Bonus for 100 PS, wasn’t expecting to reach this quite fast, not gonna lie.
Thank you for your support!
In response to that, I am further reducing the amount of PS for the bonus to just 50 PS.
So, based on your turnout, you can get as many chapters as you like.
So bonus goal for this week is:
“What the hell is that…?”
Wind roared past his ears.
Todo had reinforced his body with cursed energy and bulldozed through the devastated forest like an armored truck.
But when he finally reached the source of that horrifying cursed energy, he stopped dead.
The once-lush forest had been completely flattened.
Blackened earth stretched across the ground in a massive circle, while every tree within it had withered into lifeless husks.
And at the center of the scorched ruins stood an enormous pale shikigami.
There was no doubt about it.
That was the source of the ominous cursed energy that had felt powerful enough to tear apart the sky.
But what truly shocked even a battle-hardened Grade 1 sorcerer like Todo wasn’t Mahoraga.
It was the slender figure standing fearlessly in front of it.
And the thing clutched in his hand.
A moment later, lighter footsteps approached from behind.
Todo had been faster because of the difference in cursed energy reinforcement, but Atsushi finally arrived as well.
Thanks to Guardian’s Horn steadily restoring his health, the internal bleeding from his injuries had already eased considerably.
He took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked over the battlefield.
Understanding immediately flashed through his eyes.
The plan worked perfectly.
This is the best possible outcome.
Standing arrogantly and almost casually before the pale shikigami, Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, was someone Atsushi recognized instantly.
Pink hair.
The distinctive black uniform of Tokyo Jujutsu High, complete with its hood.
Itadori Yuji.
No.
The black markings covering his body and the four sinister crimson eyes on his face made the truth obvious.
The one controlling Itadori Yuji’s body right now was the King of Curses himself.
Ryomen Sukuna.
Sukuna wasn’t even standing in a proper fighting stance.
His right arm, covered in black markings, hung casually at his side.
And the object he held in one hand was none other than the severed head of Hanami, the Special Grade cursed spirit who only moments earlier had stood above every student on the battlefield.
It worked.
Just like I thought.
At this point in the timeline, Kenjaku still hasn’t communicated directly with Sukuna.
He knows Sukuna planted a “landmine” somewhere among the Jujutsu High students, but he doesn’t know that landmine is Megumi himself.
That’s why his only order was not to kill any of the students.
He never specifically told us not to push Fushiguro into a corner.
Maybe he assumed Megumi wouldn’t actually summon Mahoraga.
Or maybe he simply didn’t care if Hanami or I got killed by it, as long as his larger plan remained intact.
Either way, Mechamaru’s interference worked perfectly.
He successfully pushed Fushiguro into summoning Mahoraga.
And as a consequence.
Ryomen Sukuna had been forced onto the board early.
Looks like he used his slashing technique to cut off Hanami’s head and save the curse from being completely destroyed by the positive energy of the Sword of Extermination.
At the center of the battlefield, Sukuna’s four crimson eyes swept coldly across the area.
Then they settled on Mahoraga, which stood before him like an immovable mountain.
A grin of genuine interest appeared on his face.
“That guy…”
Todo stood in front of Atsushi like a wall of muscle, staring at the King of Curses facing Mahoraga across the ruined battlefield.
“That overwhelming cursed energy…”
“That’s Ryomen Sukuna…”
Even Todo seemed to feel unprecedented pressure in the presence of those two monsters.
“Yeah.”
Atsushi finished reviewing the situation in his head and walked up beside Todo.
“That’s him.”
Todo’s attention remained fixed on the battle ahead.
“Why is he carrying that cursed spirit’s head?”
He narrowed his eyes.
“I can still feel cursed energy coming from it.
It’s not dead.”
“What exactly is he doing…?”
“Oh, that.”
Atsushi looked toward Sukuna.
“Fushiguro’s Ten Shadows Technique forcibly dragged that cursed spirit into the taming ritual with him.”
“Fushiguro himself was probably already beaten to the brink of death by Mahoraga.”
“But because the ritual hasn’t ended yet, he’s essentially suspended in a state between life and death.”
Atsushi paused, then pointed toward Hanami’s severed head, still leaking purple cursed blood from Sukuna’s hand.
“If Hanami dies too, the taming ritual ends immediately.”
“And the moment that happens, Fushiguro dies for real.”
Todo finally turned his head and gave Atsushi a long, meaningful look.
“You know an awful lot about the Zenin Clan’s inherited technique.”
“You’re definitely connected to one of the Three Great Families, aren’t you?”
Atsushi merely shrugged and gave no answer.
“So…”
A clear female voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Ryomen Sukuna is protecting Fushiguro Megumi?”
The disbelief in her tone was obvious.
Before either of them could turn around, hurried footsteps and rustling leaves approached from behind.
A petite but confident figure strode straight past them.
Bright orange hair cut short.
A slightly disheveled black Jujutsu High uniform.
And several long nails infused with cursed energy clenched tightly in one hand, her palm damp with tension.
Kugisaki Nobara.
So she made it here too.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Nobara ran a frustrated hand through her hair, confusion written all over her face.
“Ryomen Sukuna doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of guy who’d go around saving people.”
She clicked her tongue.
“And this is such a pain.
My phone has no signal, so I can’t contact anyone outside.”
“Which asshole put up this Curtain?”
“Kugisaki.”
Atsushi spoke before she could continue.
“You’re Itadori Yuji’s classmate, right?”
“How many of Sukuna’s fingers has he eaten so far?”
“His fingers?”
Nobara tilted her head.
“If I’m remembering correctly, Fushiguro said three.”
A thought seemed to occur to her.
“Wait.
Are you saying Sukuna with only three fingers can’t beat that thing?”
She pointed toward Mahoraga.
“And what even is that ugly bastard?
One of Fushiguro’s shikigami?”
Three…
No.
Technically four.
One of Sukuna’s fingers had already been sealed inside Yuji from birth because of Kenjaku.
But even counting that one, the current Sukuna only had the cursed energy of roughly four fingers.
That wasn’t enough to defeat Mahoraga.
During the Shibuya Incident, the Sukuna who defeated Mahoraga had the power of fifteen fingers, effectively sixteen if the finger sealed in Yuji from birth was counted.
And there was another important difference.
In Shibuya, Itadori Yuji had completely lost control of his body.
That meant Sukuna could fight without restraint.
He could open Malevolent Shrine with no concern for collateral damage and turn everyone within range into pieces.
But things were different now.
Sukuna might currently control Itadori’s body, but if he tried to open his Domain and slaughter everyone across the Goodwill Event grounds, Yuji would immediately fight to regain control.
Even if Sukuna had some way to keep Fushiguro safe, he still couldn’t freely use his highest-output techniques.
Malevolent Shrine.
His flames.
Anything on that level.
And if he relied only on his slashing attacks.
Mahoraga would eventually adapt to them.
With those thoughts in mind, Atsushi briefly explained Mahoraga’s nature to Nobara.
“A suicide summon?”
Nobara’s eyes went wide.
“Seriously?”
“That spiky-haired idiot has something that dangerous in his technique?!”
Then she suddenly stopped.
Her eyes shifted toward Atsushi.
“Wait.”
“Who the hell are you?”
(To be continued.)