"It doesn't matter."

  Ryuji's calm response was delivered with a faint smile, pletely unshaken by the temosphere around him.

  "Whether Sukuna regains his full strength or not, it doesn't make any differeo me."

  "???"

  The others froze in disbelief, their fusion mounting. But before anyone could process what he meant, Ryuji tinued:

  "To me, a fully resurrected Ryomen Sukuna is just an ant with sharper teeth—teeth that have already been pulled out. An ant is still an ant, and ants always get stepped on."

  "..."

  Ryuji's tone was calm, his demeanor nont. It wasn't a boast or a threat, just a statement of fact, delivered with a serene smile.

  "So Manly…" Nobara muttered under her breath, her eyes sparkling.

  Maki, standing beside her, felt her heart skip a beat at Ryuji's words as well. But wheiobara's rea, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

  Her gaze sharpened as she looked at Nobara.

  "What's wrong?" Nobara noticed Maki's inteare and raised an eyebrow in fusion.

  "Nothing," Maki quickly replied, shaking her head.

  Though she had no official cim to Ryuji, her guard . It had been hard enough finding someone she admired, there was no way she'd let someone else snatch him away so easily.

  "Haha! Hahahaha!"

  Sukuna's sinister ughter echoed, breaking the tension.

  It wasn't every day someone dared to call him an ant. Even Gojo who had looked down on him, had never dismissed him in such a manner.

  "You've got quite the mouth on you," Sukuna said, his tone dark and amused.

  Without hesitation, Sukuna popped the two fingers into his mouth and swallowed them.

  As expected, the cursed energy within him surged, growing more chaotid violent as his strength increased.

  "I… I 't trol him anymore!" Yuji's strained voice came through, his face t as he struggled to suppress Sukuna.

  The overwhelming power c through Sukuna made it impossible for Yuji to maintain trol.

  "It's fine," Ryuji said calmly, his gaze steady as he looked at Yuji.

  "If you 't suppress him, don't bother trying. Nothing will happen."

  "But—"

  Yuji hesitated, but Ryuji's calm expression reassured him. Relutly, he nodded.

  "Alright, I uand."

  In the moment, Sukuna took full trol of Yuji's body.

  "This feeling of being in trol… it's exquisite," Sukuna murmured, flexing his fingers and g his fists. His face twisted in satisfa as he relished the sensation.

  Maki and Nobara immediately teheir eyes locked on Sukuna with vigince.

  Sukuna, however, paid them no attention. His focus remaiirely on Ryuji.

  "Aren't you afraid of me?" Sukuna asked, his voice ced with curiosity.

  "Are people afraid of ants?" Ryuji replied with the same calm demeanor, his smile unwavering.

  "..."

  Sukuna's grin faltered for a moment before widening again. The response was irritating, yes—but there was something about it that intrigued him.

  "Cleave"

  "Swish! Swish! Swish!"

  Without warning, Sukuna unleashed a flurry of invisible sshing teiques, each aimed directly at Ryuji.

  "Shadoution: Shield," Ryuji said, his toill calm, as though this had all been expected.

  The shadows beh Ryuji's feet shifted instantly, rising into the air and f two shields. But instead of defending himself, Ryuji pced the shields in front of Maki and Nobara.

  As for Ryuji himself, he faced the sshing teiques head-on, pletely exposed.

  "Hmm?"

  Sukuna raised an eyebrow. He had initially thought Ryuji was creating a defense for himself, but realizing the shields were meant to protect others took him by surprise.

  "Are you looking to die?" Sukuna sneered.

  Even in his current state, his sshing teiques were lethal. Anyone reckless enough to face them directly wouldn't walk away unscathed.

  "Ryuji!"

  Maki and Nobara both realized what was happening and tried to intervene, but it was already too te.

  The sshing teiques hit their mark.

  Yet, when the dust settled, Ryuji remained unharmed. He stood there, brushing off the windblown fabric of his clothes as if nothing had happened.

  "This breeze feels rather refreshing," Ryuji remarked with a faint smile, his tone lighthearted.

  "..."

  Sukuna fell silent, his expression darkening.

  He had known Ryuji was strong, but this level of power was beyond anything he had anticipated. Not only had Ryuji takeack without a scratch, but even the ers of his clothes remained intact.

  "You…"

  Sukuna narrowed his eyes, staring at Ryuji with a newfound seriousness. He was starting to realize just how formidable this man truly was.

  Could his strength even pare if he returo his peak? Sukuna wasn't sure and that uainty infuriated him.

  "Want tain?" Ryuji asked, spreading his hands in a casual gesture.

  "If not, then just give Yuji his body back."

  "..."

  Sukuna's grin tightened. If there was ohing he couldn't stand, it was being treated with indifferend pt.

  Without hesitation, he csped his hands together.

  "Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine!"

  As Sukuna's domain unfolded, a massive shrine rose up behind him, its oppressive aura filling the space.

  Ryuji watched the se unfold, his expression unging. Instead, he smiled.

  "Using a domain? Fine," Ryuji said, g his hands together.

  "If that's the case, I'll do it too."

  ***

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