"Hmm?"
Ryoumen Sukuna looked up at the magic formation that had appeared in the clear blue sky, glowing with a white light.
As the formation shattered and white particles rained down like falling stars, he instinctively frowned.
Kenjaku, that bastard—what did he do this time?
Although he was a little curious, he didn't dwell on the strange changes in the sky.
There was something more important in front of him.
A massive white figure charged toward him, and a hand even larger than his head grabbed him, slamming him into the ground.
Like a roaring train, Mahoraga dragged Sukuna along the ground, tearing up the stone pavement as it went.
Then, with a casual toss, it flung him into the air like a baseball.
Sukuna grinned with excitement, forming his fingers into a sword gesture.
Invisible slashes shot out like a machine gun, bombarding Mahoraga's chest.
Blood sprayed from Mahoraga's body, but in the next moment, all its wounds instantly healed.
In midair, Sukuna didn't even glance at Mahoraga below.
Instead, he swung his hand to the side, sending out another slash.
As her black hair fluttered, Yukinoshita Yukino dived down like a hawk, speeding toward the pink-haired Sukuna.
Her deep blue eyes reflected a sharp white line as she raised her arm to block Sukuna's slash.
A deep cut instantly appeared on her forearm, and blood splattered into the air.
But the black-haired girl didn't even flinch, as if she couldn't feel the pain at all.
Without hesitation, she crashed into Sukuna.
Her fair and delicate hand pressed against his chest—
Technique Eight activated.
In an instant, a cursed-energy-infused slash ran straight through Sukuna's entire body from top to bottom.
A left fist swung out hard, smashing into Ryoumen Sukuna's face and sending him flying.
He shot through the air like a cannonball, crashing through the walls of a building. The next moment, it was as if a massive 40-meter-long blade had sliced through the entire structure—every wall was cut cleanly apart by a wide-range slash.
The exposed concrete walls showed smooth, precise cut marks. The building collapsed, crumbling into dust and debris, filling the air with thick smoke.
Amidst the ruins, Ryoumen Sukuna reached up to touch the blood on his face, raising an eyebrow.
Throughout history, there had been many sorcerers with the same technique. But even if the ability was the same, differences in individual power, curse energy, and the era they lived in made each technique unique in its own way.
That girl… was she adding slashes to her attacks? Not bad. Pretty interesting.
As he lowered his hand, the wound on his face was already gone, as if he had never been injured at all.
The shattered remains of the building around him were suddenly blasted away by a surge of curse energy, sending shockwaves in all directions.
Yukinoshita Yukino had just landed back on the ground when a deafening explosion rang out.
Chunks of massive debris flew toward her, but before they could hit, they were sliced apart midair. Her figure weaved swiftly between the flying rubble, dodging and closing the distance toward Ryoumen Sukuna.
Above her, Mahoraga's massive body leaped through the air, crashing down toward Ryoumen Sukuna like a falling meteor.
Its enormous foot stomped down, causing the already cracked ground to shatter and sink even further.
But Ryoumen Sukuna's figure had vanished from Mahoraga's sight.
With a sharp *clap*, he appeared upside down, pressing his palm against the top of the divine beast's head. The ground beneath them caved in further as a flurry of slashes rained down, forcing Mahoraga's giant form to the ground.
Sukuna didn't use his cursed energy-enhanced Cleave attack. Instead, he stuck close and unleashed pure physical slashes with his Dismantle technique.
Bright red blood bloomed across Mahoraga's enormous body, spilling in thick streams.
"As expected… still feels weird."
Ryoumen Sukuna muttered as he took two steps back, raising an arm to shield himself. An invisible slash cut through his flesh, sending droplets of blood flying.
Yukinoshita Yukino had already arrived.
Their eyes met.
In Sukuna's crimson pupils, he saw the girl's long black hair drifting in the air. Her breathtakingly cold and beautiful face carried a strange, almost ecstatic smile.
It was as if she had completely immersed herself in the battlefield of fire and blood.
Sukuna's thoughts wavered slightly as he inwardly scoffed.
This girl… she's getting way too into this.
As their fists and feet clashed, more and more wounds covered Yukinoshita Yukino's body. The injuries piled up so much that she was almost drenched in blood. Her gray athletic hoodie was completely soaked, turning a deep crimson.
In their close-quarters fight, Sukuna slowly gained the upper hand. He spotted an opening in her punch and swiftly countered with a side kick, sending her flying.
But before he could regain his stance, his vision suddenly spun—Mahoraga had grabbed his ankle, flipping him upside down.
Like a ragdoll, he was smashed repeatedly into the ground.
*Thud!*
With a heavy, sickening sound of blade cutting through flesh, Mahoraga's massive hand was severed at the wrist, the dismembered limb dropping lifelessly to the ground.
Sukuna landed, pressing one hand against the ground for balance, then swept out his leg in a swift counterattack.
With his balance broken, Mahoraga was sent flying through the air by a series of slashes, crashing through building after building.
Just as Mahoraga was sent flying, Yukinoshita Yukino charged forward again. She fought alone without any coordination between her and her shikigami, relying only on sheer persistence and endurance, which started to bore Sukuna.
"You really have no idea how to use shikigami, do you?"
A mocking voice rang in Yukinoshita Yukino's ears. Sukuna easily dodged her punch, grabbed her forearm, and unleashed a slash.
"And honestly, I'm getting a little tired of this."
The black-haired girl was sent flying like a broken kite, crashing hard onto the stone pavement. Her body bounced twice like a rubber ball before finally rolling to a stop.
Ryoumen Sukuna smirked slightly, a hint of contempt on his face.
He casually tossed aside a severed arm and tilted his head toward the girl in the distance, who was struggling to get up with only her left arm remaining.
"So, what's your next move?"
Meanwhile, Mahoraga, who had been sent flying earlier, pushed away the collapsed walls pinning it down and made its way back to Yukinoshita Yukino's side. Its missing right hand was rapidly regenerating.
At the same time, the pattern on Mahoraga's forehead began to spin once more.
Click!
Yukinoshita Yukino, whose head had been hanging low, finally lifted her face. She looked like a completely different person now, a wild grin spreading across her lips.
Her severed right arm, much like a divine warrior's, was regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye.
…
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