DxD: I'm Surrounded by Big Sister Devils!

Rewind to a few minutes earlier. Inside the detention center, in an empty indoor swimming pool:

Boom!

With the force of a small missile, an impact blasted through, leaving a conical scar across the pool's bottom. The explosion sent debris flying and kicked up a cloud of dust.

Two figures were hurled out of the blast zone. They were none other than Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji Itadori.

Megumi adjusted his posture midair and landed on his feet, skidding to a halt. Yuji, on the other hand, fared far worse—rolling and tumbling for dozens of meters before finally coming to a stop.

His left arm, from the elbow down, was completely gone, including his wrist. The wound was clean, as though it had been sliced through by a laser. Yuji had wrapped his shirt into a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

Their opponent, meanwhile, could barely be called humanoid. It had two arms, two legs, and a head on its shoulders, but that was where the resemblance ended.

From the neck up, it had completely transformed into a cursed spirit. Its grotesque mouth stretched unnaturally wide, above which was a featureless expanse without a nose. Four eyes were embedded within black, gourd-shaped pustules resembling dreadlocks sprouting from its head.

It was hideous—but undeniably strong.

To Yuji and Megumi, this enemy was an insurmountable wall. Even though they hadn't been defeated yet, it was only a matter of time before they were killed.

Especially with Yuji's missing hand throwing off his balance. It placed additional pressure on Megumi, effectively forcing him to carry a crippled teammate in a battle against a special-grade cursed spirit.

In truth, calling it a "battle" was generous. They were more like mice being toyed with by a cat.

This much was evident from the way the cursed spirit gleefully flailed its limbs.

"Hey, Sukuna! Didn't you say that if I die, you die too? Come on, think of something!" Yuji roared.

"I refuse~. Even if you die, I still have 18 more soul fragments scattered across the world. Besides, this body of yours that I can't fully control annoys me. If I forcefully take over, I'll just kill that little brat standing next to you first."

"I won't let you!"

"Hehe, I figured as much. Well, good luck then! If you keep chatting with me, that little brat might actually die, y'know~."

The voice in Yuji's head went silent. Taking a deep breath, he forced himself back into a fighting stance, his lips moving.

"Megumi."

"Yeah?"

"I have a plan. I'll distract this thing while you get Nobara out of here. Once you're out, send me a signal."

"What? Are you kidding me? We can't handle this thing together, and you think you can do it alone?"

"I know. That's why... I'm asking you. Please."

"..."

"..."

"...Fine. I'll do it."

After a brief silence, Megumi Fushiguro nodded slightly, then abandoned the fight and turned to run in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later, Yuji Itadori, thoroughly beaten, slumped weakly against the wall at the edge of the swimming pool. His dimming eyes reflected the figure of the special-grade cursed spirit slowly advancing toward him. The concrete wall behind him had caved inward, riddled with web-like cracks that radiated outward.

In addition to the left hand he had lost at the start of the fight, the fingers on his right hand had been completely severed. His body was covered in bruises and wounds, too numerous to count, and the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth signaled internal organ damage.

This time, he was genuinely on the verge of death.

Yet, perhaps the saying was true—heaven leaves a path to survival.

A wolf's howl echoed through the building, cutting through layers of walls as if transcending time and space to reach the indoor swimming pool. The sound awakened the last shred of vitality within Yuji Itadori.

He recognized that howl. It belonged to Megumi's Ten Shadows Technique—more specifically, to the Shikigami known as Divine Dog.

For Megumi to have Divine Dog howl like this meant that he had successfully escaped. It was their prearranged signal.

With this reassurance, Yuji's bloodied lips curled into a faint smile as he slowly closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank, and black, rippling markings appeared on his face. When he opened his eyes again, it was no longer Yuji Itadori.

It was Sukuna, the King of Curses from a thousand years ago.

"Hah... I didn't think that brat would actually hold out. How irritating."

Exhaling lightly, Sukuna stood up from the wall's indentation with ease. His injuries healed in an instant, the power of his cursed energy erasing all traces of blood as if they had never existed.

Stretching his body slightly, Sukuna turned his gaze toward the special-grade cursed spirit that had frozen mid-step, wary of the danger it sensed. With a flick of his finger, Sukuna gestured for the creature to follow.

"Come on. Let's catch up to that other kid and kill him…"

Boom!

Before he could finish his sentence, the ceiling above exploded with a thunderous roar, drowning out his words.

Both Sukuna and the cursed spirit instinctively looked up in surprise. The fiery red glow of the setting sun poured through a massive hole in the roof, illuminating the room.

Through the opening descended a figure bathed in golden spiritual energy, standing tall amidst the rubble. In his arms, he held another person.

"We're here! See? Flying is faster than running, isn't it?"

"Uh… yeah…"

Though her body hadn't sustained any injuries, Saeko Busujima's legs still trembled slightly as she was set down from Fukuki's arms.

It was fast, indeed—but this mode of transportation was just too much. It was practically a jet fighter's speed! Was this the power of a special-grade onmyōji?

"You okay?"

Noticing her tense expression, Fukuki tilted his head in concern.

"I even slowed down for you. Think of it like a dandelion drifting in the wind—gentle and leisurely. Normally, I'd have gotten here in a split second."

"..." Saeko Busujima could only remain silent.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Where's the special-grade cursed spirit?"

Patting her lightly on the shoulder, Fukuki stood atop the rubble, scanning the area. His gaze soon met the eyes of Sukuna and the cursed spirit.

"Hmm… so, which one of you is it? Or both?"

Fukuki's tone was curious but casual. After all, both figures seemed weak to him—though the bald one was particularly unimpressive. Still, it wouldn't do to attack the wrong person.

"Strictly speaking, it's both."

The moment Saeko spotted Sukuna, she immediately became highly vigilant. Her sword case hit the ground, and in an instant, she held a gleaming katana in her hands.

"That's Sukuna. He's controlling the body of Yuji Itadori, a second-year at Jujutsu High and the officially designated vessel for the King of Curses."

"An official vessel, huh? Got it."

Fukuki nodded slightly, indicating his understanding of the situation.

Just as he was about to delegate the tasks, Sukuna, who was controlling Yuji's body, could no longer hold back.

"This presence… could it be an Onmyōji?"

Like a floodgate bursting open, terrible memories from a thousand years ago rushed into Sukuna's mind.

Clenching his right fist, he gathered a massive amount of cursed energy powerful enough to annihilate a special-grade spirit in one blow. With a snarl, he leapt forward, aiming a devastating punch straight at Fukuki's face.

The entire sequence happened in fractions of a second—so fast that even Saeko couldn't react.

Then—

The powerful punch, brimming with cursed energy, was effortlessly stopped by a single finger.

Not a scratch.

Fukuki clicked his tongue.

"Bro, why are you acting like you have superhero syndrome?"