Chapter 248: Ryoumen Sukuna Awakens

That voice… was it Geto Suguru?! 

The call ended, and Nanami Kento's eyes widened in shock. His face immediately darkened as he turned to Ino Takuma. 

"Ino, we need to move. Now." 

"Huh? What happened?" Ino Takuma noticed the serious look on his senior's face and realized something bad must have happened to Itadori Yuji's group. 

"Geto Suguru has appeared." 

Now they would finally find out whether it was really Geto Suguru himself. 

The two of them picked up their pace, rushing toward the barrier entrance of the Palace of the Fallen Star. 

… 

Itadori Yuji and his group stood tense, staring at the two figures in front of them, fully on guard. 

On the other hand, Kenjaku wore a relaxed smile, while Uraume's face remained cold as ice. Despite their different expressions, both of them exuded complete confidence, as if they didn't see the four students as a threat at all. 

Itadori Yuji frowned as he stared at the white-haired girl standing next to Kenjaku, trying to remember where he had seen her before. 

"That girl… I've seen her somewhere." 

"Idiot, at Shinjuku Underground Station," Fushiguro Megumi said with a cold face. 

"Oh! That's right! I remember now!" Itadori Yuji suddenly realized, pointing at Uraume. "She was with Professor Hayashizaki back then!" 

The moment he finished speaking, a chilling sensation shot up from the soles of his feet to the back of his head, making him shiver instinctively. 

At the same time, Uraume's narrowed eyes revealed clear hostility. Even the ground beneath her feet started to freeze over, thin layers of frost spreading outward, reflecting her anger. 

How dare he bring up that humiliating memory? 

If he weren't Sukuna-sama's vessel—if he didn't still have value to Sukuna-sama—he would already be dead! 

Go easy on him? 

Sorry, that's not happening. 

"Ice Cursed Technique." 

The white-haired girl parted her lips slightly, and as her words fell, the frost beneath her feet spread out at an alarming speed, surging toward Itadori Yuji and his group. 

"Get out of the way!" Fushiguro Megumi noticed the spreading frost and quickly shouted to warn the others. 

Hearing his warning, the four of them immediately scattered. A second later, their previous position was covered in sharp, crystal-clear ice spikes. 

A chilling mist spread through the air, and the tips of the ice spikes shimmered dangerously under the sunlight. 

"For the ones who need to stay alive, Itadori Yuji alone should be enough." Uraume spoke in a calm, indifferent tone. 

As soon as she finished speaking, the ice spikes suddenly shattered, breaking into countless sharp ice shards that shot toward the four of them. 

Only Yoshino Junpei, who had taken cover behind his jellyfish shikigami, Orizuki, remained unharmed. The other three were struck by the ice shards, their bodies pierced as if they had fallen into shattered glass, leaving behind countless tiny wounds. 

Cold seeped in through their injuries, and soon, their bodies were covered in a layer of white frost, making it nearly impossible to move. 

"Have fun." 

Kenjaku smiled slightly and didn't linger, continuing toward the entrance of the Tomb of the Star. 

Fushiguro Megumi could barely move. The only thing he could do was watch Kenjaku's figure disappear, his pupils shrinking as he exhaled a puff of white breath. 

Aren't they after Itadori? 

Or is there another goal? Was letting Ryoumen Sukuna take full control of Itadori's body just one part of the plan? 

No matter what the truth was, he had no strength to stop Kenjaku. He could only watch as the man strolled casually, as if he had done this countless times before, and effortlessly found the entrance to the hidden barrier before stepping inside. 

Kenjaku's figure, draped in Gojo's monk robes, vanished into the barrier, and Fushiguro Megumi had no choice but to refocus on the enemy before him. 

His hands trembled slightly. 

As if the others weren't even worth her attention, Uraume didn't finish off the three frozen figures, nor did she bother with Yoshino Junpei, who had managed to break free. Instead, she simply walked toward Itadori Yuji at her own pace. 

The biting cold would continue spreading from the surface of the body to the inside. Aside from Itadori, the other two frozen people would soon have their blood flow slow down, and eventually, even their organs and blood would freeze completely, leading to death. 

The jellyfish shikigami, Orizuki, was great at defending against blunt attacks, as its soft body could absorb impact. However, it was almost useless against piercing attacks. 

Its deep blue body was riddled with holes from the ice shards, and the freezing cold spread from the wounds, covering most of its form in ice. Even its floating ability weakened, and it soon fell powerlessly to the ground, its technique forcibly undone. 

Yoshino Junpei stood there, overwhelmed, staring at the disappearing shikigami. Then, he looked up at his frozen companions and at Uraume, who was walking toward the pink-haired boy. 

His fingers trembled slightly, but then they suddenly steadied. 

"Oh?" 

Uraume raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Her expressionless face showed a hint of curiosity as she looked at the black-haired boy standing between her and Lord Sukuna's vessel. 

"Why?" 

"You barely managed to survive. You could've run away—why are you choosing to throw your life away?" 

Faced with the white-haired girl's question, Yoshino Junpei, despite his panic, somehow felt a strange sense of calm. He grinned—a grin that looked just like Itadori Yuji's. 

"Because we're friends." 

"Junpei…" Itadori Yuji stared at his back in shock. 

"I see." Uraume's face returned to its usual indifferent look, as if she had lost interest. Without even lifting a hand, she simply said, "Then die." 

As she spoke, a chilling breath escaped her lips, surging forward like a tidal wave, rushing straight toward Yoshino Junpei. 

"Ice Condensation Spell: Frost Calm." 

Sizzle! 

A wave of icy air slammed into the giant white snake shikigami, instantly turning into massive ice crystals that trapped it inside. 

However, the moment the white snake shikigami resisted the cold, the spell was broken, and it dissolved into a pool of shadow, vanishing without a trace. 

Uraume frowned and turned her head. 

Fushiguro Megumi, his body nearly half-covered in frost, forced a weak smile. From Uraume's perspective, his hands, which were forming seals, were trembling nonstop. Just moving slightly caused his frozen, stiff skin to tear apart. 

Warm blood seeped from the surface of his arms, flowing beneath the frost and staining it bright red. 

One after another… If only they'd just die quietly. The ones who struggle the most are the most annoying. No matter how stubborn they are, in the end, they're still just insects. 

A flicker of impatience crossed the white-haired girl's cold face. 

Because of these nuisances, she had been delayed. She should have been able to see Master Sukuna a few minutes sooner, but instead, she was stuck dealing with these weaklings, slowing down Sukuna's awakening. 

They were just asking for death. 

As she turned her gaze toward Fushiguro Megumi, Yoshino Junpei clenched his fists and charged at her. 

He threw a punch, but Uraume casually blocked it. With a swift counter, she grabbed his wrist, and an unbearable cold instantly spread up his arm. In just a second, Yoshino Junpei was completely frozen. 

Brushing past his frozen body as if it were nothing, Uraume was about to finish off Fushiguro Megumi when suddenly— 

Itadori Yuji burst free from the ice, his eyes fierce as he flashed to her side. 

With a powerful whip kick, he struck. The white-haired girl raised her arm to block, but the impact sent her flying sideways. 

Uraume steadied herself and glared at the bloodied pink-haired boy. Her expression twisted with rage. 

"Do you even know whose body that is?!" 

"Of course, it's mine!" Itadori Yuji roared, pressing his attack with a flurry of punches. 

Uraume dodged and deflected them, then suddenly stomped on the ground. Sensing danger, Itadori Yuji quickly leaped back. 

The next second, a massive spike of ice shot up from where he had just been standing. 

She pressed her palm against the ice crystal, and two ice lances instantly burst from it like arrows, shooting straight at Itadori Yuji. 

He twisted his body at the last second to dodge, but the lances still grazed his face and underarm, leaving bloody wounds. Tiny ice shards began growing from the cuts, spreading frost over his skin. 

With a snap of Uraume's fingers, the frost thickened into massive ice crystals, sealing him completely. 

Not just him—Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara were also frozen solid. 

This time, Uraume had carefully adjusted her cursed energy output to ensure they couldn't break free and cause any more trouble. 

"You…!" Itadori Yuji glared at her, gritting his teeth—but that was all he could do. 

Inside the cloth bundle were the five Sukuna fingers stolen from the Tokyo Jujutsu High vault during the Shinjuku attack, obtained at the cost of Hanami's life. Added to the five she had collected herself, there were now ten fingers in total. 

The ruthless look on Uraume's face faded as she carefully fed the fingers, one by one, to the unconscious Itadori Yuji. 

Afterward, she stepped back a few paces, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head, waiting in silence. 

Frozen in ice, Fushiguro Megumi and Kugisaki Nobara watched in shock as strange black markings slowly spread across the pink-haired boy's face. 

His closed eyes fluttered open—revealing four glowing crimson pupils. 

His lips curled into a grin, revealing sharp teeth. 

Itadori Yuji—no, Ryoumen Sukuna—looked down at the white-haired girl kneeling before him. The red streak that ran from the back of her head to the sides of her hair was unmistakable. 

His face lit up with excitement. 

"Oh! It's you, Uraume?" 

"Welcome back, Lord Sukuna. I apologize for my late arrival." Uraume remained kneeling, her head lowered in deep respect. 

"Rise." Ryoumen Sukuna didn't seem to mind. He stretched his body a little, and just like that, all his injuries disappeared. 

Turning his gaze to the spiky-haired boy frozen nearby, Sukuna smirked at the sight of his cold sweat dripping down. 

"We meet again, Fushiguro Megumi." 

"…Ryoumen Sukuna." Fushiguro Megumi's back was already drenched in cold sweat, which then froze under the chilling temperature, making his body even colder. 

"Uraume, don't kill him," Sukuna said to Uraume. "As for the others, it doesn't really matter." 

Though a bit surprised by how much Lord Sukuna cared about this black-haired boy, Uraume still obediently nodded. "Understood." 

Then, Uraume released the technique that was restraining Fushiguro Megumi. 

The ice crystals covering him instantly turned into pure water, swirling before disappearing into the air. 

Even though the technique was undone, the cold still lingered. Fushiguro Megumi's body was stiff as he collapsed to the ground, barely able to lift his head to look at Ryoumen Sukuna and Uraume. 

"Itadori!" 

At that moment, a breathless voice rang out. Ino Takuma saw Itadori Yuji's back and hurriedly called out. 

But just as he was about to rush forward, Nanami Kento stopped him. 

"Don't go." Nanami Kento stared at the familiar figure of Itadori Yuji with a grave expression, a bead of cold sweat forming on his face. "The one controlling that body… isn't Itadori anymore." 

"It's Ryoumen Sukuna." 

"What!?" Ino Takuma's face changed instantly, and he broke out in a cold sweat. "Are you serious?" 

If Nanami hadn't stopped him, he would've run straight up to the King of Curses like a complete fool. 

Ryoumen Sukuna turned around but didn't attack them right away. After all, he had already sensed them approaching. 

He tilted his head slightly in a proud, almost arrogant manner and asked, "Where's that brat, Hayashizaki? Tell me honestly, and I'll spare your lives." 

"Huh? Hayashizaki…" Ino Takuma tensed up. He didn't dare take his eyes off Ryoumen Sukuna, afraid to let him out of his sight. He could only whisper, "You mean that temporary teacher? Didn't he disappear a long time ago?" 

"They say he vanished after what happened in Shinjuku." 

Of course, Sukuna easily picked up on Ino Takuma's murmuring. His expression immediately turned bored. "What, that brat ran away?" 

Raising his hand casually, Sukuna said, "In that case, you can die." 

With just a slight flick of his finger—like brushing off dust from his shoulder—he didn't even spare a glance at Nanami Kento and Ino Takuma. 

But suddenly, blood sprayed from their bodies, deep cuts appearing down to the bone. 

They didn't even realize what had happened. 

This… is the power of the King of Curses? 

Nanami Kento's eyes widened as his body collapsed helplessly toward the ground. 

"So Hayashizaki isn't here… Then I'll go find Gojo Satoru. This is Jujutsu High, isn't it?" 

Sukuna never once truly looked at the two men. Just as he was about to leave with Uraume, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. 

Turning back, he looked toward the sky, a playful smirk curling at his lips. 

In his sight, a massive owl-like shikigami was diving toward them, letting out a sharp cry. 

… 

(End of Chapter) 

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