Chapter 122

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Akuro-o Otake was powerful, a special-grade cursed spirit that had tormented sorcerers for ages. His strength was undeniable, but above all, his skills as a formidable combatant with his axe were terrifying in their own right.

Coupled with his ability to manipulate wind at will, he had managed to survive as a powerful curse for a long time.

But that was until his encounter with Kenjaku, when, after a battle where he was strategically outmatched, the curse finally yielded after millennia.

Now, as a servant of the curse user, Akuro-o found himself in a rather familiar situation…

Devastating villages and killing humans wasn't uncommon—perhaps he could even say that in the past, it had been part of his daily routine.

Occasionally, he would face a few weak sorcerers who dared to stand in his way, only to be cleaved in half by his massive axe.

This was routine, except for Kenjaku. No sorcerer had ever proven to be a threat to the dreaded curse.

So, when the small pink-haired human stood in front of him, he didn't even bother to defend himself, believing that killing him would be as easy as swatting a fly…

A mistake on his part.

Because the moment that small fist struck him, Akuro-o felt as if the violent blow weighed hundreds of tons.

The curse couldn't even remember the last time he had been hit with such force…

So, casting a recognizing glance at the sorcerer, the curse tightened his grip on the handle of his axe.

He realized he couldn't take this opponent lightly. As a curse, Akuro-o could harbor a tremendous ego regarding his strength, but he knew when he needed to take a fight seriously.

And this small human… this one deserved his full attention.

"..."

The clone of Itadori, who watched the curse with a firm gaze, maintained his stance as he waited for his opponent to make a move.

As a clone without techniques to rely on, getting hit wasn't a luxury he could afford. This curse was strong—at least as strong as Jogo—and that was just based on the flow of its cursed energy.

And the axe… It was certainly no ordinary weapon, if the massive amount of cursed energy leaking from it was any indication.

Itadori doubted he could withstand a direct hit from the blade, and there was also the apparent wind manipulation… This was definitely not a favorable opponent.

The curse's size might seem like something to take advantage of, but that was only if he could get close. With the risk of being cleaved in half, it didn't seem like an advantage he could exploit so easily.

'In the end, I just need to hold out until they finish the ritual.' But as he searched for ways to defeat this opponent, he remembered that his goal was to hold out as long as possible. If they succeeded, and the original arrived, then he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

Still…

Noticing the curse's limbs trembling in anticipation, Itadori narrowed his eyes, his muscles tensing in alert.

This wouldn't be an easy task!

Bam!

Itadori leaped to the side as the axe once again tried to cleave him in half, slamming brutally into the ground and sending chunks of earth flying.

The sorcerer was surprised by the force behind the attack, but he didn't have much time to think as he was abruptly pushed back by a powerful gust of wind, the massive curse pulling the axe from the ground and lunging toward him, aiming to take advantage of his imbalance.

It's smart! His eyes narrowed, and planting his feet firmly on the ground, he jumped to avoid being cut in half at the last second.

Boom!

The curse, caught off guard by the agile movement, watched as the sorcerer reached the height of its eyes with the jump, a kick striking it with enough force to snap its head to the side.

A blow that dazed the curse for a moment, but one that Itadori took full advantage of, as upon landing, he immediately charged his fist with cursed energy.

An opportunity that, in his hands, could become a decisive move.

"Black…"

The curse's eyes widened in shock as it noticed the massive amount of cursed energy gathering right below it, its gaze following until it landed on Itadori, who was about to unleash an attack.

"Flash!"

Akuro-o, sensing the danger of the attack, immediately tried to defend itself, but seeing that it wouldn't have enough time, it braced for impact.

Boom!

Itadori's fist sank into the curse's stomach, sparks exploding from the attack before being overtaken by a multitude of black lightning that spread in all directions, the ground cracking beneath his feet. The curse, having taken the attack head-on, vomited blood, but keeping its feet firm, struggled to stay in place against such overwhelming power.

"!"

But putting all his strength into the punch, Itadori was able to send the curse flying like a cannonball, the black lightning around him flashing for a moment longer before finally disappearing.

An attack that had definitely caused considerable damage to his opponent.

A punch that could have been perfect, if not for one single factor…

Drip*

"..."

Looking in the direction where his opponent had been launched, Itadori maintained a calm expression, the faint sound of dripping barely reaching his ears.

"..."

But as his vision became slightly blurry, and the sound of dripping became more apparent, to the point where it sounded more like water from a faucet hitting the ground, he slowly shifted his gaze to his side.

"..."

And to his misfortune, what he feared to see was exactly what appeared before his eyes. His arm, the same arm he had just used to strike the curse with all his might, was no longer there.

All that remained was the blood cascading to the ground like a waterfall where his limb should have been.

How? When? Where?

These were just a few of the questions that flooded his mind as the excruciating pain finally hit him, along with the realization that he had lost his limb.

Questions that, in the end, didn't matter.

'Damn it, why didn't he take away our sense of touch too?' The clone gritted his teeth as he clutched his right shoulder.

Despite being a clone, except for a few physiological modifications made by the original Itadori, the clone was no different from an ordinary human. He could still get tired and feel pain.

This was likely due to Itadori's inexperience, as he didn't know enough about the human body to prevent the clones from suffering like he did, but it still annoyed the clone to think that this could have been avoided with a bit more study…

'I have to stop the bleeding somehow.' Feeling weak from the increasing blood loss, the clone quickly removed his jacket and shirt, fighting against the pain as he tore them into thin strips. 'This'll have to do.'

Tightly wrapping the fabric around what remained of his arm, the clone closed his eyes in pain for a moment before sighing and standing up.

Bam!

But as an impact sounded, he turned to see the curse staring at him with an inscrutable expression, though if Itadori had to guess… it was probably looking at him with disdain.

Of course, the curse wasn't unscathed. Itadori didn't need a deep probe to notice that the curse's cursed energy output had been affected by the Black Flash, but compared to him…

Sigh.

Shaking his head, the clone took a deep breath, and assuming a strange combat stance—now that he only had one arm—he stared at the curse with determination, Akuro-o returning the gaze with equal intensity.

Even though his vision was blurry and his muscles felt weak, he had to hold out.

Even if just for a little longer, it would be enough.

'Come at me.'

.

In the training room, where the improvised ritual had been prepared, cursed energy circulated steadily through the air. The talismans scattered across the floor glowed faintly.

Utahime, amidst the countless talismans, kept her eyes closed as she seemed to prepare. Around her, a circle originating from her position covered the surroundings with a faint glow, and Nanako, as the only one within the circle's area while the others watched with anticipation, held her phone in her hands.

Bam!

Boom!

Bam!

The impacts from outside shook the building, and while this made Mai, Mimiko, and Nanako nervous, it wasn't enough to destabilize Utahime, who, with her eyes closed, made her first move.

!

The glow of the circle intensified as Utahime took a gentle step, the cursed energy surging as the talismans seemed to react. Without stopping, she took another step on her tiptoes, the glow only growing brighter.

The effect was immediate, and Nanako was startled when a gentle sensation washed over her body, the output of her cursed energy clearly improving gradually.

But still, it wasn't enough—after all, the ritual had just begun.

With a short step back, Utahime gracefully lowered herself until she was seated on her feet, her hands raised to the sky as if in prayer, before she rose with the same grace and resumed moving across the talisman-covered floor with steps as light as a feather.

The beautiful movement of her body continued uninterrupted for a few more seconds before she paused for a moment, beginning to whisper rapid words as she started moving again.

The cursed energy intensified, the glow of the circle growing brighter as the effects of her technique became more pronounced.

"It's almost there," the second clone said, Mai and Mimiko turning to him for a moment before shifting their attention back to the ritual, this time with clear anticipation in their eyes.

With a spin, Utahime came to a gentle stop, her robe swaying as she took a step forward and seated herself on her feet once more, raising her hands to the sky.

"Now," she ordered almost in a whisper, but one that Nanako was able to catch.

And acting almost immediately, Nanako activated her technique on the photo in her phone, a montage made from a picture of Itadori taken earlier.

Cursed energy glowed around her, and Nanako, concentrating as she maintained control over her technique, gritted her teeth as she felt the strain required to manipulate the image.

Even moving herself just a few meters exhausted her greatly, so doing this with someone else, and over such a long distance… Alone, this should have been unthinkable.

And even with the support of Utahime's technique, Nanako felt the pressure being placed on her body, to the point where blood began to trickle from her nose.

But still, even with the sensation that her head might explode, she maintained control of her technique, the cursed energy pulsing around her as she struggled to bring the image into reality.

Not just for her, nor for her sister—this was also for her father! If she couldn't even do this much, then she might as well die right now!

'Damn it, show up already, idiot!'

!

But as Utahime maintained her technique and Nanako continued to struggle to bring Itadori over, the attention of the other three in the room turned to the entrance as something crashed through it with enough force to break the wall.

"Damn it!" the second clone cursed, his eyes landing on the first clone, who had been the one thrown through. Shock crossed his face as he noticed the state of the clone.

Missing an arm and with a massive slash that split his shoulder, leaving him connected only because the cut hadn't been deep enough to cleave his body in two, the first clone was dead, defeated in a brutal manner…

But even though it was just a clone, Itadori knew that he wouldn't die so easily to just any curse, so the second clone wondered who could have done this.

Unfortunately, the answer seemed intent on coming straight to him.

Bam!

With a heavy thud, the three turned to the entrance, Mimiko's face filling with terror as her eyes landed on a grotesque face covered in blood, bruises visible across its cursed features.

"Run!" the second clone shouted as he moved in front of them, his eyes narrowing as he watched the curse's gaze turn to him with a mix of surprise and irritation.

Bam!

And before the clone could even react, his body was abruptly pushed to the ground by a powerful gust of wind, his teeth clenching as he struggled to resist, only for the fight in his body to eventually cease as he was crushed for seconds that felt like an eternity.

"..."

Mai and Mimiko stared at the situation in horror, the two girls backing away as the curse's gaze turned to them, Mai summoning an assault rifle and aiming it at the creature.

"We need to hold it off!" Mai shouted to Mimiko, which seemed to snap her out of her stupor.

!

The Zenin raised the rifle, preparing to fire, only to be startled when a powerful gust of wind ripped the weapon from her hands, her head turning to see the massive curse standing in front of her, the axe in its hands raised in anticipation.

Boom!

Closing her eyes, Mai clenched them tightly as she waited for the slash that never came, instead only silence reaching her ears.

"..."

And slowly opening her eyes to see why she was still alive, she was surprised to find a massive hand of earth in front of her, the curse's axe embedded in it as it seemed surprised by the interruption.

"...!"

Mai, still somewhat confused by the protection, widened her eyes when a familiar cursed energy hit her senses, causing her to turn toward the ritual site.

"Good job…"

And to her relief, what she saw made her relax so much that she even felt her legs weaken.

"Rest."

Standing beside an exhausted Nanako, who was kneeling on the ground, a smiling Itadori gently patted the girl's head, which at this point, instead of annoying her, served to make her relax, knowing she had succeeded.

Swoosh!

Akuro-o, still confused by the turn of events, was caught off guard when an intense heat flew toward him, his eyes widening in shock as something struck him before he could even react.

"..."

And still pondering what had hit him, he only noticed his body splitting in two as his halves fell to opposite sides, the realization dawning on him before the light of life faded from his four eyes.

"I'll take care of everything now."

.