Mahito Appears

"Did you do this?" Junpei's voice was hoarse.

"Oh?" Mahito gave a knowing smile. "Did I do what?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Fury surged through Junpei, fueling his strength as he stood up. "You killed my mom, didn't you?!"

A giant blue jellyfish shikigami materialized behind him, its tentacles swaying menacingly.

"Why would you think that?" Mahito tilted his head innocently. "I have no reason to do such a thing."

Junpei faltered. He had no proof that Mahito killed his mother, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Mahito was involved.

"See? You're making baseless accusations. That's not very nice," Mahito said, feigning hurt. "But it's okay, I forgive you. You're my friend, after all."

He walked towards Junpei. "Come on now, no need to be upset. Tell me what happened."

Could it be… that Mahito really didn't do it?

Junpei hesitated for a split second, and in that instant, Mahito reached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'll listen patiently, so tell me, what happened to your mother?"

Junpei's eyes widened in alarm. He shoved Mahito away, his shikigami protectively positioning itself between them.

"Oh?"

Surprise flickered across Mahito's face. This kid had become quite wary. Was it Sukuna's vessel's doing?

How interesting.

Idle Transfiguration can alter souls through touch. A student at my school died because he couldn't withstand the transformation.

Yukino's words echoed in Junpei's mind the moment Mahito touched him.

"Don't come any closer!" Junpei yelled, like a cornered animal.

"You're rejecting me?" Mahito placed a hand on his chin, feigning sadness. "That hurts. I gave you this power, and you're using it against me? Is this the ugliness of the human heart?"

"You just want to use me to achieve some goal, don't you?!" Junpei accused.

"There you go again with the baseless accusations." Mahito sighed dramatically. "You're really hurting me, Junpei."

"Reasons? Do I really need one?" Junpei shouted. "My mom had no reason to be killed either, but she still died!"

"Oh, so your mother was killed." Mahito's expression turned to one of mock realization. "Hee hee."

"...You're laughing?"

Junpei's eyes widened with fury. His jellyfish shikigami, connected to his emotions, lashed out at Mahito with glowing tentacles.

Mahito leaped back, effortlessly dodging the attack. The tentacles pierced the coffee table, shattering it.

"Such a pity." Mahito's right arm transformed into a sharp blade. "Killing you here wasn't part of my plan, but oh well, it won't change much."

"So you did do it!"

Junpei attacked again, but this time, Mahito sliced through the shikigami's tentacles with ease.

"Would you feel better if I said I did?" Mahito taunted with a cruel smile.

He suddenly appeared before Junpei, kicking the jellyfish shikigami and sending both it and Junpei flying.

Junpei crashed into the dining table, sending the cold breakfast and shattered dishes scattering across the floor.

He glared at the mess, his fists clenching.

"Dokugaze!"

With a roar, the jellyfish shikigami's tentacles intertwined, forming two larger, stronger ones. Black spikes erupted from them, shooting towards Mahito.

Mahito dodged effortlessly, his hands transforming into blades that sliced through the tentacles.

"Junpei, do you know what your mistake is?" He walked towards the fallen boy, looking down at him with disdain. "You're simply too weak."

"Oh really?" Junpei gritted his teeth. Tentacles snaked out from the floor, wrapping around Mahito's legs and hoisting him upside down.

"Oh my?" Mahito was momentarily surprised, looking at the inverted Junpei.

He had been too careless, playing with his toy. If Jogo and the others found out, they would never let him live it down.

Junpei got to his feet and punched Mahito with all his might.

Mahito swung like a hanging punching bag, then grinned as he swung back, his head slamming into Junpei's fist.

Squelch!

The sickening sound of flesh tearing and blood splattering filled the air.

Just as Junpei threw another punch, sharp spikes erupted from Mahito's face, impaling his fist.

Agony surged through him. Junpei bit back a scream, but tears welled up in his eyes.

Mahito's feet suddenly thinned, slipping free from the jellyfish shikigami's grasp. Whirling blades of cursed energy sliced through the remaining tentacles, severing them.

Looking at Junpei clutching his wounded hand, Mahito didn't press his advantage. He paused, pondering. "Hmm, it would be more impactful to kill you in front of Sukuna's vessel, wouldn't it?"

He asked, "Say, Junpei, you have Yuji Itadori's contact information, right?"

"You're after Itadori?!" Junpei's eyes widened in alarm.

He had called Ijichi, so Yuji and Yukinoshita-senpai would be here soon. What should he do...?

I have to lure Mahito away!

But his plan was doomed from the start.

Screeching tires echoed from the street outside, followed by Yuji's frantic shouts.

"Junpei!"

The door burst open, and Yuji rushed in. He saw Junpei kneeling on the ground, a blue-haired man standing before him.

"A man with stitches on his face… You're Mahito?!" Yuji exclaimed.

"Aha! What luck!" Mahito grinned, surprised and delighted. He had been wondering how to lure Sukuna's vessel here, and now he had delivered himself.

But Yuji wasn't alone.

Crash!

A deafening sound echoed through the room as debris rained down. A black-haired young man suddenly crashed through the ceiling, landing amidst the chaos.

"Safe landing."

Sukuna set Yukino down, whom he had been carrying in a princess hold, then looked around. "Oh, what a lively party!"

"A new face."

Mahito eyed Sukuna with interest.

"Itadori, don't come any closer! He's after you!" Junpei yelled, snapping out of his shock.

"What?" Yuji froze.

"Well, now that everyone's here, you can die in peace." Mahito reached for Junpei, but his movement abruptly stopped.

"Huh?"

Blood lines appeared on his right arm, and then, like sliced sashimi, pieces of his arm began falling to the floor.

When did he attack?

Was it that new guy?

Mahito stared at his dismembered arm in disbelief.

"Attacking in front of me? You seem to have a bit too much confidence, kid."

Sukuna looked at Mahito, realizing that, apart from the people at Jujutsu High, his true strength remained unknown.

Well, that was fine.

"Junpei Yoshino, was it? Come over here, it's okay," Sukuna said casually.

Junpei cautiously glanced at the still-stunned Mahito, then carefully made his way towards Yuji, keeping a wary eye on the curse.

"Junpei, are you okay?" Yuji asked, concerned.

"Yeah..." Junpei looked at his injured hand and nodded weakly.

Sukuna glanced at the injury, then placed his hand on Junpei's shoulder, activating Reverse Cursed Technique.

"...It's healed?" Junpei stared at his perfectly restored hand in astonishment, flexing his fingers. Then, he remembered something and pulled a dark red finger, transformed into a cursed object, from his pocket. "When my mom died, she was holding this."

"Oh, Sukuna's finger. It's a special grade cursed object. Your mom was probably killed by a curse drawn to this. Most likely, that guy over there planted it in your house," Ryōichi explained, taking the finger and casually tossing it to Yuji.

"Eat it."

Yuji fumbled to catch the finger, his expression shifting from surprise to apprehension. "Eh? Now? Are you sure, Sukuna-sensei? Wouldn't it be bad if Sukuna came out now?"

"Don't worry about it, just eat it," Ryōichi said nonchalantly. "I believe you can suppress Sukuna."

Although Yuji was skeptical, he trusted Sukuna. With a reluctant look, he pinched his nose and swallowed the finger as Junpei watched in surprise.

Mahito's eyes widened slightly at this, but he maintained his irritating smirk. "Reverse Cursed Technique that can heal others... We have quite the VIP here."

As he spoke, his severed arm regenerated.

"Say, do you think the body creates the soul, or does the soul create the body?" He grinned. "You know, like that 'chicken or the egg' question."

Sukuna looked around, seeing no one else responding, then pointed at himself in confusion. "You're asking me?"

"Yeah, just thought I'd hear the opinion of someone strong."

"Not my problem." Sukuna shrugged and turned to the others. "What are you three waiting for? Go gang up on him!"

Mahito's smile faltered. "Seems like you're not much for conversation."

"But unfortunately for you, your attacks can't truly harm me." His arm fully regenerated, and he regained his confident smirk. "This isn't healing. The soul gives birth to the body. As long as my soul remains intact, my body won't be injured..."

The moment he finished speaking, his newly restored arm shattered once more, blood splattering his bewildered face.

"Oh, really?" Sukuna retracted his hand, having severed Mahito's arm again. "Thanks for the tip. You're a real pal."

Mahito's smile faltered again.

I'm injured?

He's attacking... my soul!

"You can see it, can't you?! My soul!" Mahito exclaimed, his face contorted in a mixture of shock and delight.

Sukuna ignored him, turning to Yuji and Yukino. "Alright, kids, let's go!"

"Sukuna-sensei, why don't you just finish him off yourself?" Yuji asked, finally recovering from the nausea of swallowing Sukuna's finger.

"If I did that, it would be over in an instant. Where's the fun in that?" Sukuna scoffed. "Besides, look at that face. Doesn't it just scream to be punched? Don't you want to express your feelings with your fists?"

"Yes!" Yuji replied without hesitation.

Yukino sighed; Sukuna always knew how to motivate people with such simple yet irrefutable logic.

As if she needed any motivation to fight alongside him.

She knew that Sukuna was pushing her to fight to help her grow stronger.

"Yukinoshita, don't let him touch you," Sukuna warned.

"I know," Yukino nodded.

"Same goes for you, Junpei."

"Got it!"

Yuji waited for his own instructions, then asked, "What about me?"

"You?" Sukuna glanced at him. "Do whatever you want."

"Eh?! Why?!" Yuji felt discriminated against.

But they had no time for further discussion. Mahito, having regenerated his arm, charged towards them.

Sukuna leaped onto the roof, taking a seat on the edge of the newly created hole to observe the battle. He glanced up at the barrier descending from the sky, then noticed Ijichi waving to him from a distance.

After giving Ijichi a thumbs-up, he called down to the others. "Ijichi has set up a barrier, and the surrounding residents should be evacuated. You can go all out!"

"Alright!" Yuji yelled.

"Haha! You have the leisure to worry about others?"

Mahito reached Yuji first, his hands transforming into sharp blades that slashed towards the pink-haired boy.

Yuji leaned back dramatically, narrowly dodging the blades before flipping away to create distance.

Undeterred, Mahito immediately swung at Junpei, who was still frozen in place. The glint of the blade reflected in his wide eyes.

Yukino had retreated to the window, staying out of Mahito's reach. Invisible slashes flew from her hand.

I need to attack his soul to damage him...

She aimed for Mahito's neck, a thin line of blood appearing where the slash connected.

Mahito faltered, clutching his neck. He stumbled back, confusion clouding his features.

Did that guy attack?

No, the wound is too shallow. If it were him, my head would be rolling on the floor by now.

So… another one who can attack my soul directly?

He glared at Yukino.

Sukuna was a given; he had been in a soul form, so seeing and attacking souls was natural for him.

But Yukino... Her body had housed Sukuna's soul, and her consciousness had been pulled into his Innate Domain, where she had experienced a soul-like state. It wasn't surprising that she could now perceive and target souls.

"Yoshino-kun, don't space out during battle!" Yukino called out.

"Ah! Sorry!" Junpei snapped out of his daze and attacked Mahito with his jellyfish shikigami, retreating behind Yukino. "Yukinoshita-senpai, I might not be as good at fighting as you and Itadori, but I can at least shield you from some damage."

"No need, just focus on yourself." Yukino raised her hand again, another slash drawing blood from Mahito's chest.

The attacks are working, but the wounds are too shallow. I'll have to keep this up, wearing him down and depleting his cursed energy…

Mahito casually cut down the incoming tentacles and began to analyze the situation.

That girl's technique, and that guy watching from the roof… they're both able to harm me with attacks I can't see. And the form of the attack is... cutting. Like being sliced by invisible blades.

Wait a minute!

Slashes!

Isn't that… Sukuna's technique?!

Mahito's eyes widened in shock. The realization was so jarring that he questioned his own deduction.

But one thing was certain: these two were his natural enemies!

Forget those three students. That mysterious black-haired guy's strength is unknown. I can't guarantee a win here. I should retreat for now.

While dodging Yuji's punches, Mahito dashed towards Yukino and Junpei by the window.

His legs suddenly transformed into kangaroo-like limbs, propelling him forward with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he reached Junpei.

Even if I'm retreating, it won't hurt to take this nuisance out and give Itadori a taste of pain!

"Hee hee!" Mahito's grin stretched almost to his ears as he imagined Junpei's terrified face and Yuji's despair.

Delightful, delightful!

Wham!

A sudden impact shattered his revelry. Mahito's eyes widened as he looked at Yuji, who seemed to be radiating fury.

A powerful uppercut, infused with cursed energy, sent Mahito crashing into the ceiling.

Three natural enemies of the soul?!

This isn't funny at all! Haha!

"What?!" Spikes erupted from Mahito's body, impaling the caught-off-guard Yuji and riddling him with bloody holes.

"Itadori!"

Junpei cried out in alarm. The instant Yuji was hit, Yukino unleashed a flurry of slashes, severing the spikes and carving deep gouges in the surrounding walls.

The jellyfish shikigami quickly wrapped its tentacles around the injured Yuji, pulling him back.

"Hey, hey! Send the wounded to the spectator seats!" Sukuna called out, still casually observing from the roof.