Speaking from the Heart

A few minutes earlier, Fushiguro had keenly sensed the aura of the innate domain within the Juvenile Detention Center vanish.

That meant the special-grade cursed spirit inside the detention center had been exorcised, and the only one capable of doing that was Sukuna within Itadori.

You have to come out safely! Fushiguro silently prayed, worried for Itadori's safety.

Suddenly, an icy voice came from behind Fushiguro's ear.

"Oh? Are you worried about this brat?"

"I never thought that beneath that indifferent facade, you were actually capable of worrying about others."

The instant he heard that voice, Fushiguro felt as though he had plunged into an ice pit, cold sweat soaking his entire body!

The terrifying pressure robbed Fushiguro of his ability to think for a moment, leaving him standing stiffly in place.

Sukuna slowly circled around to stand in front of Fushiguro, his face full of mocking amusement.

"Don't worry. He won't be coming back anytime soon."

"So, what should I do during this time?"

As he spoke, Sukuna thrust a hand through his own heart. A wound fatal to ordinary people and sorcerers only caused a small amount of blood to trickle from the corner of Sukuna's mouth.

"I can live just fine without a heart, but it's fatal for the brat."

"I'll use him as a hostage. If he dares switch back, he'll die!"

"And during that time, I'll kill you!"

Sukuna greedily inhaled the air, his face filled with enjoyment.

"Oh, right. There's also this." Sukuna pulled a finger from his clothes and swallowed it whole.

The terror in Fushiguro's heart was completely swallowed by despair.

That finger must have belonged to the cursed spirit in the Juvenile Detention Center. It also explained why a special-grade cursed spirit had suddenly appeared in a place like that.

Even a cursed spirit with the power of just one finger had left him unable to move inside the detention center. If Lin Mu had not been there, they would likely have been seriously injured by that cursed spirit back then!

And now, he had to face Sukuna, who had regained the power of three fingers!

Fushiguro began to doubt himself.

"If I want Itadori to live, I have to make Sukuna think he can't beat me without repairing his injured body, forcing him to restore his heart."

"Can I do it?"

"Damn it, why did Lin Mu have to be away at a time like this?" Fushiguro regretted letting Lin Mu leave alone.

"If Lin Mu were here, things might be much better. That monster should be able to contend with Sukuna a little, right?"

I just have to hold on until Lin Mu returns.

Fushiguro broke free of the pressure and formed a hand sign. A large bird burst from the shadows.

"Nue!"

With a bird cry, Fushiguro and Nue charged at Sukuna together.

Although he knew his chances of winning were slim, he still had to exhaust as much of Sukuna's strength as possible before Lin Mu returned.

"Oh? You control shikigami, but you fight alongside them as well?"

Sukuna developed a sliver of interest in Fushiguro's fighting style, and his original intention of ending the battle quickly changed.

Now, he planned to have some fun with Fushiguro!

The shikigami Nue spread its massive wings, blasting purple lightning toward Sukuna. At the same time, Fushiguro closed in, his fists raining down in a blur.

Faced with their pincer attack, Sukuna did not feel the slightest threat. His body weaved freely through the seemingly tricky attacks with effortless agility.

Boom—

After dodging every attack, Sukuna threw a merciless punch that struck Fushiguro squarely in the abdomen.

Fushiguro spat out a mouthful of blood, his body sent flying back dozens of meters by the blow!

A simple physical attack had nearly left Fushiguro too badly injured to stand.

"Is that all you've got?"

Sukuna's expression carried a hint of disappointment. "Let loose and release your cursed energy."

"At least try to entertain me."

Fushiguro wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and changed his hand signs.

"Great Serpent!"

A brand-new serpent shikigami burst from the shadows.

The enormous white snake, a hundred meters long, shot into the sky and clamped its jaws tightly around Sukuna.

As Sukuna was restrained, Fushiguro commanded Nue to attack in tandem, purple lightning surging wildly.

Nue's powerful wings repeatedly slammed into Sukuna's body, but attacks capable of exorcising a Grade 1 cursed spirit did not inflict much damage. Sukuna did not even suffer a scratch!

Sukuna sneered in disappointment. Invisible slashes silently swept out, instantly cutting the Great Serpent that held him into minced flesh!

Before Fushiguro could react, Sukuna had already grabbed the back of his clothes.

"You've truly disappointed me."

"Boom—"

With a spinning kick, Sukuna sent Fushiguro flying hundreds of meters away.

The force was like being struck by a truck, making Fushiguro feel as though every bone in his body was about to fall apart.

Nue caught Fushiguro in midair and sped away into the distance.

"Is this the strength of the King of Curses?!"

After their brief exchange just now, a tidal wave of shock had already risen in Fushiguro's heart.

"With strength this terrifying, even Lin Mu probably can't defeat him, right?"

The current Sukuna and the cursed spirit from the juvenile detention center were worlds apart. If the two ever met, Sukuna could absolutely kill that cursed spirit in an instant!

"Hey, where do you think you're running?"

Sukuna appeared at Fushiguro's side like a ghost. Gathering strength in both fists, he smashed them down without mercy, violently slamming Fushiguro into the ground.

"You seem to be stalling for time?"

"Are you waiting for reinforcements, or for that teammate of yours?"

Sukuna stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That brat named Lin Mu is indeed interesting. He's far stronger than you bunch of amateurs."

"If I remember correctly, he hasn't been a jujutsu sorcerer for long, has he? His talent is terrifying enough, and he even has two rare cursed techniques."

"But the strength he displayed before wasn't enough to make me go all out, much less restore my heart."

"His flame cursed technique is too easy to dodge, while his tree cursed technique lacks the power and range to threaten me."

"And he doesn't look particularly tough either. I wonder if he can withstand my attacks?"

"So where is he?"

Fushiguro lay in the crater formed by his fall, gasping for breath. His pupils were nearly unable to focus, and the previous attack had clearly injured him severely.

Seeing that Fushiguro remained silent, Sukuna spread his hands. "Forget it. I can just kill you first, then go find him."

Sukuna drew back his right fist and launched a full-force blow at Fushiguro. Yet the fist, so fast that only an afterimage could be seen, suddenly stopped in midair.

A hand had caught Sukuna's attack without budging an inch!

"Boom—"

Terrifying gusts of wind spread in every direction, leaving even the smaller trees swaying precariously.

"You brat... are you some kind of monster?"

The corners of Sukuna's mouth nearly split to his ears. As he looked at Lin Mu, who had effortlessly caught his punch, his eyes burned with fanaticism.

He had never expected someone to be able to so easily withstand his attack through physical strength alone.

Lin Mu's expression remained calm as his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, glowing red, silently fixed its gaze on Sukuna.

In the blink of an eye, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the terrifying pressure of a supreme powerhouse spread outward without restraint.

The expression of contempt for all things on Sukuna's face vanished at that moment. From the pressure Lin Mu had just released, he felt threat and fear!!

Lin Mu spoke calmly. "Do you want to dance too?"