Dying Star Palace 3

Now!

Kaneki unleashed several slashes at Kenjaku.

The shadows churning beneath his feet stopped hiding their movements and surged violently. Mahoraga emerged from them, blocking Sukuna's slashes with his body.

Sukuna noticed something.

The Mahoraga before him looked more muscular and broader than the one he had seen in Shibuya.

Satoru Gojo immediately joined the assault.

He appeared before Sukuna in an instant and threw a punch imbued with [Blue].

Clap!

Todo seized the opportunity to clap his hands.

Yuki Tsukumo, her severed arm now regrown, returned to the battlefield and swung [Garuda] at Kenjaku, who was still clutching his own throat.

Unfortunately.

The windup had been too long.

Kenjaku, who had been on guard against Ken Kaneki all along, had activated [Gravity] to resist and reinforced his body with cursed energy the instant he lost control of his movements.

As a result, the slashes from [Malevolent Shrine] had failed to kill him.

But they had left him covered in wounds.

Bloody cuts covered his entire body.

Faced with Yuki Tsukumo's attack, he could only maintain Gravity while releasing cursed spirits to buy time.

As someone who had lived for over a thousand years.

He could keep his cursed spirits from being affected too severely within Gravity's range.

Fortunately.

During their conversation, he had also used [Reverse Cursed Technique] to repair the damage to his heart enough that it no longer hindered him in battle.

Before the battle.

He had signed a Contract with Tachibana Mio, granting him exceptional luck for the duration of the coming fight.

Otherwise.

Faced with so many attacks, even the slightest mistake could have killed him.

I really owe you...

Tachibana Mio.

Meanwhile, Kaneki switched to [Limitless] and joined Satoru Gojo and Mahoraga in a fierce assault on Sukuna, who was using [Domain Amplification].

Itadori's body was far stronger than Fushiguro's.

In Kaneki's previous life.

People online had even joked for a time that Itadori was the true [Heavenly Tyrant].

Under the combined assault of two men and one shikigami.

Sukuna was forced back again and again.

Yet.

He remained composed.

Having killed Mahoraga with his own hands before, he knew that the Mahoraga before him had already fully adapted to his slashes.

Was it back then...?

Sukuna recalled the day Ken Kaneki had looked down on him.

Presumably...

That was when it happened.

Ken Kaneki had already acquired my cursed technique and made Mahoraga fully adapt to the slashes.

Seeing that even their combined assault could not immediately bring him down.

Kaneki abruptly realized that the Sukuna before him was not at fifteen fingers. "You're not at fifteen fingers?"

Sukuna grinned.

He gave no reply.

Satoru Gojo seized an opening and punched Sukuna's crossed arms, sending him flying before saying, "He has nineteen fingers inside him."

Others might not have known.

But with his Six Eyes, he could see the enormous increase in Sukuna's cursed energy and estimate roughly how many fingers he had consumed.

With that.

He became a blur and pursued him.

Kaneki's expression darkened.

That was not good news for him.

Mahoraga unleashed a slash at Sukuna while he was still flying backward.

Sukuna broke it apart with [Dismantle].

Having personally killed Mahoraga before, and as the wielder of [Malevolent Shrine].

Sukuna understood.

To kill Mahoraga, he would have to rely on [Furnace].

With [Furnace]'s power, Mahoraga, who had never adapted to it, would have no way to withstand it.

Though [Furnace] had many restrictions.

Its power was immense.

Regardless of how a sorcerer used it, the flames burned hot enough to destroy an untamed Mahoraga.

In other words...

Mahoraga hasn't adapted to [Furnace].

In just an instant.

He figured out how to defeat Mahoraga and kill the two helpless fish on his chopping block: expand his domain.

At that moment.

Satoru Gojo appeared beside Sukuna and lashed a whip-like kick at his face.

Sukuna reacted incredibly quickly.

He leaned backward and flipped, successfully dodging the kick.

His first strike missed.

But Satoru Gojo did not stop.

As he swung his fist, he pulled the retreating Sukuna toward him, landing a punch imbued with [Blue] squarely on him.

At the same time.

Mahoraga appeared on Sukuna's other side, wielding the Sword of Extermination.

One slash drove Sukuna into the ground.

Even the Emptiness Barrier beneath him shattered under the blow, sending Sukuna falling into the next Emptiness Barrier.

Satoru Gojo and Mahoraga pursued him relentlessly.

Maki, who had remained hidden in hopes of landing a surprise attack, also moved to follow them, but Kaneki stopped her.

Nineteen-finger Sukuna was far beyond anyone Maki could hope to challenge.

Especially...

Tiger-Skin Sukuna.

It was only their numbers and the relentless barrage of attacks that kept Sukuna too occupied to strike back.

Otherwise.

He would kill her the instant they met!

That was also why Kaneki had deliberately used Mahoraga to divide the battlefield.

After stopping Maki, Kaneki leaped down through the shattered space and entered the next layer of the Emptiness Barrier.

He had [Limitless].

With Mahoraga alongside him, he was not afraid to face Sukuna.

Watching the Emptiness Barrier seal itself again, Maki tightened her grip on the Soul Liberation Blade and charged at Kenjaku.

With the others gone.

Kenjaku, isolated and without support, altered the environment throughout the Emptiness Barrier.

With his mastery of Barrier Technique second only to Tengen's.

He could freely configure the scenery inside the Emptiness Barrier.

In an instant!

The Emptiness Barrier, which had been as bright as day, turned to night.

Under cover of darkness.

Kenjaku released a vast number of cursed spirits reinforced with cursed energy.

The battlefield.

Was filled with the cursed spirits Kenjaku had released.

They would hold Yuki Tsukumo back and prevent Maki Zenin from ambushing him, buying him time to heal.

Some of the cursed spirits also attacked Aoi Todo and Choso.

Of the two.

Choso faced the fewest cursed spirits.

Clap!

A clap rang out.

The sound irritated Kenjaku immensely, but he was not swapped.

In an environment filled with cursed spirits.

And shrouded in night.

Aoi Todo struggled to pick out his cursed energy and could not use [Boogie Woogie] to swap his position.

Now.

He had ample time to heal his wounds.

The situation had completely reversed!

In the next layer of the Emptiness Barrier, Uraume saw Sukuna being knocked down into it and immediately unleashed [Frost Calm] in fury!

Cold capable of freezing everything swept through the entire Emptiness Barrier, instantly freezing Mahoraga before he could land after jumping down.

Naturally, it had no effect on the two men with [Limitless] active.

The two launched another fierce assault on Sukuna, who had regained his footing!

Sukuna activated [Domain Amplification] to fight back.

They had exchanged only a few blows.

Crack!

When the ice encasing Mahoraga began to fracture inch by inch.

Boom!

An explosion rang out.

The ice burst apart, and Mahoraga broke free. The Dharma Wheel above his head turned once.

Initial adaptation.

Once free, Mahoraga ignored Uraume and tried to resume the three-on-one assault, but Uraume blocked him.

With Mahoraga out of the fight.

The pressure on Sukuna eased considerably, and he grew increasingly comfortable fighting back.

Without Mahoraga's interference.

He also noticed that although both men used [Inviolability], Kaneki's was weaker, and even his movements in battle were half a beat slower.

Soon.

He seized an opening.

And slammed a fist into Ken Kaneki's abdomen.

Kaneki curled up like a cooked shrimp, just as Uraume had earlier, but unlike Uraume, he was not sent flying.

The pull of [Blue] steadied him just before he could smash through the Emptiness Barrier and be knocked out of the fight.

"Gah!"

Kaneki violently spat out a mouthful of blood.

It stained the ground red.

With nothing but his cursed-energy-reinforced body, Sukuna had temporarily put him out of action with a single punch.

Is this the gap between us...?

Kaneki continuously healed his body with [Reverse Cursed Technique], with Round Deer helping him.

"Uraume."

Sukuna called out.

As he spoke, he took the initiative to engage Satoru Gojo.

Uraume immediately understood, and thick frost formed across the Emptiness Barrier beneath their feet.

After freezing Mahoraga.

The Emptiness Barrier beneath Uraume shattered as well, sending them straight down into the final Emptiness Barrier.

"Now."

Sukuna looked at Satoru Gojo with a smile. "All the nuisances are finally gone."

Satoru Gojo naturally understood Sukuna's intention and smiled. "I never gave anyone permission to leave."

With his absolute advantage in cursed techniques.

He shifted backward and forcibly dragged the falling Uraume back up.

"I'm the one who decides when this game ends!"