Chapter 19: To the Limit

Sukuna was ecstatic to finally be out. "It's about time!" he exclaimed, turning to the curse. The curse, clearly confused and frightened by the abrupt shift in energy, took a step back. Sukuna patted its shoulder and said, "Hold on a moment."

Turning to Kaede, who manifested on his cheek, Sukuna asked, "Hey, Kaede, you don't mind if I make my own plans, right?"

Kaede responded indifferently, "Do what you want. Whatever you do, I doubt it will interfere with my plans." With that, Kaede disappeared.

Sukuna, now unrestricted, called to the curse: "Follow me." The curse, enraged at being ordered around, launched a barrage of energy at Sukuna. Sukuna muttered "idiot" and, unintentionally, regenerated Itadori's missing arm to stop the barrage.

"Damn it," Sukuna growled at having repaired the brat's arm. The curse was incredulous at how Sukuna could stop its attack with one hand. Sukuna smiled and said, "Die here." He appeared in front of the curse and slapped it to the ground. "Come on, give it your best shot," he said, starting to stomp on the curse's head with such force that it broke the bridge they were standing on.

Sukuna, to avoid falling, tried to step back, but the curse quickly grabbed his leg, causing them both to fall. The curse started to smile, thinking it had trapped Sukuna, only to realize it was missing an arm. Sukuna said, "You might be a cursed spirit, but does this matter to you?" showing the missing arm.

In no time, the curse was pinned to the wall with its four limbs severed. Sukuna commented, "It seems both you and I are considered special grade curses... what an insult."

Out of nowhere, the curse began to regenerate. "Oh," said Sukuna. "You look happy, should I congratulate you? But really, regeneration isn't complicated for us. I'll show you what a truly complex technique is." Sukuna clasped his hands together in a sign and said, "Ryoki Tenkai."

Suddenly, everything around him darkened and behind him appeared a Buddhist shrine filled with corpses. In the next moment, the curse was nearly disintegrated. "Oh, I only wanted to split you into three. Wow, you are weak."

Among the bloody pulp, Sukuna picked up one of his fingers. "I'll take what's mine." Turning around, he found the katana on the ground. "Uh, Kagekiri? Heh, from being a millennia-old weapon to lying in black waters, what a change." Picking up the sword, he quickly cleaned and sheathed it.

"Hey, brat, I'm done... Hey! If you're gonna switch back, do it now... Brat?" With a sinister smile, Sukuna thought, "Can't you switch back? Hehe, this is going to be fun."

Back with Megumi

Megumi had left Nobara in Ijichi's car, which quickly sped off to get her to safety. "Once I drop her off, I'll come back as fast as I can," Ijichi said, his voice full of concern.

"No," replied Megumi. "Even if you come, it won't be much help. Better bring a first-grade sorcerer." With that said, the car left, leaving Megumi alone.

As Megumi turned around, he saw that Sukuna's domain expansion had vanished. "Did the curse die?" he thought, with a mix of hope and worry. But before he could do anything else, Sukuna appeared behind him.

"If you're thinking about him, he's not coming back," said Sukuna, referring to Itadori. "Don't be scared. I'm in a good mood today. Let's talk," he added, pondering why Itadori wasn't switching back. He concluded it was due to not making a pact, making the switch difficult.

"Whatever," said Sukuna dismissively, "I guess it's just a matter of time." With those words, he tore off his shirt and, with his hand, pierced his chest, ripping out his heart. "Hey!" shouted Megumi, bewildered.

"So I'll take the brat as a hostage. We can live without this... but the brat can't," said Sukuna, tossing the heart to the ground. "And to be doubly sure..." pulling out the recovered finger, he swallowed it. "That makes four," Sukuna thought. "So now I'm a free man. I'm going to kill you. Nothing personal."

Megumi looked at him, determined. "Itadori will come back. Though if he does, he'll die. He's that kind of guy."

Sukuna laughed. "You think highly of him. He's just a fool a bit stronger than the rest of the humans. Not long ago, he was so scared at the brink of death." With a swift movement, Sukuna kicked Megumi, sending him crashing into the trees.

Quickly, Megumi clasped his hands and summoned an orange bird that emitted lightning, catching him before he hit the trees. With another gesture, he summoned a giant snake that trapped Sukuna in its mouth. "Don't give him time!" Megumi shouted at his summon.

Sukuna only smiled and, with a wave of his hand, dismembered the snake. In an instant, he appeared behind Megumi. "Our level is too different. Try harder," he said with a malicious laugh. Grabbing Megumi by his jacket, he tossed him into the sky.

Megumi, surprised by Sukuna's agility, saw him already in front of him in the air, katana ready to slice him in two. Quickly, the bird intercepted the strike, getting injured but preventing Megumi from taking the hit. "Very good technique," Sukuna complimented Megumi's ritual.

Megumi crashed into a building and tried to stand. The katana Sukuna held began to emit cursed energy, roasting his hand. Sukuna quickly let go and laughed. "Alright, alright. I'm not worthy of touching your body," he said comically. "Hey you, your shikigami uses shadows as a medium, right?" Sukuna asked.

"So what?" Megumi responded.

"Interesting technique. I've never seen it before. It doesn't require a talisman, so it can be used in various ways," Sukuna mused aloud. "You don't get it, do you?" said Sukuna. "A moment ago... why did you run away? What a waste of talent. You know I'm not going to heal this, right?" Sukuna pointed to the hole in his chest. "Do you plan to sacrifice yourself to save this useless guy? He's not worth it."

Megumi, remembering his sister's words, struggled to stand. He clasped his hands together and began chanting an invocation. Sukuna, seeing his movements, got excited. "Oh, so there's more. Hahaha, entertain me, Fushiguro Megumi."

Before Megumi could finish his chant, he lowered his arms and said, "I didn't have a logical reason to save you that time... but I didn't want to see a good person like you die. Even if it was dangerous in the future, it was selfish, but I made my decision. I'm not a hero, I'm an exorcist," he said to Itadori, who had regained control of his body.

"I see, you really are smart, Fushiguro. The way you live is correct. I don't think you're wrong." Itadori coughed blood. "I'm sorry, it seems my time is up. You, Kugisaki, and Gojo-sensei... I won't have to worry, right? Live long." Itadori fell to the ground, dead.

Megumi looked at his friend's body, pain and disbelief on his face. Before he could react, Itadori's body jumped back and grabbed the katana on the ground. Kaede had taken control again, and Itadori's body bore cursed marks.

"What!? How can this be?" Megumi thought, taking a step back.

"Hello again, kid. Relax, I don't want to kill you. But I suggest you don't follow me... and don't release that thing, it'll cause too many problems," said Kaede with a sinister smile. "Anyway, goodbye." With that, he disappeared, leaving Megumi confused.

Megumi fell to his knees, exhausted and heavy-hearted. The battle was over, but the consequences of what had happened still weighed on him. He knew the road ahead would be even harder.

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Hey, sorry I didn't upload yesterday, I was really sick. I'm feeling a bit better today, so I made this chapter. Hopefully, I'll be fully recovered by tomorrow.