Chu Yang left with Yuji, leaving the cleanup work to Ijichi Kiyotaka. In matters like this, Ijichi was the real professional.
Along the way, Yuji kept his head lowered. That crushing sense of helplessness made him feel like he couldn't breathe.
If it weren't for the fact that they'd at least managed to save that girl, he might have completely sunk into those emotions.
Chu Yang noticed his mood. With a faint smile, he asked softly, "What—do you think you're trash just because you can't beat a special-grade cursed spirit?"
Yuji shook his head. "It's not about winning… I just feel like I can't protect anyone at all…"
Chu Yang burst out laughing. "Kid, you're a first-year who just enrolled. It's not your turn to protect anyone yet—don't get ahead of yourself!"
Yuji waved his hands in a panic. "That's not what I meant—"
Chu Yang reached out and flicked the back of his head. The force wasn't heavy, but it still made Yuji grimace in pain.
"As a junior, you should be at ease accepting protection from others. When the day comes that you become a senior, then you can think about protecting people. Trying to steal the seniors' responsibilities right now—if that's not arrogance, what is?"
"So when you run into things that are beyond your power, it's not your fault. And it's definitely not something you should be bearing."
As he spoke, Chu Yang suddenly recalled Nanami Kento's lectures back when he was still working a corporate job.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Everything I just said was taught to me by some middle-aged guy. If it sounds old-fashioned, just listen casually—don't take it too seriously."
Yuji's mood was visibly better now, a smile returning to his face. "Those words make a lot of sense. I'll remember them. When I become a senior someday, I'll pass them on to my juniors too."
Chu Yang nodded in satisfaction. The kid might be a bit dense, but praise that came from genuine sincerity always put him in a good mood.
"In my experience, juniors are way more sensible than seniors!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Chu Yang looked up and saw Nanami Kento standing at the entrance to Jujutsu High.
Nanami stared at him with clear displeasure. "And who exactly is this 'middle-aged guy' you're talking about?"
Chu Yang coughed awkwardly. "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue. Don't mind it, Nanami-senpai."
Twenty-seven-year-old Nanami shot Chu Yang a warning look before turning his gaze away.
Then he said to Yuji, "I'm an adult. I am absolutely not a middle-aged man. Don't listen to his nonsense."
Yuji had no idea how to respond and could only nod repeatedly.
Chu Yang asked curiously, "Nanami-senpai, what brings you here?"
Nanami glanced down at his watch and replied leisurely, "Gojo-senpai asked me to come. He wants me to take the kid beside you away."
"Having you guide him for one day is enough. You're a special-grade sorcerer now—you can't keep wasting time on him."
"Those were Gojo-senpai's exact words."
As Nanami spoke, he deliberately emphasized the words special-grade sorcerer, clearly teasing Chu Yang.
Chu Yang didn't notice the teasing at all. His mind was entirely occupied with Gojo Satoru's intentions.
If Gojo could've let Nanami and Yuji work together from the start, why switch to him halfway through—and now switch back again?
What was Gojo testing?
Chu Yang instinctively felt that Gojo wasn't testing him—but someone else…
"Ah—! I've only studied with Yang-senpai for one day, and you're already switching people so casually?!"
Yuji's complaint snapped Chu Yang out of his thoughts.
"He's the senior who introduced me to sorcery—how can you just replace him like that?!"
"That's the senior who brought you into the field," Chu Yang said with a laugh. "Being able to learn from him is your good fortune."
Yuji immediately fell silent.
"It seems you're quite beloved by your juniors," Nanami said with a satisfied smile. "I hope you can stay like this—and never let down the people who trust you."
"Don't say things like that. It puts pressure on people," Chu Yang said, shaking his head. He suddenly slapped Yuji on the back, pushing him toward Nanami, then walked off without looking back.
"Oh, right! Gojo-senpai also asked me to pass on a message," Nanami called after him. "You're to serve as a referee at the Jujutsu High Exchange Event!"
Chu Yang paused, then nodded.
A referee?
More like bait.
Chu Yang couldn't help but smile.
Not long after, Nanami led Yuji away.
"Nanami-senpai, where are we going?" Yuji asked.
"To wrap up this incident," Nanami replied. "Yang excels at dealing with cursed spirits, but he's indifferent to everything else. Don't pick up that habit."
Yuji thought of the girl whose body Mahito had twisted and said firmly, "That's not true! Besides being good at exorcising curses, Yang-senpai is a really good person!"
Nanami froze for a moment, adjusted his glasses, and said nothing.
Soon after, the two of them located Yoshino Junpei—the high school student who had appeared alongside Mahito when the incident began.
...
One week later.
The exchange event between Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High officially began.
The principals of both schools, Yaga Masamichi and Gakuganji Yoshinobu, led their students to assemble on campus.
The moment Gakuganji appeared, the conservative elder fixed his gaze on Chu Yang.
Back then, he had been the first to oppose making Chu Yang a vessel.
Noticing the stare, Chu Yang rudely drew his thumb across his throat in a cutting gesture toward Gakuganji.
The students present were instantly dumbfounded.
Wasn't this supposed to be an exchange event?
Why did it feel like war was about to break out the moment it started?
"HAHAHA! You're being mischievous again!"
Gojo Satoru laughed loudly as he slung an arm around Chu Yang's neck and dragged him aside.
Yaga Masamichi coughed awkwardly a few times to draw everyone's attention, then began explaining the rules of the event.
The first round was a team battle.
The school had placed cursed spirits in a nearby forest ahead of time. Within a limited period, both teams would enter the forest and exorcise them. Whichever side eliminated more cursed spirits would win.
While Yaga explained, Gojo leaned over and whispered to Chu Yang, "Normally, a referee doesn't need to go inside. But the higher-ups insisted—and specifically named you, saying it was to protect the students."
"A bunch of ordinary cursed spirits don't need you at all. I think something's off."
Chu Yang scoffed. "You didn't stop it. You wanted me to go in as bait too, didn't you? Don't play the good guy here."
Exposed so directly, Gojo wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. He grinned shamelessly. "Since there's no real danger anyway, I figured I'd take the chance to see just how rotten Jujutsu High has become."
Chu Yang sneered. "Instead of wasting time, we might as well slaughter them all and rebuild Jujutsu High from scratch."
Gojo didn't respond. He simply turned his head away, pretending he hadn't heard.
Moments later, the match began.
Chu Yang entered the field together with the students. Both teams' students stared at him.
"Keep staring, and I'll dig your eyeballs out," Chu Yang said arrogantly.
His attitude made the Kyoto students glare at him in anger, while Yuji and the others looked completely used to it.
Maki Zenin, Panda, and Toge Inumaki had known Chu Yang for a long time. Maki had even trained with him for a while.
Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji had both spent time around Chu Yang as well.
Only Nobara Kugisaki had no idea who Chu Yang was.
Like the Kyoto students, she was furious—staring daggers at him with wide eyes.
Only after Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji Itadori pulled her aside and whispered a few words did the anger on Nobara Kugisaki's face finally ease.
Aoi Todo clenched his fist and issued a hostile warning."Even if you're the referee, running your mouth will still get you beaten. Don't believe me? Try it."
Aoi Todo was a third-year student at Kyoto Jujutsu High. Despite not having graduated yet, he was already a Grade 1 sorcerer, stronger than many instructors.
His mentor was the special-grade sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo.
The other Kyoto students waited eagerly for the show.
Beating up Tokyo Jujutsu High's referee right at the start of the match—if that got out, the ones who'd lose face would definitely be Tokyo.
Only Kasumi Miwa looked nervous, kindly trying to persuade Aoi Todo not to act on impulse.
Todo had merely been acting on a burst of anger. After calming down, he decided not to pursue the matter further.
Unfortunately, Chu Yang chose that exact moment to add fuel to the fire.
He crooked a finger at Todo and sneered."That sounded scary for a second. Almost pissed myself."
Aoi Todo's face darkened. He stripped off his top, revealing a powerfully built upper body.
Cursed energy surged across his entire frame as he charged straight at Chu Yang, intent on teaching him a lesson with the close-quarters combat he excelled at.
Now it was Tokyo Jujutsu High's students' turn to watch the fun. Everyone already knew who was about to be unlucky.
Aoi Todo's fist, wrapped in cursed energy, smashed toward Chu Yang's face.
Chu Yang answered with a punch of his own—without using cursed energy.
The fists collided.
Todo didn't even last a full second before he was blasted away by a terrifying force.
The shockwave knocked the Kyoto students stumbling all over the place.
When Todo hit the ground, he realized his right arm was completely numb.
Shock spread across everyone's faces.
They had never seen anyone overpower Aoi Todo so completely.
Clutching his arm, Todo stood back up, his expression grim. Being injured at this moment meant Kyoto Jujutsu High would be at a serious disadvantage in the upcoming match.
"Todo, are you alright?""What happened to your arm?"
His classmates surrounded him, anxiously asking about his condition.
"It's broken,"Todo spat out the words.
The atmosphere instantly sank.
If Todo said it was broken, it definitely wasn't a simple fracture—more likely a pulverized break.
"You're the referee! How can you injure students?!"Momo Nishimiya, a semi-Grade 2 sorcerer from Kyoto, shouted angrily at Chu Yang.
"You were the ones who wanted to fight. Losing and then barking like stray dogs—how pathetic,"Nobara Kugisaki shot back without hesitation. When it came to arguing, she had never lost to anyone.
Momo Nishimiya was furious. She grabbed her broom, ready to activate her technique.
Nobara immediately took out her own cursed tool.
Seeing their teammates preparing to fight, others also adopted combat stances. In an instant, both sides were on edge.
"This has nothing to do with you,"Chu Yang waved Maki and the others back, then looked at Momo Nishimiya."If you want to fight, you can all come at once. Saves time."
Meanwhile, inside the monitoring room—
Masamichi Yaga and the others watched the scene unfold on the screens, their faces ashen. None of them had expected things to escalate like this.
A referee fighting the contestants?!
"This is outrageous! He's a special-grade sorcerer bullying students!"Kyoto's lead instructor Utahime Iori cursed loudly, rolling up her sleeves as she prepared to rush out and stand up for her students.
"You said it yourself—he's special-grade. Having a bit of attitude is only natural,"Gojo Satoru said cheerfully, blocking her path.
"Get out of my way! Don't think being special-grade means I won't fight you!"Utahime snapped, already assuming a battle stance.
"Enough."Principal Gakuganji Yoshinobu stopped her with a stern look.
Utahime said angrily, "Principal, Todo's injured like this—we clearly can't win anymore. This isn't fair!"
Gojo immediately chimed in, "Relax. Yang will heal him."
Back on the field—
"Enough!"Aoi Todo roared.
Everyone lowered their weapons.
After stopping his teammates, Todo stepped out of the crowd and walked up to Chu Yang."Did you use cursed energy just now?"
Chu Yang replied calmly, "Against you? I didn't need to be serious."
Hearing this, Todo's expression dimmed. He nodded slowly."You're strong. I'm no match for you. Nothing more to say."
He turned to his teammates."This was my responsibility alone. If we lose the match, I'll take full responsibility."
Then he bowed slightly to Chu Yang."Sorry."
The Kyoto students were seething inside, but they could only swallow their anger.
Suddenly, Chu Yang placed his hand on Todo's injured arm.
Everyone's expressions changed, thinking he was about to attack again.
Instead, Chu Yang activated Reverse Cursed Technique.
In an instant, Todo's arm was completely healed. He stared in disbelief as he rolled his shoulder.
"Reverse Cursed Technique… a high-level skill only a handful in the entire jujutsu world can use…"Kasumi Miwa murmured in shock."As expected of a special-grade sorcerer."
Momo Nishimiya grabbed Miwa's hand, whispering urgently,"W-wait, what did you say? What grade did you say he was?"
Miwa answered reflexively,"Special-grade."
Momo panicked."Aren't there only four special-grade sorcerers?! How is there another one?!"
"Recently, there really is one more,"Mechamaru's dull voice sounded."For some reason, the information hasn't been made public. I only heard about it by chance."
Understanding finally dawned in Todo's eyes.
No wonder he'd been defeated so effortlessly—the gap between special-grade and Grade 1 was like heaven and earth.
After learning Chu Yang's true status, the Kyoto students' attitudes visibly shifted, their respect now rooted purely in strength.
"If you're done causing trouble,"Chu Yang said indifferently,"then the match can begin."
Both teams stiffened, then charged deep into the forest.
At first, both schools followed the same strategy—methodically exterminating cursed spirits, competing purely on strength.
But before long, a chaotic free-for-all inexplicably broke out again.
This time, the spark was Maki Zenin and Mai Zenin.
Their shared fate forced them to set aside the match and seek a long-overdue resolution.
Others clashed in pairs for the sake of their teammates.
No one noticed that the scent of cursed spirits in the forest was growing thicker and thicker.
Among all cursed spirits, Hanami possessed the gentlest disposition.
It was willing to sacrifice itself for its companions—and would grieve and rage over their deaths.
After learning that Mahito had been killed by Chu Yang, Hanami suffered for a long time. When it heard there was a chance for revenge, its excitement was unmistakable.
Hanami was born from humanity's fear and hatred of nature, and it deeply cherished the natural world.
Its reason for killing humans was simple:In a world without humans, nature could finally heal the wounds inflicted upon it.
Its mindset resembled that of an extreme environmentalist.
The moment Hanami entered the forest, the warning barriers failed to react.
Its aura was too close to nature—there was nothing that felt like a cursed spirit at all.
The protective barrier of Jujutsu High mistook Hanami for a plant.
Hanami moved freely through the area, as though strolling through its own garden.
Its mission was simple:
Plant a Cursed Bud inside Chu Yang's body, preventing him from using cursed energy—then coordinate with its companions to capture Ryomen Sukuna's new vessel.
Hanami bent down and communed with the surrounding plants. Very quickly, it located Chu Yang.
Countless massive roots burst out of the ground beneath it, surging in all directions.
These roots were manifestations of cursed energy, able to appear or vanish at Hanami's will.
And when Hanami locked onto Chu Yang—
Endless roots erupted directly in front of him.
The entire battlefield plunged into chaos.
All ongoing fights were forcibly interrupted by the root assault.
"Jujutsu High couldn't possibly have a cursed spirit this strong…"
While fighting Yuji Itadori, Aoi Todo suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately stopped his attack.
Yuji looked at him in confusion.
"This level of power only belongs to a special-grade cursed spirit," Todo explained. "It's far beyond the scope of the competition. There's no way Jujutsu High prepared something like this."
Yuji instantly grasped the seriousness of the situation. Looking in the direction of the massive roots, he exclaimed, "That's where Senior Yang is!"
Todo frowned, puzzled. "Targeting a special-grade sorcerer directly… even for a special-grade cursed spirit, that's suicidal."
"Something's seriously off. Let's go take a look!"
Similar scenes were unfolding across the battlefield. Fighters on both sides temporarily ceased combat and rushed toward Chu Yang's location.
At the same time, the teachers watching from the classroom also sensed the intrusion. Masamichi Yaga immediately announced a suspension of the evaluation and ordered all instructors to head to the venue at once.
Gojo Satoru led the way, with Gakuganji Yoshinobu, the Kyoto principal, following close behind.
When they arrived, they saw an enormous Curtain covering the entire test site.
"A barrier this large requires a huge amount of cursed energy," Gojo said. "Its strength shouldn't be that high."
He placed his hand on the black membrane of the Curtain—only to be violently repelled. The barrier's strength far exceeded his expectations.
Gakuganji noticed the problem and said with a strange expression, "It seems the only thing this barrier restricts is you. The enemy came fully prepared."
"Yeah, looks like it," Gojo replied. He turned to Utahime Iori. "Sorry, but could you go in first? I'll follow shortly."
Without hesitation, the two passed through the Curtain and entered the barrier.
Waiting for them inside was a bald curse user, who immediately launched an attack.
Despite being seventy-six years old, Gakuganji stripped off his outer robe to reveal an extremely fashionable T-shirt underneath, then pulled out his electric guitar cursed tool and started rocking out.
The visual impact was immense.
"Go find the students. I'll handle this guy!"Gakuganji struck first, violently plucking the strings. A surge of raging cursed energy blasted toward the curse user, catching him completely off guard.
Utahime seized the opportunity to leave.
Outside the Curtain, Gojo stood there silently, seemingly with no intention of breaking the barrier.
"I'll leave the inside to Yang," he muttered. "If things have escalated this far, I want to see exactly who's behind it…"
Without hesitation, Gojo turned and left.
What he never imagined was that Chu Yang had already been "captured" by Hanami.
Chu Yang had never intended to resist in the first place.
His plan was to let Hanami take him away—so that the group of special-grade cursed spirits could "force-feed" him Sukuna's fingers.
Hanami dragged Chu Yang, his body covered in cursed buds, and vanished into the forest.
The students searched everywhere for Chu Yang. Only after the Curtain completely dissipated did they have to accept an unbelievable truth.
Chu Yang had been taken by the cursed spirits.
When Gojo returned, even he was stunned by the news, remaining silent for a long time.
A heavy gloom settled over Jujutsu High.
Elsewhere, Chu Yang followed Hanami into a mysterious space saturated with cursed energy.
The lighting was dim, the air damp—like some kind of underground chamber.
With his body filled with cursed buds, Chu Yang chose to remain unconscious, quietly waiting for the cursed spirits to feed him Sukuna's fingers.
"I brought him back!"Hanami's voice rang out, excitement and triumph overflowing.
"Well done, Hanami!" Jogo said excitedly, circling Chu Yang as he inspected him. "Now we can finally attempt the ritual to summon Ryomen Sukuna!"
Kenjaku silently observed Chu Yang. After a long while, he finally spoke."Why was it so smooth? You don't look injured at all."
Hanami didn't like that question. To it, Kenjaku's words sounded like doubt in its strength.
"He doesn't have a cursed technique," Hanami explained patiently. "He only strengthens his body with cursed energy. My cursed buds drained all of his cursed energy—he lost the ability to resist."
Then it added pointedly, "His cursed energy reserves are enormous. More than all of us combined. I used several seeds just to drain him completely."
Jogo nodded. "With that much cursed energy, becoming special-grade is only natural. It's just that Hanami's technique perfectly counters him. Bad luck for him."
Kenjaku also found the explanation reasonable—yet an uneasy feeling lingered in his mind.
"Never mind that. Let's hurry and feed him the fingers. I've waited for this day far too long!"
Jogo impatiently moved to retrieve Sukuna's fingers, but Kenjaku stopped him.
"There are still necessary rituals. We can't just feed them to him like this."
Jogo looked at him in confusion, not understanding what preparations were still needed.
Kenjaku simply said to leave everything to him.
The next day, a small girl appeared beside Kenjaku, calling herself Uraume, claiming to be Ryomen Sukuna's servant from a thousand years ago.
Uraume asked Kenjaku to prepare a place for bathing, then took ten fingers from Jogo and shoved them all into Chu Yang's mouth in one go.
At that very moment—
Chu Yang's eyes snapped open.
"He never lost consciousness!"Uraume screamed in terror, turning to Kenjaku and the others.
Kenjaku's heart sank.
Then he saw Chu Yang calmly pull out three more fingers and shove them into his mouth without hesitation.
All twenty fingers of Ryomen Sukuna were now inside Chu Yang's body!
A vast, terrifying surge of cursed energy erupted violently from him—
...
"We finally meet again!"
"This time, only one of us will survive!"
Seated high upon a throne of white bones, Ryomen Sukuna radiated killing intent, his expression wildly excited.
Being defeated twice by the same person was the greatest humiliation imaginable to him. And now—this was the perfect moment to wash that shame away!
Sukuna stepped down from the throne and immediately unfolded his Domain.
A massive shrine slowly rose behind him.
Chu Yang unfolded his Domain as well.
In the next instant, the two of them appeared within an endless corridor.
Malevolent Shrine vs. Corridor of Deathmatch.
The two Domains began crushing against each other, until they reached a bizarre equilibrium.
Sukuna's aura suddenly surged—his combat power skyrocketed, increasing fivefold before finally stabilizing.
"As an enemy, I truly like your Domain," Sukuna said confidently. "Five times my peak strength is enough to crush anyone!"
"Five times is… acceptable, I guess. Can't always get tenfold—no such luck every time."
Chu Yang sighed, not even bothering to hide his disappointment.
After all, the tenfold bonus he got from Mahito last time had been absolutely exhilarating.
"That attitude again." Sukuna's fury exploded.He was the invincible King of Curses from a thousand years ago, yet Chu Yang treated him like a mere nobody again and again.
Sukuna activated his technique.
Wide-area, indiscriminate slashes poured down upon Chu Yang.
Chu Yang immediately stacked every buff he had.
Though he belittled Sukuna verbally, he was deadly serious about this battle from the very beginning.
The instant the slashes landed, the initial form of Susanoo absorbed most of the damage.
The aftershock from chakra colliding with the slashes transformed into violet flames, engulfing Chu Yang.
The initial Susanoo didn't last long under the fivefold Malevolent Shrine.
In the blink of an eye, it was erased—then the Tailed Beast Cloak took its place, clashing directly with the slashes.
The Tailed Beast Cloak was weaker defensively than Susanoo. After holding on briefly, the slashes broke through, colliding with Armament Haki, the final line of defense.
In a single exchange, Sukuna broke through Chu Yang's third defensive layer!
A fivefold Sukuna was easily the most destructive opponent Chu Yang had faced so far.
Of course, Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto didn't count—he hadn't gone all out, and their last fight in Seireitei was meant to force Chu Yang's growth.
Even a tenfold Sukuna couldn't compare to Ryūjin Jakka, let alone Zanka no Tachi in Bankai.
And someone like Saitama—whose physical attacks were completely broken by design—was excluded altogether. Characters written to be invincible simply weren't comparable.
In the jujutsu world,any sorcerer or curse below special grade couldn't survive even a single slash from Sukuna.
Yet Chu Yang wasn't panicking at all.
With his powerful physique combined with the Lightning Release Armor, his body was already tougher than Armament Haki.
Still, letting Sukuna attack freely would eventually break even the strongest defenses.
Chu Yang had no intention of wasting his Haki like that.
With a thought, Fengdu and Tianque appeared in his hands simultaneously.
Endless Yellow Springs water surged out of the void, instantly flooding the entire corridor.
Having suffered once before, Sukuna leapt onto his shrine. Clapping his hands together, he threw open the shrine gates, releasing massive torrents of flame.
A sea of fire clashed violently with the Yellow Springs water.
"This time, I'll burn all this bizarre water away—and then I'll kill you!"
Sukuna's face twisted with ferocity, killing intent surging.
Chu Yang sneered."Is your fire hotter than the sun?"
Sukuna froze.
Even Ryūjin Jakka's flames had been extinguished by the Yellow Springs—what waves could his fire possibly stir?
Within seconds, the shrine's flames were completely drowned.
An endless ocean now surrounded Sukuna's position.
"If it were anyone else, they'd probably be dead the moment they saw you. Fortunately, I specialize in stacking defenses."
Chu Yang said cheerfully.
Sukuna's face turned ashen.
Truth be told, if Fengdu didn't suppress all soul-based entities, Chu Yang wouldn't have gained the upper hand so easily.
The Yellow Springs water could dissolve spiritual and cursed energy—but it had no effect on chakra, mana, or internal energy.
It targeted only the former two.
So Sukuna's misfortune lay here:
He used to be a curse user—and now existed purely as a soul.
Other than cursed energy, he had nothing else.
If he had already completed possession, he could at least have fought Chu Yang in close combat.
"Guess your luck just ran out…"
Chu Yang shook his head as the Yellow Springs rose higher, about to engulf the shrine and reach Sukuna's feet.
Sukuna's expression turned insane.
He refused—utterly refused—to be defeated the same way again.
Opening the shrine wide, he began devouring the Yellow Springs water beneath him.
Chu Yang was surprised.
It was no different from drinking poison—but it actually worked, briefly.
"As long as I kill you before my cursed energy runs out!"
"Either you die—or I do!"
Sukuna's eyes burned crimson. Completely unhinged, he clasped his hands together and unleashed his final technique.
Even more violent slashes descended, forming a storm of blades that swallowed Chu Yang whole—threatening to shred the endless corridor itself.
Chu Yang summoned Complete Susanoo, then layered Tailed Beast Armament atop it.
His defense skyrocketed.
He endured the attack head-on.
One downside of fighting within a mental world was that Sharingan genjutsu was useless.
Dragging someone already inside a mental space into another mental realm was a paradox—like nesting dolls. It simply couldn't be done.
Otherwise, Chu Yang could've trapped Sukuna instantly and let the Yellow Springs dissolve him peacefully.
Under the Domain's guaranteed-hit effect, Chu Yang had to withstand endless slashes without pause—he couldn't spare a moment to counterattack.
Sukuna, meanwhile, was also fighting the erosion of the Yellow Springs.
In the end, it became a battle of time.
A few minutes stretched into what felt like years.
Sukuna's expression grew increasingly grim.
His cursed energy was almost depleted—Malevolent Shrine was about to vanish.
Chu Yang's situation wasn't much better.
Most of the Tailed-Beast-armed Complete Susanoo had been destroyed, leaving only fragments to shield him.
One shoulder and half an arm were exposed to Sukuna's slashes.
Sparks flew.
Only shallow white marks remained.
"Just a little longer… he'll be cut down by the slashes."
Sukuna thought—
—but his cursed energy failed first.
Malevolent Shrine vanished completely.
Without the shrine, the slashes disappeared as well.
Chu Yang dismissed Susanoo and walked toward Sukuna with a smile, spreading his hands.
"The Curse King who stood unmatched a thousand years ago still falls in the end. You should've died long ago—what was the point of clinging to life until now?"
Sukuna, knowing death was inevitable, appeared calmer than before.
"Victory and defeat decide everything. Say whatever you want."
Chu Yang sneered."You're hiding one last strike. What are you waiting for?"
A sharp gleam flashed in Sukuna's eyes.
At the cost of his soul, he unleashed a guaranteed-hit slash—aimed straight at Chu Yang's neck.
Clang!
The sound of metal colliding rang out.
Staring at Chu Yang's completely unscathed neck, Sukuna's gaze went blank.
(End of Chapter)