Battling Sukuna

As soon as Gu Yanzhi finished speaking, countless cursed tools rained down on Sukuna from the sky.

Each was wrapped in a ghostly blue halo of Psychokinesis, leaving densely packed trails through the air as they attacked Sukuna from every direction. The shrill whistles of blades piercing the air overlapped into an overwhelming metallic shriek.

Sukuna glanced up at the rain of blades, his lips curling slightly. He raised one hand, and countless tiny slashes spread out around him. Each Dismantle struck the side of an incoming cursed tool with precision, knocking the blades off course, deflecting them, and sending them flying.

Gu Yanzhi swept his right hand. The deflected cursed tools spun several times in midair before his Psychokinesis dragged them back onto their attack trajectories, sending them stabbing toward Sukuna again. But the slashes were too dense. The cursed tools could not penetrate the protective shell of miniature Dismantles.

Gradually, the deflected blades formed a dense forest of steel across the ground, with broken metal and fragments scattered everywhere.

While Gu Yanzhi kept Sukuna pinned down with a barrage, Ui Ui darted through the battlefield.

The power of Furnace: Open had far exceeded their expectations-the defensive formation of cursed tools Gu Yanzhi had assembled upon arrival blocked some of the blast, but the wall of steel lasted less than a breath against the crimson flames before most of it burned through.

Hiromi Higuruma lay unconscious in the rubble, his left arm severed and extensive burns covering his body. Less capable jujutsu sorcerers like Kusakabe and Ino were scattered around as well, either unconscious or injured.

Ui Ui hoisted them up one at a time and teleported them off the battlefield. His movements were efficient, but he could not hide the anxiety on his face.

Okkotsu charged out first, the white light of Reverse Cursed Technique shining around him. Before Sukuna used Furnace: Open, he had been directly in front of him, closer than anyone else. When the flames erupted, he had weathered part of the damage using cursed energy defenses and Gu Yanzhi's cursed tools as cover. His chest and arms were now covered in scorch marks, but Reverse Cursed Technique was rapidly repairing those wounds.

He closed in on Sukuna and formed a hand sign.

"Domain Expansion-Authentic Mutual Love."

The domain's barrier spread outward, enveloping everyone. The scenery inside began to take shape-countless blades embedded in the earth, each representing a cursed technique Okkotsu had copied.

Sukuna used two of his four hands to form a sign, activating Hollow Wicker Basket. A golden barrier unfolded around him, resisting the domain's sure-hit effect.

Just as in the original story, Okkotsu used Angel's Jacob's Ladder as his domain's sure-hit effect. An attack specifically effective against Sukuna left him no room for carelessness.

With two hands occupied by the sign, Sukuna could no longer easily unleash the slash that cut the world. Nor could he use the Furnace: Open he had just obtained through a binding vow, greatly reducing his combat strength.

The blades inside the domain rose into the air and adjusted their directions.

Gu Yanzhi activated his cursed technique, gathering them from all across the domain. Blades containing the power of cursed techniques flew straight into Okkotsu's hands. Okkotsu grabbed with his left hand, warping space, and a powerful gravitational force abruptly dragged Sukuna closer.

Itadori leaped out from the side, swinging a heavy punch at Sukuna.

Sensing danger, Sukuna prepared to attack Itadori with Dismantle-but the instant he moved, his body froze.

In the distance, Gu Yanzhi held out both hands, his fingers clenched tight and his face contorted. His Psychokinesis had restrained Sukuna's movements.

Itadori's fist slammed straight into Sukuna's chest, black lightning bursting around his knuckles. Sukuna spat blood as he flew backward, his back smashing through dozens of floating blades inside the domain. Broken metal scattered through the air.

Gu Yanzhi fared little better. Blood flowed from his nostrils and the corners of his eyes, running down his cheeks. He dropped straight to his knees, only keeping himself from collapsing completely by bracing both hands against the ground.

Sukuna's cursed energy was terrifying-Gu Yanzhi had only forcibly restrained him for a moment, yet the backlash was so severe that it left all his internal organs churning.

Sukuna steadied himself and glanced down at the bloody mark on his chest, still trailing black smoke. Okkotsu and Itadori had already closed in together, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat.

Okkotsu's Samurai Sword and Itadori's fists attacked from different angles. Sukuna blocked them with one hand each, finding himself pinned down and unable to counterattack for the moment.

Just then, a massive hand chopped down from above Sukuna's head-it was Rika.

With his hands occupied by Okkotsu and Itadori, Sukuna could not free one to defend against Rika's attack.

He activated his cursed technique-miniature Dismantles formed a sharp protective layer over his body, similar to the earlier Limitless-like defense. It blocked Rika and forced Itadori and Okkotsu half a step back.

With a thought from Gu Yanzhi, a blade flew out and landed in Okkotsu's hand.

Okkotsu activated its cursed technique, and Rika's attack pierced straight through Sukuna's slashing defense. It was Dhruv Lakdawalla's technique, which essentially turned the paths of shikigami attacks into extensions of a domain, bypassing conventional defenses.

Sukuna immediately noticed something was wrong and tried to dodge, but froze again as Gu Yanzhi activated his cursed technique once more.

Sukuna's movements were halted for a fraction of a second. Rika's attack landed, shearing off his right arm along with his shoulder. Blood gushed from the stump.

Gu Yanzhi knelt in a corner, blood spilling from his mouth and his eyes bloodshot as he met Sukuna's gaze. Blood still seeped from his nose and the corners of his eyes, smearing his face until his features were almost unrecognizable. Yet he opened his mouth in a radiant grin.

At the same time, a sword flew out from the blades floating overhead and landed securely in Okkotsu's hand.

Okkotsu glanced down at the sword in his hand. Gu Yanzhi knelt in the corner, his face covered in blood, but the moment he saw that sword land in Okkotsu's hand, he smiled too. They exchanged a look across the battlefield, the corners of their mouths lifting almost in unison.

"Hit the jackpot."

Gu Yanzhi relaxed his hands, releasing the cursed energy pulsing from his fingertips. Yet the blades flying through the air did not fall-they remained suspended, only the Psychokinesis halos surrounding them changed from ghostly blue to the pink of Okkotsu's cursed energy.

Sukuna watched, his brow furrowing slightly as a bad feeling rose within him-the cursed techniques in those blades were being activated simultaneously.

Okkotsu had copied Gu Yanzhi's cursed technique. The essence of Object Manipulation Cursed Technique was to envelop objects in one's own cursed energy and manipulate them. Once cursed tools were enveloped, Psychokinesis could trigger their original cursed technique effects. Gu Yanzhi had not displayed this trait when controlling thousands of cursed tools earlier-there were too many different tools borrowed from Jujutsu High and the various families' cursed tool vaults. He had no time to learn each one's effects, leaving him only the simplest physical attacks.

But Okkotsu was different.

Every blade was a product of his domain, Authentic Mutual Love. Their effect was to grant Okkotsu a copied cursed technique. Although the techniques within the blades were random, enveloping them in cursed energy could still trigger their effects. In other words-Okkotsu could now activate multiple cursed techniques at once.

Okkotsu, Rika, and Itadori charged at Sukuna together.

Cursed markings appeared at the corners of Okkotsu's mouth-Snake Eyes and Fangs. Black patterns spread from his lips to his cheeks. "Don't move."

Cursed Speech activated, and Sukuna abruptly froze. Itadori's fist was already coming down in front of him-black lightning exploded around his knuckles as another Black Flash slammed into Sukuna's chest. Okkotsu's attack followed immediately. He pressed one hand against the stump of Sukuna's severed arm and activated Cleave. Slashes erupted directly inside Sukuna's body, slicing flesh apart and spraying blood.

Sukuna grunted, but held his body firm, weathering the blows.

Rika's fist flew toward his face-Sukuna suddenly broke free of Cursed Speech's restraint, tilted his head to dodge, then swung a counterpunch. Black Flash blasted Rika's massive body away.

With the burst of cursed energy from Black Flash, Sukuna's Reverse Cursed Technique output recovered. New flesh writhed at the severed stump, bones regenerated, and muscle fibers wove themselves back together, restoring his limbs.

The King of Curses had returned to peak fighting condition. The mouth on his abdomen opened, chanting in a low, ancient voice. Two hands formed a sign at once, and the slash that severed the world was about to be unleashed.

But just then, a tremendous pressure erupted over Sukuna's body.

Okkotsu and Gu Yanzhi activated their cursed energy simultaneously. Two applications of the same Object Manipulation Cursed Technique converged on Sukuna, stacking into a suppressive force field stronger than any restraint before it.

Under the pressure, Sukuna's hands were gradually pulled apart, his fingers pried from the hand sign one by one. Even the chanting from his abdominal mouth became halting and broken, the syllables of the incantation shattering in his throat.

Frustrated at being thwarted, Sukuna fired several slashes at once, keeping Okkotsu and Itadori pinned down at the perimeter. Then his figure flickered, and he vanished from where he stood.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of Gu Yanzhi. The backlash from his cursed technique had left Gu Yanzhi almost unable to move. He did not even have the strength to raise a hand to block.

Sukuna pressed one hand against his head, his five fingers tightening and digging into his skin. A more powerful Cleave was about to activate.

Then everyone's figures blurred for a moment.

A new barrier overlaid the scenery inside the domain-the Courtroom. Wooden benches emerged from empty space, and Itadori and Gu Yanzhi appeared in the jury seats.

At the center of the Courtroom, a black-bodied figure holding scales slowly turned.

At the bench, Okkotsu held a gavel, tapping it against the desk again and again. The crisp knocks echoed through the Courtroom.

"Everyone, come back."

"Court is now in session."