Chapter Forty-One: Domain Clash… Sukuna Defeated?!
『RYON』
Enjoy~~~
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Time stopped.
The sound of the wind faded, and the raindrops that had been pouring heavily just moments ago vanished, as if the natural world itself had decided to retreat in fear of what was about to come.
At the heart of the ruined juvenile detention center, Zenin Ren and Ryomen Sukuna stood facing each other, each forming the hand seal of their ultimate technique. Their eyes met in terrifying silence—a silence that preceded a storm capable of tearing reality itself apart.
Their lips moved at the same time, their voices overlapping into a chant of death.
"Ryōiki Tenkai (Domain Expansion)…"
Both whispered, faint smiles on their faces.
Behind Sukuna, a blood-red darkness burst forth. Giant bones and the skulls of demonic beasts formed, constructing a shrine that radiated terror. In contrast, behind Ren, an endless darkness appeared, swallowing everything— even Sukuna's domain—covering the sky in a demonic black hue, with the ground resembling the surface of a calm, nocturnal lake.
The domains collided.
It was not a physical clash, but a battle of concepts. Space rippled, colors intertwined. Sukuna's shrine attempted to tear Ren's domain apart, while Ren's domain tried to burn Sukuna's shrine away. After several seconds of violent struggle, the two domains settled into a strange and horrifying overlapping state.
They both spoke the names of their domains, their voices shaking the world:
"Fukuma Mizushi (Malevolent Shrine)!"
"Rakuyō no Jinja (Shrine of the Fallen Sun)!"
Everything suddenly fell silent.
They now stood within a hybrid world. The sky was a mixture of crimson and black. The ground was dark water reflecting the suspended bones of Sukuna's shrine, while Ren's black sun watched everything from above like the eye of a starving demon.
Instead of immediately fighting, an eerie stillness filled the space. The two looked at each other with the arrogance of kings. Each was confident that victory was only a matter of time.
Sukuna smiled—the kind of smile that split his face and reflected centuries of experience and brutality. He spread his arms wide, as if proudly presenting his kingdom to an intruding guest.
"This is impressive for a mere human brat…" Sukuna began calmly, his voice filled with boundless confidence and arrogance. "But do you truly understand what Domain Expansion means?"
Ren did not answer. He simply watched with his emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness, maintaining his mocking smile.
Sukuna continued as he slowly walked across the dark water. "Domain Expansion is the pinnacle of jujutsu. It is the act of imposing one's 'inner world' onto reality. Here, techniques are absolute. There is no concept of 'dodging' or 'blocking.' Attacks strike existence itself."
He stopped and placed a hand on his hip, looking at Ren with a sharp, analytical gaze. "But you… your condition is strange. You possess a seal on your soul—a seal that reminds me of the 'Heavenly Restrictions' some outcasts are born with. Normally, Heavenly Restrictions grant immense physical power in exchange for cursed energy. But you… you have both."
Sukuna narrowed his eyes. "Even so, you gained nothing from it. This seal is unnatural. Artificial. The one who placed it understands jujutsu at a level close to mine."
Ren's smile widened slightly as thoughts raced through his mind.
"Heeh… so the one who sealed me really is a genius, just like Rina said. I'm sure of it now. Kenjaku's fingerprints are all over this."
Sukuna continued, his tone growing sharper. "And on top of that… Ren Zenin, you have never once used your cursed technique. Even if you managed to release this domain through some twisted method, you lack the 'essence.' As for me? I am Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses. My combat experience surpasses the age of your civilization. This domain… I refined it through seas of blood. And beyond all that, I can increase its power and alter its conditions whenever I wish—even within this incomplete vessel."
Sukuna stopped and stared directly into Ren's eyes.
"So… what will you do, brat, before the true king?"
Ren closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a crazed gleam. He raised his right hand and pointed his index finger toward the dark sky.
"Sukuna… you're right about one thing. I can't use my original cursed technique yet…"
Sukuna looked up to where Ren was pointing. His eyes widened slightly.
The black sun at the center of the domain was not static. It rippled with liquid crimson flames, resembling a black hole that devoured light and heat, only to spit them back out as hellfire.
"But…" Ren continued, his voice beginning to change, becoming layered, as if a demonic echo accompanied it. "This domain wasn't built on my sealed cursed technique. This domain is the embodiment of my 'techniques' and my 'power.' Look around you carefully."
Sukuna noticed something that made him frown. Ren's domain was absurdly vast. It had swallowed the entire area surrounding the detention center and even enveloped the "open barrier" of Sukuna's domain. The heat inside the domain was rising at a mad rate. The dark water beneath their feet began to boil, and the air warped as if inside a smelting furnace.
"Is he trying to cook me alive?" Sukuna thought. "His domain doesn't target the enemy directly—it targets the environment itself… meaning everything within the domain will attack."
"This domain, Sukuna, is not my instinctual domain…" Ren said, extending his hand into the air.
"I created this domain just now to defeat you…!" Ren laughed madly, while Sukuna's eyes widened in admiration.
If what Ren said was true, it only made Sukuna desire even more to defeat this brat and take his body.
"Sukuna… this is my domain… the domain of the Great King!" Ren laughed arrogantly. "Here, you are not the King of Curses… just a soul awaiting death by my hand!"
"Tch… brat, you're getting ahead of yourself." Sukuna mocked, prompting Ren to smile and reply, "So be it… fallen king."
Bzzzzzt!
Black sparks appeared in the air, and a massive black sword materialized—shaped like a giant cross and surrounded by a bloody aura. It was Igris. The sword did not fall into Ren's hand; instead, it floated behind his back, slowly rotating. With each rotation, sparks of "Black Flash" scattered throughout the domain.
Sukuna immediately recognized the threat.
Ren said with a savage smile, "I created this domain myself. It is the Shrine of the Fallen Sun! Once the domain is fully established, and the eclipse over that sun disappears, the temperature will reach absolute heat. Everything will evaporate—including you, your vessel, and everything inside this domain."
Ren clenched his fists, his aura exploding. "I don't want Yuji to die. So… Sukuna, you will die before my domain is completed!"
Whoosh!
Ren vanished.
This was no ordinary speed. Within his domain, supported by Igris—feeding him dark energy that enhanced any technique he used—and combined with Thunder Breathing, Ren became a beam of black light.
"Igris multiplies my attack power… but within this domain, its power doubles. That means I'm unbeatable here…" Ren thought, smiling with boundless madness and arrogance.
"Fast!" Sukuna admitted internally, his eyes moving at insane speed to track the trajectory. "His sword boosts his physical attributes within the domain, and he's combining it with those breathing techniques. He plans to kill me before his body collapses, or before the domain fully completes."
"Sukuna… speed is power… and the power is mine!"
Ren lunged from Sukuna's blind spot, cursed energy flashing black.
[Kokusen (Black Flash)!]
But Sukuna did not move. He remained standing, a mocking smile on his face.
"Your calculations are wrong, brat."
Sukuna clasped his hands into his signature seal.
[Cursed Technique: Kai (Dismantle)!]
The moment Ren approached, time seemed to stop for him. Through the domain-enhanced "transparent world," Ren saw an infinite web of cutting lines filling the space around him. These were not attacks that could be dodged; they were "facts" imposed upon the space he occupied.
Ren tried to stop, but his momentum was far too great.
"Even if you can perceive the attacks… your body can't!" Sukuna said coldly.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Thousands of wounds appeared across Ren's body in a fraction of a second. His flesh was torn apart, his blood scattering into the air only to evaporate instantly from the heat of his own domain. It was as if Ren had entered an invisible meat grinder.
"Guaaaaaah!"
Ren screamed, but did not retreat. He crossed his arms to protect his head and heart, drawing out every last drop of his power.
[Sun Breathing: Defensive Form!]
Crimson light exploded around Ren's body. It was not mere fire, but ultra-dense cursed energy rotating at supersonic speed, forming a spherical barrier that attempted to block Sukuna's unblockable blades.
Stone Breathing, which greatly enhances defense and physical strength, is derived from Sun Breathing. That meant Sun Breathing possessed several times the power and defense of Stone Breathing.
By combining Sun Breathing with cursed energy, Ren managed to form a powerful defense.
Sparks flew everywhere. The sound of Sukuna's blades grinding against Ren's barrier was like screaming metal.
"Die! Die! Die!" Sukuna roared as he increased his cursed energy output, driving the Malevolent Shrine to crush Ren's resistance.
The battle had become a pure endurance contest. Ren was pinned in place, his body being torn apart and healed simultaneously thanks to Reverse Cursed Technique running at full capacity. Sukuna's domain tried to mince him, while Ren's domain raised the temperature to melt Sukuna and his shrine.
Ren felt his bones turning to powder. His left eye burst under the pressure. Blood filled his vision. The pain exceeded what any human could endure.
"Am I going to lose?" a weak voice whispered in his mind.
Then he remembered.
"I'll leave everything to you… brother."
Ren recalled Yuji's words before he closed his eyes and surrendered control to Sukuna, trusting Ren.
Ren screamed madly and ignored the pain.
"Sukuna… you will lose!"
If he could not defeat Sukuna, then even if he resisted Sukuna's control after becoming his vessel, he would not be able to heal Itadori Yuji with Reverse Cursed Technique—assuming Yuji even survived and was not killed the moment Sukuna took over Ren's body.
Ren had learned Reverse Cursed Technique through training and Ron's life before taking over this body, but he had not fully mastered it due to the seal's restrictions. Instead, he used the player's body to amplify the weak healing effect of Reverse Cursed Technique just enough to keep up with Sukuna.
That meant he could not heal Yuji. He needed Sukuna himself to heal Yuji.
And so Ren poured everything he had into Igris. The floating sword behind him shone with black light that covered the sun above.
[Dark Possession: Absolute Reinforcement!]
The temperature of the domain suddenly increased tenfold.
Sukuna's bone shrine began to crack. The bones started to melt. The dark water evaporated completely. Even Sukuna felt Yuji's skin burning and peeling.
"What?!" Sukuna's eyes widened in shock. "My domain… is eroding?!"
Ren's domain was not stronger in technique, but it was "denser." Ren sacrificed all his energy and focus through Igris in a single, concentrated burst.
Crash!
A sound like shattering glass echoed throughout the area.
The Malevolent Shrine vanished. Sukuna's domain collapsed under the insane heat and pressure of Ren's domain.
Both were returned to reality—the ruined detention center.
Sukuna dropped to one knee, smoke rising from his body, blood seeping from every pore due to the heat and reverse pressure of his shattered domain. He was panting, his eyes carrying a look that had never been there before: shock.
Several meters away stood Zenin Ren.
His appearance was terrifying. His left eye was closed, blood pouring from it. His black uniform was torn, revealing a body covered in deep burns and scars. His right arm hung weakly, and the demonic blade Igris had disappeared.
He swayed, looking as if he would collapse at any moment.
But he did not fall.
Ren slowly raised his head and opened his remaining right eye, still gleaming with arrogant emerald light despite being dulled by exhaustion.
He looked at the kneeling King of Curses and drew a terrifying, blood-soaked smile across his face.
In a hoarse, weak voice that nonetheless carried all the pride in the world, Ren said:
"Sukuna… you lost."
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End of Chapter 41.
Next chapter: The Supreme King… Gojo Satoru Arrives!