"Lord Sukuna, it's been far too long!"
Uraume's excitement was visibly evident in his eyes.
He was the first to kneel, bowing his head reverently toward Sukuna.
"We welcome your return, Lord Sukuna! Congratulations on finally being resurrected in this era!"
"Well, Sukuna, how does it feel to be fully revived after so long?"
Kenjaku's malicious expression faded, returning to his initial refined and composed demeanor.
He waved at Sukuna and asked with keen interest.
"You all moved much faster than I expected!"
Sukuna twisted his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds as his bones resonated violently, exuding an overwhelming aura of brutality.
"However, this level is still far from a complete revival, isn't it?"
"My deepest apologies!"
Uraume's face was filled with remorse as he lowered his head even further, nearly pressing it against the ground.
"I did everything I could but only managed to gather sixteen fingers. Including the two inside this vessel, that makes a total of eighteen. To not have the full twenty... I have failed utterly as your servant!"
"Enough, I forgive you."
Sukuna waved his hand dismissively, his expression utterly indifferent.
"The last two fingers are probably with that guy. One finger from the juvenile detention incident was recovered by him, so it's understandable you couldn't find them."
Even if Uraume had found them, he wouldn't have been able to take them back.
"That guy... Ah, you mean Roy."
Kenjaku pondered for a moment before realizing.
"I was the one who placed that finger in the juvenile detention center, originally intending to take a hostage to rescue a cursed spirit. In the end, not only did I fail to capture the hostage, but the finger was also retrieved. Hah, what a failure."
Uraume lifted his head and glared fiercely at Kenjaku.
It's because of your unnecessary meddling that Lord Sukuna couldn't revive at full strength!
Sukuna raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't seem bothered.
With eighteen fingers gathered, he had regained ninety percent of his peak power. All he needed to do was slaughter every sorcerer in this era and retrieve the remaining fingers—hardly a big deal.
"Sukuna, you must have seen Roy's power while inside Itadori Yuji's body, right?"
Kenjaku smiled as he endured Uraume's glare, chuckling lightly to brush it off before turning to Sukuna with an inquisitive look.
"So? In your opinion, how strong is that guy?"
"I didn't just see it—I even fought him once myself, though neither of us was going all out."
Sukuna tilted his head slightly, his expression as defiant as ever.
Yet his words carried no hint of belittlement toward Roy; instead, they were filled with high praise.
"But that guy's strength is truly top-tier. Even in the Heian era, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most formidable figures!"
"So, can you win?"
Kenjaku looked at Sukuna and asked with a smile.
"Ha! Who do you think you're talking to?"
Sukuna was amused by the question and let out a derisive laugh.
"You've really regressed, Kenjaku. That question doesn't even need to be asked. I am Ryomen Sukuna! Merely doubting whether I can win is pure foolishness!"
Sukuna raised his thumb to himself, his face brimming with an unruly grin.
"Without a doubt, I'll win!"
"Good to hear."
Upon hearing this, Kenjaku let out a relieved sigh.
"If you say so, then of course I believe you. Let's part ways here. There's someone I want to defeat with my own hands—I'm going after her now."
"Hmph, suit yourself."
Sukuna snorted dismissively, waving Kenjaku off with a careless flick of his hand.
"I'll leave this place to you. Make sure to kill as many of those modern sorcerers as possible, especially the ones led by Roy!"
Kenjaku didn't mind being shooed away like some nuisance, his smile unwavering as he showed no sign of irritation.
"Oh, and don't say I didn't warn you. Though I created Yuji Itadori as a vessel to fully resurrect you, it seems the quality of this vessel is a bit too strong. Right now, you're only manifesting externally because you've gained a massive surge of power in a short time, coupled with the cracks in Yuji's psyche. If you don't act quickly, once he regains his focus, your consciousness will be suppressed again—and that'll be troublesome."
"Spare me the lecture. Now scram, you chatterbox!"
Sukuna waved impatiently, shooing Kenjaku away.
"Hmph."
Kenjaku shrugged helplessly before turning and leaving the street.
Though Sukuna seemed impatient, he was inherently sharp—nothing like the fools who dismissed warnings outright. Kenjaku wasn't worried that his words had fallen on deaf ears. Sukuna would figure things out on his own.
Sukuna wasn't his concern.
He'd focus all his energy on the battle ahead.
That little girl.
Over the past month, he'd tirelessly followed every clue, replaying the battle at Jujutsu High in his mind, and finally uncovered some traces.
This time, he'd dismantle her technique completely!
"Lord Sukuna, where to next?"
After Kenjaku left, Uraume looked at Sukuna with excitement.
"Shall we tear that Roy apart? I can gather his flesh and prepare the perfect human-meat dish for you!"
"Your human-meat dishes are always the best. I'll look forward to it—nothing beats the taste of human flesh. The people of this era just don't get it!"
Sukuna licked his lips as if savoring the memory, but then shook his head, rejecting Uraume's suggestion.
"Roy must die, but he's already in the middle of a fight. I don't bother with ganging up on one. Let him play for now. I'm sure he'll fight his way through and come to me eventually."
"Before that, I'm going after someone else!"
A ravenous grin suddenly twisted Sukuna's face, as if struck by a sudden craving.
"Someone else? Who?"
Uraume asked, visibly annoyed.
Who could possibly be more worthy of Sukuna's attention?
How irritating!
"A vessel even more suitable than Yuji Itadori!"
Sukuna bared his teeth, malice seeping from him like a fermenting poison, ready to consume anyone in its path.
The battle resumed. Roy singled out Choso as the first to fall, sending him flying with a single punch—straight through four or five buildings in a visible arc of destruction.
Even the toughest Hanami would have met their end under this punch.
Choso couldn't withstand this blow.
"This guy is Yuji's older brother, wasn't he?"
Roy smacked his forehead, belatedly recalling this fact.
"Whatever. It doesn't matter. Since he chose to side with the curses, he's an enemy of humanity. No matter how outstanding he is as an older brother, if he's an enemy, there's no reason to spare him."
Roy's heart was utterly cold.
If it were his former, disguised self—perhaps while wearing glasses—he might have spared Choso's life.
But for the Roy who was gradually returning to his true self, that hypocrisy had long vanished from his heart. With the duality of good and evil merging within him, even his surface persona would never let an enemy escape.
"Who's next?"
Roy turned around, his gaze falling on Jogo and Ryu Ishigori behind him.
His expression was as indifferent as an executioner long accustomed to beheadings, coldly selecting his next target for slaughter.
Under the scrutiny of those eyes—eyes that seemed to disregard all life—Jogo and Ryu Ishigori instantly felt as though they were facing a dire threat.
Both man and curse stared at Roy in horror, their bodies drenched in cold sweat, their clothes soaked through before they even realized it.
"So it's true… he really is at least twice as strong now!"
Ryu Ishigori tried to force a smirk, but the corners of his lips refused to lift.
Damn it!
This guy was already insanely powerful, having single-handedly taken down three Special Grade-level fighters. And now, at this point, he claims he was still hiding strength at least twice that?
Compressed cursed energy was terrifying—could it possibly surpass even Kashimo's lightning-infused cursed energy from back in the day?
Those with unique cursed energy are truly something else!
…Wait, hold on—is this really his full power?
Come to think of it, has he even used a cursed technique yet?
Not a single sign of one. No matter who he killed, he relied solely on his body and cursed energy.
Shit.
This "dessert" might be a little too sweet…
"Roy, you got the guts to settle this inside my Domain?"
At that moment, Jogo spoke up, his tone laced with mockery.
"With your strength, you shouldn't be afraid of my Domain, right? Then step inside and let's decide this!"
"Domains are useless against me. How many of your comrades have to die before you understand that?"
Roy half-closed his eyes, his face brimming with boredom.
"No, at this point, you should already know—that I must have some countermeasure… Fine, go ahead. Open your Domain. I'll wait."
"Good! You said it yourself!"
Jogo grinned, baring his teeth.
It wasn't a smile of joy—there was no happiness in it, nor was it sarcastic.
It was simply a smile filled with resolve, the smile of someone who had steeled their determination.
"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"
The cursed energy surged, and the Domain unfolded, expanding from Jogo's position to envelop Roy.
"If even a curse can muster this much courage, how can I, a human, fall short?"
Watching this scene, Ryu Ishigori felt a strange sting in his eyes.
Not physical pain—but the pain of wounded pride.
So what if the enemy was strong?
If even a curse dared to stand their ground, how could he, a human, be inferior to a curse?
Roy let out a loud laugh and immediately leaped into Jogo's domain.
"Let me hitch a ride too!"
Seeing this, Jogo's movement to expand his domain hesitated for a brief moment.
A mere curse spirit... Humans truly are the most arrogant creatures!
But for now, he might as well make use of this guy's strength.
With that thought, Jogo resumed expanding his domain, enveloping Roy as well.
The massive black sphere once again stood towering over the street, drawing everyone's gaze like a black hole yet keeping them too terrified to approach.
The sorcerers exchanged glances at the sight, none daring to step closer to the heart of the battlefield, silently awaiting the outcome.
Inside the domain, the scenery was that of an erupting volcano.
Lava crisscrossed beneath their feet, thick smoke obscured their vision, and even light seemed blocked out, making it feel as though they had stepped into a volcanic hell.
Roy, Jogo, and Ryu Ishigori—three figures now stood within the domain simultaneously.
"Hey, curse spirit, got any tactics?"
The Ryu Ishigori landed and immediately turned to Roy, his entire focus locked onto him in wary vigilance.
Seeing Ryu Ishigori's guarded stance, Roy raised a hand in a gesture of invitation.
His demeanor was utterly composed, as if to say, Go ahead and discuss—I can wait until you're done before making my move.
To Jogo, that attitude was the height of arrogance! It filled him with a deep, seething fury at being so blatantly disregarded.
But this time, he didn't lash out in anger. The volcano atop his head remained dormant as he calmly faced the situation.
"Cursed energy!"
Jogo lowered his voice, his tone icy.
"That guy's been fighting nonstop until now—his cursed energy consumption doesn't lie! The only way to win is to accelerate his exhaustion, to drain his reserves as fast as possible. That's our only chance!"
"That's an all-or-nothing gamble!"
Ryu Ishigori blinked in surprise, his expression twisting into something between a laugh and a grimace.
"What if we're the ones who get wiped out before his cursed energy runs dry?"
"Then we're wiped out."
Jogo's expression remained eerily calm, even curling into a faint smile.
"I expanded this domain fully prepared to die here. I'll be going all out. As for you—do whatever you want, just don't get in my way."
Ryu Ishigori's eyes widened, momentarily speechless from the sheer impact of those words.
A mere curse spirit... had this kind of fearless resolve?
"And I'm not a mere curse spirit. I have a name—Jogo."
Jogo shot him a cold glare.
Even if Ryu Ishigori only served to distract Roy for a moment, he was still of some use.
"Planning to exhaust my cursed energy, huh?"
Despite their hushed tones, Jogo's strategy didn't escape Roy's notice. He nodded, his expression one of acknowledgment.
"Targeting my one current weakness—not a bad plan. Come at me, then!"
Roy's one and greatest weakness right now was his limited cursed energy reserves.
No, to be precise, his reserves were actually quite vast—but that depended on who he was compared to. Against ordinary sorcerers, even first-grade ones like Mei Mei, Roy's cursed energy far surpassed theirs.
But when pitted against special-grade fighters like Jogo and Ryu Ishigori, Roy's reserves no longer held an advantage.
His total cursed energy was roughly on par with these two.
Perhaps even slightly inferior.
Not to mention compared to a freak like Yuta Okkotsu, whose cursed energy seemed almost limitless.
And compared to Sukuna, whose reserves dwarfed even Yuta's, there was simply no comparison.
At present, Roy's cursed energy capacity was his sole weakness.
Since the battle began, his energy expenditure had been immense.