"GREEN DISASTER FLAMES! MAXIMUM: METEOR SHOWER!"
As those words were uttered from Jogo's mouth, he was lifted by some of his ember insects into the air, bringing him even farther above Sukuna.
Above Jogo's hands, he formed a smaller meteor, maybe a third of the size of his original one, still significantly larger than he himself was. He repeated this process 4 more times while Sukuna watched in amusement.
Then, those 5 meteors were lit with green fire.
Each of these meteors was a third of the original Maximum Meteor's size, so combined, they were around 1.5 times the original.
They also had the same reinforced volcanic rock core the original had, but it was hollow.
Inside the hollow core, there were groups of tightly packed ember insects, ready to explode if harmed or if ordered to by their leader. Each of the smaller meteors is individually comparable to the original one in sheer destructive power.
But that wasn't even their best upgrade.
Jogo's domain projection is simply a more versatile version of domain amplification that can also be used alongside and with the cursed technique.
Jogo activated the sure-hit effect of domain amplification onto these meteors, effectively making them constantly follow Ryomen Sukuna until they either reach their target or are destroyed.
"These... They're even stronger than my last meteor! I've created an even more powerful attack! You should run, Ryomen Sukuna!"
Screamed Jogo, the 5 meteors rotating around him like planets around a star, heat warping the air around him.
"...A maximum technique is the epitome of a cursed technique, only second to a domain expansion, curse!
You're telling me... You've strengthened yours... Even further?!"
Sukuna's smile reappeared.
"This will be interesting."
Jogo then jumped onto one of the meteors.
The 5 meteors suddenly began, one after the other, rapidly flying in Sukuna's direction.
The king of curses was still faster, making his way through the rubble-filled street in front of him with relative ease, staying ahead of Jogo's meteors, and making his way to Shibuya crater.
But when he was about to make a turn to the right, a meteor suddenly appeared in front of him. To his left, there was another one, while the other 3 were still behind him.
Realizing his only path is forward, Sukuna quickly began running up the building, standing before him, while Jogo's meteors were circling like predators watching their prey.
When he reached the top, he leaped forward, attempting to get to the next building in his path.
But as he did, a meteor suddenly burst through the building he was formerly standing on, now making its way toward Sukuna's landing spot.
Sukuna managed to land before the meteor did, rapidly jumping up toward the street below.
While he was still in the air, Jogo's meteor exploded right behind him.
The blast was powerful enough to completely blow apart the building it was directly above, as well as the two adjacent buildings beside it.
Sukuna was sent flying forward, the lower half of his pants burning off from the heat of the blast, while burns appeared on his already exposed back.
If that meteor had gotten a clean hit on him, Sukuna would've been damaged severely.
If two or more of those hit? He might... He didn't want to think about it.
After landing on the street and getting up again, Sukuna turned to his opponent, who was still standing on one of the meteors, circling him.
"How... Did you get so strong, so fast?!"
Sukuna seemed enraged, now finally seeing Jogo as a real, powerful challenger.
"I have something to fight for, Ryomen Sukuna. And I'll never stop until I achieve it.
Sorcerers like you... Would never understand."
A series of slashes was thrown in Jogo's direction, but he managed to block them with what remained of his armour.
Then, Jogo's meteors began once again flying toward Sukuna at impressive speeds, and the king of curses once again began running off.
Slashes were occasionally thrown onto the meteors, but they only did surface damage.
The king of curses jumped from roof to roof, back alley to back alley, managing to keep his distance from Jogo and his meteors.
Eventually, Sukuna managed to lead Jogo back into Shibuya crater. When he did, he stood in the center, turning to Jogo's rapidly approaching meteors once again.
"You're using your all, curse! It's only fair I reciprocate!"
"DOMAIN EXPANSION: MALEVOLENT SHRINE!''
Sukuna's domain expansion was, for the second time, activated.
A red shrine appeared right beside the king of curses as cleaves and dismantles began rapidly cutting any threats in the vicinity, including Jogo, his meteors, and Mahito's protective dome.
In response to the activation, Jogo immediately reformed the broken parts of his armour, panting exhaustedly from having to use his lacking cursed energy resources further.
"LET'S TEST YOUR METEOR'S STRENGTH, CURSE!"
As Jogo's meteors descended closer and closer to Sukuna and his shrine, the cuts became more and more intense, the outer layer of the meteor in front almost destroyed, while the other 3 of Jogo's meteors and his armour were also being severely damaged.
But Jogo's attacks seemed to be too fast and resistant, and Sukuna realized he might not be able to stop them.
He then turned back and ran, attempting to lead the meteors away from his shrine so it wouldn't be destroyed.
But Jogo had already thought of that and changed the course of one of his meteors to the shrine.
When it made contact, it caused a concentrated explosion, creating an even deeper crater than the one previously there, stopping just short of Mahito's dome.
Jogo's three remaining meteors readjusted their positions before finally stabilizing and locking onto the king of curses once again.
Sukuna has only just barely dodged the blast and once again turned to Jogo, his expression a mix of amusement and something that looked like slight hesitation.
"You stopped the blast there on purpose, didn't you? That's amazing control, curse.
But you'll need more than control over your explosions to defeat me.
You're too slow, I'll just keep on running until you run out of cursed energy and those meteors fall."
Sukuna smiled.
"Then, I'll kill you."
Jogo knew, deep down, that his opponent was right. He needed some way to take down Sukuna. A trump card to defeat him. But he tried everything, didn't he?
--<>--
Then, a memory entered Jogo's head.
Well, more like a series of memories.
Jogo was never interested much in human things. Human sciences, art, culture.
But Mahito was, which led him and Kenjaku to end up talking about it inside Dagon's domain, conversations which Jogo would sometimes overhear.
He remembered something specific. Mahito was asking Kenjaku about something.
Jogo managed to overhear something about some 3 objects' gravities pulling each other, then Mahito said something about... acceleration?
That's right, the 'three body problem!'
Jogo's original meteor had a gravitational pull due to its sheer size and density.
Jogo's three smaller ones only had significantly weaker gravitational pulls, not enough to attract each other, anyway.
Though... What if he increased the density of the volcanic rock inside them? Then, he could put the three of them near each other, their gravitational pulls causing a chain reaction, accelerating faster and faster continuously.
That's it!
That's what he has to do!
--<>--
"GREEN DISASTER FLAMES: THREE BODIES!"
As Jogo said this, the three meteors, including the one he was standing on, began nearing each other.
Then, the three of them began to quickly rotate, a loud boom being heard.
Sukuna then turned his back to Jogo once again, sending desperate slashes in his opponent's direction as he did, before running off rapidly.
The three meteors kept on rotating rapidly in Sukuna's direction, eventually catching up to him, rotating around him, ready to attack.
"How... How are you so fast?!"
Asked Sukuna, still running with all his speed around Shibuya's destroyed streets.
Jogo stopped to wonder... How did he get so strong, so rapidly?
Then, he remembered Sukuna's words to him in his dream.
To burn everything in his path, with no regard for anything else. Giving up on his goals, aspirations, everything. To grow stronger.
He then realized, despite having believed in Sukuna's words somewhat, he did the exact opposite of them.
He went out of his way to save Dagon instead of reincarnating Sukuna, although that would've likely been better for him.
He faced Ryomen Sukuna, the king of curses, despite knowing how it went in his dream, in order to help his fellow curse, Mahito.
Jogo would still try to grow ever stronger, of course, for his goal.
To reach Satoru Gojo.
but not in Sukuna's way. Not in the way of a human.
As he circled closer and closer to Sukuna, he finally spoke up.
"I'll accept it. I'm not you.
I really wanted to accept you.
To pretend I understood what you said.
But that's different now.
I'll just kill you.
And if you're ever reincarnated in a new vessel, I'll kill you then too.
Change your name and appearance, I'll still kill you again and again.
I realized I do need a meaning and a reason now.
And I'm sure I'm the one destined to bring freedom to my fellow curses.
So I'll keep on killing sorcerers until I'm exorcised, because... that seems to be my role in this war."