Chapter 189 The Weight of Cheese

Pressure?

That's something he couldn't take at all.

Driven into a corner by the enemy Jujutsu Sorcerer, Fushiguro Megumi raised his fists and chanted the incantation.

"Furube Yurayura..."

The Mahoraga subjugation ritual commenced.

Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga.

The strongest shikigami among all the Ten Shadows Technique users in history.

There was once a head of the Zenin Clan who awakened this Cursed Technique and died together with a head of the Gojo Clan who also possessed the Six Eyes and the Limitless Cursed Technique.

From the perspective of a Cursed Technique's development potential, the Ten Shadows Technique was faintly superior to the Infinity Cursed Technique.

After all, the latter was too difficult to use without the Six Eyes.

Not far away on the other side, Sukuna, who had just swallowed fifteen fingers and completely taken control of Itadori Yuji's body, immediately felt this powerful ritual aura and became interested.

Kenjaku had high hopes for his younger son, Itadori. While plotting against Gojo Satoru, he naturally didn't leave him behind, making him swallow eleven fingers in one go.

Of course, Kenjaku's fundamental goal was to have Sukuna share the pressure for him, serving as a backup plan.

In case the sealing of Gojo Satoru failed, or the trap failed to kill Chen Nuo, he would let Sukuna clean up the mess.

Kenjaku knew all too well just how much hatred Chen Nuo had drawn from this King of Curses.

In any case, Sukuna was ultimately meant to be resurrected. In the grand play Kenjaku planned, Sukuna occupied a very significant role; it wouldn't do to miss this main course.

"I originally wanted to go chop that brat into mincemeat first..."

Sukuna used the Reverse Cursed Technique to preserve Fushiguro Megumi's life.

Right now, to cancel Mahoraga's subjugation ritual, someone from outside the ritual had to kill it.

To preserve this body he valued, Sukuna could only suppress his desire for revenge for now and focus his attention on Mahoraga. He could still distinguish which matter was more important.

Even though he already possessed most of his power from when he was alive, the shikigami before him still made Sukuna feel a trace of danger.

This was due to Mahoraga's own characteristics. It carried a wheel like a rudder on its back; every time it turned, it represented a round of adaptation and evolution to the enemy's attacks.

And there was almost no upper limit to this adaptive evolution.

In other words, if it couldn't be killed instantly, attacks of the same type would soon become ineffective against it.

As for the speed of this adaptive evolution, that would depend on the compatibility between the user and the shikigami.

Just as Sukuna was preparing to test his hand against Mahoraga, a domain expanded from the distance.

In an instant, it covered the entire Shibuya area.

For ordinary people who couldn't perceive Cursed Energy, they naturally wouldn't feel anything.

But for the Jujutsu Sorcerers and even the Cursed Spirits shrouded by this domain, it was no different from the sky falling down.

One must know that even for a King of Curses like Sukuna, the maximum range of his domain was only six hundred meters.

Whereas the entire Shibuya area was approximately fifteen square kilometers.

The volume of this Cursed Energy was simply on a different dimension.

"This scent..."

Sukuna smelled an aura he loathed from within this domain.

There was only one person he could call disgusting.

Sure enough, as Sukuna looked up again, Chen Nuo appeared out of thin air between him and Mahoraga.

"Yo~, good evening, everyone."

Chen Nuo raised his hand and gave a greeting.

"You bastard..."

Sukuna's gaze was incredibly solemn.

He didn't know what had happened to Chen Nuo.

How had that sense of power that could topple mountains transformed into this boundless, majestic Cursed Energy like the sea?

"It's been a long time since I've felt this weak."

Chen Nuo cracked his neck. The last time he felt his body so weak and powerless was when he faced ten dragon girls in heat.

The reason naturally needed no further explanation.

He had simply converted his original physical stats into Cursed Energy.

Of course, this was also thanks to Kenjaku. If it hadn't just contributed all the Cursed Energy it had accumulated, Chen Nuo's total Cursed Energy wouldn't have increased to such a scale.

To express his gratitude, Chen Nuo had just sent it off to be reincarnated.

While they were talking, Mahoraga had already raised the "Sword of Extermination" in its hand and slashed toward Chen Nuo.

This was a sword constructed from "positive" energy, which was very effective against the power of curses.

However, the sound of breaking air did not ring out.

Mahoraga tilted its head in confusion, looking at its empty arm. It had no eyes on its face; instead, it had a pair of four wings, which actually looked quite cute.

"The Sword of Extermination?"

Chen Nuo lightly weighed the sword that should have belonged to his opponent.

Both involved the use of "positive" energy, but clearly, the specifications of the "Sword of Extermination" were a level higher than Cursed Technique Reversal, making it very valuable for study and reference.

"Is this your Cursed Technique? Exchange?"

Sukuna saw through it at a glance. Few people could match him, the King of Curses, in his understanding of Cursed Techniques and Cursed Energy.

"Exactly. Trading what I have for what you have. It's quite fair, isn't it?"

Chen Nuo smiled at Sukuna.

"...Fair my ass!"

Sukuna couldn't help but curse.

He already had a very bad premonition.

Just how far could the upper limit of this exchange reach?

Space? Time? Cursed Techniques? Cursed Energy?

Sukuna didn't dare take risks; he was much more cautious than he looked. The moment Chen Nuo's domain covered him, he had already expanded the Secret Art: Hollow Wicker Basket to neutralize it.

That was the prototype of the Simple Domain, and its main effect was to neutralize and counteract the guaranteed-hit effect of an enemy's domain.

It was thanks to this; otherwise, Sukuna would have already been brought to his knees.

However, due to the severe suppression in scale and volume, Sukuna's Secret Art could only cover a range of half a meter around him and could no longer extend outward.

*Click, click...*

The sound of a rudder turning rang out.

This was Mahoraga's adaptation taking effect.

Sukuna's pupils shrank suddenly because the sound didn't come from Mahoraga. That wheel had appeared above Chen Nuo's head at some unknown point.

As for Mahoraga, it stood dazed on the spot like a crashed computer, having lost all reaction to the outside world.

"What on earth did you use to exchange for Mahoraga's Cursed Technique?"

Sukuna couldn't understand; clearly, there were no fluctuations or changes in Cursed Energy or even life force.

"Knowledge, of course."

Chen Nuo tapped his own head.

How could an illiterate like Sukuna understand the weight of knowledge? It was a key that could traverse the galaxy.

Chen Nuo just had to take out a bit of interstellar technology from the titan world, and it was enough to trade for Mahoraga's Cursed Technique. Right now, Mahoraga was immersed in the ocean of knowledge, unable to extricate itself.

Simply put, its pig brain had overloaded.

Having lost the "Adaptation" Cursed Technique, it naturally had no way to digest this knowledge and would likely be hard-CC'd for a long time.

If Fushiguro Megumi could wake up now, it would be the perfect time to tame it, though the Cursed Technique exchanged away by Chen Nuo probably wouldn't return to it.

"Are you kidding me?"

Sukuna found it hard to believe. With his worldview, it was indeed difficult to comprehend.

"That's just how it is. It's all about idealism."

Chen Nuo waved his hand, offering a word of comfort to this old fogey.

"..."

Sukuna stopped speaking. No matter what the truth was, the wheel above Chen Nuo's head already explained everything. As for whether it was real, he would have to test it himself.

He hadn't felt this kind of pressure in a long time.

The corners of Sukuna's mouth curled up involuntarily. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of "Dismantles" slashed toward Chen Nuo in an instant.

"Dismantle" was Sukuna's most basic application of his Cursed Technique.

Specifically, it was an invisible and swift slash.

However, its power was enough to pierce through the body of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and since it required no time to activate, it was enough for Sukuna to deal with the vast majority of opponents.

However, within Chen Nuo's domain, even though he had currently exchanged away most of his physical stats, he could still clearly capture the trajectory of these "Dismantles" through the changes in Cursed Energy.

Being able to "capture" them meant they could be exchanged.

But Chen Nuo didn't do so. Although the effect of Cursed Energy reinforcement couldn't raise his physical stats to their peak, it was enough for him to keep up with Sukuna's slashing speed.

The "Sword of Extermination" in his hand swung out a messy blur of afterimages, directly shattering Sukuna's "Dismantles."

The scattered residual shockwaves of the slashes tore and overturned the ground, a shocking sight to behold.

However, Chen Nuo didn't block all the slashes. This wasn't because he couldn't, but because he did it intentionally.

A portion of the slashes directly pierced through his body.

Yet before blood even had a chance to flow out, the wheel above his head turned rapidly. Its speed was somehow much faster than when it was atop Mahoraga's head.

This was the result of active versus passive use, as well as the difference in total Cursed Energy and learning ability.

While Chen Nuo was adapting to Sukuna's attacks, he was also trying to master this technique more effectively.

Realizing this, Sukuna didn't dare continue testing. He lunged forward to close the distance. Since they both had the same body, his explosive speed was several times faster than Itadori Yuji's.

Even his strength was not on the same level.

*Zzzzt—!*

Black and reddish lightning erupted from Chen Nuo's hand. That was the spatial distortion created by the resonance between physical impact and Cursed Energy.

That is what the Jujutsu World calls "Black Flash."

The intensity of a Black Flash is usually calculated by taking the Cursed Energy and physical strength as a base and raising it to the 2.5th power.

With Chen Nuo's current jujutsu output, even if the physical strength factor was ignored, the resulting Black Flash could cover an entire street.

In a daze, Sukuna felt as if he were placed in a sea of black lightning. Thunder roared in his ears, and his soul trembled.

He was smashed straight from this street through to another. His body twisted horribly, and pale broken bones tore through his flesh and skin, exposed to the air.

However, this level of damage wasn't enough to kill Sukuna. With his mastery of Cursed Technique Reversal, even if he only had one breath left, he could recover in an instant.

Sukuna hadn't failed to gain an advantage in this clash either.

When he touched Chen Nuo, he had activated "Cleave." It was also a slash, but it was another type that could be adjusted according to the difference in jujutsu and strength, a lethal one-hit slash.

Its power was enough to instantly kill a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, the kind that couldn't be pieced back together.

This move was immensely powerful, but without expanding his domain, he had to touch the target's body to activate it.

Sukuna stood up and snapped his bent and twisted arm back into place. The horrific wound healed completely in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Chen Nuo, standing hundreds of meters away, had countless fine cracks appear on his body, looking like a shattered piece of Jun porcelain. Yet in an instant, as the wheel above his head turned, he was restored.

"..."

Sukuna didn't want to talk anymore. He wasn't blind; Mahoraga, standing behind Chen Nuo, was the one bearing the brunt of the damage.

At least seventy percent of the "Cleave" he just intended for Chen Nuo had been exchanged to Mahoraga.

Moreover, Chen Nuo's burst of power just now was clearly off; it had suddenly increased by a large margin.

This was likely also exchanged from Mahoraga.

"Adaptation" was Mahoraga's strongest point, but it didn't mean this strongest shikigami only had that one highlight.

Whether in strength or speed, Mahoraga could hold its own against top-tier experts.

If Fushiguro Megumi were awake now, he would probably be crying out loud.

(Fushiguro Megumi: Big brother, leave me some, *sob sob*.)

If Chen Nuo kept plucking away like this, Mahoraga would truly be left as nothing but an empty shell of Cursed Energy.

However, after bearing most of the damage from "Cleave," Mahoraga was now effectively offline.

"The Cursed Technique you just used should be your strongest damage right now."

Chen Nuo spoke. As his voice fell, a spatial exchange occurred, and he appeared not far in front of Sukuna.

"Who knows."

Sukuna shrugged his shoulders.

Since that last hit couldn't kill Chen Nuo, and now the opponent had completed his adaptation, it was even more impossible.

He could even transfer and exchange damage; could he be any more of a cheat?

Unless he killed every living thing within this domain, there was simply no way to kill Chen Nuo.

But how could that be done?

Given the area covered by this domain, even if Chen Nuo did nothing and let Sukuna do as he pleased, it would take a long time to kill everyone.

Time simply didn't allow Sukuna to do that.

One must remember, he was currently maintaining his Secret Art.

Even with his total Cursed Energy and the fact that Cursed Technique Reversal could increase Cursed Energy recovery, he couldn't hold out for too long.

Once he lost the domain's neutralizing effect, Mahoraga's fate would be Sukuna's fate.

However, the opportunity wasn't completely non-existent.

As a chef, Ryomen Sukuna was good at more than just slicing vegetables; he also had to do the cooking.

"Ryomen Sukuna, born with two faces and four arms. Why do you think that is?"

Chen Nuo inquired.

"..."

Sukuna didn't speak, his expression darkening slightly.

In that era of rampant demons a thousand years ago, Sukuna's appearance could be called a deformed freak; he had faced countless instances of discrimination and abuse since he was a child.

However, Sukuna wasn't frowning because of those past memories; his mentality wasn't that fragile.

"I heard from Kenjaku that you had a twin brother, but while you were still in your mother's womb, you ate him, which is why you were born looking like that."

Chen Nuo had chatted with Kenjaku for a while before coming here. To buy more time for itself, that fellow had revealed a lot of information, much of which he hadn't known.

"That bastard..."

Sukuna reached up and grabbed his hair, knowing his background had been laid bare.

"Then let me see your other Cursed Technique."

Chen Nuo's next sentence left Sukuna with no more wishful thinking.