"Get lost!"
Seeing Fushiguro Megumi battered and bruised, Itadori Yuji remembered his grandfather's dying words. Without hesitation, he rushed to Megumi's side and swung at the Cursed Spirit in front of him.
Clang!
Itadori's hand twitched painfully as he recoiled, shaking it repeatedly. It felt like striking solid steel.
The Cursed Spirit, completely unharmed, lashed out with several whip-like tentacles. Itadori was sent flying, crashing across the ground, blood streaking his clothes.
"Idiot!"
Megumi muttered under his breath. His two Divine Dogs lunged from either side, claws slicing into the Cursed Spirit's body.
The creature cried out in pain and swept its arm horizontally, knocking both Divine Dogs and Itadori aside.
Megumi seized the opportunity, sliding under the sweep. Closing the distance, he threw a punch imbued with Cursed Energy.
Bang!
Though not as forceful as Itadori's swing, the impact was devastating. The Cursed Spirit's twisted form shattered into fragments instantly.
Megumi turned to Itadori. "Didn't I tell you to take those two and escape? Why are you back here? You're too reckless!"
"Cursed Spirits can only be exorcised with Cursed Energy. You couldn't even hurt it. Do you realize how close you were to dying?!"
"Hey! I'm still helping a little!" Itadori protested, then asked, confused, "What are those things? Why are they in the school?"
Megumi explained patiently, "They're Cursed Spirits. Beings ordinary people can't see."
"Vengeful spirits?"
"You could say that. As for why they're here, it's all because of this," Megumi said, revealing Sukuna's Finger.
"This object is highly toxic to any living being, but it attracts Cursed Spirits. If consumed, they gain immense Cursed Energy."
"I see." Itadori shook his head, his expression still clouded with confusion.
"Alright, we need to reclaim the Cursed Object and seal it again—"
Boom!
Suddenly, the building trembled. Before Megumi could react, a massive Cursed Spirit with six pairs of legs, a tongue covered in eyeballs, and a chameleon-like body burst through the wall, charging straight at him.
The creature slammed Megumi into the wall, embedding him within it. Meanwhile, the Cursed Object rolled to Itadori's feet.
Knowing its importance, Itadori picked it up. The Cursed Spirit roared and lunged at him.
Itadori, deserving of his nickname "Tiger of West Middle School," dodged and countered with his incredible physicality. Yet the difference in strength was immense, and Sukuna's Finger nearly slipped from his grasp several times.
In a desperate moment, Itadori bit down on Sukuna's Finger. The Cursed Spirit immediately grabbed him, trying to swallow both him and the finger.
"Stop! You'll be devoured too! Throw it away!" Megumi shouted.
Itadori recalled Megumi's words: Cursed Spirits can only be exorcised with Cursed Energy, and consuming the finger grants it.
"If that's the case, Megumi, wouldn't it be fine if I had Cursed Energy?" he thought.
"Stop!" Megumi yelled, but Itadori had already tossed the finger into the air, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed it whole—without chewing.
Suddenly, Itadori's body was lifted into the air. He looked up to see a white-haired man in sunglasses holding him like a chicken, shaking him as if he were trash.
"What are you eating? Spit it out!"
"Ugh... blech~"
Disoriented and nauseated, Itadori finally expelled the finger stuck in his throat.
Gojo Shion put him down and reached for the finger. Seeing it covered in saliva, he grimaced and patted Itadori on the shoulder.
"Pick it up, pick it up!"
"Okay!" Itadori groaned, wiping it clean with his sleeve.
Roar!
The Cursed Spirit screamed. Gojo lowered his sunglasses and glanced at it. Bang! The creature exploded into fragments.
"Huh???"
Itadori stepped back, shocked, avoiding Gojo's gaze as if he might explode under his stare.
"Shion-sensei!"
Megumi hobbled over.
"Good work, Megumi," Gojo said, patting his shoulder. Megumi's injuries healed instantly. "Reverse Cursed Technique…"
Megumi was a little envious. His Shikigami, the Round Deer, could also use Reverse Cursed Technique. Promising indeed.
"Thank you, Shion-sensei. We would have been in grave danger without you!"
Megumi then turned angrily to Itadori. "You idiot, why did you swallow Sukuna's Finger?"
"It was to help!" Itadori protested.
"You would have died! Sukuna's Finger is highly poisonous to ordinary people!"
"Eh? Really?"
Gojo, observing silently, interjected, "No, he won't die."
"Itadori-kun is special. Even if he swallows Sukuna's Finger, he won't die. He was created as an Artificial Vessel suitable for Sukuna's Incarnation."
"Am I right? The ones hiding over there?" Gojo glanced toward the shadows.
Two figures emerged: a woman with a stitched forehead and a monstrous figure with its left hand and shoulder wrapped in white cloth, branches growing where its eyes should be.
Itadori froze. "Who... is she?"
The woman smiled strangely. "Yuji, my name is Itadori Kaori, and I'm your mother."
"Mother..." Itadori whispered.
Gojo cut in sharply, "Playing with a woman's body, manipulating a child's emotions, that's tasteless. Truly an animal."
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