The school reeked of death. Shadows warped the hallways, bending into grotesque shapes, and the air hung thick with the foul stench of cursed energy.
Megumi moved silently, footsteps light, breathing steady. His eyes flicked across the broken hallway—scratches along the lockers, blood smeared near the walls. A faint, low growling sound echoed from deep within.
He turned the corner.
His heart stopped.
There they were—Sasaki and Iguchi, both unconscious, suspended in the air like meat in a butcher's shop. Jagged curses writhed and twisted around them, licking their lips with crooked, black tongues.
Without hesitation, Megumi clapped his hands together. "Divine Dogs—Totality."
From his shadow burst two wolf-like shikigami, one white and one black, teeth bared as they lunged toward the monsters. The curses shrieked. The dogs bit into them, buying Megumi time to pull the unconscious students to safety.
But the curses weren't weak. One lashed out with a serrated tendril, smashing one of the divine dogs against the wall. Another burst through a cracked window, snarling, red eyes glowing.
Megumi grunted and launched forward, hands swirling with cursed energy.
But then—
CRASH!
Glass shattered. A body flew through the window in a perfect arc.
Yuji Itadori landed hard on his feet, panting, blood trailing down the side of his face. His fists were clenched. His eyes burned with resolve.
"I told you to stay outside!" Megumi barked.
Itadori didn't respond. Instead, his gaze locked onto his unconscious friends, his breathing ragged.
"My grandpa…" he said quietly, almost to himself. "He told me… help people. No matter what, save them. That's how you live a good life."
Without another word, he charged.
He tackled one of the curses, grabbing Sasaki's limp body and diving away from the gnashing teeth. Megumi growled under his breath, forming hand signs, conjuring another shikigami to hold back the others.
But suddenly, everything shook.
The floor split open, and rising from the chasm came a monstrous curse—ten feet tall, with limbs that spiraled in all the wrong directions and a face that looked like it was melting.
A Special Grade.
Megumi's body stiffened. He hadn't expected this.
"This is bad," he whispered. "Really bad."
He formed another sign. "They're after that cursed object… Sukuna's finger."
The cursed object—it was still inside the school.
And then, Yuji, like a complete idiot, said: "You mean this?"
He held up the grotesque, shriveled finger.
"Don't—" Megumi started, but it was too late.
Yuji tossed it into his mouth.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Megumi screamed.
Yuji chewed and swallowed.
The world stopped.
For a second, there was silence.
Then—
BOOM.
A wave of pure, malevolent energy erupted from Yuji's body, throwing Megumi backward. The giant curse lunged forward—only to be completely obliterated by a single, devastating strike.
The figure that now stood in Yuji's place wasn't him.
He had spiky hair, but his posture had changed—his eyes gleamed with cruelty, his grin twisted.
Sukuna had returned.
"Ahhhh… this air," Sukuna exhaled, stretching. "Where are the people? Where are the women? Where are the children? Let me paint the streets with them."
Megumi scrambled to his feet. "No choice," he muttered. "I'll have to use it. Even if it kills me."
His hands came together. A cursed seal began to form.
But just before it could complete—
Sukuna blinked. His smile faded.
"Hmm?" he muttered.
Then—Yuji's voice echoed from within.
"Not today, bastard."
And just like that—Yuji Itadori returned, suppressing Sukuna's spirit and retaking control.
His body trembled, bloodied and bruised, but he stood.
Megumi's eyes widened. "He… suppressed Sukuna?!"
At that moment, footsteps echoed down the corridor.
And then a voice:
"Yo."
Gojo Satoru entered casually, holding a plastic bag of groceries in one hand, sunglasses slightly tilted.
"Am I late to the party?" he grinned.