Uraume exhaled softly. A wisp of freezing wind followed the breath, growing larger and larger until it formed a magnificent blizzard that extended infinitely forward. The glacial wind slammed violently into Yuta Okkotsu, coating his surroundings in hoarfrost. The ground beneath his feet froze into hard permafrost, and a crisp cracking sound rang out—the sound of mixed-soil walls splitting under the extreme cold.
Uraume's *Ice Formation* was an extremely superior technique. In the original timeline, she had used *Ice Formation* to nearly wipe out the protagonist's group with ease. If the Special Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo hadn't arrived at the critical moment, Uraume alone could have forced a "Bad Ending."
She was, without a doubt, a Special Grade Sorcerer. And now, she was unleashing her full power without restraint, just as she had declared:
She would use this ice, cold enough to crack all creation, to make Yuta Okkotsu wish for death, eventually forcing him to become her pawn, doing exactly as she said! She had done so a thousand years ago, and she would do so again today.
To this, Yuta Okkotsu's response was simple: "Melt."
—Technique Release.
—Copy Technique: *Cursed Speech*!
The moment the words fell, the ice and snow turned into water droplets. The frost that was cold enough to crack all creation transformed into liquid under an unknown force, as if a sudden rainstorm had begun. Yuta Okkotsu walked forward, raindrops smashing against his body.
Uraume's pupils trembled slightly.
Of course, she knew what *Cursed Speech* was. It was indeed a convenient and versatile technique, but it could only be used freely against targets of the same level or lower. Attempting to use it against a superior opponent would cause massive damage to the user's throat, potentially shattering it and causing death by asphyxiation.
Uraume was a genuine Special Grade Sorcerer. Controlling her directly with *Cursed Speech* would be extremely difficult. However, if the target wasn't Uraume herself, but the *Ice Formation* she breathed out, that was a different story entirely! Yuta Okkotsu had cleverly exploited this loophole, easily dismantling her offensive.
This single move made Uraume realize: this guy (Yuta Okkotsu) possessed extremely rich combat experience.
Uraume's judgment was accurate. In the original timeline, Yuta had fought a death match against Suguru Geto. At that time, he determined that *Cursed Speech* wouldn't work on Geto himself, so he refrained from using it directly on him. Instead, when Geto released a swarm of weak Cursed Spirits, Yuta unhesitatingly used *Cursed Speech* to wipe them out in one breath.
The past mirrored the present. Yuta Okkotsu was utilizing his experience from fighting Special Grade Sorcerers!
"Very good," Uraume laughed. "Now this... is getting interesting!"
Both sides launched simultaneously—sprinting, colliding!
The logic was simple: Since long-range attacks would be easily neutralized by Yuta's *Cursed Speech*, the victor would be decided in close-quarters combat! Seeing Yuta draw his katana proved he was confident in his melee skills. Unfortunately for him, Uraume was even more confident.
*Taste the technique of a thousand years ago, modern human!*
*BANG! BANG! BANG!* Palms reinforced with *Ice Formation* clashed against Yuta's katana blade, producing the sound of metal striking metal. Uraume flared her wide monk robes, the sleeves emitting a biting chill. Yuta utilized Cursed Energy reinforcement to negate the freezing wind, engaging Uraume in close combat.
Theoretically, Uraume's loose robes were ill-suited for melee, yet she moved without any hindrance. Her offense and defense were flawless. Though using bare palms, she did not lose ground against Yuta's blade. On the contrary, she pressed forward step by step, squeezing Yuta's defensive space like a tsunami.
She even had the leisure to launch verbal attacks: "What's wrong, Special Grade Yuta? You were the one who initiated close combat, yet now you look like a rat scurrying away!"
*CRASH!* Yuta's blade clashed once more against Uraume's ice-encased flesh. Cursed Energy residuals detonated like explosives. The shockwave, mixed with Cursed Energy, expanded outward like an air ring. The immense force shattered the mall's glass windows, sending shards collapsing into the freezing wind with a sound like a banshee's scream.
Yuta began to retreat, smashing through the mall's glass doors with his back. Amidst the crisp sound of shattering glass, both Uraume and Yuta entered the massive interior of the shopping mall.
Suddenly, Yuta roared: "RIKA!"
*BOOM!* A massive fist abruptly appeared at Uraume's flank. Uraume's eyes darted toward the fist. It belonged to a gigantic Cursed Spirit—a terrifying face with no eyes, a white mask covering its visage, and a horrific maw split open to reveal jagged teeth. Its immense Cursed Energy slammed into Uraume's face in an instant.
Special Grade Vengeful Spirit: [Queen of Curses: Orimoto Rika].
Uraume immediately realized: *This bastard Yuta intentionally lured me here!*
*BANG!*
Just before the Queen of Curses' fist struck the side of Uraume's face, an ice shield blocked it at the critical moment. But the defense took less than 0.2 seconds to fail. The ice shield shattered, and the fist embedded itself into the side of Uraume's head. The sickening crunch of facial bones shattering rang out, and she was launched sideways like a cannonball, crashing through the mall's walls.
[Rika] is the external Cursed Technique and Cursed Energy storage left behind by Yuta Okkotsu after Orimoto Rika passed on. Only while connected to [Rika] through the ring can he use his techniques. The full manifestation of [Rika] grants a supply of Cursed Energy from her.
Connection duration: 5 minutes.
"Good girl, Rika." Yuta reached out, gently stroking the Queen of Curses' head. The Queen let out a delighted screech.
"Well done, Yuta Okkotsu." Uraume pushed aside the rubble covering her, slowly standing up from the dust. She touched the half of her face that had been smashed. In that instant, her face began to regenerate. By the time the dust settled, her face was fully restored.
"First, you used *Cursed Speech* to neutralize my *Ice Formation*, leading me to believe long-range attacks were useless and forcing me into close combat. Then, you lured me step by step into this mall. Finally, when I was convinced you were inferior in melee, you suddenly called upon your hidden Shikigami to attack... Is this layered trap the tactic modern sorcerers are so proud of?"
"I thought that hit would settle it," Yuta sighed. "You're stronger than I imagined."
Yuta wasn't bluffing; he genuinely believed it.
His [Rika] was called the Queen of Curses, a title acknowledged even by the original Ryomen Sukuna. In the final battle, when Yuta called out [Rika], Sukuna had smiled—whether in mockery or anticipation—and thought to himself: *[She's out? The Queen.]*
That was proof enough of [Rika]'s power.
Yet Uraume, caught completely off guard and relying only on basic, instinctual defense, had taken a direct hit from [Rika]. A normal sorcerer would have died instantly. Even a traditional Special Grade Sorcerer—the kind not specialized in durability—would have been critically injured.
Yes, that "Special Grade Sorcerer not specialized in durability" referred to Yuki Tsukumo.
The Queen of Curses had aimed for Uraume's head. That impact should have turned her brain into paste through sheer concussive force. Yet Uraume was able to use Reverse Cursed Technique to recover under those conditions. It proved that Uraume was precisely the type of Special Grade Sorcerer who *excelled* in defense.
Uraume wiped the side of her face with the back of her hand, revealing a bone-chilling smile. "I did indeed almost die just now. Yuta Okkotsu, I apologize for my arrogance when we first met... You are worth my going all out!"
*Whoosh.* Uraume placed her hand on the collar of her monk robe and suddenly yanked hard. The entire robe tore apart. She breathed slowly as the tattered fabric fell, revealing skin astonishingly white, like congealed fat. Her body was pristine, without an ounce of excess fat or scarring. It was a beautiful, nude form, with curves like distant rolling hills and V-lines outlining a captivating waist. A layer of white bandages covered her chest.
She grinned.
"Ryomen Sukuna's personal chef. Uraume."
"Let's begin!"
Uraume stomped the ground, hands forming a seal. "Yuta Okkotsu, let's see if your *Cursed Speech* works on my *Ice Formation* now!"
—Technique Release. —Ice Formation: "Waterfall!"
*Rumble, rumble.* The entire mall seemed to shake. A sudden palpitation struck Yuta's heart. He didn't look at Uraume in front of him, but upward. The floors of the mall were expanding outward. The groaning sound was like some massive object squeezing through the building. Then, Yuta saw it—a colossal block of ice. No, calling it a "block" was insufficient. This was an [Ice Meteorite]!
The Ice Meteorite continued to expand, crushing the floors outward. The commercial building's width couldn't contain the meteorite's girth, and it was being swept aside. Before the meteorite even landed, the freezing wind had already nearly frozen the entire mall. Yuta exhaled, a visible plume of white steam escaping his lips. It was as if he had entered the depths of winter.
"It's over, Yuta Okkotsu," Uraume said coldly. "The weakness of *Cursed Speech* is its inability to control objects of immense mass and immense Cursed Energy. My *Waterfall* is not formed of simple Cursed Energy; amidst this scale of frozen Cursed Energy, it possesses physical properties. Your *Cursed Speech* cannot affect *Waterfall*. You can only die here, crushed under the dual strike of physics and Cursed Energy!"
Then, after confirming her victory, Uraume would immediately use her Kogane to purchase the [Recovery] option, then use the [Search] option to find Yuta Okkotsu again. She would repeat this process, torturing Yuta until he was numb, then command him to go to the Tokyo No. 1 Colony!
That was Uraume's plan.
Yuta sighed. "I underestimated ancient sorcerers. I thought you'd be as easy to deal with as Uro."
Uraume frowned. *Uro? Who is that?*
"Takako Uro. She should be a sorcerer from your era," Yuta said strangely, seeing Uraume's expression. "She said she had witnessed Sukuna in his prime. Ah, she's that sorcerer still floating in the sky outside. Her technique is called [Sky Manipulation]. She can seize the 'surface' of the sky. A very tricky ancient sorcerer."
"I have no need to remember nameless nobodies," Uraume said indifferently.
"Is that so? She had quite the impression of you," Yuta said meaningfully.
"Stalling for time won't work on me!" Uraume roared. "Now, welcome your first death!"
The massive Ice Meteorite crashed down!
Yuta exhaled, then casually grabbed the [Sky] above his head. He violently tugged the [Sky] downward. The massive Ice Meteorite, which would undoubtedly cause a localized earthquake and destroy everything upon impact, now fell into this [Sky Surface]. Despite falling downward, it distorted sideways toward the plane of the sky, crashing into the wall of the commercial building with a deafening boom.
—Technique Release.
—Copy Technique: *Sky Manipulation*!
Uraume's eyes widened. She suddenly remembered. A thousand years ago... yes, someone did use such a technique. Was it the Captain of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad, the Toh Assassination Unit? How did she die again? It seemed she was hit directly by Lord Sukuna's technique and fled in disgrace.
Yuta said calmly, "She... is no nameless nobody. I recall her saying she was defeated by Sukuna in his prime, not you?"
"It's not over yet!" Uraume stomped her foot violently. "Frost Calm!"
[Ice Formation: Frost Calm]. A move that shone brilliantly in the original timeline. Uraume had used this move to nearly wipe out the protagonist team. It combined crowd control and attack power. Massive ice would spread from beneath Uraume's feet to freeze everything in front of her. Although its direct attack power was far inferior to *Waterfall*, it excelled in ease of use and potent control.
To prevent being controlled by *Cursed Speech*, Uraume put extra Cursed Energy into this *Frost Calm*.
But Yuta didn't use *Cursed Speech* at all. Unhurriedly, he pulled out a straw doll and a hammer. During this time, the *Frost Calm* surged toward Yuta, but just like the Ice Meteorite before it, the space *Frost Calm* hit was distorted. It curved and scattered in other directions, completely failing to hit Yuta.
Uraume felt disgusted. *How can such a disgusting technique exist?!*
No wonder that Queen of Curses remained motionless in the face of these attacks—she didn't need to move! *Sky Manipulation* provided omni-directional defense. Direct Cursed Energy attacks like this, no matter what they were, likely couldn't threaten Yuta Okkotsu.
*So, it comes down to close-quarters combat in the end?* Uraume stepped forward without fear.
Uraume's judgment wasn't wrong. *Sky Manipulation* possessed complete defense against direct attacks. In the original work, Yuta relied on the element of surprise; Takako Uro misjudged *Cursed Speech* as relying on sound waves to travel, and that momentary error cost her life.
Uraume's rich experience told her what to do. She was about to execute her plan to continue the fight, but—
"Pfft!" She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
—Technique Release.
—Copy Technique: *Resonance*!
This was Nobara Kugisaki's technique. It allowed the user to curse a target by acquiring a part of them. Usually, blood was sufficient. Just now, the Queen of Curses had landed a solid punch on Uraume's face. In that moment, the Queen had captured some of her blood. And now, that blood was embedded inside the straw doll. Finally, Yuta struck it violently with the hammer. The damage to the doll was synchronized to Uraume, and she felt as if she had been hammered.
"*Now*, it is over," Yuta said.
It was only a momentary opening. Uraume was confident she could heal with Reverse Cursed Technique in the next instant. But that single instant was enough.
Just as Ryomen Sukuna had been stunned for a moment by Nobara Kugisaki's *Resonance*, the current Uraume was also stunned for a split second.
And then, the Queen of Curses' fist appeared before Uraume's eyes.
This time, Uraume had no time to use a defensive technique.
*THUD!*
Uraume's head was completely exploded. Uraume, dead.
Yuta Okkotsu summoned his Kogane, licked his lips, and asked, "Uraume's Information Lock hasn't closed on me yet, right?"
The Kogane bobbed its body. "Nope, nope!"
"The moment she revives, automatically deduct my points," Yuta said. "Then, use points to automatically teleport me to her revival location."
Uraume had once told Yuta she would use violence to make him despair, then use that despair to make him numb, forcing him to become her pawn.
This was the contempt of the strong for the weak, and an extremely dark method.
But conversely: If Yuta Okkotsu was the strong one, then Yuta could do the same to Uraume. The only issue was morality. And regarding morality, as a wholesome high school student, he shouldn't do such things.
But Yuta Okkotsu was a strange individual.
He was the one who, in the original work, volunteered that if Gojo Satoru lost, he would have Rika [Eat] Kenjaku's [Body Hopping Technique], then use [Gojo Satoru's Corpse] to body-hop and join the fight using Gojo's body.
This became yet another meme from the original work: The Pilot of Gojo Satoru. This underage boy, if it meant victory—
—He was willing to trample on all morality. And now, he was doing just that.
He thought: *Uraume is Ryomen Sukuna's follower and knows all of Sukuna's secrets. Also, the reason she strangely contacted me and forced me to go to the Tokyo No. 1 Colony is unknown. All these questions can be answered through similar torture.*
*Conveniently, death doesn't exist in the Dream Migration. Isn't this... perfect?*
"Beep beep beep, new message, new message!" Kogane suddenly spoke. "A [Group Message] from Gojo Satoru. He says—"
"I have engaged Sukuna. After killing him 20 times, I have forced him to switch colonies."
"Now, all Sorcerers, find out which barrier Sukuna has transferred to."