Just as Nanami said—
So-called "growth" isn't about surviving life-and-death situations again and again.
It's about the accumulation of despair—
about slowly becoming someone unlike the person you once imagined yourself to be.
Only when disappointment and despair pile up
do you begin to understand the difference between ideals… and reality.
Staggering to his feet,
the light in Yuji Itadori's eyes has completely faded, leaving only numb emptiness.
Like a soulless corpse,
he drags his heavy steps into the darkness and disappears.
23:07
Less than two hours.
Shibuya, once bustling and vibrant,
now looks as though it has been ravaged by war.
Collapsed structures stained with blood,
faint cries for help barely audible beneath the rubble.
The air is thick with scorching fumes…
Above the ruins, modified humans cheer in delight.
A hell for humans—
a paradise for curses.
Mahito strolls leisurely, his face full of contentment.
After that massive quake earlier,
both sorcerers and curses who had been in the underground station
have escaped to the surface through various exits.
"Even among special grades… the gap is terrifyingly huge."
With his hands behind his head, Mahito mutters to himself.
"Dagon's presence is gone… that fire earlier must've been Jogo…"
He tilts his head, a brief seriousness flashing in his eyes.
"…That's actually a little disappointing."
"Ah, whatever."
"Better to enjoy the moment!"
With a casual remark, Mahito flicks several miniature transfigured humans from between his fingers.
Grotesque and curse-like,
these modified humans are visible horrors even to ordinary people.
Pushing aside the rubble before them,
the humans who had just felt relief at being rescued—
their expressions instantly freeze.
"Idle Transfiguration."
At the edge of the surface barrier—
Due to severe injuries, Kento Nanami is sent to the rear by an escape team for medical treatment.
Shoko Ieiri takes the opportunity to heal Maki Zenin and Nobara Kugisaki using Reverse Cursed Technique.
As for Megumi Fushiguro, he has merely exhausted his cursed energy and requires no treatment.
After learning that Yuji is still inside the barrier,
the three set out again after a brief rest.
As for White Zetsu…
Sitting atop a pile of collapsed rubble, legs crossed, casually smoking a cigar,
he watches the life-and-death battle below with leisurely interest.
"Black Flash!!!"
A curse instinctively strikes at the perfect moment—
just as Yuji hesitates in the face of the transfigured humans.
A black-and-red distortion slams violently into Yuji's face!
"Boom!"
Blood mixed with fragments of organs sprays from his mouth,
and Yuji is slammed into a wall, nearly losing consciousness.
"Ha—HAHAHAHA!"
An ecstatic laugh echoes through the street!
This is the second time Mahito has approached the core of cursed energy manipulation!
The first was during his Domain Expansion against Yuji and Nanami—
the second is now, as he unleashes Black Flash!
"Yuji Itadori—deciding to kill you…"
"…is just too perfect!"
With a crazed expression, Mahito charges toward Yuji in the rubble,
cursed energy surging around his fists!
Jogo. Hanami.
Both died in the plan to revive Sukuna.
Without Sukuna, curses would never rise again.
Mahito understands all of this—
and yet, he cannot restrain himself.
He longs for it—desperately—
to kill Yuji Itadori right here, right now!
"Boom!"
Debris explodes outward as Yuji barely dodges Mahito's full-force punch.
Idle Transfiguration—a sure-kill technique that directly touches the soul.
Because Yuji is Sukuna's vessel,
Mahito does not dare use it on his soul.
And Yuji, in turn, can strike Mahito's true soul—
making him Mahito's natural enemy.
"Multiple Souls: Body Repulsion!"
A grotesque monster stitched from dozens of human souls—
like a worm enlarged a hundred times—
roars as it charges toward Yuji.
Its elongated body is covered in human limbs,
crawling across the rubble in a horrifying display.
Yuji plants his stance, cracking the ground with a one-meter fracture!
After blocking a wave of transfigured humans,
Mahito strikes again from the right—his fist slamming into Yuji's face!
"Shhk—!"
A long gash tears from Yuji's cheek down to his neck, blood spraying!
At the moment of impact, Mahito transforms the flesh on the back of his hand into a sharp dagger.
Seeing Yuji's grim, tense expression, Mahito grins widely, mocking him.
"Yuji Itadori… you and I are the same."
"You feel anger, sorrow, despair over human deaths and your comrades' suffering."
"And we kill… because it's our nature."
Mahito laughs wildly, voice brimming with excitement.
"If you can't accept that—
you'll never defeat me."
Disgust fills Yuji's face as he wipes the blood from it, clenching his fists.
"You talk too much."
The moment his words fall—
A punch. A strike.
Human and curse clash simultaneously!
"Boom!"
Shockwaves ripple as both are blown back!
Without using Idle Transfiguration,
in pure hand-to-hand combat, Mahito is nearly equal to Yuji.
Ignoring the intense pain in his chest,
Yuji lunges forward the moment he lands!
In the rubble, Mahito splits into two.
Yuji halts instantly, his expression darkening.
On the debris—
Mahito's true body and his clone each hold a blood-soaked human.
They are the survivors from the rubble, still faintly breathing.
"Humans… as long as they have weaknesses, they can be exploited."
Using the humans as shields from both sides,
Mahito grins savagely as he launches strikes at Yuji's vital points!
This time, they aren't transfigured humans—
but completely intact human bodies.
Yuji dodges repeatedly—
his fists halting at the last moment each time he tries to strike.
Whips. Axes. Blades. Spears. Clubs…
Mahito reshapes his soul endlessly,
each attack tearing flesh from Yuji's body!
Watching his "natural enemy" struggle helplessly,
Mahito bursts into manic laughter.
Yes… that's it.
Be tortured to death, little by little!
Swinging the humans like ragdolls,
the killing intent in Mahito's eyes grows brighter.
From front and back,
he hurls the two dying humans directly toward Yuji!
If he doesn't catch them,
the impact alone will kill them instantly.
Even knowing it's a trap—
Yuji instinctively reaches out.
Still unable to move past the trauma of Sukuna slaughtering people with his body,
he cannot allow innocent lives to die before his eyes.
"Haha!"
Mahito chuckles, his malice fully unleashed!
His true body and clone transform both arms into four bladed weapons—
At the exact moment Yuji moves to save them,
they stab down toward all his vital points!
"Straw Doll Technique!!!"
A whistling nail shoots through the air—
piercing straight into the clone's brain!
Mahito senses the attack,
but doesn't dodge, trusting in his technique that negates physical damage.
Not wasting even a fraction of a second to kill Yuji—
he drives his blades down even faster!
"Thud!"
At the instant the blades touch—
Yuji and the two humans sink directly into the shadow beneath their feet.
Mahito's expression darkens as he turns toward the newcomers.
A short-haired woman wielding a hammer—
a bespectacled female sorcerer with faint cursed energy—
spiky-haired Megumi…
—and Yuji, now appearing at Megumi's feet.
Watching from above, White Zetsu shakes his head and slowly stands.
The script has deviated.
The actors have made mistakes.
And so—
the stage director must step in… to make adjustments.
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