The battlefield had changed.
What was once chaos…
Was now dominated chaos.
Takeru stood at the center—
Half human.
Half curse.
One glowing Six Eye.
One cold, ancient eye.
Markings crawling across his face.
Power radiating off him in waves.
Beside him—
Yuji fought just as hard.
Punch after punch.
Strike after strike.
Keeping up.
Matching the rhythm.
Together—
They were winning.
Curses fell.
Transfigured humans were torn apart.
The overwhelming force that once crushed them…
Was being pushed back.
Sukuna laughed inside Takeru's mind.
"YES… this is it—keep going—"
"Don't get carried away," Takeru snapped internally.
But then—
Something shifted.
A curse—different from the others.
Smarter.
Waiting.
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
"Yuji—!"
Too late.
A jagged limb pierced straight through Yuji's side.
Silence.
Yuji's body froze.
Eyes wide.
Blood spilling.
"…Ah…"
The curse twisted—
Dragging him back—
Slamming him into the ground.
Hard.
"YUJI!" Nobara screamed.
Megumi's eyes widened.
"…No—!"
Maki lunged forward—
But the swarm blocked her.
Yuji coughed—
Blood spilling from his mouth.
His body barely responding.
"…Takeru…"
Takeru didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't think.
For one second—
Everything stopped.
Then—
Something broke.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Cursed energy surged—
Violent.
Unstable.
Uncontrolled.
Sukuna's voice changed.
Not amused.
Not playful.
"…Oh?"
Takeru's head slowly lifted.
His Six Eyes—
Burning.
The other eye—
Widening.
"…You…"
His voice shook.
Low.
Dangerous.
The curse holding Yuji froze.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
"…You touched him."
The air warped.
Sukuna laughed—
But it wasn't the same.
It was excited.
"YES… THAT'S IT—BREAK—"
"SHUT UP!"
The shout echoed across the battlefield.
Takeru disappeared.
Not fast—
Not movement—
Just… gone.
Then—
He was there.
In front of the curse.
The curse didn't react.
Didn't have time.
Takeru grabbed its face.
And crushed it.
Not with strength.
With something else.
The body didn't explode.
Didn't break.
It just…
Collapsed.
Like it never existed.
Yuji fell—
But Takeru caught him instantly.
"…Stay with me."
Yuji's breathing was shallow.
Weak.
"…Heh…" Yuji tried to smile.
"…You're… kinda scary right now…"
Takeru didn't respond.
Because something worse was happening.
The markings on his face spread.
Further.
Faster.
His cursed energy spiked again—
But this time—
It wasn't controlled.
Sukuna's voice echoed—
Louder.
Closer.
"You opened the door."
Takeru's grip tightened.
"…Not for you."
But the power didn't listen.
Across the battlefield—
Everyone felt it.
Megumi's breath caught.
"…This is bad…"
Nobara took a step back.
"…No… this isn't just bad…"
Maki narrowed her eyes.
"…He's losing it."
Takeru slowly stood.
Still holding Yuji.
His eyes—
No longer balanced.
Both glowing now.
But not the same.
"…I won't let you die."
The cursed energy exploded outward.
The swarm—
Stopped.
Not because they were defeated.
Because they were afraid.
Sukuna whispered—soft, thrilled—
"…Good."
Takeru stepped forward.
And this time—
He didn't stop.