Chapter 191 : Jiang Lai vs Sukuna
Ryomen Sukuna had originally wanted to play word games, tricking Itadori Yuji into signing another one-minute binding vow targeting Jiang Lai, so he could continue hiding the [Enchain] binding for later use.
But Itadori Yuji had keenly detected the loopholes in his words and hadn't agreed to Sukuna's previous proposed deal.
So Sukuna could only regretfully sigh inwardly, then decide to use [Enchain].
With the utterance of those whispered words, black markings suddenly appeared on the cherry-pink haired youth's cheek and body, and crescent-shaped patterns tore open below his eyes, revealing a pair of new secondary eyes.
Those crimson eyes replaced the youth's original golden-orange ones, gazing with malice.
The moment the cold cursed energy rose, Jiang Lai waved his hand to pull up a spatial streak, dragging Ryomen Sukuna out of the room and instantly arriving outside the dormitory!
Ryomen Sukuna's [Enchain] only lasted one minute, and the other certainly wouldn't care where the battlefield was. But Jiang Lai couldn't let him unleash slashing attacks inside the school dormitory.
Outside the dormitory was a grassy forest area. It wasn't as spacious as the training ground, but it was an unpopulated zone suitable for combat.
Jiang Lai waved his hand again, immediately creating an enclosed spatial barrier, confining his and Sukuna's battlefield to this rear grassy forest area, avoiding any impact on buildings or personnel.
After his shock, Fushiguro Megumi also reacted, instinctively rushing to the window in a few steps and climbing out, but could only watch helplessly as the two figures were enclosed within the semi-transparent barrier outside.
This violent cursed energy fluctuation naturally caught the attention of others at the school. Before the alarm sounded, special-grade jujutsu sorcerer Okkotsu Yuta had already arrived at the scene.
His gaze fell on the two figures in the field. After pausing for a second, he gripped his long sword with one hand and asked Fushiguro Megumi standing beside him: "What happened?"
"......" The black sea-urchin haired youth turned his face, took a deep breath, and summarized the key points briefly.
Hearing this, Okkotsu Yuta pondered for a moment and calmed his rising cursed energy. He didn't lower his sword, but also didn't maintain his combat stance.
He trusted his senior's choice.
Okkotsu Yuta knew the other's strength didn't require his worry, and he keenly guessed that the purpose behind this action was probably to solve the [Correct and Reverse] Tower on Itadori Yuji.
So he calmly replied: "In that case, let's leave the scene to them for now."
"We can't interfere with others' decisions, and it's difficult for outsiders to intervene in battles between special-grade cursed spirits. What we can do is prevent accidental impact on the school interior." Okkotsu Yuta replied in a low voice, half-turning his face to reassure: "It's okay. I'll stand guard here."
Inside the spatial barrier, Ryomen Sukuna unleashed crisscrossing slashing attacks almost the instant Jiang Lai deployed the barrier, with no intention of waiting for Jiang Lai to adjust his condition.
After all, Sukuna had never been a character who pursued fairness and justice. He looked at maximizing results and benefits.
Jiang Lai understood the bratty little brother's character, so he was prepared.
After Sukuna spoke the words [Enchain], he had attached a thin but resilient protective film to his body, sufficient to withstand Sukuna's sudden crisscrossing slashing attacks.
Blocking Sukuna's initial attack, Jiang Lai flipped his wrist to mobilize countless cursed energy codes, creating bright radiance in the air.
Ryomen Sukuna curved his lips, his eyebrows slightly raised as he used several instant movements to avoid the rising cursed energy codes, casually saying: "Too slow. What kind of elderly speed is this?"
This was clearly responding to Jiang Lai's earlier comment about "caring for solitary elderly." However, since Sukuna and Jiang Lai were from the same era, this statement from either of their mouths was mutually damaging.
Jiang Lai's expression remained calm, as if unaffected by this attack failure.
In fact, he was doing it deliberately.
Jiang Lai had long guessed Ryomen Sukuna's psychology for initiating this duel, so he went along with Sukuna's thinking, deliberately not displaying his full strength to make the other let his guard down, facilitating his own final space-time reversal.
Jiang Lai: The battle outcome doesn't matter. My purpose is on another level!.jpg
One minute sounded short, but for masters, it was enough for countless rounds of combat.
Ryomen Sukuna landed on the ground, his eyes contemptuous as his fingertips flicked to create countless sharp cursed blades!
These cursed blades were more dense than the previous crisscrossing ones, their flat edges carrying enormous cursed energy as they charged straight forward!
Although their agreement targeted the neck, Ryomen Sukuna's widespread attack posture obviously wasn't limited to the neck.
This time, Jiang Lai didn't choose to erect barriers for defense. Instead, he gathered his palms, manipulating spatial techniques like a bag to wrap up the cursed blades and actively collect them together.
Then he pressed down with his wrist, instantly smashing that force toward the ground.
The thunderous force struck a deep hole in the ground, the hole's edges cut incredibly neat, with not even grass scraps or tree bark inside, everything ground to ash.
Jiang Lai silently apologized to the school's landscaping staff for half a second in his heart, then remembered this could be reimbursed by the rotten oranges in the higher-ups and felt better.
Ryomen Sukuna's eyebrows raised slightly across from him.
He could see Jiang Lai's action was deflecting force, spending less cursed energy to interfere with and gather the cursed blades originally attacking him, then smashing them downward.
A clever move, Ryomen Sukuna slightly raised his head, thinking casually. But such small cleverness wouldn't affect the final outcome. Strength was the fundamental determinant of everything.
The previous two probing attacks had already proven that the navy blue kimono figure's current abilities had weakened below his own level.
How pitiful and foolish. Ryomen Sukuna's crimson eyes narrowed. Consuming his own power for unworthy weaklings until becoming what he was now.
He wouldn't hold back because the other's condition was poor. Striking while the iron was hot was his style.
Ryomen Sukuna hesitated no more. Fifteen seconds before the one-minute countdown ended, he clasped his hands together and directly expanded his domain!
"[Malevolent Kitchen]."
Blood water and cattle bones suddenly surged up, cold cursed energy expanded in a circle, and a strange, orderly shrine rose from the ground.
He actually expanded his domain! Outside the spatial barrier, Fushiguro Megumi's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest as he instinctively turned to look at Okkotsu Yuta beside him.
Okkotsu Yuta still held his sword with one hand, his expression becoming serious as his eyes focused intently on the battlefield situation.
Other people at the school also gradually arrived.
Kugisaki Nobara had hastily thrown on an outer coat and rushed over. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at the semi-transparent spatial dome, her eyebrows raised high: "What is this?! How did that Sukuna guy get out?!"
"Some things happened." Fushiguro Megumi pressed his lips straight. "Sukuna spoke a word and directly broke through Itadori's will to appear."
Kugisaki Nobara: "Hah?!"
At the same time, other students who had rushed over were also stunned by the situation before them.
"Ah, that's Sukuna, right? It's Sukuna, right?" Panda incredulously rubbed his own black eye circles, closed his eyes and opened them again. "It really is Sukuna!"
"Salmon." Inumaki Toge murmured.
The Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai sisters didn't speak. They remained silent, their gazes falling on the navy blue kimono figure in the semi-transparent barrier.
That figure was very familiar. If a fox mask were added, it would perfectly match the mysterious great demon in their memories.
The "great demon" who had once held their hands and led them away from the cannibalistic Zenin family was now appearing before their eyes again. But the scene had completely changed.
The forcibly brought golden Stitch-shaped cursed corpse Zenin Naoya glanced toward the inside of the barrier and immediately froze.
Logically, the focus should be on the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna. However, Zenin Naoya's attention was entirely on the black-haired youth.
The obsession in the bell corridor from childhood, the reunion in the mist-hidden room as an adult, each encounter had changed his life's trajectory.
But the person who caused important influences always treated him so lightly, like dealing with a dandelion, blowing him away with a breath and leaving after dispersing him.
Zenin Naoya held in a breath, or perhaps something else. He wanted to grab the other's wide sleeves, display strength enough to catch up with him, and show his arrogance before that person.
......But now, having become a cursed corpse, he probably had even less possibility.
Zenin Naoya surveyed the battlefield situation, thinking somewhat reluctantly: He still hoped that person would prevail.
After all, if the other fell here, it would make all his obsession seem too useless.
Under everyone's attention, the twisted, spiraling shrine inside the spatial barrier suddenly stopped, and the scarlet blood water at their feet also ceased churning.
Everything seemed to have been paused.
The next instant, the shrine at the center of the cold cursed energy suddenly shattered, the blood water and cattle bones were abruptly suppressed, and a trace of starlight flashed from the edge and disappeared!
Malevolent Kitchen hadn't fully expanded before being interrupted!
Everyone: "?!"
What happened??
"......" Ryomen Sukuna's eyes narrowed, his secondary eyes also focusing on the front.
In the cursed energy storm, the navy blue kimono hem swayed and fluttered. The black-haired youth's expression was calm, his hands clasped together under his wide sleeves, then naturally lowered.
One way to break a domain was to expand another domain, using domain against domain.
Ryomen Sukuna had underestimated his opponent. His attitude toward expanding his domain was casual. Moreover, Jiang Lai had practiced once in the [Crossroads] Tower and was relatively familiar with Sukuna's domain.
Thus, Jiang Lai timed it right. Using [Existence]'s keen observational ability, he expanded his own domain at the weakest link in Sukuna's domain expansion, targeting the domain's central shrine in an instant and breaking Malevolent Kitchen!
All this happened too fast. In most eyes from the periphery, they only saw Sukuna's domain expand and disappear. Jiang Lai's starry sea domain only revealed an unclear silhouette.
The two special-grades, Ryomen Sukuna and Okkotsu Yuta, completely understood what had just happened.
The King of Curses clicked his tongue lightly, recognizing that Jiang Lai had previously hidden his strength.
At this point, only eight seconds remained on the Enchain countdown.
Although his domain was broken, Ryomen Sukuna quickly adjusted his condition.
Having roughly understood Jiang Lai's true strength, he no longer adopted widespread attacks but decided to precisely utilize this binding agreement, aiming for the neck!
Jiang Lai used instant movement to avoid the sweeping cursed blade and reached Ryomen Sukuna's side!
Five seconds remained on the Enchain countdown.
Ryomen Sukuna's eyebrows raised high. Facing the boldly approaching black-haired youth, he grinned and mobilized cursed energy to concentrate in his hand.
Three seconds left on the countdown.
Jiang Lai suddenly reached out, placing his hand on Sukuna's shoulder.
Sukuna flicked his finger, aiming at the neck of the character before him.
Two seconds left on the countdown.
Jiang Lai placed his hand on the shoulder, silently activating the space-time reversal he had previously left within this body.
Ryomen Sukuna's fingertip suddenly shot out a tiny, inconspicuous but extremely concentrated miniaturized cursed blade.
Simultaneously, an equally miniaturized [Purple] attacked from high above, penetrating the spatial barrier.
One second left on the countdown.
Ryomen Sukuna sensed some special power. His eyes locked onto Jiang Lai as he lightning-quick guessed that the other's purpose wasn't this binding trade at all!
Jiang Lai smiled gently, activated the space-time reversal, precisely wore away the [Correct and Reverse] Tower, then withdrew.
That miniaturized [Purple] precisely hit the position between Jiang Lai and Ryomen Sukuna, as if to separate them and interrupt the battle!
Seemingly coincidentally, this [Purple] directly canceled out Sukuna's attacking miniaturized cursed blade.
The countdown returned to zero.