Sukuna frowned.

This was... too easy. Actually, it was so easy that the King of Curses now faced a very peculiar problem, one he'd not quite encountered before, not once.

Sukuna had no idea what he was supposed to do now. He was bored.

His expeditions, led by the Preacher, were quick to find the artifacts they'd been searching for. And, with the ability to purify water, heal the earth, and grow their own crops, his followers soon established an actual working civilization, with Sukuna himself as the figurehead, their god, their sun and moon, the center of all their worship and adoration. The structures he'd built for them only seemed to solidify his status as a their god. And, admittedly, Sukuna liked being worshiped; the constant stream of Cursed Energy aside, it just felt right. It also meant he couldn't terrorize them or feed on them as he otherwise would've done, because that would be a terrible waste of resources and the King of Curses was nothing if not efficient with what belonged to him.

And these people, each and every one of them, belonged to him. They even named their first settlement after him, Ryomen, the City of the One. Personally, Sukuna found it tacky, but he also didn't care too much about what they named their city.

Within a year, they'd reclaimed an entire region of the planet, healing the ground and filling it with crops. Somehow, they made use of some technological marvel that allowed them to grow living creatures from scratch, soulless beasts that were useful only as livestock. And so, his people flourished. And, soon enough, they began building their own buildings, expanding from the initial structure he'd created, joining their own creations with his own. They even followed his design, which Sukuna crafted from his memory of the castles of the Heian Era. They carved deep furrows into the earth, using strange machines with wheels for legs, produced from the same facilities that'd once given birth to the Metal Soldiers, apparently repurposed to serve them, instead.

Despite the sudden and rather extreme leap in technology, Sukuna found that he easily understood how the advanced technologies of his people worked – at least, enough so that he knew how they functioned and why they were able to do what they did. Marvelous, honestly, that humans were capable of building such things, without the aid of Jujutsu – simply marvelous.

And so, from atop his spire, which his followers dubbed as the Tower of the One, Sukuna watched his people grow and advance. At some point, the people elected leaders of their own, those like the Preacher, who were naturally charismatic. Sukuna didn't care. They came to him, however, begging for his wisdom. They wouldn't dare manage his flock without his permission, without his word. Again, Sukuna didn't care.

"Do what you need to do. Ensure only that the lives of my people are preserved." He told them. And it seemed like that was all they needed to hear from him. Just like that, the Nation of the One was formally established. Without his direct intervention, the leaders, those who first preached and spoke of his coming, established law and order, and daily rituals that maintained and propagated the faith of the people. Shrines, statues, and churches were established in his name, worshiping him as a god. As their faith grew, so did the volume of Cursed Energy Sukuna passively gained from them.

And so, his flock, his people, essentially managed themselves, without his direct intervention, which was good, because Sukuna would readily admit that he would not have been a very good ruler. He was lucky, then, that the leaders of his people, calling themselves Shinshoku, were rather effective rulers, following the only rule gave them, which was to preserve life as much as possible.

The reason for which was rather simple; the longer people lived, the more they were able to worship him and, the more they worshiped him, the more power he gained.

Perhaps, the most dramatic change, Sukuna found, was the change that happened within himself. A year was enough, it seemed, for his soul and his body to finally synchronize and, with it, his Cursed Technique evolved. No, that wasn't quite the right term, wasn't it? The body he'd somehow awakened in, this marvel of a specimen, had been created with the ability to, in essence, inspire others into a bloody frenzy of fervor and fanaticism, affecting both mind and body. Those who were under the effects of this as of yet nameless Cursed Technique became fearless, lost their ability to feel pain, hesitation, and fatigue, and grew slightly stronger; it was the sort of ability that a leader was supposed to possess, or a general.

Ironically, his followers became an essential part of his power, which was an even greater reason to preserve them as much as possible.

However, when channeled with Reverse Cursed Energy, the Cursed Technique was capable of demoralizing his foes, breaking their spirits before the battle ever began.

He tested these on the tribesmen, who retreated to the depths of the subterranean caves. Sukuna didn't massacre and devour them, mostly because they were the perfect test subjects at the time. Well, he didn't massacre and devour all of them, just the ones who tried to fight him, whom he ate in front of their families, mostly for fun. But, Sukuna figured that maintaining these underground dwellers would be useful at some point.

To accommodate his new Cursed Technique, the Cursed Energy cost of every other Cursed Technique he currently had essentially tripled – a daunting thing if it wasn't for the fact that he received a constant supply of Cursed Energy from his followers. Not unprecedented, at least, since Sukuna acknowledged that everything had a cost, including power itself. At the very least, his favorite Cursed Techniques, Cleave and Dismantle, and even his Domain, remained unchanged – somewhat. Malevolent Shrine now had the peculiar effect of not Dismantling anyone who worshiped him, which Sukuna figured must've been a mutation from his newly discovered Cursed Technique.

Rightly, he gave it the name of Inspire, an ability that the King of Curses never thought he'd ever possess, honestly.

So, by overall estimation, Sukuna could rightly say that he'd grown much stronger than before. His tools were a bit different now, but his power was greater.

After three years, the population of his flock essentially tripled. The advanced machines and medicines allowed for perfect births – not a single child dead. Those who were born with diseases or deformities or mutations were healed through the use of massive machines that, as Sukuna understood them, 'fixed' these problems. How it did so, the King of Curses didn't bother to understand. What mattered was that an entirely new generation of humans were born, a few of them even possessed the potential to be Sorcerers themselves, ready to worship him as their parents did. Beautiful.

It was also during this time that, once again, the leaders of the people, the Shinshoku, came to him, seeking his wisdom and approval. "Oh, Great One, we, your most fervent followers, have come to the decision to establish a military force of volunteers to defend our people from possible threats – both internal and external. We will train them in the arts of war, using manuals and 'videos' left behind by those who came before us."

Sukuna raised a brow. Surely, the didn't need his approval for this one? They certainly did not need his approval when they established the first schools. But, eh, this was the sort of thing that came with being a god, he supposed. He had to be the one to make the big decisions. And, apparently, this was one of them. "Do whatever you need to do."

That was all they needed to hear, once again.

More or less every single person, except infants and children, volunteered to become a part of this military force. Sukuna wasn't sure how they trained and, frankly, he didn't care too much about that. He was sure they'd succeed in whatever they needed to do, without his constant vigil. They weren't helpless babies, after all. He knew, however, where they got their weapons from and they got it from the same place that produced these wheeled vehicles they used to manage the vast farmlands that existed outside the city.

Another year passed and, by then, his flock had developed a society that praised discipline, faith, and skill in battle. Their soldiers, which was everyone, really, wielded weapons that unleashed beams of crimson light, similar to the ones wielded by the Iron Soldiers, but weaker. And so, Sukuna suddenly had an army. He didn't know what to do with it, of course, since there was no one to fight. But he thought of them as extensions of himself, given the nature of Inspire. On a personal level, Sukuna wasn't quite certain what thought of a militarized citizenry. It was certainly an advantage, to be certain, since it meant they'd be able to protect themselves if their lives were threatened. But it also meant they were more willing to place themselves in harm's way, which was inefficient, because Sukuna wanted as many worshipers as possible to maximize the amount of Cursed Energy he received from them.

Whatever the case, Sukuna would wait and see. There was no need to rush anything now, especially with a growing population of fervent worshipers. Amusingly, the humans also developed a peculiar practice of visiting the base of his tower, where they'd kiss the ground and utter prayers there, before leaving. Listening to them pray from his throne, atop the tower, was an interesting activity. An even more interesting development was that a lot of these worshipers began bringing their children with them, teaching them how to pray, how to worship properly. Perfect. But, as expected, he received nothing from children, even when they mimicked their parents' acts. They were simply too young to understand what they were doing, too young to feel any level of faith. But, Sukuna figured, that would change when they got older.

He rarely ever left his tower, honestly. When he did, it mostly just to mess with the underground people, keep them terrorized. Though, he made it a point to eat just one of them a year to maintain their population.

It was during the eighth year of his reign, when the first Cursed Spirits started manifesting across the city of Ryomen. And with them came the first true Sorcerers. And, once again, the leaders of his people came to his tower, seeking advice. This time, however, the Shinshoku brought, alongside them, a hundred or so individuals, all of whom knelt on the floor, their foreheads flat on the ground in fervent worship before their god. They were Sorcerers, Sukuna immediately discovered. And, interestingly, the Cursed Energy that he received from their faith was purer, more condensed, and far greater in volume when compared to the Cursed Energy he received from a non-sorcerer.

"Oh, Great One, please, we are in need of your wisdom."

"What is it?"

"There are accursed entities that have begun appearing. Most cannot see them or even interact with them, but these ones have shown the ability to perceive these creatures." One of the Shinshoku explained. "A few of them have even began manifesting peculiar talents."

"And what do you need my help for?" Sukuna raised a brow.

"We know not what to do, Great One." The leader admitted.

Sukuna mulled it over for a moment, before shrugging. "I'll teach them the basics of Jujutsu, enough to deal with the sudden rise of Cursed Spirits, but they're the ones who must discover everything else for themselves by themselves."

"We are most honored by your magnanimity, oh Great One!"

And so, for the first time in his existence, Sukuna became a teacher. And, by his word, Sukuna taught them the absolute basics of Jujutsu – how to sense their own Cursed Energy, how to touch it, harness it, shape it, and wield it. They listened attentively and learned quickly. A few of them even managed to awaken their innate Cursed Techniques entirely by accident. And so came the first generation of Sorcerers among his people.

They called themselves the First Disciples of the One and took on the task of protecting the populace from the few Cursed Spirits that haunted them.

And so, decades passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. The city of Ryomen grew larger and larger, until it encompassed the entire region, with rivers and farms between sectors, and a population of millions. Sukuna's rule was virtually unchallenged, though the Shinshoku themselves often played politics with each other as they carved up 'territories', which they ruled, undermining each other at times as humans typically did. But, Sukuna cared little for their petty quarrels as long as they functioned as intended, which was to maintain and preserve the lives of the his worshipers.

A century passed and his flock grew to encompass much of the planet, turning its barren wastelands into fertile farmlands, purifying its poisoned seas. As their population grew, so did his power.

And then, one day, massive vessels appeared over the sky.