"Let's stop dwelling on heroism and start focusing on reality"
The shadow's hand waited for Izuku's decision. It hovered inches from Izuku's own, it felt vast yet patient as if it had all the time in the world. Izuku's fingers trembled as they stretched forward, the distance between them shrinking with every shallow breath.
The shadow leaned closer, its presence thickening, pressing against his thoughts. It didn't need to speak now and it didn't need to convince him since Izuku was already doing that himself.
"Don't..." A voice called out
Orange veins flared to life along his arm in an instant, branching beneath his skin like molten cracks. Heat surged through his palm, forcing a sharp gasp from his throat. Tiny sparks snapped and popped around his fingers, burning against the shadow's cold pull.
"You think this is strength? Don't you dare throw yourself away, you want to be a hero don't you? Then win this the right way" The heat intensified in his palm.
Izuku's vision then exploded into light with a silent flash consumed everything, washing over him in blinding white and burning orange. For a heartbeat there was nothing but heat and soundless pressure like the moment before an explosion.
Izuku staggered as he fully snapped back into his senses, breath sharp and uneven. For a split second he didn't understand what had just happened, only that something had intervened. That voice echoed faintly in his mind almost like a memory half-buried beneath his adrenaline and grief. He knew it mattered but he just couldn't place it yet.
There was no time to dwell on it now as his focus locked onto Jogo. The sparks along Izuku's arm intensified, snapping louder now as the orange veins spread farther up his limb, branching like molten fractures beneath his skin with volatile heat radiating from his hand.
Jogo on the other hand hesitated and for the first time since appearing, genuine alarm crept into the curse's thoughts. The sheer density of cursed energy that had flared from the boy a moment earlier was unnatural.
Fire hissed as it gathered in his palm, condensing as he prepared to erase the threat before it could fully take form. Izuku lowered his stance and was ready to blitz Jogo in order to get rid of him before he could act.
But before anything could kick off everything flashed red. It was a violent intrusion and a pressure so familiar it made Izuku's stomach drop. It was that same malevolent presence he had felt when he first arrived and the same one that had brushed his senses earlier while with Nanami.
Jogo and Izuku both froze at the presence, completely forgetting about their stand off. The orange veins vanished from Izuku's arm as if a switch had been flipped. The sparks died mid-pop with heat evaporating from his arm in an instant. Izuku nearly stumbled from the sudden absence, the momentum of his charge abruptly cut short.
"That was Sukuna's presence! No wait, that was one of his fingers! Someone has released one of Sukuna's fingers here in Shibuya!" Jogo knew this presence all too well and it made his fiery aura flicker.
His entire body tensed as he recalled the last time he had sensed that wretched power. Back then it had been distant, like a slumbering dragon exhaling in its sleep but now? Now it was awake however briefly, its sheer existence crashed through the world like a shockwave of inevitable destruction.
Izuku snapped to his senses and recognized that this wasn't the time for fighting. He shifted his priorities to rescue, he turned away and moved faster than thought. He scooped Maki into his arms first then in the same breath he picked up Nanami and Naobito's body.
The station screamed with the rush of displaced air as Izuku launched himself forward. He locked onto his escape route before shooting through the shattered glass Megumi had been thrown through earlier.
Shards that were on the floor then scattered outward as he vanished into the night with all three of them in tow. The sound echoed behind him, leaving Jogo standing amid the silent station.
"The boy doesn't matter. I can't let anyone else awaken Sukuna" Jogo's eye blazed with a furious determination
Someone had unleashed one of his fingers in Shibuya and Jogo refused to let this opportunity slip away. With a final glance at the hole Izuku escaped through he vanished in a blazing sprint.
"They come first" Izuku's duty wasn't revenge, it was saving them.
Blackwhip snapped and reeled through the air as he swung through the streets but Izuku made sure Maki, Nanami, and Naobito were wrapped and secured with blackwhip. Once he was far enough he swung himself higher up and landed on a rooftop.
Once he did he gently lowered all three of them onto the floor and for a moment, Izuku just stood there trembling as he looked down at them. Smoke still clung faintly to their bodies with the smell of scorched fabric and flesh lingering in the air.
His chest tightened as the grief crashed down on him. He allowed himself to grieve for a moment but he couldn't dwell on it forever so he wiped a stray tear and clenched his fists.
"Not now...I need a plan..." He muttered, feeling lost in the moment but then Megumi's words resurfaced.
"Ino was unfortunately injured so I took him to Shoko"
"That's it! I need to find Shoko" Izuku had gained some hope in possibly saving them.
He didn't know who Shoko was but he understood the implication immediately. Whoever Shoko is they were capable of healing, something that's close enough to a recovery quirk or at least the Jujutsu equivalent.
Megumi, Yuji, and Ino had left from a rooftop to lift a veil. Somewhere during that sequence, Ino had been critically injured so Megumi had diverted to Shoko. Then later made it to the station where Izuku and the others were fighting.
He didn't have exact time frames and he wasn't sure it was accurate but Shoko couldn't be far. Not close but not distant either, rather somewhere within a certain radius between the station and the rooftop.
Blackwhip lashed out from his bak, wrapping carefully around Nanami and Naobito and secured them close to his back where their weight could be supported evenly. His hands trembled slightly as he adjusted them but he didn't let himself slow down.
Maki was still breathing although her breaths were shallow as remained unconscious, he wasn't sure if she would remain that way so he had to hurry. Izuku removed his cape and draped it around her, shielding her from the night air before lifting her into his arms.
"Everything's going to be ok you guy's. I'll get you all to safety..." Izuku had a plan and he would see it through.
He activated Float and gently pushed off the rooftop and it eventually dropped away beneath him. He rose into the air with the city sprawling out below like a circuit board of lights. Wind rushed past his ears as he turned toward his chosen direction and set off.
But behind him Nanami's hand twitched and at first it was barely perceptible but a faint shimmered on his hand glowed. The golden energy began to spread like veins of light tracing across his palm before crawling up toward his wrist.
The glow pulsed in tune with a heartbeat that shouldn't have been there anymore. The warmth lingered, responding to someone who had refused to let go. Nanami's fingers curled ever so slightly before the light faded back beneath his skin leaving no trace behind.
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[Act 7: Ignition Point]
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Jogo stormed through Shibuya Station, his molten rage bubbling beneath the surface like magma ready to erupt. The scent of charred flesh and shattered concrete filled the air but he ignored it. All that mattered was reaching the source of Sukuna's presence before it was too late.
The deeper he went the more intense the lingering traces of Sukuna's energy became. Jogo came to a sharp halt near the entrance of a bathroom with his eye locking onto the sight before him.
Just ahead under the flickering light of a half broken station lamp two figures knelt beside a motionless body. Nanako and Mimiko hovered over Yuji Itadori's unconscious form, their hands trembling yet steady as they carefully pressed one of Sukuna's severed fingers past his lips.
"How many have they given him?" Jogo's flames crackled violently in response as his mind raced.
His presence alone was enough to make the twins flinch but they remained steadfast, their eyes locked on Yuji's still body.
"You two! Just how many fingers did you feed him?!" He demanded
"W-we...won't tell you..." Nanako and Mimiko hesitated for only a moment before backing away from Yuji's body.
"Is that so?...then die" Fire ignited in his palm as he raised it.
Without even lowering his raised flame engulfed hand, he unleashed a torrent of fire that engulfed Nanako and Mimiko. Their desperate resistance was reduce to nothing more than a screaming inferno.
Ignoring the now burning figures Jogo strode over to Yuji's unconscious body. Upon reaching the body he reached down, retrieving a tightly rolled mat from beneath his robe and unlatched it.
As the mat was unfurled a horrifying sight was revealed. Neatly arranged before him were 10 severed fingers, each one pulsating faintly with cursed energy. A collection of Sukuna's remnants that had been painstakingly gathered.
"It's time for you to wake up Sukuna" Jogo said in a low voice.
The words reverberated in the silent remains of the station like an incantation that promised unspeakable calamity. The stage was set for an awakening that would shake the very foundation of this night before they knew it. Jogo then began the unholy task of feeding Yuji the severed fingers one by one.
By the time the 10th finger slid into place a disturbance cut through the moment and from that disturbance emerged Nanako and Mimiko. Against all odds they had managed to survive Jogo's earlier attack unscathed.
"Perhaps this was one of their techniques but due to the looks on their face I doubt they can use it repeatedly" the fleeting thought crossed Jogo's mind
"Alright! Stop wasting my time!" Annoyance filled Jogo.
He lifted his arm preparing to unleash another set flames upon them, being certain that these survivors were about to pay the price for their insolence. But in that second of anticipation his raised arm that was once whole and bristling with power was no longer there.
Jogo's shock and fear mounted with every heartbeat formed a cold sweat on his brow as he struggled to comprehend the forces at play. His remaining hand was still pressed firmly against Sukuna's mouth trembling uncontrollably.
"I'll tell you this once...move" Sukuna demanded.
The effect was both immediate and profound as Jogo's previously unshakable demeanor crumbled into palpable dread. His grip slackened and he was forced to retreat by the sheer weight of Sukuna's commanding presence.
Jogo landed near Nanako and Mimiko whose own faces mirrored his terror with the grim reality setting in. The silence that followed was heavy, only punctuated by ragged breaths and the echo of Sukuna's words. Sukuna rose to his feet and stepped forward with the weight of his stride carrying the authority of a god walking among insects.
"Your heads hang quite high yes?" His voice was that of a ruler addressing those unworthy of his attention.
Nanako and Mimiko understood immediately and dropped to the floor before bowing deeply with their heads nearly touching the floor. Instead of fully bowing Jogo dropped to one knee which was his gesture of deference but not complete submission.
SLASH!
But that was a mistake and before Jogo even registered what had happened before a wet sensation overtook him. His vision tilted as the top half of his volcanic head slid cleanly off, severed in an instant by an invisible force.
"You think getting on one knee would be enough, you miscreant?" Sukuna barely even glared at him with disdain.
Jogo's eye widened in horror as blood gushed from the fresh wound and onto the floor. He had vastly underestimated Sukuna's standards and his demand for unquestionable submission. Nanako and Mimiko upon witnessing this display of absolute power pressed their heads even lower against the ground, shaking as they dared not make a single sound.
"If you want to stand before me you grovel, If you wish to speak you beg for permission, and if you If you wish to live..." Sukuna's gaze swept over them.
"...you pray that I remain entertained" Sukuna stepped up to the two girls while barely acknowledging Jogo
Every word was a decree, every pause was a threat, and in that moment it was clear that Sukuna's awakening was not just a return to power but a terrifying promise of retribution for any who dared cross him.
"This...this isn't just power...this is dominion" Jogo gritted his teeth
"Speak" He demanded but the girls hesitated
"Go on then let your demands be known. I'll grant a fingers worth of time or perhaps you expect me to be grateful first" Sukuna beckoned.
"B-below us...is a man in monks robes with stiches...across his forehead. Please...kill him" Nanako spoke first.
"And also...please free Geto" Mimiko added
"Free him you say? Free him from what exactly?" He drawled while leaning closer.
"The thing inside him...he's not himself anymore" The Mimiko forced out the words.
"You assume I care about the fate of a man already dead?" His voice was calm yet beneath it was something dangerous
"We know the location of one other finger you can have. If you kill that man for us, in exchange, we'll tell you where it is" Nanako pleaded.
"Hmmm...raise your heads up now" Sukuna asked and they did just that.
With no warning cleave passed through Mimiko's head and separated it cleanly from her body. For a fraction of a second her body remained upright before her head struck the ground with a wet thud.
Her corpse followed a moment later, collapsing forward into the same reverent posture she had held moments before. Blood was already spilling beneath her like an offering laid at an altar.
"Did you honestly think a measly one or two fingers would grant you the right to order me around as your personal executioner?" Sukuna chuckled
"M-Mimiko?! N-NO NO PLEASE!" Nanako screamed. Her composure shattered completely when she lunged toward her sister's body with shaking hands.
"How utterly pathetic..." Sukuna frowned as she cried out.
"Silence" He had grown tired of her weeping.
Nanako froze as Sukuna's hand closed around her head. His grip was firm and impersonal, like a man grabbing an object that had rolled too close to his feet. With one motion he yanked her away from Mimiko's body and slammed her face first into the floor.
"Do not mistake my patience for mercy. If you wish to kneel then kneel properly" Sukuna said calmly as he held her beside her sister's corpse.
Her vision blurred with tears mixing with her sisters blood and Nanako's sobs turned into broken, choked gasps while the blood pooled beneath her cheek then to her lips.
"Nothing of value is obtained without sacrifice" His fingers loosened slightly, though the pressure never truly left.
"If you desire something beyond your station then you must decide what you are willing to lose in order to obtain it" He released her but Nanako didn't move.
Her eyes remained locked on Mimiko's lifeless form inches away, the bowed body, and the head lying where it had fallen. Meanwhile Jogo who had been silently observing felt the weight of Sukuna's gaze shift onto him.
He had come here with his own intention to convince him to fight alongside them and to rid the world of the Jujutsu Sorcerers and bring forth the age of Curses. But now standing before Sukuna in all his resurrected glory Jogo only felt fear.
Sukuna was not an ally, he was a calamity in human form and Jogo had intended to speak his request but as he knelt there watching the way he loomed over the two girls like he was toying with them.
There was no bargaining with Ryomen Sukuna so instead of speaking he lowered his head silently. He now acknowledged the undeniable truth that he was standing before a being so far above him that even a request felt meaningless.
"You cursed spirits are truly pathetic. You cower and beg for scraps like starving dogs yet you expect me to take you seriously?" Sukuna sneered.
Jogo tensed at the words with his fingers clenching into fists. He wanted to deny it but what argument could he make? What pride could he defend when the being before him embodied destruction so absolute that even arrogance felt small?
"Now then, what is it that you want from me?" Sukuna turned his attention to Jogo
"I want...nothing. Our objective was bringing you back, Sukuna. All we wanted was your complete revival" Jogo replied with slight hesitation.
"Right now, Itadori is helpless to counter you but that is only temporary. The only was i see things continuing is for you to forge a pact with Itado-" Jogo continued.
"There's no need. I have already devised plans of my own" Sukuna closed his eyes and smirked
"Now back to my previous question. I have a suspicion you didn't come here with nothing to ask of me. So let me guess, you expect me to fight for your little cause and usher your so called golden age of curses right?" Sukuna chuckled.
"I...huh..." Jogo was perplexed
"How tedious...however..." He trailed off
"Hmm...fine. I'll humor you and offer you a reward as a token of appreciation for the fingers" He rolled his shoulder out of boredom and Jogo's head snapped up at the words.
"If you can land a single blow on me then I'll fight on your side for the time being. To seal the deal further I'll start off by killing every sorcerer and human in Shibuya" Sukuna declared then paused.
"Except for two" He smirked.
Jogo's mind raced, this was Sukuna giving him an opportunity in the form of a single attack. If he could land it then he would gain the strongest ally imaginable.
"So what will it be. Will you enter the gauntlet? Or will you cower like the rest of your kind?" Sukuna mocked
"You'll be true to your word?" Jogo questioned
"Hey woman, what was your name?" Sukuna turned and asked Nanako
"Na-N-Nanako..." She choked out.
"Alright Nanako, once I return we'll discuss your offer" Sukuna had a twisted plan in motion but that would have to wait.
- Sometime Later-
Jogo's body lurched through the air, time itself seeming to slow as he felt the force that had just torn through him. He barely had time to register what had happened before crashing through a building.
"His...his power is overwhelming...to think he's this strong!" Jogo was in over his head.
The rubble hadn't even finished settling when the pressure returned. Sukuna stepped through the dust and destruction like he would a conquered city. He stopped just ahead of Jogo with his foot dispersing the dust around them. He looked down at him as if surveying a broken challenger dragged before his throne.
"Is that all? You take pride for being strong among your kind right? Then why are you crumbling at my feet" Sukuna taunted.
Jogo erupted from the debris in a burst of fire, closing the distance with explosive speed and with his fist coated in flames hotter than anything he'd unleashed before. Sukuna dodged but not with a simple shift of his body and a slight tilt of his head so effortlessly it made Jogo's gut twist in frustration.
"Too slow" Sukuna said coldly
A knee slammed into Jogo's gut faster than his mind could process. A deafening shockwave followed as he was launched through another row of buildings, his body breaking through steel and concrete like paper. Before he could even attempt to regain control Sukuna was already there.
"Fly for me" Sukuna grabbed Jogo and spun him around and the next instant Jogo was sent hurtling through Shibuya, the sheer impact carved a fiery trench through the city and carving a trench in the road.
"You wanted to fight me didn't you? Then fight! Entertain me!" Sukuna mused while standing atop a tilted skyscraper as he looked down on the fallen Jogo.
Jogo stumbled and summoned two volcanic geysers on the side of two adjacent buildings to engulf Sukuna but it wasn't fast enough.
"You're trying so hard!" Sukuna appeared behind him.
A hand gripped Jogo's skull then slammed him into the ground, the sheer force splitting the street even further. He began scraping his face across the ground like cheese on a grater.
"But you're still sooo weak..." Sukuna grinned as he let go.
"I won't kneel!" Jogo gasped, his body screamed in agony but his pride refused to die.
Jogo refused to be humiliated so he slammed both hands onto the ground as he pushed himself up and his cursed energy spiked as a wave of searing heat expanded outward. The ground beneath them didn't crack but erupted, making massive geysers of molten rock spewing into the sky, carving through the city like a volcanic hellscape.
Jogo extended a hand forward and instantly the molten rock converged, forming colossal spears of solidified magma. With a flick of his wrist they launched toward Sukuna, streaking through the air like blazing meteors. Sukuna merely tilted his body with each spear narrowly missing him. They crashed into the remains of buildings and instantly melted through them.
The lava that spewed from these molten geysers began to form two massive writhing serpents of pure fire as their molten bodies twisted and snapped at Sukuna from two directions. One came from the side so he twisted his body in response, letting its flaming jaws miss by inches.
Sukuna pushed his hair back with his left while he flicked of his right wrist without looking. The fire serpent was split it in half and the another struck from behind Sukuna bowed deeply and flicked his left wrist as the serpent passed overhead before it was suddenly split into fours.
"Come on! Show me what it really means to burn!" Sukuna mused as he jumped onto another rooftop, effortlessly stepping to the side as another spear of molten rock whizzed past his face
Sukuna launched himself forward, the shockwave alone blasting fire outward as he slammed into Jogo with godlike force. Jogo's body was sent soaring above the chaos and tried to retaliate with a ferocity that matched the inferno around them.
Jogo twisted midair with rage and desperation fusing into something feral. His palm glowed white hot as he aimed downward, unleashing a rapid fire barrage of molten projectiles like a minigun. The pulses of energy streaking toward Sukuna in a relentless hail of napalm.
The sky filled with streaking fire, a merciless hail meant to erase everything beneath it. Sukuna dodged each shot, flipping and twisting off the edges and sides of buildings while his hands remained tucked casually in his pockets without a care in the world.
Sukuna landed lightly on the side of a building as one last barrage of an errant salvo of cursed energy saw its way into a nearby building. The structure shuddered under the impact before Sukuna propelled himself off of it and as a result from Jogos barrage a thunderous explosion shattered debris as they rained down like a macabre confetti of destruction.
KA-BOOOM
The shockwave from the explosion barely registered on him while he bowed with elegance, a mocking gesture that both acknowledged the effort and dismissed the threat. His eyes gleamed with disdain as he allowed the flames and falling rubble to serve as a testament to his unassailable might.
Jogo's eye narrowed as he tapped into the fury of the volcano that had long been his crown. In one swift motion he unleashed a searing beam from the molten core of his head, a bolt of incandescent energy that tore through the air.
The beam sliced through several buildings in its relentless path. Windows ignited and walls shattered as it raced through the urban landscape and left a trail of smoldering ruin in its wake.
Before Jogo could even register the magnitude of his own attack, Sukuna materialized in an instant like a dark phantom. Appearing right in front of him and with his ironclad grip he seized him by the collar and in a heartbeat.
Sukuna then hurled him through more buildings, the impact of each collision echoing far and wide. The force of the barrage sent chunks of debris flying and when Jogo finally landed in the street he was battered and dazed amid the ruins.
Sukuna wasn't finished, while Jogo slowly struggled to rise Sukuna was already there once more as an ominous silhouette against the backdrop of destruction. With an overhead swing his fist was brought down with his full might upon Jogo's head.
The impact was cataclysmic and Jogo was sent crashing downwards with a force that shattered the road. He was sent so far down into the dark bowels below he had entered into the sewers.
Sukuna stood atop the ruined street to gaze down into the gaping hole where Jogo had disappeared into. The scent of molten rock and charred debris filled the air, blending with the acrid stench of fear. He exhaled to savor the moment, the intoxicating thrill of absolute dominance over his prey.
Then the screaming of humans who hadn't evacuated were heard, the pitiful and weak creatures fled in all directions. Their terrified wails grated on his ears, an annoying incessant white noise polluted the moment of his entertainment.
"How unsightly..." He glared at them and with a mere flick of his fingers cleave cut through the air.
Silent precision that mercilessly cut down the fleeing masses, they never even registered what had happened. Their cries were severed mid scream, bodies collapsing in a grotesque symphony of falling flesh. The streets once filled with chaos and noise were now silent.
Sukuna rolled his shoulders, stretching as if he had just swatted away a few flies. His focus returned to the ruined hole below just waiting for Jogo to claw his way back up. Jogo was motionless in the rancid water of the sewer but the steam rising from his molten flesh sizzled and evaporated the filth around him on contact.
"How strong am I compared to Sukuna's fingers?" Jogo had asked Geto.
"In terms of Sukuna's fingers?" I'd say in a practical sense about eight maybe nine fingers" Geto mused.
"Eight or nine? That should've been enough. I should've been able to stand against anything!" The sewer trembled around him.
Heat pulsed from his body, the space boiling as his cursed energy surged beyond control. Up above the streets responded with soda cans in vending machines hissing and exploding one by one, metal warping under the heat.
Storefront windows spiderwebbing before shattering. Manhole covers shot into the air like artillery fire before crashing into buildings. The very air was shimmering like a desert mirage as an intense suffocating pressure settled over the area. Then the ground itself glowed a deep ominous red that spread through the cracks in the street, growing hotter and hotter before.
KABOOM!!
Jogo erupted from below with a wave of molten lava spewing forth, cascading across the road in a scorching tidal wave. It poured into every alleyway and roadway swallowing everything in its path, the entire street transformed into a lake of burning hell.
For a moment it seemed like Sukuna was engulfed, lost beneath the sea of flame but then there was a sudden forceful rejection of the flames. The lava around him curved outward in a perfect radius as if the very air around him refused to be touched. Molten projectiles screamed toward him but Sukuna remained still with his hands tucked lazily into his pockets.
There was no need to move while his body reacted with effortless precision to weave through the barrage as if he were dancing between raindrops. Each burst of molten rock narrowly missed him, splattering against the ground with a hiss yet he never once appeared threatened.
Sukuna propelled himself onto the rooftop of a nearby building, standing at its edge like a king surveying the battlefield. Below the molten lake devoured everything, entire blocks melting into sludge, the buildings groaning as their foundations liquefied, sinking into the infernal depths.
"So you do have some bite left in you!" Sukuna observed with amusement.
Like a dormant volcano suddenly awakening, the structure beneath him erupted upward with a blazing inferno consuming the foundation and sending a torrent of fire and magma sky high. The entire block was turning into a volcanic battlefield and Jogo despite everything poured every ounce of his power into making it so.
Sukuna was suddenly hurled upward, his form was that of a dark comet streaking against the burning sky. While mid air Jogo's fury reached new heights as he summoned two enormous molten hands that burst forth from the earth like the fists of a vengeful titan.
With a roar Jogo seized two towering skyscrapers in those searing hands, his voice echoing through the chaos as he struggled to control the raw power. For a moment the city itself trembled under the force of his wrath.
Jogo's yell grew louder and with a violent heave he slammed the two skyscrapers together with Sukuna caught between their crushing force. Yet as the massive structures began to converge Sukuna's reaction was unnervingly calm.
Sukuna sliced through the oncoming mass of concrete and steel, his cleave tearing through the buildings and turning them into fragments as if they were nothing but brittle paper. From the swirling debris emerged a figure in a pose of chilling grace.
Sukuna had his arms flared out like an angel from hell, every line of his body exuding an ethereal yet brutal elegance. In the blink of an eye or like he was riding on the very winds of destruction he reappeared in front of Jogo.
His terrifying grin split his face, half obscured by shadow that seemed to writhe and dance like living ink. The sight was nothing short of a king crowned in carnage. Jogo was momentarily stunned by the swift and effortless display but could only watch in horror.
The graceful deadly aura radiating from Sukuna left no doubt that this was a power beyond mortal reckoning and Jogo had but one chance to either submit to it or be obliterated by it. Sukuna's assault sent him hurtling through a gauntlet of buildings.
The impact was brutal, each structure was a fleeting blur as Sukuna kept pace effortlessly. Sukuna's fists became a constant barrage against Jogo's battered body. With every vicious punch the world around them shattered into splinters of concrete.
Before they reached the end of the last building they entered Sukuna launched Jogo through the ceiling. He soared over a towering building that have scaffolding around it and with a single push Sukuna drove his hand into Jogo's face then began his descent.
In a terrifying display he plunged through the building's roof with each floor coming down like an unwelcome guillotine. With every level they passed the force of Sukuna's descent battered Jogo's face with concrete and metal merging with flesh. The relentless crushing pressure left his features distorted and his jaw nearly torn off as he fought desperately to keep it intact.
Each floor delivered a brutal reminder of Sukuna's overwhelming power until a final earth shattering impact on the ground floor. Jogo's body crumpled beneath the weight of his punishment with the shattered remnants of his defiance lay scattered among the wreckage.
Sukuna stood tall, basking in the pale glow of the moonlight that filtered through the gaping hole in the ruined building. His presence was regal yet monstrous like a demon king reveling in the suffering of his subjects. Jogo knelt before him with his molten form trembling, battered, and barely holding itself together.
"HAHAHAHA! The moonlights illumination, now it makes it easier to see how disgraceful and pathetic you truly are. Is this really all you offer me?" A wicked smirk spread across Sukuna's face as he tilted his head.
"You went through all that trouble for this chance yet you kneel before me yet again. Come on, at least try harder" He took a step forward.
"Or perhaps this is the limit of your kind? Nothing but weak pathetic embers, flickering before a true flame like myself?" He let the words hang in the air to relish the moment, beckoning Jogo to retaliate.
"Self....Immolation" Jogo announced.
"Hmm?"
For a brief moment all was silent then from an outside perspective the entire building convulsed with an ominous rumbling before the eruption of hellfire. The night was torn apart as an explosion surged upwards, flames consuming the structure from within.
BOOOOOOOM!!
One by one each floor ignited before bursting outward in a chain reaction of destruction. Fire clawed its way up the walls, licking the sky before culminating in a final deafening eruption at the top. A violent shockwave ripped through the city sending flaming debris raining down upon the streets.
"So you've decid- wait..." Something had brushed against Sukuna's senses
In the heart of the raging inferno, amidst the chaos and destruction Sukuna's eyes flickered with intrigue. He sensed something faint but unmistakable, a presence that had been lingering at the edges of his awareness for some time now.
"Izuku Midoriya...I knew you wouldn't run for long!" Sukuna gained a wicked grin
His gaze drifted southwest beyond the battlefield and toward a presence still burning stubbornly in the distance. Izuku wasn't far and while the city crumbled beneath Jogo and Sukuna's unbridled carnage he had been running into harms way.
"How heroic of you even now instead of running, instead of hiding, you're running head first into the chaos" For now he would let Izuku play his little game of hero.
"Soon the hour of reckoning will be upon you and I will step fourth in it's stead" Sukuna chuckled softly
The heat rolled through the air in suffocating waves rolling through the air. All while the ground trembled beneath his iron soles with vibrations rattling up his legs and into his bones with every distant detonation. Each step Izuku took befan to bring more destruction into view.
Buildings stood hollowed and broken, their interiors exposed to the night like flayed ribs, fires roaring through offices and apartments that had once been full of life. Entire streets had been torn apart and melted with the night painted in violent oranges and reds.
"Shibuya's getting worse by the minute. Those explosions...its gotta be that curse from the station" Izuku wanted nothing more than to get revenge but that would be selfish.
A shadow passed overhead and Izuku moved aside just in time as a slab of concrete crashed down. The slab shattered harmlessly into fragments that skidded across the street, he pushed onward without slowing eventually having to dodge more debris and leap over widening cracks as the silhouettes of distant towers collapsed.
"I need to find the Sorcerers Shoko told me about" He muttered.
Izuku had managed to find Shoko and leave the others in her care. However, while he was with Shoko he had felt the distant rumbling from explosions not to mention the sound of them. That alone caused him to jump back into action but before he left he had asked her if there were any other sorcerers still operating in Shibuya.
"There should be two near JR Shibuya Station. Kusakabe, a man in a trench coat with a katana and he's currently with Panda I believe"
Izuku vaulted over the wreckage of a fallen bus and continued sprinting down a burning avenue. He wanted to take to the air to get to Jr Station faster but he couldn't leave while even the smallest chance remained that someone nearby might still be trapped in all this. So he ran street to street, scanning and listening for voices amongst the roar of everything around him.
Only when the heat became unbearable and the asphalt beneath his iron soles began to soften, he finally abandon the ground. Izuku activated Float and rose above the streets with burst of One For Alll. Now that he was in the sky the devastation revealed its true scale from above.
Entire blocks had become rivers of molten stone with lava spilling through avenues. Buildings sagged and warped from their foundations melted. His eyes locked on the distant silhouette of JR Shibuya Station. It was terrifyingly close to the heart of whatever was causing this.
"If Kusakabe and Panda are still there then I need to hurry" He clenched his fists mid-flight before cutting across the skyline in a blue streak.
The moment eventually came when Izuku drew close to the station. His new danger sense formed above his head and pulled his senses towards the station. He began to descend until he hovered just above the rooftop and upon focusing his vision downward he saw them.
"Where do you think you're going?!" A gruff voice called out as his fellow peers surrounded two people at the center of them.
"Hey we got ourselves a couple of Jujustu Sorcerers!" Another one said
Kusakabe had his hand near his katana while panda remained on guard beside him.
"List-!" Kusakabe tried shouting as a massive explosion erupted several blocks away
KA-BOOM!
"Shit. Listen up you curse users! I don't know what's happening but a couple of Special Grades are out there fighting right now!"
The shockwave rolled through the district. Rooftops rattled, windows shattered, and debris were hurled into the night as fire surged skyward. This made everyone pause and stare but only for a second because three of the men surrounding them dropped from their elevated positions and lunged anyway.
Izuku deactivated float and dropped in without a second thought, he aimed his right arm with OFA surging into his fingers, took aim, and flicked his fingers in rapid succession. The Air Force shots slammed into the attackers faces stunning them instantly and while he was mid air Izuku shot blackwhip from his arm and latched onto the nearest curse user's torso.
He yanked himself forward in the same motion, twisting his body midair and driving a spinning kick straight into the man's temple. The curse user was knocked out instantly with his body hitting the pavement with a dull thud.
Without skipping a beat he blurred forward, closing the distance on the remaining two before they could recover. One went down from a clean strike to the jaw while the other was taken out from a gut punch along with a sweeping kick that took his legs out from under him.
Both collapsed unconscious before they even understood what had hit them. The remaining curse users stumbled back in confusion as Izuku repositioned himself beside Kusakabe and Panda.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya and I'm with Team Nanami. I assume you know them?" Izuku asked with his fists raised
"Team Nanami? Yeah, we know 'em but where the hell are the rest of them?" The trench coat man's eyes narrowed
"They're off the field. They needed medical so I took them to Shoko" Izuku replied
BOOM!
Another explosion ranged as a tower ignited into a mushroom cloud but this time it began to swirl and form into a ball of fire. Soon that ball began a vortex as it started destroying the rest of the tower and consuming it, dragging in anything and everything below. The worst part of it all was that it was coming straight for them.
"WHAT IN THE HELL IS THAT?!" Panda shouted as he stared up
"Forget about these guy's we need to get the hell out of here! Panda, Midoriya, move your asses now!" Kusakabe ordered and they broke off into a sprint.
"Watch it! Two more are dropping!" Panda warned as two more curse users jumped down to stop them.
"New Shadow Style: Quick Draw!" Kusakabe slid between them as he unsheathed his sword and with a single slice their bodies hit the ground.
Every instinct and every ounce of survival they had urged them to escape the inferno that threatened to consume everything behind them. The sheer force of the battle between titans raged at their backs.
One step.
Two steps..
Three steps...
In that moment they had passed something or rather something allowed them to pass. A void in space, a silent invisible weight that had been there all along just waiting and watching. It wasn't movement nor was it an attack, It was simply there the instant they unknowingly crossed its threshold.
"You're not going anywhere" Something had just appeared behind Izuku.
The world seemed to stop and Izuku's breath hitched in his throat. Kusakabe, the man who had just moments ago demanded they run froze mid step too. His entire body locked up in an unnatural stiffness while Panda let out the smallest whimper. Behind them was something indescribable, a presence so overwhelming that it consumed the very concept of life and death itself.
"Keep running in my shadow little hero...while you still can" Izuku's body refused to move, it was locked in place by an unseen force more suffocating than any pressure he had ever felt.
"You feel it don't you?" The voice dripped with amusement.
"The inevitable pull of fate drawing you straight to me. You've been running towards it this whole time without even knowing" A low chuckle followed as the infernal orb that had become a second sun began plummeting closer and closer toward them.
"Don't disappoint me, Izuku Midoriya" Fate itself had just whispered in his ear then disappeared.
Izuku's body moved before his mind could catch up. One For All ignited along his frame and in an instant he dashed forward to grab Kusakabe and Panda. The fire ball crashed into the ground with the force of a nuclear explosion.
A blinding flash erupted followed by shockwaves so powerful they sent cars and trucks hurtling through the air like discarded toys and entire blocks trembled under the relentless pressure. The violent impact tore through the landscape, shattering concrete and igniting every flammable material in its path.
Flames leaped from the ruptured earth as if hell itself were crawling upward to reclaim the world. The wind was now a furious burning tempest that swept through the city, setting alight any scrap of hope or shelter in its relentless advance.
As the fireball's explosion raged, the roaring shockwaves, the searing heat, and the unstoppable engulfing flames melded into a single apocalyptic vision. It was a spectacle of utter annihilation, a hellish rebirth of the city scorched and remade by the fury of fire.
The world seemed to burn, the streets near were unrecognizable, and the buildings were reduced to skeletal remains. The aftermath of Jogo's final attack stretched far and wide, a cataclysm that should have ensured his victory.
"Heheh..hahaha! Even Sukuna shouldn't be able to escape that unharmed!" Jogo said excitedly.
"If it had it then I would agree with you but I must admit, that was quite the spectacle" Sukuna stepped forward while dusting nonexistent debris from his shoulder
"H-huh?!" Jogo's eye widened as the impossible unfolded before him.
Through the thick haze of rising embers and molten wreckage a figure walked through the blazing ruin as if he were taking a casual stroll through a garden. Jogo had poured everything into that attack, his rage, his existence, even his very essence. He had reshaped the battlefield into a vision of hell itself but standing before him now, Sukuna remained unscathed.
"It makes me wonder...why did you decide not to use your domain?" Sukuna stopped just far enough away from Jogo.
"I already know i can't win in a battle of domains against you!" Jogo admitted.
"Is it because you lost against Satoru Gojo?...spoken like a true loser" Sukuna laughed.
Sukuna examined Jogo as one would a broken toy with disappointed yet mildly entertained by its resilience. The flames around them raged on, devouring what remained of the ruined cityscape but not once did Sukuna's smirk waver.
"Although, I'll admit that you've managed to pique my interest. How about I use your own element against you" His left hand rose as heat began to condense in his palm while he called forth something unseen.
"Open"
A streak of fire unlike anything Jogo had ever witnessed began to coil in Sukuna's palm. This wasn't just cursed fire, It was something more, Something beyond anything Jogo had ever encountered.
"Flames? I thought his technique was severing and slicing..." Jogo was at a loss as to how Sukuna was wielding flames.
"You're not familiar with this one? I thought it was well known. But I suppose your kind wouldn't know about it. Don't worry, I won't do anything petty like revealing my technique" Sukuna's grin dropped to a serious look soon after
"Arm yourself" Sukuna intoned. This was a dark invitation to embrace the flames that had been both Jogo's bane and his boon.
In the smoldering silence of Shibuya's ruins, Sukuna's gaze remained ice cold. With a fluid, almost poetic grace, he raised his hand and let the wild flames around it obey his every subtle motion.
The fire danced around his fingers as if in a reverent ballet, curling and twisting in mesmerizing patterns. They gathered at his finger tips and with a final pull he stretched the swirling inferno into a flaming arrow.
Not to be outdone Jogo summoned his own fury. His flames began to coalesce under his fierce command. The searing heat molded the fire into a dense pulsing orb that radiated power and defiance.
Their standoff was a study in contrasts. Sukuna's controlled yet elegant inferno versus Jogo's raw condensing blaze. The flaming arrow quivered at the tip of Sukuna's outstretched hand while Jogo's orb pulsed like the heartbeat of a volcano. Each flicker of flame spoke of their unyielding will, a poetic dance on the very edge of oblivion and what came next caused the world to flash white.
"Packs of humans. Packs of curses. All of you get together and measure your worth against each other, driving all of you to become weaker and stunted"
"You really should've just burned everything down. Burnt everything down to a cinder without giving it a second thought. What you were lacking this whole time was the hunger to seize your own ideals"
In the midst of collapsing structures and raging flames Jogo's once furious form which had burned with a wild intensity was now succumbing to it's inevitable end. Under the relentless assault of heat and time his flesh began to blacken and turn into ash.
"Even so, you did manage to entertain me a bit. I've fought countless things a thousand years ago and yet you were one of the better ones I've fought. So stand proud in knowing that you were strong"
The burning fragments of what he once was were lifted by the unforgiving wind before being scattered like forgotten memories across the desolate streets. Jogo's ashes were a final testament to a once blazing fury that in the end, weren't weak after all.
"So then...who're you?" Sukuna's gaze lingered on Jogo's corpse as something appeared behind him.
"I've come to welcome you. Master Sukuna" The voice replied.
Sukuna looked over his shoulder and at first he merely regarded them with vague curiosity. The pale haired individual that kneeled before him had a frigid air around them, a stark contrast to the molten devastation surrounding them but that's when recognition dawned on Sukuna.
"Uraume!" Sukuna was somewhat elated
"It's been a long time hasn't it?" Uraume looked up to hi
"And here I thought all the old relics had been long forgotten" He tilted his head
For the first time in a millennium Sukuna stood face to face with a fragment of his past. A subordinate and the first piece of his kingdom that had long since crumbled to time. The King of Curses had returned and his loyal subordinate was here to welcome him home.
"My plans remain unchanged. It won't be long now until I'm free and this borrowed flesh will no longer bind me" Sukuna became serious again while Uraume listened in silence.
"But, there is a variable that has recently come up" His many eyes narrowed
"A variable?" Uraume's brow furrowed
"It's neither a curse or a sorcerer but an anomaly, a boy that isn't of this world. His name is Izuku Midoriya and at first, I thought he was nothing more than another fool playing hero. A noisy insect darting toward death for the sake of applause" Sukuna sneered
"But then I got a closer look. He has multiple techniques layered together like a living archive. A vessel that does not merely contain strength but cultivates it and on top of it all? He harbors nine souls within him and a rotten curse of his own..." Sukuna turned away.
"One of them however...those orange eye's…I stared and they stared back" Sukuna expression turned dark.
"But the energy he holds, that cursed radiant contradiction that gnaws at my senses every time it forms..." His fingers twitched slightly.
"It makes my skin itch..."Sukuna said with distain.
"You mean to say that this boy has altered your path?" Uraume questioned.
"I wouldn't say altered, instead it has merely expanded. My original objective remains but now I have a contingency plan" Sukuna grinned
"I want to push him, break him, and witness what he can truly become. I want to know if he would meet the same criteria I currently have in place for someone else..." Uraume's eyes flickered with intrigue at Sukuna's words.
"Shall I observe him? If he is truly an anomaly, it may be wise t-" Sukuna raised a hand
"No need" He turned around and replied simply.
"I already have plans in motion. He'll come to me in due time" His fingers flexed slightly, recalling the fire in Izuku's eyes.
"However, should you happen upon him unexpectedly simply observe and learn what you can but do not engage with him" His eyes darkened into something more menacing.
"As you wish" Uraume bowed her head in understanding
Sukuna exhaled, the path ahead was set and the flames of his return had been kindled. But before he reclaimed his throne he would unravel the mystery that was Izuku Midoriya and if the boy proved to be truly interesting? Well that would change how he went about his plan.
A fleeting thought crossed Sukuna's mind as he surveyed the shattered remnants of the city. Could that boy have survived the blast? His eyes drifted over the scorched horizon, searching for a sign of life amidst the ruins but before he could focus on the devastation another matter seized his attention, a subtle urgency that crackled in the air like distant lightning.
"Hm?" He tilted his head towards its direction
"Sukuna?" she inquired
"Urgent business" Sukuna's gaze hardened for a moment as he dismissed the query.
Without another word Sukuna vanished into the swirling smoke and embers. Uraume was left to ponder the sudden shift in his focus while the ruined city bore silent witness to a fate yet unresolved.
Far from the epicenter of the fireball was a wasteland. Entire blocks had been flattened like they were pressed beneath the heel of a god. Streets were split open, overpasses toppled, and cars lay overturned.
The air was thick with dust and drifting embers and every few seconds another weakened structure surrendered to gravity, collapsing inward with a echoing crash. Debris rained slowly from above consisting of concrete fragments that tumbled down their broken facades.
Their steel beams groaned and snapped under their own weight making glass trinkle across the streets like rain fall. But beneath it all, buried beneath shattered stone was a single figure. Izuku Midoriya was half covered by rubble with his body being wedged between a collapsed wall and a broken support column.
One arm lay pinned beneath concrete with his fingers curling weakly in the dust below. His costume was torn and scorched, not to mention blackened in places where flames had kissed too close. Blood then seeped from a gash along his temple before pooling against the cracked pavement beneath his head.
"Don't slumber too long Midoriya. You still have far more to do..." Sukuna's words echoed
For a split second the golden energy within Izuku had seeped out of his temple before fading away and the blood on his temple was gone.
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To be continued...
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Izuku retraced his steps through the streets, moving fast but carefully while making sure to scan everywhere. Danger sense had been pulling him in this direction for some time now so he followed the invisible thread.
"I have to find Megumi and Yuji then get them out of here. Shibuya's becoming a wasteland" His thoughts barely registered over the distant roar of destruction.
He barely caught it out of the corner of his eye but he had almost passed a body near a collapsed alley entrance. He stopped and ran up to it but the man's torso had been carved open in a way that made Izuku's stomach twist.
Izuku stumbled back from the sight but quickly steeled himself before crouching besides the man and shutting his eyes. He clenched his fists, got back up, and continued pursuing his danger sense.
He eventually passed the station where Nanami and the other had fallen and continued a few blocks beyond it. Izuku then came across two more bodies lying farther down the street. One slumped against a vending machine, head twisted at an impossible angle.
The other one laid face down in the road with arms outstretched and back split open as though something had simply reached inside him and pulled him apart. There were no curses lingering and no signs of a struggle.
"This isn't random...someone did this intentionally..." Izuku thought grimly before gritting his teeth and pushing forward.
He turned left and continued up the street until danger sense grew more intense and began pulling to the right. He was coming up to a turn but came across another body. This one was bowed forward with their hands resting limply against the ground as if in reverence.
He approached slowly with dread curling tighter in his chest with every step but the closer he got the clearer it became. The girl's head was gone, cut impossibly clean with blood pooling beneath her bowed form.
His hands trembled faintly at his sides as he past the body and every step that brought him closer to the right turn had made danger sense pull harder. Eventually after turning down the street he spotted the scene of a slumped Megumi against a wall in the dim light and there crouched beside him was Yuji.
"Yuji, hey! I'm so glad you're safe!" Relief washed over Izuku like a physical wave and made him put aside danger sense as he picked up his pace.
However that relief quickly faded and his quickened pace turned into a slow walk. Yuji didn't flinch, didn't look up, he didn't even move in the slightest from Izuku's words. That was when he realized something that made his blood turn to ice.
The pull from his Danger Sense wasn't pointing at threat deeper into the ruins nor was it pointing towards anything else nearby. It was pointing at something or rather someone and that someone was Yuji.
"Yuji? Are you hurt? What happened here?" Izuku took a cautious step forward.
Yuji began to stand up slowly and Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. A low chuckle resonated from the figure, echoing through the still night as the lights all around them flickered on and off before turning red for a split second.
"You're late"
"No..." Izuku's blood ran cold and Izuku's heart dropped into his stomach.
This wasn't Yuji's voice and that's when the weight of realization fell on him like an avalanche. This malevolent presence that radiated in front of him, this voice that dripped with malice, it was from earlier. This was the one responsible for whispering fate into his ear.
Yuji's shoulders rolled as if loosening stiff joints. His posture straightened again then he began to turn around slowly and adorned a wicked grin on his face.
"I was wondering how long I'd have to wait before I could see you face to face" His four eyes gleamed as their eyes met fully.
"Let Yuji and Megumi go!" Izuku's demanded with clenched fists
"Let them go? How quaint, you make it seem like I stole them from your clutches" Sukuna laughed as if mocking the very notion.
"However I am no petty thief. I am the mountain upon which despair rests. For a millennium I have left the threads of fate unchecked and tonight?. I finally step forth to sever them" He took a step forward and the world shifted.
The air thickened, shadows deepened as Sukuna's presence enveloped the space like a living, malignant force. The lights around them flickered red again and Izuku's heartbeat only quickened but he stood firm, becoming a spark of defiance fighting against overwhelming dread.
"I must say, that little heroic display you pulled off with the family was truly a sight to behold. Saying you'll stay behind while they run, oh how noble of you" Sukuna grinned
"He's been watching me?!" Izuku's chest tightened
"Your kind always clings to such fragile delusions. Hope. Strength. Sacrifice. Justice." He scoffed softly.
"Those are nothing more than pretty words you heroes repeat to convince yourselves the world is kinder than it truly is" A quiet laugh escaped him
"I walked this earth long before heroes existed. Before your ideals. Before your laws. Before your little moral codes about what's right and wrong" Sukuna said, eyes half-lidded with disdain.
"I carved my name into history with blood and ruin. Kingdoms burned because I willed it. The screams of those who thought themselves righteous filled the air. Entire eras learned to fear the sound of my footsteps!" His eyes gleamed.
"In the end nobody could climb the mountain of which I stood atop except for me. So I did what no one else could and took my own life! Now imagine that" Sukuna continued
"The strongest human to ever walk this earth was forced to take his own life just to be reborn in hopes of finding something that could challenge him!" His voice was dripping with cruel delight.
"You carry power that shouldn't exist. You harbor souls that shouldn't coexist. You wield a form of positive energy that even makes me itch!" His grin sharpened into something feral.
"You defy fate! You spit in the face of inevitability! Yet you still look at the world like it can be saved! HAHAHHAHA!"
"IT'S GOING TO BE A MASSACRE!" His arms spread wide, letting his posture loosen as though he were standing atop an invisible throne. For a moment he let his posture hang low before snapping upright.
"Hear my name and let it be known for I am Ryomen Sukuna: The King of Curses" Sukuna lifted a hand and brushed his hair back, revealing eyes that burned with merciless authority.
"You've been dancing in my shadow for long enough..."
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"And now?.."
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"I finally get to see what happens when I step into yours"
Izuku began to understand that this wasn't a villain or even a curse.
This was a disaster the world had once failed to kill...
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Authors Note:
I would like to sincerely apologize for these chapters for taking so long to be released. It has been two maybe three weeks since chapter 6 which I do feel bad for. Nevertheless I have finally finished this one, there's a lot of ideas that go into these chapters go when I write them but they don't always make the cut if they don't feel right.
I try not to rush things while also making sure each chapter is as perfect as it can be to ensure all of you can enjoy it to it's fullest. I wish there were ways to post updates or keep you guy's posted outside of chapters but so far I haven't been able to find anything.
This story will be completed so do not fear of it being abandoned!
Before I end off this off I would like to thank all of you for still being here, reading the story, and taking time out of your day to do so. I hope to see each and everyone of you till the end but until that time comes I hope all of you are in good health and staying safe out there.
- Bokurano