Mahoraga

"If you won't come to me, then I'll come to you." Sukuna took a step forward with a smile. Ten meters away, Sukuna instantly tensed.

Sukuna stopped, and a vein throbbed on Sukuna's forehead.

"Are you mocking me?" Sukuna's smile was strained.

"Just thought of a fun little game," Sukuna chuckled. "Look at you, getting all worked up."

He had just exchanged for the Ten Shadows Technique but hadn't yet tamed the remaining shikigami. With only his two initial Divine Dogs at hand, this was the perfect opportunity to subdue the rest. The method was simple: defeat your own summoned shikigami.

"Nue!"

"Orochi!"

"Gama..."

Sukuna stood ten meters away, watching as Sukuna nonchalantly summoned and defeated each shikigami, completely ignoring his presence. Being disregarded to this extent was infuriating, but at least it revealed the brat's technique.

"Shikigami formed from shadows... the same technique as Megumi Fushiguro."

Sukuna crouched low, then exploded forward like a seabird skimming the waves. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Sukuna.

"Hey, what are you doing barging in here?" Sukuna blocked Sukuna's surprise attack, frowning. "Don't you know that an outside intrusion will disrupt the subjugation ritual? I was almost done with the last one!"

"Like I'd let you leisurely power yourself up!" Sukuna snarled, throwing a punch. Sukuna parried it, using aikido to fling Sukuna into the ground with a bone-jarring thud, cracking the floor.

"Fine, have fun with this one yourself then."

The annoyance vanished from Sukuna face, replaced by a playful smirk. He summoned a massive owl shikigami, which carried him away from the battlefield.

"Hmm?" Sukuna got to his feet and turned around.

The newly summoned shikigami had broken free of its chains. The white bandages that had wrapped it like a mummy shed like skin, revealing a powerful physique.

Its body was a pristine white, sculpted like a Greek statue. Bandages adorned its forearms, copper rings encircled its wrists and ankles, an iron chain necklace hung below its collarbone. Its face had only a single mouth, its eyes replaced by two pairs of angelic wings. A thick serpent's tail protruded from the back of its head, and a mystical, wheel-like formation hovered above it.

"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga," Sukuna murmured, observing the scene below from atop the owl, a smirk playing on his lips.

BAM!

Mahoraga's colossal fist sent Sukuna flying, crashing into a wall and leaving a deep crater.

"That shikigami... it's different from the others," Sukuna muttered, pulling himself from the wreckage. He watched Mahoraga leap towards Sukuna in the air.

"Why are you coming after me?"

The white figure grew rapidly in his vision. Sukuna calmly jumped off the owl shikigami, diving towards Mahoraga like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Sukuna, despite starting later, reached Mahoraga first. With a powerful punch, he sent the shikigami hurtling back towards Sukuna with even greater force.

"Tch, that damn brat!" Sukuna clicked his tongue. Facing the incoming Mahoraga, he met its attack head-on, negating its immense momentum with a punch. He then unleashed a flurry of slashes, cutting Mahoraga and sending it flying once more.

Sukuna, now in a full dive, slammed into Mahoraga like a meteor, driving it downwards towards Sukuna.

This time, Sukuna didn't try to resist. He dodged the falling Mahoraga.

But Sukuna wasn't the only one descending from the sky.

With a sharp screech, the owl shikigami swooped down on Sukuna. Its wings beat, unleashing a storm of destructive purple lightning that engulfed Sukuna, leaving the faint scent of ozone in the air.

The powerful current paralyzed Sukuna's body, but his Reverse Cursed Technique quickly healed the damage and dispelled the paralysis. Without looking up, he launched a slash at the owl, but Sukuna had already released the technique. The owl dissolved into shadows, the slash continuing upwards to carve a deep gash in the ceiling.

"Distracted? Remember who your enemy is." Sukuna's voice suddenly whispered past Sukuna. His ponytail brushed Sukuna's face as he delivered a whip-like kick to Sukuna's back, sending him flying.

"Haha!" Mahoraga charged like a runaway truck, casually swatting aside any projectile Sukuna sent its way. Its distorted face almost made Sukuna laugh.

He reached out, catching Mahoraga's massive fist, which dwarfed his own hand. Man and shikigami exchanged blows in a blur, fists and palms colliding, creating miniature shockwaves.

"Huh?" Sensing danger, Sukuna reacted instantly. His hands shot out like lightning, grabbing Mahoraga's thick arms and pulling the shikigami in front of him, using it as a shield against an incoming slash.

Blood splattered from Mahoraga's chest as the slash cut deep. But in the next instant, the wound healed. The wheel formation above its head glowed, slowly rotating.

Click!

"Oh?" Mahoraga, fully recovered, grabbed Sukuna's slender arm with its own enormous hand – it was like a giant holding a twig – and flung him away.

Sukuna soared through the air. Mahoraga leaped high, its massive form appearing before him, hands clasped together for a devastating smash.

Sukuna barely had time to raise his arms in defense.

The force of the impact sent him plummeting. But a long, surprisingly delicate tongue wrapped around his waist. A giant toad shikigami had materialized at the edge of the battlefield. It caught Sukuna, using the momentum to swing him around before launching him back towards Sukuna with even greater speed, then dissolving into shadows.

Sukuna crashed into Sukuna, giving him no time to react. He slammed Sukuna into the wall, then grabbed his head, yanking him free and tossing him towards the oncoming Mahoraga.

Sukuna collided head-on with the charging shikigami, both sent flying backwards. Sukuna recovered faster, quickly placing his hand on Mahoraga's chest and unleashing a barrage of cursed energy-infused slashes that sent it hurtling away.

Such a strange feeling...

He sensed something amiss, his brow furrowing.

Click!

Mahoraga rose from the ground, its wounds completely healed. The wheel formation on its head turned once again.

Here it comes again…

Sukuna watched as the wheel formation atop Mahoraga's head rotated once more.

That brat deliberately tamed his shikigami in front of me, provoking me into interrupting the ritual and making this shikigami target both of us. To defeat that annoying kid, I need to deal with this troublesome shikigami first. I don't know what that rotating formation means, but delaying any further is disadvantageous…

In that case, I'll just eliminate both the shikigami and the brat at the same time!

He raised his hands, preparing to deploy his Domain Expansion.

But at that moment, a high-pressure jet of water shot towards him from the side. He turned to see a massive elephant shikigami, its trunk the source of the attack.

Sukuna was forced to interrupt his technique and dodge.

The elephant shikigami, its attack complete, was instantly dismissed by Sukuna, melting back into the shadows. That infuriatingly mocking voice echoed once more.

"Trying to use Domain Expansion? No way! I don't want this to end too quickly!"

"Tch." Sukuna scowled at the taunting voice.

This guy's application of shikigami is far superior to that Fushiguro brat. Any shadow in this battlefield could become a medium for summoning. And except for that untamed white one, the other shikigami are just distractions. There's no chance to completely destroy them.

He's really playing me like a fiddle.

Damn it!

"But, I'm getting a little bored myself," Sukuna said, stretching his neck with a bored expression. "Time to end this."

System, claim the reward, he silently commanded in his mind.

Acknowledged. Recasting your physical body.

Physical body recast complete.

Transferring your soul. There may be a 0.001 second delay. Please be aware.

"End this?" Sukuna, about to contemplate how Sukuna could possibly deal with both him and that strange shikigami simultaneously, suddenly froze. "What's this...?"

Tiny, golden particles of light began to descend from the air. More and more appeared, like fireflies dancing in the darkness, creating a breathtaking scene amidst the ravaged battlefield.

What is that? There's no cursed energy at all.

Sukuna watched cautiously, wary of another one of Sukuna's tricks.

The countless particles converged, forming a man-sized golden cocoon covered in intricate, spiraling patterns.

Suddenly, Yukino Yukinoshita found control returning to her body.

While Sukuna had been in control, she had been a spectator in the VIP seats, though the battle between Sukuna, Sukuna, and Mahoraga was far beyond her current level of comprehension. All she saw was a blur of movement, dizzying camera angles, and a flurry of attacks.

Despite the nausea, Yukino hadn't shut off her senses out of concern for Sukuna. She had forced herself to watch until now.

Her eyes were wide with surprise as she stared at the golden cocoon. For some reason, a faint sense of loss washed over her.

Sukuna-kun?

She tried calling out in her mind, but there was no response.

Thirty seconds later, a crack appeared on the cocoon. With a crisp sound, the crack spread like a spiderweb until the whole structure shattered, dissolving back into countless golden particles that scattered into the air.

From the remnants of the golden cocoon emerged a handsome young man.

"Sorry for the wait. I was picking out clothes." The black-haired boy smiled at Yukino, though his tone held no real apology.

The system had initially provided a white kimono, but he wasn't a fan. After some thought, he had opted for the same hoodie and sweatpants that Yukino was currently wearing.

Sukuna knew he had no sense of fashion; his clothes were always chosen for durability, comfort, and a loose fit. But that didn't detract from his striking appearance.

He looked the same as he had in her Innate Domain, but without the black markings and extra pair of eyes. Only a clean, bright smile graced his handsome face.

"You should leave now. I'll finish this quickly," Sukuna said, patting Yukino's shoulder and summoning his Divine Dog. "Follow Shiro. He'll lead you out."

"Eh? Um... okay."

Yukino snapped back to reality. Though she had many questions, she knew this wasn't the time. She turned to leave with the white wolf.

The white wolf barked, nudging her with its head, inviting her to climb on.

After Yukino Yukinoshita rode away on the white wolf, Sukuna turned back to face Ryomen Sukuna.

Both Sukuna and Mahoraga had been considerate enough to hold their attacks during the intermission.

"Alright, let's continue," Sukuna said, clapping his hands together.

"Unlike a cursed object reincarnation, you created a body out of thin air? Who the hell are you?"

Sukuna wanted to press further, but Mahoraga, prompted by Sukuna's command "Go ahead," launched its attack, naturally targeting the closest opponent—Sukuna.

A whistling sound tore through the air. Mahoraga's right arm extended, a black blade shooting out from its forearm, slashing towards Sukuna. Sukuna raised his arm to block, the impact sending shockwaves through his body and cracking the ground beneath their feet.

Sukuna was forced to his knees.

His eyes widened in surprise. He dodged the blade and retaliated with a punch to Mahoraga's face, followed by a kick to its head, putting distance between them.

That blade…it has positive cursed energy, just like Reverse Cursed Technique!

If I were a curse, that attack would have killed me.

Glancing at Sukuna in the distance, Sukuna realized he couldn't win this fight quickly. But his next action surprised Sukuna.

"No way, he's running?" Sukuna said with a chuckle, watching Sukuna retreat.

I'll let him run for now.

Sukuna turned his attention to Mahoraga, appearing behind it with a flash.

He gently placed his hand on its back.

"Cleave."

A slash, imbued with maximum cursed energy, tore through the white shikigami. Blood erupted from countless wounds, drenching Mahoraga in crimson.

This time, the wheel formation above Mahoraga's head didn't turn.

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