Hiroshi watched as the dust settled and the light from his attack faded away, revealing a vaporized crater with a 200-meter radius. Yet, Sukuna was missing. "Don't tell me you died," Hiroshi muttered, his voice a mixture of irritation and anticipation. His eyes scanned the edge of the crater, searching for any sign of the King of Curses. The air was thick with the scent of burnt wood and scorched earth. The forest, once vibrant and full of life, now lay in ruin around the massive crater. The sheer force of the Cero Blanca had vaporized everything within its radius, leaving behind a desolate expanse of smoldering earth and twisted, charred remnants of trees.
"I will never die, not until I kill you," Sukuna declared as he appeared almost instantly missing an arm. However, Hiroshi was already aware of him. As Sukuna sent dismantling slashes towards Hiroshi, wooden walls rose up to block the attack. Sukuna was then slapped away by the Wooden Human, his slashes marked on the wooden walls, but they regenerated immediately.
Sukuna stood on a similarly tall building near the Wooden Human his hand restored. "Dismantle: my ranged slashing attack that can be used against cursed spirits and sorcerers to great effect. Cleave: a slashing attack that adjusts itself depending on the target's toughness and cursed energy level to cut them down in one fell swoop. Unless used in my Domain Expansion, I must make physical contact with the target in order to activate Cleave," Sukuna explained his cursed technique.
Hearing this, Hiroshi laughed aloud. "Hahaha, you're pulling out all the stops, huh? A binding vow to strengthen your cursed techniques? Did you find that the gap between us is immeasurably far, so much so that you resorted to this? How uncharacteristic, the King of Curses doing his best," Hiroshi mocked.
And yet, Sukuna wore an annoyed expression. Yes, he was pulling out all the stops. If it meant explaining his cursed technique for a binding vow to strengthen it, then he would do so. If it meant his victory, he would do so, just to defeat the insurmountable, unclimbable tree that is Senju Hiroshi. "The winner will write history," Sukuna stated.
Ryomen Sukuna was wary. His opponent had yet to do his best, especially with the strongest technique in Hiroshi's arsenal, the Buddha Statue.
"I agree, the winner will write history," Hiroshi said. Almost instantly, as Hiroshi finished speaking, the building Sukuna was standing on was crushed by a massive wooden hand with Sukuna trapped in the middle. "Spiderweb," Sukuna said as he held back the massive hand, and it was diced to pieces.
Sukuna noticed the flowering trees beginning to emit pollen and took strides to take them all down, forcing them to regrow while being assaulted by numerous constructs, clones, and the forest hindering his movements.
It only took Sukuna a few seconds to take down the flowering trees. His strengthened cursed technique further exemplified his clearing of the forest. This was the pivotal part of his fight with the God of Sorcerers. He was able to approach Hiroshi more and more until he cleaved the Wooden Human that Hiroshi was sitting on in half, albeit getting stomped on. Yet, as the Wooden Human fell, he diced the feet that stepped on him.
In front of him stood his opponent. Hiroshi had expected this. Sukuna was able to brute force his way out of his grasp, outspeed his constructs, and now, although the King of Curses was still busy preventing the forest from growing back, it had become an inconvenience instead of a lethal weapon. Make no mistake, Sukuna knew that if he was hit by any of the wooden constructs, it would be a lethal strike, but he could maneuver his way out of them.
A fierce exchange ensued as Hiroshi saw Sukuna smirk at him victoriously, which made him chuckle. "A small victory, eh? I wouldn't be so sure about that," Hiroshi said.
"A victory nonetheless. I made you touch the ground," Sukuna said as he dodged a swing from the Inverted Spear of Heaven, attempting to close in on Hiroshi. But Hiroshi kept him at bay, maintaining a distance of 1.5 meters. Each time Sukuna sent a slash, Hiroshi would nullify it using the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
Then Sukuna made a move that surprised Hiroshi. Sukuna knew he could not approach Hiroshi without suffering lethal strikes from the polearm. Thus, he welcomed the swing, and it lodged itself into his side. Sukuna held onto the handle. "Spiderweb," he said as the polearm's handle was diced to pieces. Sukuna threw the tip of the Inverted Spear of Heaven away.
"I underestimated your craziness. What if I decapitated you with that swing?" Hiroshi said, squaring up the loss of his polearm.
"You couldn't. That's all that matters. Now let's try this again," Sukuna smirked, healing his wound.
"Something tells me that you expect this to be a 1v1 again, but no," Hiroshi said as four clones separated from him. "We jump around here, pussy," Hiroshi smirked.
"Tch. More tricks? How tedious," Sukuna thought, annoyed.
Sukuna took the initiative, sending a knee at Hiroshi. However, Hiroshi weaved to the side and delivered a shot to Sukuna's ribs, staggering him. Hiroshi continued his assault, swinging a left which Sukuna parried to the right. Sukuna attempted to strike Hiroshi's head, but Hiroshi ducked, held Sukuna's fist, and delivered a liver shot. Slashes hit Hiroshi point-blank, but they healed almost instantly, thanks to his healing factor. Sukuna noticed something intriguing—a brief glimpse of Domain Amplification. "Domain Amplification? That was barely even a second," he thought, realizing Hiroshi used it to further reduce the damage he received.
Hiroshi gave the King of Curses a run for his money. Even in hand-to-hand combat, Sukuna found himself outmatched. It was as if Hiroshi had eyes on the back of his head. When Sukuna managed to dodge an elbow slice, he still felt a cut across his face, and was hit on the back by another clone, and another blow struck his leg, forcing him to kneel. Then, another clone delivered a full-body kick, sending Sukuna crashing into a building.
"Cero!" x5—all Hiroshi's clones fired Ceros towards the building where Sukuna had crashed, vaporizing it. Massive roots then smashed the remains to dust.
Sukuna had anticipated the attack and escaped as soon as he hit the building, knowing deadly attacks were incoming. He circled around Hiroshi using the buildings as cover and summoned his Shikigami: Totalities—Were-Tiger, Divine Dog, Toad King, and Raiju.
"Orochi: Totality-Merged Beast Horned Serpent."
As Sukuna summoned the Shikigami, they were immediately attacked by Hiroshi's clones. Sukuna directly tackled Hiroshi towards another building while the Shikigami battled the clones. Sukuna glimpsed the outside scene, where three or more clones were tearing his Shikigami apart with sheer brutality. One might wonder who the true King of Curses was among them, given the clones' ferocity, all the while smiling as they tore into the Shikigami.
Both sorcerers fell through the building as Sukuna's slashes created an opening. A door blocked them in between, and both charged their attacks, punching simultaneously. An explosion occurred, causing the building to collapse into rubble. Both sorcerers emerged from the dust and debris.
"That's going to take a lot of money," Hiroshi said.
"Rich bastard," Sukuna replied.
"The city is going to fall apart before they even finish fighting," Yuji exclaimed.
"That's beside the point. Sukuna has yet to land a lethal blow, and Hiroshi-sensei has drawn blood from Sukuna numerous times," Mai observed.
"That's still a warm-up," Nanami said, turning heads.
"What do you mean, Nanami-sensei?" Panda asked.
"Simply put, their Domains have yet to open," Kusakabe explained. As he spoke, he saw both fighters beginning to put their hands together. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.
Hiroshi and Sukuna looked at each other and simultaneously put their hands together.
A multitude of hands appeared around Hiroshi as Sukuna formed the Enmaten sign.
[Domain Expansion: Divine Tree Emergence]
[Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine]
Both fighters expanded their Domains.
From behind Hiroshi, the God Tree emerged, its immense form casting a vast shadow over the battlefield. Below Sukuna, his Malevolent Shrine materialized, its ominous presence spreading outwards. In the initial skirmish, both sorcerers were evenly matched. Sparks flew through the air as a visual representation of their Sure-Hit effects clashing and neutralizing each other's attacks. The exchange was a testament to their immense power, with neither gaining the upper hand.
Yet Hiroshi was the first to take the initiative. The interactions between their open-barrier Domains were fascinating; there was no barrier to destroy, so the focus shifted to the physical manifestations of their Domains—Hiroshi's God Tree and Sukuna's Shrine.
Hiroshi decided to shrink his Domain, concentrating the Sure-Hit effect into a more focused area. This move had a drastic consequence: the area outside the Domain was torn to pieces as the God Tree's influence intensified. In this concentrated space, Hiroshi's Sure-Hit effects found their mark, and Sukuna was caught off guard by a bruise appearing on his neck.
More and more of Hiroshi's attacks struck Sukuna as the Malevolent Shrine was progressively destroyed. Sukuna saw Hiroshi's smirk and realized he had to act fast. Attempting to flee, Sukuna was intercepted by Hiroshi, who declared, "You think I'd let you escape?"
The two combatants clashed fiercely. Hiroshi's relentless assault ensured Sukuna was continually struck by the concentrated Sure-Hit effects of the God Tree, even as Sukuna used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal his injuries. "You still move so well despite using Reverse Cursed Technique, Sukuna!" Hiroshi exclaimed, maintaining the pressure.
Sukuna, enduring the onslaught of Sure-Hit attacks while healing his wounds, sought a chance for a counterattack. He noticed the God Tree's vital role in the Domain. "That God Tree—it's the heart of the Domain," Sukuna thought, formulating a plan. As Hiroshi continued his relentless assault, Sukuna parried his blows until he was in alignment with the God Tree.
With a fierce determination, he unleashed a powerful "Cero," a beam of concentrated energy that blasted Hiroshi back and struck the God Tree, ultimately destroying the Domain.
"Hah... Hah... You almost got me," Sukuna thought as he finished his healing and faced Hiroshi once more.
"I'm gonna sue you for copyright," Hiroshi said jokingly, referencing the fact that Sukuna had copied his technique.
"Even a fool could catch on to the way you're repeatedly using that technique," Sukuna retorted, his smirk still present despite the setback.
Sukuna used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal the bruises, broken bones, and internal bleeding swiftly before Hiroshi could stand up from the God Tree. His wounds and bruises disappeared rapidly.
Sukuna smirked and put his hands together. "Let's take this from the top."
[Domain Expansion: Divine Tree Emergence]
[Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine]
Round 2 of the Domain Clash began.
"It's the battle of the strongest all over again, Domain Expansion after Domain Expansion," Kusakabe said, referencing the legendary battle between Hiroshi and Satoru Gojo decades ago.
"I have a feeling that this is gonna be another spectacular battle where Hiroshi-san surprises us," Haibara said.
The rest nodded. The veteran Jujutsu Sorcerers had witnessed the battle decades ago, and the Jujutsu students had seen it on tape.
"They're expanding their domains again!" Kashimo exclaimed. "Open barrier domains... Taking that offer from Kenjaku was worth it to see such a divine spectacle," he thought excitedly, his eyes never leaving the screen.
As both sorcerers expanded their Domains, Sukuna and Hiroshi began to shrink them simultaneously. Their 200-meter radius Domains contracted to just 50 meters, creating the densest areas they could manage. A fierce hand-to-hand combat ensued, with Hiroshi attacking and Sukuna forced into defense.
Hiroshi and Sukuna exchanged moves in the blink of an eye. Hiroshi knew he had to break the stalemate. The exchange intensified as Hiroshi delivered a low kick, which Sukuna blocked. Hiroshi swung right, but it was a feint. As Sukuna's eyes followed the right hand, Hiroshi swung left, and it sparked with black energy.
[BLACK FLASH!]
The God of Sorcerers landed a Black Flash, taking Sukuna by surprise. Hiroshi kicked the semi-unconscious King of Curses toward his Shrine, effectively destroying it.
Once again, Ryomen Sukuna's Domain collapsed.
Sukuna was hit by the sure-hit effect again, feeling his cursed energy deplete from the continuous siphoning. "Indeed, old man, we took it from the top," Hiroshi smirked, but this time, Sukuna surprised Hiroshi.
The King of Curses used a Simple Domain to protect himself and began healing. "Oh, I didn't think you had it in you, using that boomer's version of Simple Domain. Now you're using the real thing," Hiroshi mocked as he closed in. Within seconds, Hiroshi smashed Sukuna's Simple Domain, but Sukuna managed to thwart Hiroshi a few times and launched another Simple Domain.
"Now this is just getting ridiculous," Hiroshi said, focusing the strength of his Domain and smashing the Simple Domain once more. But it was done—Sukuna had healed himself. "It is done," Sukuna muttered as he put his hands together.
[Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine]
Sukuna expanded his Domain once again, and another Domain Clash ensued.
"That's impossible!" Yuki exclaimed as she walked in, clearly having returned from a fight.
But everyone ignored her state, and one of them asked, "What's impossible, Yuki-sensei?" Todo asked.
"You've grown, Todo," Yuki praised as she looked at the current state of her student. "The impossible thing is what Sukuna is doing—healing himself and launching his Domain immediately."
"And yet he is doing it," Gojo Satoru arrived. "I could do it too—just destroy the frontal cortex and heal it with Reverse Cursed Technique."
"What? You could do that?" Yuki asked. "Doesn't anyone do that?" Satoru asked in disbelief.
Sukuna ran toward Hiroshi, and after a quick exchange, he grabbed hold of the God of Sorcerers. "What are you doing now?" Hiroshi tried to break free, but suddenly he was hit by Sukuna's slashes. "Impossible!" He looked around but noticed that Sukuna's Shrine was missing.
To bypass the size limitations of the Open Domain Barrier, Sukuna had undertaken a Binding Vow to center his Domain on himself rather than his Shrine. This meant that Ryomen Sukuna's Open Barrier Domain had become a 10-meter radius with dense slashes.
The dense slashes destroyed Hiroshi's Domain.
Sukuna refused to let go of Hiroshi despite being hit by intense blows from the God of Sorcerers. He noticed that Hiroshi was being hit by multiple slashes that would prove lethal to any other sorcerer, but Hiroshi Senju was healing throughout. "What could it be?" Sukuna thought. However, as he was lost in thought, Hiroshi hit him. "You can't be daydreaming, fool," Hiroshi said, hitting him square in the face as his fist sparked black.
[BLACK FLASH!]
Hiroshi landed another Black Flash, restoring his burnt-out cursed technique and knocking Ryomen Sukuna out, effectively dropping the King of Curses's Domain.
Hiroshi was about to finish off the King of Curses when the ground rumbled beneath Sukuna. In that crucial moment, Ryomen Sukuna regained consciousness. Realizing within a split second that massive trees were about to grow and impale him, Sukuna quickly put his hands together and sent out infinite slashes around him. The slashes shredded the growing trees, preventing them from impaling him.
"Hmph, nice recovery," Hiroshi remarked, his voice tinged with grudging respect. He watched as the King of Curses stood up, his aura flaring with renewed intensity.
"Don't think you've won yet," Sukuna snarled, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "I will not fall to you, God of Sorcerers." He begrudgingly acknowledged Hiroshi's title.
"I reckon it's a Binding Vow, right?" Hiroshi said, but Sukuna stayed silent. "Nevertheless, I won't fall for it a second time."
Both sorcerers put their hands together.
[Domain Expansion: Divine Tree Emergence]
[Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine]
The battle continued.
A/N: What do y'all think about the latest chapter, has Yuta beaten his Fraud Allegations or nah?