Chapter 167: Obsession
This was an indescribable feeling.
Sukuna had savored countless powerful foes, giving many the gift of a satisfying death.
He stared into Kagami's eyes.
Those eyes weren't mocking him.
Instead, they conveyed genuine disappointment...
How could this be...
How could this be acceptable?!
The severed flesh began knitting back together.
"No…"
"It's absolutely not over yet!"
A thousand-year-old obsession—if he couldn't even satisfy his opponent, such a death would be too pathetic!
I absolutely... absolutely refuse to accept defeat like this!
Black flames ignited across Sukuna's body—not pure black, but mixed with flecks of crimson, as if hellfire itself had engulfed him.
Immense energy erupted as Sukuna's vast cursed power converted entirely into the ultimate Yin chakra!
"Uchiha Kagami!"
"Answer me!!"
Desperate roars.
Maniacal laughter.
Countless pitch-black hands, claw-like and burning with hellfire, surged chaotically toward Kagami, distorting the surrounding space.
At this moment, Kagami's expression finally changed slightly.
With a faint smile, he elegantly danced among the black claws, like a butterfly gliding through flowers, an elusive ghost weaving gracefully.
He transformed this eerie, terrifying battle into something akin to a waltz.
Whoosh—
A long sword slipped from his sleeve, coated instantly in black Yin-Yang chakra.
Facing endless clawing hands, Kagami remained calm. With grey flashes of his blade, the grotesque hands were severed, scattering like dark serpents.
Clang!
Kagami raised his sword to block. Sukuna's two upper hands swung down fiercely with a pitch-black trident.
However, Sukuna had four hands.
Another hand thrust forward with a vajra-shaped blade, while the fourth hand swiftly formed seals.
Swish!
From Sukuna's abdominal mouth erupted a searing red line of fire, a cutting beam powerful enough to tear the air apart!
Sukuna, too, was capable of Yin-Yang and Blaze Release.
Only by covering his "Flight" and "Divine Martial Release" techniques with Yin-Yang chakra could he even qualify for a battle of this level.
Isshiki's existence had allowed Sukuna to grasp the very essence of chakra completely.
Yet...
Even his fundamental slashing technique had already failed against Kagami.
Using techniques Kagami had developed himself…
Not every imitation could surpass the original.
Slow, yet incredibly fast.
Time around Kagami seemed almost frozen; everything was slowed down.
But this wasn't time manipulation.
His movements were simply too swift. From Sukuna's perspective, it looked like watching a video played at high speed.
First, he shattered the trident.
Then, leaping upward with ease, he avoided both the vajra blade and the fiery cutting beam.
With Sukuna's reflexes, all he could manage was raising his head slightly, catching a glimpse of Kagami above him—
Kagami, gripping the sword handle with both hands, raised it high, poised to strike.
His vision filled with the black blade's pure darkness and Kagami's scarlet eyes.
Long black hair fluttered wildly, as if possessed by its own life force, giving off an inhuman sense of unreality.
Black energy flowed like ink in the air.
Behind Kagami, amidst blazing fire, a colossal gate seemed to open—a gate to Hell itself.
Through the narrow gap of the opened gate, endless wails and screams echoed faintly…
"Calm your breathing."
"Don't forget this pain."
"Let suffering guide you toward a higher state."
"Until you become…"
"A stepping stone for my ascension."
---
Slash Release—
Hell Gate!!
The gates of hell opened wide.
A slash beyond Sukuna's understanding.
A slash spanning two worlds.
A slash of beautifully absolute annihilation!
Silence.
Color drained from heaven and earth.
When the slash descended, it left a lengthy scar across the moon's surface, spreading outward endlessly, obliterating every nearby meteorite…
Gradually, as the black glow faded away, even the faint sounds of rolling gravel and gentle winds became exceptionally clear.
Kagami exhaled slowly, swaying slightly as the scarlet faded from his eyes.
Not far away, Sukuna, cut in two, stared silently toward the distant stars.
He ignored his rapidly fading life and the fact his body was now in halves, savoring instead the feeling of that final slash.
He had experienced Kagami's "Slash."
It was fundamentally different from his own killing "Slash."
What kind of person was Kagami, really?
Despicable, shameless, domineering, selfish, arrogant, vicious, greedy…
His flaws were endless.
Sukuna liked such a wicked person very much.
Yet, in that slash, he had felt no malice.
In Sukuna's eyes, Kagami wielding the sword with both hands wasn't performing a killing blow.
Rather, it seemed more like…
A prayer.
But who was he praying to?
A prideful being like Kagami would never pray to any so-called "god."
Ah…
He was praying…
To himself.
"If I die, it just means I was no better than this."
Sukuna recalled Kagami's previous words.
Any sentient being, over time and through experience, would inevitably change.
Villains might repent, good people could fall into darkness.
Sukuna believed Kagami would eventually change as well.
After all, he had already attained immense power, fulfilling his original goals.
If he wanted, the world was already within his grasp.
Was he still unsatisfied?
Yes.
Of course, he wouldn't be satisfied!
Sukuna nearly wept with excitement.
He finally understood the single thing he and Kagami shared:
An eternal dissatisfaction!
His massive, divided mouth roared furiously:
"I refuse to die!"
"It's not yet the time!"
"Uchiha Kagami!!"
"Until I've completely killed you, I absolutely cannot die!!"
"Save me!"
Begging the very opponent who dealt a fatal blow—what a bizarre scenario.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Kagami approached him, knelt down, his hair draping down softly.
He smiled.
A smile of pure delight.
"To grovel and plead desperately just to cling to life…"
"That's wonderful, Sukuna."
Sukuna smiled through his split mouth—a horrifying expression.
"I'll admit it now; we truly are different."
"I, too, want to see…the realm beyond this world."
"I really…am truly happy!"
"It's almost unbelievable—you wanted to break free from this world from the very beginning…"
Kagami placed his hand upon Sukuna's body, streams of bluish-white energy flowing from the white dragon's mouth.
His expression was calm, neither joyful nor sorrowful. "Not exactly."
"It's just that I value the scenery along the way more than the final destination."
Sukuna's wounds slowly healed.
"In fact…"
"Even if I ultimately die by your hand, allowing you to reach an even higher level, that's fine as well."
"Oh… Saying things like that, you sound just like an arrogant villain destined to fail."
Kagami slowly stood up, gazing toward the endless dark cosmos.
He had tasted family bonds, friendship, and he was far from an emotionless seeker of the Way.
He had no grandiose ambitions. If forced to articulate his reason for doing all this, it was simply obsession…
"But…"
"I just feel like doing it."
"I want to witness with my own eyes the scenery beyond the boundaries of this world."
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