All the sorcerers who accepted Kenjaku's conditions, signed contracts with him, and were resurrected centuries later in the Culling Game, were individuals filled with regret.
After all, only sorcerers dissatisfied with their own lives would consider accepting his absurd proposal, right?
So what was his own regret?
He had fought tenacious opponents, met excellent women, and lived a very smooth life; it truly seemed he had no regrets…
Everyone looked at him with an expression that said, 'What more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?'
What more could he be dissatisfied with… Of course, he had never been satisfied!
An ordinary life, ordinary battles, an indistinct pursuit growing ever stronger in his heart.
Ryū Ishigori finally understood why he was dissatisfied: simply because he had never been 'filled.' Whether in battle or anything else, it was all too ordinary!
"Black Flash!"
Carrying Itadori's full power, such a potent and overbearing force – Ryū Ishigori already sensed his will. This was exactly what he wanted: a battle that could fill him!
A powerful repulsive force surged from his body, utterly disregarding his physical limits, or rather, he no longer had the luxury to care.
A violent explosion collided with the Black Flash. Blood gushed from Ryū Ishigori's waist as he was sent flying backward.
At the instant the punch connected, he channeled the impact to the surface of his skin to counteract that terrifying power, much like the principle of reactive armor.
The price was that the skin around his waist was completely torn open, looking incredibly gruesome, yet it was merely a surface wound.
Under the influence of Cursed Energy, the minor wound instantly stopped bleeding, having no significant impact other than providing Ryū Ishigori with an exhilarating pain.
'He solved it that way?' Itadori hadn't expected his opponent to defend in such a manner. His punch had been full power, and he now felt a slight fatigue.
Now it was Ryū Ishigori's turn to counterattack. Itadori saw light in his eyes, the light of fervent desire. He had waited too long for this battle.
But brighter than the light in his eyes was the light on his head—
"Granite Blast!"
A terrifying output of Cursed Energy, more powerful than anyone he had ever seen – except Gojo Satoru.
The shockwave, like a beam cannon, pierced through hundreds of meters, reducing buildings and roads in its path to ruins.
The good news was that there was no one here now. The bad news was that there was no one here because they had died from infighting.
Itadori re-mobilized his 14,000 points of Cursed Energy, strengthening his body to withstand Ryū Ishigori's shockwave head-on.
"That hurt…"
A sports student's body truly was different. After the dust settled, Itadori showed no obvious injuries. Kakashi and the others twitched an eye at this sight.
"When did this guy get so strong?"
Fushiguro Megumi was incredulous. As Itadori's companion, he naturally knew his strength very well.
The gap between him and Itadori had never been significant, but the Itadori now displayed the combat power of a full Special Grade, far surpassing both him and Kugisaki.
Noticing his momentary distraction, a blood bullet flew straight at him. Fushiguro Megumi quickly raised his weapon, but before the blood bullet could hit, a kunai shattered it.
Kakashi wouldn't relax his guard simply because of that. While surprised by Itadori's power, he was also keeping an eye on Choso's movements.
"Hmph, you're spacing out while fighting me? Aren't you looking down on me a bit too much?"
Although Choso only intended to tie up his opponent's attention, he wouldn't pass up an opening. If he could kill an enemy, his chances of winning would greatly increase.
He hadn't forgotten the rules of the Culling Game: killing an opponent granted half of their Cursed Energy. Wouldn't that mean eliminating an enemy of similar strength would instantly make him much stronger?
In reality, newly acquired Cursed Energy wasn't so easy to master. In extreme cases, it could even lead to a decrease in combat power instead of an increase. A sorcerer's battle wasn't merely a contest of Cursed Energy.
Fushiguro Megumi refocused on Choso. With the injured Kakashi beside him, he couldn't launch an offensive, and so the two sides remained in a standoff.
However, even while being held back, he wasn't overly worried. In the shadows in the distance, Sasuke had been hiding himself. His Chakra wouldn't be detected before his Cursed Seal activated.
Another hidden piece was Maki. Armed with the Special Grade Cursed Tool Playful Cloud, she too lay in ambush, waiting for her own opportunity.
"You really are looking down on me a bit. Are you only going to stall for time here? Why not come and fight properly?"
The shadows behind Fushiguro Megumi transformed into two Shikigami Divine Dogs, one black and one white, subtly forming a defensive perimeter in front of Kakashi. Their appearance was, in fact, to protect Kakashi.
Choso wasn't one to be provoked without retaliating. A large amount of blood transformed into blood blades, simultaneously attacking Fushiguro Megumi.
What he didn't notice was Fushiguro Megumi's slight upward curl of his lips upon seeing this action, which he quickly suppressed.
'He took the bait.'
Fushiguro Megumi manipulated his Cursed Technique, and a multitude of Rabbit Escapes suddenly appeared, blocking all the blood blades and simultaneously preventing his opponent's further use of the technique.
Similarly, the numerous obstructions also concealed Kakashi's instantaneous hand signs. His body flickered for a moment, unnoticed by anyone.
Fushiguro Megumi and Choso probed each other, both maintaining restraint. They knew the real battlefield was between Itadori and Ryū Ishigori, and their battle's outcome was the most crucial.
Because of this, their 'skirmish' completely failed to attract the attention of the two upfront. The longing in Ryū Ishigori's eyes sent a chill down Itadori's spine. If he couldn't see the other party's fighting desire, he would have suspected Ryū Ishigori was romantically interested in him.
"This is the feeling, satisfaction, my body feels full."
'I signed a contract with him all those years ago for today. You are strong, Itadori.'
Ryū Ishigori knew how to ignite his opponent's fighting spirit, subtly revealing a piece of information.
"Who exactly is this person you're talking about, and what is this contract?"
Itadori immediately pressed for answers. Both the Culling Game and these unfamiliar sorcerers gave him a sense of conspiracy. His intuition told him this was an important clue.
"If you win, I'll tell you everything. Don't disappoint me." Ryū Ishigori was very pleased with Itadori's attitude.
"Is that how it is, then."
Itadori let out a heavy sigh, raised his hands in front of him, and adopted a combat stance.
With his current power, as long as he didn't make any major mistakes, he could fully contend with a Special Grade like Ryū Ishigori. The only question now was, where was Sukuna?
Itadori knew his own limitations. His current strength was entirely due to Sukuna's power being completely under his control, as if all that Cursed Energy were his own.
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