chapter 17

We spent the remainder of our time in the Jujutsu Kaisen world hunting down those with techniques I coveted, like Takaba and Oru. We also tracked cursed spirits and other individuals with intriguing abilities, such as the sumo guy and the katana man. Though I engaged in some battles, they were merely appetizers—not the main course I was waiting for.

The real work began when I started experimenting with the cursed objects I had obtained and mastering the new cursed techniques I had acquired. Standing in the shadows of a crumbling skyscraper, I looked down at the twenty fingers of Ryomen Sukuna 'good thing I decided to use sha naqba imaru I now complete the set, the fingers King of Curses, laid out before me. "Now then," I murmured, "let's start with the king."

With a wave of my hand, I summoned a portal that connected to my lab in Nazarick and brought forth a homunculus body I had meticulously prepared for this moment. The process of feeding the fingers to the homunculus began, and as expected, Sukuna's soul began to take root.

Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across Sukuna's face as his consciousness fully awakened. "Your head is too high," he sneered, sending a slicing cursed energy attack straight for my neck. I blocked it effortlessly with Domain Amplification, a smirk playing on my lips.

"You expect me to bow to my lesser? Very funny, mongrel," I retorted, mocking his arrogance.

Sukuna's eyes flashed with malice. "Lesser? You're nothing more than a fish on my cutting board," he snarled, assuming a fighting stance.

"You dare challenge the king?" I let a hint of Gilgamesh's original pride seep through, feeling the familiar urges the my instincts as a king, as Gilgamesh I finally let some of it out, the urge to crush those who dared to oppose me. "Hmm, I have no need to fight children like you. I could seal you away just as before, King of Curses."

With a mere thought, I activated my magecraft, forcing Sukuna to experience the same sensation of entrapment he would experienced residing in Yuji Itadori's body if I wasn't for my actions he would he wouldn't be free and as the saying goes what is given can be taken away Sukuna's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered, his eyes narrowing.

"If you want to fight, you'd better be prepared to compensate me for my time," I said, the challenge evident in my tone. "The victor takes all—the technique, life force, cursed energy, domain, and jujutsu skills. You'll get the same from me and more, if you think you can win."

Sukuna didn't look thrilled by my proposal, but his pride wouldn't let him back down. "You can do whatever you want with my remains, but you'll have to put your money where your mouth is, brat."

The binding vow was forged between us, and with that, our battle began.

---

The moment our battle began, the air around us thickened with tension, a palpable force that would have crushed ordinary beings. Sukuna wasted no time, launching himself at me with blinding speed. His fist, wrapped in cursed energy, aimed directly for my face. I parried his strike with a conjured sword from the Gate of Babylon, the force of our clash sending shockwaves through the crumbling streets of Shinjuku.

Sukuna was relentless, his strikes unyielding, each one aimed with deadly precision. He summoned cursed energy slashes that tore through the air like deadly crescents. I countered with my own arsenal of weapons, golden blades and treasures of kings that clashed against his attacks. Each impact was a symphony of destruction, buildings crumbling around us as we traded blows.

"Is this all you have?" I taunted, deflecting a particularly vicious slash that cut through the remnants of a skyscraper behind me. "I expected more from the King of Curses."

Sukuna's eyes narrowed, and his cursed energy surged, dark and malevolent. "You talk too much, brat," he growled, his voice a deep rumble. In an instant, he activated his Malevolent Shrine, a terrifying domain expansion that twisted reality itself. The space around us shifted into a nightmarish landscape, filled with eerie shrines and cursed apparitions.

I felt the pressure of his domain close in around me, but I remained unfazed. With a mere thought, I summoned my own domain, the perfect counter the same domain that already match his before and now I even make open. Golden light erupted from beneath my feet, forming galactic back ground *infinite void* that clashed against Sukuna's shrine. The two domains battled for dominance, reality warping and cracking under the strain of our power.

"Impressive," I mused, "but still not enough." I pushed back with my domain amplification, nullifying the advantages Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine tried to impose on me.

He grinned, a savage expression that spoke of his delight in the challenge. "You're strong, but not invincible," he said, and with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a barrage of cursed energy, each slashes aimed to pierce through my defenses.

I dodged, weaved, and countered, our movements becoming a blur to any onlookers. As we fought, I began to notice something. Sukuna wasn't just attacking; he was learning. Each exchange honed his techniques, refined his attacks. It was as if our battle was a twisted form of mentorship, with each of us pushing the other to new heights.

But I was holding back. This was my choice. I could have ended the fight at any moment, yet I chose to prolong it, to savor the experience of a true challenge. Sukuna noticed this too, his eyes narrowing in understanding.

"So, you're toying with me?" he hissed, his rage palpable. "You dare mock me,?"

I smirked, summoning a massive sword from my treasury, its blade gleaming with ancient power. "Toying with you? No. I'm simply enjoying this dance, Sukuna. But if you wish to end it, so be it."

With that, I unleashed a flurry of attacks, my swordsmanship nearly flawless, each strike calculated to push Sukuna to his limit. He met each blow with ferocity, his cursed energy flaring brighter, hotter. The ground beneath us shattered as we fought, our power tearing through the city like a storm.

Our domain's always broke at the same time, At one point, I decided to teach Sukuna how to regain his domain, purely to keep him strong enough to challenge me. I even gave him tips, subtly guiding his techniques to become sharper, deadlier. Over time, our relationship developed into something akin to that of a master and student, if you can call a master trying kill a student as being master and student

Sukuna was an enigma, a combatant who used battle as a means to connect with others. Through our relentless exchanges, he learned from me, and I, in turn leared from him, I pushed all of cursed techniques further than I ever had before.

"Honestly, I'd like to say something poetic right about now," I remarked as our battle neared its end, "but we both know we're not that type of people."

"Tch. Just finish it already, brat," Sukuna grunted, his voice tinged with satisfaction he couldn't quite hide.

"You just have to have the final word, don't you, mongrel?" I replied, a smirk tugging at my lips as I watched Sukuna draw his final breath. With a wave of my hand, I claimed my reward, using the binding vow to absorb all of Sukuna's powers. I then sealed the remnants of his soul within a bounded field, extracting everything of value from him then throwing his remains the the vault of Nazarick .

Markings appeared on my body, a second pair of eyes forming as I tested my newfound abilities with a powerful slash. The air crackled with energy as the slash tore through space, the raw power of Sukuna now at my command.

As the rush of victory settled, a system notification chimed in my mind: *"Hidden mission accomplished: 'The Strongest' - Kill the King of Curses and take his title."*

**Rewards:**

- 10,000 points

- Body Restoration (Sukuna style) - Can be used multiple times but has a one-day charge time.

"Woah! That's a first! And a pretty nice reward, too. I might even have enough points to buy another template," I mused, grinning at the possibilities.

---

In the aftermath, I stood amidst the rubble of Shinjuku, the once-thriving city reduced to a wasteland by our prolonged battle. I sighed, a mix of satisfaction and exhaustion washing over me.

With Sukuna's remains sealed away and his powers now mine, I prepared to return to Nazarick. My work in this world was done, and there were still many more worlds to visit. As I opened a portal to leave, I couldn't help but smile at the destruction around me—a testament to the epic clash that had taken place. Another conquest complete, and more power in my hands.