A Fierce Battle with Mahoraga!

In the distance.

Uraume, standing atop the fish cursed spirit, looked back with lingering fear.

Although they had already fled far away, Mahoraga's oppressive presence still seemed right before his eyes.

Uraume asked,

"Are we safe now?"

"How could we be?!" Kenjaku explained to Uraume with a dark expression. "Mahoraga's Exorcism Ritual has no range limit. Even if we run far away, Mahoraga will chase after us on his own!"

If they ran fast enough, they could indeed keep Mahoraga on a leash like a dog.

But Mahoraga had his own ability to adapt. He would adapt to their speed.

Given enough time, he would eventually adapt enough to catch up with them.

"Then what do we do now?"

Uraume asked solemnly.

He did not care about his own life, but he cared even more about Sukuna's safety.

Sukuna still had things he needed Uraume to do. If Uraume died, what would happen to Sukuna's plans?

Kenjaku glanced behind him.

"Mahoraga should be fighting Yuji Itadori and the others now. That guy named Jie Jian should be able to hold Mahoraga off for a while.

"We've already gone far away, and Mahoraga can't teleport. He won't find us that quickly.

"Once we find a host and reincarnate Sukuna, Mahoraga won't be a problem with him around."

Kenjaku's plan was simple: temporarily escape the range of Mahoraga's Exorcism Ritual.

Once Sukuna revived, he would help deal with Mahoraga, if only for Uraume's sake.

As for another possibility—Mahoraga being defeated by Jie Jian and the others?

Kenjaku had never considered it.

Mahoraga was something even the head of the Gojo Family, who possessed both the Six Eyes and the Limitless technique centuries ago, had failed to defeat.

Jie Jian was merely a newcomer to the Jujutsu Society. How could he possibly have that kind of ability?

The moment he heard Sukuna's name, Uraume's heart immediately settled.

In Uraume's eyes, Sukuna would definitely be able to kill Mahoraga!

Besides, reviving Sukuna had been Uraume's goal from the start, regardless of Mahoraga.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's revive Lord Sukuna already!"

Kenjaku shook his head helplessly.

"Don't rush. We need to find Sukuna a better body first, don't we?

"Uraume, I assume you don't want to see Sukuna reincarnate in some worthless body either, right?"

At the hospital.

Jie Jian and the others had already engaged Mahoraga.

After just one exchange, Panda was knocked straight out of his triceratops form.

Yuji Itadori's Divergent Fist barely even registered against Mahoraga. Even when he seized the chance to land a Black Flash, it only made Mahoraga take a slight step back.

Mahoraga's combat power could only be described as terrifying. Though they were both shikigami, he beat Megumi Fushiguro's Divine Dogs "Totality" as if they were stray dogs by the roadside. One kick nearly killed "Totality."

Watching everyone fail to leave even a scratch on him, Jie Jian knew they could not keep this up!

Mahoraga possessed the ability to adapt to all phenomena.

If they kept letting him adapt, he would only grow stronger and stronger. By then, even Sukuna might not be able to handle him!

Jie Jian used a Lightning-Speed Kick to temporarily force Mahoraga back.

"All of you, move aside! Stop feeding Mahoraga moves! Can't you see that Mahoraga keeps getting stronger?!"

Hearing this, Megumi Fushiguro lowered his head in guilt.

He had never expected that summoning Mahoraga would not only fail to defeat Kenjaku, but also drag everyone into danger.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have summoned Mahoraga."

Jie Jian waved a hand.

"It wasn't exactly a mistake. If you hadn't summoned Mahoraga, that old bastard Kenjaku might not have left at all."

Yuji Itadori stared gravely at Mahoraga.

"What do we do now? Fushiguro, can you call your Mahoraga back?"

Megumi Fushiguro shook his head with an ugly expression.

"No. Unless Mahoraga dies or I defeat him, I can't withdraw him."

Panda was slapped back by Mahoraga at that moment.

Before he could even get up, he shouted,

"Stop chatting! Figure out how to beat this shikigami first!"

Jie Jian took a deep breath and stared solemnly at Mahoraga.

He waved everyone away.

"All of you, retreat. Get as far away as you can. I'll fight him one-on-one."

"If we're leaving, we're leaving together! How can we leave you here alone?!"

Yuji Itadori refused instinctively.

He thought Jie Jian intended to hold Mahoraga back alone so they could escape for the time being.

But Jie Jian tore off his shirt, rolled his neck, and tossed it onto the ground.

"You're overthinking it. If I wanted to run, I'd have run already. I just think I have a chance to kill Mahoraga."

"That's impossible!"

Megumi Fushiguro refuted him instinctively. In his view, no one but Sukuna and Satoru Gojo could defeat Mahoraga.

Jie Jian said nothing. A massive amount of lightning suddenly erupted from his body.

Without turning around, he spoke to Yuji Itadori and the others.

"I'm about to unleash my ultimate move. It's pretty powerful, and I can't control its area of effect. If you stay here, I can't guarantee you won't get caught in it."

The overflowing lightning struck Yuji Itadori and the others directly.

Realizing that Jie Jian might not be joking, Yuji Itadori and the others hurriedly backed away.

"Then... then we'll retreat first. If you fail, I'll come save you right away!"

"Whatever," Jie Jian said indifferently. "If I fail, I'll probably be dead. Whether you come save me won't mean much."

The instant his words fell, even more lightning burst from his body.

Yuji Itadori and the others immediately fled in panic. Panda, who was slower, was accidentally caught in the blast and instantly felt his scalp go numb from the shock.

Even Mahoraga in the distance was briefly intimidated by the lightning erupting from Jie Jian's body. The wheel above his head spun continuously, seemingly adapting to Jie Jian's lightning.

Jie Jian stared at Mahoraga before him.

"I originally planned to save this move for Sukuna. Didn't expect I'd have to give you a demonstration first."

"Whatever. Consider it an early rehearsal. If I can't even handle you, how can I talk about dealing with Sukuna?"

That was right—Jie Jian was about to activate his Technique Release!

To deal with Mahoraga, he had to kill it in one overwhelming attack.

Ordinary moves were useless against Mahoraga. Only Technique Release might stand a chance!

Not far away, Panda, who was fleeing, suddenly looked up at the sky.

"Look! The... the sky's getting darker!"

Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro immediately looked up. The once-clear sky had somehow become covered in dark clouds.

Bolts of lightning churned within the clouds, as though they could strike at any moment.

They all looked toward Jie Jian and instantly realized that this had to be the "ultimate move" he had mentioned!

What kind of technique was this?

How could it even alter the weather?!

Just as they wondered, a thick bolt of lightning crashed down from the clouds, striking the spot where they had just been standing.

Along with a tremendous roar, an ancient-sounding bellow rang out from within the lightning.

"The storm gathers, bearing me into the clouds!"

"I am the storm!"