Chapter 56: It’s Time to Put an End to This, Sukuna
Back when they were in the soul passage, the deceased Mahito had tried to deploy his Domain in the shortest time possible.
However, before he could make a further move, Yuji Itadori forcibly interrupted his casting.
Now, Sukuna was experiencing the same thing.
He had never expected Yuji Itadori to unleash a Slashing Attack with such speed.
He hadn't even had time to react.
"You're too slow, Sukuna."
Arriving faster than Yuji Itadori's voice was his next Slashing Attack, striking from above.
Even though Sukuna predicted an attack and condensed Cursed Energy in advance to block it, the sheer disparity in power smashed him into the ground like a bug, once again kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
The massive boom echoed continuously within the enclosed space.
The dust settled slowly, as if smoothed over by an invisible hand.
Sukuna leaned against a half-collapsed wall, supporting his body with his right hand which he had barely managed to regenerate. His knuckles were white from the strain, and his nails dug into the cracks of the shattered bricks, barely preventing his body from sliding down.
His legs were trembling slightly—not from fear, but because his body had suffered heavy trauma from the previous attack. Even though his Reverse Cursed Technique was desperately fighting to repair him, the newly grown tissue couldn't immediately restore full functionality.
Sukuna's breathing was heavy and ragged, sounding like a leaking bellows. His face was covered in blood, making him look incredibly wretched.
He looked down at his body, which was covered in wounds. Although they were healing at a pace visible to the naked eye, the speed was somewhat slow; flesh and skin writhed and turned, trying to reconnect.
"Damn it..."
He squeezed a low curse from the depths of his throat, his voice so raspy it was almost unintelligible. He shifted his gaze away from himself and painfully lifted his head to look forward.
Yuji Itadori stood less than ten meters away from him, hands in his pockets and his hood hanging down his back.
There wasn't a speck of dust on him, nor a single drop of sweat.
The expression on his face hadn't changed once.
"You brat, you're really ruthless with your hits."
Despite his body being heavily damaged, Sukuna managed to force a smile onto his face.
"When facing another version of yourself, you can actually strike without any reservations?"
"I apologized in advance," Yuji Itadori said slowly.
While fighting, he had sent a message to Young Itadori in the group.
"Besides, although you're controlling the body right now, the right to switch isn't with you. That means for now, you have to endure my damage head-on; you can't swap to the Vessel to take the hit for you."
Yuji Itadori's gaze fell on Sukuna, as if seeing through his every thought.
He clearly remembered how, at that time, he had despaired over his own weakness and incompetence, imprisoning himself in the depths of his soul, unable to do anything.
Now, at least, the other him would not follow in those footsteps.
"Oh? Then in that case, you don't care about this either?"
Sukuna sneered, simultaneously pointing his hand toward his own heart.
"I'll destroy this body right now, so what can you do then? Even if I die, there are still eighteen Fingers left. But this brat will be truly dead. If your past self dies, the future you will disappear too, right?"
Sukuna originally thought this would intimidate Yuji Itadori.
But he noticed that there wasn't even a second of hesitation in the other's eyes.
It was only then that Sukuna finally realized something.
"Could it be... you can even use Outputting Reverse Cursed Technique? Brat, you're more capable than I imagined."
"After all, I've had decades with nothing else to do."
Yuji Itadori shrugged his shoulders.
He wasn't just capable of Outputting Reverse Cursed Technique.
On the other hand, although Young Itadori was his past self, his future did not belong to the current Yuji Itadori.
The other was merely the past of another timeline; strictly speaking, they were two different people.
Yuji Itadori's past could no longer be changed; no matter what happened in this world, it would not affect Yuji Itadori's own world.
But he could change the future of another world.
He could change the tragedy that was supposed to happen.
As Yuji Itadori finished speaking, he walked toward Sukuna step by step, his steady footfalls almost synchronized with the sound of a heartbeat.
'Damn it.'
Sukuna was currently straining every nerve to figure out how to break the deadlock.
With only two Fingers, it seemed he truly was no match for the guy in front of him.
What did Yuji Itadori plan to do next?
Forcibly strip him out of Young Itadori's body?
No, no, no—although this brat's body was indeed like a cage, it was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him!
This brat was a naive fellow...
Then, there was only one way.
Just as Yuji Itadori arrived in front of Sukuna, the markings on the latter's body began to fade, and the extra pair of eyes above his cheeks vanished as if they had never existed.
Young Itadori seemed to have regained control of the body.
"Wait, the other me! I've already swapped Sukuna back! He just signed a Contract with me, saying he won't kill innocent people anymore and will listen to me from now on! As expected of you!"
A victorious smile appeared on Young Itadori's face.
"Is that so? Is that what he told you?"
Yuji Itadori's tone still didn't ripple in the slightest.
In the next second, a fist wrapped in black Cursed Energy smashed directly into 'Young Itadori's' abdomen.
"Aaaggghhh!"
'Young Itadori' let out a shriek, but the voice that emerged this time belonged to Sukuna.
From start to finish, no such Contract had ever existed.
Sukuna had just been pretending to be Young Itadori regaining control of the body, hoping to make Yuji Itadori drop his guard so he could launch a fatal strike.
When he had the advantage, Sukuna would put on a poised act and wouldn't be stingy with praise.
But once he was truly in danger, Sukuna would use any kind of scheme or trick without hesitation.
However, Sukuna never expected that the Yuji Itadori in front of him would strike him without a moment's doubt.
Sukuna knelt on the ground from the heart-wrenching pain, the terrifying destructive power of the Black Flash causing his body to convulse.
This was the first time the King of Curses had ever knelt before another.
"Because I told the other me beforehand not to come out until this is over," Yuji Itadori said slowly, looking down at Sukuna.
"Besides, in this world, I should be the one who knows you best. You would never truly back down."
"You damned brat..."
"Well then, it's time to put an end to this, Sukuna."