Mission #2

"ITADORI!"

Nobara let out a startled cry as she ran toward Broly. She tilted her head to look up at him, her expression filled with doubt. Deep inside, she couldn't shake the feeling that Itadori was completely gone.

"Don't worry. He's not dead. I have control over my strength."

Broly, unconcerned, loosened his grip and let Itadori's unconscious body fall to the ground like it weighed nothing.

"Yeah, Nobara, relax," Vermouth chimed in, walking over with a nonchalant attitude, waving her hand dismissively. "We always control our actions. If Broly had wanted to kill him, Sukuna would've been gone with the first strike."

"Absolute control over your strength should be basic for the best, don't you think?" Chu Mengxi added from the side, her tone teasing. "You've got a long way to go, Nobara~."

The two women were utterly indifferent to the chaos surrounding them. After all, they had witnessed far worse. Compared to something like Ragnarok, a small place reduced to rubble was hardly worth mentioning.

Broly glanced at them and nodded, satisfied.

At least there were people who understood his level. In his fight with Sukuna, he hadn't even used a fraction of his strength. If he had, there wouldn't have been a need to release his Ki. A simple breath would've been enough to reduce Sukuna to dust.

But the goal hadn't been to destroy him—it had been to force Sukuna back into Itadori's body. And that goal was now achieved.

Hearing their explanations, Nobara let out a sigh of relief, though her eyes lingered on Itadori.

Suddenly, a confused voice broke the moment.

"Huh? What happened?"

Itadori was awake!

He tried to move, but immediately winced in pain.

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! What the heck happened?"

It took him a second to notice the state of everything around him: practically in ruins. His panic skyrocketed.

"What happened here?!"

"Stop yelling and tell me where Megumi is!" Nobara shouted, clearly more concerned about her friend than the destruction around them. Seeing Itadori conscious brought her urgency to the surface.

"Nobara? Are you okay…?" Itadori asked, dazed, trying to piece together what had happened before Sukuna took over his body. "Wait… he went to find you? How do you not know where Megumi is?"

Hearing that, Nobara let out another sigh, this time with more ease. At the very least, her suspicions seemed correct: Itadori would never have let Sukuna take over unless Megumi was safe.

"So Megumi is still in the detention center…" she murmured, piecing things together.

"NOBARA! Where's Megumi? What the hell is going on here? And who are they?!"

Itadori fired off questions one after another, struggling to make sense of the situation. Nobara, forcing herself to remain patient, began explaining—but her words only seemed to confuse him further.

As Nobara's explanation sank in, Itadori started noticing the details: the destroyed area, the pain coursing through his body, and most of all, the presence of the towering man and the two women, who seemed completely out of place.

Everything about them screamed "otherworldly."

"Who are you? Where's Megumi? Why am I here? And what the hell happened to leave this place in ruins?!"

Itadori clutched his head, utterly disoriented.

"Can someone explain what the heck is going on here?!"

Nobara and Broly exchanged a glance before she responded.

"They came to help us. Thanks to Broly, they eliminated the Special-Grade curse… and they even forced Sukuna back into your body!"

Itadori blinked, utterly baffled.

Just a moment ago, he'd been trapped, unable to regain control of his body. Now, suddenly, he was back.

And Sukuna had apparently been beaten so badly that he was literally forced to retreat into his body.

"Oh, I see! Sukuna, looks like you got what you deserved today," Itadori said, laughing as he clutched his chest, mocking Sukuna.

But the pain hit him immediately, cutting off his laughter with a sharp inhale and a groan. Even so, he managed to flash a grateful smile.

"Thanks… thank you for helping."

Broly, Vermouth, and Chu Mengxi couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

Broly smiled faintly and said, "It was nothing. Sukuna is too weak."

"Yeah, for someone like Broly, Sukuna's just a little brother," Vermouth added with an amused tone.

For the first time, Nobara began to believe what Vermouth and Chu Mengxi had been saying. Her eyes shone with excitement, fully caught up in the moment.

Meanwhile, inside Sukuna's innate domain…

Dressed in a light kimono with black edges, a dark scarf, and black sandals, Sukuna sat on his throne—a design shaped like a bull's head with bone details.

His face was twisted with pure hatred.

He clenched his teeth so hard it seemed they might shatter.

"I'll kill you! You damned insect! When I regain my strength, the first thing I'll do is end you."

Unfortunately for Sukuna, this space was his alone. He had no one to vent his rage on and no way to escape. He was utterly trapped.

Back in the real world, laughter filled the air for a brief moment before Itadori finally spoke again.

"So… what happened to Megumi?"

"Ah, Megumi… we didn't find him, but the curse that used an Innate Domain here has been eliminated. If the Domain collapsed, Megumi should be fine," Nobara replied after a moment of thought.

"In any case, I'm going to look for him."

Itadori, despite the pain wracking his body, forced himself to his feet.

"Then I'm going with you."

Nobara hesitated for a moment, then turned her attention to Broly and the others.

"Thank you for everything, but… we have to go. Take care."

Broly gave a slight nod. "Our mission is complete. It's time for us to leave. We can't stay any longer."

Nobara pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry… I can't repay you properly."

But Itadori, curious, interrupted her.

"Leave? Stay a little longer! When our Sensei returns, we'll treat you to a meal. We still owe you for this!"

For him, gratitude was important. He knew that if it hadn't been for Broly's help, with Sukuna's personality, Nobara and Megumi might have ended up in serious trouble.

Even he might have been eliminated by Gojo or another sorcerer.

The odds of survival had been nearly zero. That's why he felt deeply grateful to Broly.

However, Broly shook his head.

"We'll talk about it another time. For now, go."

Nobara didn't overthink it like Itadori. To her, expressing gratitude or building connections with the group could wait. She quickly nodded, turned around, and headed off to find Megumi.

Itadori hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, he gritted his teeth, bowed deeply toward Broly in gratitude, and then followed after Nobara as best he could.

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