The Curious Case of the Two Mahitos

Part 8- The Shibuya Incident Part 2

Sukuna rushed forward, slamming his fist into Mahito's gut and launching him out of the office building, ready to destroy all of Shibuya by using the young Sorcerer's body as a wrecking ball. Mahito backflipped mid-air, firing a blast of Cursed Energy at Sukuna. The King of Curses swatted the attack away, but the momentary distraction allowed Mahito to stretch his arm and punch Sukuna in the face. He wrapped his arm around Sukuna's throat and pulled him in, landing a devastating gut kick to knock the Curse User to the ground. He course-corrected during his fall, landing on his feet and skidding back a few meters. Mahito gently landed across the street, ready to continue. Sweat dripped down Mahito's chin, not from exertion but from his pure focus on Sukuna. The Black Flash he hit on Toji a few minutes ago was already paying dividends. Typically, Mahito would only compare to Sukuna at fourteen fingers worth of power, but thanks to the increase in his voltage, he was operating close to seventeen fingers of power. A feeling of omnipotence enveloped Mahito, and it felt like the universe revolved around him. The bliss of the Flow State was indescribable, and it hit even harder since Mahito was robbed of the sensation the first time he hit a Black Flash. He surged forth, smashing the blunt end of Playful Cloud into Sukuna's head and knocking back the King of Curses. Pure Solid Power was an effect that always caught combatants off guard if they'd never experienced the potency of a Playful Cloud strike. Sukuna stumbled back, pointing his fingers at Mahito in the shape of a gun.

"Cleave!" He shouted.

Mahito crossed his arms, reinforcing his body to its maximum to protect himself from the strike. Shallow lacerations appeared across his entire body, and he faltered from the pain. Sukuna rushed in, punching Mahito in the chest and causing him to gasp for breath. He continued his barrage, beating and cleaving the younger fighter's torso. Mahito roared, spitting blood as he cracked the blunt side of Playful Cloud against Sukuna's jaw, stunning the ancient Curse User. With the same movement, he plunged the sharp end into his enemy's chest, destroying Sukuna's heart. Mahito jumped back, taking his spear with him as Sukuna healed his wounds instantly with the Reverse Cursed Technique.

"Sukuna has three key advantages over me," Mahito thought, stretching his soul to fix his wounds, "He has sixty times as much experience, is almost twenty percent stronger, and his Reverse Cursed Technique is superior to Idle Transfiguration in terms of healing. I can only repair wounds by stretching my soul to fix my broken body; the soul takes too long to heal for this strategy to be viable in the long term. His Reverse Cursed Technique, however, doesn't have this limitation. He can deploy it with less conscious effort and doesn't have to worry about injuring his soul. I have to land another Black Flash. I must grasp Cursed Energy as he does to stand a chance."

He surged forward, taking a headshot from Sukuna on his approach, but Mahito continued. He forced his way through, slamming his fist into Sukuna's chest with all his strength, and his Cursed Energy flashed black.

"Black Flash!" Mahito yelled.

Sukuna's eyes rolled back in his head, and he stood unconscious. Mahito ripped his bloody hand out of the King of Curses and leaped into the air, tossing his sharpened staff up and clasping his hands. He slammed the back of Sukuna's head with a double ax handle and infused his Cursed Energy ideally once again, causing it to flash black.

"Black Flash!" He yelled again.

Sukuna regained consciousness from the second Black Flash and snarled in rage. He slammed his palms against Mahito's chest, activating Cleave and Dismantle dozens of times. He roared and began chanting.

"Dragon Scales, repulsion, twin meteors," Sukuna chanted, "Dismantle!"

Mahito's eyes widened, and he was cut in half at the waist. Sukuna caught Playful Cloud as it fell, driving it into Mahito's right lung, which the previous barrage of slashes had exposed. The two halves of Mahito's body collapsed backward, and he began choking on his blood. Sukuna used Cleave, shredding Mahito's arms into oblivion.