Chapter 12: Descent into Darkness
A single word pulsed in my head: Escape. I had to focus, get everyone else out safely. Only then could I grieve. Grief was a luxury I'd have to earn, clawing it out of the wreckage once we were safe.
My hands were shaking and a scream threatened to tear out of my throat. I took a deep, shuddering breath and slapped myself, hard. The sting on my cheeks snapped me back to a semblance of focus. I had to stop feeling and start thinking. My eyes locked onto the curse, its imposing figure a grotesque silhouette against the darkness.
A scream threatened to tear out of my throat. I took a shuddering breath, slapping myself hard. The sting brought a sliver of clarity. Feeling now was a luxury I couldn't afford. I had to think.
My eyes locked onto the monstrous silhouette of the curse. That's when I saw Itadori fumbling with something at his waist. He'd ripped his belt off, winding it tightly above the ragged stump where his hand used to be. Blood seeped through the makeshift tourniquet, dark and sticky on his skin.
"Hey, Sukuna!" Itadori yelled, his voice surprisingly steady for someone bleeding out. "If I die here, then you die too, right? So you have to help me out!"
He knew, he must know the risk he was taking.
An eye and a fanged mouth materialized on Itadori's cheek, twisted and grotesque. "Not true!" Sukuna's voice boomed through the silent chamber. "Even if the part of me residing inside you dies, there are 18 other fragments of my soul still out there!" He cackled, a horrifying sound that echoed eerily between the high walls. "Still, irritatingly enough, I don't have full control over this body. So, if you wanna switch, go ahead. But the moment you do, I'll kill these two sorcerers before the curse spirit can! And then I'll do the woman – she's a lively one! I'll have fun with her!"
The woman. Nobara. A fury bloomed in my chest. "We won't let you," I snarled.
"Yeah," Itadori echoed, "I'm not gonna let you."
Sukuna's grin widened. "If you get focused on me, then more of your friends are gonna die!"
As he spoke, a sickening swirl of energy crackled in the curse's outstretched palm. My blood ran cold. It was happening again, that devastating blast aimed at me.
My heart hammered like a drum in my chest. I had to buy time to evade.
"Thread Blockade." I mentally thought. The nearly invisible threads vibrated in the air before me. They shimmered for a split second, then solidified into a dense, cross-crossed network barely a meter in diameter – a freestanding barrier.
Flimsy, weak, but my only hope.
I lunged to the left, and the barrier shattered. Chunks of concrete exploded outwards. Something sharp grazed my cheek, but those precious seconds were all I needed. My ears rang, the only sound a manic howl from the monstrous curse. It grinned at us, the very picture of a predator playing with its prey.
The world felt distant. My vision blurred at the edges, every breath a painful rasp in my dust-clogged lungs.
A muffled shout reached my ears like it was coming from underwater. "...Fushiguro! ...Murakami!"
I blinked, struggling to focus. It was Itadori's voice.
Another shout pierced the haze. "GUYS!"
My gaze snapped to Itadori. He stood blood-soaked and missing a hand, but his eyes blazed with desperate determination that pierced through the fog in my mind.
"Find Kugisaki and get her out of here!" he yelled. "I'll keep it busy until you're clear."
A surge of protest rose in my throat. Even with his bravado, this was suicidal.
Itadori pressed on. "When you escape," he gritted out, "give me a signal. And then… then I'll switch with Sukuna."
Fushiguro's voice was harsh. "You'll never stand a chance! Fighting that thing with one hand…"
I clenched my fists. If only I were stronger… faster… maybe I could take this monster from the start, could have ended this before it began. Sumiko's crumpled form flashed in my mind and I shook my head, clearing the despairing thought.
"Let's go, Fushiguro," I rasped. "This is our best option."
Itadori's face was a mask of desperate hope. "Look closely! The curse is having fun, obviously playing with us. I can at least buy us some time."
Fushiguro hesitated, his face a mix of anger and anguish. "You ca-"
"Alright, Itadori," I cut him off, unable to hear another plea. "I trust you. Don't die on us."
Itadori flashed a small, grim smile. "Leave it to me."
Those words echoed in my ears as Fushiguro and I bolted from the room. Each echoing footstep felt like a betrayal. With every ragged breath, guilt constricted my chest - what kind of friend leaves someone to die? But Sumiko's lifeless eyes flashed in my mind and I forced my legs to run faster. Itadori's desperate shouts and another blast of cursed energy echoed behind us.
With a flick of his wrist, Fushiguro made a swift hand sign.
"Demon Dog!"
A black wolfish creature, woven from shadows, sprang into existence beside us. Fushiguro barked the command, "Find Kugisaki!"
The Demon Dog whined softly and vanished down a twisting corridor. We sprinted on, the air ringing with the fading remnants of Itadori's shouts and the sickening roar of the curse. My legs screamed in protest, my lungs burned. Still, I pushed myself harder. We owed it to Itadori. We owed it to everyone we couldn't save.
Finally, a sharp bark cut through the echoing gloom. The Demon Dog stood before a cracked metal door, scratching frantically with its shadowy claws. I threw my weight against the warped frame, forcing it open with a screech.
In the center of a dimly lit room, a curse held Kugisaki aloft in its clawed hand. Its maw gaped wide, ready to swallow her whole.
Fushiguro's fingers blurred, weaving through a series of hand signs. "Toad!"
A frog like creature, massive and slimy, materialized in a flash and flicked out its impossibly long tongue. It snagged Kugisaki, pulling her into its mouth just as the curse snapped its jaws shut.
"Thousand cuts!" I screamed the words, unleashing a torrent of invisible threads. They slashed across the curse, carving deep gashes in its flesh. A moment later, it exploded in a shower of purple blood. I ignored the splatter painting my skin.
"We need to go," Fushiguro yelled, his voice tense. "Now!"
Kugisaki's muffled voice drifted from within the giant toad. "You know, I really hate frogs."
"Too damn bad!" I yelled back, already breaking into a run. We needed to get out of there, fast.
With Itadori:
My back slammed into the wall with bone-jarring force, leaving me a crumpled heap on the floor. Every muscle screamed in protest, the remnants of my strength seeping away. "I thought I could decide…" I choked out the words, tears of hopeless frustration mixing with the blood on my face. My mangled hand was a cruel reminder of my failure.
Yaga's words, a bittersweet echo in my despair: "A sorcerer never dies without regrets." Damn right, I thought, teeth grinding.
"But... I wanted it to mean something…" A flicker of defiance sparked, weak but persistent. Even in my darkest hour, I refused to simply fade away.
With a final surge of desperate will, I focused. Hatred, terror, the crushing weight of my mistakes – I turned them into a volatile cocktail of cursed energy. "Curses are made of negative emotions," I gritted out, "and this punch? This one's loaded!"
I launched forward with a primal yell, my fist blazing with cursed energy. Just as it neared the curse's face… it caught my punch, a sickening grin spreading across its features.
"Fuck!" Frustration ripped through me. But then, a familiar howl pierced the air – Megumi's signal! Relief washed over me – they were safe. As I smiled, a strange heat prickled my skin. Ancient symbols, like tattoos, spread across my body.
The curse stared, confused. A sinister smile twisted my lips. I may be broken, but I wasn't alone. A wicked voice resonated in my mind, "You're such an annoying brat..."
Ryomen Sukuna had arrived, and the fight was far from over.
The wicked grin stretched across Sukuna's face as a plan formed. "Killing those brats myself wouldn't work – the boy will simply switch before I finish." He turned to the special grade, eyes gleaming with malice. "But leading you to them... that's something he can't stop. Follow me."
The curse roared, blasting a cursed energy ball at Sukuna. His hand shot out to block, regenerating the injured hand in an unintended surge. "Well, that's annoying," he muttered. "Still, I suppose you hate straying too far from home, don't you?" Sukuna's gaze turned predatory. "Then you can die right here."
He closed the distance in a blur, his hand clamped over the curse's face. The ground exploded beneath them, sending both plummeting into the darkness below. The fall didn't loosen his grip. If anything, Sukuna's smile grew. "Hey," he said, voice deceptively conversational over the rush of air, "best give it everything you've got…"
Sukuna stood over the dazed curse, a severed arm dangling from his fist. "Precious, is it? This piece of you?" He laughed, a sound devoid of any warmth. "Because I can keep collecting."
The curse, in a surge of desperate fury, latched onto Sukuna's leg, trying to drag him down. Sukuna tilted his head. "Stubborn, huh?" In the dimness, the curse likely missed the flash of his smirk, the severing of its grasping limb. One more trophy added to the growing pile.
Sukuna's smirk stretched into a full-blown grin. He leaned closer to the curse - severed limbs displayed beneath it, "Fancy that. Turns out we're both 'Special Grade'. Me, and a small fry like you." The disdain in his voice was a weapon in itself.
The curse snarled, flesh bubbling and reforming its limbs. It dropped to the puddle-covered floor with a defiant grunt.
"Regenerating? Easy for you," Sukuna scoffed, "Not like those humans. You - and the brat - understand nothing." His head tilted, a gesture more predatory than curious. "Well then," he said, "let's give you a lesson."
A change rippled through the air – colder, a weight settling on the space. "Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine." The words weren't shouted, yet carried a terrible finality.
The shrine coalesced behind Sukuna – bone and skull, casting monstrous shadows. In a blink, the curse was segmented, each slice precise, its screams filling the cavernous space.
"Three slices is what I wanted," Sukuna said conversationally, surveying the remains. "But…" he prodded the twitching curse with his foot, "…you weren't strong enough, were you?"
Sukuna snatched back the finger he'd embedded. The curse, as if severed from its power source, dissolved in a hiss. He turned, calling out, "We're done! Time for the switch, brat!"
Silence. Confusion flickered over his face. "…Brat?"
Then, that wicked grin returned. Sukuna's gaze swept the chamber. "Two left, then," he murmured, the anticipation in his voice almost child-like. "Now, who to play with first…?"
With Kaito:
The slight relief washing over me as we burst out of that hellhole was choked off by the sight of Kugisaki. She sat in the waiting car, eyes vacant, a thick bandage across her face stark against her pale skin. Her hands were clenched so tight in her lap, the knuckles had turned white.
Fushiguro spoke, his voice tight. "Ijichi-san, we need to expand the evacuation radius. Ten kilometers, at least."
Ijichi blinked, processing the order. "And…you two?"
"We'll stay," I said, my voice flat, "Wait for Itadori."
"Understood," Ijichi said. A pause, then, "Listen, I'm–"
I cut him off. "Save it."
He squinted, something like pity in his eyes. But a moment later, he turned away. "I'll get Kugisaki to the hospital and come back."
Fushiguro's voice held an edge I hadn't heard before. "Try to bring back a sorcerer. Grade one, if any were around."
Ijichi nodded. "I'll do my best." Then, the engine roared to life. We watched it race away, a speck that vanished into the night.
As we turned back towards the school, Fushiguro's voice cut through the silence. "If worst comes to worst...it'll be my responsibility to end him."
The words didn't fully register at first. I nodded, barely comprehending the weight behind them. "Hopefully... it doesn't come to that," I mumbled.
My facade was shattering. This relentless focus, this desperate hope I was clutching onto... I could feel it crumbling under the strain. Just a few more minutes, then I can grieve. Just hold it together, Kaito.
Then, the remains of the expanded dormitory disappeared from sight with a bone-jarring crash that echoed through the night.
"That means the special grade curse must be dead," Fushiguro murmured. "Now if only Itadori would come back."
A hair-raising, chilling presence materialized behind us, an aura colder than fear itself. Our bodies tensed in unison, snapping into defensive stances.
"If it's about that brat, he's not coming back." Sukuna's taunt dripped with amusement, cutting into the heavy silence like a knife.
"No..."
My world seemed to collapse fully. It was him. The worst had happened.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I managed to rasp out. Itadori couldn't be… he wasn't…
Sukuna chuckled, a sound that crawled under my skin. "No need for hostility. I'm in such a good mood! Why don't we chat for a bit?"
He strolled past us, and my body tensed like a coiled spring. "The kid had it coming," he said offhandedly, "Summoning me without a pact? Now it seems he's having trouble switching back."
My mind raced, desperate for a way to force Itadori out. But… nothing. I had no plan, no backup.
Sukuna ripped off Itadori's uniform, a malicious glint in his eyes. "No matter what, this is how it would have ended." A pause, then, "So, I've been thinking of ways to make this interesting."
My eyes widened. Sukuna's hand plunged straight into his - Itadori's - chest.
"W-what are you doing?" Fushiguro's voice trembled.
He pulled out a heart, still beating in his blood-soaked hand. "Taking this brat hostage."
"What do you-" I started, but the words died in my throat.
"You see, I can live without it," Sukuna grinned, "but that friend of yours can't. Switching out with me means certain death for him."
I froze. My breath hitched in my lungs.
Before I could process this horror, Sukuna tossed the heart aside and popped one of his cursed fingers into his mouth. Laughter ripped from his throat. "With that, I'm free," he declared. "Now, you can both be afraid, because I'm about to kill you just for the hell of it."
Fushiguro slipped into a fighting stance. "You don't get it. Itadori's coming back. Even if it means he's gonna die."
Sukuna scoffed. "You give him too much credit. He's just a little stronger and a whole lot denser than other humans. You should've seen how pathetic he was a minute ago. Going on about regrets and nonsense… It's obvious he doesn't have the balls to kill himself."
My gaze fell on Itadori's body, and a sudden realization struck. The hand Itadori lost… it was whole again.
I remembered a passage from that book… Even if Sukuna can live without his heart, damaging it hurts him. I have to force him to heal it, then Itadori can–
It has to work… I can't… I can't lose another friend today.
"That pathetic brat? All his blubbering about protecting his precious friends – hah! Turns out friendship doesn't mean much when you're about to die." Sukuna's grin was a predator's, cruel and wide.
Fushiguro and I exchanged a glance, a silent understanding flashing between us. We had the same desperate thought. I lunged back, giving him the space he needed.
His hands formed a sign and a massive, winged shikigami materialized, taking to the night sky with a powerful shriek.
Fushiguro broke into a run, charging towards Sukuna.
"Oh, it feels so good to be outside again!" Sukuna laughed, stretching out his arms as if embracing the darkness. "Finally, some space to play!"
Fushiguro unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, but Sukuna dodged them effortlessly, his movements a cruel mockery of a dance. He was toying with him.
"Fushiguro!" I yelled, letting him know to get out the way.
Fushiguro leaped backwards, giving me a clear shot. I held out my palm, and unleashed 'Thousand Cuts.' The threads sliced through the air, aimed right at Sukuna.
"Oh?" Sukuna's grin widened, "Now doesn't this look familiar?"
Suddenly, he flicked his right hand upwards, and a stinging pain ripped through my chest. I looked down, horror seizing me as a line of blood seeped across my shirt.
"How interesting..." Sukuna mused, examining my wound, "Seems your threads are tougher than I thought."
Fushiguro was already blurring into motion, jabs and roundhouse kicks aimed at Sukuna. But he kept dodging each blow with sickening ease.
The winged shikigami shrieked, its massive form diving from above. Sukuna sidestepped, a mocking grin still plastered on his face. "Oh, so you can use your shikigami? Yet, you still come at me yourself?"
Ignoring dizziness and the spreading pain in my chest, I sprinted forward. This was desperate, reckless...and our only chance.
Fushiguro unleashed a hooking left, which Sukuna lazily parried. I lunged in, aiming a wild uppercut empowered by cursed energy. It never landed. Sukuna's smirk didn't waver as he deflected both our attacks effortlessly.
"You brats are so interesting," he purred, "Give me more… more!"
Sukuna shoved me aside with a force that sent me staggering. He snatched Fushiguro's wrist in an iron grip. "Put more curse behind it," Sukuna hissed, then backhanded Fushiguro across the clearing. "Come on! Strike me!"
I forced myself upright and sliced my hand upwards with my threads. Sukuna vanished from my sight – and a burst of agony ripped through my side. I collapsed, rolling from the force of the impact. Pain blinded me, but I looked up in time to see Sukuna's leg still extended from the kick that had sent me flying.
"Oroshi!" Fushiguro called out.
A colossal serpent materialized, its jaws snapping around Sukuna. The titanic body lifted him into the air, most of its length still coiled on the ground.
"Gang up on him, NOW!" Fushiguro urged.
The winged shikigami shrieked, electricity sparking from its feathers. It began a hit-and-run assault on the struggling Sukuna just as a blinding explosion signaled the snake shikigami's end.
Hope flickered... and died the instant I heard Sukuna's voice. He stood between Fushiguro and me, our shirts bunched in his fists.
"Now, what did I say? Let's use this open space!"
Fushiguro flew through the air, a ragdoll flung with monstrous force. Then the world twisted, and I was the one soaring skyward.
Sukuna was already leaping towards me, his grin a flash of teeth in the moonlight. This power, this speed… it's too much…
I thrust out my hand, desperate for a weapon, but Sukuna's foot slammed into my chest. The world spun into darkness, the only sensation a crushing force sending me hurtling back towards earth.
Twelve stories. Death was a certainty with this fall. Panic threatened to consume me, but I shoved it back. Think, dammit, think!
The thread blockade – it had to be anchored! My mind screamed the command, forcing the cursed energy to obey. A jolt, like a fish biting a line, signaled a connection to the building. With a surge of desperate hope, I yanked myself upwards.
The world slowed, if only a bit. Each new line, new pull of the threads lessened the terrifying velocity, lessened the chance of shattering against pavement. I kept pulling, kept fighting, until finally, I hit the ground in a jarring roll. A burst of pain shot through my right ankle. It was agony, but manageable.
At least it was just that…
A crash, echoing far too close, ripped my attention away. The winged shikigami plummeted, smashing into the lower floors of the building. I saw the blurred shape of Fushiguro perched atop the ruins.
"Fushiguro, you alright?!"
"Yeah," he rasped, sliding down gingerly from the shikigami's ruined form. I hobbled towards him, each step a jolt of pain from my ankle.
"Where's Sukuna?"
His voice, a chilling whisper of amusement, answered from behind me. "Right here."
I spun around. Sukuna stood there, hands in his pockets, the picture of casual menace. Fushiguro moved beside me, his hand brushing the winged shikigami's head. It dissolved into shadows, leaving only the wreckage behind.
"Ah, I get it now," Sukuna drawled, "You use shadows to create your shikigami."
Fushiguro glared. "So what's it to you?"
Sukuna tilted his head as if pondering. Seconds ticked by, the silence stretching into unbearable tension. Then, "There's one thing I don't understand. Why did you run back then? Seems like a waste of your talents."
He pointed at me. "At least he tried something."
We said nothing. Even in the face of certain death, I couldn't fathom his logic.
Sukuna sighed. "Ah, whatever. Your measly strength won't be enough to fix this." He gestured towards the slash across his chest. "Risking your life for a meaningless shit... this punk isn't even close to being worth the effort."
"Shut up!" I couldn't hold it back anymore. "You don't know anything!"
Fushiguro stepped forward, fists raised in a fighting stance. Then, he stopped, the tension draining from his shoulders. "I don't have a logical reason for saving you then. Even if it was dangerous, I didn't want to see a good person like you die. I made a selfish choice driven by emotions, but that's fine. I'm not a hero; I'm a sorcerer. That's why I never regretted saving you Itadori."
As he spoke, I noticed the tattoos that had marked Itadori's skin began to fade, like ink washed away by rain. Itadori was returning to his original state, free from Sukuna.
"Sorry, guys." His voice was strained, a whisper against the night. "It looks like it's my time. Don't worry 'bout me, okay? I know you guys and Gojo-sensei will be alright."
"Yuji...wait!" Anguish crashed over me, tearing every protest from my throat.
"Live long, will ya?" With those final words, Itadori fell forward, lifeless.
I dropped to my knees, clutching at my chest as if the pain in my heart was a physical wound. My breath hitched, ragged gasps turning into sobs that tore through me. Then, the sobs became a scream, a raw, unending cry of anguish.
On this day, we who were aiming to be sorcerers, completely lost to the curses.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone