Chapter 7: Shadow of a Past Life II

Sukuna found himself in a state of unsettling vigilance. Although he shared the body with Kaede and Yuji Itadori, his consciousness was never truly at rest. Always alert, always watching. Tonight, however, something in his mind decided to unearth an ancient memory, one long buried under layers of malice and power.

Suddenly, Sukuna was transported back to a time long before his transformation into a curse, to a decisive moment that changed the course of his existence.

Memory

The air was charged with the anticipation of battle. In a vast open field, surrounded by mountains and stormy skies, two figures faced each other. Sukuna, in his human form, was enveloped in an overwhelming aura of power. Opposite him stood his old friend, Kaede, whose gaze was filled with determination and disappointment.

"So you really intend to go through with this, huh, Sukuna?" Kaede's voice resonated with a mix of mockery and pain. "Do you really plan to become a curse?"

Sukuna smiled, a grimace that didn't reach his eyes. "Absolute power requires sacrifices, Kaede. I don't expect you to understand."

Kaede stepped forward, his body emanating a palpable energy. "I understand more than you think. But this... this is madness. You're willing to destroy yourself and everything you know for that power. Is that really what you want?"

"Destroy myself?" Sukuna let out a joyless laugh. "No, Kaede. This is evolution. Transformation. Something you could never comprehend with your moral limitations."

Kaede clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with fury. "Morals? What morals, Sukuna! We left those behind long ago... Ugh, forget it! If you've really decided to go down this path, then I'll have to stop you here and now."

The field seemed to vibrate with the tension between them. Sukuna looked at his old friend, remembering the times they had fought side by side, shared victories and defeats. But those times were in the past. Now, there was only room for conquest and domination.

"Always so predictable, Kaede," Sukuna murmured, raising a hand and letting his malevolent energy manifest around him. "Very well. If it's a fight you want, then so be it."

Kaede closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. When he opened them again, his gaze was full of pity. "It's not what I want, Sukuna. It's what I must do."

The dark sky lit up with the first lightning of the approaching storm. Raindrops began to fall, creating a hypnotic rhythm on the ground. Both combatants prepared themselves, each aware that this confrontation might be their last.

"Then let's go!" Sukuna shouted, launching himself forward with supernatural speed. His first strike was blocked by Kaede, who countered with equally impressive force. Sukuna, dodging that attack, knew that taking a direct hit from his now new enemy would be detrimental. The two moved apart, avoiding close combat. Sukuna used his immense cursed power, activating his technique The Relicarium, while Kaede deployed his Divine Space technique, creating rifts and distorting the space around him to dodge and counterattack with lethal precision.

"Do you really think you can stop me, Kaede?" Sukuna roared, his eyes shining with uncontrollable fury. "I am the most powerful being that has ever existed!"

"Quite the self-esteem you have to say that while I'm fighting you," Kaede replied, concentrating on the self-proclaimed most powerful being. "I suppose we'll know after this."

"Kai," Sukuna declared, sending several slashes. Kaede, panting from the effort, didn't let despair overwhelm him and tried to create a barrier to separate himself from the space, but some cuts managed to hit him.

The battle continued, both fighters reaching new levels of power and skill. The terrain around them was destroyed with each impact, trees fell, and the ground fragmented beneath their feet. Kaede, taking advantage of his speed and creating another rift, sent his charged fist directly to Sukuna's chin. "Black Flash," a massive amount of cursed energy manifested in the form of black lightning around Kaede. Sukuna, surprised by this attack, couldn't dodge it and took the full hit, sending him flying several meters. "Haha, you didn't see that coming," the black-haired fighter joked between pants.

"Disarm" from the debris, an enormous amount of cursed energy was sent toward the divine user. Finally, Kaede managed to open a portal just in time to deflect one of Sukuna's most powerful attacks, sending a wave of energy that shattered the ground where he had been. But the cost was high, and Kaede staggered, his strength depleted. "Looks like we're at our limits, friend."

They looked at each other, knowing what was about to happen.

""Ryoiki Tenkai (Domain Expansio) they both said, raising their arms and forming a hand sign.

Before they could launch their domains, something in his mind jolted him back to reality, interrupting his greatest regret.

Reality

Suddenly, the memory faded, and Sukuna found himself back in the darkness of his shared prison within Yuji Itadori. Kaede, in the outside world, had awakened panting, his face covered in sweat.

"Mmh, what's wrong now?" Sukuna asked with minimal concern in his voice, though his thoughts were still on the memory.

"Nothing, nothing happened, just... the same stupid nightmare..." a now calm Kaede replied, trying to normalize his breathing.

"Hehe, what an idiocy that my nightmares are so stupid when my current life is much worse, and they still haunt me," Kaede murmured to himself.

Sukuna watched him in silence, his own thoughts revolving around the image of his old friend. The memory of their battle, Kaede's determination to stop him, all served as a reminder of a past he could never forget, no matter how much power he accumulated.

As Kaede tried to fall asleep again, Sukuna remained awake, reflecting on the nature of his existence. The reality of his choices, the inevitable confrontation with Kaede, and the endless cycle of power and destruction. Perhaps, just perhaps, there was more to this shared prison than he had anticipated.

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This Is a small flashback of how their fight went. I plan yo write it in full in the futuro. Let me know if it's good ir not

Here Is the description of Kaede's technique

Kaede' Techniquen: Divine Space

Divine Space is Kaede's ritual technique, a unique and mysterious ability that allows him to manipulate the fabric of space itself. By channeling his cursed energy, Kaede can divide space into three parts and temporarily remove the central portion, creating a dimensional rift that connects two distant locations.

This ability grants Kaede the appearance of "teleporting" from one place to another by traversing the rift created by his Divine Space. However, in reality, he is not physically moving through space but rather using the dimensional rift as a conduit to instantaneously travel from one point to another.

The resulting rift is like a temporary window that opens and closes quickly, allowing anything that passes through it to experience an "instant" jump from one place to another. This rapid and unparalleled displacement ability gives Kaede a significant tactical advantage on the battlefield, as he can appear and disappear at any moment and place.

However, Divine Space is not a skill without its limitations. Manipulating space is a demanding and exhausting act for Kaede, and excessive use of his technique can leave him exhausted and weakened. Additionally, creating the dimensional rift requires extreme concentration and precise control, and any error in the process could have unforeseen and dangerous consequences.

In summary, Divine Space is a powerful but risky ability that grants Kaede a unique capacity for displacement and evasion on the battlefield, but also presents challenges and dangers.