Chapter 177 (Patreon)

“Pointless. Not even a god’s weapon can kill me.”

Having ascended into a form of life beyond a curse, Sukuna finally understood the nature of Ragnar Kagenou’s Noble Phantasm.

Gungnir streaked across the night sky like a brilliant meteor, trailing silver light.

Sukuna’s body was destroyed in an instant.

A moment later, he stood before Ragnar again, completely restored.

After consuming Yuji Itadori, Sukuna had applied Reverse Cursed Technique directly to his soul, merging his own malice with Yuji’s innate goodness.

That fusion had transformed his soul into a spiritual foundation capable of retaining its form even without a physical body.

A Saint Graph.

And Sukuna’s Saint Graph far surpassed an ordinary one.

He had become a Beast in its larval stage—an incomplete incarnation of an Evil of Humanity.

“Right now, all I want is a proper fight with you.”

Cursed energy surged through Sukuna’s body. His eyes burned with anticipation as he stared at Ragnar.

“You should have waited until you became a complete Beast before appearing before me.”

More than ten thousand golden ripples opened behind Ragnar.

Every Noble Phantasm within them was ranked A or above. Even weapons classified as EX were among their number.

“Well... I couldn’t wait!”

Black cursed energy swept outward like a crashing wave.

The barrage of Noble Phantasms struck it head-on.

Lesser weapons might have been repelled.

These were anything but lesser.

They pierced through the wall of cursed energy in an instant.

Seeing that his defense was useless, Sukuna blurred into a black afterimage and closed the distance.

“Dismantle.”

An ultimate slash imbued with the Evil of Pity tore toward Ragnar.

It surpassed even Sukuna’s previous world-cutting slash.

The attack carried an Anti-Human property. Against a human target, its destructive power would increase severalfold.

“Hmph.”

Sukuna pushed through the torrent of Noble Phantasms and rushed straight at Ragnar.

Golden chains shot out to meet him.

Enkidu—the Chains of Heaven—coiled around his body.

“If this were the old me, these chains might have been a problem.”

CRACK—!

Sukuna possessed no Divinity.

Enkidu could not bring its full restraining power to bear against him, and countless fractures spread along the chains.

A long blade formed from cursed energy appeared in Sukuna’s hand.

CLANG—!

A golden Noble Phantasm intercepted his strike.

“If you’re so eager to fight, then I’ll oblige.”

Ragnar reached behind him and drew a pair of golden blades.

Enki—the Sword of the End.

“That’s more like it! Trading blasts of cursed energy would be far too dull!”

A weapon appeared in each of Sukuna’s four hands.

The first held a sword embodying the Evil of Pity.

Humanity suffered endlessly within the cycle of cursed energy. To end that suffering, he would sever the bonds of cause and effect themselves.

The second held a vajra—Kamutoke—bearing the Evil of Salvation.

It represented his desire to create an eternal world of cursed corpses, free from birth, aging, sickness, and death.

The third held a kunai imbued with the Evil of Purity.

Only awakened humans capable of enduring curses would be permitted to remain. The rest of humanity would be erased.

The fourth held a trident embodying the Evil of Desire.

It would carry his path of destruction to its conclusion.

There would be no place for the old humanity in the world that followed.

“Fine weapons. Let’s see whether you know how to use them.”

Ragnar was no less formidable than Sukuna in close combat.

Enki’s golden edges parted the cursed energy surrounding Sukuna’s weapons and cut toward his body.

Ragnar deflected the attacks from two of Sukuna’s hands.

Golden ripples opened behind him at the same instant, launching Noble Phantasms that forced Sukuna’s remaining arms to break off their assault.

THUD—!

As Sukuna moved to intercept the incoming weapons, Ragnar’s leg swept around in a vicious kick and sent him flying.

A slash charged with an Evil of Humanity shot back toward Ragnar.

He did not bother to dodge.

A small round shield emerged from a golden ripple and caught the attack.

Then another barrage descended upon Sukuna.

Noble Phantasms filled the heavens, their golden radiance illuminating the black night.

His body was torn apart under the bombardment.

Several slashes burst outward, knocking a handful of weapons off course.

That brief opening was enough.

Sukuna immediately activated Reverse Cursed Technique and repaired his ruined body.

Ragnar landed lightly on the roof of a high-rise.

Far below, Sukuna struck the ground.

“Make sure you survive this one.”

Ragnar brought Enki’s two hilts together.

The golden blades joined and unfolded into a bow.

“Look to the heavens.”

Three rings of mysterious golden script appeared before the bow.

Wings formed from the same radiant characters spread outward.

A red flame ignited at their center, surrounded by six blue flames.

One by one, the blue flames disappeared.

“The fires of destruction are kindled.”

High above the atmosphere, Enki’s true form manifested in satellite orbit.

Seven golden spears hung over the planet.

Their radiance was so intense that even those standing on the ground could see them shining in the night sky.

Ragnar drew the bow and released a golden arrow toward Sukuna.

As expected, Sukuna caught it in one hand.

“Too slow. Even the Noble Phantasms you launch move faster than this.”

Ragnar offered no reply.

Whether the arrow struck Sukuna was irrelevant.

It was only a beacon.

“What—?”

The arrow in Sukuna’s grasp erupted with blinding light.

It tore free of his fingers and shot upward, racing toward the seven golden spears waiting in orbit.

“Let the fires of ruin rain down from the heavens!”

With their target locked, the seven spears converged.

They became a single golden arrow.

The Star of Destruction.

It plunged toward the earth.

“Let the raging waves of Utnapishtim surge forth!”

A hundred meters above the ground, the arrow disintegrated.

Countless golden particles scattered across the sky.

In the wake of the vanished arrow, an immense magic circle unfolded over the city.

It called forth the ancient deluge that had served as the archetype for Noah’s Flood—the overwhelming waves of Utnapishtim, summoned to engulf the designated target.

Crimson lines spread across the heavens.

Then the air shattered like glass.

A great flood poured from the ruptured space.

“Useless! Useless! Useless! Useless!”

Sukuna gathered his cursed energy into a towering black wall, bracing it against the oncoming deluge.

“The look in a human’s eyes when they beg to be saved... No curse tastes sweeter.”

Across the world, the cursed energy pouring from the seven locations began to intertwine.

Together, those currents formed the Ritual Circle of Original Sin, encompassing the entire planet.

“This body still won’t let me reach my full output!”

Using Idle Transfiguration, Sukuna shifted the core of Tengen’s domain into the center of his own body.

Then he rewrote the circulation of cursed energy within himself.

The Crowns of the Seven Deadly Sins resonated simultaneously.

Sukuna brought two hands together in a seal and roared.

“Idle Transfiguration—Reversal!”

The Prison Realm’s back gate was fully released.

In an instant, the world was dragged into a space formed from manifested cursed energy.

Within it, the laws of physics were rewritten.

Negative emotions took precedence over everything else.

Sukuna’s body became a perpetual engine of cursed energy.

Power poured from him without end.

“Phase Two... complete.”

——————

Noble Phantasm: Enki—Sword of the End

Rank: EX

Type: Anti-Civilization Noble Phantasm

Description: A sword that summons the Great Flood.

Once activated, its torrents grow stronger with each passing day. On the seventh day, they become an immense tsunami, unleashing the overwhelming waves of Utnapishtim.

Enki normally takes the form of twin swords. Its articulated hilts can pivot through ninety degrees, allowing the blades to be wielded as a paired weapon.

Upon the release of its fearsome True Name, the two swords combine into a bow.