I'll Probably Never Forget You

Sukuna hadn't anticipated this attack at all.

More precisely, he had noticed that insect he couldn't even be bothered to look at, but its cursed energy had clearly been no different from a monkey's.

How had it produced this much power? How could it possibly reach a level that might affect him?

Someone this weak actually has cursed words?

He had lived a very long time, but encountering someone at this level with cursed words was still exceedingly rare...

Was he really human?

His power was nowhere near the top. Even if the attack landed, its effect should have been negligible, shouldn't it?

Is it a binding vow? He deliberately excluded the brat in my body. What a clever way to set the terms...

Even if he had made every binding vow he could think of, facing Sukuna head-on was another matter entirely.

Even with only one finger...

"?!"

Sukuna frowned and instinctively raised an arm in front of himself.

A faint layer of cursed energy gathered over his body. He was confident that not even a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer's strike could break through his defenses.

Yet in the next instant, the Flame Spear, burning with black flames, slammed into him!

Almost immediately, it exploded with a boom!

The Flame Spear struck Sukuna squarely in the chest, then instantly erupted across his body!

The moment the flames exploded, they swept over the entire rooftop, warping even the air.

"What an interesting power..."

Sukuna emerged from the flames again, but his condition wasn't nearly as unruffled as his tone.

The flames had broken through his defenses after all, but that was all they had done. Even with only one finger...

His combat power was still Special Grade!

"Did you come here to set off fireworks? Not bad, you..."

Drip...

What is this?

Sukuna touched his cheek and suddenly realized.

He was injured? A monkey had injured him?!

He snapped his head up to look at Long Xi, who stood at the edge of the second-floor corridor. His scarlet eyes brimmed with murderous intent!

The instant that gaze locked onto him, every hair on Long Xi's body stood on end, as though he were Peter Parker after being chosen by Thanos's snap.

Still, it was just as he had expected.

Sukuna didn't fly into a rage at all. Instead, he gave another easy smile, and a moment later, he was back to normal.

"You really worked hard to get this far..."

"But I'm in a good mood today, so I'll spare your life..."

"How about you show me around and tell me where I can find some women?"

Without a shred of fear, Long Xi raised his middle finger at Sukuna!

"Sorry, but how about you drop dead first!"

Although he didn't look too well, and the cursed energy he had worked so hard to obtain was completely gone, he certainly wasn't about to chicken out.

"You don't want to?... What a shame..."

Seeing Sukuna below still acting utterly unconcerned, Long Xi raised another middle finger.

He had only landed a small hit, but it still counted as a victory for this stage!

If, back when he came here, he had bragged on Bilibili about beating Sukuna up, wouldn't that have been easier than all that talk of killing him?!

Honestly... killing him was probably out of the question...

But this one strike alone was enough for him to brag about for the rest of his life!

"Hey! Ryomen Sukuna!"

Long Xi mustered every ounce of strength and shouted down at him.

"The next time you come out, I'm gonna beat the absolute shit out of you!!!"

[Badass!!!!!]

[So fired up. I'll probably never forget you as long as I live.]

[Sukuna: I never thought you'd make it this far!]

The bullet comments had become a sea of celebration, countless comment effects exploding across Long Xi's field of vision.

Below, Sukuna hadn't expected him to say something like that either, and he froze for a moment.

People in any world probably loved seeing this arrogant bastard get put in his place!

As for the man himself? Downstairs, the smile had finally disappeared from Sukuna's face.

The slight wounds on his body were healing at a visible pace, but his anger at being humiliated hadn't diminished in the slightest.

He stared fixedly at Long Xi, his lips curling into a cruel smile tinged with the exasperation of someone so angry he could only laugh.

He had made up his mind... he would kill him right now!

But just before he could raise his hand and unleash a slash, his body suddenly froze.

"What?" The markings on Sukuna's face visibly receded, and he finally understood what Long Xi had meant.

"So that's it... I'll remember you, brat..."

"Once I take complete control of this body, you'll be the first one I kill."

With that, Sukuna's presence gradually faded, and Yuji Itadori's consciousness regained control of his body.

His face returned to normal as well. He shook his head, looked around in bewilderment, then looked up at Long Xi on the second floor.

"Huh? Long Xi? Why are you up there?"

"Where's the cursed spirit? What happened?"

"Did the King of Curses come out just now?"

Long Xi looked at the innocent-faced Yuji Itadori, then down at his own still-trembling hands, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness I bet right... that was worth it...

Originally, he had considered making bizarre binding vows, such as never using his phone, never having an Instant Noodle Seasoning Packet for the rest of his life, having every hentai site freeze on him, or only being able to read things like 350 and furry comics even if he managed to get in.

But... looks like I won't need them... that hit just now felt ridiculously good!

Even if someone hung him in midair right now so he could cosplay a pair of doomed lovers with Yuji Itadori below, he would have had no problem with it!

Yet, for some reason, he still felt hungry and weak... despite having just unleashed an earth-shattering strike, despite his cursed energy now skyrocketing.

Why did he still feel hungry? Why did he feel empty?

It was like going to an utterly ordinary little restaurant and ordering some ham and eggs, along with a steak drenched in rich sauce and a bottle of cold beer.

Even after eating two portions, he still didn't feel satisfied...

It was as though dessert was missing...

No, more precisely, there wasn't even any dessert. That burning passion could never be extinguished. And now... Long Xi understood what coming here meant for him...

That single strike just now, into which he had poured everything, had given him a sense of worth and recognition beyond anything else in his life.

And that had been a sneak attack, an underhanded way to win, against a Sukuna with only one finger.

What if he had ten?

Twenty?

What if he had the Ten Shadows too! And the Six Eyes!

I can't even imagine how amazing fighting him would feel!!!!

Long Xi braced himself against the wall and slowly straightened up.

At the same time, a figure in white flashed into his field of vision.