A few minutes earlier, Megumi and Sukuna exchanged moves across multiple buildings. Megumi swung left, catching Sukuna's hand, only for Sukuna to grab him by the palm. Megumi retaliated with a fierce kick to the King of Curses, then distanced himself. In response, Sukuna extended his arm and uttered, "Dismantle," slashing Megumi across the chest. "Agh!" Megumi cried out, as he was attacked. Sukuna was then intercepted by Qirin, whom he kicked across blocks.
Megumi healed using Reverse Cursed Technique. "He keeps destroying Chimera and Qirin..." His mind raced as he considered counter-measures against the King of Curses.
Sukuna delivered a two-piece combo to Qirin, a left and a right. "Cleave," Sukuna commanded, touching Qirin and instantly dicing the Shikigami to pieces.
Seeing Sukuna dispatch his Shikigami so effortlessly, Megumi decided to change tactics. "Orochi: Totality-Merged Beast Dragon!" A massive Eastern Dragon summoned by Megumi rained down lightning on Sukuna. "Tiger: Totality-Merged Beast Were-Tiger!" A creature combining the attributes of Tiger Funeral and Piercing Ox, with a muscular bipedal body and tiger-like face, paws, and claws.
"Divine Dog: Totality," and the last Shikigami a combination of Max Elephant and Rabbit Escape, "Elephant: Totality-Merged Beast Stampede." Numerous Max Elephants charged in one direction.
The Were-Tiger and Divine Dog immediately engaged Sukuna, turning the fight into a 5-versus-1 battle. They pushed the King of Curses in front of the Stampede.
In response, Sukuna held his hands together and sent flying slashes towards the stampede, turning the Shikigami into cubes.
Sukuna's devious smile widened as he faced the relentless assault from Megumi's Totality Divine Dog and Were-Tiger. However, his attention was drawn to the Dharma Wheel spinning behind Megumi, which had already completed three rotations. "What could it be?" Sukuna pondered, effortlessly exchanging moves with Megumi's Shikigami.
Megumi focused, and chains began to emerge from behind him. "I still haven't mastered this, but it's going to have to work," he thought determinedly.
Joining the fray, just as Sukuna dodged a horizontal slash from the Were-Tiger, Megumi struck with the chains. For a brief moment, Sukuna felt his cursed energy disappear. Reacting swiftly, Sukuna grabbed Megumi and hurled him across the buildings, with Megumi's Shikigami in close pursuit.
As Megumi saw the roof crumbling, he used his chains to create smoke and debris to fall on Sukuna. However, Sukuna effortlessly diced the debris to pieces. Emerging from the smoke, Sukuna found Megumi in front of him and ensnared him with the chains. In that split second, Sukuna realized that despite the chains temporarily sealing away his cursed energy, they were surprisingly weak. He shredded the chains in an instant, but before he could react further, Megumi charged cursed energy. "Cero!" Megumi unleashed a point-blank blast, sending the King of Curses flying backward across office buildings.
Megumi breathed a sigh of relief as his Shikigami continued to give chase. "Just a few more turns and Mahoraga will adapt," he thought optimistically.
Scanning his surroundings, Megumi suddenly felt his Shikigami being exorcised. He looked to where Sukuna had been and saw him holding the head of the Were-Tiger and the upper body of Divine Dog, both parts disappearing into shadows as Sukuna smirked maniacally at Megumi.
"Tsk!" Megumi clicked his tongue in frustration as the Dragon smote Sukuna with lightning.
Summoning Qirin again, Megumi engaged in a battle of attrition—a desperate attempt to keep the King of Curses entertained. Joining the fray once more, Megumi grabbed a fistful of dust and threw it into Sukuna's eyes, forcing him to momentarily close them. Seizing the opportunity, Megumi unleashed a series of strikes: a left, right, uppercut, and roundhouse kick, though not without losing his leg in the process.
"Agh! Damnit!" Megumi grunted in pain as he was forced to the ground, watching Qirin and the Dragon continue the fierce battle.
As Megumi regenerated his leg, Sukuna placed his hand on Qirin. "Cleave," he commanded, slicing Qirin to pieces once again. Simultaneously, Sukuna waved his hand in horizontal and vertical motions, sending slashes toward the Dragon above. However, the Dragon healed easily. As long as Sukuna didn't use his Cleave on Megumi's Shikigami, he couldn't one-shot them.
Sukuna finished off the Dragon the moment it tried to lunge at him with a Cleave turning it into cubes, then sped towards Megumi, kicking him through buildings and giving chase almost immediately. Sukuna unleashed a brutal combo: a right hook, a gut punch, an uppercut, and a straight punch to the torso. "Akh!" Megumi spat out blood, feeling his sternum break. He gritted his teeth in pain and swung right to retaliate. Sukuna weaved through the attack, grabbed Megumi's hand, and smashed him onto the floor, stomping him through the building from the rooftop to the basement.
"Remember this?" Sukuna taunted, referencing their first encounter when Megumi had similarly smashed and stomped him through floors. Now, Sukuna was returning the favor.
Moonlight illuminated the bloodied and battered Megumi as he tried to catch his breath in the basement. Sukuna landed with finesse and sneered, "The moonlight's illumination makes it easier to see how pathetic you are, Fushiguro Megumi."
Megumi, annoyed by Sukuna's words, launched an attack. Sukuna easily swiped it away and kneed Megumi. Gritting his teeth, Megumi clenched his fist and looked at Sukuna fiercely. In that moment, time seemed to stand still. Everything moved in slow motion as Megumi swung his fist at Sukuna, hitting the King of Curses dead in the face. His fist sparked black.
"BLACK FLASH!" Megumi roared, cursing Sukuna. "FUCK YOU!"
Sukuna, surprised by the Black Flash, did not expect such power from the young sorcerer. Despite being hit, Sukuna immediately countered, punching Megumi through several concrete walls.
Megumi crashed into the last wall, leaning against it, battered and exhausted.
Megumi squared up, feeling his cursed energy waning. "My cursed energy is almost out. A few more totality beasts and it's gone. And this madman doesn't even seem hurt," Megumi thought
"Hiroshi Sensei, you can't blame me. I've tried everything I could. Only Big Raga can defeat the King of Curses now," Megumi thought, the Dharma Wheel behind him spinning once more.
Megumi extended both arms forward at a slight upward angle, his fists closed. "With this treasure, I summon, Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga!" he exclaimed with purpose.
From the shadows, the Divine General emerged. Seeing Mahoraga, Sukuna's curiosity was piqued. He landed in front of Megumi and Mahoraga, instantly sending slashes at the Divine General. However, Mahoraga simply ignored the attacks and charged forth, wielding the Sword of Extermination on its arm.
Megumi had been using the Dharma Wheel on himself to adapt the Divine General to Sukuna's slashes, and now it had paid off. The Divine General relentlessly attacked the King of Curses.
Sukuna looked at Mahoraga and smiled maniacally. "Come!" he challenged. Mahoraga swung the Sword of Extermination, but Sukuna blocked it from above and analyzed, "The Sword of Extermination, a specialized blade meant for curse spirits. If I were one, I'd be a goner," Sukuna thought. He then delivered a powerful uppercut to Mahoraga. "Dismantle!" he shouted, sending a series of slashes, but Mahoraga remained impervious and continued to attack relentlessly.
"Why can't it be cut?" Sukuna wondered, sending more slashes. Mahoraga's wheel turned and parried the attacks. Keeping his distance, Sukuna watched in fascination. "It parried it? HAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHA!" he laughed maniacally as Mahoraga chased him. This discovery prompted Sukuna to shout, "YOU CAN SEE IT, MAHORAGA! YOU CAN SEE MY CURSED TECHNIQUE!"
Widespread destruction ensued as Mahoraga pursued and attacked Sukuna. Sukuna sliced apart buildings in an attempt to probe and discover Mahoraga's ability. As Mahoraga uppercut Sukuna, the King of Curses realized, "Cursed Energy? Instead of Positive energy from last time."
Sukuna whipped around and kicked Mahoraga to the ground. *DONG* Mahoraga's wheel spun. Seeing the wheel spin, Sukuna came to a conclusion, "Just as I thought. It's similar to Yamata no Orochi, the incantations of the Ten Sacred Treasures, and a wheel to represent a complete cycle and harmony. This Shikigami's ability is to adapt to any and all phenomena—a late throw in rock-paper-scissors."
"I didn't think that kid had a strong one like this," Sukuna mused, recalling his near defeat in his three-finger state against Megumi. He remembered Megumi's use of the massive white tiger, the dragon, and the grotesque being called Chimera. Sukuna would have been defeated if Yuji had not switched in on time. As he pondered, he was suddenly attacked by a newly summoned Chimera and Qirin, with Mahoraga lunging forward. In a split second, Sukuna kicked Mahoraga backward and grabbed both Chimera and Qirin. "Cleave," he commanded, turning the two Shikigami into cubes. "Don't disturb me," he said to the diced Shikigami.
"Keh Keh Keh Keh hehehehe Keh! Fushiguro Megumi, you are an interesting one," Sukuna cackled as he put his hands together.
Megumi, seeing Sukuna easily destroy his totality beasts, pondered using Domain Expansion but decided against it. He placed his hopes on Mahoraga, yet he was heavily fatigued and unable to fight any longer, breathing hard. Seeing Mahoraga barely hold its own against Sukuna, Megumi realized how much more he had to grow. The sight of Sukuna putting his hands together alarmed him; he knew what that meant. Just as he was about to do the same, someone grabbed him and threw him backward.
That back, that familiar back, clad in a black and gold-laced haori with the kanji for "head" emblazoned on it.
The back of the strongest.
"Sensei," Megumi whispered, tears in his eyes. He had given his all, but Sukuna was far stronger than he had anticipated. He felt ashamed that his mentor had to save him.
Suguru caught Megumi, noticing the tears in his eyes. "It's okay, failing is part of growth," Suguru said, reassuringly. Megumi unsummoned Mahoraga.
Sukuna realized his target was gone and looked around, instantly sensing the overwhelming cursed energy of Hiroshi. The strongest had blatantly released his cursed energy, prompting Sukuna to do the same. A clash of auras ensued: the malevolent and despairing aura of Sukuna against the unbridled and suffocating force that was Senju Hiroshi.
Meanwhile, across Shibuya, the Jujutsu Sorcerers and SBI teams had successfully cleared the area of curse users, taking down the first curtain of barriers. Each team reported in:
"This is Team Nanami, First Curtain taken down, one team member missing: Fushiguro Megumi," Nanami reported over the radio.
"This is Team Mei Mei, Curtain taken down, but one of my team members seems to be missing: Itadori Yuji," Mei Mei reported.
"This is Team Kusakabe, Curtain taken down, team is complete," Kusakabe confirmed.
"This is Team Zenin, our team leader has been severely wounded. I, Mai Zenin, the closest grade to Grade 1 sorcerer, am reporting. The final barrier has been taken down, team leader severely wounded," Mai Zenin relayed.
"Good. Any sights on Yuta Okkotsu?" Masamichi Yaga asked from a heavily guarded building near Shibuya, surrounded by sorcerers and SBI personnel, monitoring surveillance cameras.
"Negative," Mai replied.
"Negative," Mei Mei echoed.
"Negative," Kusakabe confirmed.
"One of our members last saw Yuta Okkotsu, but we lost contact with Fushiguro Megumi," Nanami added.
"Fushiguro Megumi is currently being treated. He just arrived with Suguru escorting him. Additional information: All teams, please evacuate the area as per Hiroshi's orders. He will be engaging Ryomen Sukuna, who has incarnated from Itadori Yuji," Shoko entered the command room with crucial updates.
"Copy that."
"Roger."
The replies came in as Jujutsu Sorcerers and SBI personnel swiftly began evacuating civilians they had escorted outside Shibuya.
Now, Shibuya stood on the brink of witnessing the first battle of Ryomen Sukuna in the modern era.
Hiroshi and Sukuna stood meters apart, tension crackling in the air between them. "Ryomen Sukuna, are you in such a hurry to be beaten once again? It seems being sealed by my ancestor hasn't taught you any lessons. I'll warn you once: switch with Itadori Yuji and end this farce, or face the consequences," Hiroshi warned, his words laced with both caution and challenge.
"I wonder about that," Sukuna smirked confidently. The King of Curses was eager for this confrontation with Hiroshi. Part of it stemmed from his deep-seated grudge against Senju Hashirama, and part of it was fueled by his pride as a sorcerer, refusing to accept such a warning.
In the original timeline, Ryomen Sukuna gained vast knowledge from being hosted by Yuji Itadori, including insights into the Infinity and the Strongest Sorcerer of that Era Gojo Satoru. However, in this altered timeline, while Sukuna still resided within the same host, he remained unaware of the true threat posed by Senju Hiroshi. The historical revision caused by his encounter with Hashirama left Sukuna with fragmented knowledge, associating the Senju Clan primarily with the colossal Thousand-Arm Buddha statue.
Now, Ryomen Sukuna found himself confronting the greatest sorcerer in history, the man who defined the power balance of the Jujutsu world—the God of Sorcerers, Senju Hiroshi. Blinded by his limited understanding of Hiroshi's true capabilities, Sukuna stood poised for a battle that would test not only his strength but also his adaptability against an adversary whose true power he was yet to comprehend fully.
A/N: Are you the nah id win because you're the strongest or are you the stand proud because you're the with this treasure I summon?
A/N: How much longer till next Chapter Gegeeeeeeee.