High in the air above the Domain's ocean, Madara swung his arm, releasing Dagon's leg and flinging the curse away like a discarded toy.
Being able to fly, Dagon quickly stabilized himself, stopping his tumble through the air. His single eye immediately scanned for Madara, expecting him to be where he'd thrown him from. But Madara wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere nearby.
Confused, Dagon looked around wildly. He glanced towards the island beach where the three sorcerers stood watching.
Their gazes weren't directed at him, though. They were all looking up, high above where Dagon floated.
Following their line of sight, Dagon tilted his head back. Looming above him, descending rapidly, was the massive, blue, armored form of Madara's Susanoo.
There was no time to dodge. Instinctively, Dagon threw up his swirling water shield again, desperately trying to protect himself from the incoming blow.
Madara, encased within the Susanoo's chest, saw Dagon's defensive reaction and smirked faintly. Instead of bringing the Susanoo's fist straight down, he angled the strike.
The giant blue fist smashed into Dagon's water barrier, not crushing him downwards into the sea, but batting him sideways like a fly, sending him hurtling uncontrollably towards the tropical island where the sorcerers stood.
Dagon tried to regain control, to activate his flight again, but the force of the blow was too immense. He crashed heavily onto the island, smashing through palm trees and thick undergrowth before finally skidding to a halt in a cloud of sand and debris.
He couldn't believe it. He was being utterly dominated inside his own Domain.
The place where he was supposed to be strongest, where his power was amplified, where his attacks were guaranteed to hit… none of it mattered against this impossible opponent.
His powerful shikigami were destroyed instantly. And the man doing it didn't possess even a speckof cursed energy. Dagon wasn't necessarily afraid of dying he knew curses were often fated to be exorcised eventually.
But the thought of being killed like this, defeated so easily by someone completely outside the rules of their world, someone without the very energy that defined their existence… it was humiliating. It felt wrong.
Back on the beach, Madara landed softly, the impact still kicking up a cloud of sand from the sheer pressure of his presence.
He ignored the three sorcerers completely, even though their eyes were glued to him, tracking his every move as he started walking calmly towards the spot where Dagon had crashed further inland.
Maki watched him stride past, her mind racing. Then, it clicked. The lack of cursed energy… the fire technique… the giant blue warrior… none of it was jujutsu. 'He can't exorcise him!' she realized with a jolt of alarm. 'Even if he beats that curse spirit senseless, he can't finish him off! He doesn't have cursed energy or a cursed tool to Exorcise it!'
If Madara couldn't deliver the final blow, Dagon would eventually recover, and they would all likely die here.
Unsure if this newcomer was friend or foe, helping him directly felt risky, but doing nothing seemed like suicide. The immediate threat was Dagon.
Making a split-second decision, Maki tightened her grip on the sharp, broken half of her polearm. With a determined yell, she threw it with all her might, sending it spinning through the air towards Madara's back.
Without even pausing his stride or looking back, Madara's hand shot out, snatching the spinning piece of metal cleanly out of the air. He stopped walking and finally turned, his piercing red Sharingan fixing on Maki.
"You can't exorcise a cursed spirit without cursed energy or a cursed tool!" Maki shouted across the beach, explaining quickly despite her apprehension under his intense gaze.
"If you want to actually kill him, you'll need that!" She still couldn't fathom how he was using such powerful techniques without cursed energy; it defied everything she knew about jujutsu.
Madara looked down at the broken weapon in his hand. It felt like ordinary metal to him, devoid of any special energy he could recognize.
But Maki's words, delivered with urgency and certainty, provided a crucial piece of information. A way to permanently eliminate these strange creatures. This intervention might just pay off after all.
A small, knowing smile touched Madara's lips as Maki provided the unexpected, crucial piece of intel.
He didn't verbally reply or even look back at her for long. Holding the broken blade, he simply turned and continued walking towards the inland forest where Dagon had crashed.
Nanami and Naobito watched him go, any momentary relief replaced by tense caution.
Witnessing Madara effortlessly overpower a Special Grade curse inside its own Domain using bizarre, powerful techniques without any cursed energy had shattered their understanding of how power worked in their world.
Could they defeat this man if he turned on them?
The thought seemed absurd. He was toying with Dagon. Yet, they wouldn't just stand by helpless.
They subtly readied themselves, muscles taut, senses sharp, prepared for anything.
As Madara neared the treeline, he paused. Dagon emerged from the shattered foliage, hovering in the air.
Remarkably, any visible injuries Madara had inflicted just moments ago were already gone; the curse's resilience was impressive. Ignoring Madara and the sorcerers, Dagon flew swiftly past them, out over the Domain's ocean.
Madara watched him go, his expression unreadable, curious to see what the curse would do next. Dagon finally stopped some distance away, hovering just above the water's surface.
He raised both pairs of his arms. Behind him, dozens of swirling water orbs, each about the size of a clenched fist, materialized in the air.
At the same time, the ocean below him churned violently as his Endless Death Swarm technique activated again.
Countless fish shikigami, big and small, grotesque and sharp-toothed, surged from the depths, forming a terrifyingly vast army behind him.
The humiliation of being beaten by a human worse, a human with no cursed energy fueled his rage into a burning inferno.
All the summoned creatures paused, awaiting his command, a silent, monstrous legion ready to strike.
Madara calmly turned back towards the shore, glancing briefly at Maki. He held up the broken blade slightly. "I will return this," he stated coolly, "when I am finished."
He walked to the very edge of the water, stopping where the sand met the sea. He looked out at Dagon, who glared back with intense hatred. A confident, almost mocking smile spread across Madara's face.
"I hope this time will be more entertaining," Madara called out across the water, his voice carrying easily. "Try not to disappoint me again… cursed spirit."
A vein visibly throbbed on Dagon's forehead at the blatant disrespect. With a furious roar, he thrust a hand forward, pointing directly at Madara, and gave the command to his waiting army.
"GO!"
….
A/N: I really really want to make the big chapter with more details, but you wouldn't probably like it, as it will contain the content the same as a small chapter. Thought how do you like the new cover…??