Hound Dog

There were five people on the rooftop, but only one was truly fighting. Sasaki and Iguchi lay unconscious, mere burdens in the battle.

Itadori Yuji stood to the side, torn between wanting to help and not knowing how. Ryujin, meanwhile, remained entirely at ease, observing the chaos with no intention of intervening.

This left Fushiguro Megumi alone in the center of the battlefield, struggling against the quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit.

"Ryujin, why aren't you helping Fushiguro?" Itadori finally asked, feeling a sense of unease about Ryujin's lack of action.

"Oh? Should I help Fushiguro Megumi? Yuji, are you trying to make sure people die the right way?" Ryujin responded, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

"After all, isn't dying at the hands of a Curse the proper way for a Jujutsu sorcerer to go out?"

Ryujin's words left Itadori at a loss for a reply. Though the logic felt wrong to him, his limited experience with Cursed Spirits and the world of Jujutsu left him uncertain.

Seeing Itadori rendered speechless, Ryujin smiled and softly muttered, "Nue." His shadow responded, forming the shape of a bird, and in an instant, the shikigami Nue was under his control.

Ryujin observed this with satisfaction.

Just as I thought. Without innate talent, I can only utilize ten shadow spells. But even then, I have to imitate others to master their use, Ryujin pondered, his mind racing with thoughts.

'It's a bit frustrating. I once believed that having ten shadow spells would be something even Sukuna would envy! But it turns out there are such limitations.'

'So, does that mean if I want to use the blood manipulation technique or the Six Eyes, I need to find their original owners to learn the corresponding abilities? How troublesome…'

'Lizi's powers are more straightforward and useful for me right now'

'I wonder what the status of the Nine Cursed Fetus is now. I've always sensed them, but their exact location remains elusive—quite embarrassing, honestly.'

'It seems mastering and showcasing the ancestral techniques of these three great families will take some time. For now, I'll have to rely on Lizi, my guardian Cursed Spirit, and the Nine Phase Diagram Cursed Spirit to hold my own in battles...'

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Ryujin casually stroked the smaller, cuter version of Nue he had summoned, more like a pet than a weapon.

Meanwhile, Itadori watched Ryujin, frustration and anger building. Ryujin was more concerned with playing with his shikigami than with helping in the fight.

Fushiguro Megumi was in grave danger, and Itadori knew they couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Since Ryujin refused to act, Itadori Yuji knew he had to follow his own instincts and help Fushiguro Megumi.

His grandfather's words echoed in his mind: "You are strong. When saving others, just do what you can, and try to save those who can be saved.

It's okay if you're confused, and don't mind if you're not thanked. In short, if you work hard, there will be more people around you when you die."

"I want to die surrounded by people," Itadori thought to himself.

Seeing the white jade dog struggling to fend off the quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit and witnessing Fushiguro Megumi in a desperate situation, Itadori couldn't stand by any longer.

He rushed forward, his body moving on instinct. With a single punch, he sent the Cursed Spirit flying, his raw physical strength alone overwhelming it.

'He really is the first person to conquer curses with sheer physical power,' Ryujin thought, chuckling softly. This was the kind of strength he expected from someone like Itadori.

"Didn't I tell you to run away?" Fushiguro Megumi shouted, surprised and frustrated to see Itadori still there.

"How could I leave you to face this monster alone?" Itadori replied, using his strong body to dodge the Cursed Spirit's attacks while holding Sukuna's fingers to distract it, giving Fushiguro some breathing room.

Fushiguro felt a rush of emotions at Itadori's words, but quickly steeled himself. "You're really stupid," he muttered to himself.

He could feel the presence of an even stronger Cursed Spirit drawing nearer, and he knew they had to finish this fight quickly.

With determination, Fushiguro made the hand sign for the Divine dogs once more. In an instant, the remains of the white jade dog fused with the black one.

"Muddy!" he called out.

The black Divine dog transformed into a massive, pitch-black hound, with only its mouth and limbs remaining white. The beast looked ferocious, exuding a powerful aura.

This was the Divine Dog's hidden ability—when one of the shikigami is destroyed, the other absorbs its power, transforming into the even stronger Hound Dog.

The strength of the Hound Dog was far superior to the two divine dogs combined.

Unfortunately, this transformation could only happen under dire circumstances, as it required the destruction of one of the shikigami. Fushiguro would never have chosen this option willingly, as losing a shikigami meant losing it forever.

But now, with the Hound Dog unleashed, the battle began to turn in their favor. The Hound Dog and Nue worked together, slowly gaining the upper hand against the quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit.

It seemed that the Cursed Spirit's fate was sealed.

But Ryujin paid little attention to the ongoing fight, as he was more intrigued by something he had just discovered.

Ryujin had just summoned the Divine Dogs again, and after that he seamlessly fusing the black and white Divine Dogs, This brought forth the powerful hound Dog.

What made his approach unique was his ability to control the fusion and decomposition of the Divine Dogs at will.

When needed, he could merge them into the Hound Dog for combat, and when not, he could split the Heavenly Dog back into the black and white Divine Dogs for reconnaissance.

Fushiguro Megumi watched this display in utter disbelief. Ryujin had claimed ignorance of other shadow techniques, yet now he had not only summoned Nue and the Divine Dogs but also demonstrated complete mastery over the Hound Dog.

His control over these techniques seemed even more advanced and refined than Megumi's own.

'Who is this Ryujin?' Megumi wondered, his mind racing.' And what is his purpose here?'

Ryujin's strange behavior and unexpected skill had put Megumi on high alert. In Megumi's mind, Ryujin had quickly become a potential threat—one that needed to be carefully monitored.

'Damn it', Megumi thought to himself, 'there's a quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit in front of me, a special-grade Cursed Spirit lurking nearby, and now this mysterious individual with unknown intentions standing beside me!'

'Gojo-sensei, I really don't know which path the future will take.'