Chapter 124 — Forced Vessel Exchange!
One day later—inside the Tokyo No.1 Colony.
Yuji's group was still moving through the colony, rescuing injured civilians wherever they could.
"Is there really any point in all this?"
A mouth opened on Angel's host, Kurusu's face, speaking with a calm detachment.
"In the end, every non-sorcerer trapped here will meet the same fate."
Yuji didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.
"Saving people doesn't need a reason."
No matter what the final outcome might be, he focused only on what was happening right now.
If someone was in danger, he would save them—without thinking, without hesitation.
That had always been the core of his beliefs.
"That's just the kind of person he is. Don't think too much about it," Nobara added.
Anyone who didn't understand Yuji would never understand the way his mind worked.
But Nobara and Megumi understood perfectly why he continued trying to save people who were already doomed.
Angel, analyzing the situation, continued:
"Kenjaku didn't bring all these soldiers into the colony just to share cursed energy with the world, like that one guy claimed."
They had already eliminated a squad of soldiers who'd launched an ambush on them, learning their objective—
to obtain cursed energy as a new, clean-power source.
"Kenjaku gave information about the Culling Game to foreign leaders for one reason—to turn them into sacrificial pawns."
Yes, the colonies were full of reincarnated players…
But they were far more densely packed with cursed spirits.
Daytime was survivable.
But once night fell, the colonies turned into a cursed spirit hunting ground.
Soldiers with guns?
They would never get what they were after. They would only die for Kenjaku's scheme.
"Tokyo's colony is already overflowing with cursed energy," Angel warned.
"That means the threshold for evolution has been met. Kenjaku could act at any moment."
She wanted them to understand—
time was running out.
They couldn't keep wasting it.
"She's right," Megumi said quietly. "It's time to return to Jujutsu High and plan how to free Gojo-sensei."
"Okay."
Yuji accepted it without argument.
If they defeated Kenjaku…
If they freed Gojo-sensei…
Then finally, he could take Sukuna… and die.
That would end everything.
But just as everyone was preparing to head back—
A mouth appeared on Yuji's cheek, twisting into a cruel smile.
Then Sukuna's voice echoed out:
"Keika——"
In the next instant, Yuji's body was seized entirely.
Black markings crawled across his skin as an overwhelmingly evil and suffocating aura burst out of him.
When Sukuna once tore Yuji's heart out, he revived him through a binding vow.
A vow Yuji himself was made to forget.
The moment Sukuna uttered the activation word—
that vow took effect.
Sukuna would take over Yuji's body for one minute.
And during that minute…
he could not kill anyone.
Yet the moment Sukuna manifested, Megumi, Nobara, and Angel all stiffened in shock.
"Sukuna!"
Megumi had no idea why Yuji suddenly lost control,
but this was not the time for questions.
He pulled away, forming a hand sign, ready to fight—
but Sukuna moved first.
In the blink of an eye, he kicked Angel/Kurusu straight through a distant building,
then blurred like a phantom and sent Nobara flying.
And before anyone could react, Sukuna focused immense cursed energy into Yuji's little finger.
With a clean jerk, he tore it off—
creating a fresh Sukuna finger.
Megumi barely had time to process the horror before him.
He didn't think—he simply moved, preparing to summon his ultimate shikigami.
His hands shaped the ritual sign, cursed energy surging wildly—
Sukuna's eyes narrowed.
A flicker of movement.
Sukuna appeared beside him, broke the forming hand seal, grabbed Megumi's face,
and forced the freshly-created finger into his mouth.
"Let's see… if this works."
For the first time, a hint of tension flickered across Sukuna's features.
He had coveted Megumi's body for a long, long time.
Megumi's Ten Shadows Technique had enormous potential—
a perfect vessel for Sukuna, far superior to Yuji.
But he feared Megumi's body might resist him the same way Yuji's did.
If Megumi rejected him, he'd become nothing more than another temporary container.
And with that person constantly interfering, Sukuna had never found a moment to weaken Megumi's soul.
Now Yuji's group was preparing to return to Jujutsu High—
if Sukuna missed this chance,
he might never get another.
BOOM!!
The moment Megumi swallowed the finger, his body exploded with terrifying cursed energy.
Black markings crawled across his face,
and two additional eyes opened at the corners—identical to Sukuna's.
The instant Sukuna entered Megumi's body,
he felt it—a violent rejection.
Just as he suspected—
Megumi was far more suited to being a vessel, not a puppet for possession.
As long as Megumi's soul remained intact,
Sukuna couldn't completely dominate the body.
He needed a ritual—
a method to sink Megumi's soul into the abyss,
so that Sukuna could rise in its place.
And because Megumi had suddenly ingested power equal to fifteen fingers,
his soul was overwhelmed,
making it impossible to fight back immediately.
"That gives me… about three days.
More than enough for the ritual."
Sukuna could sense Megumi's soul struggling.
He wasn't bothered.
Even if the takeover wasn't perfect yet—
he only needed time to correct the imperfections.
The mere thought of using Megumi's body
to crush the one person who once ground him beneath their heel
filled Sukuna with electric anticipation.
"Fufufufu… HAHAHAHA!"
His face twisted into deranged delight.
On the other side, Yuji stared blankly at the sight of Sukuna controlling Megumi.
For the first time, he felt the full weight of Sukuna's presence crushing down on him.
But the trembling in his body…
wasn't fear of Sukuna.
It was grief and guilt—
because it was his fault Megumi was suffering.
"Megumi!"
Yuji shouted desperately.
If he had been able to resist Sukuna,
then surely Megumi could too.
He just needed time to stabilize himself.
BAM!!
Instead of an answer, Yuji received a fist coated in dense cursed energy.
Sukuna drove it straight into Yuji's abdomen—
punching clean through him, blood erupting as Yuji was blasted backward.
---
Meanwhile…
At the edge of the Tokyo No.2 Colony—
Zen'in Shinsuke, Kashimo Hajime, and Tsukimi arrived after cutting through curses and armed troops, finally stepping into the Tokyo No.1 Colony.
The instant they crossed the barrier, all three froze.
The air was thick with an unbelievably evil presence.
"So this is Sukuna…?"
Kashimo's lips stretched into an excited grin.
"Magnificent. Every cell in my body is screaming for battle."
From Tsukimi's face, a mouth appeared—
"It's Sukuna!! He's out!!"
Shinsuke's expression sharpened into cold amusement.
"So after all this time…
you still covet my nephew's body?
Ignoring my warning completely, are we, Sukuna?"
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
In the next moment—
Shinsuke vanished.
Kashimo's pupils shrank—
then in a flash of lightning, he followed.
"..."
Tsukimi blinked once.
"…Time to switch."
A voice echoed.
Her eyes changed—
four translucent wings unfurled behind her,
and she shot into the sky like a streak of light—
rushing straight toward Sukuna's location.