Tombs of the Star Corridor 6

Seeing Mahoraga block Ken Kaneki,

Sukuna immediately understood.

Ken Kaneki wanted to unleash [Black Hole].

He leaped forward and raced toward Ken Kaneki, but before he could get close, Satoru Gojo grabbed him and dragged him back.

Gripping Sukuna's arm, he slammed him into the shrine.

The shrine, steeped in an evil aura, collapsed completely under the impact.

With an unrestrained grin, Satoru Gojo asked, "Where do you think you're going?"

Sukuna's expression darkened with irritation. "You really are persistent..."

At that moment,

Kaneki had already stacked [mass] to its limit.

Drawing on his previous experience, he did not throw it right away. Instead, he held it for a few seconds before hurling the [Black Hole], now on the verge of [Instant Detonation], toward Sukuna.

Satoru Gojo did not rush to leave, either.

Instead, he held Sukuna back for one second, only retreating rapidly when the almost fully formed [Black Hole] drew close.

The next second!

The [Black Hole], capable of devouring everything, took shape.

Sukuna's face fell.

Kaneki struggled to suppress the [Black Hole]'s range, making it even smaller than the previous one.

Because

he also had to consider Satoru Gojo's domain.

With its internal and external conditions reversed, [Unlimited Void] was extremely fragile on the inside.

So

the [Black Hole]'s range could not be too large.

Satoru Gojo also formed a hand sign with one hand, pouring in cursed energy to keep his domain functioning normally.

When the [Black Hole] dissipated,

Kaneki was stunned to discover that Sukuna's [Malevolent Shrine] had not disappeared.

Satoru Gojo took only a single look

before immediately deducing that Sukuna had canceled [Domain Amplification] and used [Malevolent Shrine] to counteract the [Black Hole], aided by its limited range.

In the original story,

Kenjaku had survived a black hole by using the lapse of his antigravity technique to turn his own body into a domain.

So

Sukuna could naturally withstand it as well.

Strike while the enemy was weak and finish him off!

Without the slightest hesitation, Satoru Gojo decisively attacked Sukuna, who was still grinning viciously despite not having fully recovered.

As for Kaneki,

he immediately switched to [Cursed Speech].

Noticing this, Satoru Gojo paused ever so slightly.

Already familiar with [Cursed Speech], he could naturally identify the technique Ken Kaneki was using with the aid of the Six Eyes.

Kaneki also knew that Satoru Gojo would recognize it.

Next...

all he needed to do was wait quietly.

He only had to wait for Satoru Gojo to unleash [Blue] and reach the instant just before he unleashed [Red].

Satoru Gojo sent Sukuna flying with [Red]'s repulsive force.

"Cursed Technique Lapse-Blue."

The instant he sent him flying, he unleashed [Blue].

A blue sphere of energy appeared to his left, possessing a gravitational pull like a miniature black hole.

Then...

Satoru Gojo unleashed [Red].

A blood-red sphere of energy began condensing to his right.

At the sight,

the grin on Sukuna's face grew even more unrestrained and malicious. "Backed into a corner, so you're going for one last gamble?"

As he spoke,

he raised his hand and fired a slash at [Red], intending to detonate it prematurely.

Just then!

Mahoraga, already prepared, suddenly placed himself between Sukuna and [Red], blocking Sukuna's slash.

The instant Mahoraga appeared, Sukuna changed tactics. "Uraume!"

Even as he shouted,

he charged toward Satoru Gojo.

Uraume did not need Sukuna's call. The instant Mahoraga appeared, Uraume unleashed the technique.

"Maximum output."

"Ice Formation-Frost Calm!"

The aim was not only to freeze Mahoraga, but also to use the ice to detonate [Red] prematurely.

However,

all of it was futile.

The instant the ice formed, Kaneki appeared in Sukuna's field of vision, revealing the markings at the corners of Ken Kaneki's mouth.

-Snake Eyes and Fangs!

"Don't move!"

As Cursed Speech activated, both Sukuna and the rapidly forming ice froze in place.

The moment he finished speaking,

Kaneki violently coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, mixed with pieces of flesh and organs.

At his command, Mahoraga sank into the shadows.

Now!

No one could stop [Blue] and [Red] from merging.

"Hollow Technique-Purple!"

As Satoru Gojo murmured the words,

dazzling purple light pierced everyone's vision like a blade, and [Hollow Technique-Purple] spread wildly through the domain like a nuclear explosion.

At that moment!

Those still fighting outside the domain all sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the basketball-sized domain.

Everyone's expression changed in alarm.

They all rapidly retreated.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Todo clapped frantically, swapping them to safety.

Crack!

The outer shell of [Unlimited Void] split under the cuts of [Malevolent Shrine].

Boom!

With an explosive bang,

the basketball-sized domain burst apart, sending fragments flying in every direction.

The four people still inside the domain came into everyone's view.

All four were injured.

Among them,

Kaneki's injuries were the worst.

He drew everyone's attention because he was not using Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his body.

Yet

the wounds on his body regenerated at an astonishing speed.

His recovery was also the fastest.

In the blink of an eye, he was as good as new.

The same person and technique name sprang into Satoru Gojo's, Sukuna's, and Kenjaku's minds at once.

Tengen.

-[Immortality Technique]!

"I never expected..."

Kenjaku said with a smile, "That you'd acquired Tengen's technique as well."

He could not help wondering...

Did the current Ken Kaneki count as a second [Tengen]?

"Todo!"

Kaneki suddenly shouted.

As he spoke, he sprinted toward Sukuna.

Aoi Todo immediately understood Ken Kaneki's intent and clapped, swapping him with Uraume beside Sukuna.

The instant Uraume disappeared,

Sukuna spun around and threw a punch at Ken Kaneki, who had just been swapped in.

Clap!

Another clap rang out.

Sukuna instinctively held back some of his strength.

But Uraume had not swapped with Ken Kaneki. That clap had not swapped anyone.

Kaneki ducked under the straight punch.

He planted his palm against Sukuna's bare chest, his shirt lost during the battle, and activated [Dismantle], capable of cutting the soul!

Seeing this,

Kenjaku moved to attack Ken Kaneki.

Before he could strike, Aoi Todo swapped him away in time.

However,

this [Dismantle], capable of cutting the boundary between Sukuna's and Itadori's souls, had no effect at all.

"How is that possible?!"

Kaneki cried out in disbelief.

Sukuna grinned.

Black-and-red lightning crackled around his clenched right fist as he punched Ken Kaneki!

-[Black Flash]!

Kaneki coughed up a huge gush of blood.

Sukuna's face held both mockery and relief. "Restricting the technique's target and using [Dismantle] to cut the boundary between my soul and the brat's."

"That move"

"really is the bane of an incarnated body like mine."

"Too bad..."

Before finishing, he stopped himself and offered no further explanation.

First, he did not know why, either.

But he knew

it had something to do with that woman named Tachibana Mio.

And second...

he would never reveal information about himself.

Two [Black Flashes] could allow someone in the zone to construct a special Reverse Cursed Technique circuit, distributing its operation and burden across different parts of the brain.

This would restore the output efficiency of Reverse Cursed Technique.

One [Black Flash] was enough to let Sukuna get ahead and recover from cursed technique burnout first.

"Domain Expansion-Malevolent Shrine!"

Sukuna unleashed his domain with a smile.

An enormous, grotesque Japanese shrine rose behind him.

At the sight,

Yuki Tsukumo and the others inside the Emptiness Barrier paled in alarm.

In an instant,

countless slashes descended on Satoru Gojo and Ken Kaneki.

In a single moment!

The slashes left them drenched in blood, spraying a bloody mist into the air.

Mindful that Uraume and Kenjaku were also inside his domain,

Sukuna concentrated the domain's sure-hit effect on Satoru Gojo and Ken Kaneki.

Seeing their miserable state,

Sukuna smiled with utter delight.