Never could I have imagined that things would end this way.
By the time Sukuna came to his senses, everything was already settled, set in stone.
The distant, thunderous explosions sounded so sharp and clear, even from miles away, as if they were ringing right in his ears. The one-time cursed tool had shattered instantly, and only now was he finally regaining consciousness, as control slowly returned to his cold, paralyzed limbs.
Yet, what did any of it matter?
His sister was gone!
Tears streamed down Sukuna's face. His four eyes were utterly clear, yet filled with such profound sorrow.
Were the good truly not destined for long lives?
In this world, such beautiful qualities as kindness and innocence could never endure.
He and his sister had only ever wanted to live a quiet, ordinary life. Why had it had to be shattered?
They had never once provoked anyone. Why had such a disaster befallen them?
Beneath the violent turbulence of his emotions, the wailing, sorrowful negative energy instantly transformed into his own Cursed Energy. As his reserves surged dramatically, he finally awakened his own Innate Technique.
Yet, sister, you would never live to see any of this.
Sukuna knew all too well how desperate the situation had been, and the insurmountable gap between their strength and the enemy's.
His sister had fought a desperate, reckless battle to the bitter end—perhaps even resolved to take their enemy down with her.
Had she succeeded? Yes, she had.
Tear-soaked Sukuna could do nothing now. The agonizing, stabbing pain in his chest constantly lacerated his nerves, and the lamentation echoing from his soul was something he would never forget.
When that cluster of beautiful, ice-blue light had rushed toward him, he had wept tears of joy, a spark of hope igniting in his heart.
Yet it was merely wishful thinking; the glimmer of hope in his eyes had flickered and died the moment it arose.
As expected, the goddess of fortune would never grace him with her favor.
The happiness he had possessed was always fleeting, paid for by something else.
Destiny had already marked the hidden price for everything bestowed upon you; the happiness you owned was always traded for something far more precious.
But why couldn't he have been allowed to hold onto such beauty a little longer—until the very end of his life?
Gazing at the exquisite ice-blue gem, Sukuna wept even more bitterly, howling in grief.
His tears drenched the beautiful, fist-sized ice-blue gemstone, while the blood from the scrapes caused by the enemy's oppressive aura earlier inadvertently stained it as well. The immense Cursed Energy, unleashed by his uncontrollable, violent emotional fluctuations, swirled back and forth, completely enveloping the stone.
Only after weeping for a long time did Sukuna finally calm down.
The innocence and kindness in the depths of his eyes were gone, replaced by a sudden maturity that broke one's heart.
From this moment on, he would live only for himself. Kindness and evil made no difference to him anymore.
He would live happily, doing as he pleased, solely for his own sake.
When his resolve hardened, the ice-blue Dabao slowly shrank down to the size of an eyeball, gradually transforming into a necklace. The beautiful ice-blue core was haloed by a shifting gradient of azure, resembling Xia's mutated Six Eyes.
It had already become a unique and immensely powerful Special Grade Cursed Object, as well as a Special Grade Cursed Tool, possessing boundless might that still awaited deeper exploration.
Sukuna didn't really care about all of that. It was the only thing his sister had left behind, and that alone was enough. Whether it was a Special Grade Cursed Tool or not didn't actually matter to him in the slightest.
Still, sister, you will always be with me, won't you?
Sister, I'm sorry, but I want you to stay with me forever!
The once-sunny young Sukuna suddenly resembled the future King of Curses—that gloomy overlord whose eyes held the exact same darkness, viciousness, and malice.
The next second, the gorgeous ice-blue sapphire underwent a bizarre transformation.
The ice-blue faded away, shifting into a pale azure. Except for the color, it looked almost identical to Cangyun.
The ice-blue dissolved into a ball of light, which, under the power of a curse, gradually condensed into a human shape. Her peerless posture and breathtaking visage were, to put it simply, an exact replica of Xia.
Yet her temperament was vastly different. Her eyes were numb and vacant, gleaming with a pure ice-blue, and her strength had just barely reached the Special Grade threshold.
The moment her gaze shifted onto Sukuna, a flicker of light finally returned to her eyes, and her chilling expression softened like winter sunlight as a faint smile touched the corner of her lips.
"Little brother."