Ryomen Sukuna.
Estimated classification: Beta+++, Alpha—
A curse born from human malevolence.
It was the name of the yokai sealed inside the jar brought by the woman in the red dress. From the moment it came into existence, it despised humanity. Just as a child instinctively breathes, learns to walk, and speaks, it wished for nothing but the death of all humans the moment it gained self-awareness.
It was born from someone’s deep, festering hatred. Created for one purpose alone—to curse. Its very existence was a curse.
Long ago, there was a cult leader with a twisted sense of faith. Determined to “purify” the world, he resolved to cast a curse upon all of humanity. But a curse of that magnitude required countless trials and errors. After much contemplation, he roamed from village to village, abducting deformed children. Their parents outwardly grieved, but in secret, many felt relief.
Sometimes, he simply bought them. An elderly couple, struggling in poverty, sold their conjoined twins—A child born with two heads and four arms.
The curse the cult leader envisioned had to be fueled by immense malice. To amplify this malice as effectively as possible, he studied over countless texts until he settled on a technique—Gu Poison.
Traditionally, Gu Poison involved sealing insects in a jar and allowing them to devour one another. The last survivor would become the medium for a powerful curse.
But this was not enough.
He sought to conduct the ritual not with insects, but with living human beings. Instead of a jar, he locked the children inside a sealed chamber. No food or support was provided.
Left with no choice, the imprisoned children devoured each other to survive. Among them were the conjoined twins sold by the elderly couple.
Time passed. The cult leader traveled across the land, collecting more children. Each year, new victims were thrown into the chamber.
Finally, the last survivors emerged—
The conjoined twins.
They never questioned why this had happened to them. They did not seek revenge, nor did they curse their fate. They simply endured, feeding on flesh and filth, driven by the singular will to survive.
But they were never alone. Even as the last survivors, they were together.
The cult leader’s ambition knew no bounds. The Gu Poison created within his chamber-turned-jar still showed signs of growth. So, he continued abducting children.
A hundred years passed.
The conjoined twins survived.
Yet, for the curse to be complete, they could not be allowed to live. The cult leader abandoned them in the chamber, leaving them to starve for years. His plan was to turn their skeletal corpses into lifelike Buddhist statues—A sacred statue for his cult.
Convinced that his long-held wish was finally within reach, he opened the chamber doors.
But the twins, who should have been long dead, stood before him—alive. They had already become the curse. What remained was nothing but a relentless, undying hatred for humanity.
They tore the flesh from the cult leader’s body. Then, they left.
They wandered from village to village, consuming without end. Yet, the hunger never faded, no matter how many humans they devoured.
Eventually, the curse that roamed aimlessly across the land encountered a high monk, one of unparalleled spiritual power. The monk managed to subdue them.
But even he suffered grievous wounds in the process. Destroying them was impossible. So, he sealed the twins inside a jar and buried them within a temple.
Before they disappeared into confinement once more, they cursed the world—That when they emerged again, all of humanity would be eradicated.
From then on, the temple became the sacred duty of the most powerful monks across the land. They guarded the seal with their lives, knowing that if it were to be released, Chaos beyond reckoning would follow.
Their only mission—their final mission—was to ensure Ryomen Sukuna never returned to the world.
But they failed.
Taeseong looked down at his hand after deflecting Ryomen Sukuna’s slash with Hoirang. Ever since consuming the Three-Headed Serpent, most wounds healed in less than a second.
But this time was different.
Even after ten seconds, the wound on his right arm had yet to fully close. A foul stench came from the injury.
‘Annoying bastard.’
The reason was simple.
A curse.
Every attack from Ryomen Sukuna was infused with grudges—A manifestation of its sheer hatred for all of humanity.
Its very essence was at odds with Taeseong’s regenerative power, constantly clashing against it.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Taeseong summoned Pure Flame and burned away the lingering energy.
Only then did his arm fully heal.
“That’s better.”
The Korean administrators behind him looked at him as if they’d just seen a ghost.
“…L-Lee Taeseong? W-What? Am I seeing things…?”
“C-Captain?! Is that really you?!”
“Taeseong!”
Even Xiao Yun and Doman were at a loss for words.
They were sure he had died.
That last attack—
It was simply not the kind of strike anyone could block.
And yet…
He stood there, alive.
“Lee Taeseong… You crazy bastard…”
“Hahaha… Hahahahaha! You’re a real piece of work.”
“Did that guy really block that monster’s attack…? That administrator, or whatever his name is—he’s just a Delta-rank, and he took that hit?”
“Old man. You’re still caught up in rankings? We both saw it with our own eyes. That guy—he’s the real deal. Some numbers on a scale don’t mean shit. Whatever he is now, he’s beyond that. A goddamn monster. And he’s gotten even stronger.”
When Xiao Yun first laid eyes on Taeseong, he mistook him for a yokai. Not because of the exosuit he wore—But because his presence alone far surpassed that of most greater yokai.
As others continued muttering around him, Taeseong’s focus remained elsewhere.
“Chief Lee Taeseong! I never thought I’d run into you here. It’s been a while.”
“Long time no see, Captain. Glad to see you’re still in one piece.”
“Thanks to you.”
After confirming his team’s safety, Taeseong finally let out a breath of relief.
Soon, the Ito siblings and the Japanese administrators would be joining them.
‘Not that it’ll drastically change the battlefield…But it’s better than nothing.’
And then—
Shuten doji’s blade rushed swiftly toward Taeseong’s neck.
“Taeseong!”
A sudden ambush.
Sensing the anomaly, Shuten doji moved purely on instinct.
‘I have to kill that bastard first!’
Yet, despite the unexpected attack, Taeseong blocked it without even turning around.
Ting!
A barrier of ice materialized in midair, deflecting Shuten-dōji’s sword.
Even though it was possible because he had absorbed Yukina’s memories, his ability to wield it so seamlessly was impressive.
The Korean administrators watching the scene no longer even seemed surprised. Instead, they murmured in shock.
“Since when could Taeseong use ice…?”
“…Don’t even try to understand it. It’ll just give you a headache.”
“Wow! That was so cool, Taeseong!”
Taeseong kicked off the ground and charged at Shuten doji, swinging Hoirang. Even in that moment, his gaze never left Ryomen Sukuna.
‘Annoying.’
There was no telling when that thing would unleash another slash.
He could block it, but anyone else would die instantly just from grazing it.
‘I need to finish this quickly and take him down first.’
Boom! Boom!
Each time Shuten doji parried Taeseong’s blade, shockwaves exploded through the air. Flustered, Shuten doji called for help from Daitengu, but he was already occupied with the other administrators.
‘What the hell is this human?!’
Just as Taeseong’s sword was about to pierce through Shuten-dōji’s neck—
Another invisible slash came flying.
But Taeseong had been watching closely and reacted instantly.
Clang!
As Hoirang’s blade clashed against the formless strike, the atmosphere violently trembled, whipping up powerful gusts.
[Oh? So what I saw earlier wasn’t a fluke. Good… I know, brother. This is how it should be. Struggling desperately to survive—that’s what makes the feast worthwhile. Hey, brother, aren’t you curious? What would his flesh taste like?]
Just as he expected, Sukuna was patiently waiting for an opportunity to strike at Taeseong.
Up until now, it had been nothing but boredom.
He had finally awakened after an eternity, only to find the humans he was meant to kill were pitifully weak.
Out of sheer boredom, he had lashed out with a slash—but then, a human had blocked it.
A bizarre creature, neither entirely human nor fully a yokai, emitting a strange mix of scents.
But who cared about that?
All that mattered was that something interesting had finally appeared.
By devouring him, Sukuna would become even stronger.
Then he would kill more humans, feast on them, tear them apart, dismember them—until the entire world became a vast, writhing vessel of curses.
Shuten doji had been dispatched to guard Ryomen Sukuna during his awakening.
But Sukuna had no interest in his survival.
[Damn it! Crow bastard, hurry and help me! How long are you going to be held up by those worms?!]
Unfortunately for him, Daitengu could not respond to his desperate cries.
Xiao Yun, Doman, and the recently arrived Japanese administrators were pressing him too hard.
“For all his size, he’s just an empty shell.”
The longer Shuten doji crossed blades with Taeseong, the paler he became.
As the so-called king of the oni, he had not been overpowered in centuries.
Yet now, with every clash, an unbearable sense of defeat gnawed at him.
The eerie figure before him had crimson eyes and was lunging like a beast.
Fear.
When was the last time he had felt this?
Perhaps when he first encountered that woman?
[O true king of yokai! Stop just watching and help me!]
No response.
[Kairikunanshin! Aid me! If I fall, you’re next!]
Silence.
Crack.
Frost spread from the ground, closing in at Shuten doji’s feet.
“I don’t have time to waste.”
A blue aura gathered around Hoirang’s blade.
Frozen in place, Shuten doji, seeing no other way out, resolved to go down fighting.
He poured all his remaining demonic energy into a final, desperate strike.
Likewise, Taeseong did not defend.
He swung his sword.
────.
Slice!
Fine lines were etched across Shuten doji’s body—then he was torn to pieces.
Taeseong stepped forward, plucked the crimson crystal embedded in the yokai’s skull, and swallowed it whole.
Then, looking at Ryomen Sukuna, he slashed Hoirang diagonally.
Shaaak!
“Is this how it’s done?”
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