"Divine Dog!"
In the lobby of the juvenile detention center, pitch-black shadows churned beneath Megumi Fushiguro's feet. They rose and took shape in mid-air like molding clay, eventually forming two wolf-like shikigami—one black, one white.
Megumi released his hand sign and explained, "My Divine Dogs can distinguish between human and cursed spirit scents. They can also track the flow of cursed energy. Follow them, and we'll find the victims."
Yuji's eyes instantly lit up.
"That's perfect, Fushiguro! You're actually useful!"
He flashed a thumbs-up. Megumi accepted the praise without changing expression.
"Yeah. Let's not waste time."
"Awooo—"
The two shikigami let out low barks and bolted deeper into the building.
"Move out!"
The detention center was crawling with low-level cursed spirits, drawn by the Special Grade Cursed Womb's presence. They clustered together, interfering with the Divine Dogs' tracking—a real nuisance.
But for the current Yuji Itadori, they were nothing more than speed bumps to be cleared with a single punch.
Squelch!
BANG—!
After dispatching a purplish-blue insect-like curse with two hits, Yuji and Megumi found the first trapped victim in a storage room.
A pale-faced boy had barricaded the door with wooden crates and was huddled in the corner, shaking.
"It's okay! We're getting you out!"
Yuji reached out and pulled him from the room.
With Yuji taking point and clearing the path, their progress was remarkably smooth. In less than ten minutes, they'd rescued three victims.
One of them—a boy named Tadashi Okazaki—was the son of the mother who'd been crying outside the gate.
The moment Yuji and Megumi brought him out, the woman who'd been waiting in the rain for over three hours rushed forward, tears streaming down her face.
"Tadashi—!"
"Mom!"
Mother and son embraced tightly in the cold rain.
"Thank goodness... thank goodness you're okay... thank goodness..."
Yuji stood a few steps away, quietly watching the scene. A warm feeling spread through his chest.
"Let's go, Itadori. We're running out of time. Two people are still inside, and that Cursed Womb's aura is getting stranger by the minute."
"..."
The two turned and rushed back into the gloomy, oppressive building. Rainwater dripped from their hair and uniforms. Their hurried footsteps echoed through the dead-silent halls.
But unlike before, when they pushed open a door on the second floor—
Squelch—
The sound of something dissolving. Megumi glanced back.
The door behind them had vanished.
"...?"
"What's going on?"
The hallway they'd just entered was gone. Before them stretched an eerie, multi-level structure—endless pipes, rough yellowish-gray concrete walls, overlapping rooms. The architecture crisscrossed in maze-like patterns, radiating an indescribably wrong feeling.
"...An incomplete Domain. The Cursed Womb must have completed its initial evolution. It's instinctively deployed a Domain."
This is bad. We're really in trouble now.
Domain Expansion was the pinnacle of jujutsu. Among modern sorcerers, those who could deploy one were few and far between.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Megumi's forehead. The hot blood that had surged through him moments ago was extinguished by cruel reality.
"Itadori, we need to run! Maybe we can find a way to escape—"
Before he could finish, a figure caught the corner of his eye.
No—not a figure. The thing he saw wasn't human.
A humanoid curse with deathly pale skin. Nearly three meters tall. Bulging muscles laced with pulsing veins. A gaping hole in its chest where a Sukuna finger resided.
It had appeared beside them without a sound.
Megumi hadn't sensed its approach at all. Its massive body nearly broke through the ceiling above. Two walnut-sized eyes locked onto him.
In that instant, an indescribable pressure crushed down on Megumi Fushiguro. The blood in his veins turned to ice.
I can't move... damn it...
Special Grade...?
We're on completely different levels...
Cold sweat erupted across his face. Fear paralyzed his legs. He could only watch helplessly as the cursed spirit raised a fist larger than his head and swung it toward his skull.
At the last possible moment, Yuji Itadori tackled him—
BOOM—!
The attack missed, smashing into the concrete floor where they'd stood. Cracks spread outward like a spiderweb, racing across the ground.
Megumi slammed against the wall from the impact of Yuji's tackle. He grunted but quickly steadied himself. As he rose, both of them felt the entire building shudder from that single punch. Gravel and debris rained from the ceiling.
"Fushiguro, go. Find the remaining two. Leave this one to me."
Megumi stared at him in disbelief. "Are you insane?! That's a Special Grade! You alone—"
"Listen to me. This is the cursed spirit's Domain. I specialize in close combat. You specialize in shikigami. We won't coordinate well in here. If you stay, neither of us can fight at full strength. I might not be able to beat this thing solo, but I can buy time."
The truth was, Megumi would only hinder him. In a fight against a Special Grade, it would be nearly impossible to avoid catching him in the crossfire.
"But you—"
"Don't worry. I've got insurance. If I can't win, I'll let that guy out."
That guy meant Sukuna.
"I..."
"No time to hesitate! Go! Find them!"
Yuji shoved Megumi's shoulder hard.
The black-haired boy stumbled. Seeing the pink-haired boy's unwavering resolve, even the usually proud Fushiguro couldn't help but feel a swell of respect.
He gritted his teeth—then turned and sprinted toward the distant passage without looking back.
"Itadori—don't die!"
"...Heh. He's finally gone."
Yuji chuckled and let out a breath.
Meanwhile, the Special Grade cursed spirit had noticed Megumi's attempt to escape.
Curses were born from human negative emotions—fear, anger, sorrow. The instinct to kill was hardwired into this creature's brain.
The Special Grade clapped its hands together. A golden energy sphere materialized between its palms. Violent cursed energy compressed into a ball, and even the simple release of power generated substantial wind pressure.
The curse raised its arm and hurled the blast at Megumi's retreating back!
But at the critical moment, Yuji intercepted.
The pink-haired boy crossed his arms in front of his chest. The energy blast detonated against him.
BOOM—!
Dust billowed outward. His clothes were torn apart by the explosion, revealing scorch marks on the skin beneath.
For Yuji Itadori, though, injuries like this were barely a tickle.
"Heh heh."
He took a half-step back and assumed a fighting stance. Far from nervous, a relaxed grin spread across his face.
"I can elbow you with Black Flashes all day."
"...?"
While Yuji and the Special Grade faced off, a rat cursed spirit hid beneath a pile of rubble, dark eyes recording everything.
Five hundred meters outside the detention center, on a rooftop.
Kenjaku watched closely.
"The show has finally started. Heh heh."
The man with the stitched forehead smiled.
"Domain Expansion..."
Inside the detention center, Yuji formed a one-handed sign and chanted with conviction.
An overwhelming surge of cursed energy pressure descended—so intense that even the Special Grade in front of him involuntarily took a step back.
"...Wait?!"
Outside, Kenjaku shot to his feet. The smile vanished from his face.
Domain Expansion?
This kid learned such an advanced barrier technique already?!
"...?"
Meanwhile, Sukuna inside Yuji's body also stood abruptly.
You're telling me this brat learned Domain Expansion? How is that possible?!
"Black Flash—Octagon!"
As Yuji chanted the final words, a pitch-black barrier unfurled above his head like a curtain, enveloping the building where he and the Special Grade stood.
"..."
The moment Kenjaku clearly saw what Yuji's so-called "Domain" actually was, he sat back down.
His face went dark.
That's just a normal Curtain. What kind of Domain Expansion—giving it such an exaggerated name.
Sukuna, inside Yuji's body, also realized he'd been played. His expression soured.
"This kid is a complete idiot..."
"...Heh heh."
The corners of Yuji's mouth curled into a confident arc.
His overall strength was indeed far inferior to the Special Grade before him.
But his efficiency in utilizing cursed energy—his precise control honed over sixty-eight years—was more than enough to close the gap.
An irritated expression twisted the Special Grade's face. It clapped its hands together again, preparing another energy blast.
But Yuji was faster.
Before the curse could finish charging, the pink-haired boy had already closed the distance.
He twisted his waist and hips, raising his clenched right fist. Every ounce of strength in his body—every drop of cursed energy flowing through his limbs—poured into that single strike.
Zzzt—!
A sharp, crackling sound. The deep blue cursed energy coating Yuji's fist began to shift color. The violent energy dispersed, then coalesced into streaks of pitch-black lightning.
"Black Flash!"
BANG—!!!