"Kei...koku..."
The moment the hoarse syllables tore through the air, a viscous, almost corporeal darkness erupted from Yuji Itadori's body.
That wasn't Cursed Energy—it was pure, millennia-old malice.
The cursed marks on his cheeks writhed and spread like living snakes. His skin tore beneath his eyes, and two small, crimson, vertical pupils snapped open. Itadori's original resolute expression was completely shredded, replaced by a cruel, arrogant, and contemptuous sneer.
He casually raised his right hand—smack!
The palm, veined with eerie black markings, caught the tip of Hiromi Higuruma's Executioner's Sword. The blade's divine light, capable of severing Cursed Techniques, flared and screamed within his grip—yet could not move an inch.
"Oh my, my, my." 'Itadori' tilted his head, crimson pupils narrowing in amusement. His distorted voice dripped with mockery. "I didn't expect to see such an amusing trial trick these days."
He tightened his fingers. The light sword whimpered.
Hiromi Higuruma's pupils constricted sharply; an icy sense of crisis flooded his instincts. Without thinking, his body reacted on its own—he leapt backward.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Three rapid retreats opened over ten meters of distance. The calm mask on his face vanished, replaced by grim realization.
"Sukuna?!"
'Itadori'—no, the King of Curses now occupying him—smirked, releasing his hold.
Freed, the Executioner's Sword dispersed into shimmering light.
Sukuna leisurely brushed back Itadori's messy pink hair, exposing a smooth forehead and three pairs of unsettling eyes.
"Oh my~," he cooed, exaggeratedly surprised. "You recognized me? Good eyesight, little judge."
"Sukuna?!" Megumi Fushiguro gasped, heart stopping cold. A cold gleam flashed behind Kento Nanami's glasses as every muscle in his body tensed. Even Hana Kurusu, the Angel, wavered, golden eyes rippling with dread.
"You… how?!" Megumi stammered.
Itadori had still been conscious. How did Sukuna get out?
Sukuna chuckled, a low, amused rumble echoing from his throat. All six eyes turned toward Megumi and Nanami.
"Don't be so surprised," he said lazily, spreading his hands. The air grew heavier around him. "I made a little 'Binding Vow' with this foolish brat."
He tapped his temple. "A small one."
Then, raising a finger traced with black marks, his crimson tongue slid across his sharp canines. "As long as I utter the words Keikoku, I can take over this body… for one minute."
He paused, savoring their horror.
"Of course," his smile widened, "the Vow says I can't harm or kill anyone during that minute."
It sounded less like a restriction, more like a game he was flaunting.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bone split the silence. Sukuna had torn off his own pinky and ring finger, blood splattering across the courtroom floor.
He laughed wildly, holding the severed fingers before his eyes, licking the wound. "But it didn't say—I couldn't harm myself! Hahahahaha!"
"Damn it!" Higuruma roared, raising his gavel to reinforce the Domain—but it was too late.
Sukuna lunged like lightning. Before Megumi could react, those deranged vertical pupils filled his vision.
"Fushiguro! Move!" Nanami's shout collided with Sukuna's gleeful snarl: "Come taste a special candy~!"
Smack!
Sukuna's bloodstained palm clamped Megumi's jaw, forcing it open—and he rammed the two severed fingers inside.
Megumi's pupils shrank to pinpoints. A strangled gasp escaped him—
BOOM!
A torrent of black Cursed Energy erupted from all seven orifices of his body. Nanami was flung back into a wall; Hana Kurusu's wings flared as she retreated; Higuruma crossed his arms to block the blast.
At the storm's center, Megumi floated—his body glowing with cursed sigils identical to Sukuna's. The skin beneath his eyes split, two crimson pupils opening wide.
"Cough… cough!" Yuji Itadori collapsed to his knees, gasping as awareness returned. He looked up—and froze. The face before him was Megumi's… but the grin belonged to Sukuna.
"Do you remember?" the voice purred through Megumi's lips, "I told you I'd found something interesting."
He slapped away Itadori's trembling hand and narrowed all four eyes. "I told you so, brat."
Before Yuji could react, Sukuna's fist sank into his abdomen.
BANG!
Itadori flew like a cannonball, smashing through a pillar in a cloud of dust.
"Itadori!" Nanami's voice tore through the chaos, but his body lagged, the Domain's backlash weighing him down.
Sukuna didn't even glance at the wreckage. He dug his fingers into Megumi's black hair, slicking it back into a wild pompadour, exposing his cursed eyes.
"Mmm…" Sukuna hummed with satisfaction, stretching Megumi's body like a new suit. His eyes gleamed with predatory delight.
"Your Domain," he murmured toward Higuruma, "stripped me of my Cursed Energy? That's… boring."
Higuruma's face twisted with disbelief. He summoned his gavel again with a shout: "Judgment!"
But—
Smack!
Sukuna's hand shot out, gripping his wrist before the gavel struck the ground. The blow froze midair. Higuruma's eyes quaked. He hadn't even seen him move. Sukuna leaned close, voice dripping with venom.
"Ah, I forgot," he whispered, lips curling. "Your judgment only works if it's for the same crime, doesn't it?"
His grip tightened. Crunch. Bone cracked.
"Hahaha!" Sukuna's laughter roared across the shattered courtroom. "Because that brat's just a vessel! The one who massacred twenty thousand insects in Shibuya…"
His six eyes locked onto Higuruma's horror-stricken face.
"Was me, Judge!"
Higuruma's mind screamed. He launched a desperate counterattack, kicking for Sukuna's ribs—
Bang! Bang!
Sukuna parried every blow effortlessly with one hand, mocking him between each strike.
"How should I break this dull little Domain of yours?" he mused, dodging another kick with lazy precision.
Sweat poured down Higuruma's face. He fought like a man cornered, every strike wreathed in Cursed Energy—yet Sukuna brushed them aside like cobwebs. Just as Higuruma prepared to re-condense his gavel, Sukuna's hand crushed down harder, halting him with blinding pain.
A cruel grin spread across Sukuna's lips—
"Give him back to me!!!"
The voice shattered the chaos. Hana Kurusu hovered above, blazing with golden light. Her halo flared like a miniature sun. The sacred radiance scorched away the lingering darkness as she shouted, trembling with fury and grief:
"Give Megumi—back to me!!!"
"Jacob's Ladder!!!"
Rumble!
The air warped. A colossal golden pillar of light tore through the ruined Domain, divine and unstoppable, slamming into Sukuna.
Too close. Too fast. His mocking smile vanished. He turned—only to see the blinding light consume him.
"WRAAAAHHH!!!"
The scream that followed was inhuman, his voice twisting into raw, ancient hatred as the sacred light burned both soul and vessel alike. The pillar pierced through the sky, shattering the darkness blanketing the city.
Everyone watched in silence. When the brilliance faded, a figure swayed at its center.
"Hana…" a weak voice murmured.
Hana Kurusu froze. "Megumi… Megumi-kun?!"
As the smoke cleared, he stood there—his body charred, skin cracked and smoking. But his eyes… were his own again.
"I… remember everything…" he rasped, reaching out a trembling, burned hand.
Tears burst forth. "Megumi-kun!!!" Hana dove into his arms, sobbing with joy.
"Don't—!" Nanami and Higuruma shouted together.
Too late.
She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his neck, whispering through tears, "It's okay now… it's okay…"
Then—
Beneath the burns, cursed marks flared anew. The grin returned. Four crimson pupils snapped open.
"Hee…" Sukuna's laugh slithered out from Megumi's throat.
His remaining hand coiled around Hana's waist like a serpent, trapping her. His jaws opened unnaturally wide—fangs gleaming—
"HANA KURUSU!!!" Nanami's roar cut through the chaos.
Swish—! A blade's flash split the air.
Slish! Sukuna's arm was severed cleanly at the elbow. Black blood sprayed.
"AAAHHH!!!" Sukuna howled, retreating into the shadows, his fury shaking the ground.
Hana fell—caught by Nanami midair, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal. Sukuna stood afar, muscles writhing as his wound sealed, six eyes burning with rage.
Hovering above, white hair gleaming in the fading light, stood a new figure—calm, sword in hand, eyes cold and mocking. Sukuna's snarl shattered the silence.
"Damn bastard… NERO!"
His voice dripped venom. "Didn't you say you wouldn't stop my recovery?! Then why are you here!!!"