In the original ani, Ryoun Sukuna's ability to hold his own against countless sorcerers was due to his mastery of cursed binding and equivalent exchange.
When it ca to cursed binding, no sorcerer could rival Sukuna. This wasn't simply a matter of skill, it required innate talent. Without it, no amount of effort would make a difference.
"This is getting interesting."
Even as he understood the situation unfolding in the domain, Sukuna didn't panic. Nor did he bother to give Yuji any hints.
Of course, Sukuna wouldn't admit the real reason for his inaction, it was because he currently only had the strength of two fingers, far from enough to make any decisive moves.
"Looks like this era, a thousand years later, is far more entertaining," Sukuna muttered with a rare hint of amusent.
Unlike the world he knew a millennium ago, where cursed spirits were limited in type and power, the present was brimming with variety. This era was far more dynamic, filled with both innovative cursed spirits and sorcerers wielding all kinds of abilities.
Sukuna was not one to stay idle for long. He had a relentless thirst for battle and a deep-seated bloodlust that drove him to massacre sorcerers in his ti.
Now, however, this era offered sothing new—sothing exciting.
Even Sukuna, with his pride, recognized the sheer power of Gojo Satoru during his ti inside Itadori Yuji's body. Gojo was undeniably a formidable sorcerer, and Sukuna had no illusions about it. Even if he returned to his peak strength, Sukuna couldn't guarantee an easy victory over him.
Of course, if Sukuna were to speak of it, he'd still claim to be the strongest. But such bravado was part of his nature.
"Tch."
Aside from Gojo Satoru, there was another sorcerer who had caught Sukuna's attention—Ryuji.
The sorcerer who not only dismantled Gojo's Limitless technique but also wielded his own domain with such mastery that even Sukuna couldn't ignore it.
The first ti Sukuna saw Ryuji's domain overpower another, he'd been montarily stunned. It was more outrageous than Gojo's limitless techniques, an anomaly that even Sukuna hadn't anticipated.
"Too bad there's so little information about him," Sukuna mused.
Although he often relied on brute force, Sukuna was no fool. He was a cunning tactician who never fought without preparation. Without fully understanding Ryuji's abilities, Sukuna had no intention of engaging him recklessly.
Having finally been revived in this era, Sukuna had no desire to et a premature end.
"Tch!" Sukuna clicked his tongue again, bored with the current situation. For now, he stopped thinking about it.
---
anwhile, back in the domain, Yuji, Nobara, and Maki had all sohow returned to the campfire.
They sat silently, staring into the flas, each consud by their own thoughts.
"Where did you go?"
None of them could see or hear each other, yet they all sat around the sa fire, unaware of their shared presence.
The oppressive feeling of loneliness continued to build, as if it fed on the crackling flas, growing more suffocating with each passing mont.
---
By the ti Ryuji arrived, it was already noon the next day.
Walking along the forest path, his pace was unhurried. He didn't seem concerned in the slightest.
But as he moved, the sky suddenly darkened.
Glancing at the ti, Ryuji raised an eyebrow. It was only one or two in the afternoon, yet the surroundings were shrouded in darkness.
"A domain?" he muttered, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
It didn't bother him that he'd stepped into a domain unknowingly. In fact, it intrigued him.
"An open domain?"
He could tell imdiately. Open domains were rare, but not unheard of in this new era. The first ti he'd encountered one was Sukuna's domain, and now it seed cursed spirits were evolving. Open domains were becoming more prevalent.
The food domain he had seen at Totsuki Academy and this one both qualified as such.
"Interesting."
Despite recognizing he was inside a domain, Ryuji showed no sign of panic. He didn't rush to attack.
Without the usual guaranteed-hit effect, this domain likely operated on a principle similar to the food domain—replacing the guaranteed-hit feature with sothing entirely different.
"What could it be?"
Curiosity sparked in him, and instead of acting, Ryuji continued walking forward. He wanted to understand the domain's chanics before doing anything drastic.
Humming a soft tune, Ryuji strolled along, as if taking a leisurely walk.
Eventually, he paused, scanning his surroundings again.
"A loop?"
Though the area appeared to be an endless forest path, Ryuji imdiately noticed sothing odd, he'd seen this scenery before.
In other words, he wasn't progressing; he was being led in circles.
"Interesting."
Under the darkened sky, Ryuji decided to stop walking.
That's when he felt it.
Loneliness.
The emotion hit him suddenly, unprovoked. It didn't make sense.
With his strength, Ryuji knew he could stay in one place for decades without feeling even a twinge of loneliness.
This emotion was unnatural foreign.
"I see."
It was a curse, he realized, a loneliness curse embedded into the domain itself.
"Not bad," Ryuji murmured. He could admit the curse's design was clever.
But now that he understood its chanics, there was no need to waste any more ti.
Hands clasped together, Ryuji smirked.
"Since it's an open domain, I'll use my own open domain to deal with it."
***
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