With Yuji:
I slammed into the wall, my body crumpling like a rag doll. Everything hurt. My muscles screamed, my bones ached, and where my left hand should've been... I didn't want to think about that.
"I thought I was strong enough to decide how I die," I muttered, tasting blood in my mouth. Tears leaked from my eyes, and I wiped them away with my remaining hand. "I don't want to die... but I'm going to die..."
The truth of it crushed me. I'd always known this was a possibility, but facing it now... it felt like drowning. Like the world was closing in, leaving no room to breathe.
Masamichi's words drifted through my head: "A sorcerer never dies without regrets." I gritted my teeth, a spark of something - not quite hope, but not surrender either - flickering to life.
"Even so, I wanted to say I had a death with meaning," I whispered. My voice sounded weak, even to my own ears, but there was steel beneath it.
I pushed myself up, legs shaking. The curse loomed over me, a mountain of malevolence and twisted flesh. If this was it, I'd go out swinging.
"If curses are born from negative emotions," I said, my voice growing stronger, "I'll use all my hatred, fear, and regret and put it all into this punch!"
I lunged forward, channeling everything I had left into my right fist. Cursed energy swirled around it, dark and potent. For a moment, I thought it might actually work.
Then the curse's massive hand closed around my fist, stopping it cold.
"Fuck!" The word tore from my throat. This was it. I'd failed. Failed to protect anyone, failed to make a difference. Failed to even go out in a blaze of glory.
A howl cut through the air - a dog's howl. Relief washed over me, so strong it made me dizzy. "That must be Megumi's signal," I breathed. They were safe. At least I'd managed that much.
I closed my eyes, ready for the end. But instead of pain, I felt... something else. A strange sensation rippled across my skin, like ink spreading over paper. When I opened my eyes, intricate tattoos covered my arms, my chest, everywhere I could see.
The curse stared at me, its grotesque features twisting in confusion. I felt my lips curl into a smile that wasn't mine.
"You're such an annoying brat..." The words came from my mouth, but the voice wasn't mine. It was deeper, darker, dripping with malice.
Sukuna had arrived.
I opened my eyes, feeling power surge through my veins. The brat's body was mine now, and it felt good to be in control again. I flexed my fingers, savoring the sensation of flesh and bone responding to my will. The curse loomed over me, its grotesque form a pitiful sight.
"You're such an annoying brat," I muttered, my voice dripping with disdain. The curse's confusion was almost comical. It probably thought it had won, about to finish off another weak human. How wrong it was.
I assessed the situation quickly. The brat's body was in rough shape, but nothing I couldn't handle. The curse, despite its size, reeked of weakness. This wouldn't even be a challenge.
"Wait a second, I'm thinking right now," I said, more to myself than the bewildered curse. I could sense the other brat's cursed energy nearby. The one with the energy I've only felt 1000 years ago. A plan began to form in my mind, and I couldn't help but grin.
"It looks like there's still one brat here," I mused. "But by the time I chase any of them down, the brat would just switch with me. What would trouble him most is if I lead the curse to that one brat."
I turned to the special grade curse. "Hey, we're going to go kill those brats. Follow me."
The curse roared, blasting raw cursed energy at me. Pathetic. I raised my left hand, stopping the blast without effort. The energy coursed through me, inadvertently healing the arm.
"Damn, I accidentally healed this arm too," I grumbled. "I guess you don't want to go on a walk, huh? Well, curse spirits don't like leaving their birthplace anyway. That's good."
I approached the curse, watching it cower. It was almost sad how easily it succumbed to fear. "You can die here," I declared, slamming my right hand into its face and driving it into the ground.
The impact shattered the floor beneath us, sending us tumbling down. As we fell, the curse grabbed my leg, thinking it had gained an advantage. I severed its arm without a second thought, holding it aloft on a falling chunk of concrete.
"You may be a cursed spirit, but is this arm valuable to you?" I taunted. The curse's face contorted in despair. Good. It was beginning to understand its place.
We crashed onto the lower floor, landing in murky water. I laughed, relishing the chaos. This body, this power - it felt incredible. The curse lay embedded in the wall, its limbs scattered beneath it like discarded toys.
"Apparently, we're both classified at a level called 'Special Grade'. Me and a small fry like you," I sneered. The curse grunted, regrowing its limbs and dropping to the floor with a splash. It grinned, defiant to the last.
"Regenerating limbs is something that's easy for curses, unlike humans," I observed. "You and that brat... don't understand shit about curses."
I shook my head. "Very well, this is an opportunity to educate you."
I made my hand sign, feeling the familiar rush of power. "Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine."
The air crackled with energy as my domain materialized. A shrine of skulls and bones rose behind me, its presence alone enough to make lesser beings tremble. The curse spirit didn't even have time to scream before it was sliced into pieces.
"I intended on cutting you into three pieces, but you really were weak, huh?" I mocked, spotting my finger embedded in the curse's dissolving body. I retrieved it and swallowed, feeling a small surge of power as it reintegrated with me.
As the curse faded away, I called out to the brat. "I'm done now! So if you're gonna switch with me, just do it already!"
Silence. No response from the brat. Now that was interesting.
"...Brat?" I muttered, curiosity piqued. When no answer came, a wicked grin spread across my face. "Looks like there's two left here. Let's see who I should go after next..."
With Megumi:
I tensed as the expanded dormitory vanished before my eyes. Looks like both special grade curses were dead. Now, if only they'd come back...
A chill ran down my spine as a presence materialized behind me. I spun around, dropping into a defensive stance.
"If it's about that brat, he's not coming back," Sukuna's voice dripped with malice.
My heart pounded. "What have you done to him?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady.
Sukuna chuckled, his gaze piercing. "Oh, the other one? I haven't done anything to him yet, so don't be frightened. I'm in a good mood, so let's talk."
My eyes widened as Sukuna reached into his chest and pulled out Yuji's heart. It beat in his hand, a grotesque trophy.
"What have you done?!" I couldn't hide the shock in my voice.
Sukuna's laughter echoed around us. "I'm taking this brat hostage," he declared. "Swapping with me would mean certain death for him."
He tossed the heart to the ground. I watched it fall, feeling sick.
"It's nothing personal, Megumi Fushiguro. Just business," Sukuna taunted.
I stood my ground. "Itadori will come back, even if he died as a result. That's just how he is."
Sukuna scoffed. "You think way too highly of him. He's just an idiot that's a little stronger than most humans."
His grin widened. "Just a while ago he was so scared, being on the verge of death. You know he was hyping himself up and failed, right? So I'll tell you this, he doesn't have the balls to commit suicide."
I kept my face neutral, thinking fast. His arm regenerated, which means he can use reverse curse technique. Sukuna might be able to live without the host's heart, but he must have taken some damage.
So I'll convince him that he can't win with a heartless body. But could I do it? I couldn't even move in front of a special grade curse. But it didn't matter if I could or couldn't.
I had to do it.
I summoned Nue with a hand sign. Sukuna's grin widened. "I'm finally outside, so let's have fun, shall we?"
Nue soared past Sukuna. I charged in, throwing a flurry of punches. Sukuna parried them easily, catching one of my fists.
"Put more curse energy in your punches, would you?" he taunted.
His fist connected with my face. I staggered back, tasting blood. I made another hand sign, chanting the incantation for Monster Serpent.
A massive snake burst from the ground, jaws clamping down on Sukuna. Nue attacked from behind. For a second, I thought it might work.
Sukuna slashed through the serpent like it was paper. Before I could react, he grabbed my shirt from behind.
"I told you we were going to have fun, didn't I?"
He threw me into the air. The ground shrank away as I hurtled upward, twelve stories high.
This isn't even his cursed technique, I realized. His raw power...
I twisted in the air, trying to right myself. The wind whipped past me as I fell. I had seconds to act.
Summoning my shikigami, I created a cushion of shadows beneath me. I hit it hard, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. But I was alive.
I rolled to my feet, gasping. Sukuna stood there, looking bored.
"Is that all you've got, Fushiguro?" he asked. "I expected more."
I wiped blood from my mouth. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
Sukuna's eyes gleamed. "Want? I want to see what you're truly capable of. Show me your Domain Expansion."
My stomach dropped. He knew about that? I'd never used it successfully before.
"I can't," I admitted. "I haven't mastered it yet."
Sukuna's disappointment was palpable. "Pathetic. And here I thought you might be worth my time."
He took a step forward. I braced myself for another attack.
Sukuna's eyes narrowed suddenly, head snapping to the right. A flash of white hair filled my vision, and an overwhelming wave of cursed energy washed over us.
"Gojo-sensei!" I yelled, relief flooding through me. But as the spots cleared from my vision, I realized it wasn't Gojo at all.
A man stood there, his body covered in angry red marks. Heat blisters peppered his skin. He turned his head, and my breath caught in my throat.
It was Akuma.
He looked like he'd been through hell, but his eyes blazed with a fierce intensity I'd never seen before. A smirk played at the corner of his mouth as he locked eyes with Sukuna.
"Just who the hell do you think I am?" Akuma's voice rang out, challenging and confident.
"Kantaro," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "What happened to you?"
Akuma's eyes flicked to me for a second. "I'll explain later, Fushiguro. Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry."
He cracked his knuckles, stepping between me and Sukuna.
"Now then," Akuma said, his voice low and dangerous. "Let's see what you're really made of, shall we?"