Was Yorozu a good woman?

Trying to talk sense into a stubborn young punk like Megumi Fushiguro was useless. You couldn't wake someone pretending to sleep, and this guy had no shortage of ways to convince himself.

Tell him Tsumiki Fushiguro had been possessed, that those ancient jujutsu sorcerers were the best liars around, and he still wouldn't believe you.

But Kashimo had done good work back then. His hundred points had not only added a ranked ladder to make the server more entertaining, but also introduced a rule that allowed targeted searches for his own and other people's point totals.

Those hundred points had been well spent.

Killing an ordinary person earned one point, while killing a jujutsu sorcerer earned five. Yuta Okkotsu used that to judge whether someone had slaughtered innocent people. Having a multiple of five didn't necessarily make someone good, but if their points weren't a multiple of five and they were an incarnated ancient sorcerer, killing them probably wouldn't be an injustice.

Yorozu had planned to save up points to change the rules ever since entering the Culling Game barrier. Besides fooling Megumi Fushiguro, she regularly went out harvesting points herself-she knew Megumi might help her reach a hundred, but relying solely on a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer like him to earn them was unlikely to work.

She had points of her own.

That meant this person who looked like Tsumiki Fushiguro had, at the very least, killed someone.

Unfortunately, her total wasn't a multiple of five.

Wasn't playing the pitiful innocent at a time like this just ugly? You were a woman who had loved Sukuna, after all.

Die.

Xia Xia's Demon Blade swept past Tsumiki Fushiguro's cheek. The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, but unfortunately, Yorozu's reflexes were a little too absurd. She actually dodged it.

But this attack was a feint meant to support the Domain Expansion. With all the time he had bought, Hana Kurusu's Jacob's Ladder should have finished charging by now.

Blasting someone in the face with a light cannon was an essential part of any command-based battle.

With spectral holy feathers trailing around it, a cannon of light descended from the sky. This attack targeted the soul and was especially effective against ancient jujutsu sorcerers. If it worked well enough, it could trigger an instant kill.

Hana Kurusu hadn't let Xia Xia down. She had started charging the moment Angel confirmed their opponent was an ancient jujutsu sorcerer, and she was confident this attack would hit.

Unfortunately, while Jacob's Ladder had enough damage, it hadn't been activated within a Domain Expansion and therefore lacked a sure-hit effect. With such glaring light effects and the accompanying soul damage, anyone with a brain would dodge.

Things didn't go their way.

It missed.

Yorozu could fly.

And seeing that her identity had been completely exposed, she dropped the act and laid her cards on the table. She openly unleashed her cursed energy, nimbly evading the killing blow.

Xia Xia swallowed.

Missing that opportunity made things a little difficult.

Yorozu had a combat build with both raw stats and powerful mechanics. Only the powerscaling crowd knew how underrated she had always been. Her strength was hidden beneath her other identity as Sukuna's devoted simp.

Below Gojo and Sukuna was Okkotsu, and below him should have been this woman. She was a nightmare to deal with. In life, she had been able to trade blows with Sukuna and had only been cut down because she fell one move short. After incarnating, she had her full skill set-a bona fide powerful Special Grade capable of Domain Expansion.

Her cursed technique was nasty too-the same Construction Technique as Mai Zenin. Except Yorozu brute-forced it with sheer power. Her Special Grade cursed energy reserves, cursed energy efficiency, and cursed energy manipulation made her a monster on the level of the divine nine-a monster among monsters.

Construction Technique could create matter from cursed energy out of thin air. It could produce metal, armor, weapons, and even objects with special destructive properties. None of those had particularly impressive stats.

Yet despite being an old veteran from the Heian Era, this woman knew how to make liquid metal and fluid armor. She even understood biomimicry, which gave her insect-themed liquid-metal armor, just like Kamen Rider...

Her finishing move was nastier still: an all-purpose Domain Expansion. Within her domain, she could create a sphere with an absolutely smooth surface-[Perfect Sphere]. Anything it touched would be unconditionally annihilated in an instant.

It was basically the droplet from The Three-Body Problem, with Extinguishment Bone effects thrown in. More for the same price. Absolutely vicious.

In the original story, this crazy woman could even use Construction Technique to craft a cursed tool as she died, recreating Sukuna's personal weapon from his lifetime, [Kamutoke]. As if she was afraid Lord Sukuna wouldn't enjoy cutting people down enough and would have a poor gaming experience.

Prisoner Megumi, your sister Tsumiki Fushiguro has really hit the good life. She logged in and immediately claimed powerful Special Grade strength, with just a tiny little set of memories thrown in.

"Sis..."

"No, who are you really?"

Megumi Fushiguro finally caught on too. Whether his sister was an ordinary person or had awakened a cursed technique in the Culling Game, she couldn't possibly possess such tremendous power-unless she was no longer his sister.

"Hehe, you're only realizing it now? You really are slow, Megumi."

Yorozu covered her mouth like a little girl and giggled shyly. That wasn't her personality at all, but it hardly stopped her from using this face to bully the honest Megumi Fushiguro a little.

Fine, one last time with this face.

Unhurriedly, Yorozu swept up her hair into the style she had worn in life, then used Construction Technique to make a plain hairpin and secure it.

"Do I have to introduce myself? What a headache."

"Yorozu. My name is Yorozu."

"Take that name with you to hell~"

Yorozu reached out and clenched her hand hard. Pitch-black liquid metal spread from her position like a tide.

[Domain Expansion: Threefold Affliction!]

A surging ocean of cursed energy contended with Xia Xia's Domain Expansion. Since [Domain Expansion: Death-Bound Curse] was essentially just a domain for stomping weaklings, it was predictably cooked in a domain clash at this level.

Take away Demon-Repelling Edge, and Xia Xia's skill set consisted of just [Akashic Records] and those elbow strikes with their stacking true-damage effects. At most, he could count his collection of cursed-tool Demon Blades too. But as a master smith from the Heian Era, Yorozu could casually create something that would crush every low-quality Demon Blade he owned except Raikiri.

You only regretted how little you'd learned when you needed it. Xia Xia sighed deeply and began thinking of a way out. He didn't want to die here...

Hana Kurusu was a stationary artillery platform. Right at the start of the battle, Yorozu had sent her flying with a kick, leaving her sprawled on the ground. By the principle of fate, if her survival was unknown, she was dead.

Yuji Itadori and Choso would only be serving themselves up if they rushed in now. Megumi Fushiguro had already broken down, and bringing Yuji over would give Lord Sukuna an opportunity to seize a body. He couldn't do something that stupid. He absolutely couldn't let this lunatic get her wish.

Takaba... a gag character of uncertain strength. He wouldn't be added to the family bucket list for now.

He would have to rely on himself.

In the end, Xia Xia still chose to stand alone.

Perfectly composed, Xia Xia took out Raikiri.

"I don't know whether I can pull it off, but you're staying here."

He knew too little about Yorozu to use Akashic Records. But someone had to put their life on the line and fight for real. There was no reason. It simply had to be done.

At worst, I'll die.

You'd better hope you can grind my bones to dust this time, because next time, my methods will be even prettier.

Raikiri granted several effects while held. Apart from the obligatory Demon-Repelling Edge, it provided immunity to lightning-attribute cursed energy and the amusing ability to automatically activate Hollow Wicker Basket inside a domain. Finally, it would automatically activate Mythical Beast Amber when its wielder was near death, turning him into a cursed energy storm with his HP locked.

A ring of light from Hollow Wicker Basket already surrounded Xia Xia. Although he hadn't formed any hand signs, Raikiri had already deployed the Simple Domain defense for him.

I was wrong, Hajime Kashimo. Hollow Wicker Basket isn't trash.

Come on, Hajime Kashimo.

Isn't the enemy before us worthy of a fight? You're excited too, aren't you? Yes, that's it. Let's fight side by side again and show that woman that even without Domain Expansion, we're still Special Grade Sorcerers!

And you, Bruce.

The Divine Dog watched him quietly.

"Wait here for me, Bruce."

"No matter what happens next, whether I die or not, watch it all clearly with your own eyes."

"That's all."

Xia Xia tightened his grip on his blade.

"Admirable courage."

Yorozu hadn't intended to get into a real fight at first. She just wanted to go out and find Sukuna for a one-on-one showdown of true love. But since this little insect insisted on dying, she didn't mind sending him on his way.

As for the others Xia Xia had kept outside the domain, she didn't care about them and couldn't be bothered to hunt them down.

"Come on."

Yorozu nodded, signaling that the battle had begun.

The surrounding liquid metal twisted into sharp blades and closed in like an iron maiden, or a pitcher plant devouring an insect. In that instant, Xia Xia seemed to have nowhere to escape.

But Xia Xia was now a Special Grade, and the blade in his hand was Special Grade too. He wasn't necessarily incapable of fighting back.

This slash swept through like an autumn wind scattering fallen leaves.

The liquid metal was sliced apart, condensing into black droplets that hovered in midair, locating one another and preparing to reform.

But Raikiri was also a Demon Blade of the Amabuki clan. Its innate Demon-Repelling Edge interfered with the liquid metal's fusion. The blade's radiance accompanying the slash alone rendered it uncontrollable by Construction Technique, reverting it to pure cursed energy.

"How interesting."

Yorozu seemed intrigued, dropping her casual demeanor. She didn't immediately activate her finishing move-that was reserved for Lord Sukuna. She would test the strength of the man before her instead.

She flew up to Xia Xia and threw a powerful straight punch, following it with a vicious knife-hand strike aimed at the back of his neck. Her hand was coated in liquid metal. This blow should have shattered Xia Xia's skull outright, bursting his head like a watermelon on a beach beneath the concentrated force.

Saw that coming!

Xia Xia changed his move and pulled back. Using the momentum of Yorozu's lunge, he held Raikiri across his body with its edge facing outward, cutting her somewhat reckless fist.

Demon-Repelling Edge.

Yorozu immediately felt her cursed energy begin to circulate sluggishly. But before she could pull away and fly off, Xia Xia stuck to her like a plaster.

Forward Slash, Shadow Warrior Cut, Kasaya Slash, Side Kill, April Wheel Dance, Sweep Across All Directions, Autumn Grass Thrust, Forward Rotation!

In the blink of an eye, Xia Xia unleashed eight slashes, every one of them landing. Yorozu's eyes widened in surprise, but the damage left her no time to react.

He was no longer the man he had been. A Special Grade Sorcerer's physique was incredibly useful. His attack speed felt genuinely satisfying, and he could push it even further.

Unfortunately, Yorozu's physical abilities were still too impressive. Having been able to trade blows with Sukuna using her body alone in life meant far too much.

The moment she was struck, she instinctively activated her cursed energy defenses. Even though every slash landed, she didn't seem terribly affected.

"Now let's see what I can do."

Xia Xia couldn't dodge this punch.

Yorozu had tanked the full damage without flinching.

The next moment, a pitch-black blade took shape out of nothing. Her sluggish cursed energy circulation left her no time to carve patterns onto it, but she still pierced Xia Xia's body with ease.

"Is that all?"

Yorozu remained cautious, never letting down her guard.

Sure enough, Xia Xia, who should have died immediately from such a grievous wound, actually stood up. A dangerous aura began emanating from him, and tiny sparks of electricity started coursing over his body.

[Cursed Technique Release: Mythical Beast Amber!!]