Just before the blood droplets could turn Mahito into a sieve, a brilliant light suddenly emanated from Hanami's direction.
Upon being struck by the light, the blood droplets in the air instantly turned to ash. A vast number of colorful flowers rapidly spread out from Hanami, and a pitch-black dome descended from the sky.
Domain Expansion: Shining Sea of Growing Branches!
Hanami successfully expanded the domain at the final moment, pulling Mahito back from the brink of death.
As Yuji was pulled into the domain, he already knew that his prospects for today were grim.
'At least before I die... let me take one Cursed Spirit with me!'
Blood Manipulation—
Yuji gathered his Cursed Energy once more, preparing to activate his Cursed Technique again. However, the flowers and grass beneath his feet suddenly emitted a powerful suction force targeted solely at Cursed Energy.
His gathered Cursed Energy was drained instantly, and an uncontrollable floral fragrance wafted into his nostrils. Under this scent, Yuji's fiery fighting spirit was immediately extinguished.
'So sleepy... let's sleep... it's not like there's anything to do anyway...'
Thud!
Yuji was knocked out within Hanami's domain, and a mass of branches quickly bound the unconscious Yuji tightly.
Bang!
Just as Mahito and Hanami breathed a sigh of relief, the outer wall of the domain was forcibly shattered. However, the person outside did not enter after breaking part of the shell. Instead, they continued to smash Hanami's domain exterior.
Hanami deactivated the domain before any further damage could be dealt to the exterior.
Although deactivating the domain meant facing the Jujutsu Sorcerers outside with a body suffering from Cursed Technique Burnout alongside the heavily injured Mahito, if they didn't release the domain, the consumption of Cursed Energy would ensure they couldn't hold out for long, even if the sorcerers outside didn't dare to enter rashly. Once the domain deactivated automatically, they wouldn't even have the strength to resist.
Hanami hoisted Yuji onto their shoulder. The moment the domain was released, before the sorcerers outside could react, they immediately sprinted in the opposite direction.
Mahito picked up the bag containing the cursed objects from the ground and followed closely behind Hanami. As he left, he casually activated his Cursed Technique, detaching his palm to turn it into a dart aimed at the three first-year students lying on the ground.
Masamichi, who had been controlling a Cursed Corpse to attack Hanami's domain, immediately threw out a turtle-like Cursed Corpse to block Mahito's attack. At the same time, he sent a bird-like Cursed Corpse flying at high speed toward the fleeing Hanami and Mahito.
However, even though both Hanami and Mahito were unable to use their full strength, Masamichi's bird Cursed Corpse could not stop the two who were intent on escaping. In the blink of an eye, the two Cursed Spirits burst out of Jujutsu High's Barrier and vanished.
—
By the time Yuji woke up again, he had been taken to a shabby rental apartment. Mahito, Hanami, Dagon, and Kenjaku were gathered around him.
The expressions of the four were extremely somber. Mahito, Hanami, and Dagon were grieving because their dear friend and family member, Jogo, had been exorcised by Shin.
After all, if the four Disaster Cursed Spirits were considered a family, Jogo played the role of the father, Hanami was the mother, Mahito was the rebellious older brother, and Dagon was the younger brother.
The loss of a family member left the remaining three Cursed Spirits suppressed by a powerful rage. They hated Shin, but they hated their powerless selves even more for being unable to take revenge.
Kenjaku's poor expression, however, was simply because Jogo's death meant the loss of a powerful combat asset, which significantly impacted his plans and left him feeling quite displeased.
They noticed the moment Yuji woke up, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly.
Mahito pulled out the only two remaining fingers from Jujutsu High from his robe and handed them to Kenjaku.
"I only found two. The others are likely hidden by those people from Jujutsu High."
Kenjaku didn't seem to care much. "It doesn't matter. Finding even one of the fingers at Jujutsu High is an unexpected bonus. Once Sukuna awakens, he will be able to sense the location of his fingers. He will naturally seek out his power on his own."
Kenjaku pulled five of Sukuna's fingers from his robe and shoved all seven fingers into Yuji's mouth at once. Yuji fought back desperately, but suffering from severe blood loss, he couldn't muster much strength. After the seven Sukuna fingers entered his stomach, a surge of Cursed Energy blasted apart the branches Hanami had used to bind him.
A large number of black marks appeared on Yuji's face and limbs. Most notably, an extra pair of smaller eyes grew beneath his original eyes, making the normally soft-featured Yuji look far more sinister.
Sukuna casually unleashed a slash that split the apartment building open, allowing the clear moonlight to spill onto him without obstruction.
"Hahaha... I have finally been resurrected! There sure are a lot of disgusting ants on the surface!"
After his exclamation, he scanned the four people in front of him, finally focusing his gaze on Kenjaku.
"Oh. Kenjaku, we haven't seen each other for nearly a thousand years, have we? I'm glad you kept the contract, giving me the chance to dominate an era once more. Hahaha..."
Sukuna laughed wantonly, as if relishing his rebirth.
(End of Chapter)
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