"You two handle the ones around us, I'll take care of the big one," Fushiguro Megumi called out as he charged toward the largest Cursed Spirit. He could feel the presence of a Special Grade Cursed Object on it.
However, this large Cursed Spirit wasn't easy to deal with. Fushiguro changed the hand signs as he rushed in, moving as quickly as possible to get close.
Even though the Cursed Spirit had not fully transformed after consuming Sukuna's Finger, it had already become far more dangerous than before.
As Fushiguro closed in, several smaller Cursed Spirits leaped toward him. Though his Divine Dogs tore some of them apart, a few managed to slow him down. In that moment, the largest Cursed Spirit saw an opening and struck Fushiguro with a powerful blow.
"Ugh!"
Fushiguro spat out blood as he slammed into the hallway wall, the impact cracking the concrete. The damage was severe.
"Damn it!" Fushiguro gritted his teeth, blood dripping down his forehead, but he felt no pain. The priority was to exorcise this Cursed Spirit. If it escaped, dealing with it later would be far more difficult.
If this Cursed Spirit absorbed the Special Grade Cursed Object completely, its power would multiply. What was now a nuisance could turn into a massive threat.
"Looks like I'll have to use this move..." Fushiguro propped himself up with one hand while raising the other.
"Give him back!" a shout came from outside the window, followed by the sound of shattering glass. Yuji Itadori crashed through the window and landed a powerful kick to the Cursed Spirit's head.
"This is my chance!" Although Fushiguro didn't know why Itadori was there, he knew he had to seize the opportunity.
Fushiguro quickly formed complex hand signs before thrusting his hands together. A sharp burst of purple Cursed Energy shot out, slicing through the Cursed Spirit's neck before it could react.
"I thought I told you to stay down there and look after them," Fushiguro said as he stood up, wiping the blood from his forehead after dealing with the curse.
"Where's Hayashi? I don't see him anywhere," Yuji Itadori asked, noticing that Hayashi's body wasn't inside the Cursed Spirit, but rather a black-purple finger was.
"Are you talking about the guy they mentioned? I didn't see him when I got here. A normal person can't escape a Cursed Spirit's pursuit—he's probably dead by now," Fushiguro stated plainly. It was a harsh truth: a normal human had no chance of outrunning a Cursed Spirit. That's what made them so dangerous.
"Dead?" Itadori froze. Even though he didn't know Hayashi well, they were still classmates. A feeling of frustration welled up inside him. Why didn't he come sooner?
"Anyway, I'm going to retrieve the Special Grade Cursed Object. It should be safe here now." Fushiguro understood that Itadori was upset, but there was nothing he could do. Normal people were fragile, and even as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Fushiguro knew he was fragile too.
Boom!
Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, and a Cursed Spirit even larger than the last one crashed down, swallowing Sukuna's Finger in one bite. It slammed Fushiguro into the wall once again.
"Ugh!"
This time, Fushiguro nearly lost consciousness. The second blow was far stronger than the first, and he was already injured.
Itadori was also thrown back, but he wasn't as badly hurt as Fushiguro. He quickly got back on his feet, staring in shock at the massive creature in front of him.
"Get out of here! Only a curse can exorcise a curse—you can't defeat it," Fushiguro said weakly. He didn't want to see another person die.
"Now's not the time for that. If I leave, you'll die, and I can't live with that on my conscience," Itadori said, jumping forward and grabbing the Cursed Spirit's red eye before smashing his fist into it with all his strength.
The Cursed Spirit's red eye exploded, and blood sprayed everywhere.
Fushiguro was shocked that Itadori could cause so much damage to the Cursed Spirit. Realizing the opportunity, he used the last of his Cursed Energy to launch another attack.
"GRAAAAHHH!!"
The Cursed Spirit let out a pained roar, and Sukuna's black-purple finger fell from its mouth.
Even in its agony, the Cursed Spirit understood what was most important. It lunged for the fallen finger, intending to devour it.
"We can't let it consume the curse! If it does, we'll all die! That curse will give it enough power to complete its transformation!" Fushiguro shouted desperately.
"Gain immense power? In that case..." In a flash, Itadori dashed forward and bit into the black-purple finger himself, swallowing it before the Cursed Spirit could reach it.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed, and Itadori had consumed the entire finger. Fushiguro's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That's Sukuna's Finger… a Special Grade Cursed Object! He's going to die for sure!" Fushiguro couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. He hadn't intended for Itadori to eat the finger—he just needed to grab it. Ingesting a Cursed Object of that level would cause an immediate reaction.
"But… what if..."
Boom!
Suddenly, Itadori's arm shot upward, and the powerful Cursed Spirit exploded, its flesh scattering before it quickly disintegrated.
The roof above them cracked open from the force of the blow, and moonlight poured down, illuminating Itadori's body.
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Itadori burst into wild laughter. Black markings spread across his skin, covering his entire body, and his eyes had multiplied. Instead of two, he now had four—two extra eyes appearing just below his original ones.
"Ahh, moonlight really is best when felt directly!" Itadori, now under the control of Sukuna, ripped off his shirt and stood with his arms spread wide, basking in the moonlight.
"This is the worst-case scenario..." Fushiguro muttered in disbelief. "A Special Grade Cursed Object has possessed him."
"This Cursed Spirit's flesh is disgusting. Where are the humans? Where are the women?" Sukuna, now fully in control of Itadori's body, stood on the railing, gazing out at the city's glowing lights. "This era isn't bad at all. Women and children—crawling around like maggots."
Sukuna's excitement grew, his expression becoming more twisted. "This is perfect… I can finally go on a killing spree!"
Fushiguro took several steps back. There was no way he could defeat a Special Grade Cursed Spirit like this in his current state—the difference in power was too great.
Just as Sukuna was about to continue laughing, his right hand suddenly grabbed his face. "What the...?"
Itadori's voice echoed from within the body: "What are you doing with my body? Give it back."
Sukuna was stunned. How was this happening? He had taken control of the body—this body should have been entirely under his command.
"How are you moving?" Sukuna demanded, confused.
"Because this is my body," Itadori replied. With that, he fully regained control, forcing Sukuna back inside.
"Damn it, it's too late to retreat now. I'll have to take him down," Fushiguro thought, clenching his teeth. He couldn't let this dangerous being escape.