As expected, Satoshi had already arrived at the designated location and encountered the special grade cursed spirit that had swallowed Sukuna's finger!
But then the crowd sighed and waved their hands.
"They're too slow. Satoshi's team is definitely going to lose!"
"His brother, Satoru, is ready to take on everything. I don't see any chance of Satoshi winning unless he can kill that cursed spirit instantly!"
"It's hard to say. Maybe Satoshi really can pull it off. After all, his Zanpakutō isn't just for show!"
"Yeah, but I wonder if it still has the same power after nine years…"
Toji glanced at Yuto and chuckled. "Okkotsu, do you think Satoshi can win this one?"
Yuto responded helplessly, "Unless he can kill the cursed spirit in one second, this fight's going to be tough…"
"So I'm looking forward to it," he added, folding his arms with a smile.
Everyone's eyes turned to the screen showing Satoshi's battle. After all, many had come just to witness his true strength.
On screen.
Satoshi and Shoko approached the cursed spirit.
Unlike the one Satoru had encountered, this red cursed spirit stood with its arms folded, a smile on its face, as if it had been waiting for Satoshi all along.
The cursed spirit looked up and smiled.
"Gojo Satoshi?"
Hearing this, Satoshi frowned.
This cursed spirit gave off an unsettling feeling. The first impression it left was overwhelming arrogance.
And it even knew his name. Instantly, many thoughts flooded his mind.
"Ryomen Sukuna?" Satoshi asked indifferently.
As soon as he said that, the cursed spirit's expression lit up with excitement.
"Interesting, very interesting. I've never seen anything quite like this before."
The viewers in front of the screen were visibly shaken by the exchange between Satoshi and the cursed spirit.
"What the hell, Ryomen Sukuna...?"
"Although a cursed spirit that swallows one of Sukuna's fingers can awaken his consciousness, Satoshi running into it is just tragic…"
"Even though that's not Sukuna's real body and it only contains the power of one finger, he was still the King of Curses from a thousand years ago. Can Satoshi even handle that?"
"It's hard to say. I heard Sukuna annihilated every sorcerer of his era a thousand years ago…"
"Even if this is just one-tenth of his full strength, no ordinary person could hope to beat him!"
"The consciousness of Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses from a thousand years ago?" Kumaen's eyes twitched violently as he watched the scene unfold.
His expression turned grim.
The cursed spirit Satoru faced could seal cursed techniques, while Satoshi's opponent had awakened Sukuna's consciousness.
Was this really just a coincidence?
...
Toji also frowned slightly.
"Sukuna's consciousness?"
Yuto wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking uneasy. "Toji, you think Satoshi might be in trouble?"
Toji appeared deep in thought.
"If Satoshi can use Ryūjin Jakka, it shouldn't be a problem. After all, this isn't Sukuna in his peak state…"
Yuto immediately remembered the devastating flames and let out a sigh of relief.
Right!
In the footage.
The cursed spirit, now possessed by Sukuna, stopped wasting words. Its expression twisted as it uttered clearly,
"Domain Expansion!"
In an instant, the space around them began to ripple.
"Shoko, be careful!" Satoshi's expression turned sharp. He quickly warned Shoko to guard herself with her Zanpakutō.
He was already prepared to face Sukuna directly.
Satoshi wasn't too surprised—he had expected Sukuna's consciousness might awaken.
But what did catch him off guard was that the domain being deployed wasn't the Malevolent Kitchen, ahem Malevolent Shrine Domain or anything familiar.
Satoshi guessed this was likely the original domain of the cursed spirit now possessed by Sukuna. What was strange, though, was that he couldn't sense any change at all!
With his mastery of Hakuda and his body's strength, Satoshi had a sharper danger sense than most sorcerers.
But at this moment, he felt no threat at all.
There was only one possibility—the target wasn't him.
It was Shoko!
Immediately, Satoshi turned and noticed—Shoko was no longer beside him!
He frowned deeply. In the next moment, he removed his sunglasses, fully unleashing the pale blue radiance of the Six Eyes!
He quickly located Shoko's cursed energy. Thankfully, she wasn't in immediate danger.
He exhaled quietly.
Suddenly.
A ripple in the air, and the cursed spirit possessed by Sukuna reappeared.
It stared arrogantly at Satoshi and sneered.
"Gojo Satoshi, now no one will get in our way."
Satoshi's eyes narrowed coldly.
Something was off!
Shoko shouldn't be this vulnerable. Not to mention, she had Minazuki with her. Yet Sukuna managed to take her without triggering any reaction!
Could it be… that Sukuna's strength far exceeds that of a single finger?
Satoshi's brows furrowed.
Forget it. Saving Shoko comes first.
He didn't waste another word. His expression darkened.
"Ryūjin Jakka!"
But in the next second, he froze.
Because Ryūjin Jakka…
Wouldn't respond.
It was as if something was suppressing it entirely!
Satoshi immediately realized what was going on.
"I see…. No wonder you were able to capture Shoko so easily."
The cursed spirit laughed.
"Correct. Gojo Satoshi, this domain is a graveyard made just for you. In here, your Zanpakutō is useless!"
…
Hearing this, the viewers watching the Curse Corpse livestream erupted in chaos.
No one expected that the special grade cursed spirit Satoshi faced would awaken Sukuna's consciousness and even deploy a domain that suppressed his Zanpakutō!
Everyone knew that Satoshi's body was bound by a Heavenly Restriction. He had no Cursed Energy at all.
If he couldn't use his Zanpakutō, then Satoshi was only slightly stronger than average.
And he had just awakened from nine years of sleep.
Under these conditions, how could he possibly take on a special grade cursed spirit?
The discussion wasn't even about winning anymore. The question was—could Satoshi's team survive?
The viewers in front of the screen were visibly shocked.
"The S-level entrance test for Jujutsu High is too brutal! Why is Sukuna's consciousness awakening here? Even if it's just the power of one finger, it's way beyond a special grade cursed spirit!"
"Satoshi's opponent is way stronger than Satoru's group's enemy!"
"And he can't even use his Zanpakutō? Isn't this basically suicide?!"
(To be continued.)
***
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