Chapter 45

The day arrived.

It was strange to see everyone gathering once more, but he hoped and prayed it wasn't for his own execution. Yuuji had gone over everything in his mind last night, his plan needs to work… it has to work…

He decided if he were going to battle, he would do so in comfort. Wearing his favorite pair of shorts, his best sneakers and nothing more. It's not like his shirt would have lasted anyways with the barrage of attacks he will be enduring.

The battle will take place in the same spot where he was to have been executed. Yuuji was about to walk out there alone to it, when his friends and Sensei stood at his dorm waiting for him. "You ready?" Fushiguro asked.

He merely nodded his head.

Nobara hugged him tightly. She whispered. "Please, don't be reckless!"

But, he will have to be against the king of curses.

He was stunned as his sensei said nothing to him, he just smiled as the four of them walked out the doors and to the designated area.

Both schools were here to witness the battle. The elders too had gathered to see what would become of him. "I hope to make you all proud…" Yuuji said to his friends.

Fushiguro patted his shoulder before joining the others. Nobara nodded as she joined him, Gojo sensei remained at his side until the clouds began to darken.

Kitsune appeared before the masses. Then, there was a powerful strike of lighting!

Another appeared, and it looked more like Anubis than anything else! "Before you, is the judge of the dead!" Kitsune announced. She turned and lowered her head to him. Yuuji felt obligated to go on his knees and pay proper respects to the judge of the contest.

When he rose again, the ground trembled, the darkness continued to consume the light as Anubis took out a staff and struck the earth once.

The ground cracked open, hellfire erupted as he appeared before them.

Sukuna.

He possessed his four arms and two faces… he is at his peek in power. Sukuna stretched himself out as he looked about to the masses. "Ah, you were going to make this easy for me huh? I half expected that none of you would have come… would have made hunting you down a lot harder…"

Kitsune cleared her voice. "The rules of the contest!" she announced. "Both will be battling until the judge has deemed the contest over. The victor will choose their reward as well as punishment for the fallen. In this contest, there is NO outside interference, nor is there a way to harm the witnesses during battle…"

"Suck the fun out of that for me…" Sukuna said, but his smile remained on his face. He peered at Itadori and his grin grew. "Looks like I don't have to make much improvements to the body after I win… took a liking to it didn't you boy?" he asked and laughed aloud.

"Fuck you," Yuuji hissed.

"Oh come on brat, you tasted my power and now… you enjoy it… admit it, it's the only reason why you have become a demon!"

Yuuji kept silent, but his glare intensified.

"Yuuji…" he heard sensei Gojo said gently behind him. He turned and saw him smile. "After you win, we're getting Korean BBQ, all you can eat." He said in an encouraging tone.

Yuuji smiled. Sukuna however sneered. "You're going to be the first one I kill!"

"I'm flattered… really" Gojo snickered as he rejoined the others.

Kitsune turned to the two. "Both of you, do you accept the rules? The contest goes until one is unable to battle."

"To the death!" Sukuna demanded.

However he got a glare from Anubis. The demand was refused.

"I agree to the rules given," Yuuji said.

Kitsune nodded. She raised her hand up, holding her fan. Anubis stamped the ground once more as a seal went into place. "Combatants… FIGHT!"

#

Yuuji decided to make the first move, he went in running towards Sukuna who began to position his arms oddly. 'Not domain' he instantly thought. 'Slice!'

He suddenly dodged and weaved to the left, avoiding a sudden strike against him. Sukuna smirked. "You learned didn't you boy!"

Yuuji got within striking distance and was able to connect. He savored the look of shock on Sukuna's face as he was forced back from the blows. Yet, he came back just as hard, blocking his punches before landing a few of his own in to his stomach.

"GAH!" Yuuji gasped as the air was knocked out. He retreated for a moment, until he put up a curtain of all things.

It confused Sukuna as well. "What the hell is this boy? You deploying a curtain at a time like this?" he demanded, but laughed aloud. "Foolish kid…" He then returned the favor, coming at Itadori fast and hard strikes.

Strange thing was, Itadori didn't do anything to block them.

He took them head on and endured the blows as he blood began to trickle out past his lip.

He was thrown back hard, but kept to his feet. "I'm done toying with you, I want my body." The gesture was made. "Domain expansion… Malevolent shrine"

The world grew darker around Yuuji, but he was anticipating this. "Can't say it wasn't fun boy, but now, it's time to end this and your little family there…"

Sukuna turned his right hand, the invisible blades came right at Yuuji, but then… Yuuji clapped his hands.

His older brother's ability, boogie woogie, has been improved upon. He can switch with not just cursed objects or people, but energy as well!

He avoided the strike, as Sukuna tried time and time again to slice him to pieces, but he could see the energy now. He knows where the blades will go, and he has timed it perfect to swap his place with one of waves of power sent to slice him open.

Time and time again he did this, until he got within striking distance once more.

THUD

The specters gasped as Yuuji's four arms were taken clean off! "Not bad boy, others would have screamed in agony by now!" Sukuna laughed. But his smile vanished as the arms grew back nearly instantly!

"I've been training for this. IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!"

Sukuna sneered. "Don't get cocky, you are going to run out of luck and energy before you land another strike on me!"

#

Gojo couldn't contain his excitement.

Yuuji… is keeping up!

Everything he has trained for is so far paying off, yet, he has yet to understand the reason why Itadori set up a curtain of all things? It didn't make sense to him, but he continued to watch on as the battle progressed.

Sukuna stopped toying with him and decided to get serious. He had been trying to see Itadori's movements, but they are hard to make sense of. Yet he smiled each and every time he got a limb here, a leg there or even just made the kid bleed. His strikes were getting stronger, he was putting more power behind them. And still, the kid took it without hesitation!

He cringed though as Yuuji was thrown back and hit the ground hard. Sukuna was board of him. "Let's end this…"

Yuuji then gained a second wind. "Flesh shackles!" he shouted.

"What…" Sukuna muttered as suddenly the arms and legs he severed began to melt. The flesh peeled off and suddenly gravitated and attached to Sukuna! "Muscle rope!"

"What technique is this!?" asked Nobara as she appeared sick at the sight.

Not even Gojo has seen this method before, he then smirked realizing the loss of limbs were no accident, he purposely lost them to make a counter attack! He was able to deconstruct the limbs, using the various parts as weapons!

It was more of an annoyance to Sukuna, as he was bounded in muscle rope, the flesh shackles were tacky and continued to spread over his body. But then Yuuji called upon the blood. "Blood arrows. Bone needles…"

The arrows rained upon Sukuna, but they were easily countered with a fire attack!

The flesh, bone, muscle and blood burned away as he glared at Yuuji. "You little bastard!" he shouted.

Yuuji was smiling on the other hand, and it only grew. "What's wrong… didn't think I would put up a fight against you!"

Sukuna's rage grew. He summoned more of his power. "I am going to obliterate you…"

Gojo nearly looked away as Sukuna stared his onslaught. As good as Yuuji was, Sukuna was known as the king of curses for a reason! He struck him hard and fast, tearing off Yuuji's limbs, forcing him to the ground and landing strike after strike against him.

The kid held on, but at the same time, Gojo didn't know how much longer he could hold out. He lost a lot of blood already, and he hasn't been able to get a good counter measure in.

"Yuuji, hang in there…" he pleaded.

Sukuna suddenly grabbed the back of Yuuji's head. With all his strength he slammed him into the earth, making a crater in its wake.

Sukuna strolled out like it was nothing, leaving Itadori in the ground. "Call it!" he demanded of Anubis.

But there was no gesture to end the battle. Gojo though, wondered why Kitsune was smiling all of a sudden.

Sukuna sneered as he was prepared to go back down and finish the job, when his shrine trembled. "What is this…" he muttered.

The structure that appeared sound, began to waver, in fact, he started to crumble before his eyes. "What… what's happening?!" he demanded.

The domain began to fall apart.

Yet behind it all, was a black curtain. The one Yuuji casted earlier, but it was starting to move and filter down to him. Gojo had to take his blindfold off to make certain he was seeing what he was seeing. Yuuji on the other hand, slowly pulled himself out of the hole, he was battered and bloodied, yet smiled. His wounds then healed over. "I'm not done yet…" he said in a tired tone. "And no… I'm not like this because of the beating… I'm tired… because I ate too much."

"What are you talking about boy!"

Itadori peered up. "That wasn't a curtain I forged earlier… it was a premature domain, so you wouldn't be suspicious about it. I made it official the moment you summoned yours… This… is the vampire cape domain… the more you used your power… the more it fed into me!"

Gojo then saw the shadow behind Yuuji, it was drawing in the curtain that took most of Sukuna's strength. When it was done, he appeared lethargic. The domain then vanished. "Now… it's my turn… I held this in long enough… Unveil…"

It was as if a bomb went off before him!

The massive amount of energy he contained in himself was unleashed and it scared everyone around him! Then his hands went up. Just as he decided before, he crisscrossed his middle and index fingers like in his favorite anime. "Domain expansion, retribution, ten thousand folds!" Yuuji shouted with pride.

The world around them became white, yet within that white world were faces of people and strangers. Sukuna was stunned, until Itadori came at him hard and fast. His curse marks glowed as he landed his first strike.

Divergent fists!

But the strike was worst than it appeared.

Sukuna's limbs blew off in an instant, before he could even recover. He was struck again!

Black flash!

"Sensei… it keeps getting stronger!" whispered Fushiguro.

Gojo nodded. He assaulted Sukuna time and time again with the strike, until the final blow sent him deep into the earth in a crater twice the size of the one he had put Yuuji in.

Then Anubis stamped his staff.

The ground healed, as if a battle never took place. Yuuji was dead on his feet but turned and respectfully bowed before the judge of the contest.

His staff raised, but it was aimed at Yuuji.

"THE VICTOR… YUUJI ITADORI!" Kitsune announced.

"YEAH!" shouted Gojo.

Yet as he celebrated, the seal under them shattered. Anubis suddenly vanished as Kitsune was stunned.

Powerful curse energy began to flood the ground…

He stood once more, healed from the attack. Sukuna snickered aloud. "I have warded off death many times before, this was no exception… thanks to him, I am on the mortal plain! Who needs a body when I can take everyone down here and now!"

Yuuji stood at the ready. "I won't let you!" he said in a warning tone.

Gojo froze as Sukuna's bottom right hand suddenly aimed at Itadori and made a squeezing motion.

Yuuji froze as his chest burst open.

His heart exploded as the blood began to gush out of the wound and his mouth.

"You forget yourself boy, who fixed your heart after I ripped it out?"

"Yuuji… YUUJI!" Gojo shouted.

Sukuna smirked as his sights sent on Gojo. "I'm going to enjoy this…"

Gojo paused as Yuuji used the last of his strength. "… blue…"

Sukuna was suddenly pulled and thrown back and away from everyone. Gojo froze as he saw Yuuji trying to get up again, but couldn't. He had just enough in him to bide time for people to run. He collapsed shortly after, but also revealing he has Gojo's technique.

"Yuuji… GAH!"

Gojo found himself trapped. His throat grabbed on to by Sukuna who was smiling wickedly. "I told you, I would kill you first…"