"Construction Cursed Technique, Black Tide!"
With a sharp cry from Yorozu, torrents of liquid metal manifested from nothingness and surged toward Toji like writhing tentacles.
Yorozu's Construction Cursed Technique allowed her to recreate and manipulate any substance she had seen, excluding special grade Cursed Tools. The material formed from her Cursed Energy could even remain permanently.
Now, she commanded the metallic tide in a relentless barrage, striking at Toji as he moved.
But Toji Fushiguro's speed was monstrous. He ricocheted across the battlefield like a projectile, each step detonating with sonic force.
"What kind of monster is this?"
It was the first time Yorozu had faced an opponent like him.
He possessed no Cursed Energy, yet his body was honed to the extreme. Every muscle carried explosive strength.
In a brief lapse of focus, Toji closed the distance. The Inverted Spear of Heaven flashed.
Yorozu hastily constructed a metal shield to intercept the strike.
The impact thundered through the barrier. The vibration traveled straight into her body.
Bang!
She was launched backward, crashing into the stone wall with crushing force.
Toji stepped forward to finish it, but Yorozu's furious voice rang out.
"Enough, you wild monkey! Let me show you a true Cursed Technique!"
The liquid metal flowed over her body like living armor, assembling piece by piece.
It formed an Insect Armor.
A locust's head, wasp wings, cricket hind legs, mantis forelimbs. Insects could lift many times their own weight, leap extraordinary distances, endure extreme strain, and move with terrifying speed. Scaled to human size, they would be monsters.
Her armor embodied that concept.
Toji recalled what Gojo Shion had mentioned about it. The Insect Armor granted the wearer the proportional physicality of an insect, elevating them into a superhuman state.
Toji grinned, eyes sharp with excitement.
"Interesting. Let's see whose body is stronger."
"Die!"
Yorozu launched forward. Her hind legs compressed and released like coiled springs. She vanished, leaving only afterimages.
Toji did not evade. He met her head on.
Their collision echoed like cannon fire. They separated, only to kick off surrounding walls and clash again in midair.
This was no exchange of techniques. It was a contest of raw physical supremacy.
From afar, Megumi watched in shock.
He could not track them at all.
Only the bursts of sparks and deafening impacts proved the fight was still ongoing.
"So Dad is this strong?"
The battle escalated. The structure around them began to collapse. The battlefield turned into a grinder. Stray Cursed Spirits wandered too close and were torn apart instantly.
Megumi leapt onto Divine Dog and escaped the collapsing space, retreating beneath the Eighty Eight Bridge.
Boom!
Two figures burst through the ground.
Toji looked battered, steam rising from his body, but his grin widened. It had been a long time since he enjoyed a fight like this.
Across from him, Yorozu's Insect Armor had shattered, revealing half her face. She was breathing hard, staring at him as if he were inhuman.
He had overwhelmed the armor with nothing but his own body.
As the fight dragged on, Toji gained the advantage. The armor was powerful, but Yorozu still bore the strain of acceleration and impact. Over time, her body could not endure it.
Toji's body, by contrast, was complete in itself. Muscles, bones, organs, all refined through Heavenly Restriction.
Artificial enhancement could never surpass innate perfection.
And in skill, Yorozu, dormant for nearly a thousand years, was hopelessly outmatched.
Shink.
Toji swept past her, carving a deep slash across her chest.
"Damn it!"
Yorozu steadied herself, eyes sharpening.
"It seems I have no choice."
Her hands came together. Surging Cursed Energy condensed into a massive black sphere.
"Domain Expansion, Threefold Affliction!"
The sphere engulfed them instantly.
Outside, Megumi froze.
He released all his available shikigami at once. Black and White Divine Dogs, Toad, Nue, and Great Serpent.
He had seen Satoru use a domain before. This was no incomplete imitation. This was a true Domain Expansion.
Inside a domain, the sure hit effect made survival nearly impossible.
Satoru had once explained that a domain's interior was incredibly durable, but the exterior was comparatively fragile.
Megumi prepared to break it from outside.
Before he could act, a sharp crack resounded.
The black sphere fractured like glass.
In the next instant, it shattered completely.
Megumi stood speechless.
Toji walked out slowly, expression calm. Yorozu stood inside, stunned.
"You... what did you do?"
Toji raised the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
"This Cursed Tool nullifies any Cursed Technique. A domain is still a technique."
Yorozu stared at the weapon in disbelief.
"You had that and chose not to use it?"
"I wanted to test your Construction Cursed Technique."
Her expression twisted with fury.
"I'm done testing," Toji said. "You can die now."
He vanished and reappeared before her, spear already descending.
Having just used Domain Expansion, Yorozu suffered cursed technique burnout. She could not activate Construction.
She could not outrun him either.
The spear fell.
Her body split cleanly in two.
As she collapsed, a shadow crossed her fading consciousness.
"Ah… I cannot continue loving you. From now on, you will be alone again."
Toji scoffed.
"Alone? You misunderstand."
"The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, seeks absolute freedom. He lives as he pleases. Your love was nothing but delusion."
Yorozu's face twisted in rage.
"You wild monkey! As long as I prove my love to Lord Sukuna, I will stand by his side! You know nothing…"
Her voice faded with her dissolving body.
Toji watched without emotion.
"Pathetic."
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