The lights that had still been burning along the street suddenly went out, plunging the entire road into darkness. Then a building collapsed with a thunderous crash, broken bricks and chunks of concrete cascading down as billowing dust blotted out the sky.
Sukuna hovered in midair, his gaze settling on Kashimo atop another building as his mouth slowly stretched into a grin. An almost crazed excitement churned in his four crimson eyes.
"This era-it's really something!"
An invisible slash shredded the falling rubble in front of him, sending fragments flying in every direction. But through the dust, a fist had already shot out and slammed straight into his face.
Sukuna was instantly driven toward the ground, crashing into the street like a meteor. A shallow crater erupted in the asphalt, cracks spreading in every direction.
Sukuna lay at the bottom of the crater, his crimson eyes fixed on the dust-shrouded sky above. He licked the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"No, it's not just his reserves of cursed energy... His cursed energy output and reinforcement are both on par with mine at my peak." He stood up in the crater and pulled himself free of the shattered pavement, rubble tumbling from his shoulders. "And that's without using his cursed technique."
He raised his head, looking at Kashimo standing loosely a short distance away, and slowly settled into a fighting stance.
"What's your name?"
"Kashimo."
Sukuna smiled. It was a small smile, but its satisfaction sent a chill down the spine, like a blade slipping from its sheath.
They charged at each other simultaneously, moving so fast that the air tore with a piercing boom. Their fists collided, and a shock wave exploded outward, overturning vehicles by the roadside and shattering windows all along the street.
"Let's fight!"