Countless tiny specks of light emerged in the pure darkness, slowly rotating like a profound sea of stars containing a newborn universe.
Here, shadows were endowed with the supreme traits of "creation" and "devouring."
This chaotic sea was Megumi Fushiguro's will itself.
He completely submerged his consciousness into it, frantically deconstructing the essence of the [Ten Shadows Technique].
The [Divine Dogs]' sense of smell, representing "hunting," and their sharp fangs, representing "biting," transformed into two streaks of light.
[Nue]'s wings, symbolizing the "sky," and its lightning, symbolizing "punishment," shattered into countless crackling runes.
[Max Elephant]'s "mass."
[Escape Rabbit]'s "quantity."
[Great Serpent]'s "binding."
The core "concepts" of all the shikigami were completely shattered within this sea of shadows, turning into the most primordial fragments of rules that spiraled and danced.
Finally, Megumi Fushiguro's will touched the deepest part of that shadow sea, reaching the most terrifying and taboo existence.
[Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga].
He was not trying to summon it.
He intended to forcefully extract its wheel of rules, which represented the "adaptation to all phenomena," to serve as the core of this creation!
"Roar!!!"
Mahoraga's will let out a silent roar within the shadows. Its terrifying power manifested as sharp blades that viciously pierced toward Megumi Fushiguro's soul.
A tearing agony instantly spread through his entire body.
Megumi Fushiguro's body trembled violently as blood seeped from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
However, his pitch-black eyes erupted with an unprecedentedly resolute light, firmly suppressing that violent, ancient will.
The massive eight-handled wheel was forcefully dragged out of the endless darkness by his sheer will.
The wheel of rules began to turn.
It "adapted" to the rule fragments of all the shikigami in the shadow sea.
It "adapted" to Megumi Fushiguro's unyielding will.
An unrivaled will forcefully fused this complex and chaotic power into a brand-new entity.
A terrifying existence that defied all description slowly stood up from within the domain.
It possessed the ferocious head of the [Divine Dogs], a cold gleam flashing between its fangs.
Behind it spread [Nue]'s massive lightning wings, covered in pitch-black feathers, with destructive arcs of electricity coiling around every edge.
Its body took on the winding, coiled posture of the [Great Serpent], yet it possessed [Max Elephant]'s giant feet, capable of trampling mountains and rivers.
And above its head, the massive eight-handled wheel slowly turned, exuding a majestic and terrifying aura akin to a god.
For the first time, the endless barrage of the [Gun Devil] ceased.
It felt an absolute terror stemming from the very hierarchy of life when facing this newborn monster.
Megumi Fushiguro slowly raised his hand. With bloodstained lips, he bestowed a name upon this taboo existence he had created with his own hands.
"[Chimera Shadow God]."
He pointed at the Gun Devil in the sky.
The Chimera God opened its massive, fang-filled maw.
A beam of pure, pitch-black breath—one that devoured light, sound, and all existence—erupted from its mouth.
The [Gun Devil]'s torrent of steel, enough to wipe an entire city off the map, could not hold out for even a moment against this pitch-black breath and was instantly swallowed up.
...
Edo. The air was thick with an unfamiliar scent, a mixture of rust and asphalt.
Hajime Kashimo slowly opened his eyes.
His field of vision no longer held the familiar wooden buildings and dirt roads.
Instead, they were replaced by a towering forest of steel, massive screens flashing with strange lights, and the cold, hard asphalt beneath his feet.
An unprecedented, massive, and chaotic surge of cursed energy filled every corner of the world like a rushing river.
At the same time, segments of cold information that did not belong to him were directly branded into his brain.
The rules of the Culling Game, and the purpose of points.
He quickly absorbed the information in his mind, and then he smiled.
It was a maniacal laughter that stemmed from the very depths of his soul.
"Crackle."
Golden arcs of electricity burst uncontrollably from his body, scorching the ground beneath his feet pitch-black.
"This era..."
He greedily breathed in the cursed energy-filled air, feeling the terrifying power building up within him.
"Are there any strong fighters who can satisfy me?"
His figure turned into a bolt of golden lightning, vanishing from the spot as he sprinted toward the direction where the cursed energy was thickest.
...
Elsewhere, in a frozen wasteland.
Clad in white, Uraume felt the frost on her eyelashes slowly melt.
She sensed the changes in this world.
But to her, none of that mattered.
She focused on a single aura among them.
A terrifying aura so familiar it made her soul tremble, yet thousands of times more massive and foreign than in her memories.
It was the aura of her one and only master, Ryomen Sukuna.
Without any hesitation, she transformed into a freezing current, advancing at full speed toward the source of that aura.
...
Tokyo District Court, Third Courtroom.
This place had long since been reduced to a living hell.
A man who had just awakened his cursed technique—his body mutated, sprouting eight spider-like legs—was frantically slaughtering the ordinary people inside the courtroom.
The judge's corpse was hung high upon the chandelier, blood dripping down the edges of the crystal fixtures.
Amidst this chaos and despair.
A man wearing a suit and tie, looking exhausted yet unusually calm, abruptly appeared at the judge's bench.
Hiromi Higuruma.
He glanced at the gruesome scene around him. A flash of icy fury crossed his eyes, which always carried a hint of world-weariness.
He slowly raised the gavel in his hand.
"[Domain Expansion]—"
A golden light flashed and vanished.
The bloody courtroom disappeared.
In its place stood a massive, solemn courtroom radiating an aura of absolute justice.
The eight-legged man was forcefully bound to the defendant's stand, his face written with terror.
"Court is now in session."
Hiromi Higuruma's voice echoed in every corner of the domain like a divine decree.
He intended to use his cursed technique to execute his "justice" in this chaotic era.
...
Shinjuku, Kabukicho.
This place had similarly descended into unprecedented chaos.
A group of ancient curse users, freshly awakened from their seals, were enjoying a long-awaited feast of slaughter.
Right at that moment.
A highly rhythmic, 90s retro music track began playing without any warning.
Kinji Hakari, sporting a pompadour and wearing a flashy school uniform that made him look like a delinquent, walked out from the street corner with a boombox resting on his shoulder.
Upon seeing the curse users, he carefully placed the boombox on the ground, then formed a hand sign in front of his chest.
"[Domain Expansion: Idle Death Gamble]"
Massive pachinko machines, filled with dazzling lights and noisy sound effects, rose from the ground, enveloping everyone within.
"Come on, everyone."
"Let's place our bets!"
Kinji Hakari snapped his fingers, and the rules within the domain began to operate.
"Consecutive Wins!"
"Big Hit!"
"JACKPOT!"
Kinji Hakari had gambled his way to "infinite cursed energy" and the reverse cursed technique.
...
Just as these resurrected powerhouses began to adapt to this brand-new and chaotic era.
A terrifying slash, powerful enough to make the entire island of Japan tremble, cleaved outward from the direction of Shibuya.
Hajime Kashimo, who was moving at high speed, abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Right in front of him.
An invisible edge silently sliced past.
The next second.
The earth before him was soundlessly split open.
A bottomless, pitch-black fissure extended infinitely toward the horizon, as if aiming to completely tear the entire Kanto Plain apart.
The edges of that fissure were as smooth as a mirror.
As Hajime Kashimo stared at this miraculous sight, the expression on his face gradually shifted from excitement to absolute fanaticism.
'Fantastic! This is amazing! This is exactly what I wanted!'
'This is the true powerhouse I've been waiting for!'
Without hesitation, he changed direction. Golden electricity erupted from his body as he charged at full speed toward the source of that slash.
It wasn't just him.
Hiromi Higuruma, Kinji Hakari.
Even all the resurrected powerhouses qualified to step onto this stage felt that apocalyptic fluctuation of power at the exact same moment.
As if by prior agreement, they all stopped whatever they were doing.
Then, they converged toward the center of the storm—the battlefield of Ian and Sukuna.