The enemy of my enemy is...?

"You look truly hideous now..."

On the beach, Kenjaku rested his chin on his hand and addressed the scorched lump of "charcoal" on the ground with interest, his narrowed eyes brimming with amusement and mockery.

The cursed spirit that had once made such bold declarations before him was now charred from head to toe by the heat of lightning. Even from a distance, Kenjaku could almost smell the aroma of cooked meat...

"You have only yourself to blame for ending up like this. No one else."

Kenjaku's voice was gentle yet cutting. Whether Thousand Fangs was a cursed spirit or a beast, he was now no different from a stray dog dying of thirst by the roadside, unworthy of Kenjaku's treatment.

Compared with Kenjaku's cold indifference, Jogo, who had gathered nearby, was even more hostile:

"Why did you bring this thing back? You almost died, you know?!"

Jogo's words were filled with displeasure and anger.

Hanami stood before Thousand Fangs. Most of the left shoulder housing Flower Offering had been sheared away. Though no blood flowed, the horrifying wound still made Jogo's heart race.

Satoru Gojo's killing move-Hollow Purple-was far more powerful than they had imagined.

Merely being grazed by the aftershock of that purple light had nearly dragged Hanami into it and cost Hanami's life.

But the true culprit behind all of this was the "special grade cursed spirit" before them, whose survival remained uncertain.

Had Hanami not been distracted by rescuing Thousand Fangs, Hanami would not have suffered any injury...

"Animals are friends of the forest. Though I hate to admit it, he and I are quite compatible."

Hanami spoke without concealing an instinctive fondness for Thousand Fangs.

Ultimately, the earth, forests, oceans, and beasts all shared some degree of interdependence.

Though none of the four was entirely indispensable to the others, in terms of their broader affinities, they were inevitably closer to one another than to Mahito, a curse born of human malice.

Besides, Thousand Fangs was still in an embryonic state. Not yet fully grown, he still held considerable potential.

Whatever the case, lending him a hand offered more benefits than drawbacks to Hanami, who placed great importance on teamwork.

"We got what we came for anyway. Whether this guy survives is up to him~"

Mahito stretched comfortably in his chair. As the greatest contributor to the operation, having successfully recovered Sukuna's Fingers and some of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, he undoubtedly had the most say...

But they were all cursed spirits, after all. Even though Thousand Fangs had attacked Hanami, Mahito bore him little hostility.

Of course, a lack of hostility did not mean he would help Thousand Fangs recover.

If Thousand Fangs could recover from the brink of death on his own, that would prove he had the potential to stand alongside them as an equal.

If he could not...

Then they would simply make him tonight's dinner-

"This guy is..."

An enormous bear paw swept toward them. Thousand Fangs' swift strike sent both Itadori and Kechizu flying, slamming them hard into the rock face beside the road.

Shattered stones fell from overhead, stirring up dust. Before Itadori could figure out why special grade cursed spirits were fighting among themselves, Thousand Fangs' left arm, transformed into a snake's head, was already before him...

Venomous fangs sank into Itadori's left arm with a wet puncture. As venom poured in, Thousand Fangs' right arm restrained Kechizu-hooked talons sprang from his fingertips, while his palm expanded into a wing membrane...

Those were a falcon's talons, the ideal form for dealing with Kechizu after Black Flash had severely injured him.

Left Snake, Right Falcon was a new skill Thousand Fangs had developed after the battle at the Goodwill Event, allowing him to maintain two effective forms at once.

But this was not his cursed technique.

The falcon's talons and venomous fangs dug into Kechizu's and Itadori's flesh together. Along with the excruciating pain, both felt some force suddenly seize the cursed energy inside them and drain it uncontrollably toward Thousand Fangs.

"My Devour All doesn't just let me take the form of the beasts you fear most. Your cursed energy is also the finest nourishment I could ask for~"

"Once I bite you, your cursed energy is sealed and drained. All the power you lose flows into me! It becomes my greatest aid in killing you!!"

"Come on! Struggle! Let more blood flow! Make this feast even sweeter!!!"

Thousand Fangs' savage laughter pierced Itadori's and Kechizu's ears. Itadori was the first to free his hand and drive a heavy punch into the snake's head biting his arm, trying to break Thousand Fangs' hold through brute force.

But when his cursed-energy-laced fist struck the dark green scales, it rang out as though he had punched a steel plate. His entire right fist went numb from the impact, yet the snake's head clamped onto his left arm did not budge...

"Wing King!!!"

Blood wings erupted from Kechizu's back, turning into blades that swept sharply before Itadori. The strike did not aim for Itadori's neck, but for the snake's head restraining him:

With Thousand Fangs' falcon talons lodged firmly in the stump of his severed right arm, Kechizu used his remaining left hand to stop them from tearing his body apart further. At the same time, he spent the last of his strength helping Itadori sever the snake's head biting his arm.

Pain coursed through his entire body, but Kechizu knew his current strength alone could never break Thousand Fangs' hold and let him survive.

He could only place all his hopes in the jujutsu sorcerer he had been fighting moments earlier, praying that Sukuna's vessel could stand against Thousand Fangs...

He's immune to my poison, so the snake's venom should also...

Beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks. As Thousand Fangs poured more cursed energy and strength into his falcon talons, they sank deeper into his flesh.

Death was drawing near... but Itadori had already reached Thousand Fangs' side.

"Heh heh. Go ahead and try."

Thousand Fangs, now missing an arm, let out a vicious laugh. He had noticed Itadori darting to his left and taking a stance to wind up a heavy punch.

But his left hand was already reconstructing itself, while the falcon talons of his right continued to restrain Kechizu.

Broad patches of sturdy scales appeared on Thousand Fangs' left arm-not those of a bear or snake, but the shell of an alligator snapping turtle, embodying absolute defensive power...

Thousand Fangs raised the shell in front of himself. He did not believe Itadori's blow could penetrate his defenses.

Just ten more seconds... and I can pierce this guy's heart!

Cursed energy filled Thousand Fangs' body to the brim. He kept increasing the force in his right arm, trying to shorten the time needed to pierce Kechizu's flesh.

Yet something was wrong. He had already absorbed and suppressed much of Itadori's cursed energy. Judging by sheer output, even if Itadori unleashed everything he had, it should not have made him feel threatened.

Then why... did this guy feel...

Like he was certain to break through my defenses?

"After landing a Black Flash, the attacker enters a state of selflessness."

"In this state, not only does the attacker regain a certain degree of cursed energy output efficiency, but the likelihood of their next attack triggering another Black Flash also increases dramatically..."

Black lightning erupted as space distorted.

Under Kechizu's and Thousand Fangs' wide-eyed gazes, Itadori aimed at Thousand Fangs' left arm and unleashed another Black Flash...

"Black Flash!!!"

Its terrifying destructive force instantly shattered the alligator snapping turtle's hard shell.

Surging black lightning tore through Thousand Fangs' left shoulder along the flow of cursed energy. It ripped away great chunks of flesh and forcibly interrupted his ongoing transformation.

"Can't... maintain..."

The imbalance in his cursed energy and the severe damage to his body left Thousand Fangs unable to maintain the falcon talons on his right arm.

The instant he released Kechizu, Itadori's next heavy punch was already coming...

"Black Flash!"

His body flew backward and smashed through the guardrail meant to keep vehicles on the road. Countless metal fragments pierced Thousand Fangs' body.

This Black Flash landed squarely on Thousand Fangs' chest. His bones broke, and his entire rib cage caved inward...

But...

Thousand Fangs smiled.

An immense surge of cursed energy suddenly erupted from his body. Before their eyes, his wounds began to heal...

Cursed spirits were different from humans. As long as they had cursed energy, they could keep repairing their bodies.

As the embodiment of beasts, Thousand Fangs' current body was merely a beastly form condensed from cursed energy. Damage to it did not harm his fundamental essence.

A mechanism similar to Mahito's allowed him to endure far more damage than others of his kind and still recover completely. Thus, even after taking two consecutive Black Flashes from Itadori, he could swiftly reconstruct his body and return to battle...

"Hey, hey, hey. I wanted to have a nice, fair duel with you..."

"But now... I have no choice but to use this move..."

Thousand Fangs shook his head, swung his arms, and stood. His aura had shifted from that of a warrior to the oppressive presence of a leader.

Watching with keen perception, Itadori noticed the cursed energy around Thousand Fangs spreading outward...

"Beast Herd Will, serve me..."

"Heed my summons and manifest in this world..."

He formed hand signs and chanted.

As the space surrounding Thousand Fangs began to distort, countless pairs of crimson eyes emerged from the darkness...

"A summoning technique? Like the Ten Shadows Technique?!"

Itadori recoiled a step in alarm. One or two would have been manageable, but judging by the densely packed crimson eyes multiplying around them, Thousand Fangs was likely summoning over a hundred roaring, unknown beasts...

Against such overwhelming numbers... he did not know whether he could hold out...

But his worries soon vanished.

Because they had stalled long enough.

A figure carrying a bloodstained shopping bag abruptly appeared behind Thousand Fangs. As Thousand Fangs turned in disbelief, an elbow brimming with lightning cursed energy slammed squarely into his cheek.

"Where did this stray dog come from?"

Once again, Thousand Fangs was sent flying by Hajime Kashimo.

But this time was different. This time, Kashimo had knocked him away with the sheer brute force of his elbow.

His hurtling body smashed through trees. Carrying that trace of resentment and fear, Thousand Fangs' figure and presence disappeared into the depths of the forest...

His fear of Kashimo had already overcome his animal instincts. He refused to face another bolt of lightning powerful enough to roast him alive...

Thud-

Kechizu's heavy body collapsed. Severely wounded, he clearly could no longer keep his blood-deprived body upright and fell hard to the ground.

Itadori stepped forward to finish him off, but Kashimo stopped his raised fist.

"These two should be the cursed objects stolen from Jujutsu High. Take them back."

"And rather than killing them, you should be worrying about Kugisaki's injuries."

Kashimo turned his gaze toward Kugisaki, who lay in a pool of blood. Although he had already used Reverse Cursed Technique to stop the bleeding and provide basic treatment, too much time had passed for him to guarantee that she would be all right.

Taking out his phone, Kashimo called the assistant supervisor...

He also sent Satoru Gojo a text while he was at it...

After all, only Satoru Gojo could properly handle Kechizu and Eso...