The battlefield had split in two layers of reality.
One: Sukuna standing in Takeru's original body, fully controlling it.
Two: Takeru's manifested combat form, still active, still functional, still angry beyond restraint.
And both were now locked in the same killing intent.
Yuji struggled to stay upright at the edge of the shattered domain space.
"…That's… Takeru's body…"
Nobara's voice shook."…So Sukuna is in HIS real body now?!"
Megumi's eyes narrowed."…Yes."
"…That's worse."
Gojo didn't move this time.
His expression had shifted into something quieter.
More serious.
"…So that's the setup."
Inside the broken domain—
Sukuna stood in Takeru's real body, rolling his shoulder slightly like it belonged to him.
Testing movement.
Testing ownership.
"…Much better," Sukuna muttered calmly.
"…This one resists less."
Across from him—
Takeru's manifested body exhaled slowly.
And then spoke.
"…Now stop controlling my bod—"
A pause.
His head tilted slightly.
"…Actually… I've already got one here."
Sukuna smiled faintly.
"…Oh?"
Takeru's cursed energy flared.
Not expansion.
Not domain activation.
Something sharper.
Something immediate.
"…Sukuna."
A pause.
Then—
"…I'm going to end your life."
Yuji's eyes widened instantly."…Takeru—wait—"
Nobara:"…HE JUST SAID IT STRAIGHT—"
Megumi's voice dropped."…He's not posturing."
Takeru moved.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
The strike wasn't a punch.
It was a kick.
Clean.
Direct.
Perfect timing.
Impact detonated against Sukuna's guard.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
Another kick followed immediately.
Then another.
Then another.
A barrage of chained strikes—each landing at perfect cursed-energy alignment.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
"…BLACK FLASH!"
"…BLACK FLASH!"
The rhythm escalated instantly.
Not sequential attacks anymore.
A continuous storm of timed impacts.
Yuji's voice broke."…How many is that?!"
Nobara counted instinctively, then stopped.
"…I lost it already!"
Megumi's expression tightened.
"…He's at twenty."
Gojo blinked.
"…Already?"
A pause.
"…That's five times Nanami's record."
Inside the chaos—
Sukuna in Takeru's real body finally raised an arm, blocking one of the kicks slightly late.
His expression sharpened.
Not panic.
But acknowledgment of sustained pressure.
"…You're fast."
Takeru didn't respond.
He ran forward again.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
A punch this time.
Clean hit.
Straight to the face.
A crack echoed.
Sukuna's head snapped slightly sideways.
Blood appeared at the nose immediately.
Yuji froze.
"…He hit him…"
Nobara whispered."…He broke Sukuna's nose…"
Megumi's voice was tight.
"…In Takeru's original body…"
Gojo's expression shifted subtly.
"…That's not damage output anymore."
A pause.
"…That's disrespect."
Sukuna slowly touched his face.
Looked at the blood.
Then smiled faintly.
"…Interesting."
Takeru was already moving again.
Another kick.
Another impact.
Another perfect timing strike.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
"…BLACK FLASH!"
The space between them blurred.
Not distance.
Not movement.
Just impact timing becoming unavoidable.
Sukuna finally adjusted fully.
Blocking cleaner now.
But still being pushed.
Still being forced to react.
"…You're starting to rely on rhythm," Sukuna said calmly.
Takeru's answer was immediate.
"…Then I'll break rhythm."
He surged forward again.
Strikes became irregular.
Unpredictable.
Still perfect timing.
Still BLACK FLASH.
But no pattern.
No predictability.
Just escalation.
Yuji whispered."…He's adapting inside the fight…"
Megumi:"…He's removing his own consistency."
Nobara:"…That's worse than consistency!"
Gojo watched quietly.
"…He's not learning Sukuna."
A pause.
"…He's learning how to erase Sukuna's ability to predict him."
Inside the clash—
Sukuna's expression slowly changed.
Slightly.
Not fear.
But recognition of effort scaling beyond expectation.
"…You're exhausting yourself."
Takeru didn't slow down.
"…BLACK FLASH!"
"…BLACK FLASH!"
"…BLACK FLASH!"
The barrage continued.
The number kept rising.
Thirty.
Forty.
Fifty.
Sukuna was no longer casually countering.
He was fully engaged now.
And in the distance—
Gojo finally stepped forward slightly.
"…If this keeps going…"
A pause.
"…I might actually have to intervene."
The battlefield trembled under continuous BLACK FLASH impacts.
And for the first time—
Sukuna in Takeru's body was forced fully into defense against something that was no longer just technique.
It was relentless intent with perfect timing.