Chapter 162 (Patreon)

Tap.

Satoru Gojo slowly descended from the sky.

“You look pathetic, Sukuna.”

Sukuna lay in a pool of his own blood, all four of his limbs completely gone. His breathing was faint, and he appeared to be on the verge of death.

Vmmm—

A diamond-shaped spatial distortion formed beside Sukuna. However, after flickering for only a moment, it vanished.

“Did Tengen’s cursed technique fail? No, that’s not it. Someone must have stopped it.”

Gojo walked over and stopped directly in front of Sukuna.

“Now, even the only person capable of saving you has been held back.”

He raised one hand.

“Let’s put an end to this.”

Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!

——————

“Sukuna… actually lost.”

Even Kenjaku was stunned by Sukuna’s defeat. He had never imagined that the bearer of the Six Eyes in this era would be so powerful.

After witnessing Sukuna’s defeat, Tengen had no choice but to activate his cursed technique from afar and bring Sukuna back.

“Wait… What is this?”

Tengen’s expression changed.

“Things are beginning to get interesting, Sukuna.”

Riiip!

A cross-shaped tear in space suddenly opened behind Tengen.

“Who’s there?”

“Someone who came to kill you.”

A calm voice emerged from within the spatial rift.

A moment later, Yuta Okkotsu stepped through from the other side. He raised his sword and unleashed a slash that cleaved through space itself. The piercing shriek of the air being torn apart was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Shhk!

Tengen was sent hurtling backward, his face filled with shock.

“That blade can sever space…!”

Clutching the wound across his body, Tengen immediately used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal it.

“Yuta Okkotsu.”

“Tengen… No.”

Yuta’s gaze sharpened.

“Kenjaku must be behind this. Even sealed inside the Prison Realm, he still refuses to remain quiet.”

Yuta said nothing more. He raised Yamato and charged straight at Tengen.

“Your ability to manipulate space comes entirely from that sword. Without it…”

Tengen narrowed his eyes.

“Hmph.”

Just as Yuta’s slash was about to reach him, Tengen vanished. He reappeared behind Yuta in the very next instant.

Whoosh!

“Your cursed energy is far too obvious.”

Yuta spun around and brought Yamato down. Its blade sliced through space, revealing a pitch-black void between them. An immense pulling force erupted from the opening and dragged Tengen toward it.

Tengen instantly escaped through another spatial rift.

At the same time, the space surrounding Yuta shifted.

“Hm?”

Yuta’s vision blurred.

“My position changed?”

In the next instant, he found himself high in the air, plummeting toward the ground as fierce winds battered his body.

“So he transported me.”

Yuta was about to use Yamato to tear open space and return to Tengen when the sky around him began separating into countless diamond-shaped planes.

A square mass of spatial force slammed directly into him, sending his body hurtling toward the ground at tremendous speed.

BOOM!

The instant he struck the ground, Yuta cut open the space before him and escaped through the rift.

Without the slightest pause, he emerged near Tengen and swung Yamato. Several spatial slashes blossomed through the air around Tengen from multiple directions.

Tengen’s expression turned grave. Rather than withstand the attacks head-on, he immediately opened a spatial rift behind himself and escaped through it.

Yuta’s spatial slashes struck nothing.

“Is running away all you can do, Kenjaku?”

Tengen did not answer. He continued moving through one spatial rift after another while using his cursed technique to keep Yuta from closing the distance.

Whoosh!

Yuta launched several more spatial slashes toward Tengen. He then cut open the space in front of him and emerged directly in Tengen’s path.

Shhk!

One simple, swift slash severed Tengen’s arm.

“Reverse…”

Activating Reverse Cursed Technique created an almost imperceptible opening. Yuta naturally had no intention of letting that opportunity pass. He twisted around and immediately unleashed another lightning-fast draw slash.

“You fell for it.”

As Yuta’s blade approached, a disturbing smile appeared on Tengen’s face.

Tengen had wielded the Immortality cursed technique for over a thousand years. How could someone with that much combat experience possibly be unaware of the brief opening created when using Reverse Cursed Technique?

Tengen caught Yamato’s blade with one hand. Spatial cursed energy enveloped his fingers; without it, Yamato’s power would have severed them instantly.

Bang!

Gripping Yuta’s sword, Tengen pulled him forward and drove a palm into his abdomen.

“You still lack experience.”

Thin, pale-blue threads had appeared along every route Tengen had taken while retreating. Each one stretched through the surrounding space, and all of them converged upon Tengen’s current position.

Yuta was sent flying backward.

One of the blue threads brushed past his cheek.

“These threads… They’re incredibly sharp!”

Drip.

A drop of crimson blood fell from his cheek. The instant it touched one of the threads, it was sliced cleanly in half.

Yuta steadied himself in midair before cutting open another spatial passage. Even as he escaped, part of his clothing brushed against one of the threads and was instantly cut apart.

Bang!

Yuta burst from another spatial rift and attempted to catch Tengen off guard, but Tengen merely shifted his body aside and avoided the attack perfectly.

“I already told you. Your command over space does not even begin to compare to mine.”

Tengen looked calmly at Yuta.

“Someone who depends entirely upon a weapon could never truly understand it.”

“What?!”

Yuta tightened his grip on Yamato.

“If that’s the case… I’ll simply open more spatial rifts.”

However, as Yuta began cutting through space, the rift before him steadily contracted. A passage that had once been wide enough for three people to cross side by side had narrowed until only one person could barely pass through.

“What’s happening? Did Tengen do something?”

Yuta carefully examined his surroundings.

Only then did he notice the thin blue barrier covering the entire area around them.

Tengen saw that Yuta had stopped attacking and was studying their surroundings.

“You finally noticed? Unfortunately, you’re already too late.”

His voice carried absolute confidence.

“When it comes to barrier techniques, no one can surpass me.”

“A barrier…”

Yuta stared at him.

“Then let’s see how you intend to withstand a Domain Expansion.”

Tengen did not respond. Instead, he extended one hand in invitation, openly daring Yuta to expand his domain.

Something was wrong.

If a Domain Expansion could overpower this barrier, Tengen would never willingly allow him to activate one.

Yuta could not determine what Tengen was planning. However, after using Domain Expansion, his cursed technique would temporarily burn out.

It was possible to restore a burned-out cursed technique with Reverse Cursed Technique, but doing so required damaging and healing the part of the brain where the technique was engraved. The risk was extremely high.

Even setting aside the danger of treating his own brain, there was no guarantee Tengen would give him enough time to use Reverse Cursed Technique.

In that case…

Black markings appeared around Yuta’s mouth.

“Don’t move!”

Tengen’s entire body instantly froze in place.

“Cursed Speech?”

Yuta immediately cut open space and appeared behind Tengen. Yamato swept toward Tengen’s neck.

Whoosh!

The blade struck nothing.

Tengen appeared behind Yuta instead.

“Cursed Speech may prevent my body from moving, but it cannot stop me from activating my own cursed technique.”

At the highest point of the barrier, a wave of brilliant blue cursed energy formed and came crashing down toward Yuta.

BOOM!

The attack smashed Yuta into the ground with tremendous force.

Although he activated Reverse Cursed Technique the moment he was injured, the impact still left his head spinning and his vision unsteady.

“Goodbye, special grade jujutsu sorcerer…”

Tengen slowly stepped outside the barrier.

“Yuta Okkotsu.”

Under Tengen’s control, the entire barrier began to contract. It continued shrinking until it transformed into a single blue crystal, sealing Yuta inside.

“That takes care of one.”

Tengen looked toward the nearby shadows.

“I have to admit, your information was completely accurate… Suguru Geto.”

Suguru Geto emerged from the darkness and picked up the crystal containing Yuta.

“Yes. That’s right.”