Mukuro's abilities came from the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Among them, the Human Path was the one he had almost never shown to others.
Because the human world was filled with filth, and a pure land was hard to find. For that reason, the Human Path was the most dangerous… and also the most disgusting ability to him.
Its effect was somewhat similar to the Asura Path, as both directly enhanced his abilities. But the Asura Path worked from within, strengthening the body by raising all internal attributes. The Human Path was different. Its power came from the outside.
Once activated, the resentment scattered across the world would gather according to his will and become a force he could use.
In this world's terms, that force was cursed energy.
The cursed energy that leaked out, or rather, the energy that came from countless people across the world, lost its owner's imprint once it left the body.
It became drifting resentment. That was how cursed spirits were born.
And the Human Path… took that energy and made it his own.
Unlike normal sorcerers, who used cursed energy by circulating it inside their bodies and releasing it outward, Mukuro, due to his Heavenly Restriction, could not contain cursed energy at all. So the gathered energy flowed along the surface of his body, wrapping around him.
He couldn't use it the way others did, to temporarily enhance his body from within. But he didn't need that kind of reinforcement anyway.
Now, however, the situation was different.
Mukuro was possessing Megumi's body, and Megumi's body could contain cursed energy. So the energy gathered through the Human Path poured into the body as a supply. Since it had no owner, it would be overwritten and turned into Megumi's own cursed energy.
There was only one drawback.
Using this ability meant enduring a disgusting sensation that made Mukuro want to vomit. It felt like swallowing those spheres formed from Cursed Spirit Manipulation, like what Suguru did.
Except they couldn't be digested. They just lingered inside, churning endlessly.
Because of that, Mukuro rarely used it. But now, since he was already helping Megumi deal with Mahoraga, he didn't hold back.
* * *
Inside the body.
'Why do I suddenly feel… Ugh!'
Without warning, Megumi's soul began vomiting inside his own inner world.
* * *
At this moment, a dark aura began to leak from Mukuro's right eye, and strange patterns slowly spread across his face.
His presence changed once again.
Unlike Sukuna's overwhelming, pure evil pressure, what radiated from him was something unknown.
A chaotic feeling, as if it could contain everything yet also devour everything. Gentle and oppressive at the same time, just like the contradictions within humans.
'His cursed energy… recovered in an instant?!'
Sukuna, who was rushing toward Mukuro, suddenly froze.
Just a moment ago, the other man was nearly out of cursed energy. Now, it was overflowing.
An immense amount of energy wrapped around his body, and rather than overflowing, it felt more like being forcefully poured in. Cursed energy from nowhere flooded into Megumi's body, filling it completely and spilling outward.
It was like a candle about to go out in the wind. Sukuna had moved forward, ready to snuff it out. But the moment he tried, he realized it wasn't a candle.
It was a sun, blazing without end.
That sheer amount was no less than his own peak state.
"Rabbit Escape… combined with Max Elephant."
Facing Sukuna rushing toward him, Mukuro didn't dodge. Instead, he formed a hand sign.
Rabbit Escape represented numbers and speed. Max Elephant represented power and impact.
Due to their conflicting nature, combining them with an extension technique would cause both to lose their original advantages. So he only took Max Elephant's water-spraying ability.
From the shadow beneath him, countless rabbits surged out like a flood. They were drenched, as if sprayed from an elephant's trunk, forming a massive hand that slammed toward Sukuna.
The ceiling above was shattered and continued collapsing. The five underground levels were already on the verge of merging into one massive pit.
"Cleave!"
Even weak shikigami like Rabbit Escape became dangerous when enhanced by such an overwhelming amount of cursed energy.
Sukuna directly launched a slash forward. Depending on the total cursed energy, the precision of Cleave would adjust accordingly.
At this level, the cut was so precise that it shredded every single rabbit.
Boom!
Blood rained down as thousands of rabbits were reduced to pulp in an instant.
Sukuna couldn't understand why Mukuro was still using such a pointless move. But when he looked over, he saw him forming another hand sign.
"Round Deer."
A deer shikigami over two meters tall appeared beside Mukuro. Its nose gently touched the wound on his cheek, the one caused by Sukuna's earlier slash.
The injury healed rapidly.
"Don't overthink it. I just did this along the way. It doesn't mean your attacks worked."
Looking at Sukuna, who had paused briefly, Mukuro spoke calmly.
With the cursed energy granted by the Human Path, he could easily suppress this shikigami that Megumi had never subdued before. This also made up for the boy's lack of Reverse Cursed Technique.
'This really is fascinating…'
The more Sukuna saw of the Ten Shadows Technique, the more he desired Megumi's body.
But if he didn't kill this guy, the chances of his plan failing would be too high.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, Mahoraga, which had been left buried in rubble, rose again. Its massive leg stepped forward, and its entire body shot toward Sukuna like a meteor.
Even though Sukuna wasn't the one performing the subjugation ritual, Mahoraga remembered that he had been blocking its path all along.
"Both of you… are way too arrogant."
Sukuna glanced around.
Including the train tunnel, the entire underground fifth level had been destroyed. Even the ceiling of the first underground floor above was filled with cracks, ready to collapse at any moment.
"Dismantle."
Instead of attacking them directly, he swung both arms.
Dozens, even hundreds of slashes shot out, striking the already unstable ceilings. The cuts even broke through to the surface, destroying the foundations of multiple buildings above.
Boom!
A chain reaction began.
As a bustling commercial area, Shibuya Station was surrounded by skyscrapers and malls. Under Sukuna's slashes, the ground above started collapsing outward from this point. Similar to stepping hard into a swamp, everything around began sinking toward the center.
Sukuna didn't look back. Behind him, Mahoraga was just about to reach him, but it was buried under falling debris.
"You can die here too."
Everything around them was collapsing, yet Sukuna and Mukuro stood facing each other.
Like two figures standing at the edge of the end of the world, ready to begin the final act.
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