Jujutsu Kaisen: False Dawn

The explosion echoed like thunder.

Utahime was still on the floor, coughing, the dust from the shattered ceiling burning her lungs. Her ears rang. Her head spun. But her eyes—those sharp, trained eyes—caught the most impossible thing.

The curse was gone from where it stood.

But not dead.

No, it had been blown back. Slammed hard into the cracked tiles of the empty pool, where it now writhed and screamed like a demon dunked in holy fire.

It stood again, barely, water pooling from its broken limbs.

And then Utahime saw it.

In the smoke… something worse.

Not the curse.

Something behind it.

A presence—terrifying, towering, drenched in cursed energy so thick it made her bones freeze.

Her heart skipped.

It wasn't the curse that scared her anymore.

It was the boy.

Ren Sato.

He was still standing. Hoodie torn at the shoulder, steam rolling off his skin, lips curled into a small, casual smirk.

Behind him—

A figure.

Monstrous, beautiful, wrong.

A cursed spirit, fully materialized.

Not just strong—*special grade*.

Utahime stared, wide-eyed, as her own instincts told her to run.

Ren held his shoulder lightly, rolling it once with a wince.

"Holy fuck," he muttered. "That was a close call..."

He looked behind him at the half-materialized Rika.

"Thankful Rika came out. Not only did she block the water beam, but she also thrashed the damn curse..."

He let out a breath.

"I really thought I could do this without showing her. Fuck it. Time to let off some steam..."

Cursed energy surged through his body—pure, raging power erupting like lightning through his circuits.

His body lit up with cursed energy from head to toe, crackling violently.

Utahime felt it. Every sorcerer within a mile probably did.

"Ah," Ren whispered, "It's not perfect, but for ten seconds—it'll do."

He smiled, teeth sharp.

"I'll end this in ten seconds."

He raised a hand.

"Rika," he said calmly. "Let's go."

BOOM.

In a flash of motion, Ren dashed forward—faster than ever before. Faster than Utahime could follow. Faster than the curse could react.

Rika followed.

Fully summoned.

Black, monstrous, ghostlike, and beautiful.

Utahime gasped aloud.

"What is that thing?" she whispered.

"How did he summon that?"

But there was no time to think.

The curse raised its arms—four of them.

The bindings of Red Stitch had been broken in the last attack.

Now, they swung.

Four blades of cursed water fired through the air—each screaming like the wrath of a typhoon.

Ren grinned, eyes glowing.

His threads lashed out—grabbing pillars, tiles, and beams—he dodged two of the blades in a flash, flipping through the air like a possessed acrobat.

Rika didn't dodge.

She punched the third.

The air cracked.

The water blade shattered like glass.

The curse screamed again.

Ren narrowed his eyes.

"This trick—closing the gap—isn't going to work forever," he thought. "But I need that finger."

He hesitated.

Just one second.

Why am I thinking like this?

And in that hesitation—

The curse twitched.

The mouth on its shoulder opened.

A jet of water was fired.

"MOVE!" Utahime screamed.

Ren barely reacted in time.

He rolled hard to the side.

The beam missed—but only just.

Before he could counter, Rika reached the curse.

And punched it.

Hard.

The impact thundered through the dome.

The curse went flying, body thrown like a ragdoll. It crashed into the far wall, smashing through rusted metal and shattered windows.

Ren's eyes widened.

"That punch…"

He stood there, stunned.

"She just… knocked it across the room…"

His fists trembled.

Why am I holding back?

Why am I trying to just take the finger?

Why am I not trying to kill it?

"This mindset," he muttered. "It's weak. It's wrong."

He straightened.

Is this what Sukuna meant by instinct? What did Gojo mean by resolve? That to win—to survive—you couldn't hesitate. You couldn't think small.

Rika landed beside him, massive and looming.

He looked up at her.

Smiled.

"Hey, Rika," he said, "Good punch."

She blinked.

"Don't worry about me. Thank you, by the way… for showing me how I was wrong."

He raised a hand toward her.

"Now give me everything."

"I love you."

Rika's eye widened.

A cursed voice whispered, low and deep.

"I love you too… Kintaro…"

Utahime stared.

She was frozen.

"What the fuck is happening?"

The curse, now hunched in the far corner, screamed.

Its four arms rose.

So did its shoulder-mouth.

Five attacks prepped.

Four blades.

One beam.

All aimed at Ren.

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Utahime shouted.

Ren didn't move.

He smiled.

He pointed.

Muttered softly—

"I always wanted to try this."

"…Love Cannon."

Light exploded.

BOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!!

The building shattered.

Utahime hit the ground, arms raised.

The entire upper floor disintegrated.

The walls blew outward.

The dome peeled open like an egg.

The air split with sound.

Silence followed.

Then, debris rained down.

When the dust cleared, the pool was rubble.

The curse?

In pieces.

Three arms, scattered like broken dolls.

A torso—split, unmoving.

The head? Gone.

Ren stood in the center of the wreckage, steam pouring from his body.

He walked forward.

His 10-second overdrive was already gone.

He didn't need it anymore.

He bent down and picked something up from the shattered floor.

A black, rotting finger.

Still warm with cursed energy.

Still dangerous.

Ren smiled.

"Ah," he said. "That felt good."

He turned.

"Rika. Eat the curse, please."

Rika didn't wait.

She grabbed the limbs—one by one—and devoured them.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Utahime watched, horrified.

She ate the torso next.

Like she was hungry.

Like she'd been starving.

Then she turned, calmly, to Ren.

"HEY! HEY! KID!" Utahime shouted, stumbling forward. "WAIT! DON'T YOU DARE RUN!"

Ren rolled his eyes.

He looked back at her with a casual grin.

"My name is Ren, screaming lady."

He grabbed Rika's arm.

And Rika—massive and mighty—flew through the shattered ceiling with him in her grasp.

Gone.

Utahime collapsed to her knees.

"What the fuck…" she whispered.

"Ren? Who the fuck is it? Kintaro? ahh…"