out this time. He had already been injured by the first blow, and the second was even more powerful.

Yuji was sent flying as well, but he was not as badly hurt as Fushiguro. He quickly got back to his feet after hitting the ground, staring in shock at the enormous creature before him.

"Get away. Curses can only be exorcised with curses. You can't defeat it." Fushiguro spoke with difficulty. He did not want to see anyone else die because of this.

"Now isn't the time for that. If I leave, you'll die, and I won't be able to live with myself." Yuji leaped up, grabbed the Cursed Spirit's red eye, and poured all his strength into a punch.

The Cursed Spirit's red eye burst apart, blood spraying everywhere.

Fushiguro had not expected Yuji to inflict such tremendous damage on a Cursed Spirit. He reacted instantly, using the last of his cursed energy to launch an attack at it.

"GRAAAAAAAH—!"

The Cursed Spirit let out a pained roar, and the black finger in its mouth fell out at that moment.

A Cursed Spirit was still a Cursed Spirit. Even now, it knew what mattered most. The instant it spat out the black finger, it opened its mouth and lunged, trying to bite down on the blackish-purple finger.

In the blink of an eye, Yuji took a swift step forward and bit down on the closest blackish-purple finger, leaving the Cursed Spirit to lunge at empty air.

"Gulp."

The sound of swallowing rang out. Yuji swallowed the entire finger, and Fushiguro's eyes widened. He actually...

"Sukuna's Finger—a Special Grade Cursed Object. He'll definitely die!" Fushiguro had no time to stop him. A Cursed Object of this level would take effect the instant it was consumed. "But... what if... what if..."

"BOOM!!!"

Yuji suddenly slashed upward with one hand. The powerful Cursed Spirit exploded from the blow, chunks of flesh scattering across the ground before quickly dissolving.

The roof was torn open by that strike as well, and moonlight poured down from the sky onto Yuji's body.

"Uh hahahaha... Hahahaha!"

Yuji suddenly threw back his head and laughed. Black markings spread all over his skin, and his two eyes became four, the extra pair appearing an inch beneath his original eyes.

"Moonlight really is best when you experience it firsthand!" Yuji tore off his shirt and stood there with his arms spread wide beneath the moonlight.

"That's it. The worst-case 'what if' happened." Fushiguro stared at Yuji in disbelief. "The Special Grade Cursed Object has taken root inside him."

"Cursed Spirit flesh is so bland. Where are the humans? Where are the women?" Sukuna had taken control of Yuji's body. Standing atop the railing, he looked toward the brightly lit city in the distance and sighed. "This era really is wonderful. Women and children crawling everywhere like maggots."

The more Sukuna spoke, the more excited he became, until he could barely control his expression. "How marvelous... Uh hahahaha! Time for a grand slaughter!!"

Fushiguro kept backing away. In his current condition, there was no way he could defeat a Special Grade Cursed Spirit like this. The difference in strength was far too great.

"Uh..." Just as Sukuna was about to continue laughing, his own right hand suddenly grabbed his face. What was going on?

He stepped down from the railing, and Yuji's voice came from within his body. "What are you doing with someone else's body? Give it back."

Sukuna did not understand why this was happening. He had already taken over this guy's body. It should have been completely under his control.

"Why can you move?" Sukuna desperately wanted to know why.

"Because this is my body..." After Yuji said that, he completely took back control of his body, suppressing Sukuna within it.

"Dammit. It's too late to run now. I can only fight." Fushiguro clenched his teeth. He absolutely could not let this thing leave here today!