With Megumi Fushiguro's summoning ritual complete, Mahoraga emerged from the shadows, its massive frame bound in strips of white cloth.
"Oh dear. It seems I went a little too far."
Mahito, still in the form of Divine Dog: Totality, muttered to himself as he came to a halt.
At the sight of Mahoraga, Mahito could not help but reflect on whether the overwhelming power he had displayed earlier had led Megumi to conclude that he was an invincible enemy.
Perhaps that sense of despair had pushed Megumi into activating such a suicidal measure.
Or perhaps Mahito had simply overindulged. Would it have been better to end everything swiftly with Domain Expansion instead?
The greater regret, however, lay elsewhere. Earlier, wary of Yuki Tsukumo's strength and wanting to eliminate any possibility of her using her Cursed Technique to trigger a black hole in a suicidal counterattack, Mahito had been forced to use Idle Transfiguration to finish her quickly. In doing so, he had inevitably sacrificed a Cursed Spirit ally.
Because of that, Mahito did not wish to waste Megumi Fushiguro and Noritoshi Kamo. They were talents worth preserving.
From Mahito's perspective, it resembled a game of Othello. Simply killing opponents and clearing them from the board was crude. Converting them and turning them into pieces of his own was far more meaningful.
Although in the original story Mahoraga had never directly fought a Cursed Spirit, the Sword of Extermination was well known. Even without personal experience, Mahito, as a Cursed Spirit, instinctively understood the significance of the Positive Cursed Energy wrapped around that blade.
Furthermore, under Sukuna's control, Mahoraga had been capable of contending with Satoru Gojo. That alone demonstrated its terrifying power.
Yet Mahito did not display the slightest hint of panic.
His response was simple.
He immediately activated Idle Transfiguration and retreated at high speed.
Mahito was not Sukuna. He had no interest in Megumi's body, nor any need to ensure his safety. There was no reason to confront Mahoraga head-on.
Megumi, likewise, was not Sukuna. He had never successfully tamed Mahoraga.
The summoning method was a Multi-Person Exorcism Ritual. As long as Mahito exited Mahoraga's primary hostility range, the shikigami's targets would naturally shift to Megumi and Kamo.
After all, if those precious talents were not destroyed by his own hand, Mahito would feel slightly better about the outcome.
At first, Noritoshi Kamo did not fully understand what Megumi had done.
It was not until Mahoraga fully emerged, revealing the iconic wheel turning above its head, the wing-like protrusions extending from its crown, and the Sword of Extermination in its right hand radiating immense Positive Cursed Energy, that Kamo recognized it.
"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga?"
This was one of the Zenin Clan's ultimate trump cards, a shikigami that had once forced a mutual death with a Six Eyes user from the Gojo Clan. Kamo had no reason to doubt its might.
As a member of one of the Three Great Clans and heir to the Kamo Clan, Noritoshi Kamo possessed extensive knowledge regarding the techniques of the three families, including the Multi-Person Exorcism Ritual within the Ten Shadows Technique.
The Ten Shadows exorcism ritual was far less secretive than the Gojo Clan's Hollow Technique, making such information accessible to him.
Standing beside Megumi, Kamo also understood that he himself had been included as a participant in the ritual Megumi had initiated.
Just as Kamo prepared to follow Megumi's instruction and flee the ritual's effective range immediately, the scene before him left him stunned.
The aggressive "Divine Dog: Totality" that had been facing them suddenly reverted to human form and turned to run.
What was happening?
Had Mahoraga's presence instilled fear in him?
But a Multi-Person Exorcism Ritual could not simply be dismissed.
If the intruder ran away, then that meant the ritual's remaining targets were…
"Fushiguro!"
Kamo shouted.
Megumi heard him, but summoning Mahoraga had nearly drained his Cursed Energy reserves.
His arms fell limply to his sides. Watching Mahito retreat in his transfigured state, Megumi muttered despairingly,
"I messed up…"
He truly had not expected Mahito to retreat so decisively after approaching so close and eliminating two shikigami in succession.
At that moment, Mahoraga attacked.
With a single swing of its massive fist, it struck the demoralized Megumi and sent him flying.
Kamo had not known Megumi long enough to judge whether he was the type to surrender in a moment like this.
"Damn it."
Cursing under his breath, Kamo immediately activated Flowing Red Scale to reinforce his body. He dashed toward where Megumi had been thrown and caught the bloodied boy.
Kamo understood the situation clearly. Mahoraga might be even more terrifying than the "Divine Dog: Totality" they had just faced, but he could not bring himself to abandon Megumi.
As he supported the unconscious Megumi while retreating at full speed, Kamo muttered to himself,
"Fushiguro can summon Mahoraga through the Ten Shadows Technique. With his legitimate lineage, he will eventually return to the Zenin Clan and inherit the position of head. If I become the one who saved the future Zenin Clan head, Mother will surely be pleased."
At this time, Hanami, having finished off Utahime Iori and Yoshinobu Gakuganji, regrouped with Mahito. Glancing at Mahoraga pursuing Megumi and Kamo in the distance, Hanami asked,
"Is it truly fine to leave that thing alone?"
Even from afar, the oppressive presence of Positive Cursed Energy radiating from the Sword of Extermination was unmistakable. For Cursed Spirits, it was a natural nemesis.
Mahito looked at the unharmed Hanami with satisfaction and replied,
"You mean Mahoraga and Megumi Fushiguro? It's fine. Let them be."
"But what if they endure until the Veil falls, and Satoru Gojo intervenes to eliminate Mahoraga and save him?"
Hanami remained uneasy. The pressure from the Sword of Extermination felt even more suffocating to him than facing Gojo directly.
"Even if Satoru Gojo destroys Mahoraga, that doesn't mean Megumi will be able to control it," Mahito replied calmly. "A Multi-Person Exorcism Ritual is inherently irregular. That means if Megumi summons it again in the future, it will still require multiple participants. There is no possibility that a Jujutsu Sorcerer like him can tame Mahoraga through his own strength."
He smiled confidently.
"So it has no impact on us at all."
...
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