Sukuna's Escalating Machine

What Sukuna was thinking about was how to put Xuan into a situation where he couldn't use the Mahoraga Ring—that is, the so-called countermeasure for open domains. He had to put Xuan into a long-term Burnout.

But during the battle, Sukuna realized that Xuan's attacks and defenses were almost openly aimed at him.

If they were to clash in an open domain, he would lose. If he were to use all his offensive methods, he would still lose. If they were to trade domains one for one, Xuan's recovery speed would be much faster than his own.

As the black barrier enveloped them, Gen immediately understood Sukuna's strategy.

"Sukuna! You really came up with that idea?!"

As the closed domain closed— Sukuna's lips curled into a smile.

The outer barrier remained unscathed! Did we gamble right?

Unlike his own domain, Zenin Xuan's method for dealing with closed domains is to launch an attack from within, breaking down the domain after Domain Expansion. If he deploys his domain after the opponent has deployed it, his attack method will be...

"Dragon Scales! Recoil! Paired Shooting Stars!"

"Ice Condensation Spell: Frostnagi!"

Uraume and Sukuna's angry voices appeared simultaneously—and as the enclosed domain unfolded, the shadow covering Xuan's body was neutralized.

Click.

Xuan slightly turned to the side—and then, Sukuna saw several shadows instantly explode on Xuan's body.

Ox, tiger, eagle, wolf, wolf.

Can't avoid it?!

With a sonic boom, half of Sukuna's body exploded instantly, Lightning piercing through his body. The sonic boom and slashing strikes that followed the charge also caused secondary damage to his body.

Xuan's body crashed into the boundary of the Malevolent Shrine's domain, his palm pressing against the boundary.

"It's coming."

"I understand now! Zenin Xuan!"

"Piercing Ox!"

At Xuan's shout, Sukuna felt his domain barrier crumbling.

Boom!!!!!

As the shadow streaked past, a large hole was blasted open in the middle of Sukuna's domain. Piercing Ox had destroyed Sukuna's domain with a single blow with just a brief acceleration—and next, Sukuna would have to fight Xuan within the domain.

Realizing he was in a precarious situation, Sukuna immediately chose a strategy that even he found somewhat frightening.

Uraume!

Sukuna shouted from inside her body, and Uraume immediately took control of the body—her four hands simultaneously formed the hand seals for the Ice Condensation Spell.

Boom!!!

But in an instant, Uraume's body slammed onto the Sendai ground. With the kick he had just delivered, Gen instantly appeared behind Uraume and delivered another kick.

Boom!!

Uraume's body was like a ball—flying continuously through Sendai as the area shifted position, with no chance of landing.

They didn't even have a chance to fight back.

Uraume could only endure the beating while actively using ice-condensing spells to protect Sukuna's body, while Sukuna —finally finished.

"Domain Expansion."

"The Malevolent Shrine"

Um?

Xuan, who had appeared behind Uraume, only felt that he had kicked nothing—with the speed of Piercing Ox, his kick struck the edge of the barrier from one side in just 0.2 seconds.

The barrier emitted a sound of being overwhelmed, and the explosion of Cursed Energy triggered by Xuan's landing completely destroyed the place where he landed.

Click.

Xuan turned around—he discovered that Sukuna was in an unprecedentedly good state.

The slashes within the Malevolent Shrine kept changing—while Sukuna herself, with Uraume's help, completed the transformation from the Shrine to the cold wind.

"Hey! Sukuna, don't you need fire?"

"Dealing with a nobody like you... there's no need to get worked up, is there?"

"Oh? You really like sashimi...?"

"No matter how long you struggle, I've already found a way to solve your problem."

Sukuna crossed all four arms over his chest, while Xuan strolled leisurely towards Sukuna on the now-razed Sendai. Their domains merged once more, and Xuan slowly walked towards Sukuna.

"You're so confident, but that guy being kicked around in the air just now, it didn't look like you, did it?"

"Oh..."

"Of course! Even if Lord Sukuna's Cursed Technique Burnout, he can easily kill you!"

"Does Sukuna himself know he can kill me?"

"..."

A single sentence silenced Uraume. Xuan approached again, and the two's domains clashed fiercely. The black Shadow Sea crashed against Malevolent Shrine's slashes like a tsunami, while Malevolent Shrine's slashes mercilessly shattered the Shadow Sea.

"Sukuna... you seem to misunderstand the situation."

Xuan raised a hand and aimed it at Sukuna's forehead.

"In this boss fight... I am the boss, and you... are unlikely to be the top DPS."

"... Oh? Well then, as you said, I'll be going to solo it."

"Hi!"

When!

Xuan's fingers struck Sukuna's forehead with lightning speed, and with a dull thud, anger flashed across Sukuna's face.

"You brat!!!"

It is almost harmless, but extremely insulting.

As Xuan struck Sukuna's forehead, Sukuna almost laughed in anger—a single strike pressed down, and thousands of slashes instantly covered the ground in front of him, cutting out a fan-shaped area on the ground—while Xuan had already disappeared.

"Dragon Scales, Recoil, Paired Shooting Stars."

Xuan chanted the incantation rapidly, and the effects of the Cursed Technique appeared instantly.

Blood suddenly gushed from Sukuna's chest—his own attacks were ineffective against him, yet Su Nuo's attacks were effective against him?

Is this the move...?

Sukuna recalled the invisible slash during her first battle with Xuan. Sukuna had initially thought that the slash was simply traveling faster because they were too close, and that she had overlooked it due to her insufficient Cursed Energy at the time—but now it seemed that was not the case.

As white smoke billowed out, Sukuna raised his hands—his two hands formed a palm seal, both pointing towards Xuan, while he chanted incantations and recited a spell.

"Dragon Scales, Recoil, Paired Shooting Stars."

"Ice Condensation Spell - Frostnagi".

Click.

The slash instantly cut a huge gash in Xuan's chest—but it healed the moment it appeared. However, the icy light from the slash, imbued with the power of the Ice Condensation Spell, froze Xuan's chest in an instant.

Click.

Bang!

As the ring of Mahoraga spun once more, the black ice was shattered by Xuan, who grinned.

But at the same time, Mahoraga's ring had also completed its adaptation to "the Malevolent Shrine".

Furthermore, the Ice Condensation Spell's adaptability is limited to "First Reincarnation".

"Sukuna!!"

Xuan raised his hand, and layers of cloth were wrapped around it.

"It's phase two!"

The appearance of the Sword of Extermination made Sukuna's eyes narrow. He immediately raised his hand and unleashed several slashes—but they instantly dissipated and melted upon hitting the Sword of Extermination, leaving not a trace of Cursed Energy behind.