The moment the Special Grade Cursed Spirit vanished, Yoru's cold voice rang out.
Simultaneously, a sharp metallic clang echoed through the air!
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere.
Shiranui was perfectly positioned in front of Yuji's neck, parrying a sharp claw that had appeared out of thin air.
The claw was less than a centimeter away from Yuji's carotid artery.
"Eh?"
Yuji's pupils shrank to pinpricks; his nerves only caught up after he had already been saved.
He had almost died just now.
"Don't daze off! Move to Tactics B!"
Yoru barked, his wrist snapping with sudden force.
Sun Breathing, Third Form: Burning Sun!
A crimson circular slash swept outward, forcibly pushing back the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"Got it!"
The three of them snapped out of it.
Survival instinct overcame their fear, and their bodies began to move.
"Nue!"
Megumi Fushiguro formed hand signs, and the massive avian shikigami dove down, wreathed in lightning.
Zzzzt!
The electric current struck the Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Although it dealt no real damage, it caused the creature to stiffen for a split second.
"Now, Yuji!"
"Hraaaaah!"
Yuji Itadori leaped into the air, using Megumi's distraction as cover.
Divergent Fist!
A fist carrying a double impact slammed heavily into the cursed spirit's face.
Bang!
The cursed spirit's head snapped to the side, and its body stumbled backward.
"Don't forget about me, you ugly freak!"
Nobara Kugisaki had already taken her position.
She picked up a piece of flesh the spirit had dropped—severed earlier by Yoru—and placed it onto her straw doll.
Straw Doll Technique: Resonance!
Thwack!
The hammer struck down.
An invisible wave of cursed energy acted directly upon the depths of the spirit's soul.
"Roar!"
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit let out a roar of agony.
Its movements were completely thrown into disarray.
"Now's the chance."
Yoru's gaze sharpened.
Total Concentration: Constant.
His breathing rhythm shifted instantly, a faint wisp of white mist escaping his mouth and nose.
The ground beneath him shattered as he lunged forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Sun Breathing, Second Form: Clear Blue Sky!
The circular flaming slash, like a rising sun, instantly illuminated the dim corridor.
The strike was incredibly fast.
And incredibly hot.
Squelch!
Two thick arms went flying into the air.
No blood sprayed from the stumps, as they were instantly carbonized by the intense heat.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit screamed as it was sent flying, crashing through a wall.
"We did it!"
Yuji pumped his fist in excitement.
"Its arms are off! Its regeneration seems to be suppressed too!"
Megumi Fushiguro exhaled in relief, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
"Even against a Special Grade, if we coordinate well, we might actually stand a chance..."
"Yoru's blade has a specific counter-effect against cursed spirits."
"We can win!"
Nobara twirled her hammer smugly.
"So much for a Special Grade. It didn't look that scary."
The four of them all showed signs of relief, having survived a brush with death.
They had expected a certain death, but their teamwork had been surprisingly effective.
Was this the power of allies?
Having undergone the baptism of the previous semi-special grade encounter, the trio's strength and coordination in this timeline far surpassed their original counterparts.
If it were just an ordinary Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, they might have truly exorcised it by now.
However...
Yoru did not smile.
He remained in a ready stance with his blade, staring intently at the ruins.
With his senses heightened by breathing techniques, he keenly sensed that the spirit's aura hadn't weakened.
On the contrary, it was skyrocketing!
"Something's wrong."
Yoru suddenly shouted,
"Get back! Everyone, get back!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth...
A massive amount of black sludge suddenly surged from the ruins.
The sludge seemed alive, instantly enveloping the body of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
A pressure of cursed energy—ten, a hundred times more terrifying than before—exploded outward like a nuclear blast.
BOOM!
Without warning.
Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara were blown away by the shockwave, slamming heavily into the walls and coughing up blood.
"Cough, cough..."
Megumi Fushiguro felt several of his ribs snap.
He looked up in terror.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit had completely transformed.
Its once-deformed body was now more compact, and its severed arms regenerated instantly.
The most terrifying part was its face.
In the eyes that once held only animalistic brutality, there was now a hint of amusement.
It had evolved.
Triggered by the brink of death, it had evolved from a mere Cursed Womb that killed on instinct into a true Special Grade Cursed Spirit!
"Is this... a true Special Grade?"
Nobara stared at the scene in despair.
The effort, the coordination, the joy they just felt...
...were nothing more than a joke in the face of absolute power.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit slowly raised its hands.
Its fingers twisted into a bizarre hand seal.
The surrounding space began to warp; the already chaotic architectural structure collapsed entirely, transforming into some indescribable, otherworldly dimension.
Megumi Fushiguro's pupils dilated in shock.
As a member of the Three Great Families, he recognized this starting position.
It was the pinnacle of jujutsu combat.
And, aside from running away, the only guaranteed killing blow.
"That's..."
"An Innate Domain...? Run!"
Megumi's voice trembled.
As if to confirm his suspicion, the spirit's twisted mouth curled into a grin, spitting out muffled yet lethal syllables:
"Domain... Expansion."
Voom!
Black fluid surged violently, forming a massive spherical barrier that expanded rapidly.
Then, with a crushing sense of despair, it began to devour the surrounding light bit by bit.
Once fully closed, they would be trapped inside this isolated space of death.
Within this space, the spirit's technique...
Will always hit!