Chapter 64 — You Open a Domain in Front of Me?
"Do it like this — that'll make the brat regret it."
"Hey, let's go together and kill that brat. Follow me."
Sukuna hatched a plan and strode out, beckoning the curse to follow. The curse, however, wasn't bright — it didn't even respond to speech. At the first sign of danger in Sukuna's aura it leapt away.
The special-grade glared at Sukuna's retreating back, then brought its palms together. A concentrated ball of cursed energy built up between its hands.
"Ha—!"
It hurled the pure cursed-energy sphere at Sukuna in a sneak attack.
"Idiot."
Sukuna glanced back, snapped his severed arm into place, and unconsciously used Reverse Cursed Technique to mend Yuji's limb.
The cursed-energy ball smashed into Sukuna's palm and dispersed like it had hit a barrier.
"Damn — I healed that arm too."
Sukuna, realizing what had just happened, grew annoyed.
"Aaah!" the special-grade cried in panic.
This newly born special-grade had never seen anything like it. It didn't even fully understand techniques yet; it couldn't comprehend that Sukuna could block its strongest strike with a single hand.
"Don't you like a walk?"
Sukuna put his hands in his pockets and looked casually at the humanoid curse. "Curses usually stay near where they're born, right? Except the very strong ones."
"Then go die."
In a blur, Sukuna struck. The special-grade was slammed into the ground, a bridge of debris collapsed — and in an instant the creature's limbs were severed and pinned to the wall.
"Curses — you don't know, do you? We're all special-grade too."
Sukuna toyed with the thing. Even among special-grades there are tiers: despite Sukuna currently only having the power of two fingers, he could still crush this newborn special-grade.
"Grah—!"
The special-grade strained, forcing its severed limbs to writhe and, astonishingly, they regrew.
"Heh heh!"
Healed, it sprang at Sukuna with a grin.
"Well then, aren't you happy? Want me to praise you?" Sukuna taunted. "Too bad — unlike humans, healing isn't some miracle for curses. Your understanding of what a curse is? Nonexistent."
"Since that's the case, while I can move, I'll teach you."
Sukuna calmly formed hand seals at his chest. "This is what a true curse is."
"Domain Expansion—"
"BOOM!!"
Before Sukuna could properly show the newborn special-grade how to use its curse, a ripping sound cut through the air.
A spear tip sliced space itself with sonic cracks and in a single instant impaled the special-grade's head. Its body was pinned to the wall.
"AAAH!!!"
The creature screamed and clawed at the spear shaft, but the force that rode the spear had already destroyed its brain — resistance vanished in a heartbeat.
"Almost got you first — glad I arrived in time."
Shinsuke had appeared just before Sukuna's strike landed. He stood over the corpse, removed a Sukuna finger embedded in the creature's chest, and the instant he did, the curse burst into purple-blue flame and burned away to nothing.
Shinsuke frowned as he pulled up the weapon. "What's going on?"
His scripture had not absorbed any cursed energy. The creature had given him no vital Aura or blood power. He stared at the Sukuna finger in his hand and mulled it over. "Could it be because of that finger…?"
This special-grade had been birthed by a Sukuna finger. If killing such creatures produced Aura-blood benefits, Shinsuke could have spawned and slaughtered them repeatedly. But it seemed the ones spawned this way were useless to him.
"So, these manufactured ones are worthless? What a piece of trash." He muttered that he'd been wasting his time.
"Swish!"
A transparent slash sliced from behind. Shinsuke moved back a hair; the blade missed and cut a deep crack in the wall.
"Don't get so worked up — you only lost one prey, right?" a voice drawled.
Shinsuke turned with a small smile.
"Tch. Not just some ordinary human, huh?"
Sukuna had noticed something about Shinsuke — the man was not a normal sorcerer. "Is that some Curse Binding?" Sukuna mused. "Weird."
He studied Shinsuke and quickly guessed a secret about his body. "Hmm, looks like a Body-and-Curse-Binding user. Curious."
Sukuna was intrigued and wanted a real fight, but he also figured the kid inside (Yuji) should be back in control by now.
Sukuna stood with his hands shoved into his pockets, looking utterly indifferent. That brat had tricked him this time — fine. He'd just return the favor later.
"Brat, you can come out now."
He shut his eyes, waiting for Itadori to resurface.
But after a long silence, nothing happened.
"…Brat?"
"Stop shouting. He's probably passed out. For now, this body's yours to control."
Shinsuke spoke slowly, his tone calm.
This incident had hit Itadori hard, especially mentally. He likely hadn't recovered yet.
"Oh?" Sukuna's grin widened into something twisted. "You sure about that?"
So, it was finally his time to act freely?
"Then I'll start with you." Sukuna's eyes glinted as he turned to Shinsuke, his smile turning feral. "After that, I'll kill this brat's friends."
His hands moved to his chest. "Domain Exp—"
"You think I'm an idiot?"
Shinsuke's figure flickered like a blur, suddenly appearing right in front of Sukuna. His long leg lashed out like a whip.
BOOM!!
The grin on Sukuna's face hadn't even faded before the devastating kick connected. His arm and several ribs snapped in an instant.
He was blasted away like a cannonball, smashing through wall after wall until he was hurled outside.
—
Outside, in the pouring rain, Fushiguro and Kugisaki stood in the alley, eyes locked on the cursed building.
"The innate domain… it's gone! The special-grade was exorcised!"
"That's great! So we just wait for the old man and Itadori to come out, right?" Kugisaki finally let out a breath of relief.
Special-grade curses were terrifying — too terrifying.
KRASH!!!
Just as they relaxed, a thunderous crash shook the ground. A figure was sent hurtling out of the building and slammed into the street.
The pavement split open into a jagged trench, and the figure lay crumpled in the debris, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Itadori?!" Kugisaki screamed, about to rush forward.
"Get back! That's not Itadori!"
Fushiguro yanked her back just in time, retreating several steps. His face was grim.
"That's not Yuji anymore. That's a curse… the special-grade curse—Ryomen Sukuna!"
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