"Lord Sukuna...?"
Seeing Sukuna return in such a battered state, Uraume froze on the spot.
"What in the world... how..."
"There's no need to worry, Uraume. Wounds like this are nothing to me."
That wasn't the point.
Of course, his opponent Takamura was also covered in wounds, seemingly critically injured, but Uraume had never even imagined Sukuna would end up looking like that.
"I had a truly enjoyable fight for the first time in a long while. He was an incredible guy."
Sukuna, with a satisfied expression, treated his wounds and pointed at the fallen Takamura.
"If that guy dies, I won't have a chance to fight at this level again. For now, I'll have to keep him alive. While I'm at it, I'll ask his name too."
"There's something strange here. If there was someone with this level of strength, there's no way we wouldn't know... Where on earth did this one pop out from..."
"Have I ever cared about something like that? Whatever it is, he satisfied me. That's all that matters."
Although Uraume expressed doubt, Sukuna shook his head as if he had no interest.
"Then... what do you plan to do with him going forward?"
"I'll make him my close associate, like you. He's too valuable to let go like this."
"...Understood. If that is Lord Sukuna's will."
Uraume nodded. Having another close associate wasn't exactly pleasing, but he couldn't voice any more complaints.
'...Those crazy bastards. What are they talking about? We were just fighting like that a moment ago.'
The man himself, Takamura, however, seemed to have no intention of going along with it.
.....
Two months had passed since the decisive battle with Ryomen Sukuna.
'How did it end up like this...'
Takamura couldn't understand this situation at all.
From the monsters—no, the Curses—that appeared right after he possessed this body, to the meeting and battle with Sukuna, everything that had happened so far was far beyond his common sense.
On top of that, having become Sukuna's close associate, he was now stuck accompanying him everywhere.
'Well, it's better than dying...'
Of course, he initially tried to refuse the offer, but not knowing how Sukuna might react if he refused—and thinking he might be able to extract information about this place from Sukuna—he decided to accept for now.
According to the information he'd gathered so far, this place was Japan, and the era was Heian. It was an era so distant he'd have to go back over a thousand years from the time he lived.
As mentioned before, the unidentified monsters that attacked him were called "Curses" and were born from Cursed Energy.
Also, he was apparently one of those called "Sorcerers" who could use Jujutsu.
He didn't know why Takamura, a former killer, could use Jujutsu, but... well, it didn't really matter.
He accompanied Sukuna and Uraume, visiting various places. He was invited to a festival held in Heian-kyo, and they traveled across the country, fighting against renowned strong individuals.
Honestly, it wasn't very enjoyable.
If he had to pick just one thing he enjoyed, it might sound random, but it was the food.
Uraume was quite skilled at cooking, so thanks to that, he got to eat a lot of delicious things. Apparently, Uraume was initially brought along to serve as a substitute refrigerator. But upon discovering his talent for cooking, Sukuna appointed him as the chef.
Considering he satisfied even the picky Sukuna, his skills were proven.
Once, curious about why Sukuna hadn't killed him and instead made him a close associate, he asked.
Sukuna replied like this:
"I needed someone to alleviate my boredom. You were perfect for it."
...He knew he was crazy from the start, but this guy was far crazier than he had imagined.
Seems like even after fighting him to exhaustion, it still wasn't enough. Whenever he had a chance, Sukuna would challenge him to a fight. And he desperately swung his sword to survive.
But ironically, the more they fought, the more he felt his skills improving. Was this what they meant by "a blessing in disguise"?
Before he knew it, he could properly handle Cursed Energy. And he also became aware of the Innate Technique dwelling within him.
Not stopping there, Sukuna began teaching him theories on various difficult Jujutsu, like the use of Binding Vows, Reverse Cursed Technique, and Domain Expansion. It seemed he was trying to elevate his abilities for an even more satisfying fight.
It felt strange, like Sukuna had become his teacher.
Honestly, he wanted to quit, but this was much better than fighting that battle maniac all day long.
Besides, it felt a bit odd to say it himself, but thanks to having considerable talent, he was able to deploy an incomplete Domain by the third week of learning, and he also managed to grasp Reverse Cursed Technique without too much difficulty.
Around this time, his name began to spread among the public.
Compared to Sukuna—perhaps judging him as more manageable—a bounty was placed on his head, leading to constant pursuers targeting him, or Sorcerers would ambush him when he was separated from Sukuna.
He repelled them all.
As a result, he was given the grandiose title "Demon Sword ."
Apparently, his sword swings were like witnessing a demon.
Uraume also had a title, "Frozen Star ," but he wondered why they needed to attach titles when they could just call them by their names.
"Takamura. Lord Sukuna is looking for you."
"....."
At Uraume's words, he nodded and headed toward Sukuna.
It was obvious he was going to ask for another fight.
How long would it drag on this time...
Just imagining a long fight ahead made his body tremble already.
Anyway, it had been about two months since he ended up in the Heian era.
He felt like he had more or less succeeded in adapting to this time.
Meanwhile.
"Takamura the Demon Sword . A sorcerer I'm hearing of for the first time. Was there a guy like this?"
"Young Master. Your meal is ready."
The man called Young Master took the meal from the servant and soon fell into thought.
'...If he's worth keeping alive and bringing along by Sukuna, he must have some skill. Judging by the drawing, he looks quite old. Is that why there's a bounty on him? Anyway. Foolish ones. There's a reason they say veterans know no defeat.'
I was planning to visit soon anyway. Since it's come to this, I should verify the skills of this guy Takamura too. Depending on his skill, I might need to revise my plans.
Sukuna. I'll come to you with an interesting proposal soon. Wait for me.
The man rose from his seat, closed the book he was reading, and stepped outside.
The man's name is Kenjaku. The name he currently uses is Izumi Tatechi.
A sorcerer who has existed since the Nara period, he continues his activities by switching bodies using his Innate Technique that steals others' bodies.
His purpose for continuing his activities for so long is something no one will ever know.