Chapter 22 - Chapter 22

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When the sky was suddenly filled with darkness, Todo and Itadori immediately noticed the anomaly.

There shouldn't be a barrier in the tournament, so Todo stayed on alert. While Itadori, knowing that the curse attack had just begun, looked around while trying to track the cursed energy of the other students.

And it wasn't long before he noticed a cursed energy standing out among the rest.

And he clearly remembered this energy signature from months before.

The cursed energy of a special grade curse.

Hanami, a curse born out of fear of natural disasters on Earth.

'What oppression... I can feel it even though I'm far away.'

"You felt it too, didn't you?" Todo, standing next to the boy, asked as he looked in the direction Hanami's cursed energy was coming from.

"It's an attack." Itadori pulled up the sleeves of his jacket, his eyes narrowing as he squeezed his fingers, feeling and appreciating the new control he had of his cursed energy. "It's the same thing that happened on one of my missions, when a sentient curse attacked a school."

"I see." Snapping his fingers, he cracked a smile as he stood next to his best friend. "Then we must move, my brother!"

Itadori smiled at this, and in the blink of an eye, disappeared along with the first-degree sorcerer.

.

Megumi had faltered. It was his fault that Maki had been captured by the curse, and he had practically exhausted his reserves of cursed energy.

If it hadn't been for his slip, it wouldn't have happened.

'Shit! '

Clenching his teeth, Megumi clasped his hands together, about to make another invocation.

But even if he had to destroy himself, he couldn't leave it at that. He, as the one with the smallest burden, had no right to give up so easily.

He wouldn't let exhaustion allow him to witness a companion die, not again.

"That's enough, Megumi!" But stopping him at the last second, Maki ordered as she struggled to keep her neck from strangling. "We've done our bit!"

"Time to change teams."

Boom!

Hanami, taken completely by surprise, didn't react when she was hit by a fist to the top of her head, her body being crushed against the ground.

"You won't get away this time, plant head."

Megumi's eyes widened when he realized that those responsible for the attack were Todo and Itadori, their hands still clasped together, as if he could perform a summoning at any moment.

Todo, jumping up and holding an injured Maki, turned to Itadori, who was in position in front of Hanami, who had already retreated at this point.

"Can you do it, brother?" Todo asked, to which Itadori nodded with a confident smile.

"Itadori, stop! That curse is too strong!" Struggling to get up, Megumi stumbled and fell onto his knee, the exhaustion more noticeable than he had previously believed.

"Panda, take these two to the other side of the barrier!" Todo ordered when Panda suddenly appeared.

While Todo was giving instructions, Itadori turned to Megumi, who was looking rather tired and dejected.

"Fushiguro, don't worry."

To put it bluntly, Itadori flashed a confident smile, which made Megumi clench his teeth.

His mind went to the memories of that boarding school, that special grade curse, and how he had left Itadori behind.

He felt useless again.

But this time, he didn't want to leave it at that.

"Itadori, I'm not going to abandon you this time." Standing up on weak legs, Megumi breathed heavily as he faced his companion firmly. "I don't want to let what happened at boarding school happen again."

"..."

The silence became palpable between the two, and Itadori, turning with a firm gaze to Megumi, stared at him for a few seconds before finally declaring.

"Then become stronger."

A thud...

These words hit Megumi hard, and his eyes widened in surprise at that moment.

Become stronger? Was he so weak that even someone with less than three months' experience as a sorcerer could tell him that?

Looking at Itadori's back, who had turned his attention to the curse, Megumi clenched his fingers tightly, his teeth clenching as his eyes trembled.

Faced with that statement, Megumi understood.

Yes, he was weak.

Picking up the dark sorcerer, Panda placed him on Maki's shoulder and began to walk away quickly.

"Don't die."

And as he was led away to safety, Megumi left these last words for Itadori, the boy thanking him for the concern in his mind, while staying focused on the curse.

"My friend, I'll let you fight this curse alone." Todo stepped out of the shallow pond they were in, crossing his arms as he faced Itadori seriously. "Let's see how much you've grown."

"You got it." Clenching his fist tightly, Itadori stepped forward, Hanami standing firm in the presence of the two sorcerers.

'What's that?' Hanami wondered as he looked closely at Sukuna's receptacle. 'Why are they so confident? The two of them are clearly weaker than me.'

Seeing Itadori begin to approach in calm steps, exuding confidence from his being, Hanami raised his palm, beginning to weave a wooden ball through his cursed energy.

'No, I shouldn't think like that. That man may have a dangerous technique, I can't let my guard down like that. As for Sukuna's vessel, that man said he would face me alone. If I can leave him out of the battle, then I can concentrate on just one.'

'It's okay, there's no danger.'

Boom!

Hanami, who was devising a plan to confront the two sorcerers, clenched her teeth as Itadori suddenly disappeared, a kick hitting her square in the jaw and sending her flying away from the tremendous impact.

'What kind of force is that? '

Hanami opened her mouth as a little blood trickled from between her lips, her feet landing firmly on the ground as she steepled her fingers to stop her from going any further.

"My strength has increased a lot." Itadori looked at the curse with an excited smile. "I should have learned the Black Flash before!"

Hanami prepared herself, and weaving two more wooden balls, she prepared herself as Itadori exploded towards her.

'I can't keep getting hit like this!'

Raising her only arm, Hanami blocked a punch that came from her side, the impact coursing through her body and making her grit her teeth.

"Oops!"

But while the curse was about to counterattack, she didn't react when Itadori punched her arm and pushed it up, leaving her with a completely open defense.

'All right! I'll resist the attack and counterattack straight away.'

It was with the curse planned, but as she watched Itadori throw his fist towards her belly, she noticed something at the last moment.

Something she could never have predicted.

"Black..."

An avenger power.

"Flash!!!"

Boom!

Electricity rang out as black lightning flew in all directions, Itadori's fist smashing into the curse's stomach and making it choke, its body flying backwards before it stopped and clutched its abdomen urgently.

'That punch was too powerful.' Hanami clenched her teeth as she wiped the blood dripping from her lips. 'Like that boy...'

Itadori shook his fist, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the curse with intensity.

'Can it be that strong?!'