Not a Moment Was Spent Mourning Mahoraga. Up Next...

As for Sukuna, in his current predicament, he had no chance to even turn his head and look, much less notice that something was wrong with Mahoraga.

"I'll strangle you, strangle you, strangle you..."

Relying on his hefty health bar, Shiratori Gotsu wrapped himself around Sukuna and clamped both hands around his neck, pressing down on his windpipe and carotid arteries with all his strength.

As if that weren't enough, the man kept muttering under his breath:

"I'll strangle you, strangle you..."

He was like a ghost come to claim a life.

Under the circumstances, Sukuna had no chance to turn his head. He could barely even breathe or get blood to his brain.

The "health bar" above his head plummeted, then was abruptly healed back up by Reverse Cursed Technique, only to start dropping again...

No matter how hard Sukuna pulled and tore at him, Shiratori Gotsu clung to him like a stubborn plaster.

Faced with such an unscrupulous fighting style, Sukuna was truly out of options. All he could do was press both hands against Shiratori Gotsu's chest and repeat over and over:

"Dismantle, Dismantle, Dismantle, Dismantle..."

For a time, the scene descended into a bizarre stalemate.

Meanwhile, the battle between Ryu Ishigori and Agito... was about equally bizarre.

Ryu Ishigori said nothing, merely pinning Agito to the ground and blasting her face with Granite Blast.

Agito likewise said nothing, simply using Reverse Cursed Technique to repair her body while repeatedly clapping both hands against Ryu Ishigori's ears.

Watching the bizarre situation, everyone from Jujutsu High in the monitoring room exchanged glances, all looking as though they wanted to say something but didn't know how.

"Are they... really going to be okay?" Itadori asked, looking worriedly at the relaxed Satoru Gojo.

"Indeed. This should be a very serious matter... but ever since Shiratori joined the fight, it's suddenly started to feel like child's play."

Higuruma agreed.

"How dull. What's the point of such a boring fight? I might as well go up there myself right now!"

Hajime Kashimo rose eagerly to his feet, lightning staff in hand, and turned to leave, only for Kinji Hakari to press him back into his chair by the shoulder.

"Don't rush," Hakari said, pouring him a glass of orange juice. "Didn't Shiratori already make the arrangements? Wait for his signal before you go in."

"Tch, what a hassle." Hajime Kashimo curled his lip, took the orange juice, and turned back to the monitor.

HP -500.

As Okkotsu's final blow landed, the "health bar" above Mahoraga's head turned completely gray.

An unavoidable "instant death" check fell upon Mahoraga, and the strongest Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique, capable of adapting to anything, suddenly froze.

The golden Dharma Wheel crashed to the ground.

His body began to crumble inch by inch from the edges, turning to ash and dispersing into the air.

At the same time, Okkotsu's connection with Rika came to an end.

Seeing this, Shiratori Gotsu chuckled, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

At the same time, Sukuna sensed through the Ten Shadows Technique that his trump card against Satoru Gojo's Limitless-

Mahoraga—was gone...

After a moment of shock, Sukuna saw the smile on Shiratori Gotsu's face, and an overwhelming sense of danger and a surge of fury rose within him at once.

Countless slashes erupted from him in an instant, forcing Shiratori Gotsu to release his grip on his throat.

Sukuna followed up with a vicious roundhouse kick to Shiratori Gotsu's abdomen. The impact sent him flying more than ten meters, and he rolled several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. So even the King of Curses can get so mad he powers up."

All the damage had been transferred to his "health bar," so Shiratori Gotsu was naturally unharmed.

He climbed to his feet, tore off his jacket, which had been slashed into rags, and tossed it aside. Looking completely relaxed and pleased, he watched Sukuna's expression grow increasingly savage.

"You must be wondering, aren't you? Mahoraga should have a natural advantage in a drawn-out battle."

"Yuta Okkotsu clearly didn't have an offensive Cursed Technique powerful enough to destroy Mahoraga in an instant, so how could he have killed him?"

"That's what you're thinking, right?"

Sukuna said nothing, killing intent rising in his eyes.

Shiratori Gotsu smoothed back his hair.

"I just love seeing you angry and unable to do anything about me. Anyway, you can't expand your domain right now, so you can't do a thing to me. You might as well listen to the rest."

"You understand, right? When a tactic succeeds, you always want to show it off and explain it to your enemy."

Shiratori Gotsu cleared his throat.

"I already explained the effects of my Cursed Technique to you in detail over at the Sendai Colony, didn't I?"

"Think back to our conversation just a few minutes ago..."

"What I said then was, 'All the damage I deal is applied to the "health bar," so what does that have to do with you as a "person"?' Right?"

Shock flashed across Sukuna's face.

"Get it now?"

"As far as Mahoraga's adaptation check was concerned, he didn't take any damage at all~"

"The only thing he actually suffered himself was the 'instant death' triggered when his 'health bar' was emptied."

Shiratori Gotsu put on an infuriatingly relaxed expression and raised a hand to rub his shoulder and neck.

"As for wrapping myself around you and keeping you in a chokehold, that was just to buy time, of course. I know my own limits, after all."

"Heh... Hahahahahaha..."

Having worked out the key to it all, Sukuna covered his face and threw back his head in a long laugh.

"What a fine scheme, Shiratori Gotsu! I have to admit, you really are impressive!"

"I truly acknowledge you now. So next, I'll take my time dealing with you and make sure your death is... excruciatingly painful!"

Besides Reverse Cursed Technique, Jujutsu Sorcerers like Sukuna, who had reincarnated by taking over another person's body, had another way to restore their bodies, one they could use only once.

The Cursed Object used for Incarnation preserved information about the sorcerer's body from when they were alive, allowing them to completely transform their vessel into its former shape after reincarnating.

Sukuna had deliberately interrupted that process earlier so he could use it at a critical moment.

And now, clearly, the time had come.

Amid the writhing of flesh and the cracking of bones, Sukuna healed all his injuries and revealed the true body that belonged to the King of Curses...

A perfect body!

An extra pair of arms allowed him to fight normally while forming hand seals.

The enormous mouth on his abdomen allowed him to chant continuously without placing any extra burden on his heart and lungs.

And despite his body's unusual form, all of Sukuna's bodily functions worked normally. For a Jujutsu Sorcerer, no body could have been more perfect.

"It's... been a long time!"

Sukuna spread all four arms, as though he meant to embrace the entire world.

Not a moment was spent mourning Mahoraga. Up next was Sukuna in his original form!

Sukuna recalled Agito, who was still fighting Okkotsu and Ryu Ishigori, into his shadow. Then he formed the King of Hell Mudra with both pairs of arms.

"I make a Binding Vow to give up the Ten Shadows Technique in exchange for successfully expanding my domain!"

For an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer, their Cursed Technique accounted for more than eighty percent of their combat power. Giving it up was therefore a tremendous price.

A Binding Vow made at such a cost was enough to multiply the power of an attack several times over.

With Mahoraga gone, the Ten Shadows Technique's tactical value to Sukuna had undoubtedly fallen close to zero.

Since there was no use keeping it, he would give it up and reclaim his Domain Expansion in exchange!

Immediately afterward:

"I make another Binding Vow: in exchange for being unable to move during this Domain Expansion, the frequency of my slashes will double!"

"Prepare to die... Shiratori Gotsu!"

A crazed grin spread across Sukuna's face.

"I'll expand the domain's range to its maximum!"

"Run all you like! No matter what other tricks you have, I'll tear you to pieces in the end!"

"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!"