The battlefield stood still.
Not silent—
But frozen.
Curses hesitated.
Transfigured humans twitched in place.
Even the air itself felt like it was holding its breath.
At the center—
Takeru stood over Yuji's fallen body.
Cursed energy still radiated from him…
But something had changed.
Inside his mind—
Darkness.
Endless.
Heavy.
And within it—
A throne.
Ryomen Sukuna sat back, one arm resting lazily, watching.
"…Hmph."
Takeru stood across from him.
Calm.
No shaking.
No hesitation.
"…We're done," Takeru said.
Sukuna smirked slightly.
"Done?"
"…You're not taking another step forward," Takeru continued. "Not now. Not like this."
For a moment—
Silence.
Then—
Sukuna laughed.
Low.
Amused.
"…You've changed."
Takeru didn't respond.
"…Fine," Sukuna said, leaning back further. "I'll watch."
The pressure lifted.
Not gone—
But contained.
Sukuna was back.
Fully.
Watching from within.
And Takeru—
Stood alone.
Back in reality—
Takeru's eyes opened.
Both glowing.
But now—
Balanced.
The markings stopped spreading.
The cursed energy stabilized.
Megumi's eyes widened slightly.
"…He… pulled it back."
Maki exhaled.
"…Good."
Nobara clenched her hammer tighter.
"…Then let's finish this."
Takeru gently lowered Yuji to the ground.
Carefully.
"…Stay alive," he said quietly.
Yuji didn't respond.
But he was breathing.
Barely.
Takeru stood.
And turned.
The swarm waited.
Endless.
Still overwhelming.
Still dangerous.
But now—
It didn't matter.
Takeru stepped forward.
And disappeared.
A curse split in half.
Another collapsed—its core erased instantly.
A third—
Gone before it could even move.
No wasted motion.
No hesitation.
No excess energy.
Just…
Execution.
Across the battlefield—
Curses fell in rapid succession.
One after another.
Then five.
Then ten.
Then dozens.
Megumi stared.
"…He's not just stronger…"
Maki finished the thought.
"…He's efficient."
Nobara smirked slightly.
"…About time."
Takeru moved through the battlefield like a shadow.
Each step—
A death.
Each movement—
Perfect.
Sukuna's voice echoed faintly from within.
Not controlling.
Not interfering.
Just watching.
"…This is far more interesting."
A massive special-grade lunged—
Takeru didn't dodge.
Didn't block.
He stepped forward—
And struck once.
The curse froze.
Then collapsed entirely.
No explosion.
No struggle.
Just… gone.
The numbers dropped.
Fast.
Faster.
Faster.
The overwhelming force that once pushed them to the brink—
Was being erased.
And at the center of it all—
Takeru stood.
Alone.
The battlefield…
Finally beginning to clear.
Far away—
Hidden—
A presence watched.
A smile formed in the shadows.
Mahito.
"…Oh…"
"…so that's what you are."
His grin widened.
"…This just got fun."
Back on the battlefield—
Takeru stepped forward once more.
Eyes glowing.
Breath steady.
And the last wave surged toward him.
He didn't stop.