1 Chapter 1: Shibuya Station

It was December 24, 2018. Shibuya, the center of Tokyo.

Gray clouds stretched across the entire expanse of Japan, foreboding something truly dreadful.

For two months, this country had endured a nightmare, undoubtedly the worst in its history, which called into question its very existence. The mass appearance of Curses, Sorcerers, and Cursed Tools pushed the world to the brink of an abyss, with an unknown darkness looming below. Truly, it was said that there had been no more terrible fate for humanity.

Shibuya Station.

A road sign, uprooted from the ground, protruded from a pile of shattered asphalt. Even though it was deep into the night, it was as bright as if the midday sun had blinded you. The air, distorted by intense heat, was permeated with negative emotions. The night sky was hidden beneath a shroud of dark crimson hue, merging with thick clouds of black ash and smoke. Buildings engulfed in flames burned and crumbled, deforming and merging with the rubble, turning into metallic ruins.

But the most horrifying sight lay in the charred bodies of the deceased. In their lifeless eyes reflected horror, agony, and unspeakable suffering frozen forever in the moment of their death. Everything that had once been a refuge had turned to ashes and darkness, as if the wrath of an unholy deity had descended upon it. Undoubtedly, it was the eve of hell.

In the midst of this wasteland, like something out of a nightmare, a repulsive, pleasure-filled laugh rang out.

"You entertained me, Sorcerer," the wide, exultant smile of this being oozed unimaginable sadism and delight.

Four red eyes, gleaming with madness, held your gaze and wouldn't let go, as if trying to convey their maniacal joy through space and time. He reveled in this chaos, the dance of flames and destruction as if it were the most magnificent show on Earth. But even more, he relished his victory.

"However, let's end it here," he said, not holding back, as he crushed the charred skull lying at his feet. "After all, I promised you that once I took over the boy's body, I would gut you. Am I right?"

A dozen meters away from this four-eyed calamity, on a raised section of the wreckage of a destroyed building, sat the most powerful sorcerer of the present day. Blood dripped from his lips, his gaze was hazy, and the acute, bitter feeling of defeat cut deep within. But despite this, the most powerful being of the present day smiled. For the first time in a long time, Gojo Satoru felt truly alive. Because he finally realized that on this peak, he was no longer alone.

"Do you know, one of my students once expressed the opinion that our strength comes from our selfishness and pride, whereas his own originates from the desire to protect and simply be happy... In any case, my path has come to its natural conclusion... What about you, The Strongest?" The smile never left the face of the white-haired magician.

"What nonsense are you babbling?" The annoyed snarl and contempt-filled eyes were the response to the defeated opponent's foolish thoughts.

The white-haired magician only chuckled softly:

"Nevertheless, that's where we'll truly end it."

Before the Curse King could comprehend the meaning of those words, a streak of red flames shot across the sky, the heat of which pierced like needles into the skin. In an instant, the red meteor traced an arc through the dark sky, crashing into the nearest skyscraper, instantly cleaving it in half. A wild gust of wind followed, extinguishing the fire along the entire street and carrying away dust and sand.

Rising from the wreckage was a golden-haired young man with a cigarette in his mouth and a sword at his side.

"I overdid it a bit," I muttered to myself, humming the tune of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC internally.

Glancing around, I noticed my battered teacher and Sukuna, standing nearby.

"What happened to you? Oh, never mind, you don't have to answer. First rule of Fight Club," I said, looking at the beaten Satoru, filled with conflicting emotions.

On one hand, it was satisfying to watch this jerk get a beating, but at the same time, though I didn't admit it, it was unpleasant to see your friend in such a state. Moreover, I was surprised at the strength of the Curse King standing at a distance. If I were at the peak of my powers, such silly and useless thoughts wouldn't have crossed my mind. However, the battle with the world's main villain had drained me of much more Cursed and Spiritual Energy than I expected.

"Here you are," interrupted Satoru Gojo, looking up at the sky. "What brings you here, Sukehiro?"

"I never thought I'd say this, but I came to save you!" I said, an ironic smirk creeping across my face.

In response, the white-haired mage chuckled, "I never expected the day would come when you'd be... the one to save me."

"To be honest, I didn't want to interrupt the battle of the two strongest, it's not noble, but... I think now none of you is worthy of that title," feeling my newly acquired strength, I challenged these two guys.

For such audacious words, I was instantly attacked, namely by the Curse King. Sukuna directed an incredibly sharp, invisible slash toward me with a wave of his hand.

But this guy doesn't waste time. However, if it were a couple of hours ago, I would have had to defend against this attack, but now… Now I just used [Mastery of Fire and Steel], transforming my body into steel, so the attack, dangerous for other sorcerers, only scratched my skin, creating a series of sparks.

"I've already told you that the same trick doesn't work on me," boasting in front of the two strongest and my girlfriend watching from the sidelines, I immediately launched a counterattack.

The first in line was a sharp punch in the stomach - nobody's invincible. However, at the last moment, Sukuna managed to reinforce his body with Cursed Energy, minimizing the damage, and then healed almost instantly.

He truly is an incredibly strong guy. As a Hunter, I need to be more cautious with such a beast because one moment you're hunting him, and the next, you're lying in a pile of rubble, watching your student fight for the title of the strongest being in history.

Before anyone could blink, Sukuna himself retaliated, striking forcefully with his left hand, filled with Cursed Energy. Watching this strike… It was fast, strong, and, most importantly, precise, making it difficult for even me to dodge. Of course, this doesn't mean I would have been hurt by this attack, but it was astonishing to realize that even when my strength and speed stats were higher than Sukuna's, this guy could still engage me in battle on his own terms. That's the difference in combat experience, which can't be overcome solely by abilities and knowledge. Let's say Sukuna's battle IQ was higher than mine.

So many thoughts raced through my head, but the Curse King's punch still hadn't reached its destination. Funny, because to outside observers, each strike of the Curse King was instant, every move imperceptible, and only the sonic trail and the rumble left by his fist were witnesses to his power.

If I hadn't switched to the Fourth Sequence of the Red Priest's Path, I would have had a hard time taking that hit. In any case, it's not worth wasting Spiritual Energy on defending against Sukuna's physical attacks. A much more effective tactic would be to probe the ground beneath the King of Curses.

Although my mind was dulled by such thoughts, my body acted incredibly fast. With lightning-fast, impossible reactions and movements that other sorcerers couldn't fathom, I evaded the blow by shifting slightly forward and to the left. Immediately, I seized Sukuna by the wrist and, using the First Major Cleave of the Kai Men Ba Zi Quan, I thrust forward, knocking the wind out of Sukuna's chest, and then flipped his body over my hip.

An unpleasant sound of broken bones and asphalt echoed around. The ground beneath my feet cracked, and then split apart.

The expression on this monster's face when he began to realize what was happening was simply unforgettable. Who knew that his world would turn into a rollercoaster? I did!

Next, my muscles tensed like springs wound to their limit, and with a sharp gust of wind, I once again flipped the Curse King over me. However, this time, I gave my wrist a slight twist and sent this bowling ball into the building with anime figurines. The speed at which Sukuna was flying, hoping to score a strike with the characters from the next romcom, was so great that his body even ignited due to the incredible friction.

"Think about your behavior, then come to Daddy, and we'll continue our preventive conversation," I said, looking at the crumbling building.

"Sometimes I forget what a disgrace you are," Satoru muttered in the background, sighing.

"I had a good teacher," I replied, shaking my head.

Besides, what does it matter if I'm a disgrace when, in the end, I become the champion!

At that moment, I was interrupted by the sound of an explosion and the loud crash of reinforced concrete beams hitting the ground. There, through the noise of falling concrete, clouds of dust and smoke, and the shimmering of Cursed Energy, I discerned a rising figure. His eyes looked at me with surprise and unmistakable anticipation, and his chest heaved with excitement and a desire for battle.

Looking at those four eyes, I had been waiting for this battle my whole life... And looking back at the path I had traveled... Yes! My second life was just awesome!

Friends, please evaluate the first chapter. If you find errors in the text, do not hesitate to point them out. We will try to correct the errors as soon as possible.

Chapter 2 will be out soon, but if you want to see it, don't forget to comment on the work and give power stones!