Nana's POV (November 14th, 2018 – At Tokyo Colony No. 1)
Two days passed by since Megumi and I fought and defeated Reggie Star and encountered Hana Kurusu aka the Angel for the very first time. At first, I thought she would be an enemy or would be working with Kenjaku or something, but later it was revealed to me that Hana was one of the good ones and wanted to help us out with this whole Culling Game situation, giving me the reassurance and relief that I desperately wanted. After my encounter with Hana, she and I decided to carry an unconscious Megumi to a nearby 5-star hotel to rest and recover from our injuries, and on the way, we bumped into Yuji and Takaba. So later, the four of us decided to team up together and stay over at the designated hotel where we were supposed to go until Megumi woke up from his unconscious state.
The date was November 14th and the sun had already gone down for the day while the night came over. Megumi still hadn't woken up from his sleep and it started to worry me a bit. I did almost everything I could do to heal his wounds and bring him back to full recovery with my Reverse Cursed Technique and now the only thing left for me was to wait for him to wake up. I was sitting by his side on the bed where Megumi was laying and resting, and all of a sudden, I noticed him twitch a bit in his sleep, signaling that he was finally waking up and regaining his consciousness.
"Megumi..." I softly called out his name, running my fingers gently through his raven locks as he stirred up from his sleep.
"Nana..." he responded back in a low gruff tone, squinting his eyes to get his vision adjusted to the light of the room before slowly fluttering them open.
"Hi, good morning..." I greeted him with a warm smile while admiring his beautiful face which I found quite alluring and captivating at that moment.
"Hey..." he greeted back, his facial expression softened at the sight of me and I helped him to sit up on the bed. "Where are we?"
Megumi looked around the room in confusion and I was expecting that reaction from him.
"We're staying over at a hotel for now." I replied. "You, me, Yuji, Takaba-san and also the Angel..."
Upon hearing my words, Megumi's dark eyes widened a bit in surprise and right at that moment, Hana walked into the room.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well, destined one?" Hana greeted him with a sweet smile but Megumi didn't respond back and instead simply gave her that infamous monotone look of his.
"How long was I out?" he asked, looking back at me again.
"About two days. It's the night of the 14th." I replied.
And just then, two more familiar individuals walked into the scene and they were Yuji and Takaba who came back from the convenience store with food to eat.
"Yo! You awake?!" Takaba greeted Megumi, energetic as usual, holding up the plastic bags in his hands. "You must be hungry. I swiped us some eats."
"Pino ice cream!!" Yuji cheered happily from beside Takaba as he ate his treat, looking completely unbothered by the situation we were in.
"Did they have chocolate mint?" Hana asked, walking up to them.
"Yep! At shops, where there's still electricity, the frozen foods are still good. But why is the power on?" Takaba asked in confusion before taking a seat on the couch.
"Can't you guess? There hasn't been an earthquake and cursed spirits don't attack buildings. There might be leakages, but it was decided to supply power from outside for the people left behind." I replied.
"That's right." Hana agreed with me, nodding her head, and looked over at the older man. "Takaba-san, you became a player outside, right? On the way here, did you hear anything on the news?"
"I don't watch much news. Naive adults are just evil, you know." Takaba replied, causing Hana to give him a deadpan look.
"Maybe Kenjaku did it through the higher-ups so that it won't interfere with the Culling Game..." Megumi stated and got up from the bed. "For now, I gotta use the toilet and take a bath. Give me the details after I'm done."
Minutes later, Megumi came out of the shower, all clean and fresh, and took a seat beside me and Yuji at a small round table while Takaba and Hana sat on the couch not far away from us. Sitting in the middle with Megumi at my left and Yuji at my right, I began explaining the situation to my ravenette best friend of what happened after we defeated Reggie Star.
"So... Itadori came across Takaba fighting and you worked together to find me. Then you two spotted Kurusu carrying me and Nana, and now we are here..." Megumi trailed off, furrowing his eyebrows a bit. "Do you know what caution means?"
"Aw, well, you know..." the other three trailed off in unison with a guilty face and tone, thinking that maybe they messed things up.
"Sorry." Megumi then added, softening his expression and bowing his head a bit. "Thanks for helping us."
"Oh well, you know!!" they chuckled this time around, happy to help me and Megumi.
"Anyway, check this out, Fushiguro!" Yuji stated in an excited tone as he held up a Kogane in front of us. "Hakari senpai got 100 points! And that's not all! Okkotsu senpai snagged 190! Add in your points, Nana's, Takaba's, and Kurusu's... We have gotten 359!! We have met our quota!! Now we can help Tsumiki!!"
"Yes. And now all that's left is to figure out how many points are needed to leave the game." I chimed in, smiling as well.
"No, wait. Can we use your points?" Megumi asked as he looked over at Hana and Takaba.
"Sure! No problem! Due to Itadori's rule change, I can survive without killing. Much appreciated! So use them however you want!" Takaba replied and Megumi's face softened a bit once again.
"I don't really have any use for them either." Hana added with a shrug.
"I have more questions for you, Kurusu." Megumi stated in a serious tone. "We are looking for a player called the Angel. We heard they were in Tokyo Colony No.2... So are you the Angel? Why did you help me and Nana? And why are you in Tokyo Colony No.1?"
And just as we were expecting an answer from the short-haired girl, a mouth grew on her left cheek and started speaking up, like how Sukuna always spoke up from inside Yuji's body.
"Yes, I'm the Angel." The mouth stated in a feminine tone. "You shouldn't ask girls so many questions."
"Oh? She's like me!" Yuji simply noted, unfazed while Megumi, Takaba, and I stared at Hana in shock.
"To answer your question, the reason Hana saved you is because you previously-" The mouth called "Angel" was about to say something more, but Hana immediately slapped a hand on her cheek, shutting up Angel to speak any further.
"W-Why not help a guy who has collapsed and a poor girl who's carrying the unconscious boy in the alleyway?" Hana stuttered out in a panicked tone, a small blush appearing on her cheeks.
"What a kind soul!" Yuji and Takaba let out an awe in admiration while I gave her a confused yet doubtful look.
This girl is clearly hiding something from us...
"You must know my cursed technique if you were looking for me..." Angel spoke up again. "I negate cursed techniques. Barrier techniques, including seals, are no exception, so we can go in and out of barriers. There are more clear spirits than players in Tokyo Colony No.2. Maybe it's because of the sea. That's why I came here."
"If you avoid the night, predicting what cursed spirits will do is easier. Why?" Megumi questioned again.
"My objective is to wipe out all players who have reincarnated. Most of them do it by suppressing the vessel's original owner, whether intentionally or subconsciously. And that's against God's law, so it's wrong." Angel replied.
"God?" I repeated the word, not getting what she meant.
"That's just a name I give to my beliefs..." Angel responded back. "Pay it no mind. So, I decided to live in symbiosis with Hana."
"Then, don't reveal stuff about me, okay?" Hana pouted at the Angel.
"Can your technique revert possessed players to their original state?" Megumi asked.
"It's not impossible, but it's extremely likely they will die because of the cursed object and body fuse. So, it's difficult to strip away one." Angel replied once again.
That's why Sukuna dies if Yuji dies...
"Is there someone you want to fix? Sorry, but I doubt I can help." Angel informed and I shook my head in response.
"No, we want you to remove a seal on the prison realm, a special-grade cursed object." I stated.
"Yeah, I can probably do that..." Angel confirmed, causing me to smile in happiness while Yuji and Megumi fist-bumped one another.
This is going well! Now we can bring back Gojo sensei too... But, then again, isn't this going too well...?
"First, I need your cooperation. Then I'll remove the seal." Angel spoke up again and Megumi furrowed his eyebrows in response.
"Surely, you don't want us to kill every incarnated player..." he stated, feeling doubtful about what Angel's intentions might be.
"I'm not that greedy..." Angel replied. "There's one I especially want to butcher... the disgraced one. I promise that if we kill that player, I won't hesitate to help you."
The disgraced one...? What's that...?
I began to wonder what Angel was talking about when suddenly I noticed, at my right side, Yuji was sitting there with a distressed look on his face, deep in thought, his head hanging down.
"Yuji, what's wrong?" I asked in concern, given how his mood changed from happy to bothered and this caused Yuji to snap out of his daze.
"What happened?" Megumi asked as well, noticing the change in Yuji's demeanor too.
"I uh... Don't feel well..." Yuji muttered in a low tone before getting up from his seat. "Kurusu, mind if I lie down on the sofa?"
"Go ahead." Hana replied and with that, they switched places.
"Your stomach hurts?" Takaba asked the pink-haired boy who sat down on the couch while Hana took Yuji's seat beside me.
"No..." Yuji trailed off, replying to Takaba's question before looking over at me and Megumi.
Then all of a sudden, from the couch, Yuji spread his arms wide open up in the air while maintaining eye contact with me and Megumi. He then started flapping his hands like a bird, then pointed at himself with his thumbs, and later pointed at some specific parts of his face before pushing his pink hair back with his hands. Takaba saw all those movements of Yuji, but didn't say a word and meanwhile, Hana simply sat there beside me, staring at me and Megumi with a calming expression.
At first, it confused the heck out of both me and Megumi. We looked at each other for a moment in confusion before glancing back at Yuji once again.
Flapping hands means someone flying... Yuji pointed at himself and then at some parts of his face, the same parts where those marks, eyes, and mouths appear whenever Sukuna takes over his body... and then he pushed his hair back like how Sukuna does it...
I squinted my eyes and furrowed my eyebrows a bit at Yuji who kept on doing those charades over and over again, trying to communicate with me and Megumi non-verbally by doing those weird body movements.
I don't get it... What's he trying to say? But he moved there so he doesn't want Hana to know...
And that's when I realized something and my eyes widened a bit in surprise. Flapping hands, Yuji's face marks, and pushed-back hair – that was Sukuna. Yuji was talking about Sukuna.
Yuji doesn't want someone to know about something... Was it Hana or the Angel...? We need Angel's help to undo Gojo sensei's seal. And their condition is killing a player known as the disgraced one. But that's Sukuna...?! That means Angel's target is Yuji Itadori!!
Then from my left side, Megumi nudged me with his elbow and I looked back at him again. This time he gave me a knowing look while holding his usual monotone expression on his face.
Seems like Megumi has figured it out as well... Dammit! We have hit another snag! But what bugs me most is that Yuji will off himself...!!
"A large number of people are entering the colony." Angel suddenly spoke up and we all looked over at Hana.
"You can tell?" I asked in surprise.
"No, not me. The Kogane." Angel replied and Hana's Kogane appeared before us. "Display the number of players from 10 minutes ago."
And hearing that, the Kogane then displayed the number of people who entered Tokyo Colony No.1 just a few minutes ago. And the number was around 807.
"Seriously?" I mumbled to myself in shock. "So many people joining the Culling Game all of a sudden... What's going on?"
Seeing the number of people increase in Tokyo Colony No.1 made us feel anxious in some sort of way. We weren't aware of what was happening outside but we for a fact knew that we shouldn't stay over at this hotel for too long now. So taking the chance and seeing the risk, the five of us decided to leave the hotel.
We walked out of the room and rushed downstairs where all of a sudden, we came face to face with a small group of foreign military forces in the lobby. The military forces were all non-sorcerers and at first, we thought they were here to protect the people participating in the Culling Games. But when they started attacking us out of nowhere, we didn't have much choice but to take them all down at once.
Not only that, but we also realized that the large number of people flooding around Tokyo Colony No.1 from earlier were all these foreign military forces and it was all a part of Kenjaku's plan. Nine months ago in February, Kenjaku met with various governments across the world where he revealed the truth about jujutsu sorcery and proposed cursed energy as an alternative energy source. During one of those meetings with the US government, he even provided glasses that allowed the non-sorcerer politicians to see cursed spirits and summoned some using Cursed Spirit Manipulation to serve as examples.
Then using the technology taken from Kokichi Muta's (Mechamaru) surveillance, Kenjaku even showed the government representatives footage of recent jujutsu-related incidents (the video consisted of Gojo sensei and the rest of us). After all of that, Kenjaku added that Tokyo would cease to function in November and many sorcerers (including us as well) would be gathered in one place (where the Culling Game was taking place).
The foreign politicians all believed what Kenjaku had told them and accepted his proposal in the end. But in reality, that man had other plans in mind. He actually never wanted the foreign military forces to abduct the sorcerers, to begin with; he wanted to bait them and lure them into the Culling Game and then sacrifice them by manslaughter and feed them to the cursed spirits. It was Kenjaku's fail-safe plan just in case the Culling Game players didn't produce enough cursed energy.
"I don't know all the details because I'm just a grunt." One of the military people we captured who was a Japanese stated to us. "But they want to study your cursed energy as an alternative energy source."
"That guy is Japanese!" Takaba whispered, pointing at the man.
"He is their guide. The traitor." Hana noted.
"You sold out your country!!" Takaba yelled at the man.
"You just wanted to say that! Now shut up!" Hana scolded the comedian.
"They must want a way to become energy self-sufficient." Megumi calmly noted.
"Then why didn't Japan do that sooner?" Hana asked.
"Jujutsu HQ controls this country and it's too proud to take the lead in spreading cursed energy." I replied.
"Noblesse oblige. Everything is about self-responsibility in this country, so it would never take hold." The military guy smirked at us.
"With a new energy source as bait, Kenjaku lured non-sorcerer soldiers into the colonies and offered them to cursed spirits. Their deaths will fill each colony with cursed energy and complete the ritual preceding Tengen's merger with the populace. That would take a crazy amount of people. Kenjaku is a double dealer, so he must have contacted a lot of countries." I added and Megumi nodded his head in agreement.
"Maybe the Culling Game, with its complicated rules, was a smokescreen for this..." Megumi trailed off.
"We should help them!" Yuji spoke up and Takaba gave him a weird look.
"The military? But they want to abduct us for experimentation! Or perverted stuff like that!" Takaba exclaimed in anger and concern.
"But if we don't, everyone will end up as one giant meatball with Tengen." Megumi noted.
"Yeah, I still don't get that..." Takaba sighed in frustration.
"Don't bother. In both Tokyo colonies, 50 sorcerers fought and fell. So Tokyo number one is already full of cursed energy." Angel suddenly spoke up from inside Hana.
"Which means...?" Yuji asked in confusion.
"Which means there's no point... Even if we save the soldiers, the result will be the same." Angel replied.
"Yeah? So what?" Yuji asked again.
"Hana and I live in symbiosis. If she's in danger, then I'm in danger. So, don't drag her into a meaningless fight. We weren't together, to begin with, so let us go our own way." Angel scoffed.
"Don't be bossy. I don't trust you." Yuji scoffed back.
And hearing Yuji's response, an uncomfortable silence fell among us. Megumi and I shared a look with one another, thinking why Yuji would say something like that to Angel. He wasn't the type of guy to be rude to others like that.
"Are you talking to the Angel or me...?" Hana asked Yuji with a frowning face in displeasure and my eyes went wide open at her words. "Either way, it's unpleasant."
The air was getting even more tense with the passage of every second and so I had to step in and break the ice.
"Um, I think we should get going now." I chimed in with a smile, gently putting a hand on Hana's shoulder. "We still need to find Tsumiki and save her."
Upon hearing Tsumiki's name, the others started moving before we left the hotel and hit the streets. Hana and I walked ahead of the boys while Megumi, Yuji, and Takaba were a few feet behind us, following our trails. And just at that moment, I recalled back to something specific and decided to ask Hana some questions.
"Hey, Hana..." I called out her name softly. "Can I ask you something?"
Hana looked at me and smiled.
"Yeah, sure..." she replied.
"Do you like Megumi or something...?" I asked and immediately her face went completely red in color.
"W-What are you t-talking about?!" she stuttered out in embarrassment, shaking her head, denying what I just asked her. "Y-You're wrong! It's nothing like that!"
"I noticed how you look at him, Hana. For the past two days, ever since we met, I noticed how you always lingered around Megumi when he was unconscious. I noticed how you used to observe me whenever I treated his injuries with my Reverse Cursed Technique. You used to check up on him and asked me how he was doing, or if he had woken up yet. You were really concerned about Megumi and only him... I noticed the look in your eyes." I noted calmly and she immediately went quiet for a moment.
"I uh... I-I don't know how to say this..." she trailed off and my face softened at her sight.
"It's okay if you don't wanna share it..." I responded back to her.
"No, it's just that I don't wanna make you uncomfortable." She pointed out.
"Make me uncomfortable? Like how?" I asked in confusion.
"Aren't you and Megumi dating?" she asked and it was my turn to get embarrassed.
"No, we're not! Megumi and I are just childhood best friends..." I gasped out in surprise, my cheeks turning red in color. "What made you think like that?!"
"You both are really close with each other and Megumi has a soft spot for you and only you. It's kinda evident that he likes you a lot, romantically or not." She pointed out, getting me more embarrassed.
"Oh, he's just like that, you know. He's being kind to me." I chuckled sheepishly in response and this made Hana smile again.
"I know right? Megumi is really kind as a person." She added and I gave her a skeptical look.
"Have you and Megumi met before?" I asked.
"I lost my parents when I was a little kid. I don't remember much of my past to be honest. The only thing I could remember was that I was a poor orphan living in the woods and mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo..." Hana started explaining while holding this soft look on her face. "I was small, fragile, dirty, and weak; I didn't have anywhere to go. Then one day, me and a few other orphans once met this huge cursed spirit and we all thought it was our mother. It gave us food, so we never complained. The cursed spirit then kinda took us in under its wings and later when we realized that it wasn't our mother, the kids used to cry and complain. Whoever cried or complained would suddenly disappear. Later, I learned that I was living there with the cursed spirit for almost a year. One day I followed a trail of a big white fluffy dog. The dog kinda looked like a big wolf and it had a triangle-shaped mark on its forehead. The dog saved me from that cursed spirit and brought me to the locality. That's when someone found me and contacted the police."
"Big white dog with a triangle-shaped mark on the forehead... Megumi's Divine Dog." I muttered in realization and Hana's smile widened a bit more.
"That day I also met Megumi. You were there too with him and also this tall older boy who seemed like your guardian." Hana added.
Gojo sensei and I were there too...?
"I'm sorry. I can't remember the incident. It was a long time ago, so..." I muttered sheepishly with an apologetic smile.
"I wasn't expecting you to remember it either." Hana chuckled. "But anyway, that's the day Megumi saved me and I met him for the first time. I believed it was fate. I believed we would meet again someday. So little by little in hopes of being worthy to stand by his side, I kept on helping people like how he helped me that day."
"I see..." I trailed off, my lips curling up into a smile again.
"Sorry, for making this quite awkward!" she squeaked out again in embarrassment and I chuckled in response.
"There's nothing to feel awkward about..." I reassured her, recalling back when we once visited a maid café and a waitress there was flirting with Megumi in front of me and Yuji. "I can't stop other people from falling for Megumi. And besides, I don't have the right to be sad or angry. I'm not his girlfriend or anything... just so you know, it won't be easy for you."
Hana's eyes widen a bit in surprise at my words and I gave her a teasing grin.
"You met Megumi once in life and you don't really know him that well. Meanwhile, I have known him for almost 10 years now and we have been living together ever since then. I'm his childhood best friend while you're just a stranger to him. And not only that, Megumi's father and my mother were also childhood friends, so we go all the way back. If you want Megumi's love and attention, you have to compete with me." I added and Hana chuckled again in amusement.
"So you're my rival now?" she asked, smirking now and my grin widened at her words.
"More like you're my rival, Hana Kurusu..."
After losing Nobara, it felt really nice for having another female companion by my side, given I was always surrounded by dudes and bros all the time. Sure, Hana could never replace Nobara, but still, it was nice and refreshing to able to talk to someone of the same gender identity. And moreover, she was my love rival now.
Thinking about it, I didn't know why but my heart ached a bit when Hana said that she met Megumi once before and was in love with him. For some reason, ever since we were kids, I had always been a bit possessive and territorial when it came to Megumi. I didn't want Megumi to divide his love and attention and give them to some other woman who wasn't me; it was all for me and no one else, that's how I always felt. I didn't know whether it was love or obsession or something else, but I knew for a fact that Megumi and I shared a strong connection that was unbreakable, something so strong that it went beyond just us being childhood best friends.
And also besides Megumi, if there was this one more person who was very dear to me, then that would be no one else but Gojo sensei himself. Unlike what I felt towards Megumi, I wasn't possessive and territorial when it came to sensei, but there was this weird attraction that I felt for him, and I didn't know how to describe it with just mere words. I loved him a lot, sure, didn't know whether it was romantic or platonic, but the attraction that I felt towards him was beyond the reason of him being just extremely good-looking and beautiful. His godly presence sometimes overwhelmed me, always making my heart race faster than ever, and there was this weird connection sensei and I shared that was tantalizing and irresistible yet also very dangerous and forbidden; a connection that would question our moral values, a connection that would drive us both insane.
Gojo sensei was 12 years older than me and on top of that, he was my sensei; so seeing him slightly in a different light was scandalous and risky in my eyes. Sure, I won't remain minor for the rest of my life and sensei won't remain as my teacher forever either, but still, just even thinking about it made it so sinful in my opinion, leaving me all hot, flustered, and restless. I knew what Gojo sensei was doing, I wasn't stupid; I knew that many times in the past, sensei tried tiptoeing the line or boundary which was drawn between the two of us, but was also scared about it, thinking that he would mess things up or it was immoral to do so.
I never understood the feelings I felt for Gojo sensei until he got sealed and was locked away by Kenjaku. I began to miss his presence and his annoying shenanigans but more so I missed him for not being there with me by my side. I was habituated to having Gojo sensei around ever since my birth and now not having him by my side left me feeling empty inside. I also started worrying about his well-being which I never did before, given that he was the strongest sorcerer in our time. I just wished that we would get Gojo sensei back as soon as possible and I would have him by my side once again, all well and alive.
"This isn't like you." Megumi pointed out to Yuji when Hana wasn't around and we were walking down an alleyway.
"You sure about that...?" Yuji countered back.
"Everything else aside... Were you referring to the Angel and Sukuna? I would have expected you to be more considerate of Hana." I noted and Yuji let out a heavy sigh.
"Ever since I rejoined you two, I have been afraid of her replacing Kugisaki..." Yuji revealed, causing me and Megumi to give him a look of pity.
"Don't be dumb." Megumi scoffed at him.
"Even we are also having a hard time without Nobara, Yuji." I added and Yuji's face softened a bit at my words.
"I'll apologize later." Yuji sighed, referring to Hana.
"Yes, you better..." Megumi sighed as well, nodding his head.
Two days later (November 16th, 2018)
At noon, around 12 PM, Megumi, Yuji, Hana, and I met up with Maki senpai on a rooftop of a building. Senpai still had those burn marks on her face and arms and her hair was still cut short just like the last time I saw her. But for some reason, her aura seemed way different than it was before. She reminded me of Toji Fushiguro in a way, even though I met and knew that guy for only a few hours and so.
"The pre-prep ending is one thing, but according to Itadori's older brother, Kenjaku took Tengen." Maki senpai stated.
"What about Yuki-san?" I asked worriedly and Maki senpai furrowed her eyebrows a bit before she explained what happened to the mentioned older woman.
Apparently, Yuki Tsukumo passed away while fighting with Kenjaku alongside Choso at the same place where we met Tengen for the first time, and now Master Tengen was captured and taken in by the Kenjaku himself. Hearing all these left me and the others in complete shock.
"Tsukumo is the same rank as Yuta, yet she lost despite working with a death painting womb and Tengen." Maki senpai continued. "We always knew Kenjaku would be a challenge. At least the back of the prison realm is safe."
"How can she say that so calmly...? Maki senpai has changed in just a few days... What happened?" Megumi whispered to me and I simply shrugged in response.
"Then why hasn't the merger started?" Yuji asked.
"Sorcerers can probably resist the merger with cursed energy, so nothing is happening in the colonies, but it may have started outside." Angel replied from inside Hana.
"No. A few people were affected. It made the news, but for the most part, Japan hasn't changed." Maki added.
"I don't know why. Maybe Kenjaku can't start the merger yet, or maybe he just doesn't feel like it." Megumi chimed in.
"There's no way to know, so Tsumiki comes first. Also, why didn't Senpai add rules sooner? We had already decided what to add! Transferring points, entry, and exit of colonies, communication across colony borders, leaving the Culling Game." Yuji stated in confusion.
"Well, to start with Rule No.1, Culling Game players are subject to cursed technique removal if their points don't change for 19 days. That means messing with their brains, it amounts to death. The point is to force players to kill each other." I explained it to Yuji.
"We wanted to add a rule for point transferal, so players could change their scores without killing. And you already did that." Maki senpai stated, looking over at Yuji.
"Not me, but Higuruma-san." Yuji noted.
"The problem is Rule No.2 and No.3... Moving and communicating across colony borders." Maki added.
"What's the problem?" Yuji asked.
"Players cannot go in and out of the colonies." Maki replied.
"I can!" Hana spoke up, pointing at herself.
"And why is that?" Maki senpai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I have Angel's cursed technique." Hana replied.
"Can you use it on others?" I asked in surprise.
"That's tricky. Destroying the barrier technique with my cursed technique requires destroying the root of the barrier. If I don't know where that is, then only we can pass through the colonies..." Angel spoke up again.
"This won't be easy, huh? Anyway regarding Rule No.2 and No.3, the rules never forbade players or communications from crossing colony borders." Maki sighed.
And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, Takaba who was standing on a rooftop of another building beside us and listening to our words, spoke up from the distance.
"You talking about Makoto Kawamoto?!" Takaba yelled out while doing some weird superhero poses.
"What's with that guy?" Maki asked in confusion.
"Just ignore him..." I replied while deadpanning at Takaba.
"I'll check the rules..." Yuji stated as he held a Kogane in his hands. "Oh, you're right! So you mean the problem isn't the rules? It's the barriers."
"No matter the rules, the barriers might still be unreachable." Hana stated.
"That's why you didn't add the rule. Regarding comms, we decided that Ui-Ui and I could be liaisons for now." Yuji added.
"Which leaves Rule No.4! We must prioritize players leaving the game! Yuta's team already transferred points." Maki informed.
"Kogane, add a rule... Allowing players to leave the calling game." Megumi asked his Kogane.
"Denied. That conflicts with Rule 7." The Kogane replied.
Well, we expected that...
"What about a rule allowing players to leave if they invite a new player into the colony as a substitute?" I asked my Kogane.
"Denied." My Kogane responded back to me and I furrowed my eyebrows a bit at it.
"Then how can anyone leave the game?!" Yuji snapped in frustration.
"The Culling Game has a suggestion. A player could leave the game by expending 100 points to invite a new player into the colony as a substitute. Then approval is possible." The Kogane noted.
"So, there's no problem!" Yuji cheered excitedly, but Megumi immediately stopped him.
"No, wait!! We have got 300 points, moron!" Megumi scolded the pink-haired boy before looking back to his Kogane. "A substitute won't change the number of players, but it would require the deaths of at least twenty players for 100 points. Wouldn't that break rule No.7 about long-lasting effects?!"
"A player could leave the game by expending 100 points to invite a new player into the colony as a substitute. Then approval is possible." The Kogane repeated its previous words.
It has done negotiating. The Culling Game's objective of killing works against its own continuance.
"Understood. That's enough." Megumi sighed before adding a new rule.
A player has added a rule to the Culling Game! Rule 11: A player can leave the game by expending 100 points to invite a new player into the colony as a substitute!!
"Maki senpai, bring Tsumiki to this colony." Megumi stated before glancing back at Yuji who had a confused look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Tsumiki is a player, but she's outside the colonies? Isn't it safer to send her points from a distance?" Yuji asked.
"No, that would break Rule No.1 and 2. She might lose her cursed technique and die when she leaves the game." I explained. "Remember the rules...? No.1: After awakening accursed technique, players must declare their participation in the Culling Game at a colony of their choice within 19 days... And No.2: Any player who breaks the previous rule shall be subject to cursed technique removal."
"Whoa!" Yuji gasped in realization. "Good thing you noticed that, Nana!"
"The longer we hold points, the more inviting we are as targets. So, we need Tsumiki with us fast." Megumi grumbled and sighed.
"Right. But I can't come with her. I don't have cursed energy, so the barrier doesn't recognize me. We would get separated upon entry." Maki stated.
"That happened to us with cursed energy." Megumi noted.
"You might also need a parachute." Yuji added while Maki only could give them a confused look in response.
And with that three more hours passed by and the time was now 3:00 PM in the afternoon. Maki Senpai had gone to get Tsumiki from the hospital with Ijichi's help a few hours ago while Takaba and Hana were roaming around and looking out for Tsumiki, just in case, if she fell from the sky like how Megumi, Yuji, and I did when we entered through the barrier of the Culling Game. Meanwhile, Megumi, Yuji, and I stayed back at that rooftop, waiting for Tsumiki's arrival.
"After sending Tsumiki out of this mess, we'll go and meet up with Choso then..." I stated to the boys with my arms crossed over my chest, telling them about the next plan. "Yuki-san had entrusted the prison realm to Choso's hand before passing away; so that means the prison realm is under his care now. We need to get the prison realm from him and bring out Gojo sensei as quickly as possible. Gojo sensei is the only one who can put a stop to that bastard Kenjaku."
"You're right." Megumi agreed with his hands in his pockets, nodding his head. "I just hope Tsumiki gets here fast and safe. The sooner she arrives, the sooner we'll be able to meet up with Choso."
"I wonder what Gojo sensei is gonna feel after coming out of the prison realm..." Yuji stated as his face softened a bit. "Kugisaki, Nanamin, Tsukumo-san, Principal Yaga... so many people are, you know..."
"Yeah, I'm worried too." I sighed, looking down at my feet with a frowning face. "We lost so many allies because of this mess caused by Kenjaku. That bastard needs to pay for what he has done."
And just then, out of nowhere, Tsumiki popped out of the air and landed on the rooftop in front of us. The boys and I flinched a bit in surprise before we relaxed when we realized who it was. Tsumiki was looking exactly the same as she looked a year ago and now she was wearing a turtle neck long-sleeved black top, a long skirt, and a pair of sneakers as outfits. She had her hair tied up in a high ponytail and I noticed her hair grew longer than it was before.
"Tsumiki! Hey, you finally made it!" I greeted her with a bright smile.
"Huh? She just walked right in!" Yuji noted as his eyes widened at her sudden arrival.
"Hi, Megumi, Nana-chan! What a surprise!" Tsumiki greeted us sheepishly with a close-eyed smile, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Uh, yeah..." Megumi replied back to his sister, impassive as ever.
"You have got good luck, Tsumiki." Yuji stated again and Tsumiki smiled at him.
"Pleased to meet you." Tsumiki greeted him since she was meeting the pink-haired boy for the very first time.
"Yeah, same here. I'm Itadori." Yuji greeted back politely.
And right at that moment, Hana came in flying and landed just beside me on the rooftop.
"Good! I wasn't necessary!" Hana sighed in relief.
"And this is Hana Kurusu. She was patrolling the skies in case you dropped in from above." Yuji introduced the said girl to Megumi's sister while Megumi summoned out his Kogane.
"Let's do this fast. Kogane..." the ravenette boy stated in a monotone voice but we can all see how desperately he was hurrying to get this over with and send Tsumiki out of the Culling Game as quickly as possible.
"Notice how he acts even more indifferently around family." Yuji giggled teasingly, whispering to Hana.
"How cute!" Hana giggled as well, joining Yuji along the way.
A smile curled up on my lips upon hearing their words and Megumi scowled at them in annoyance but paid no mind to them at all. This made me recall back what actually happened a few days ago.
After our meeting with Master Tengen and the others at his hideout where we discussed our plans together regarding the Culling Game and Kenjaku, Megumi went to the hospital to see if Tsumiki was doing well or not, and much to our surprise, he found out that Tsumiki had actually woken up from her comatose state as soon as the Shibuya incident started. I was a bit skeptical at first because of what and how it happened, but I let it all slide seeing how happy and relieved Megumi was knowing that his sister had finally woken up from her year-long sleep. I was also happy upon seeing Tsumiki being well, given how much we loved and cared for each other back then; after all, she was like a sister to me. Megumi then told his sister about the situation we were all in and told her to stay safe until we reached out to her again which was today.
This is great, actually... Tsumiki is now all awake and well, and now we just have to help her get out of this shitty mess... as soon as she gets out of there, Megumi would be able to be at peace and would be able to concentrate on our next plans...
"We gave you 100 points so you can leave the game. Maki Senpai told you about the substitute, right?" Megumi asked Tsumiki but for some reason, she remained quiet for a moment.
I looked at her in confusion upon why she wasn't responding to Megumi's question.
"Kogane, add a rule..." Tsumiki stated and at that moment, her Kogane popped up in front of us. "Allowing entry and exit across colony borders..."
"Huh...?!" Yuji, Hana, and I exclaimed with widened eyes while Megumi frowned at his sister in confusion.
"Approved!!" her Kogane responded back. "Rule 12: Players may enter and exit across colony borders."
Tsumiki then looked over at Megumi with an eerie smile and a shiver ran down my spine when I saw her face. Her face looked normal yet it looked creepy at the same time, and I didn't like how her aura and demeanor changed just now as if some sort of evil was residing inside her.
"Better to choose your battleground, right?" Tsumiki asked with a sinister smile and that's when Megumi and I realized that she wasn't actually Tsumiki.
"Hey, you're not, Tsumiki!" I yelled out as I quickly went over to Megumi's side.
"Who... are you?!" Megumi asked with a distressed look on his face as if he was on the verge of breaking down at any second now, cold sweats rolling down from his forehead to his cheeks.
"Who am I...? I'm your big sister, Megumi Fushiguro!!" Tsumiki responded, letting out a bone-chilling horrifying laugh, and we all stared at her with shocked faces.
When a being takes flesh, it gains knowledge of the present from its vessel's brain. That's how players of these types such as Choso and Sukuna are able to function in modern times. That makes it possible to read the vessel's memories and impersonate that person. Why did Megumi and I assume that Tsumiki was the awakened type?!
"Fushiguro, Nana! What's going on?!" Yuji asked us in concern and confusion.
"Fushiguro, I'm Yorozu. Maybe people of the past would know of me." The being living inside Tsumiki named "Yorozu" spoke up.
So she's like them now... like Yuji, Suguru, and Hana... with other beings living inside their bodies... like Sukuna, Kenjaku, and Angel...
"Why?! All this time?!" Megumi cried out in a desperate tone.
"You came to me with your plans and gave me 100 points for free which I am happy to accept. I haven't fought for 1000 years, so I want to choose who and where I fight. And first I choose Sukuna." Yorozu stated before a pair of wings sprouted out from her back. "I'll be waiting."
And with that, Yorozu in Tsumiki's body immediately flew away from the scene, leaving us all behind on the rooftop, shocked and horrified. With widened eyes and dropped jaws, I was still standing petrified beside Megumi, still processing what just happened, not wanting to accept the fact that some thousand-year-old sorcerer took over Tsumiki's body.
There's no way we just lost Tsumiki like this!! What are we gonna do now?! What's gonna happen to Megumi?!
I looked over to my side and saw Megumi standing there, horrified and petrified as well. I could say that seeing Tsumiki like this completely broke him and shattered him into pieces; she was his sister after all even though they weren't related to each other by blood. Tsumiki was his only living family left and Megumi just lost her like that.
"Let's go after her!!" Yuji yelled out to Hana as those two started to dash after Yorozu as soon as she left.
"Yeah!!" Hana replied, following Yuji.
I was about to follow them as well to catch Yorozu when suddenly something happened that threw us all off guard.
"Enchain..." Suddenly Sukuna's voice spoke up in a low tone from inside Yuji's body and with that, the King of Curses then took over the pink-haired boy's body.
As soon as that happened, Sukuna turned around towards Hana and grabbed her by the throat. He hit her at the sensitive spot and immediately knocked her unconscious. This left Megumi and I flabbergasted and we looked at him with an annoyed face.
"I cut a binding vow with the boy not to kill or hurt anyone for one minute..." Sukuna stated with a wide smirk, looking over at us as he placed an unconscious Hana on the ground.
"Sukuna?! Why?!" Megumi asked furiously.
"However, from here on is a gamble..." Sukuna trailed off in response before tearing off the pinky finger of his left hand.
"What's he doing?!" I asked Megumi in confusion, frowning at our enemy in front of us.
"Ha, ha, ha!! That boy is such a dumbass!!" Sukuna then started laughing manically while bleeding from where he tore his finger off which gave me chills to my bones. "That vow to not hurt anyone didn't include him!!"
Immediately after getting into our fighting stance, I summoned Rashomon out from my body while Megumi was getting ready to summon one of his shikigamis.
"With this treasure, I summon-" Megumi was about to say his chant when suddenly Sukuna appeared before us in the blink of an eye.
Shit!! He's so fast!! Still can't keep up with his speed!!
In an instant, Sukuna threw his fist at me and punched me away from Megumi. I flew back and hit a wall so hard, crashing against it, earning a concerned gasp from Megumi. The impact of the hit was bone-crushing but I was used to it by then. My Reverse Cursed Technique started to heal my wounds as soon as I recovered from the impact, so there was nothing to be worried about for me.
"Nana!" Megumi cried out and was about to run towards me when right on cue, Sukuna grabbed Megumi by his right arm and then grabbed his jaw with his free hand.
"M-Megumi!!" I exclaimed weakly in concern and coughed, standing up from the ground, still healing from the previous attack.
And that's when Sukuna shoved his bloody pinky finger into Megumi's mouth as quickly as possible. I gasped out loud at the sight of this, also confused about why and what was happening now. Megumi struggled under Sukuna's hold while the latter forced the former to swallow the finger down his throat. And that's when I noticed something changed in both Sukuna and Megumi's demeanor.
A moment passed by when suddenly Megumi stopped struggling and went completely still, looking down at the ground. Sukuna also loosened his grip on Megumi and all of a sudden, the black marks on his body slowly started to disappear. I could tell that Sukuna was gone for now and Yuji was back to normal, but something about Megumi was bugging me. I didn't like how his aura just changed after he swallowed Yuji's pinky finger and this caused me to think about the absolute worst-case scenarios. The ravenette boy then slapped Yuji's hands away from him and the pink-haired boy snapped out of his trance before looking over at Megumi in confusion.
"Remember, when I said..." Sukuna's voice spoke up again when a smirking Megumi finally looked up from the ground with those black marks on his face. "We would see something interesting, brat...?"
After seeing something that horrifying, I felt like my whole world had just stopped moving for a moment. It felt as if all the air was sucked out of my lungs and I was finding it hard to breathe at that moment. My blood ran cold and I went petrified on my spot in shock. My perfect world was slowly shattering down into pieces in front of my eyes as I tried to process what just happened now. That's when the realization hit me like a train and my breath hitched in my throat; Sukuna had possessed Megumi's body now.
Sukuna's in Megumi's body now...? That can't be happening, right...?! This is all just a joke, right...?!
"M-Megumi...?" I trailed off in a quivered tone, my eyes started to become watery.
My heart started to beat faster than ever in concern for Megumi and I tried my best to keep my emotions in control. I just couldn't lose my focus. I needed to keep myself calm and composed and think of a way to save Megumi from Sukuna.
No, no, no, no!!! This can't be happening!! This can't be happening!!
"Fushiguro...?" Yuji muttered in shock and confusion as a distressed look formed on his face.
In a flash, Sukuna in Megumi's body punched Yuji in the chest and immediately send him flying, crashing through a couple of buildings ahead. It was total destruction, really.
"Yuji!!!" I screamed out in concern.
"In every age, the insects come crawling out of the woodwork..." Sukuna chuckled while summoning out a Nue which was a thousand times bigger than Megumi's before he turned around and looked over at me with a smirk. "Now, what should I do to you, darling?~"
Sukuna calling me with a term of endearment in a deep sultry tone left me feeling utterly horrified and disgusted. Even though it was Megumi's face and body, it wasn't really him speaking to me; it was Sukuna and this grossed me out even more. That smirk dancing on his face and the glimmer shining in his eyes made me shiver again in terror. It was sickening, it was revolting. Sukuna started to walk towards me while I began to back away from him further and further.
"Nana!!" a familiar feminine voice yelled out from above and I looked up at the sky to find Hana floating in the air. "Dodge!!"
Without thinking too much, I quickly summoned my Rashomon and shielded myself with the Black Beast. And right on cue, Hana used Angel's powers and shot down a beam at Sukuna.
"Unlike me and Itadori, those two live symbiotically. She regained consciousness quickly because of Angel's power." Sukuna chuckled in amusement, lifting an arm to resist the attack which didn't damage him that badly.
"Angel! Wait!! You'll hurt Megumi!!" Hana cried out worriedly.
"There is no other choice!!" Angel yelled out. "It's him!! It's the disgraced one!! Before the disgraced one achieves a stronger hold over him, we must strip him away and eliminate him!! We must take the risk!! Now!!"
And hearing that from Angel snapped something inside Hana. Her whole facial expression changed to shock and horror and that scared me of what she was about to do next.
"Give him back..." Hana mumbled before speaking up loud. "Oh light, purify all, oh light... Remove the transgression, guilt, and anguish... And guide him... Jacob's ladder!!!"
Hana released a technique whereby she conjured an enormous circle of light in the sky above her, resembling a magic array that featured a large heptagram in its middle and crosses along its periphery. Hana then quickly formed a trumpet (also made of light) in her hand and sounded it which resulted in a shaft of light shooting down from the middle of the circle, engulfing Sukuna below it, seemingly "extinguishing" him (Megumi's body) in the process. Sukuna started screaming out in pain and agony as soon as he got hit by Angel's attack which was burning away his body. It was so gruesome that I had to look away from him for a moment.
"Give him back!!" Hana cried out with teary eyes as she attacked Sukuna. "Give him back!! Megumi belongs to me!!"
Hana kept on attacking Sukuna when suddenly the latter spoke up again after recovering from the previous attack which hit him just a few seconds ago.
"Hana..." a shirtless Sukuna called out in a sultry tone, looking up at her with a soft smile and a tender expression while reaching out a hand towards her, using Megumi's beauty to charm her. "I remember now... Thank you. I'm fine now."
"Megumi..." Hana trailed off as she was deceived by the Curse King, breaking down into tears as Sukuna spread his arms, gesturing for a hug.
"No!! No, Hana!! Not yet!! Hana!!" Angel started screaming out in panic, warning Hana, but she just won't listen and flew down straight into Sukuna's arms.
"Hana, you idiot!! Don't do it!! That's not Megumi!! It's Sukuna!!" I screamed out frantically in panic as well, warning her yet she still didn't listen to me.
"When it came to you... I have always..." Hana sobbed and hugged Sukuna.
"Foolish human." Sukuna commented with a devious grin.
As soon as he pulled Hana into a tight hug, he ripped her right wing and right arm in one strong pull and tore them off her body, blood started gushing out of her wounds. I let out a loud gasp at the scene. A shocked and horrified Hana soon lost consciousness before Sukuna tossed her from the rooftop without the care of the world.
"Hana!!" I yelled out in concern but she was already long gone.
"The nuisance is now gone..." Sukuna commented before looking back at me over his shoulders. "Now, it's just the two of us, princess...~"
Feeling disgusted, I got myself getting ready to fight the Curse King, summoning my blue Hellflames in my right hand's fist. I wasn't sure whether I would make it out alive or not, but I just couldn't let this slide. Sukuna possessed Megumi and took over his body. There was no way in hell I was letting that slide away and would behave as if nothing happened.
"Sukuna, you fucking sick bastard..." I spoke up again with a frowning face through my gritted teeth, my eyes blazed in sheer hatred and anger. "Give Megumi back, right now!!"
And with that, I shaped my flames into a colossal fist around my right hand and delivered a powerful punch at Sukuna with an explosive impact. The punch was so powerful that it sent a surprised Sukuna flying back as he crashed and collided with some buildings while the ground beneath us got decimated in the process along the way. This fiery attack from me might have thrown Sukuna off guard as he didn't expect such an attack from me. Maybe that's why he couldn't dodge the attack otherwise he would have done that.
I dashed forward and jumped out of that dismantled rooftop using my flames and landed on another rooftop. Jumping from one building to another, I was getting closer to where Sukuna had landed after taking that hit from me, getting ready to face Sukuna once again. And as soon as I reached the destination, the ground under me suddenly shook violently.
"You're still here?" Sukuna asked and I looked over to the source of the sound to see Sukuna and Yuji were going up against each other as they got themselves engaged in serious hand-to-hand combat.
Roads, pillars, and bridges around them all started to collapse as they continued with their fistfights. Seeing them fight like this left me completely stunned. I didn't doubt Sukuna's power and strength since he was the King of Curses, but I wondered how Yuji was keeping up with him despite not having Sukuna inside him anymore.
"Sukuna!!!" Yuji screamed out, landing a hit on his opponent who dodged it.
"Kenjaku does the grossest things." Sukuna chuckled in a mocking tone.
"You!! Why can't you jerks just live a normal life?!?! Why do you have to spread misery?!?!" Yuji screamed again as he kept on attacking Sukuna.
Just then Sukuna used a technique and sliced a deep cut on Yuji across his chest. I gasped at the sight and immediately went over to them. A wounded Yuji collapsed on the ground but he still didn't give up on fighting Sukuna as he looked up at the Curse King with fury in his eyes.
"Yuji!" I called out in concern, causing Yuji to look over at me, his facial expression softened a bit.
I quickly went over to his side and started healing his wounds with my Reverse Cursed Technique.
"Well, allow me to ask..." Sukuna trailed off in a taunting tone with his hands in his pockets as he stood a few feet away from us. "Why are you so weak? You're weak yet you cling to life. Continuing on your path means destruction yet you wish to be happy as long as possible. You should spend your lives stifling your misery."
"You should be the one... trying to stifle this misery!" Yuji barked out angrily, standing up.
"Come closer..." Sukuna cooed with a smirk.
"Yuji, no." I warned the boy but he didn't listen.
As soon as Yuji stepped closer to Sukuna, the latter used his slicing technique on the boy once again and blood started to gush out from his newly formed wounds. But despite all that, Yuji didn't flinch and kept on walking toward Sukuna with a deadly look in his eyes. This surprised Sukuna and he looked down at his hands in confusion about why Yuji wasn't collapsing from his brutal attacks. Using the opportunity of Sukuna's distraction, Yuji walked up to him and punched the Curse King across the face.
"Damn you, Megumi Fushiguro." Sukuna cussed under his breath as he fell back from the impact of Yuji's punch.
Sukuna stumbled back a bit, still confused about something. I went up to Yuji and started healing him again.
"Sukuna's not at his full potential ever since he switched bodies with Megumi." I pointed out to Yuji with a frowning face. "Is Megumi's body not suitable for him or something like that...?"
"Don't know. Can't tell what's happening." Yuji replied, slightly shaking his head.
Sukuna then looked back at us again and smirked.
"I'll need to polish up this form." He stated with a smug face, referring to Megumi's body not being suitable for him to combat.
"I was right. Megumi's body isn't suitable for him." I confirmed it with my pink-haired friend.
Just then I noticed Sukuna's eyes went wide open in shock and this had me confused about why and what he was looking astonished for. Then I felt someone just walked into the scene at that moment and so I looked over to the side to see who it was; it was Maki Zenin, standing there with confidence and with hands on her hips.
"Maki senpai..." Yuji and I trailed off in unison.
"Sorry, I'm late. Give me a brief rundown." Maki senpai stated in a hard tone, making her way over to us.
"Sukuna left Yuji's body and took over Megumi's. Now he's possessing Megumi's body." I explained shortly.
"This guy won't die even if you go all out!" Yuji added as the three of us stared down Sukuna, getting into our fighting stance.
And in a flash, the three of us dashed toward Sukuna. Maki threw a kick while Yuji threw a punch at him but he dodged and blocked those attacks anyway. Sukuna was about to throw a punch at Maki but she caught his arm and punched him in the face which threw him off guard. Seeing the opportunity, I threw another flaming punch at Sukuna and sent him flying away once again.
Sukuna crashed against a railing and Yuji immediately wrapped the iron railing around the Curse King.
"You really are so boring." Sukuna commented to Yuji in a bored tone before Maki came in and kicked Sukuna in the stomach.
This sent Sukuna flying back and crashing into a wall again. The impact of Maki's kick was strong that the wall Sukuna had crashed into ended up collapsing down.
"It's weird to see he's good at fistfights with Megumi's face." Maki senpai stated as we stared down Sukuna again. "Even if he can't die, can he heal wounds from split soul katana? Nana, Yuji... Our goal is to stop that even if it means killing him, right?"
"Yeah!" Yuji replied with determination but I was still hesitant about this.
Fighting Sukuna, yeah, I can do that... but killing Megumi, that's not possible for me...!! How can I ever kill off my childhood best friend...?!?! I can't just go all out and hurt Megumi like this even if that's Sukuna who's controlling his body now...!!
"Mind if I speed things up?" Maki asked, drawing out one of her weapons from her back.
"Nope!" Yuji responded again.
And with that, Yuji and Maki dashed towards Sukuna, and the three of them got engaged in another hand-to-hand combat. They were so fast and strong that I couldn't keep up with them. Unlike Maki and Yuji, my specialty in jujutsu sorcery wasn't physical strength and speed. My physical prowess wasn't as great as Maki senpai's who was born with the Zenin Clan's Heavenly Restriction inside her, nor I was like Yuji who had always been a fast runner and stronger fist-fighter. Sure, I was also an expert in close combats like Maki and Yuji since I was been trained by Gojo sensei for years now, but I wasn't as strong as them. Yet I didn't give up and went after them to help out my allies.
Maki and Yuji kept on attacking Sukuna with their powerful blows, whether they were punches or kicks, and it seemed like Sukuna was quite enjoying it fighting both of them. Once they got to the other side of the road, Sukuna suddenly used a technique called Cleave Spiderweb where he had sort of formed an earthquake beneath them and dismantled the entire ground.
Seeing this Yuji and Maki jumped away and went to the safe side when suddenly I noticed a familiar figure standing behind them just a few feet away. It was Uraume.
"Maximum Output: Frost Calm!!" Uraume yelled, before channeling a cloud of freezing mist from their mouth which he blew it toward Maki and Yuji.
The freezing mist of theirs then materialized into gigantic columns of thick ice and frosted to ensnare my two allies, instantly freezing them in place.
"Maki senpai, Yuji!!" I gasped in concern before rushing up to them.
"Ha, ha! I love this view!" Sukuna chuckled in amusement, looking over at the ice pillar as he and Uraume now standing in the distance.
"I offer my deepest apologies for intervening." Uraume stated politely, bowing to Sukuna.
"It's fine." Sukuna reassured them nonchalantly.
"I did make sure not to freeze Yuji Itadori too deeply, but..." Uraume trailed off.
"I'm done with him, so it doesn't matter..." Sukuna responded, summoning out his gigantic Nue. "It was right to focus cursed energy on those two girls. I need to polish up this form. Prepare the bath."
"We already have. It will require a short journey." Uraume informed.
"As always you attend to every detail." Sukuna chuckled as he and Uraume climbed onto the Nue.
While they were conversing, I used my blue Hellflames to melt down the ice in a few seconds. As soon as the ice melted and turned into vapors, Yuji and Maki senpai immediately got themselves freed from Uraume's ice cage. Yuji quickly dashed toward Sukuna after getting freed who was now flying away from the spot with Uraume on the back of his Nue.
"Megumi, no!!" I called out with teary eyes, rushing over with Yuji to stop them. "Stop, Sukuna!!!"
"Sukuna!!!" an injured exhausted Yuji screamed out at Sukuna in anger, frustration, and desperation as he rushed ahead of me to catch up to the Curse King but alas failed in the end.
"Should I kill him?" Uraume asked in annoyance.
"No, wait." Sukuna chuckled maliciously as he looked down at a distressed worried Yuji with a devilish grin. "Look. It's hilarious. He's so pitiful! You know that Harima statue?!"
"Yeah, around the mouth." Uraume chuckled as well.
"You see it, right?!" Sukuna laughed out loud mockingly at Yuji before flying away from the scene, leaving us all behind feeling helpless and miserable.