The moment Yuji Itadori stepped forward, Ryan wasn't surprised. He had expected this from the very beginning.
Yuji Itadori wasn't just a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he was the key to everything. His body served as the vessel for the very opponent he had come to defeat—the one whose body housed Sukuna.
By now, the boy had consumed several of Sukuna's fingers, allowing the fusion to deepen. At this point, separating them was nearly impossible. And if Sukuna wanted to fully return, he needed Yuji's body.
There was no other way.
Yuji sat on the ground, uneasy, his fists clenched as he glanced around at the others. The cursed spirits stood nearby, their expressions varying from impatience to amusement. Gojo remained as relaxed as ever, his arms loosely folded over his chest, an easygoing smirk playing on his lips.
Ryan surveyed them all before speaking, his voice calm yet firm. "Let's not waste time. Sukuna must awaken. And then—I kill him."
The words settled like a heavy stone.
A slow, mocking clap broke the silence.
"Damn, Ryan, ever thought of becoming a motivational speaker?" Gojo quipped, tilting his head with a lopsided grin. "Real uplifting stuff. But, hey, I guess this is what we came for."
Yuji, still conscious, scowled. "You're just deciding this for me? Like I'm not even here?"
"You're not," Jogo scoffed, fire crackling at his fingertips. "You're just a vessel. Be grateful you even have a role in this."
Yuji shot him a glare. "Oh, shut up, walking volcano."
"Tch. You've got some nerve, brat." Jogo sneered, but before he could do anything, Hanami raised a hand.
"Enough," the plant-like curse murmured, their voice deep and reverberating. "The cycle of nature cannot be delayed. Sukuna must return."
Mahito chuckled, resting his chin on his palm as he crouched beside Yuji, his mismatched eyes gleaming with mischief. "Ahh, but I wonder… will he even recognise you when he takes over? Or will he just—" He made a slicing motion across his neck, grinning.
Yuji shuddered but didn't look away.
Ryan exhaled, his patience thinning. "Enough talk. It's time."
Gojo stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, kid. Try not to bite your tongue."
Yuji barely had time to react before his body was forced to swallow the first finger. Then another. And another.
And the moment the last one slid down his throat—
BOOM.
The world trembled. And Sukuna awakened.
Dark clouds churned above, gathering ominously as if the heavens themselves recoiled at his return.
But it didn't end there.
With a sickening crack, two additional arms tore their way out from his sides. Behind his head, another face emerged—an eerie, grinning visage that sent chills down the spines of those present.
The King of Curses had finally returned in his complete form.
Gojo and the others stood motionless, waiting. But out of curiosity. Could Ryan truly defeat Sukuna? Was he strong enough to stand against the King of Curses at his full power?
They would have their answer soon enough.
Sukuna slowly opened all his eyes, scanning his surroundings before letting out a low chuckle.
"Heh… Interesting." His voice was smooth, amused—too calm for something so horrifying.
"Sorcerers and cursed spirits working together? To pull off something like this…" Sukuna tilted his head slightly, intrigue flashing across his many eyes. "There must be a good reason behind such a welcome."
Then, his gaze locked onto Ryan.
"And you…?" Sukuna's expression shifted, intrigued. "No cursed energy, yet…" He inhaled deeply as if tasting the air. "Your vitality is overflowing. Unnaturally."
His grin widened, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"How is that possible?" Despite his monstrous form, Sukuna didn't radiate immediate hostility. Instead, he exuded confidence—an eerie nonchalance, as if none of this truly mattered to him.
The others knew better. This wasn't friendliness. This was the calm before the storm.
Because Ryomen Sukuna—the most terrifying, sadistic curse in history—never played fair.
And he never let his prey walk away.
Ryan didn't bother standing. He remained seated, gazing at Sukuna with an air of utter indifference. His expression, calm and unreadable, barely shifted as he spoke.
"So this is the great King of Curses from a thousand years ago?"
A pause.
"Honestly… I'm a little disappointed."
Sukuna's many eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. His smirk remained, yet there was a subtle shift in the air—a dangerous flicker beneath the surface.
Ryan turned slightly, glancing at Gojo, who stood off to the side, hands in his pockets, watching the exchange with mild amusement.
"You're a little stronger than him." Ryan gestured lazily in Gojo's direction. "But that's not saying much."
Gojo chuckled, completely unfazed. With his usual carefree smirk, he responded without hesitation.
"Of course." He shrugged dramatically. "Before someone who can defeat me—what is Sukuna?"
Sukuna's patience snapped. His smirk vanished, replaced by a look of pure, seething rage.
The temperature around them dropped. The air grew thick with cursed energy, pressing down like an invisible force. Black flames erupted around him, flickering wildly, distorting the very space they stood in. The sheer malice radiating from his form was suffocating.
Then—
"YOU WANNA DIE?!"
His voice roared through the battlefield, thunderous and violent, shaking the very ground beneath them. The cracks in the earth deepened, spreading like a web of destruction.
It was enough to make lesser sorcerers tremble.
But Ryan? Ryan didn't even blink.
Not. Even. Once.
Sukuna seethed with rage. Never—never—had he suffered such an insult. Did someone dare to dismiss him as nothing? Unforgivable.
A thousand years ago, people had despised him. Feared him. Worshipped him in terror. But mocked? Never. Yet now, standing before Ryan, this was a first. And Sukuna would not tolerate it.
A feral grin twisted his face as he lunged forward, his sheer bloodlust rippling through the air. The force of his movement shattered the ground beneath him. The moment his feet left the ground, he vanished—only to reappear in front of Ryan with a devastating strike aimed at obliterating him.
But the instant his fist connected, Ryan's form dissolved like mist. An afterimage. Sukuna's eyes widened, his momentum carrying him forward, off balance.
"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Ryan's voice rang out from behind him, calm, unbothered. Before Sukuna could react, a brutal impact smashed into his ribs.
CRACK! Ryan's foot slammed into him, sending him hurtling through the air. The force of the blow sent him crashing into the ground with an earth-shaking BOOM, carving a deep trench into the battlefield.
A moment of silence followed, then—
Gojo let out a low whistle, crossing his arms. "Damn. And here I thought I was the flashy one." His trademark grin stretched across his face, but his eyes gleamed with intrigue. "You sure you don't wanna trade places, Ryan? The strongest title is kinda my thing."
Megumi, still trying to process what had just happened, muttered, "I didn't even see it…"
Hanami, watching from the side, scowled. "Nature rejects this imbalance," they rumbled, their deep voice carrying a note of unease. "Power like his… should not exist."
Their words did nothing to soothe Sukuna's fury. With a snarl, he pushed himself up from the rubble, wiping blood from his mouth. His body ached, a massive hole torn into his side from Ryan's attack.
This wasn't normal. He had taken over this body. He had all twenty fingers. And yet he still felt… weak.
"Is my strength not fully restored?" he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists.
"Reverse Curse Technique."
Golden energy surged through his body as the wound stitched itself back together. His cursed energy burned, knitting his flesh in place. Within seconds, the damage was undone.
Sukuna straightened, his multiple eyes locking onto Ryan. This time, he wouldn't hold back.
At that moment, Ryan and his men remained completely still. They didn't move, didn't react—almost as if the scene unfolding before them was beneath their notice. Unbothered.
For Sukuna, however, the weight of this moment was crushing. A heavy burden pressed down on him. But more than that, it was a humiliation.
The man had simply stood there, watching as Sukuna healed himself, not even considering an interruption. Not even acknowledging his strength.
What does that mean? It meant Ryan didn't see him as a threat at all.
The realisation sent a surge of fury through Sukuna, resentment burning deep in his chest. Enough. He would not stand for this any longer.
Without hesitation, he activated his Domain Expansion.
"Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine!"
The very air trembled at his words.
Darkness swallowed the world around them. The sun and moon vanished, leaving nothing but an eerie void. Suddenly, a deep crimson glow burst across the sky, staining everything in sight. The ground beneath them shimmered like a liquid mirror, reflecting the city's skyline in an unnatural, distorted way—as if they were standing beneath the city itself.
Behind Sukuna, a massive red torii gate loomed ominously, standing like a gateway to something far worse than death. The entire scene exuded a suffocating malevolence.
With the domain fully unleashed, Sukuna had pulled everyone inside—himself, Ryan, and all of Ryan's men. There was no escape.
And yet, Ryan remained unfazed.
Casually, he glanced around, taking in the eerie, distorted world before offering a small, amused smile.
"Huh. This domain's pretty interesting," he remarked as if discussing a piece of art rather than standing inside the deadly creation of the King of Curses.
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