"Clatter..."
With the peeling away of the last glass-like spatial fragment, that Special Grade Domain, Horizon of the Captivating Katana—which was enough to plunge anyone into the depths of despair—finally dissipated completely into the air.
The familiar Shibuya subway station tunnels once again came into the view of the group.
However, the once relatively spacious passage had been left in a state of absolute ruin due to the forced expansion of Dagon's domain.
"Phew..."
Yoru slowly sheathed Shiranui, its dark red flames flickering out. As the blade clicked into the scabbard, he let out a long, burning breath of white mist.
The mist lingered in the air for a long time, even causing the surrounding temperature to rise by several degrees.
At the same time, the dark red Slayer Mark that burned like hellfire on his cheek began to recede rapidly like a receding tide.
His heart, which had been thundering like a war drum, gradually calmed, and his body temperature, which had soared to the extreme, returned to normal.
As the Sorcerer Killer state deactivated, Yoru returned to being the gentle and restrained black-haired young man he usually appeared to be.
"We're saved..."
Megumi Fushiguro's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the rubble-strewn ground, gasping for air.
He looked at the slender silhouette in front of him, his eyes filled with the relief of a survivor and an unmaskable sense of shock.
*He's too strong.*
The sheer violence of pummeling a Special Grade Cursed Spirit like a punching bag and even cleaving through a Special Grade Domain with a single strike completely overturned his understanding of jujutsu combat.
"Monster..."
Maki's fingers were still trembling slightly as she gripped the Special Grade tool, Playful Cloud.
As a fellow possessor of a Heavenly Restriction, she understood better than anyone else present just how exaggerated the physical strength Yoru had just displayed truly was.
That simply wasn't a level a human could reach; it was a physical height pure enough to crush any jujutsu into powder!
In front of this man, the martial arts and cursed tools she took pride in seemed as laughable as a child's toys.
"Cough... Yoru, thanks."
Kento Nanami clutched his bleeding abdomen and pushed up his shattered goggles, his usually stern and old-fashioned face now showing a look of deep reverence.
"If you hadn't arrived in time, we likely would have lost our lives inside that octopus monster's belly today."
As a mature and steady Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, Nanami had seen countless storms and had even faced the threat of death from Mahito.
But the sense of powerlessness inside Dagon's domain just now had made him truly realize the meaning of despair.
And Yoru was the man who had personally torn that despair apart.
"Are you alright, Mr. Nanami?"
Yoru turned around, his gaze sweeping over the group as his brows furrowed slightly.
Naobito had lost an arm, Nanami was seriously injured, Megumi's cursed energy was exhausted, and while Maki was the least injured, she was completely drained of stamina.
This subjugation team, which had originally been highly anticipated, had now completely lost its combat effectiveness.
"I'm sorry. I let you all suffer."
There was a hint of self-reproach in Yoru's tone.
If he had only finished off the fodder outside a bit sooner, perhaps this tragedy could have been avoided.
"Don't say such foolish things, Yoru."
Megumi forced himself to stand up and looked at him deeply.
"We're the ones who should apologize. If we were stronger, we wouldn't have been a burden to you."
"Exactly."
Maki also grit her teeth and stood straight, her eyes fixed intently on Yoru.
"One day, I'll be just as strong as you! No, I'll surpass you!"
Seeing the unyielding fighting spirit in their eyes, the corners of Yoru's mouth curled up into a gratified smile.
These were the comrades he knew; these were the students of Jujutsu High.
"Retreat immediately and get treatment from Dr. Ieiri on the surface."
Yoru's smile faded as his tone turned serious.
"This battle is no longer something you can involve yourselves in. Leave the rest to me."
"But..."
Megumi wanted to say more, but he was pulled back by Nanami.
"Listen to him, Fushiguro."
Nanami said in a heavy voice.
"Staying here in our current state will only distract him. Yoru is right; we must retreat immediately."
Nanami knew very well that the Shibuya that followed would turn into a literal hell.
That was a battlefield where only true 'monsters' were qualified to step.
Just as the group prepared to support one another and evacuate...
"BOOM!!!"
Without any warning.
An unprecedented, bone-chillingly evil cursed energy erupted in the center of Shibuya like a volcano that had slept for a thousand years!
That cursed energy was so massive, so pure, and so filled with malice!
Even the surrounding air creaked under the pressure of this cursed energy!
"What is this feeling...?"
Maki suddenly clutched her chest, her face turning pale instantly.
Even without cursed energy, she could clearly feel the fear piercing her very soul!
It was the instinctive shudder carved into the genes of a living being when facing an absolute natural enemy!
"How is this possible... This level of cursed energy...?"
Nanami's eyes widened, and even breathing became difficult.
He had faced the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Mahito and felt the pressure of Jogo and Dagon.
But the cursed energy of those Special Grades combined was as insignificant as a firefly before the moon compared to this evil aura!
"Megumi... Do you feel it...?"
Maki turned her head with difficulty, only to find that Megumi's face was a hundred times worse than hers.
Megumi stared fixedly in the direction of the cursed energy eruption, his pupils contracting violently, unaware that he had bitten his lip until it bled.
He was all too familiar with this aura.
It was a fear he had felt at the Juvenile Detention Center, at Yasohachi Bridge, and even in his nightmares countless times!
"Sukuna..."
Megumi's voice was hoarse and trembling from extreme terror.
"It's Ryomen Sukuna... He's awakened!"
"What?!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Nanami and Maki felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna!
The ultimate nightmare who had been sealed within Yuji Itadori and had once turned the entire jujutsu world into a sea of blood a thousand years ago had actually awakened at this time?!
"What on earth happened? What about Yuji?!"
Megumi's eyes were filled with urgency and despair.
Sukuna's awakening meant that Yuji Itadori had completely lost control over his body.
And a fully awakened King of Curses would undoubtedly turn the entirety of Shibuya into a living purgatory!
"So it really happened after all..."
Compared to the shock and despair of the others, Yoru's reaction was surprisingly calm.
He snapped his head around, his gaze piercing through the layers of ruins to lock onto the pillar of evil cursed energy rising into the sky in central Shibuya.
That was the sign of the 15-finger Sukuna fully awakening after Jogo's forced feeding.
Satoru Gojo was sealed, and Sukuna had descended.
The most tragic and dark climax of the original Shibuya Incident was finally about to begin.
"Yoru..."
Megumi turned to Yoru, a hint of plea in his eyes.
He knew that the only person currently capable of stopping Sukuna and saving Yuji was the man before him.
"Don't worry."
Yoru slowly turned his back to the group, his black Jujutsu High uniform snapping in the strong wind.
He reached out and gripped Shiranui at his waist, his fingertips lightly brushing the hilt as his gaze became sharper and colder than ever before.
"As long as I am here, I won't let that happen."
Yoru looked up in the direction of Sukuna.
His voice was quiet, yet it carried an unquestionable and absolute confidence.
"The King of Curses, huh...?"
"Perfect. I also want to see whose slashes are sharper..."
"Or if my Sun Breathing is superior!"
As Yoru made his declaration, the surrounding air seemed to boil from his fighting spirit.
Watching that unwavering back that looked like a god's, the despair in the hearts of Megumi and the others miraculously calmed.
In front of this man, even the King of Curses no longer seemed so unreachable.
However, deep down, Yoru wasn't as relaxed as he appeared on the surface.
He knew very well that the 15-finger Sukuna was nothing like a creature of Dagon's level.
That was a monster truly standing at the peak of the jujutsu world, an absolute ceiling that no one but Satoru Gojo could contend with!
The upcoming battle would undoubtedly be a tragic struggle with only a slim chance of survival.
Yoru took a deep breath, gripped Shiranui, and strode toward the battlefield that represented death and destruction.
*Sukuna, I'm coming!*