In an instant, the platform on the fifth basement floor transformed from a searing furnace into a frigid hell.
It was a frost capable of freezing the soul itself.
"Ice Formation: Icefall!"
A cold voice drifted from the darkness.
As the words fell...
Countless massive icicles poured down like a waterfall, sealing off all of Yoru's paths of retreat.
Uraume.
The thousand-year-old sorcerer who served at Sukuna's side had finally made their move.
They knew that if they didn't save Kenjaku now, the centerpiece of the plan would be cut down by Yoru's blade.
"Stay out of my way."
Yoru said without turning his head.
Shiranui's trajectory shifted instantly, changing from a strike toward Kenjaku to a backward sweep.
"Sun Breathing, Third Form..."
"Burning Sun!"
BOOM!
An arc of deep crimson flames swept out.
Colliding violently with the deluge of frost.
Sizzle!!!
Extreme cold met extreme heat.
Massive amounts of white steam erupted instantly, turning the entire platform into a giant sauna.
"Is that all?"
Uraume's figure darted through the steam like a phantom.
They formed hand seals, and the temperature plummeted again, until even the air they breathed turned into ice shards.
Uraume stared at Yoru with a gaze full of fanatical bloodlust—the zeal of one clearing obstacles for their master.
"Ice Formation: Frost Calm!"
Whoosh!
A wave of white freezing air spread rapidly across the ground.
Everything it touched instantly turned to ice, and even the water molecules in the air froze into countless tiny needles.
It was an all-encompassing area attack.
Nowhere to hide!
"Interesting,"
Yoru's eyes narrowed.
He could sense that this new enemy's strength far exceeded that of a typical Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
This level of precise cursed energy control and elemental mastery...
They were definitely a thousand-year-old monster!
But...
Before absolute tranquility, all waves must return to silence.
Yoru let out a soft breath.
Shiranui lowered slowly, its tip touching the ground.
In that instant, his presence vanished completely, as if he had merged with his surroundings.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form..."
"Dead Calm."
Ding!
A light sound, like a single droplet falling into a lake.
The surging wave of white freezing air, the moment it entered a three-meter radius around Yoru...
Vanished.
There was no explosion, no collision.
It simply disappeared into thin air, as if it had never existed at all.
Every ice needle, the freezing air, even the cold wind—all were forcibly suppressed.
The whole world was reduced to a pool of still, undisturbed water.
"Technique nullification?"
Though Uraume was surprised, their movements didn't falter for a second.
As a sorcerer who had followed Sukuna since a thousand years ago, their combat experience far surpassed that of modern sorcerers.
"If simple freezing air won't work..."
"Then I'll crush you with sheer mass!"
BOOM!
The ground trembled as countless massive ice spikes erupted from below, thrusting toward Yoru like an overgrown forest.
"Total Concentration: Moon Breathing!"
"Sixth Form: Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon - Avici!"
Swish!!!
Countless crescent-shaped blade winds exploded around Yoru, colliding violently with the massive ice spikes.
Ice shards sprayed everywhere as sword qi crisscrossed the air.
The two figures darted through the frozen forest at high speeds, moving so fast they were mere blurs.
Every collision triggered a violent boom in the air.
'The density of these slashes...'
Uraume retreated at high speed, constantly forming seals to create ice walls against the pervasive crescent blades.
They realized that the boy's swordsmanship was not only fast, but every strike carried a strangely chaotic nature, making his movements impossible to predict.
Even worse, the hidden ice spikes Uraume had secretly launched under the cover of the forest were all easily dodged, as if the boy had foresight.
"Got you,"
Yoru's voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Predicting Uraume's landing spot with the Transparent World, the katana—blazing with roaring flames—slashed down with lethal heat.
"Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance!"
"Ice Formation: Bittersweet Ice!"
Uraume's eyes sharpened as they slammed their hands together.
Crack!
A deep blue ice wall, several times thicker than the previous ones, appeared out of thin air.
Not stopping there, Uraume quickly condensed three more layers of ice shields behind the wall, attempting to completely block the heavy strike.
BOOM!
Fire met solid ice; the first wall melted instantly, followed by the second and third.
Only at the final shield did the lethal blow finally grind to a halt.
A cloud of white mist exploded outward.
The massive recoil forced both of them back several steps.
Uraume steadied their stance and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of their mouth, their gaze turning more serious than ever before.
"As expected of the vessel Lord Sukuna is interested in..."
"With this much power, you've earned the right for me to get serious."
Yoru took a shallow breath, tightening his grip on his sword.
'A thousand-year-old monster is certainly not easy to deal with.'
If he hadn't used the Transparent World to see through Uraume's hidden trap behind the ice wall, that strike might have resulted in half his body being frozen.
The two faced off through the drifting steam, neither able to immediately gain the upper hand.
It had turned into a contest of equals!
Kenjaku, watching from a short distance away, frowned deeply.
They were being stalled.
While Uraume hadn't lost, it was nearly impossible for them to finish Yoru quickly.
Furthermore...
Yoru's blade seemed to be continuously gathering power; the ambient temperature was rising at an unnatural rate.
If this continued, Uraume's ice techniques would eventually be completely suppressed. There were too many variables.
"I can't delay any longer,"
Kenjaku glanced at the ancient hourglass in his hand, a look of resolve flashing in his eyes.
This was originally intended as a final trump card against Satoru Gojo.
Since Satoru Gojo possessed Limitless and was virtually immune to physical attacks, Kenjaku had prepared this Special Grade Cursed Tool that involved the laws of time.
He hadn't expected the Prison Realm to successfully seal Gojo, but now this trump card would have to be used on the boy before him.
"Yoru!"
Kenjaku suddenly roared, drawing Yoru's attention.
"You are indeed strong."
"Stronger than I anticipated."
"But..."
"In this world, there are some rules that even power cannot break!"
Yoru turned his head.
His brow furrowed as he looked at the hourglass in Kenjaku's hand, which radiated an eerie aura.
Instinct told him that the object was dangerous.
The cursed energy flowing through it didn't belong to any attribute he had seen; instead, it carried an ancient power that seemed capable of warping the very space around it.
"Special Grade Cursed Tool: Sands of Time."
A crazed smile played on Kenjaku's lips.
He poured all his remaining cursed energy into the hourglass, and the golden grains of sand inside began to flow upward in a bizarre reversal.
"It's a pity..."
"But please... go wander at the end of time!"
Crack!
At the moment Yoru charged forward.
Kenjaku crushed the hourglass in his hand without hesitation.