"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!" Sukuna's grin widened, his voice a low growl that rippled across the battlefield. The air around him stilled, as if holding its breath. A faint hum began, low and deep, resonating through the cracked earth and broken sky.
Sukuna stood tall, his four arms spread wide, as crimson and black energy spiraled upward from his feet, twisting and coiling like a living thing. The space around him seemed to fracture, as though reality itself were being sliced apart. He took one step forward, and the hum turned into a roar.
The shrine materialized in an instant. A towering edifice of bones and massive bestial skulls, of screaming and tormented faces, eyes and limbs covered in blood – all of it beneath a gaping maw, which roared from within the shrine itself. Intricate carvings covered its surface, lines and sigils that glowed with a malevolent energy. The domain was vast, but Sukuna had limited its range to just 100 meters, the boundaries marked by shimmering walls of blood-red light, keeping the rest of his siblings from getting hit by what came next.
The moment it formed, the cutting began.
The ground split into fine dust. Every rock, every blade of grass, every drop of blood boiling on the surface disintegrated. Invisible slashes filled the space, Cleave and Dismantle moving like unseen predators. The very air hissed and shrieked as it was sliced into nothingness.
Sanguinius moved. His monstrous form leapt toward Sukuna, wings beating furiously, but the instant he entered the range of the shrine, the cuts began. His bat-like wing was the first to go, shredded into ribbons of flesh and bone before dissolving into nothing. The crimson feathers of his angelic wing followed, scattering into motes of blood that vanished before they could hit the ground.
He landed, spear raised, but the weapon melted in his hands, cut apart by countless slashes that moved too fast to follow. He spun, his talons reaching for Sukuna's throat, but they too disintegrated mid-swing, turning into black dust that swirled away in the chaos.
Sanguinius roared, his voice raw and primal, but it was drowned out by the relentless sound of the domain. His body was torn apart in a thousand places, blood spraying in every direction only to be sliced into mist before it could settle. His once-gleaming white hair now hung in ghostly strands, disintegrating piece by piece.
For a moment, he tried to regenerate, but the domain gave no reprieve. Each attempt was met with another wave of invisible slashes, reducing his efforts to nothingness. His flesh peeled away, then his bones, then even the blood that spilled from him. The glow of his halo dimmed, flickering, before it too was shredded into nothing.
Sukuna watched, unmoving, his four arms loose at his sides. His grin never faltered as Sanguinius staggered forward, his body reduced to little more than chunks of flesh clinging to a skeletal frame. And even that frame crumbled. The Angel fell to his knees, his spearless hands clutching at the air, his claws gone, his wings nonexistent.
A final surge of energy ripped through him. His body broke apart entirely, collapsing into a bubbling pile of blood that hissed and steamed on the ground. The blood itself didn't last long. The relentless cutting reduced it, piece by piece, until it, too, vanished into the dust.
Sukuna tilted his head, his grin softening slightly, almost contemplative. The domain remained silent now, the shrine glowing faintly as it continued its work, the space within it pristine and empty. Nothing remained of the battlefield – no blood, no stone, no ash. Only Sukuna stood there, alone in the center of his shrine.
He exhaled sharply, lowering his arms, the Malevolent Shrine pulsing once before vanishing entirely. The silence that followed was absolute. Full Manifestation, Sukuna thought with no small amount of pride, he'd finally reached the new apex of Jujutsu.
The lowest form of Domain Expansion was the Closed-Barrier Domain. It was the simplest to create, and the most common among Jujutsu Sorcerers. This type of domain encased the user's technique within a barrier, a self-contained world where their innate technique reigned supreme. For most, it was enough. The absolute control over a closed space rendered opponents helpless, ensuring victory in nearly all circumstances. Simplicity and efficiency made it the foundation of modern domain usage.
However, its limitations were clear. A Closed-Barrier Domain thrived in one-on-one battles but faltered in the presence of stronger opponents or multiple targets. Its true weakness revealed itself in Domain Clashes, where two sorcerers' domains overlapped. Here, the stronger domain consumed the weaker, leaving no room for error or imbalance. Sukuna had long since mastered the art of overwhelming Closed-Barrier Domains. To him, they were child's play, a canvas too small for his ambition.
The next step was the Open-Barrier Domain, often called the Barrierless Domain. This was an entirely different beast, far beyond the grasp of most sorcerers. Constructing an Open-Barrier Domain required immense precision and mastery, akin to painting an intricate masterpiece directly onto the air itself. There was no protective shell, no defined boundary. Instead, the sorcerer's technique seeped directly into reality, bending it to their will without restrictions. The absence of a barrier made it infinitely more flexible, able to encompass vast areas or target specific locations. But it demanded more than skill - it required an unshakable connection to one's technique and a reservoir of Cursed Energy most couldn't hope to match.
In Sukuna's long memory, only a handful of sorcerers had ever achieved such a feat. Kenjaku, with his twisted ingenuity, had perfected the art of barrierless domains. Tengen, perhaps, could accomplish it, though her focus was elsewhere, tied to maintaining the balance of the world itself. For others, the concept was an unreachable dream, a testament to the immense gap that separated the truly great from the ordinary.
And then there was the highest form, the ultimate evolution: Full Manifestation.
A Full Manifestation Domain went beyond barriers and techniques. It merged the sorcerer's Innate Domain with the fabric of reality itself. It wasn't just overlaying reality; it replaced it entirely. Within this state, the sorcerer's power became absolute. The domain could not be closed, disrupted, or overwritten. There were no barriers to break, no clashes to contest. Reality itself bent to the sorcerer's will, shaped entirely by their vision.
A Full Manifestation Domain had no time limit. As long as the sorcerer maintained a steady flow of Cursed Energy, it could persist indefinitely. The cost, however, was astronomical. Most sorcerers would burn out in seconds, their energy reserves drained before they could wield such overwhelming power. But for Sukuna, this limitation didn't exist. His reserves of Cursed Energy were vast, a wellspring that dwarfed even the greatest of his era. Sustaining a Full Manifestation was effortless.
Few could grasp the magnitude of this level of control. To wield a Full Manifestation was to reshape existence itself. The battlefield became an extension of the sorcerer, their domain expanding endlessly, erasing the line between technique and reality. Sukuna didn't just create a world – he was the world.
Among the countless techniques and powers he had encountered, none surpassed the Full Manifestation in sheer dominance. It was the pinnacle of Jujutsu, the ultimate testament to mastery, and a reminder of what could be achieved simply through the imposition of will. It was no longer a question of battle – it was a matter of survival against a force of nature.
Sukuna's fingers twitched, a faint smirk pulling at his lips. His power wasn't merely unparalleled – it was unassailable. And now, in terms of Jujutsu, only the Emperor could possibly surpass him.
The very brief expansion of the Fully-Manifested Malevolent Shrine had left a deep wound upon the world, a crater of fine dust and sand. And at the center of it all was a puddle of blood that used to be Sanguinius, a puddle of blood that was slowly reforming and regaining limbs and physical shape, much to the shock and surprise of his fellow Primarchs who'd looked on.
Just enough, Sukuna mused as he stepped forward, he'd used just enough power to burn out Sanguinius' regeneration, before the monstrous and vampiric angel crossed a threshold of no return.
From the puddle of blood on the ground emerged his sibling, now restored to his... more human shape, though his wings remained altered – one crimson feathered and the other bat-like and leathery. Naked and vulnerable, Sanguinius crawled forth, before pushing himself up onto a kneeling position, slowly and weakly, coughing blood all the while. Sukuna grinned. "Welcome back."
Sanguinius breathed in. "What happened?"
Sukuna's grin widened. "For just a moment, you became what you were meant to be. And you were magnificent. You lacked control, of course, but newborns are not expected to be capable of controlling themselves in such a manner."
Sukuna extended one of his lower arms, his palm open, a gesture that seemed uncharacteristically patient. Sanguinius stared at the hand for a moment, blood still dripping from his lips, before gripping it weakly. His fingers barely curled around Sukuna's as the King of Curses pulled him to his feet with ease.
Sanguinius staggered. His legs wobbled, his knees nearly buckling under his weight. His wings twitched, the crimson feathers of one fluttering weakly while the leathery one hung limp. Sukuna's grin didn't fade as he caught his brother's arm, steadying him.
"Careful now," Sukuna said, his voice low, amused. "You're still alive, aren't you? No need to fall over."
Sanguinius exhaled, his breaths shallow and uneven. He glanced down at his hands. They were pale, trembling, but his eyes widened slightly as faint wisps of energy danced around his fingertips – red and black, swirling like smoke.
"What is this?" he whispered. His voice was hoarse, almost fragile. He raised his hand closer to his face, the energy coiling tighter, like it was waiting for his command. "I… can feel it."
"Jujutsu," Sukuna said simply, his grin sharpening. "Your own cursed energy. Took you long enough."
Though, idly, Sukuna wondered why the Khan didn't unlock his Jujutsu. Was it because their battle was purely physical?
Sanguinius's lips parted, but no words came. He flexed his fingers, the energy responding in kind. It pulsed, faint but alive, before flickering out entirely. He swayed, the effort too much for his weakened body.
"Stop trying to play with it," Sukuna said, catching him again. "You're not in the right state to be doing anything with it just yet."
Sanguinius nodded faintly, his head drooping. His once-gleaming hair hung limp, still streaked with crimson. His halo was gone, and his wings seemed heavier than ever, dragging slightly as he struggled to stand upright. He tried to take a step but faltered, his weight leaning against Sukuna's side.
Without a word, Sukuna slung one of Sanguinius's arms over his shoulder. With his four arms, he easily held the angel steady, guiding him forward. "Come on. Let's get you somewhere you won't embarrass yourself."
The other Primarchs watched from the edges of the ruined battlefield. Horus's arms were crossed, his expression unreadable. Vulkan stood with a furrowed brow, his hand resting on the hilt of a weapon. The Khan, ever calm, observed silently, his gaze flicking between the two brothers. Corvus had an odd glint in his eye, same as Perturabo and Fulgrim. Mortarion had a strange look about him that Sukuna didn't care to decipher. The other Primarchs simply looked on.
None of them spoke.
The cracked earth crunched under Sukuna's feet as he walked. Sanguinius's breaths came in shallow gasps, his strength fading with each step. Still, the faint energy flickered now and then around his hands, a small, almost imperceptible glow. Sukuna glanced at it briefly, his grin fading to something closer to a smirk.
"Try to revisit that form of yours, that power you wielded against me." Sukuna said. "It's yours now. Your key to becoming what you were meant to be."
Sanguinius didn't respond, his head dipping lower, but his grip on Sukuna's shoulder tightened slightly.
Together, they crossed the battlefield, leaving behind the scars of their clash. The Malevolent Shrine was gone, its devastation etched into the land, but the air still felt heavy, as if the remnants of their power lingered.
For now, Sukuna thought, this was enough.
AN: Chapter 49 is out on (Pat)reon!