Chapter 24

Earlier…

Uraume took him to an abandoned warehouse in Tokyo by the water. There, forty sorcerers were awaiting him, instantly, the prostrated before him.

"HAIL LORD SUKUNA!"

He never gets tired of that.

He then walked deeper into the warehouse where he heard a child whimpering. "I want to go home! I want my papa!"

When Sukuna stood before him, the child's tears stopped. "Uba? Uba came to save me!" he asked with a smile.

Sukuna, bore a devious grin back. "I'm the one who arranged this," he said and laughed rather wickedly as the child's smile instantly dropped. "You should have listened to your father, brat!"

Uraume then led him to a rather large chair and a dining table. "I hope master is hungry, I made your favourite." They said with a grin.

He sat at his seat and anticipated the meal.

"Why, Uba… I thought you were my friend!" the boy was still going on about that?

"I never was, brat. If anything my plan worked perfectly. I made you think I was, didn't I? I can be quite convincing when I want something…"

"What… what do you want from me?"

He began to place his napkin over his lap, his chopsticks at the ready as his smile grew. "Your father and so called Uncle have bounded me to this body. I cannot take my own life, yet if I were to die, I would have some time to wait until I regain a body… but, every so often, a vessel appears, like you for example. One in a million… just like your father." The boy's eyes widened in shock. "He was my vessel once before, until that Tooru interfered. But now, I have a new one. I am quite confident I can over power you with ease, granted, a little young, but I waited a thousand years to gain a body… I can wait fifteen for it to mature…"

The boy froze, realizing what was happening. Then, he was terrified. The monk he had befriended at the temple was wheeled out on a butcher's hook to Sukuna, half of his body had been slew for the feast to come, but he made certain the brat saw what became of the kind monk.

"HE WORSHIPPED YOU LIKE A HERO!" the brat cried out. "How could you do something like that!"

"Easily, his life meant nothing to me!" he laughed aloud.

Then the dishes were placed before him.

"Ah, master, before you eat, we need to prepare…" one of his legions whispered.

"Right, right…" he muttered.

Sukuna put all the curse energy he could summon into a single pinkie finger, it would be easier for the brat to swallow than a larger one. When he felt it was enough, he severed the digit and placed it aside and grew a new one. "I want my meal first, and I'LL be the one to ensure the brat consumes it!"

The minion lowered his head as he took the finger off to the side.

His eyes set on the feast before him. The leg meat was always the most plentiful in his mind, as well, it was some of the firmer flesh to obtain and hold its form when cooking. With great anticipation, he took the first piece off the plate, teasing his tongue as it hung on the edge.

Then, with great relish, it was placed into his mouth.

The texture, the flavour and tenderness was the same as he could remember…

PTUI

Sukuna spat it out in disgust.

The room froze.

Sukuna himself froze.

"Master?" Uraume asked with worry. "Is… is it not to your taste? I assure you, this monk was fresh…"

He tried to take another piece, but once more, he couldn't bring himself to swallow it! He spat it out again and again, despite his desperation to eat it, he even used the mouth on his stomach, but it reacted the same and refused the meat!

What the hell is going on!?

"Perhaps it's the collar…" he muttered.

Slowly, he stood up from his table. "I have waited long enough, bring the finger, and when the boy consumes this, I need to be stabbed in the heart. I can only enter the vessel if this body is dead, understood!" he demanded.

His legions nodded.

He then turned to Uraume. "It wasn't you, it's me. Your cooking has not dampened in these many years… but I need you to leave as we prepare for the next phase."

They were stunned, but nodded. Uraume was quick to excuse themselves and left that very moment.

"Master…" one approached him with a silver plate, the finger rested on it as he stared down at the boy.

He trembled, shook his head and tried to keep his mouth as closed as possible. "Don't resist brat, besides… you are going to obtain great power… well… not really, I'll destroy you consciousness and soul and take your body for myself…" Sukuna said with a sickening grin.

He turned for a moment. "Who has the blade?"

The strongest in the room did, and stood at the ready. "The moment this brat swallows the cursed object, make sure you land your mark!"

GULP

The room paused oddly.

Sukuna paused oddly, his lower arms… acted on their own. The lower left one held back the boy's head and his other clasped over the brat's mouth.

"The deed is done…" the minion said.

The dagger was plunged into his heart. Sukuna felt that rather oddly…

why…

why was he happy he failed?!

He felt a sense of relief fall upon him that he failed, for in his right dominate hand was the finger he was suppose to force feed the brat to…

#

He awoke.

Sukuna was anticipating the beating, and yet, he didn't think Tooru would save him like that. But, when he woke for the second time, he was hung in the air, bounded by the hair of the brat and knock off. Dragon hair… impossible to break without cutting your own body to bits.

He didn't do anything about it, all his curse energy went into the severed finger. Where that finger went too, he didn't know and at the moment, he didn't care. But… things were starting to come to his mind once more. Things he never thought he would think of.

"Is the kid okay?" he asked himself, but then froze. "What the hell would I care if he was or not!"

There was something festering in his stomach too, a sensation he hasn't felt before… or perhaps in years. But he didn't understand to what it was. It didn't matter anyway.

All he knows is that he is going to die, the brat and knock off won't let him live after an incident like that. Perhaps it was for the better, and yet… once more his mind was thinking of strange things.

In the time he was hanging there, bounded and awaiting his punishment. Sukuna would normally plan his next move, he could wait for another vessel to come and what not, but that wasn't the first thing that came to his mind at all. He… felt oddly pleased with what he did, his heart was beating an odd way too. Why? He didn't know or care at this point.

Besides, perhaps this joyous feeling he was experience was simple.

That damn heart will come to a stop soon enough and he won't have to endure its stupid rhythm again!