Mahoraga was no longer within the Shadow Technique.
Sukuna had absolutely no idea this could happen.
He couldn't comprehend how such a thing was possible.
If there existed a special technique that could usurp another's technique, that would be one thing—but to steal only Mahoraga while contemptuously leaving all other shikigami behind for him to inherit? It felt like outright mockery, fueling Sukuna's rage even further.
Among the Shadow Technique's shikigami, Mahoraga was his favorite.
In fact, in this modern era over a thousand years later, Mahoraga was the only one he truly coveted. He had long considered it his rightful possession, a treasure he would claim no matter what!
Even Roy's standing in his mind paled in comparison to Mahoraga.
And yet, this very Mahoraga had been snatched away by Roy first—not only devouring the juiciest piece of meat but also leaving behind the remaining shikigami like scraps picked from between teeth.
This was the final straw for Sukuna!
At this moment, his mind burned with nothing but fury toward Roy. Even if he accomplished nothing else today, he would make sure Roy was torn to pieces!
"Dismantle!!!"
Sukuna roared with a voice bordering on hysteria, pouring cursed energy to the brim into his slashes.
Dozens of massive, invisible cleaving attacks howled toward Roy like a grid, each slash astonishingly wide and formless, charged with nearly full power—enough to reduce an entire street of skyscrapers to rubble. His sole aim was to slice Roy into a thousand pieces with this strike.
Roy, however, only scoffed in response.
Without needing an order, Mahoraga leaped out from behind him, shielding him.
"Clang!"
The invisible slashes struck Mahoraga in an instant, producing a crisp, metallic ring—like a knife hitting steel. At a glance, Mahoraga bore not a single wound, not even a scratch.
Roy, shielded behind it, didn't even feel a breeze.
"What?!"
Sukuna's eyes widened in shock, his pupils contracting violently.
His near-full-power Dismantle... blocked so effortlessly by Mahoraga?
No, that couldn't be. Even if Mahoraga had been strengthened by Roy's cursed energy, it shouldn't have emerged completely unscathed. Not even Roy himself could have withstood a fully charged Dismantle head-on!
That left only one answer.
"Mahoraga has already adapted to my slashes!"
Sukuna's expression darkened further, his rage now mixed with an uncontrollable sense of frustration.
His most treasured possession had been stolen, toyed with for who knew how long, and now it completely disregarded his furious "screams"!
"Sukuna, Sukuna... how many times is this now?"
Roy flicked his fingers, sending an invisible slash flying to shatter a roadside railing.
Watching this, Sukuna's face grew even more thunderous, while Roy's remained brimming with amusement.
"Didn't I say you'd see many things today that you'd never seen in your entire life? How many of those 'never-before-seen' moments have you experienced now? What do you think? Starting to feel like your past self was just an ignorant frog at the bottom of a well?"
Upon hearing these words, Sukuna's facial features twisted even more grotesquely.
Indeed, what he had witnessed today would forever be etched in his memory—the most shocking and overwhelming day of his life.
"...Then let me see just how far you've mastered Mahoraga!"
Refusing to respond to Roy's taunts, Sukuna formed hand seals behind his back once more.
"Nue: Fusion!"
The owl shikigami reappeared, but its form had drastically changed.
Its size had shrunk to merely three to five meters tall, standing as tall as Mahoraga, adopting a bipedal humanoid stance. Only its head retained Nue's characteristics, adorned with a pair of deer antlers. Its upper body resembled a fierce tiger, while its lower half took the form of Jade Hound, complete with a coiling serpent tail. The creature exuded an overwhelming presence that surpassed any ordinary shikigami.
This was less a Nue and more a chimera.
A fusion born from Nue as the core, merging Round Deer, Tiger Burial, and Jade Hound—a true chimera!
Its name: Chimera: Agito!
"Technique expansion? Or did he secretly kill the other shikigami?"
Roy observed the scene with contemplative eyes.
Shadow techniques had unique inheritance mechanisms—when a shikigami died, its power could be absorbed by another compatible shikigami. If Round Deer, Tiger Burial, and Jade Hound had all perished, their powers inherited by Nue could result in this form. Yet, this also resembled forcibly expanding and fusing four shikigami like an unknown abyss—something Sukuna might indeed be capable of.
"Crush it, Mahoraga!"
At Roy's command, Mahoraga charged forth like a whirlwind, its Demon-Subduing Sword descending upon Agito with a mountain-splitting force!
Agito prepared to evade and counterattack.
"Don't dodge—engage head-on!"
But its master's voice rang out from behind, freezing Agito mid-motion.
With a piercing screech, it fearlessly lunged at Mahoraga, ignoring the descending blade, and threw a punch aimed straight at Mahoraga's forehead.
The Demon-Subduing Sword cleaved through Agito's skull, shearing off half its head.
Yet Agito's fist struck true, erupting with countless lightning bolts—a torrent of electricity engulfing Mahoraga like an ocean.
"Mahoraga's strength lies in adaptation. Once it fully adapts to an attack, that attack becomes ineffective. But against a first encounter, it has no resistance!"
Sukuna poured cursed energy recklessly into Agito, amplifying its lightning to overwhelming levels, crashing down upon Mahoraga like tidal waves.
Even if Mahoraga had adapted to slashing attacks, it could never have adapted to this lightning!
With enough damage, Mahoraga could still be destroyed!
This was Sukuna's calculation.
However—
Amidst the sea of lightning, Mahoraga—struck repeatedly by countless bolts—showed not the slightest hesitation. As if the electricity meant nothing, it swung its sword horizontally, slicing through Agito's torso.
"Why is it ineffective?!"
Sukuna's eyes widened in shock.
Then—a sudden gust of wind.
Roy's figure blurred across the distance, appearing before Sukuna in an instant. His fist descended like a falling mountain, aimed straight for Sukuna's heart.
Sukuna clicked his tongue, showing no signs of weakness as he immediately dodged forward, throwing a punch to meet the incoming fist!
Roy's face broke into a triumphant smile at the sight.
"CRACK!"
Suddenly, a surge of lightning erupted from Roy's fist.
The moment their fists collided, the electricity coiled and writhed like a serpent, rapidly spreading across Sukuna's entire body!
Caught off guard by this unexpected lightning attack, Sukuna's body stiffened for an instant.
For someone like Sukuna, such a brief moment meant nothing—less than 0.01 seconds, easily shaken off. Yet Roy seized this fleeting opening with precision, delivering a knife-hand strike straight to Sukuna's abdomen.
"SHLICK!"
An astonishing force erupted from the strike, tearing a massive gash across Sukuna's torso as if ripped open by a chainsaw.
Sukuna coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes wide with shock as he immediately retreated backward.
What the hell?
How did this guy's attack power suddenly spike like this?
Before, he could barely break bones—now he's tearing through flesh?
Seeing Sukuna's intent to retreat, a sharp glint flashed in Roy's eyes.
Black cursed markings appeared around his lips as he barked a command.
"Don't move!"
Abruptly, Sukuna's retreating body froze.
As if bound by some invisible force, his movements locked up like a rusted machine grinding to a halt.
"Cursed Speech?!"
Sukuna realized instantly.
At the same moment, Roy lunged forward again, driving his knife-hand straight toward Sukuna's chest.
With a sickening "SHLICK," another gaping wound tore open across Sukuna's chest, blood spraying out like rain.
"Damn it, is this guy like that Yuta Okkotsu...?!"
Sukuna finally understood, his hair standing on end.
This was Copy!
Could Roy, like Yuta Okkotsu, replicate others' cursed techniques for his own use?!
Lightning, Cursed Speech, and now this ability to inflict massive damage regardless of power differences—all different techniques!
But Roy knowing Copy versus Yuta knowing Copy carried entirely different implications!
Yuta was still young, barely having replicated any techniques, his combat experience shallow—like sitting atop a treasure trove he couldn't utilize. Roy was different. His combat experience was vast, his fighting style steady yet brimming with violent intensity. He could wield copied techniques to their fullest potential!
This was bad!
If he got suppressed now, turning the tables would be near impossible!
No longer caring about hiding his technique's activation, Sukuna unleashed a massive, invisible slash.
"Dismantle!"
A grid-like wave of slashes roared toward Roy!
Even Roy couldn't withstand this strike, infused with overwhelming cursed energy!
Roy's lips curled into a soundless sneer.
He raised his hand and clapped once.
In an instant, Sukuna's vision blurred inexplicably. Before he could react, the grid slashes were upon him, carving countless bloody gashes across his body.
"You... bastard...!"
Sukuna's eyes widened, his entire body drenched in blood.
Roy's rapidly approaching figure reflected in his pupils.
With a thunderous "BOOM," Sukuna was sent flying by a kick—precisely striking his body's critical pressure point. His entire form convulsed violently as he hurtled backward, crashing into a distant building.
He didn't emerge for a long time.
"So strong!"
In the distance, Maki, who was observing the scene through her familiar's projected image, couldn't help but feel her eyes shimmer with excitement, her heart surging with emotion.
"As expected of Roy-sensei! No matter the situation, he always unleashes power beyond my imagination!"
Despite having far less cursed energy than Yuta Okkotsu, he had accomplished what Yuta couldn't—overwhelming the King of Curses despite the massive gap in cursed energy!
This wasn't just a difference of three or five times—it was seven or eight, even ten times or more!
Truly, putting my faith in Roy-sensei was the right choice!
A little farther away, Yuta Okkotsu watched the scene unfold in awe.
"Even though we both mimic others' techniques, I'm like a child compared to him. Roy-sensei's control over cursed techniques is effortless—he's truly a terrifying person..."
In just a few seconds, Roy had seamlessly switched between multiple techniques, his execution so fluid that Yuta couldn't help but feel deeply humbled, his admiration for Roy growing even stronger.
Even Nanami Kento, standing even farther away, was stunned.
He saw it clearly—Roy had landed multiple blows on Sukuna that far exceeded normal limits, each strike precisely targeting the critical points of Sukuna's body.
Wasn't that his own technique, Ratio Technique: Collapse?
When had Roy copied it?