Chapter 65 – Awakening Potential, Summoning the Ultimate Shikigami?
"Nue!"
With his hands clasped into seals, shadows surged behind Fushiguro Megumi. From the darkness, a crimson thunderbird rose, spreading its wings wide.
"Nobara, stay back. Something's wrong with Itadori."
Crack—
Sukuna slowly stood, flexing his body as reverse cursed technique knitted his shattered bones back together. His face twisted with irritation.
"…Another troublesome pest."
His gaze swept to Fushiguro and Kugisaki—and suddenly, an amusing thought struck him.
He tore away his tattered shirt, then, before their horrified eyes, drove his clawed hand into his own chest. With a grotesque grin, he yanked out Itadori's heart and crushed it in his palm.
"This brat can't take back control now. Even if he tries… without a heart, he'll die instantly."
A cruel smile spread across his face. For Sukuna, it was a meaningless sacrifice. For Yuji, it was certain death.
"Before that man comes out… why don't I kill you two first?"
With a feral grin, Sukuna lunged straight at Megumi.
Megumi's eyes hardened. He pressed his hands together again. "Great Serpent!"
From the ground, a colossal snake lunged upward, clamping its jaws around Sukuna and hurling him skyward. Overhead, Nue dove, unleashing bolts of violet lightning that rained down on Sukuna's body.
From afar, Nobara gripped her hammer tight. Only one nail left. She'd have to wait for the perfect opening.
"…Already fighting?"
Zen'in Shinsuke appeared at her side, watching the clash.
"Old man! What do we do? Itadori—he's lost his heart!" Nobara's voice cracked.
"So decisive, huh?" Shinsuke muttered, unfazed. "Sukuna really is desperate for freedom."
But he didn't intervene. This was a perfect chance to put pressure on Megumi—force him to dig out his hidden potential. Without pressure, progress would remain stagnant.
"Wait… you're just going to stand there?" Nobara protested, glaring. "Megumi's getting destroyed out there!"
"Relax. My nephew's tougher than he looks." Shinsuke planted his spear in the ground and leaned against it, as though he were a spectator at a show.
"Hahahaha! Not bad, brat. Your technique has potential… but it won't save you."
Sukuna laughed as Megumi recalled his battered Nue, recognizing that the boy's shikigami weren't simple summons. There was something more, something deeper.
"Pour everything into it! Don't think about stalling for time. These scratches mean nothing to me."
Megumi wiped blood from his mouth, eyes narrowing. His gaze flicked toward his uncle, standing in the distance watching like it wasn't his problem. His lips twitched.
…Was he really expecting him to handle Sukuna?
Megumi's fists clenched. Yuji had risked everything to stay behind against a special-grade. Yuji had even argued with him over saving a total stranger.
So why couldn't he do the same?
He wasn't fighting just to meet his father's and uncle's expectations… or to inherit the Zen'in family. If he was truly a jujutsu sorcerer, then he had to protect people—without condition.
His cursed energy flared violently. Both hands formed the stance for summoning.
"…If that's the case, then I'll go all in."
He had already used every shikigami at his disposal. The only option left was his final trump card.
With his uncle here, maybe—just maybe—he could risk it.
"Chanting incantation… Berebu, Yura Yura, Yatsuka…"
The cursed energy around him swelled, dense and suffocating.
"Yes! That's it!" Sukuna's eyes gleamed with manic joy. "Show me your true power, Megumi Fushiguro! Make me obsessed with you!"
At last, a worthy seed had appeared.
CLANG!
A spear slammed down from above, stabbing into the ground between them.
"That's enough, Megumi. Stop the chant. No need to summon it."
Shinsuke's voice cut through the tension.
He could feel it—the boy's potential had already been unlocked. There was no need to unleash Mahoraga, the ultimate shikigami, only to let it maul his nephew.
Megumi exhaled, relief softening his tense shoulders.
Mahoraga—Megumi had never summoned it, but as the ultimate shikigami it would far surpass an ordinary special grade. And right now he did not have the strength to control Mahoraga.
"Hey, aren't you going too far?"
Sukuna bristled at being cut off; he'd just begun to find this brat interesting.
"Sukuna, your job was to put pressure on Megumi and draw out his potential. That job's done."
Zen'in Shinsuke scratched his ear, utterly unconcerned.
"You—"
Sukuna's eyes narrowed. There was something about this man's attitude that irked him.
"By the way, my nephew has enormous potential. He'll be one of jujutsu's pillars someday. Don't you even think about taking an interest in him—do, and you'll die."
Zen'in fixed Sukuna with a warning gaze, even if the curse probably wouldn't listen.
"Hahahaha…" Sukuna laughed, incredulous at being threatened—by a man with no cursed energy at all. With only two fingers' worth of power, he was clearly outmatched for now. But once he reclaimed his full strength? Whether it was this fellow or that white-haired sorcerer, Sukuna would not so easily be cowed.
"All right, think you can run?" Zen'in called. "Yuji—time to wake up."
Sukuna's dark markings faded; his expression cleared.
"Megumi," Itadori's voice came, eyes opening. He looked at Fushiguro, still wanting an answer to their earlier argument—if he were to die, he wanted to know why Megumi saved him.
"I'm a jujutsu sorcerer," Megumi said calmly. "I never regretted saving you."
"Yeah… that's Megumi—always thinks things through more than I do." Itadori forced a shaky smile and scratched the back of his head.
"But my choice wasn't wrong either."
Blood gushed from the wound at his heart; his consciousness began to fray. Itadori's gaze clouded.
"Sorry… time's about up."
"Megumi, Nobara, Gojo-sensei, and Uncle Zen'in—live long, all of you…"
Those were his last words. Then Itadori slumped into Megumi's arms.
By the time Nobara reached them, she hadn't made it in time to see his final moments.
"Let's go. Take the body back—get Shoko to check if there's anything she can do," Zen'in said as he patted Megumi on the shoulder.
If he'd known the whole story, he might have offered Megumi a few words of comfort. But for now, the priority was to deliver the tragic news—and make sure Gojo knew what had happened. After all, how could a teacher be taking vacations when he couldn't even protect his students?