Author's Note: I apologize for the extremely long wait. This chapter is short; however, what prevented me from finishing it are writer's block, lacking motivation to write, and being busy IRL. I originally wanted to have Hinako vs. Hisako in this chapter, but that would take me longer. So, please, bear with me and enjoy Sukuna taking on Jogo and Hanami-and his grim warning to Mahito and his goons.
Chapter 10: Midnight Confrontation
"We finally meet, Ryomen Sukuna."
"Crap…!" Megumi exclaimed, his eyes bulging in alarm. "Mahito and his gang must have broken through Yamato's Divine Barrier!"
He recalled Kotori explaining to him and Nobara of the disadvantages of using her Divine Barrier, as they were on their way to the derelict apartment:
"My Divine Barrier has some drawbacks: it only lasts for two minutes, and it can be easily broken by anyone ranked at Grade 1 and Special Grade."
Once the flashback ended, Megumi was in a state of dismay, having realized that she was correct regarding the drawbacks of her Divine Barrier. Although it did give them time to track down Sukuna and Hisako, the barrier wasn't strong enough to hold back the Special Grade spirits and Pseudo-Geto. It could have been obliterated easily by any one of them, so none of the sorcerers knew exactly who would eliminate it since they were solely focused on finding Sukuna and Hisako.
She was right all along. Because they are Special Grade spirits, her Divine Barrier is no use on them. But at the very least it gave us some time to follow the presence of cursed energy coming from Sukuna and Hisako.
Megumi then noticed that one of them was not with Mahito and the others. It was Hinako, who had been sent off by Mahito earlier in search of Hisako.
That stitched up doll-like spirit isn't with them. She must have been sent off by Mahito to find Hisako, I assume.
Pseudo-Geto stepped forward, passing by Mahito and Megumi. He then paused in front of Sukuna and gave him a bow as a sign of showing respect towards him.
"'Tis a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Sukuna," he said, sounding courteous. "However, there's no time for us to get to know one another. We have a vital question to ask you and you must answer truthfully."
Sukuna raised an eyebrow, leering at the group as Mahito approached him and asked, sounding composed:
"Do you know where the Beads of Hisako are?"
"What makes you think I'd answer that question?" Sukuna answered with a scoff. He was clearly displeased by not just the disrupted battle between him and Megumi, but also the uninvited guests that had just dropped by with the question of the beads' whereabouts.
"You're a fool, believing that I'd be so gullible in giving away the location of the beads. I'm afraid it's too late for you now; Hisako has already incarnated into the body of Kanao Tsukiyama, courtesy of her king: me."
"So, Hisako has been incarnated into this girl?" Jogo asked Mahito, his single eye widening in astonishment.
"Yes, and it seems that she is now walking down the same path as Sukuna's vessel: Yuji Itadori," Mahito answered his ally.
"That means we will make her a second target to kill, for that reason," Pseudo-Geto added, a sinister smile plastering on his face.
Megumi's eyes widened in growing horror, dismayed at the possibility and his concerns for Kanao's safety began to grow.
No! he thought fearfully. We can't let that happen to her! It would spell doom for Tsukiyama if she would be targeted and slaughtered by them! And she hasn't learned to fully control Hisako!
"We'll make that move at a later time. Hinako will handle her," Mahito said to his colleague, assuring him of Hinako's strength.
Geto nodded to him in concord, and then he glanced over at Hanami and Jogo, willing to use them as pawns for taking on Sukuna.
"Hanami. Jogo. Eliminate him," he ordered them.
Hanami and Jogo complied, swooping in and swiftly charging at Sukuna. Hanami was the first to make his move, creating two wooden balls from his cursed energy. He hurled them at Sukuna; however, the King of Curses evaded them with ease, to Hanami's dismay.
He evaded my wooden balls?! Hanami thought, shocked by how effortlessly Sukuna dodged his attack.
All of a sudden, Sukuna disappeared and reappeared behind Hanami in a flash, grabbing hold of his face and slamming him into the ground.
"I'll bury you six feet under, where you belong!" he declared.
"Is that so?" Jogo's voice said to him, grabbing his attention.
Sukuna spun around to see Jogo lunging at him, and he immediately countered with a kick that sent him flying. However, Jogo managed to land on his feet just in time, and he leered at Sukuna as Hanami was lying still on the ground.
"If you intend to kill Hanami, I'll avenge him by burning you to ashes."
"Hmph. You don't scare me, you volcanic cyclops," Sukuna taunted, irking Jogo.
That's what Hinako calls me all of the time! Jogo thought, as he could hear Hinako's mischievous giggles in his head. He recalled how many times she would call him that insulting name, and to him, it was a pet peeve—hence why he considered her as a thorn in his side.
Hanami rose up from the ground and hurled another wooden ball at Sukuna, only for that to be evaded by him once more. With his swift agility, Sukuna grabbed hold of Hanami again and slammed his face back into the ground as he boomed to him:
"I SAID, STAY DOWN!"
"Hanami!" Jogo exclaimed.
In a flash, Sukuna appeared right behind Jogo, to his alarm. He grabbed hold of his head and slammed him against the ground, causing the road to form large cracks.
Megumi was bewildered by Sukuna's overwhelming physical strength, as his terrified breathing escaped his lips and he could feel chills running up his spine. He didn't think he could cause this immense damage to the street that they were clashing on.
"Oh, my!" Mahito exclaimed, sounding delighted. "Sukuna's put up quite a fight towards Jogo and Hanami! The King of Curses never ceases to amuse me with his immense power!"
"Indeed, though I have important matters to discuss with Sukuna," Pseudo-Geto said to Mahito.
As Pseudo-Geto stepped forward to Sukuna, the King of Curses glanced over at him with an unimpressed frown, sensing him as nothing more than a foreigner. He had hardly known him, right until the very moment Mahito and his gang disrupted his fight with Megumi.
"Ryomen Sukuna, we have a request for you," Pseudo-Geto said to him
"Make it quick, because I'm about to switch back with that brat soon," Sukuna said, leering crossly at him.
"We want to see your wife, Hisako. She possesses the same amount of power as you do, and we would like you to bring her to us, so we can take her beads."
"Like I'd hand her over to you that easily," Sukuna scoffed, shaking his head. "She'd wouldn't take orders from anyone, no matter the reason. You two are just as annoying as the Special Grades you call your lackeys. I have no time to waste with you."
As he departed from Mahito and Pseudo-Geto, he turned to them, giving them a dark glare as he warned them:
"Bear this in mind. If you foolish puppets lay a single finger on my wife, I will have no problem slicing you both into multiple pieces and using your blood to paint the walls red."
The marks on his face soon faded away, indicating that Sukuna had reached his limit. Yuji, having finally returned to normal, collapsed onto the ground, right at Megumi's feet.
"Itadori!" Megumi exclaimed, rushing over to his classmate.
"Well, it seems that Sukuna's reached his limit," Pseudo-Geto said to Mahito.
"Still, that makes him a coward for walking away!" Jogo snapped.
"Calm yourself, Jogo," Mahito advised the one-eyed spirit. "He is not a coward by refusing our offer and walking away. He just marches to the beat of his own drum—and he's quite protective towards his wife. I'm certain that Hinako will succeed in bringing her to us."
"We will see," Pseudo-Geto replied, nodding to Mahito.
Megumi carefully lifted Yuji from the ground and examined him closely. His body may had been covered in scratches and bruises, but Yuji had lost consciousness due to Sukuna's prolonged takeover of his body. Megumi wouldn't know when exactly he would wake up, but at the very least he would get to see his friend again now that Yuji had just returned.
Thank goodness he's finally switched back…, he thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Now all that's left is Tsukiyama. Hisako still has complete control over her, and hopefully Kugisaki and Yamato would finally get her to switch back. But because she's a Special Grade like Sukuna…
Nobara and Kotori were watching from the sidelines on the rooftop as Hisako and Hinako got into position, ready to begin a clash between two female Special Grade Spirits. Their sparks would be flying by now, as the two spirits lunged at one another.
…she would pose as a threat to not just jujutsu sorcerers, but the entire society as well!
Keep an eye out for Hisako vs. Hinako! It won't be child's play for Hisako, despite the fact that both she and Hinako are Special Grade spirits.
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