"So that's how it is. Having Tsukumo take Rika away not only prevents Sukuna from endlessly replenishing his external technique, but also keeps Gojo from being restrained because of her."
Choso rested his fingers against his chin as he analyzed the situation.
On the screen, Yuki was fighting while leading the Queen of Curses away from the area around Unlimited Void. Among everyone present, she was the only one who could completely suppress that girl without getting dragged into a difficult fight.
"For the time being, this is indeed the most favorable response for us," Higuruma agreed.
Without Rika, no matter how things turned out, it would be better for Satoru. However, there were still two things about Sukuna that Higuruma could not understand.
Why...
Why wasn't he doing that?
He swept his eyes across the viewing room. Everyone's gaze was fixed firmly on the screen. For some reason, the words he was about to say only made his lips twitch before he stopped.
Perhaps that was merely a theoretical guess on his part. Maybe Sukuna simply could not do it.
At least for now, there was no sign that he had any intention of doing so.
"Three minutes..."
Everyone held their breath and waited. It seemed that once this point in time arrived, the battle between the strongest in history and the strongest of the modern era would finally have a winner.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the domain.
'The shell of Unlimited Void hasn't been attacked, and there is no trace of the Queen's presence inside Malevolent Shrine. Did another special grade enter the fight...?'
As their fists and feet clashed, Sukuna began analyzing the situation.
Kenjaku's technique had already been exposed, so Suguru would most likely remain at the Tombs of the Star Corridor to make sure that the man's plan was not allowed to proceed unchecked.
The one sent to kill Kenjaku would definitely be a special grade sorcerer.
That left only the final special grade who could still deal with Rika without any trouble.
Although he did not know exactly how they had arranged their forces, keeping all of their strongest fighters occupied in such a short period was beneficial to him. After all, Rika was never essential.
But...
"You look like you're thinking up another nasty trick!"
Satoru never stopped for even a moment. His fists kept flying without giving Sukuna any chance to catch his breath.
"I don't think as much as you do."
Even though Sukuna was at a disadvantage in close combat, the calm smile on his face remained unchanged.
"Is that so!"
Satoru's spirits rose as he threw another cursed-energy-enhanced punch. This time, it carried the attractive force of Blue.
Crack, crack, crack...
Even Sukuna, who had reinforced both arms with cursed energy and raised them in front of himself, could not help feeling numbness spread through them. The sound of bones cracking rang out again and again.
'The Limitless technique is a little more troublesome than I expected...'
Domain Amplification could only neutralize the relatively neutral Infinity surrounding Satoru. It could not defend against the opposing properties of Blue and Red.
As for Sky Manipulation, its usefulness in close combat was also limited.
Whenever Sukuna tried to use it in that way, Satoru would immediately use Blue's attraction to interfere with his arms and disrupt his rhythm.
The best solution really is to break the domain first...
Though he did not want to admit it, while using Yuta's body, Sukuna was indeed slightly inferior to Satoru in close combat.
Crack!
Because Satoru kept using Blue-infused punches, cracks began to appear on the shell of Unlimited Void earlier than expected.
'What an idiot.'
Sukuna had no need to desperately trade blows with him. He only had to quietly defend against each attack. Once Unlimited Void shattered, the situation would naturally turn in his favor.
Zzzt...
But then, a sound like a faint electric current brushed past his ears.
* * *
(Flashback)
Several days ago, during the conversation between the special grades.
"With the advantage of an open-barrier domain, trying to make Sukuna get caught by Unlimited Void is too difficult, isn't it?"
As a sorcerer capable of keeping his domain's barrier open, Suguru did not believe it was feasible.
"The moment you use the enormous amount of cursed energy required to expand your domain, Sukuna will most likely do the same if you choose to activate yours."
Yuki stroked her chin. She did not directly reject the idea, but her words clearly agreed with Suguru's view.
"That's why I've been working even harder on my physical abilities."
Satoru was crouched on the chair as he pointed his thumb toward Mukuro beside him with some disdain.
During this period, he had spent plenty of time fighting that guy using nothing but physical techniques.
They had already taken it as a given that Sukuna could learn to use Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his brain after seeing it once.
"Even if we improve our physical abilities... Hmm?"
Suguru was about to complain further when he suddenly stopped. It seemed he had thought of something.
"Just using Blue-infused punches probably isn't enough. But before this, there was no one who could make me truly enter that state..."
Satoru clenched his fist. His voice carried both satisfaction and anticipation.
After so many serious exchanges with Mukuro during their physical training, he had finally found that feeling of being able to attack without holding anything back.
It was Black Flash.
(Flashback End)
* * *
Through his continuous attacks, Satoru seemed to enter a state of complete selflessness. This Blue-infused punch produced a Black Flash powerful enough to distort even space itself.
The explosive force was so great that even the King of Curses could not withstand it head-on.
Boom!
The domain shattered.
* * *
"At the same time! Again, at the same time?!"
This time, it had lasted only about two and a half minutes.
At the exact moment Unlimited Void exploded, Malevolent Shrine collapsed once again, making the people in the viewing room cry out in surprise.
"What exactly is happening now...?" Kusakabe could no longer make sense of it.
By all logic, three minutes should have been the most conservative estimate. Could those two have changed the conditions of their domains again?
How were they even able to do that?
"However, in close combat inside the domains, Gojo has a complete advantage."
From the crow's point of view, the conditions of the two men showed two completely different results.
The injuries on Satoru were not obvious. Sukuna, on the other hand, had already lost an arm. His Reverse Cursed Technique was operating at full speed as it desperately repaired the severed limb.
* * *
'In the battle between Unlimited Void and Malevolent Shrine, the greatest advantage you have over Sukuna when it comes to the sorcerer himself is...'
The conversation with Mukuro was still fresh in Satoru's mind.
Form the hand sign with one hand.
Repair the brain at the same time while expanding the domain.
The previous two clashes had already given Sukuna the impression that their Reverse Cursed Technique recovery rates were completely equal.
However, repairing both the body and the brain at the same time would cause the recovery speed to decrease by an extremely small amount.
Yet Sukuna had no choice but to do it because Malevolent Shrine required both hands to form the hand sign.
Blood seeped from Satoru's nostrils. Even so, at that moment, he once again formed the hand sign of Taishakuten.
"Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void!"
Sukuna in front of him had also completely restored his arm and formed the hand sign of Enmaten to face him.
The two domains collided once again.
* * *
"Hmm?!"
In the viewing room, the usually calm Higuruma suddenly stood up.
"What happened?"
The students looked at him in confusion.
"Just now... it seemed like Gojo's domain was slightly faster?"
Visually, there seemed to be no difference in timing.
However, even a difference of 0.01 seconds was of enormous importance in a battle at this level.
* * *
"As expected..."
Inside the domain, Satoru's smile was completely unrestrained.
"I got you. Unlimited Void!"
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