The air around Mahoraga had stopped feeling like air.
It felt like a rule being rewritten in real time—every second, the definition of "damage" changing just enough to make survival feel temporary.
Yuji's hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles went white.
"…That thing doesn't stay hurt…"
Nobara's voice came out sharper than usual."…Nothing we're doing is sticking."
Megumi's gaze didn't leave the cursed shikigami.
"…Because it adapts faster than we can repeat results."
Mahoraga stepped forward again.
The wheel behind it turned.
Once.
Twice.
And Takeru—calm, still, unreadable—exhaled.
"…Hm."
A pause.
Then—
"…Sukuna. Switch."
The entire field shifted.
Not visually at first.
But spiritually.
Like something inside Takeru had opened a door it normally never touched.
Yuji's eyes widened instantly."…Wait—what did he just say?"
Nobara stepped back."…That sounded like a BAD decision."
Megumi's voice dropped."…No."
"…That's not a decision."
Takeru's expression went still.
Then changed.
Subtly.
Sharply.
Like something ancient had placed its hand over the steering wheel.
And then—
he smiled.
"…Finally."
The cursed energy pressure exploded outward.
Completely different in nature.
Heavier.
Cruder.
Certain.
The air tore open.
And from within—
Ryomen Sukuna stepped forward.
Yuji froze."…Sukuna…"
Nobara:"…Oh I hate this. I HATE this."
Megumi didn't move.
"…So that's what he was planning."
Sukuna tilted his head slightly, eyes locking onto Mahoraga.
"…So this is the nuisance."
Mahoraga turned toward him immediately.
The wheel spun faster.
Sukuna sighed.
"…How boring."
And then—
he raised his hand.
The world split.
Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine.
No barrier.
No escape.
Just reality itself becoming a cutting field.
Yuji staggered. "…IT'S THE DOMAIN?!"
Nobara shouted. "WE'RE STILL IN IT?!"
Megumi grit his teeth. "…He expanded it without closing space…!"
Everything inside range was subjected to relentless slashes.
Dismantle.
Cleave.
Endless.
Automatic.
Unavoidable.
Mahoraga didn't stop moving.
It adapted.
But it was adapting faster than reality could stabilize.
Sukuna walked forward casually through his own destruction field.
"…Still standing?"
He raised a hand again.
The slashes intensified.
The ground itself became layered into thin disappearing fragments.
Mahoraga's wheel spun violently now.
Trying.
Failing.
Trying again.
Yuji whispered, horrified."…It can't keep up…"
Megumi's voice was low."…Nothing can."
And then Sukuna smiled.
"…Let's finish this."
He lifted his hand slightly.
Fire gathered—not chaotic, not wild.
Controlled.
Compressed.
Absolute.
"…Fuga."
A single word.
And a furnace erupted.
Flames swallowed the already-sliced space.
Not burning it—
erasing its continuity.
Mahoraga was engulfed.
The wheel slowed.
Then cracked mid-rotation.
Yuji stepped forward instinctively."…Is it—"
Nobara grabbed his sleeve."…DON'T."
Megumi watched silently.
"…If it's killed fast enough… it cannot adapt."
The furnace burned through everything.
Even cursed energy resistance had no shape left to hold.
And then—
silence.
The domain collapsed.
Slowly.
Like reality remembering how to exist again.
Sukuna exhaled once.
"…Done."
He looked around briefly.
Then smiled faintly.
"…Disgustingly durable."
And just like that—
the presence receded.
Takeru blinked once.
Then staggered slightly.
"…Status?"
Yuji immediately pointed."…YOU JUST LET HIM TAKE OVER AND NUKED A SPECIAL GRADE!"
Nobara:"…I'm not even mad. I'm just tired."
Megumi muttered."…It worked."
A beat.
Takeru adjusted his sunglasses.
"…Then it is tamed."
Silence.
Yuji blinked."…That's not how taming works at ALL."
Megumi sighed."…In his case, it apparently is."
From somewhere far away—
Gojo's voice echoed faintly through a communication charm:
"…Ohhh that's going to be a problem later."