Chapter 121: The Seal Mask

At the same time, the system's voice rang inside Asuramaru's mind.

[Ding! Special Grade Cursed Spirit detected. Intense negative emotions generated before death. Gained 10,000 emotion points!]

[Gained 8,000 Demon Power. Thirty percent will be automatically returned as feedback to the Sword Master, Yuji Itadori!]

The notification had barely faded when Sukuna, still in control of Yuji's body, felt something surge through him.

It was not Cursed Energy.

At least, not entirely.

A strange, dense power poured into every limb, every muscle fiber, every inch of bone. The body he occupied was being reforged from within, strengthened layer by layer. Yuji's already monstrous physical ability rose sharply, and his Cursed Energy expanded with it.

Sukuna lowered his eyes, feeling the change in silence.

Compared to the previous enhancement, this was on a different level entirely.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"So the stronger the Cursed Spirit killed, the greater the enhancement to the body?"

He flexed his fingers, savoring the sensation.

"This feeling is rather pleasant."

After speaking, Sukuna turned his attention to the mask in his hand.

It was grayish-blue, shaped like the face of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit he had just carved apart. The features were frozen in a grotesque expression, neither alive nor dead, its four hollow eyes dull and empty.

Information about its function had already surfaced in Sukuna's mind through the sword, but knowing and testing were two different things.

And chances to test Asuramaru's power were rare.

Sukuna had never been the type to leave a toy untouched.

He injected a sliver of Cursed Energy into the mask.

Crack.

The mask shattered.

Fragments scattered into the air, then halted as if seized by an invisible command. Piece by piece, they gathered in front of him, twisting, merging, rebuilding.

A moment later, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit appeared once more.

Its form was identical to before, but the presence was different.

The arrogance was gone.

The madness was gone.

Its four eyes were empty and lifeless. It knelt on one knee before Sukuna, head lowered in complete submission.

Sukuna stared at it for a moment.

"Submitting to me?"

His smile turned cruel.

Without warning, he swung the Wind Sword.

The Special Grade Cursed Spirit did not dodge. It remained kneeling in place, exposing its body like an offering upon an altar.

The blade pierced through its chest.

The astral gale wrapped around the edge erupted inside its body, shredding flesh, bone, and Cursed Energy all at once. The damage was so complete that even a Cursed Spirit could not heal from it.

Under Sukuna's gaze, the shattered body collapsed into fragments once more.

The pieces swirled back together and reformed into the same grayish-blue mask at his waist.

"As expected."

Sukuna picked up the mask again, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction.

"Death doesn't erase it completely. It only prevents another summoning for a short time."

A convenient ability.

No, more than convenient.

To seal a slain powerful being and call it forth again as a servant...

The more Sukuna learned about Asuramaru, the more he wanted it.

His gaze shifted.

On the ground nearby lay one of his fingers, left behind after the Special Grade had died.

Sukuna bent down, picked it up, and swallowed it without hesitation.

The moment the finger entered his body, another piece of himself returned.

A familiar weight sank into his soul.

Good.

Very good.

"It's over, brat," Sukuna said lazily. "Switch back."

Silence answered him.

Sukuna waited.

Nothing happened.

The tattoos remained. The extra eyes remained open. Yuji's consciousness did not surface.

Sukuna's expression darkened.

"Don't make me angry."

Still, there was no response.

Only then did Sukuna realize what had happened.

That brat had pushed himself too close to the edge.

His consciousness had not fully returned.

For now, Sukuna still controlled the body.

Of course, the Binding Vow was already in place. He could not leave this area and slaughter the others, nor could he break the conditions they had agreed upon without paying an unpredictable price.

For someone like Sukuna, that was irritating.

But it was also an opportunity.

Since the brat was absent, there were things he could ask without interruption.

Sukuna copied Yuji's method and spoke inwardly.

"Asuramaru."

Inside the sword, Asuramaru's crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

Sukuna continued, "Can you answer a question for me?"

Asuramaru had already guessed what he wanted to ask.

The corners of his lips lifted.

"Interesting. Ask."

Sukuna wasted no time.

"You said before that if this brat dies before anyone gains your recognition, you will disappear with him. Does that mean people outside this body also have a chance to gain your recognition?"

So that was it.

Asuramaru's smile deepened.

As expected, Sukuna was already thinking of leaving Yuji's body.

But with me here, where do you think you can go?

His tone remained calm, almost indifferent.

"To be precise, for everyone except the owner of this body, there is only one path to gaining my recognition."

Sukuna listened carefully.

"Defeat my first Sword Master."

The sea and sky of Asuramaru's inner world seemed to grow quieter.

"If someone achieves that, I will transfer into that person's body as a Cursed Technique."

Sukuna's eyes gleamed.

That answer confirmed his speculation.

Yuji Itadori, as the one who awakened Asuramaru, had a natural advantage. He could use desire as a key to draw the sword's attention and perhaps earn its recognition.

Everyone else had to challenge the so-called strongest of the previous generation.

Tanjiro Kamado.

An almost impossible condition.

Almost.

For Sukuna, impossible was merely another word for interesting.

At least there was a path.

Even if he left Yuji's body, he would still have a chance to obtain Asuramaru for himself.

But there was one more thing he needed to confirm.

Sukuna's voice lowered.

"Then if I gain your recognition, what happens?"

Asuramaru's smile became faint and dangerous.

He took the bait.

"Naturally, I would honor you as my master."

His voice was smooth, without a single flaw.

"And this body would become yours to use. If you ordered it, I would help imprison Yuji Itadori's consciousness... or erase it entirely."

Sukuna said nothing.

But the delight in his expression was impossible to hide.

That answer was exactly what he wanted to hear.

Even so, he did not abandon his original plan. Remaining in Yuji's body was still troublesome. If he found another vessel, he could leave, regain his freedom, and then challenge Asuramaru properly through the so-called ritual.

The real problem was finding a vessel capable of holding him.

That was not easy.

A vessel for Sukuna could not be chosen casually.

At that moment, a certain face flashed through his mind.

Megumi Fushiguro.

The thought came and went quickly.

A shadow. A possibility. Nothing more for now.

Then Yuji's consciousness finally stirred.

The change was immediate.

The black tattoos across his body receded. The extra eyes at the corners of his face closed. The cruel light in his gaze faded, replaced by Yuji Itadori's familiar, clear-eyed confusion.

He blinked.

"I... survived?"

His voice sounded almost disbelieving.

The warped Innate Domain of the detention center had collapsed. The grotesque duplex structure was gone, replaced once more by the ruined interior of the juvenile facility.

The oppressive pressure from the Special Grade Cursed Spirit had disappeared.

Yuji looked down at his hands.

Both were there.

He flexed his fingers.

Then his eyes widened.

Power.

It was flooding through him.

His body felt lighter, stronger, denser, as if every muscle had been rebuilt with steel beneath the skin. His Cursed Energy, once clumsy and shallow in his perception, now moved with noticeably greater volume.

"This feeling..."

Yuji stared at himself, bewildered.

"Sukuna killed the Special Grade, but I got stronger too?"

"You share the same body," Asuramaru said flatly. "Use your head."

Yuji scratched his cheek.

"Oh. Right."

After a pause, he smiled.

"Anyway, thanks, Asuramaru."

Inside him, Sukuna's mood soured instantly.

"This damn brat..."

Yuji did not linger.

The moment he regained himself, he hurried through the broken facility and headed outside. The further he went, the more the stale air of the detention center gave way to the damp scent of rain.

At last, he emerged through the entrance.

Beyond the barrier, near the outer gate, he spotted a familiar figure.

Megumi Fushiguro stood there, battered and tense, his bandaged body still carrying the fatigue of battle. He looked as if he had been waiting without allowing himself to breathe properly.

Yuji raised his arm and called out.

"Fushiguro! I'm over here!"

Megumi turned.

For a brief second, relief crossed his face.

It vanished almost immediately, buried beneath his usual cold expression, but not quickly enough to hide the faint curve at the corner of his mouth.

Yuji jogged toward him.

Megumi's gaze swept over him from head to toe, confirming that he was alive, whole, and himself.

"How are you feeling?"

Yuji grinned and lifted his arm, flexing as if showing off.

"Pretty good, actually."

Then he looked around.

"Where's Kugisaki? I don't see her."

"She was injured," Megumi replied. "Mr. Ijichi already took her to a nearby hospital. Don't worry. She's alive."

.....

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