Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Deal with the Devil!
『RYON』
Enjoy~~
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The dust finally settled, leaving behind a heavy silence broken only by the sound of blood droplets hitting the cold concrete floor.
Ren stood a short distance away from his friend. His emerald eyes, which moments ago had been blazing with the fire of the sun and endless rage, had now dimmed, turning into deep pools of sorrow and hesitation.
"Damn it…" Ren whispered, his voice hoarse.
Before his eyes, Yuji Itadori was drawing his final breaths. He didn't need a medical diagnosis to know it; the state of Yuji's ruined body spoke for itself. Still, to erase any doubt—and to torture himself further with the truth—Ren activated his eyes once more.
[Transparent World: Activated]
The scene changed. Skin and clothing vanished, revealing the brutal biological reality beneath. Shattered bones, internal organs struggling to function, and the flow of cursed energy slowly fading away, like a thin thread of smoke about to snap.
"What a useful… and terrifying technique," Ren thought bitterly, trying to distract his mind from the tragic sight, even for a moment. "I can see every weakness in my opponent, every muscle moving before it should… theoretically, I could even use it to see under women's clothes… damn it, what am I thinking at a time like this?! I really am a hopeless pervert."
Ren quickly shook those pointless thoughts from his head and returned to the painful reality. He crouched in front of Yuji, who had dragged himself with great difficulty to lean against the cracked wall, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
"Yuji…" Ren called softly, forcing a reassuring smile onto his face, though it looked pale and broken. "Are you still conscious? You're really stubborn, you know that?"
Yuji struggled to lift his heavy eyelids and tried to smile, but the blood spilling from the corner of his mouth made it look painful.
"Ren…" Yuji whispered, his voice as weak as rustling paper. "Thank you… I saw you… you crushed it completely, didn't you? Heh… you're really strong."
"Yeah, I crushed it," Ren nodded, his eyes never leaving Yuji's wounds. "For you."
Yuji fell silent for a moment, then looked at Ren with a puzzled expression. "Why are you looking at me like that? Those eyes… they look so sad. Don't be sad, my friend… I'm happy you survived. And Megumi… I'm sure he escaped with Kugisaki. They're probably waiting for us outside right now, complaining about how late we are, like always."
Yuji's optimism hurt more than screaming would have. Hurt so much that Ren could barely stand to look at him.
"Yuji, be quiet for a second and listen to me," Ren cut in suddenly, his voice carrying an unquestionable seriousness. "You need to hand over control to Sukuna. Now."
Yuji's eyes widened in shock. "What? Have you lost your mind?"
Ren sighed and explained it as if he were teaching a simple math lesson to a stubborn student. "You're dying, Yuji. Your body has reached its limit. Sukuna is the King of Curses, and he possesses Reverse Cursed Technique. The moment he comes out, he can regenerate this body in a single second. It's your only option."
Yuji weakly shook his head, his eyes completely rejecting the idea. "No… impossible. You know what will happen. You told me yourself how brutal Sukuna is. If he comes out now, and we're alone… the first thing he'll do is kill you. He won't heal me—he'll take advantage of the chance to get rid of you."
Yuji coughed up black blood, but continued. "I'd rather die here than be the reason you die, Ren."
A tight pain formed in Ren's throat. This kind idiot… even on the brink of death, he worried about others.
"Don't worry, Yuji…" Ren said, and suddenly his tone changed. It was no longer the voice of a Jujutsu High student. It was the voice of a Hashira, the voice of a warrior who had faced Upper Moons.
"Who do you think I am? I'm Yukihara Ren. Even the King of Curses doesn't compare to me."
A strange silence fell.
Yuji blinked, confusion covering his pale face. "Yukihara? Aren't you… Zenin Ren?"
Ren froze. "Ah…"
He felt like a first-rate idiot. He had gotten so immersed in the role that he forgot his current name. "Damn it, did I just reveal my previous identity to a dying person? That's embarrassing."
Before he could explain his slip, something interrupted the conversation.
The flesh on Yuji's left cheek split open, revealing a grotesque mouth and a narrow red eye, staring with disgust and mockery.
"Hahahahaha!"
Sukuna's deep, double-layered voice boomed from the extra mouth. "What a nauseating drama! Sacrifice, friendship, brotherly love? I almost threw up inside this brat's stomach!"
Yuji looked at his cheek in irritation, but he was too weak to slap it like he usually did. Ren, on the other hand, stared at Sukuna with dead eyes, as if looking at an annoying cockroach.
"No matter how many times I see it, this is still disgusting," Ren muttered.
Sukuna's mouth stopped laughing and looked directly at Ren. "Alright, brat with the fake name… since you're so confident and asking for my help, let's do it!"
Ren blinked coldly. "Do what? Heal Itadori and become a model citizen? Oh, thank you so much for your cooperation, sir."
"Are you an idiot?" Sukuna replied mockingly. "Of course not! I'm here to offer you a deal."
Ren frowned. "A deal? What do you want? My body?" Ren stepped back theatrically, covering his chest with his hands. "I refuse! Your ugly, evil soul would contaminate my handsome, attractive body. I don't want to become ugly like you."
An awkward silence followed.
"Do you actually want to save this idiot or not?" Sukuna asked impatiently, as if dealing with a deranged child.
"Alright, alright," Ren waved his hand. "You're very handsome, Sukuna. You'd probably be even more handsome in my body. Are you happy now?"
"Hey! I'm still here!" Yuji shouted weakly. "Who exactly is the idiot here?!"
Ren and Sukuna answered at the same time, in unison: "Obviously, you!"
Yuji stared at them in shock, unable to believe he was being bullied by both his friend and his inner demon on his deathbed.
Ren's expression turned serious in an instant, the comedy vanishing. He leaned closer to the mouth on Yuji's cheek.
"What's your real offer, Sukuna?"
The mouth stretched into a wide grin, revealing sharp teeth. "I'll heal this boy. I'll restore his arm, fix his organs, and make him run like a horse again. But on one condition."
"Speak."
"We fight," Sukuna said, his single eye gleaming dangerously. "You and me. If you defeat me—or kill me—I'll heal him for free. But… if I defeat you, I take your body."
Yuji gasped. "H-Hey… Ren, don't listen to him! Even I know this is a trap! If he wins in some dirty way, he gets your powerful body, and he'll get rid of me easily since I'll just be an empty, broken vessel! He'll gain a new vessel far stronger than me! This is suicide!"
Ren didn't look at Yuji. His eyes remained locked onto Sukuna's.
"I don't care," Ren said coldly. "I accept."
"Wha—?!" Yuji and Sukuna shouted together.
Even the King of Curses looked momentarily surprised. He had expected negotiations, resistance, or at least hesitation. But this boy accepted as casually as if agreeing to go out for lunch.
…
[Inside Sukuna's Inner Domain]
The place was a sea of blood and skulls. At its center stood the Malevolent Shrine, radiating terrifying majesty.
Sukuna sat on his throne of bones, resting his hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"Humans… their relationships and friendships truly disgust me," Sukuna muttered, but a vicious smile slowly spread across his face. "But… this is the first time I've felt such enjoyable rage. To agree so quickly, with such confidence… it's as if he's telling me, 'You are nothing compared to me.'"
He recalled Ren's face, and that strange energy he possessed.
"You and Gojo Satoru… both of you have that same arrogant look. You'll die by my hand, that's certain. But first…" Sukuna chuckled darkly. "That boy Ren's body… it's a treasure. His ability to use those techniques and those flames with cursed energy… exploring his potential as a new vessel instead of this boring brat will be very interesting."
…
[Back to Reality]
Ren looked at Yuji, who was trying to speak and protest, but the words were choking in his throat from weakness and pain.
"Yuji…"
Ren gently placed his fist against Yuji's chest, over his slowly beating heart. Ren smiled, the coldness fading from his face, replaced by the warm, confident smile Yuji had always known.
"Don't worry, my friend. Trust me. This will be quick."
Tears gathered in Yuji's eyes. It wasn't fear of death, but an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
"Grandpa…" Yuji thought as he looked at Ren's smiling face. "You told me to help people, and to die surrounded by others… I didn't truly understand what you meant until this moment."
A strange warmth spread through Yuji's chest despite the chill of death.
"I've gained a true friend… no," Yuji corrected himself as he closed his eyes in acceptance. "Grandpa, I've gained a brother."
"I'm counting on you… brother."
The moment Yuji closed his eyes, the atmosphere in the shattered corridor changed completely.
The temperature dropped abruptly. The weakness vanished from Yuji's body, replaced by a surging torrent of malicious cursed energy.
The eyes opened.
They were no longer Yuji's innocent eyes. They were four blood-red eyes, grotesquely split. Black markings spread across the body like wildfire.
"Yuji's" hand moved like lightning, clamping down on Ren's wrist that was still resting on his chest.
The grip was steel-like, crushing bone.
Sukuna raised his face and slowly leaned in until his nose was almost touching Ren's. Four eyes stared with madness, endless rage, and universe-filling mockery.
"It's time… 'great one,'" Sukuna whispered, the last word dripping with toxic sarcasm.
Ren didn't blink. His eyes remained cold as ice, his killing intent erupting to clash with Sukuna's aura, causing small stones around them to rise into the air from the sheer pressure.
Ren smiled—a small, cold, terrifying smile.
"Yeah. It's time… King of Curses."
BOOOOM!
Their auras exploded together, announcing the beginning of a battle that would make hell itself seem like a pleasant walk in the park.
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End of Chapter 38