The battlefield cracked beneath them as Sanguinius charged forward, his spear a crimson blur. Sukuna met him head-on, their clash releasing a shockwave that flattened the surrounding terrain. Sukuna's four arms moved in perfect synchronicity, deflecting the spear's strikes with his bare palms and redirecting the Angel's furious blows.
Sanguinius moved faster. His wings beat with the force of a hurricane, propelling him in spiraling arcs. Each swing of his spear left a trail of boiling blood hanging in the air, droplets sizzling as they splattered across the ruined earth. Sukuna dodged, his movements fluid, his grin sharp as ever. He countered with a sweep of his lower arm, aiming to catch Sanguinius mid-flight, but the Angel spun out of reach, his feet barely brushing the ground before launching himself skyward again.
The air grew heavy. Sanguinius's crimson aura intensified, glowing brighter as his body began to change. The feathers of his right wing darkened, turning brittle, and then they fell, one by one. Each feather dissolved midair, reforming into shards of jagged blood that shot toward Sukuna like razor-sharp missiles. Sukuna deflected them with quick, precise movements, his palms glowing faintly with Cursed Energy.
Sanguinius hovered for a moment, his body still and rigid. His right wing writhed, its form contorting. The frame stretched and tore, its flesh reforming into leathery membranes. A monstrous, bat-like wing unfurled, veins pulsing as it absorbed the red glow of his aura. His blonde hair turned ghostly white, streaming behind him like a spectral banner. His teeth lengthened into jagged rows of shark-like fangs, and his fingers curved into talons as black as obsidian.
Above him, a halo of blood appeared, spinning slowly, droplets raining down in molten bursts. The air crackled as boiling waves of crimson surged outward, flowing like rivers across the battlefield. Sukuna stepped forward, his grin fading slightly. He raised his hands, parting the blood tide with a burst of energy. The ground hissed and cracked where the blood touched, steam rising in thick plumes.
Sanguinius didn't speak. He raised his spear high, the blood swirling around it as if alive. Then, he dove, faster than before, his bat-like wing propelling him in erratic, unpredictable patterns. Sukuna caught the spear's thrust with two of his arms, twisting it aside, while his lower arms struck out in retaliation. The blows connected, sending Sanguinius flying back, but he righted himself midair, wings spreading wide.
The Angel raised a hand, and the blood that covered the ground responded instantly. It surged upward, forming massive, twisting columns that coiled like serpents. Each column boiled violently, the heat distorting the air. They lashed toward Sukuna, striking from multiple angles. Sukuna moved with blinding speed, weaving through the attacks, his body glowing faintly with the energy he channeled.
Hmmm, this is getting serious. Sukuna grinned.
What Sanguinius was doing with the blood wasn't Jujutsu, but it was close enough that Sukuna now had to respond in kind.
A cleaving motion from Sukuna's upper arms sent a wave of energy slicing through the blood constructs. The serpents shattered, their boiling remains raining down, but Sanguinius was already closing the distance again. His monstrous talons slashed out, their force splitting the ground beneath Sukuna's feet. Sukuna countered, his palm glowing as he swung upward, slicing through the Angel's arm with Cleave.
The severed limb barely hit the ground before it regrew in a burst of blood and flesh. Sanguinius's winged form didn't falter. His spear whirled in a deadly arc, forcing Sukuna back. Sukuna's eyes narrowed slightly as he brought his lower arms into the fray, deflecting each strike, even as the air grew hotter around them.
Cleave struck again. This time, both wings were severed, falling to the earth in a splatter of blood and ash. But even as they landed, Sanguinius's back arched, and new wings erupted from the stumps – larger, darker, and more grotesque, but otherwise retaining the earlier looks, one angelic and one leathery. His talons lengthened further, raking through the air as he lunged. Sukuna leaped back, his feet skidding against the cracked ground.
The Angel roared. His halo of blood expanded, the droplets transforming into fiery projectiles that rained down like meteors. Sukuna's grin returned as he dodged and deflected, his four arms moving in a blur of controlled precision. Yet, with every strike, Sanguinius seemed to grow stronger. His movements became more fluid, more unpredictable. His boiling blood lashed out in surging waves, forcing Sukuna to increase his output.
For the first time in decades, Sukuna's grin softened into something closer to focus. His hands flicked outward, glowing brighter as he unleashed a massive wave of energy that split the battlefield in two. The bloodstorm parted momentarily, revealing Sanguinius's transformed figure. His pale face twisted into something almost unrecognizable, his eyes blazing with fury and purpose.
The battle reached a crescendo. Sukuna's blows came faster, sharper, each one aimed to test the limits of Sanguinius's regeneration. The Angel met each strike head-on, his spear flashing in counterattacks that pushed Sukuna back. The ground beneath them crumbled, unable to withstand the sheer force of their clash. And then, Sukuna pivoted at just the right moment and sent two, Curse-Enhanced, punches right into Sanguinius's face, sending the Primarch reeling back.
The Angel's skull gave way and broke, but otherwise immediately healed moments later.
In a single moment of silence, both warriors paused, staring at each other across the ruined plain. The blood around Sanguinius surged once more, forming a massive, boiling tide that loomed high above them. Sukuna's four arms flexed as he prepared to meet it, his energy coiling tightly around him.
The tide crashed down. Sukuna stepped forward.
Grinning, Sukuna unleashed a thousand Dismantles and Cleaves all at once, ripping apart the tide of blood. Sanguinius himself was caught in the chaos, his body sliced apart into little ribbons for a moment, before every single piece regenerated and reformed, restoring his body. However, Sanguinius did not escape entirely unscathed, however, as he fell to his knees for just a moment, propping himself up with his spear. And then, Sukuna saw it, the surge of Cursed Energy around Sanguinius's form – the refinement of it. There was no mistaking it, then; the Angel had just unlocked his Jujutsu.
Or, at least, fully awakened it.
Sanguinius stirred and the boiling blood around him transformed into a mass of spears, swords, daggers, and all sorts of weapons – hissing and crimson. Sukuna's eyes narrowed for a moment. The refinement of his blood control ability has certain increased. Not to mention his ridiculous natural regeneration that's almost on par with Vulkan's. Tsk, this guy's yet another monster.
Hundreds of thousands of blood-red weapons came surging towards him. Sukuna grinned.
The battlefield erupted into chaos as Sukuna's Dismantles and Cleaves tore through the air, meeting Sanguinius's blood-forged weapons head-on. The weapons shattered in bursts of crimson energy, the remnants cascading like molten rain. Yet, for every blade destroyed, two more surged forward.
Sukuna darted between the waves of projectiles, his movements fluid and calculated. His four arms moved in perfect harmony, deflecting, slicing, and smashing through the relentless storm. Each blow sent shockwaves rippling outward, carving trenches into the already fractured ground.
Sanguinius rose from his kneeling position, his spear held aloft. He flapped his wings once, sending a pulse of energy outward. The boiling blood twisted around him, forming a massive, writhing vortex. Weapons emerged from it like fangs from a serpent's maw, each one aimed with lethal precision. His pale face was a mask of cold fury, his glowing eyes locked onto Sukuna.
Sukuna leapt forward, his arms a blur as he deflected a barrage of daggers and spears. He twisted mid-air, one lower arm grabbing a blood-formed axe and shattering it in his grip. His other arms carved a path toward Sanguinius, Cleaves ripping through the vortex with devastating force.
Sanguinius countered with a sweep of his spear, the weapon glowing as it cut through the air. Sukuna ducked low, feeling the searing heat pass just above him. He retaliated with a powerful uppercut, his fist glowing with Cursed Energy. The blow connected with Sanguinius's ribs, the sound of bones cracking echoing across the battlefield.
Sanguinius was sent hurtling backward, his wings catching the air and steadying him mid-flight. He spun, his spear spinning in his hands before he launched it with incredible force. The spear turned into a streak of crimson light, tearing through the air toward Sukuna.
Sukuna raised a hand, catching the spear between his palms. The ground beneath him cratered from the impact, but his grin remained. He snapped the spear in half, the pieces disintegrating into a mist of blood. Before he could follow up, Sanguinius was on him, his claws raking toward Sukuna's throat.
Sukuna leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike, and countered with a flurry of punches. Each blow was a blur, enhanced by his immense Cursed Energy. He struck Sanguinius's torso, arms, and face, the rapid-fire impacts driving the Angel backward. Yet, even as his body was battered and broken, Sanguinius regenerated instantly, his flesh knitting itself together as if untouched.
The Angel's talons flashed, catching Sukuna across the chest. Deep gouges appeared, but Sukuna didn't flinch. His body pulsed with energy, the wounds closing almost as quickly as they'd been made. He grabbed Sanguinius by the wrist, twisting hard, and threw him into the air with a burst of strength.
Sanguinius twisted mid-flight, his wings flaring wide. The halo above his head glowed brighter, and the blood swirling around him condensed into a massive blade. The weapon was jagged, molten, and thrummed with raw energy. He gripped it with both hands and dove toward Sukuna, the blade slicing through the air with deafening speed.
Sukuna stepped forward, his four arms raised. The blood blade met Cleave head-on, the collision creating an explosion of energy that illuminated the battlefield. The force pushed both combatants back, but neither relented. Sanguinius lunged again, his blade carving wild arcs, while Sukuna countered with a storm of Cleaves and Dismantles. Each clash sent shockwaves rippling outward, splitting the ground and shattering nearby rock formations.
The air grew heavier with each exchange. Sanguinius's attacks became more frenzied, his monstrous form radiating with power. Sukuna adapted, his movements faster, sharper, his strikes more precise. His grin returned, sharp and wicked, as he unleashed a flurry of punches that caught Sanguinius mid-spin. The Angel crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater that spewed dust and debris into the air.
Sanguinius emerged from the dust cloud, his blood halo now spinning wildly. The molten blade dissolved, replaced by hundreds of blood-forged chains that lashed out toward Sukuna. The chains writhed like living things, each one tipped with serrated spikes. Sukuna dodged and deflected, but one chain caught his ankle, dragging him forward.
Sanguinius lunged, his claws aimed for Sukuna's chest. Sukuna twisted, snapping the chain with a burst of energy, and brought his elbow down onto Sanguinius's wing. The leathery appendage snapped audibly, but it regenerated instantly, swiping at Sukuna and forcing him to leap back.
The battlefield was a maelstrom of destruction. Craters dotted the landscape, rivers of boiling blood carving through the ground. The air shimmered with heat and energy, the clash of two titanic forces reshaping the land around them.
Sukuna raised all four arms, a surge of energy coiling around him like a serpent. He stepped forward, his grin sharpening as he unleashed a torrent of Cleaves that tore through the battlefield. The crimson tide parted, the chains shattered, and Sanguinius was caught in the onslaught. His body was ripped apart, reduced to fragments of flesh and blood.
But before Sukuna could revel in his momentary victory, the fragments reformed. The blood swirled together, flesh knitting itself back into place. Sanguinius stood once more, his monstrous form towering, his eyes glowing brighter than ever.
Sukuna raised a brow.
"Finally," he muttered under his breath, his tone almost amused. However, this was escalating close to a point where the only way it could end was for Sanguinius to die. Sukuna did not want to reach that point. "But, I think it's about time we ended this. Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!"
AN: Chapter 47 is out on (Pat)reon!