December 28, 2018.
Tokyo First Barrier.
On the rooftop of a certain high-rise building.
The rooftop door opened, and Itadori Yuji stepped out.
He had originally been prepared to attack immediately, but after opening the door, he found no one.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, but still sensed no overwhelming Cursed Energy.
He was searching for Sukuna.
Obviously, he hadn't found him.
But that was fine.
He still had one last move.
"Su—ku—na—!"
Itadori Yuji shouted loudly.
Ryomen Sukuna never locks his information.
As long as someone checks his location, it is easy to find him.
And Ryomen Sukuna never refuses a challenge.
As long as someone finds him and shouts his name, he will surely grant them death.
Without exception.
Normally, Sukuna would casually send a Dismantle in response.
But right now, he truly wasn't in the mood.
"Stop shouting, Itadori."
An impatient voice came from above.
"There are only three days left until the final battle."
"Look at everyone else. They've all quieted down, but you're still yelling."
"Where are your manners?"
Itadori Yuji looked up.
Sukuna was lying atop the rooftop water tank.
Yuji was slightly surprised.
"You actually find killing troublesome now?"
"What do you take me for? A homicidal maniac?"
"Aren't you?"
"Of course not."
Ryomen Sukuna sneered.
"Those who treat killing itself as pleasure are merely brainless fools."
"Don't compare me to those filthy insects."
"I kill in order to eat people, for enjoyment."
"I enjoy the taste of human flesh."
"Women and children are the finest delicacies."
"I'm not some tasteless killer who kills simply for the sake of killing."
"As for those nonsensical creatures, I kill them whenever I see them."
A cannibal looking down on serial killers?
Itadori Yuji said coldly:
"I've never seen you cherish human life."
"Ingredients don't deserve cherishing."
Sukuna sat up, one leg crossed and the other hanging over the edge.
"Perhaps what I said made you misunderstand and think I have special feelings toward humans?"
He laughed contemptuously.
"Do you have special feelings for sheep?"
"Do you have special feelings for wild vegetables?"
"To me, humans are no different."
"Humans are sheep."
"Humans are wild vegetables."
"I dislike noisy sheep."
"So whether it's sheep or humans, if they annoy me, they die."
"I dislike meaningless weeds."
"So whether it's weeds or humans talking to me about human rights, they die as well."
A wave of nausea rose in Itadori Yuji's stomach.
He knew the King of Curses was evil.
But he had never imagined evil could reach such a level.
Ryomen Sukuna wasn't incapable of understanding the difference between humans and livestock.
He understood perfectly.
And even with that understanding, he still chose to equate them.
Despite understanding everything, he chose to live entirely according to his own desires.
If a beggar proclaimed his desire to rule the world, people would laugh.
If he acted on it, a police officer could quickly teach him reality with a pair of handcuffs.
But if it were a warlord or a politician manipulating both sides, things would be completely different.
Because their influence was different.
The destruction they caused was different.
And the number of people they could kill was vastly different.
People often say that the more knowledgeable a person becomes, the more terrifying they are when they turn reactionary.
The King of Curses was exactly such a person.
He possessed the most advanced knowledge and the greatest power in the world.
His knowledge of jujutsu, his experience, instincts, and learning ability all stood at the pinnacle.
In terms of learning ability, he might even surpass Gojo Satoru.
Therefore, the more reactionary he became, the more terrifying the destruction he caused.
A thousand years ago, he slaughtered men and slew gods.
No one could oppose him.
And now, a thousand years later, he had awakened once again.
The result would not change.
Panting heavily, Itadori Yuji roared:
"Sukuna, you really are beyond saving!"
Ryomen Sukuna remained unexpectedly calm.
Looking down at Yuji, he asked:
"I thought at least on this matter, you would agree with me."
"Me? Agree?"
"Those maggots among the higher-ups wanted to kill you at will, didn't they?"
"Putting the past aside, with your current power you could wipe them out by yourself."
"If those maggots stood before you again and arrogantly ordered you to kneel so their blades could more accurately cut your neck, would you feel grateful?"
Itadori Yuji opened his mouth.
"Of course not, but I also wouldn't—"
"Whether you would or wouldn't is irrelevant."
Sukuna interrupted him.
"You chose not to kill."
"You used your strength to intimidate them and stopped right before crossing the line."
"You believed you had shown enough mercy."
"You believed they would stop troubling you afterward."
"How naive."
His voice turned cold.
"If you don't kill them, they will think you're weak."
"They'll think you're easy to bully."
"They'll believe their noble bloodline is what keeps them alive."
"So they'll devote all their intelligence to plotting against you because there is no cost."
"They'll even think it's only natural."
"And you—the one who refuses to obey—will become the anomaly."
"The monster that must be eliminated."
Itadori Yuji froze.
For a moment, he felt he had glimpsed Sukuna's past.
In the original timeline, Sukuna once said he had possessed two opportunities to regret, yet abandoned both.
That proved he wasn't entirely devoid of emotion.
At some point in the past, he must have experienced mercy.
And that mercy had been his opportunity to change.
But he abandoned it himself.
Why?
Because experience had taught him that mercy and weakness only became graves that buried oneself.
Those experiences still influenced him after a thousand years.
Perhaps only death would make him consider another path.
But that belonged to another story.
Right now, Ryomen Sukuna had no intention of repenting.
On the contrary, everything he had experienced until now only reinforced his beliefs.
"Why can Gojo Satoru act so recklessly?"
Sukuna looked at Yuji with contempt.
"Is it because he is merciful?"
"It's because he's strong enough."
"And ruthless enough."
"I know the faces of those higher-ups better than anyone."
"They haven't changed in a thousand years."
"They fear power, not virtue."
"The more kindness you show them, the more desperately they wish to kill you."
"From ancient times until today, there have been no exceptions."
"How should one answer them?"
Sukuna spoke each word slowly.
"Kill."
"Kill."
"Kill."
"Only by slaughtering their armies, their will, and their stupidity can they learn reverence."
"Only then will they know to offer me boys and girls every year."
"Only then will they stop muttering their nonsensical theories into my ears."
Itadori Yuji's heart shook.
Because he had personally experienced such things.
Because he had indeed suffered at the hands of the higher-ups.
He knew Sukuna's reasoning was not entirely wrong.
But soon, Yuji shook away those thoughts and looked directly at him.
"Then what about the King of Curses, Mahito?"
"You think the King of Curses is weak?"
"He is strong, but he possesses the magnanimity of the strong."
"He never rules through fear."
"He follows rules."
"He actively integrates into modern society."
"He can even sit down and chat happily with his enemies and establish Binding Vows with them."
"He is powerful, yet willing to meet others halfway."
"That is the composure and mercy of the strong."
Sukuna's voice became fierce.
"You've never seen the real him."
"I have."
"He resurrected me from the underworld and killed me nineteen times without hesitation."
"Each time, he tore away a fragment of my soul."
"He used those fragments as bait to keep me here."
"He forced me to remain obedient and wait for a chance to wash away my humiliation."
"He calculated my personality."
"My strength."
"And even how much entertainment I could provide him."
"And you call that the magnanimity of the strong?"
Even now, Ryomen Sukuna had not forgotten the humiliation Mahito inflicted upon him.
Nor the pain of having his soul torn apart.
At the same time, he knew this had all been intentional.
Mahito had done it deliberately to keep him here and squeeze every bit of value from him.
On the surface, Mahito seemed more merciful and more dignified than the true King of Curses.
But in reality?
His title alone said everything.
King of Curses.
Ryomen Sukuna knew Mahito's cruelty better than anyone.
That cruelty had been branded into his heart.
And yet the boy before him still talked about "the magnanimity of the strong."
"I'm going to vomit, brat."
Sukuna clicked his tongue.
"It's because of fools like you that I truly believe humanity is beyond saving."
Itadori Yuji immediately retorted:
"That's because you're impossible to communicate with!"
"So fists are the only language left!"
"Otherwise, Mahito wouldn't treat you that way!"
Ryomen Sukuna laughed from anger.
He pointed at Yuji and burst out laughing.
"Very good."
"Very good."
"Every time I think I should give you a little respect, you open your mouth."
"Honestly, I should've cut you into pieces the moment we met."
"At least that would've spared my ears from listening to your ridiculous theories."
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Next Bonus Chapter at 700 Powerstones.