A/N: (March 15th)

WARNING: This story contains major spoilers for the Jujutsu Kaisen manga and the Fate/Samurai Remnant video game. This will be your only heads-up, so turn away now if you're an anime-only or plan to play the game!

Yo! Back with a new story.

This won't be as long-form as my other ones, not by a longshot. Instead, this will probably be a little compendium, or anthology of Fate and Jujutsu Kaisen crossovers I've thought up. And since Shounen anime is all about fighting, and I'm all about smashing action figures together, they'll all be about crossover fighting! Fun!

If you haven't already figured it out from the title and description, the two characters I picked out to face each other are:

The Strongest Sorcerer in History: Ryomen Sukuna

VS

Japan's Most Revered Swordfighter: Miyamoto Musashi

I actually think this battle has a lot of thematic parallels, which you'll see unfold as the fight goes on. That's actually the primary reason I chose this fight in particular.

Now, let's get the ground rules out of the way.

1.) I will pick fights that are thematically fitting, but I will determine the winner based on both their stats and personality.

2.) Unlike some VS series like Death Battle, one character needing to die is not a requirement, but it still may or may not happen depending on circumstance.

3.) No outside help. The version of Sukuna I am using is during the Shinjuku Showdown Arc, just after his fight with Gojo. Therefore, he does not have the help of Mahoraga (since Gojo killed it), nor does he get the Kamutoke from Uraume. If you think that's unfair, this also means that Musashi does not have access to Myoujingiri Muramasa, which from what I recall can rend the soul, so I think it evens out.

4.) No prep time, but if the fighters know each other's names through history or something (which is possible, since both take place in pseudo-real Earth), then that can be applied.

4.5.) A bit of a retroactive rule (I'm writing this after I already released this chapter): As a review pointed out, Sukuna apparently does not have the ability to use Domain Expansion after his fight with Gojo. I don't know how I oversaw that, but I'm going to give it to him anyway. Both because rule of cool, and also because it is his own innate power and doesn't involve outside help.

5.) Probably the most important: I am making Cursed Energy and Type-Moon's power systems able to interact with each other, but they are still distinctly different power systems, even if there are some concepts that are similar. This is just to ignore the fact that you can't harm a Servant unless you use something with Nasuverse-related Mystery, and you can't see Cursed Energy unless you use it yourself (or have special tools).

Alright, that should be all. I'm really excited to show this battle to you, so let's get it going.

The King of Curses. The Flower of Heaven.

Who will come out on top?

What-if: Fate/Heian Remnant

"You did well, Gojo Satoru. I won't forget you for as long as I live."

Those words proudly echoed through the lifeless, crushed land of Shinjuku. The wind whistled past the King of Curses' ears as the dust and debris from that incredible attack finally began to settle.

Entire city blocks had been flattened. If the Jujutsu Society hadn't evacuated the local area, lives in the tens of thousands—possibly even more—would have been lost.

Not that Ryomen Sukuna cared either way. All he gave a shit about was standing at the top of the world; the mountain of corpses at his feet would only facilitate that pathway to domination.

And speaking of corpses, there before him lay the one who stood in his way as his greatest threat. Even for him, the one known as "The Strongest Sorcerer of Today" gave him trouble that pushed him against the rope and then some.

During their clash that tore apart a significant chunk of Tokyo, he lost many of the shikigami that his vessel controlled, including the most powerful: the Divine General, Mahoraga.

Even though it was gone, it did its job.

It allowed him to defeat the one once called The Strongest. Now, standing over the severed body of the son of the Gojo clan, that title indubitably returned to him.

The strongest in history, and the strongest of today.

That was Ryomen Sukuna.

Satisfied in his work, the King of Curses ran his hand through his hair as he turned on his heels and began to walk away.

The lower body of Gojo continued to stand. For an opponent that powerful and formidable, Sukuna felt it wrong to desecrate his corpse by kicking it down to meet his severed chest.

He was in a good mood. He found himself in a battle that finally allowed him to fully stretch his limbs, and in the end, he re-asserted himself as the strongest in the world.

With Gojo Satoru gone…who would be left to challenge him for the throne?

Certainly not this riffraff that's coming my way.

He glared up at a lightning-fast body dashing their way towards the rubble-filled crater. Ever so slightly, the fulfilled grin on his face faded as he realized that this high of victory wasn't lasting for much longer.

"Oi. I'm feeling great, right now. Don't spoil my pleasure."

"You're feelin' great after doing all this, huh?"

Sukuna froze. A new, completely unrecognizable feminine voice spoke out behind him.

How?

The land around them was completely clear. There was no, actual, discernable way she could have gotten anywhere near him, especially since his senses were cranked up to the maximum.

He had easily detected that so-called "lightning god" approaching from above, so why couldn't he have…?

"I wouldn't exactly be proud of causing this much destruction. I don't know if any people are around, but…if there are, I'm pinning their lost lives as your responsibility.

That's not what I want to ask you though, Oni."

Sukuna's mouth slightly gaped upon being called that. Normally, Sorcerers of the modern day called him a Curse, and the strongest one at that. He hadn't been called an Oni since…

…The Heian Era…

His patience reached an end. Completely ignoring the approaching blue thunder, he turned to meet the gaze of whoever had unexpectedly challenged him.

And…

"Huh?" His shoulders slumped.

"Now who the hell are you?"

xXx

Her son was a damn cheater.

Dropping her two swords to the ground with a clang, that's all that she could think about as she herself collapsed to the stone tiles with a wry smile.

She remembered exchanging some small banter with him as her body began to fade into violet glitters. She had a right to give him a little shit—after all, who the hell turns to their teacher's rival as their new instructor after their first one dies!? For shame, she thought. For shame!

She couldn't do anything about how her apprentice—her son, felt, though. He was a bona-fide swordsman, inside and out. A remnant of a bygone era, who still desired blood on his blade to satiate his thirst.

She could relate, in a way. Any chance she could get, she would fight. It made sense that after his master's passing, he would find another that could take him further than she could.

That further reach is what ultimately spelled her defeat. Though…

Hehe. I still didn't show you my own ultimate technique, Iori-kun. Maybe someday, we'll cross paths again.

And when we do, I won't hold back anything.

"Master…"

"Ehehe. Time to get going. Thank you…it was a great fight~!"

Even in her final moments, with her body fading into rising, fluttering glitters, she never once dulled the smile on her face.

The last thing she saw was the pained, regretful face of her apprentice.

Aw. Don't be sad, Iori-kun.

I'm sure you'll find your peace…some day, somewhere.

For the nth time in her life, she let her blessing of Kannon-sama take her across time and space.

It was a rather brief transition between one world and another. Sometimes it was instant, literally falling into a portal. Others…she would close her eyes, and awaken in another land, and another place, like the previous one was merely a dream.

Sometimes that…did not quite work out in her favor. One time she managed to lie down in a hotel room in Vegas, only to wake up in her undergarments in the middle of the ancient Sahara. Not exactly the…most flattering moment of her life.

This time, she hoped it wouldn't be that demeaning. After all, Kannon-sama wouldn't troll her a second time around…would she?

She would soon find out, as she found the strength to open her eyes again. Her body was only semi-corporeal, as all Heroic Spirits were, so it only meant she was 'reforming' after disintegrating away from Keian Era Edo, to some other place…

"U-Urgh…" She felt at her stomach, realizing the wounds that Iori had left her were no longer present. Thanks to the towering skyscraper roofs in the corners of her vision, she could also tell she had appeared somewhere during the modern day.

Well that's good…

She groaned as she stretched her arms and legs and sat up, rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up from a long sleep. Thanks to how her interesting circumstances were, it could be analogous to that indeed. "Maaan, I'm hungry. Fighting that giant divine beast and my student really worked up an appetite…"

She could kill for some udon right now. Wait, kill?

Normally I don't think that impulsively…I think I'm—yep. Still a Berserker.

She didn't know how or why it happened, but the Waxing Moon Ritual had transformed her Spirit Origin from a Saber to a Berserker upon being summoned. While it didn't change her ultimate goal or anything, it did alter her personality. If she had to describe it, it was like she was constantly in a battle-high: always wanting to fight, and disregarding strategy for the sake of it.

A part of her liked being a Saber a little more, but she couldn't complain about the snazzy outfit it gave her. Standing up to her feet, she chose to ignore her lingering feelings about the previous world as best as she could, and focus on the present.

Which was…peculiar, to say the least. It looked like modern day Tokyo: the tall, almost futuristic-like skyscrapers, the neat and clean streets, the freshly paved and painted roads…plus, the many, many advertisements plastered around in stylized kanji and hiragana.

Shinjuku, maybe? Probably nearby it. Been a while since I've been in a modern Japan…but…

Her heels tapped nervously on the ground as she scanned her eyes around. Despite it looking normal in almost every sense of the word, there was something very important missing.

"Where is everybody!?"

She shouted out lamentingly into the void. Not a single soul answered her cries.

Tokyo was one of the largest cities in the world, with a population density so high that in many places, folks were practically shoulder-to-shoulder.

Therefore, the lack of any people was…frightening, to say the least. She was aware of worlds that had completely wiped the human population—there was one unfortunate world that had that happen to Earth, twice—but it was still unnerving to see a lack of human life anywhere.

Fortunately, she got her answer only a few seconds later.

"Ah—!"

She stumbled as the ground beneath her feet let out a massive, shuddering quake. The air roared with whipping winds as, in the distance, she caught the sight of a brilliant violet light show.

A gigantic, utterly unrivaled sphere of purple energy expanded outward, swallowing up buildings by the dozen and flattening entire city blocks.

That's…amazing strength…!

She was astounded at that feat of pure, raw power. It was most certainly enough to be classed as a Noble Phantasm in its own right.

In fact…

Her eyes widened as she sensed something strangely…familiar from that purple mass in the distance.

It wasn't something that could be quantified by anything empirical. The feeling, the intuition she felt from it…it could only ever be felt by warriors like her.

Ones that have reached a higher understanding. An enlightenment.

She did not know their name at that moment, but their power felt at home.

I've faced it only once before.

Underneath a deep red moon, within the burning Edo Castle. A world that had long since been pruned away and discarded.

A swordsman, equal yet opposite to her. One who revealed the endless possibilities.

Even her own apprentice in another world had followed in that man's footsteps.

Infinity.

That was the pressure she felt in the distance.

As the wind finally died down, there was only one thought that came across her mind at that moment.

I need to find out who did that!

Her hunger could wait for later. Right now, just a few kilometers ahead, was a new opponent that she could test her skills against. Grinning wide and gripping her sword handle, she faded her body into Spirit Form and hopped up into the air.

A new world meant new opponents. New opponents meant an opportunity to refine her Emptiness. Her Zero.

She had mastered everything up to this point, but just had one gap to cross before she could reach true enlightenment. She could feel that day was coming soon…but until then…

I'm gonna fight as many opponents as I can…so that, one day, the Void will be mine to surpass.

xXx

And yet…she was too late.

After reaching the battlefield, littered in nothing but rubbled destruction, she stepped up toward the source of the power she had felt.

"—Ah…"

A body was severed in two. Their legs, connected through a completely bifurcated stomach, stood strongly on their own as their unmoving upper half began slipping away from the living.

Deep crimson blood pooled out. Viscera and other organs splayed everywhere, staining the dirt at their feet. While gruesome, it was a sight she was far too familiar with.

She had been to many realities, and fought countless battles. Seeing corpses mauled and maimed like that was ordinary to her.

But it wasn't the horrid sight that made her hesitate. It was who it was.

White hair, and crystal blue eyes. Even with his own blood staining those beautiful features, she could tell he was a pure, proud fighter.

She stepped up closer to him. His opponent, standing only a few meters away, didn't seem to notice her. Her Spirit Form was apparently imperceptible to them.

She knelt down quietly, right by the jaded warrior's pale face.

She did not know his name. She did not know the importance he had to this world.

All she knew was that he was a warrior of renown. And anyone who dies in battle—

—Deserves an honorable sendoff.

She clapped her hands together, and closed her eyes. Kannon-sama guided her everywhere she went, even across worlds, so she hoped that She would find this person solace.

"…What I wanted from Mahoraga was a model: one that could tear through your Infinity. After first adapting, Mahoraga was altering the essence of its own cursed energy…

…in order to neutralize and nullify your Infinity."

The imperceptible woman opened one eye at the man standing by her. His attention was solely on the body, and not her own.

This guy really likes to run his mouth, huh? She thought. Though…he said something interesting just now.

Infinity. This man lying at her feet—he used the concept of Infinity.

She closed her eyes again.

He really is this world's Kojirou, huh? Regardless…

Despite her eyes being closed, she kept her ears open to that man's explanation. He was practically handing her a blueprint on how his powers worked.

She could tell that he was dangerous. Even putting aside the fact that he had dealt this warrior a deadly blow, the aura he gave off was simply, entirely malevolent. She could compare his energy to the Oni of Mount Ooe: Shuten-Douji. No—maybe even larger.

"The second adaptation was exactly what I had been anticipating, but it wasn't sending slashes flying as I do. It was expanding the technique's target.

Its intended target wasn't just you—but space, the entire world, existence itself…it targeted everything before it unleashed those slashes."

The woman's eye twitched.

A slash that can cut down anything…

She reached down and grabbed the hilt of her katana.

"Your Infinity meant nothing. As long as it existed within that space—that world—it would all be torn apart. It was a near impossible technique to pull off, but the model was quite effective."

From his words, she felt a fire light behind her eyes.

Quietly, she gave the deceased a final, peaceful parting, then slowly pushed up to her feet.

He has an attack that can cut down anything, huh?

With that, she now understood, completely, why Kannon-sama had sent her here.

Facing an opponent with a perfect Infinity, all she could manage was a stalemate between them. Her Zero and his Infinity cancelled out, resulting in a perfect duel that would last for eternity. Only the words of an outside observer caused the battle to stop.

Yet in this world, familiar yet unfamiliar to her, stood a man who had faced Infinity…and had surpassed it. Slaughtered it. Cleaved it in half.

"You did well, Gojo Satoru. I won't forget you for as long as I live."

A smile widened across his bloodied face. His injuries, despite them looking rather intense, seemed to be slowly regenerating.

In response, she grinned as well—almost too widely.

He was her next step to breach past her limits.

Gojo Satoru, was it? Rest easy.

If Infinity can't do the trick, then…

She slowly unsheathed her first of four blades.

How about Zero, hm?

xXx

"Now who the hell are you?"

Sukuna's face fell into unamusement, yet also apprehension. The woman in front of him was unfamiliar, and she had somehow slipped past his senses and managed to appear right before him.

Honestly, he wondered how long she had been standing there. Perhaps she was mourning Gojo Satoru's death?

It didn't matter to him why she was here. Judging from the katanas at her hip, he already knew why—it was for the same reason as the dozens of other sorcerers that were no doubt closing in on this location now that Gojo had fallen.

Rather…it was who.

She had a slightly-above-average height for a woman, with light, sakura-colored hair that ran down one side of her head and was tied up wildly in the back, giving the impression of fire.

Her beaming blue eyes were large yet fierce, like they were trying to cut into his soul with just a look. Her white kimono was ornate yet made for combat, contrasted with black and grey flower decorations and a red belt hoisting up her four swords, two on each hip.

He knew not of a Jujutsu sorcerer with this appearance before. If she was anyone significantly powerful, he would have seen her in combat by now—or at least known of her name and face.

Is she a secret weapon that they had to kill me? No, no it can't be.

With his third and fourth eyes, he examined the sorcerers watching in the distance. Their faces…were equally as confused as his was.

They seemed so puzzled, in fact, that they actively chose to hold their onslaught back and wait to see what this woman had to offer.

Guess that answers that.

Besides, if she was truly enough to kill him, then why would they start their resistance against him with Gojo? Why not send her first—or hell, even both of them together?

Regardless, it was all crap he could mull over later. The truth of the matter was, the woman was in front of him now—and her battle-hungry face told him that she was not planning on backing down, even despite the pure display of power he had shown just now.

"Hmmm…I guess I can give it away. I can tell this place doesn't exactly work by the rules I'm used to, anyway—you're not a Servant, are you?"

"Servant?" Sukuna blinked. "Are you trying to ask me if I work for anyone?"

"Uh—" The woman scratched her cheek. They both likely could tell the other wasn't on the same page as they were. "Not exactly what I meant, but…you're also not wrong?

In any case, it answered my question. You're not, then."

She stepped her heeled foot forward. "My name is Shinmen Musashi-no-Kami Fujiwara no Harunobu. Or for short, it's Miya—"

"—moto Musashi." He finished.

He lowered his arms, entirely perplexed. That name—he had heard that name uttered multiple times in the modern day. While he did not know the entire story, since it was a legend that emerged several hundred years after his time in the Heian era, he was aware of a highly skilled swordsman who never lost a single duel, and who had written a certain book pertaining to five rings. There were two problems with her statement, however.

Miyamoto Musashi was four hundred years deceased.

And was also a man.

He could forgive the first point, since he was proof that Sorcerers could far outlast human lives, even if his circumstances were…unique, but he could not overlook the second discrepancy.

"Taking the name of a dead swordsman? Don't make me laugh." Sukuna crossed his arms. "Actually, please do. I'm still in pretty high spirits, so please—tell me another joke, woman."

"…" The lady in red and white smirked. "…Of course. I wouldn't expect you to believe me with just words."

She reached over to the handle of her blade. "So, how's about we do this the old-fashioned way?"

"Hmph." Sukuna lowered his arms, but raised his guard. As he stated before, he was in a good mood—at least for a little while, he would entertain this woman. "Fine by me."

"…Before we do, though…" The woman tilted her head. "I gave my name, but you haven't given yours, yet. It's tradition to exchange names, isn't it?"

"…Huh?"

Sukuna blinked again, almost flabbergasted.

There was no way.

There was no way there was a sorcerer that didn't know his name. He was curious if she was joking or not, but reading the genuine expression on her face, it was becoming abundantly clear that she wasn't.

He sighed. He had half a mind to cut her down right then and now for seemingly wasting his time, but thanks to the still-lingering high of his victory, on top of the…strange frankness of this new lady, he chose to humor her just a little longer.

"Ryomen Sukuna."

As soon as he uttered his name, he noticed the look on the woman change.

So she does know my name. But…

It was not one of fear or reverence or respect, like most other Sorcerers had for him.

Rather, it only seemed to add to her excitement—something that only one other person had when facing him.

Said person…was lying in the dirt, right behind the both of them.

After this…strange exchange was over, he would make sure the same result would occur for this woman.

She was entertaining, sure. But amusement is all she would be for him.

He had already faced the strongest in the world, after all. No one else could hope to challenge him to—

—Huh?

He felt his feet get blown off the dirt as a strike somehow faster than he could perceive slashed immediately into his arm. His body was durable enough for it to not pierce completely through his skin— but the sharp kinetic blow sent him reeling backward an uncountable number of meters.

Sukuna groaned, and locked eyes with his target, who was calmly walking up to him. As she approached, he tried to remember how that strike had occurred.

She was holding her sword in its sheath, and…ah, I see. Iaijutsu.

It was the only explanation for an attack that swift. There was another Jujutsu sorcerer with that ability—Miwa, if he recalled—but this woman's prowess and speed far, far surpassed her's.

I shouldn't misjudge her.

Sukuna shrugged off the semi-deep gash in his arm, letting it recover as he stood tall.

(OST: "Blood Wind"— Fate/Samurai Remnant ver.)

Both fighters had made their introductions.

The King of Curses. The Strongest Sorcerer in History, and now of Today.

Standing before him was a strange newcomer. A wandering rōnin, who had found herself here by fate.

The Flower of Tengen. Japan's most skilled, most honored swordfighter.

Within the desecrated grounds of Shinjuku…shall their wills be clashed.

xXx

Ryomen Sukuna.

She knew of that name.

It was the name of one of the most powerful, influential figures in Japanese mythology. Depending on the world she traversed in, his story seemed to change.

In the world she was in just previously, she had read that Sukuna was a powerful demonic figure appearing in the Nihon Shoki, and an enemy to the Yamato clan.

I wonder if Saber-kun knew about him…

In her old world, however, it was a little different: Sukuna was a Mixed-Blood Oni from the Heian Era, with powers on par with the legendary Abe-no-Seimei.

Either way, he was a mountain of an obstacle indeed. While she didn't know the details behind this variant of Sukuna, one thing was certain: he was just as strong as the others she knew about. Without even needing to fight him first, that much she knew.

She lowered into a stance. One sword guarding, the other hovering overhead for a quick retaliatory strike. It was the quintessential art of the Earth Stance. A rock-solid defense, to prepare for a quick, sturdy return strike.

Sukuna smirked, responding to her cautiousness with a casual step forward. As soon as his foot touched the ground—

—he appeared right before her eyes, a wicked smile plastered on his face as he threw a straight jab at her jaw with ungodly speed.

There!

Musashi's Eye saw her chance. Her defending sword shifted position in a hair's breadth, and Sukuna's fist found itself crashing into the deadly end of her blade.

Blood gushed into the air. The tearing of flesh cried in her ears as his knuckles tore in twain from her katana's perfect edge.

With that, he fell for it.

Her second blade fired downward; a lightning-fast riposte. The metallic slash resounded as her blow cut into his arm.

Several hundred meters away, far off from the epicenter of the battlefield, a bee hadn't even flapped a tenth of its wings.

Their collision was so unbelievably swift, that no other sorcerer alive could hope to keep pace with it.

And they had just gotten started.

Sukuna's wide smile was met by her own crazed, battle-ridden face. Just from this one exchange, it had been confirmed to her.

This would be a duel unlike all her previous.

Her swords tore from his arms as they paced backward, giving each other only a heartbeat to breathe before they rushed forward with roaring thunder.

Sukuna attacked her again—rushing from nearly every direction, throwing every type of melee attack one could make with their arms and legs.

It was a blur even to a blur, the absolute speed that he demonstrated. And yet—

—Like a rock, her stance stayed firm. The Earth Stance provided nigh-indefatigable defense that could allow one to guard way above their weight.

Her apprentice, Miyamoto Iori used this stance often when facing Servants. Despite them having superior strength and speed, his deep knowledge of the Earth Stance allowed him to remain alive even against the most foreboding of Heroic Spirits.

The same outcome occurred here. Sukuna displayed widely impressive swiftness, yet he failed in cracking an iota of her guard.

Shockwave after shockwave burst out, flattening the land with each collision he made with her protective blades. Since dozens—no, hundreds of strikes were dealt per second, it was safe to say that the area around their battle was entirely uninhabitable for any entity aside from the two of them.

Musashi's Eye watched every movement of her opponent, grabbing hold of the possibilities and cutting them down toward the one most viable to her. In other words—she was quickly analyzing Sukuna's weakness.

This was the truth behind her playing it defensive: against a new, unique opponent like this, in a world that likely didn't play by rules she was used to, allowing her Heavenly Eye to find a path to victory was paramount.

…THERE—!

She found it. In one of their hundreds of clashes, she saw his arm lodge deep into her blade, cutting into the marrow of his bones.

It would take a millisecond or two for him to pull it away. But, at the speeds they were moving at…it was just the opening she needed.

Grinning and gritting her teeth, her second blade, which was several centimeters longer than her defending blade, lustered under the Shinjuku sunlight as she flicked her wrist and swung her arm.

With a strike as swift as raging rapids, she released an unstoppable counterattack.

xXx

Sukuna almost couldn't believe his eyes at what this woman had managed to do.

Not only did she have a defense that he somehow couldn't break, but…

…with just one, clean, crystal-clear swing, all he could do was watch as his own utterly, perfectly severed arm flung up through the air. An arc of red glittered the sky as a silver-colored sword maintained its pristine light.

At that moment, the King of Curses detected a change in the sakura-haired woman. He wasn't sure if she even registered it herself, but…her very energy had changed. She no longer felt like an unbreakable wall, but rather a smooth, ripping river.

It's almost like Gojo Satoru…when he switches between Red and Blue…

…iiinteresting. Interesting indeed, 'Miyamoto Musashi'. I might have to take you seriously, after all.

He paced backward, clearing half a stadium's worth of distance in a single bound. Yet with the speed of a comet, she refused him to move any further than a meter from her.

The King of Curses parried each lightning-fast swing as best he could, yet couldn't help but notice the continual streams of blood spewing like geysers every time he attempted.

Slashes, shallow yet numerous, were being made on his limbs. A finger went flying. A chunk of his forearm, cleanly severed so smoothly that the greatest of sushi chefs would have been envious.

He grit his teeth as his Reverse Cursed Technique rejuvenated the wounds, starting with the arm that she had so brazenly lacerated. He had yet to feed into his reserves, but—

Her speed, it's…

He succeeded in breaking through her guard, and slammed his foot forward to double her over. While her offensive had no doubt increased tenfold thanks to the sheer speed she was demonstrating, it left her defensive structure lacking.

Yet even with her being almost off her guard, she still managed to backstep and cross her swords, with Sukuna's foot hearing the sound of not crunching bone—but of the pang of perfectly crafted metal on his sandal.

"…Wha—!?"

A rush of pure ocean blue cut through the air like violent tides.

Sukuna blinked—barely registering the sensation of his leg from the knee down being absolutely obliterated.

A huge splash of blood and muscle and flesh erupted as her blades had turned the entire lower limb into ribbons that quenched the dry dirt at their feet.

Her speed. Her absolute, unmatched speed.

It was something even Sukuna, the strongest Sorcerer, struggled to keep up with. It was safe to say she even outclassed the God of Lightning, Kashimo Hajime. What's worse—he could still sense she was holding back.

Though…the same could be said for him.

His eye twitched as he let his RCT regenerate his lost limb. Without a leg to move, however, his movement was hindered for just a few seconds.

Apparently, it was more than enough for her.

Sukuna's eyes widened as the sakura-haired woman stepped several meters back, then smoothly sheathed one blade and held the other in a low stance. Behind her, he spotted it: what was likely the source, or maybe an exhibition of her changing energy.

Five floating magatamas, all different in color. They shone like miniature stars, whirling around in front of her before settling and formulating a shape and…name.

Sukuna could see it—each sphere carried a kanji, denoting the domain of each light she carried.

Golden Earth. Azure Water. Viridescent Wind. Infernal Fire.

There was a fifth light, bathed in pure violet. However, there was no accompanying kanji; almost as if Musashi was hiding its true nature from him.

Regardless of what they were, he had to counter her, and fast. The skyrocketing potential energy building around her was approaching the level of certain sorcerer's Hollow Purple.

The King of Curses held one arm forward, while pulling the second back—akin to nocking an arrow. At his fingertips, pure malevolent flames burned into existence.

His eyes narrowed as he realized he would be able to fire first.

Will it be enough?

There was only one way to find out.

"Fūga." (Open.)

He loosed his arrow of fire.

A streak of hellish orange-red blasted across the flattened field of rubble. It was a strike that would end the lives of any Sorcerer, any Curse that would touch it.

And in response, the shine from the swordswoman reached a climactic peak. With a single thrust, she met the arrow's light with her own.

Five great beams of burning radiance fired with an otherworldly woosh. It cut through the atmosphere at godspeed, forming a cone-shaped crater as it tore the air and melted the ground.

Once again…she had absolutely shattered Ryomen Sukuna's expectations.

His flames met Miyamoto Musashi's light in the middle. Even though he possessed absolute mastery of the concept of fire…the same could be said for the woman standing before him.

His attack was overwhelmed. Entirely.

Sukuna watched as his arrow, which had easily slain one of the strongest Curses in the world and could burn entire city blocks to the ground…was razed into nothingness.

The beams barreled forward, now unabated.

All he could do was let it drive down on him…and…

…

xXx

Wind.

That was the stance that she had switched to to deliver such a potent blow.

While Earth focused on pure defense and counterattack, and Water relied more on the pure offense and overwhelming speed that Niten Ichi-ryu provided, then Wind was a counterpart more separate from the other.

It blended in the use of the arcane into her swordplay. While she would never touch actual Magecraft with a ten-meter pole, mostly because she didn't know the first thing about it, the Wind Stance was what she used when she wanted to take advantage of her innate pool of magical energy—her Od.

It didn't serve her much aside from trickery and the occasional trump card when she was alive. Now that she was a bona-fide Servant, however, she found herself with a much larger reservoir of inner mana.

In short, the Wind Stance was now much more powerful and reliable…and allowed her to execute attacks such as that.

Five Great Buddhas. The demonstration of her mastery of the Five Elements.

Using the speed of Wind as an accelerator, she launched light forward at her enemy, commanded by the thrust of her sword. It was a swift strike, yet speed was not its only forté; the pure power it possessed alone could make it qualify as its own Noble Phantasm.

She grinned in confidence as she willed the five beams to continue their onslaught. Even though she was giving it all she had, she still sensed that ancient Oni's blood red pressure coming from the other end.

She wouldn't stop until she sensed it no longer. His signature was weakening by the second, so she never relented from the gas pedal.

Just a little…longer…!

Musashi's teeth ground together. At this point, even the great Rider from the Waxing Moon Ritual would have her armor melted away by now. Yet still—the one named Ryomen Sukuna stood, resisting her light better than anyone she knew.

"Kai." (Dismantle.)

(OST: "Thunderclap"— Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2)

In that brief, brief instant in time, she felt everything pause.

Sukuna's words echoed in her ears, causing a shiver down her spine that she couldn't explain.

Her subordinate lights continued to fire…yet at that second, she felt it would all be fruitless.

That pressure.

That unbelievably large pressure coming from that Oni had somehow grown to new heights.

Her left eye screamed at her. In her mind, she scanned the possibilities of the coming few seconds.

Out of a thousand outcomes…nine-hundred-ninety-nine of them resulted in her imminent death in the next two seconds.

Wait—!

She saw the Five Great Buddhas split perfectly in twain. Each beam of light was severed and annihilated as an invisible force fired back at her.

Musashi locked onto the small chance of survival, and never let it go.

One second passed.

That invisible force was almost right on top of her.

The five lights around her spun behind her like a propeller. With a resonant shout, she launched herself sideways with the Wind Stance. The makeshift, sudden change in direction caused her to stumble and fall as the attack narrowly grazed past her body.

She rolled onto one knee, glancing at the place where she was just standing…

…and gawked at the nothing that remained there. It was a perfect gash in the earth, stretching for hundreds of meters into the distance.

Was that the…?

She recalled back to the severed body of that white-haired warrior.

Was that the same attack…that killed him…?

If it weren't for her Heavenly Eye, which gave her the ability to see future possibilities and choose the one most valuable for her, she wouldn't have had the wherewithal to escape that attack.

She would have ended up just like him.

So that's the attack that can apparently cut the world…

"…You're full of surprises, aren't ya?" Musashi half-joked. She was also half-serious; she really didn't expect that at all.

Climbing to her feet, she spotted her opponent walking out from the great cloud of dust her Five Great Buddhas had left, and…

Well…if I wasn't sure he was an Oni before, I am now.

She readied her stance as the same tattooed, muscled man emerged; yet now with an appearance inhuman.

His hair was no longer jet black, but a pale, clay red that was windswept back. It nearly reminded her of Gramps, now that she thought about it.

That was not the most major change upon his body, however.

From beneath his arms grew another pair, equally as tattooed and muscular as their constituents. His second pair of eyes were also now plainly visible, with the right side of his face being partially obscured by a mask that also grew what must have been his other eyes.

She wasn't sure, but the strange line upon his stomach made her think that he likely had a second mouth as well. The worst part: any damage that he had previously sustained had all appeared to reset, bringing them right back to an even playing field.

"I could say the same to you, Miyamoto Musashi." Sukuna replied, now uncharacteristically respectful. "This form of mine…I haven't used this since the Heian Era."

Musashi blinked. Ah-ha.

This Sukuna was not the variant connected to the Yamato during Japan's time of myth and legend, but rather during the more historically recorded Heian Period of the 9th-thru-12th centuries.

Where he was from did not matter, though—what she cared about was the gap between them that she, unfortunately, noticed had widened.

Before, Musashi had held a rather sizable speed advantage: disallowing Sukuna from ever landing a meaningful blow on her. But with those four arms…

…Hehe. Who ever said defeating an Oni would be easy?

She steeled herself, meeting his arrogant smirk with a confident grin.

The swordstress expected him to go in for another rushing attack, just like before. To prepare, she fell back into her Earth Stance. More limbs meant more variables to keep track of, after all.

But instead—

Huh?

She watched as he squatted down, and planted two arms onto the earth.

"Hachi." (Cleave.)

In an instant, the ground beneath their feet shattered with an earthquaking rumble. Musashi found herself swept off her feet as the debris-littered ground seemed to break apart in a massive, grid-like pattern.

Chunks of brown and grey burst into the air as Sukuna tore apart the battlefield with just a single word. Thus, with not footing to stand upon—

Not good—!

She had noticed him too late. The Oni of the Heian Era was right upon her, his four eyes glowing with dark, crimson vermillion. His expression was wide with amusement; exalted at the fact that he finally found a break in her guard.

Musashi tried to raise her blades, but it was simply a matter of numbers. She had two hands, he had four.

That, on top of not having any footing to plant her guard, she simply could not protect herself.

A closed, burled fist slammed mercilessly into her stomach. Her head and back shuddered as they both violently ricocheted against the floor, bouncing back up into mid-air. Liquid spurted out of her open mouth, dangerously metallic in taste.

She heard the Oni chuckle at her pain, entertained by her cries. A deep, amused laughter, just as she felt the same hand be placed on her flank.

Her eyes widened. He was about to do the same thing to her that he did to the ground.

A pressure formed on his palm as he once again announced the name of his fatal killshot.

"Hachi."

"Nng…AGH—!"

Unbearably sharp pains fired repeatedly into her side, cutting easily into and through her skin, tearing into her internal organs and ripping out the other side.

The pain was almost akin to the time she had lost her eye. It wouldn't cause her to writhe and cry in pain—she had learned to stifle such intense emotions—but it was still a stinging shock unlike any other.

Blood became visible in mid-air; this time, it wasn't her enemy's.

Yet, even with that guaranteed hit…she saw Sukuna pause. A look of puzzled bewilderment came across his face—was he surprised at the fact that she was still alive?

Either way, she took that chance to twist her blade, and swiped it directly at the Oni's neck.

Flesh crashed into metal with a sickening thud. Musashi clicked her teeth as, once again, Sukuna had guarded from a fatal blow with his upper left arm.

Before she could even think about a follow-up strike, his two right arms swung forward with the force and speed of missiles.

They crashed into Musashi's midsection. This time, he completely succeeded in doubling the swordswoman over as she eked out a pained, loud groan before being sent flying backward.

Untold, shatteringly dull pain fired throughout her entire body. It was only her sheer will as a warrior that kept her hands tightly gripped around her swords as her body ripped through the air and meteored through the tattered cityscape.

Glass, concrete, wood, asphalt— all materials she found herself falling through or skidding against as Sukuna's strike sent her reeling hundreds of meters backward.

Fo…cus…me…!

She half-opened her eyes, and slammed her sword into the black roads of Shinjuku. It screeched against the asphalt for several moments before finally forcefully stopping her in place.

Her feet finally touched the ground. Too weak at the moment to be able to stand, she immediately collapsed to a knee and used the blade to balance herself.

A combination of sticky blood and spit trailed down her chin. Her flanks had been torn open on both sides—looking at the reflection in the glass of a nearby building, she noticed that Sukuna's Cleave had left gridlike lacerations right through her body, ripping apart her internals.

Luckily for her, her status as a Heroic Spirit meant that all organs were unnecessary for her aside from being storage units for mana; they were simply carryovers from the body they had in life. The organs she truly had to protect were her brain for conscious thinking and her heart. The latter was especially prominent, since it was where her Spirit Origin was located.

If Sukuna had aimed a little higher, then…

She shook her head. A fight of this caliber left no time to be able to speculate about what-ifs of the past.

Just ahead, about a stadium's distance away, she spotted the four-armed Oni stepping toward her with casual, arrogant strides.

Gritting her teeth, she focused most of her mana reserves into healing the wounds. With all of that magical energy focused on healing, no longer was Wind Stance viable; she would have to rely on pure swordplay.

Turning into Spirit Form and running away wasn't an option for her, either. While she had largely ignored them up to the point, she was aware of the other, silent watchers overseeing their battle. Comparing their pressure to Sukuna's and her own, she knew that none of them really stood a chance against that man.

If she ran, then they would be picked apart one-by-one. By the time she was fully healed, he would have already claimed his victory.

She couldn't let that happen. She wasn't one to give away innocent lives like that, but…

More importantly, he's my opponent. Sorry, but I'm not gonna let anyone else have a crack at him until I figure out who's stronger.

She grinned and bared her pain, willing herself to her feet and pulling her sword from its crevice. For some reason, the four-armed Oni wasn't making any effort to attack her. Good for her; she needed those scant moments to catch her breath.

His march toward her stopped about a school bus-length away. Crossing two of his arms, his demeanor made her realize that he seemed to want to take a small break.

She responded in kind and slowly lowered her swords.

"You really are interesting." Sukuna said. "That attack…it should have been fatal. Yet you're still standing, even with it ripping a hole straight through your body…

Tell me…are you even a Sorcerer?"

Musashi had half a mind to keep her mouth shut, but the other half really couldn't fathom how someone could look at a clear sword-user and ask if they're a mage. Honestly, she found it rather insulting.

Grinning with defiance, she fired back. "Hah? I ain't no damn sorcerer. Do I look like I cast spells?"

"Fascinating…maybe that's why Cleave didn't work completely on you…" He muttered, almost too quiet for Musashi to hear.

"Regardless," his voice raised, "I won't make the same mistake this time."

He swiped his two right arms. At the same instance, he announced.

"KAI!"

An inviolable, immeasurable pressure fired forth from his fingertips. Musashi could sense it: that razor-sharp, hyper-deadly cutting force that could rend the world apart.

As it approached her, ripping the very air and flattening the ground smooth, she recalled what Sukuna said it possessed.

A world-cutting slash. One that cuts space, the world, existence…everything.

It cuts through everything. All of reality is its target. It's an attack that…nothing can protect from.

…

…

One is nothing, thus invincible.

She closed her eyes.

For the first time in this battle, she called upon the last stance that she had grasped in her life. One that allowed her to grasp the power, the very concept of Emptiness.

I shall break through Infinity—

The Dismantle slashed through her body.

Not…into her, however.

—to reach the state of Zero.

A gentle whir whisked past her ears as she felt the attack pass right through her. Her clothes, her skin, her entire self—none of it was ever touched by the attack that rends all.

She exhaled, and raised her head with a grin. So it worked, after all.

The Void Stance.

Using Emptiness—the Void itself—she became something that Dismantle could never hope to cut. Sukuna's attack was such that not even the Gods and the Buddha themselves could escape it, but…

I've faced such attacks before.

She knew of two such swordmasters with a capability like that—to make an inescapable, ultimate attack that was meant to be un-evadable.

Yet, even if Sukuna could cleave through everything…there was still one thing he could not cut.

Nothing.

In her state of Void, she was untouchable. After all, how can one ever hope to affect something that doesn't even exist?

Musashi felt her heart beat faster at the changing expression on the Oni's face. His mouth was agape in surprise; astounded that she had completely phased through an attack that was meant to cut through everything.

I can't rely on it all the time, though.

She readied her swords, and bit her lip from the lingering, sharp pains in her gutted stomach that would no doubt have caused a normal human to bleed out by now.

The Void Stance was the quickest and most utterly overpowering of the five she had, but it had one fatal flaw: she could only enter that state for long periods of time if her vitality was high. It was meant to be an ultimate trump card used at the start of battle, but once she starts incurring more damage, the less often she is able to enter that state.

With the serious wound in her flank, her Void could only be maintained for a second or two at a time. It was enough to evade Sukuna's Dismantles, but she couldn't use it for offense effectively.

Luckily, she had a Stance perfect for the job.

An explosive way of the sword that became exponentially stronger the more she was backed into a corner. Inverse from Void Stance, it grew in potency the more damage she took.

A red-hot, flaming aura burned around her swords as she stepped forward—

—and rushed at godspeed toward the still-stunned King of Curses.

xXx

(OST: "Fate -Sword Dance-"— Fate/Grand Order)

There was no way.

There was no way that had just happened.

Ryomen Sukuna found himself, just for a second or two, genuinely baffled at what he had just witnessed. Normally when seeing a new ability or technique from a Sorcerer in his path, he would watch on in great intrigue; but there was no ability in the whole world that could just stupefy him like the feat he had just seen now.

Not even Gojo Satoru and his applications of Infinity astounded him at the levels he was experiencing now, because…

How did she…!?

The World-Cutting Slash. Thanks to Mahoraga's blueprints and its adaptations, Sukuna's Slashes are at the level that they could, quite literally, cut infinity.

It could cut anything, and everything. Gojo's protection meant nothing. No defensive ability in the entire world could ever hope to reach the levels of the Honored One's—yet even that fell victim to the unstoppable Dismantle.

Yet, before his eyes…its unstoppability seemed to prove false.

For the swordmaster had just proven that even it, the perfect cutter, was fallible.

She had phased through it completely. Without even moving.

Sukuna's eyes narrowed as he noticed that, once again, the energy, the pressure emanating off of her had changed. It felt…familiar.

He recalled the intense, violet light of the late Gojo Satoru's Hollow Purple. That energy it gave off—it was eerily similar to her.

No—she was like it, yet opposite. Something about her power felt inverse to Gojo.

If he represented Infinity…then…

Sukuna's eye twitched. He had an idea; it would explain how she had easily bypassed Dismantle, even as she faced it head-on.

After all, can a knife that can cut everything…cut through nothing?

It was a question he would have to answer later as he noticed the sakura-haired swordswoman take an assertive step towards him. Once again, he sensed the aura around her change.

No longer did she give off that violet pressure. Instead, it had transformed into a violent, fiery inferno.

A boom akin to a cannon fired off. Sukuna raised his arms as he realized that she had launched herself at lightning speeds, clearing the dozens of meters between them faster than a bee could flap its wings.

As she got halfway, he announced that ultimate slash again—maybe it had somehow been a fluke?

"KAI!"

The slash rang out, ripping in a diagonal toward the swordswoman's face.

She smirked at him. He grimaced in response as he once again felt her energy change.

Just for a brief, small moment. The raging flames burning from her body ceased, replaced with a gentle, focused purple.

Without missing a beat, she barreled right into the slash. Sukuna's eyes widened; witnessing as Musashi had, once again, avoided the damage completely.

He couldn't definitively explain the event happening before his eyes. Her body seemed to break into translucent copies of herself, layered countlessly on top of one another.

Because his World-Cutting Slash was capable of cutting everything in all of space-time, he could only come up with two explanations.

Either she was, somehow, sending the Dismantle's impact to a different time, or—

—She's putting herself outside of the Time-Axis.

Space and Time were intrinsically linked; literally one and the same thing. If Sukuna's slashes cut space, then it would also cut time.

But if there were a power that could place one outside of time, then it would allow them to transcend the space they existed in, as well.

From the perspective of the world, she no longer "existed".

If that was the explanation, then it made perfect sense as to why Miyamoto Musashi could evade something like Dismantle.

Something that could cut "everything" cannot cut "nothing".

This unfortunate truth rang through Sukuna's mind as the swordmaster rushed forward—once again, completely unhindered by his slash.

In a heartbeat, she was right next to him. Her blades laced in a reddish heat, she grit her teeth tight as she swung them at his neck with the swiftness of lightning.

Sukuna raised his arms to block. Her speed was not quite on the level of the river-like movements she had demonstrated before; but the power behind her swords was much more intense.

With his strengthened body, however, he fully expected to block the attack with his two limbs.

But at that instance, just as the blades were about to make contact with his skin, he realized his fatal mistake.

Shit.

Her energy shifted into a transient purple, just for a millisecond.

He had failed to realize until that moment—if she could phase through his Dismantle, then of course, she could also phase through him.

Her blades passed effortlessly through his left arms, not making a single scratch on each one, before suddenly becoming solid again with a blazing red heat.

He jerked his head, but he was already too late. The steel blades cleanly, rapidly made their incisions into his cheek and neck. He moved his head to the side as much as he could to roll with the slash and evade as much damage as possible, but it was still dangerously close to beheading him then and there.

Fortunately, the other half of his body was already moving to counterattack. He had one gamble that he hoped would pay off:

She can't keep phasing continuously!

Such a powerful utility skill must have been taxing on the body. She surely could not do it in quick succession.

With this hope in mind, he punched his right arms directly toward her stomach.

He spotted her re-shifting her swords for a downward slam, but he was going to be faster.

He grinned as he felt his fists make contact with her kimono. Her body shuddered, bending and nearly breaking from his strike, but he wasn't done.

"HACHI!"

His Cleave ripped through her gut again, tearing grids through her clothes, skin and organs.

A rain of red fired out from the other end. Her eyes went blank, and her skin grew a shade paler. The black bead hairpiece shattered, causing her hair to fall down loosely around her shoulders.

A strike that powerful and deadly should have immediately killed any Sorcerer or Curse.

But not her.

She's resistant to it…since she doesn't use Cursed Energy.

Cleave was an attack that scaled in response to the enemy's cursed energy, and cut them down in one fell swoop. But if the opponent had no Cursed Energy to begin with, however, the attack proved much less effective. It was like him trying to use Cleave on an inanimate rock: he would make a cut, but it would not be total annihilation.

It still incurred damage, which was his goal. He had to whittle her down—so much so that she would be incapable of that unique phasing ability any longer.

Only then, would he be able to cut her down with Dismantle for good.

And yet.

"That all you got!?"

The fire in Miyamoto Musashi's eyes just burned even brighter. An inferno seemed to rage in her very soul as she flipped in mid-air at unfathomable speeds, building momentum for a meteoric strike overhead.

She's…even faster. How is that even—!?

Sukuna clapped his hands together, grabbing the swords mere centimeters away from his face. With his free arms, he attacked her already extremely vulnerable stomach to tear it wide open.

A sorcerer she was not, but a normal human she wasn't, either. Hopefully, by completely ripping a hole in her gut, it would finally prove to slow her dow—

"Ack—!"

His head whipped back as the katanas slashed down upon his face. Once again, she had effortlessly phased through him.

He had avoided his head being completely bifurcated, but all four of his eyes had been sliced clean, causing him to see nothing but painful red.

In a split-second, he undid the damage with Reverse Cursed Technique. Overall, he had been dealt much less damage than she had, but he couldn't get over the fact that she was somehow speeding up.

Unbeknownst to the King of Curses, it was because of one simple fact: the Stance she stayed within exponentially increased her power and speed the more damage she took.

Every serious blow he dealt upon her only served to grow her parameters. At this point, she had far surpassed the speed of even the Water Stance.

His healed eyes glanced down, only to widen at her lowered pose.

The swordswoman's five colored lights orbited violently around her blade, building up a skyrocketing energy that threatened to blow a hole right through him.

He wouldn't let that happen.

With an angered shout, he slammed his bottom arms into the trembling earth.

"HACHI!"

The ground could not handle the ultimate Sorcerer's raw power, and shattered so much like glass.

Musashi's footing stumbled, forcing her to give up on blowing him away as she backstepped up into the air. Sukuna rushed up after her, taking advantage of her off-balance as he aggressively swiped his arms.

"KAI!"

The Dismantles fired like gunshots, consecutively roaring toward the battered swordmaster.

As he predicted, her infernal aura shifted to a tranquil violet once again. And once again, she shifted in nature to defend. Sukuna could see the very clouds in the sky through her body as her existence became nullified from this world.

But what he could not predict, however, was Musashi sheathing her own blades; even as the Dismantles were passing right through her.

This was not a sign of surrender. Still gripping her sword's handles, Sukuna realized what she was about to do a split-second before she did.

He was too slow to react to it, however.

The final Dismantle phased straight through her. Grinning viciously, the sakura swordmaster just barely eked out her katana's blade.

And Sukuna could only gag out a pained cough as several—no, dozens of invisible, almost unseeable cuts sliced onto every single part of his body.

They were relatively shallow, but their pain was annoying. Sukuna strained to heal each one as she created slashes at a rate faster than he could use Reverse Cursed Technique.

As the assault continued in mid-air, Sukuna came to one grim, slightly comedic conclusion.

Mahoraga would be really useful right about now…!

If anything could adapt to Miyamoto Musashi's Emptiness, it would be him—the being that could adapt to anything after experiencing it enough. Even Gojo Satoru's Infinity eventually became helpless to Mahoraga's capabilities.

At this point, the Divine General might have come up with enough of a plan to counter the swordswoman…but without him, Sukuna would have to make do on his own.

The slashes suddenly stopped. Sukuna almost wondered why, until he locked eyes with the tiger-eyed warrior barreling down on him with twin blades of furious flames.

She slashed her swords in an X-pattern, which released a cutting pressure not too dissimilar to his Dismantle.

His four arms rose up to guard. Yet the force of the Fire Stance proved to be much too overwhelming.

Ryomen Sukuna howled out in pain for the first time in this battle, as the slashes cleaved straight through his arms and shot him careening back into the crumpled city.

His back brutally battered into the broken Shinjuku. He felt the wet stream of blood spewing from his mouth—as well as all four of his severed arms as he stared blankly into the sky.

Miyamoto…Musashi…

He grinned, ever so slightly. The historical fact of that master swordsman being a man no longer mattered to him.

The prowess, the sheer, raw skill, and the abilities she demonstrated to him were impeccable. She somehow gave him an even harder time than even Gojo Satoru.

He decided: he would officially renounce his doubt about her right to that name.

You are truly strong. But…

He floated up to his feet, staggering for just a second before setting into a solid stance. Staring ahead, he watched with great anticipation as the swordswoman landed on the ground, light as a feather, before walking toward her with an equally entertained smile.

He had dealt viciously ferocious wounds into her midsection. The kimono cloth had been utterly ripped and torn away, same as the flesh underneath. Multiple gridded wounds, almost making it possible to see through her injuries if not for the pure crimson red spilling down her legs and staining her sandals.

What's stranger, he spotted strange, azure glitters floating around her injury; giving off an aura that was utterly unlike Cursed Energy.

Is that her version of Reverse Cursed Technique…? At any rate.

"You are a fine fighter, Miyamoto Musashi." Sukuna announced, just as he willed his RCT to grow back his lost limbs. "I've fought thousands of opponents…yet you stand as one of the finest I've ever faced."

"Am I, now?" Musashi smirked. "Not often I get an Oni complimentin' me."

"Oni, huh…?" Sukuna muttered. "I guess you're not wrong about thinking of me as one…though I assure you—I have no Oni blood in me."

"Eh? Where'd you get those other arms and eyes from, then?"

"…A long story. A story that I don't have the patience to tell right now."

(OST: "Malevolent Shrine"— Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2)

Sukuna gave a wry grin as he placed two of his hands together: forefinger and pinkies folded down, while his middle and ring pointed up like a mountain peak.

An utterly dark, darker yet darker pressure emanated from the King of Curses. Musashi's expression shifted from a lighthearted smile into a serious scowl.

Indeed, she was right to be on guard.

For Ryomen Sukuna was finally about to release his trump card.

If his World-Cutting Slash could not reach her, then…

There's only one thing that can.

The ability that only belonged to the strongest Curses and Sorcerers. The ability to take one's Domain, and extend it outwards into reality.

Upon activation, any and all attacks made from the user were conceptually guaranteed to hit.

His eyes narrowed with arrogance.

Will you be able to evade this one, Miyamoto Musashi?

"Ryōiki Tenkai—

Fukuma Mizushi."

(Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine.)

xXx

At first, she only heard the tiny, ever-so-miniscule drop of water plop into the pool at her feet. It was only then that she realized the entire ground had shifted from dry, lifeless dirt into a shallow pond that barely covered her feet.

The drafty wind from the barren city immediately ceased. The air was silent, still as a leaf, as she heard those words resound from the King of Curses.

Domain Expansion.

She didn't know its exact mechanics, but…

This feeling, it's…

At the very end of her journey through the Shimousa Pseudo-Singularity with the Master of Chaldea, she encountered a man with a strange and extremely-rare ability.

It was something that belonged to those with minds that were so utterly delusional toward their inner ideals, that their will had manifested into its own, miniature reality within their soul. Then, with a simple incantation, that reality would be brought outward—replacing the World with their own.

She knew them as Reality Marbles. But this…

No. It's similar, but different in mechanics. But regardless, this pressure I feel…I…

Her breath was nearly taken away as her eyes laid upon the shadow of a four-eyed demon, complete with an utterly wicked, malevolent smile.

As the shadow faded, it revealed the heart of the Domain Expansion: a red Buddhist Shrine, standing atop a hellish hill of skulls—both of animals and of humans. She wondered if those were the heads of the thousands of enemies that Sukuna had slain in the distant past, as she gazed up at the four-armed man himself standing at the gate of the Shrine.

Despite it being day, the area around her had mysteriously shifted into a crimson night. The aura of darkness that was originally emanating from Sukuna was now all around her, enveloping and threatening to choke and crush her.

Any other, weaker-willed swordsman would have dropped their blades in pure fear. Any other swordsman would grovel and beg for mercy. Any other swordsman might have died simply from the terror they felt clamping down from all directions.

Yet she remained upright. But even she, the one who mastered Zero, felt a sweat fall upon her brow from the malevolence beyond malevolence gripping her body, mind and soul.

In terms of sheer, pure evil…

Only the Caster of Limbo could compare…

Yet not even he seemed to have a power this incomprehensible.

…But even still…

She spotted Sukuna smirk at her, as if he had already claimed his victory.

But, to what was probably his surprise, she met it with a smile of her own.

Even in this darkness.

Even in this unavoidable, inescapable trap…she would never back down from the challenge.

"Hachi."

The bone-chilling voice of the King of Curses almost seemed to whisper in her ear, juxtaposing the hellscape around her.

(OST: "Slash the Void ~Beyond Zero~"— Fate/Grand Order)

Yet at that same instance, she announced her own will as she sheathed her swords.

"Namu, Tenman Daijizai Tenjin."

The Cleaves failed to strike her. Sukuna was just a hair—a millisecond away from cutting her entire body to ribbons.

This was because just like him…she too was holding back a trump card.

A force of her own pushed back against the Domain of the King of Curses. From her perspective, it was naught but her own will—her own sword ki. But for a watchful Sorcerer, it was more like a Simple Domain…which eliminated the guaranteed hit that Domain Expansions provided.

She did not know this logically—but her Heavenly Eye had guided her on this path. To defeat Ryomen Sukuna, and the reality he had just released around her, she had to show him what was within her own soul.

Likely realizing that his Cleaves were no longer going to strike her directly, Sukuna switched to his other method of chopping his enemies.

"Kai."

She felt them closing in from all directions.

Those World-Cutting Slashes. But, within Sukuna's Domain, they were unleashed by the hundreds.

No, thousands.

In all three-hundred-sixty degrees, the attack that rends the world closed in on her, countlessly. Endlessly.

"Nioh Kurikara—Shoutenshou."

An indelible illusion appeared behind her.

A massive, four-armed Nioh revealed itself, carrying a greatsword with a unique glowing light. Its limbs, usually meant to cut down the opponent in front of her, wrapped around her body in an attempt to protect her.

Each of the four swords represented a part of her mastery of the blade—of the four base elements that she designed her Stances off of.

Earth, Water, Wind and Fire strengthened her own, makeshift Domain; layering on top of each other to create a multi-barrier.

As she would soon find out, however…even those would prove to only buy her a few seconds of time.

"Hayagrīva, I shall carry my anger to cut down evil."

She kept her focus on the enemy standing at the top of the Shrine. If she wanted to defeat him, she could not let her Heavenly Eye gaze upon anything else but her target.

A screech rang out in her ears as she felt the first arm of her Nioh be torn apart by those Slashes.

The layer of Earth had fallen. Then of Water. Then of Wind.

Those slashes' aftereffects rumbled in her ears, nearly breaking her concentration.

Yet still, she remained strong. For at her side, growing from the final, fifth sphere of pure purple light, was the sword that she had trained for all her life.

The sword that cut that which couldn't be cut.

The sword that she still had yet to master.

"This blade is the path to the Void, my very life!"

She winced as the layer of Fire shattered around her.

The Nioh, which had been providing those key, few seconds, groaned weakly as it disappeared back into the ether…but it had done its job. For within Miyamoto Musashi's hands, was—!

"Now come hither, my roaring sword, now unsheathed!"

The master of Niten Ichi-ryu shouted in defiance at the Dismantles falling upon her in all directions. They were less than a second away from completely annihilating her.

In her hands, however, was a blade that did not just cut the world—did not just cut space, and existence itself.

It was a blade that severed karma and the soul—it rendered all possibilities, all of one's fate and destiny down until there was nothing left.

The great beam of white violet shone brightly into the heavens.

She could not know this, but for Ryomen Sukuna, that harsh violet light shimmering and shining from her blade was all-too familiar.

A certain Honored One had also delivered him an ultimate strike of the same color. Now, it came down to a single question: could he survive a blow similar, yet opposite?

He had withstood Infinity, but…will Zero be what leads to his final breath?

The Dismantles grew closer. From afar, she spotted the King of Curses pull back another fire arrow.

"FŪGA."

She watched the flame loose from his fingertips and launch straight past the Dismantles, its trajectory straight between her eyes.

Everything was mere meters away. The excruciating pain of having to use Void Stance while in such an injured state was the only reason why her Noble Phantasm was this delayed.

Even her Heavenly Eye started to see the dwindling possibilities of victory. At this point only one was left—but it was fading extraordinarily fast.

I'm cutting it close, but…I think I can…!

She had to lower her blade.

She had to let this Oni know of the concept beyond the World. Beyond Existence. Beyond Infinity.

Putting every fiber of her being—every working muscle, every breath she took and every ounce of her will forward, she swung her blade and announced for the world to hear—!

"Ishana, DAITENSHOU—!"

(OST: End)

…

…

…

"…Yo."

An unfamilar voice spoke out to her, causing her to open her eyes.

She was sitting cross-legged at a kotatsu, within a traditional Japanese room complete with tatami floors and a sliding door opposite to her. A huge spread of traditional Japanese meals laid out in front of her: sashimi, nigiri, tsukemen, ramen, udon—

Oooo! Udon!

She almost reached for the bowl and chopsticks to instinctively dig in, but a hand cut into her periphery, which also cut off her sudden gluttony.

She followed the arm, which seemed to be grabbing a plate of white-colored mochi, which appeared to be cut in half with a green interior.

"You gonna eat that? Eh, sorry, they're mine now."

The masculine voice chuckled as he set the plate in front of him. Looking up, Musashi immediately realized who it was—even behind the black blindfold he wore.

"You're…Gojo Satoru, right?"

The man grinned, plopping a mochi into his mouth and chewing for a second before casually responding. "Thaaat's me. I didn't catch your name, though. I was a little, uh…"

He gestured to his stomach, making a cutting motion. "…unable to hear it at the time."

Musashi giggled at the grim, but honestly amusing joke. He had a charisma about him that she could appreciate. "Do you want the real name, the full name, or the name I usually go by?"

"Hah? Aren't those all supposed to be the same thing?"

"What can I say? Edo Period Japan was different. Anyway, I was just teasin'. It's Miyamoto Musashi."

"…Ahhh. Yeah, the two swords shoulda probably given it away. Though, why the hell are you a woman?"

"You have no idea how many times I've been asked that question. Oh, by the way—"

She pointed to the steaming bowl of Udon sitting in the center of the table. "Can I have that? 'Cause I sure as hell am not gonna let it go to waste."

He shrugged. She took that as approval to start digging in, and immediately slurped down all the lost calories from fighting Sukuna—not that Servants needed to intake calories, anyway.

Oh, right.

She realized mid-slurp about her current situation. I was in a…fight just now, right?

"I know that look." Gojo tapped his finger. "It's the 'Oh shit, I think I just died' look. That's what you're feelin', right?"

Musashi set down her bowl and gravely nodded. "I…think so? Especially since I'm talking to you. That must mean that…I must have…"

She threw her head back and rubbed her hair in frustration. "Aw, maaaan! I REALLY needed to stay alive! There's still people that need me! I still haven't achieved my true goal yet! GRAH!"

She had half a mind to flip the table, but her hungry half told her not to waste any of that delicious food.

"…Well…I wouldn't be so sure." Gojo responded.

Musashi paused from her lamenting her peered up. "…Eh? What do you mean? How am I talkin' to ya, then?"

Gojo Satoru grinned. "It's cause we're the same, you and me."

"…"

"No, not the dead part. That's just me. I'm dead dead. Gone and never comin' back. That damn King of Curses got the better of me…ugh." He rolled his eyes. "But what I meant was…you and I, we achieved something that no other person in this world has. Here, take a look at this."

He gestured for her to stand up as he hopped to his feet and started to the door. Following suit, she set her Udon bowl down as she watched him open the sliding door, and—

…Woah.

Her mouth went slightly agape at the pure…nothingness all around them.

They were sitting in a perfectly ordinary tatami room, but all around them, for absolutely eternity, was…nothing.

Stretching as far as she could make out, the land was a pure, pitch black. At the horizon was a white line, stretching even further into oblivion.

It was a perfect, ethereal void of emptiness itself.

It all looks so…familiar…wait—!

She remembered.

Underneath the burning Edo Castle, against a swordsman who wielded the Infinite Possibilities.

She, and him, had entered this realm. This state of being.

A higher plane of understanding where nothing existed but them and their concepts. Zero and Infinity, clashing for eternity.

This—this was that same space. Even though she was in a completely different world with completely different rules, this realm remained the same.

"You and I both reached…an enlightenment, I guess is how ya word it. That's how I mastered my Infinity."

Gojo pressed his thumb and fingers together, formulating a small, spherical shining ball of hollowed purple.

"My Infinity, and your Zero. Throughout Heaven and Earth…we alone stand as the Honored Ones."

Musashi gawked at it—despite being small, she could sense that its very nature was just like her Void, but opposite in concept. "Oh, I so wanna fight you right now. You really are this world's Sasaki Kojirou, aren't you?"

Gojo tilted his head. His dramatic grandeur faded into slumped shoulders at her casualness. "You tryna tell me you're gonna bludgeon me with a stick?"

He was apparently familiar with her and Kojirou's canonical story.

"Whaaaat? Nooo! I could never!…I would just blow up the island we duel on."

"You say that like you've done it before."

She whistled and rolled her eyes. Gojo cracked a smile before hopping down into the voidal ground. Musashi attempted to follow, but—

"Huh?"

Something prevented her from going from the floor of the tatami to the nothingness outside. In fact, she couldn't even pass through the doorway. "How come I can't…?"

"That's how we know your job ain't done yet." Satoru reassured.

Musashi blinked. She was starting to understand.

"The place I'm in now—it's both everything, and nothing at the same time. We both have seen it before, but only someone whose soul has completely left the material world can be fully immersed in it. That is to say…they gotta die first. And, ya know."

He did the same cutting motion across his midsection. "But you—you're unable to leave that room. That means that you're still attached to material, worldly things. Meaning…"

Musashi's eyes widened. "I'm not…actually…"

"Yeeeep." Satoru nodded. "Cut it really damn close though, I feel. You probably almost reached the place you wanted to, but…that King of Curses wasn't the right target."

"Heh. I figured he wasn't." Musashi nodded. "He's strong, and all, but he's not the strongest opponent I've faced. He might have been the strongest I've fought on my own, but I've stared down actual gods and stuff!"

Gojo scratched his head. She wasn't sure if he believed her or not.

"You gotta be kidding. Gods?"

"He was a giant mammoth."

"I refuse to believe that's a thing. Actually—wait, one of my students was a freakin' panda, so…maybe?"

"Your student's a what, now?" Musashi blinked.

"Either way, I think I have to give my thanks." Satoru admitted. "Until you came along, I was the best chance at defeating him. With me gone…who knows how many people would have kicked the bucket after me.

So thanks. You probably saved my students' lives."

All she could do was nod and bow. "The honor's all mine. All I wanted was a good fight anyway, and I think I got it. Though…since you've mastered Infinity and everything, you're probably a much more interesting matchup for me."

Gojo smirked, then burst out into a brief laughter. "Ha! Maybe one day."

He took a few paces deeper into the void, before turning around with a solemn grin. "…Yeah, one day. Your path is gonna end up like mine, isn't it?"

"…" Musashi only had to give it a second or two of thought before replying. "…It sure is. I touched it, this time—the Void beyond Zero. But it was just like you said—Ryomen Sukuna wasn't the correct target for me to truly cut what I needed to cut. However…"

She stared off into the blank space beyond, and the white line that divided the black floor with the even blacker sky. "…I can feel it. I've felt it for a while now, actually. I only have so many worlds left to go; only so many enemies left to battle. But at the end of it all…

…I can sense it. Almost taste it, even. That Void, beyond Zero. It's calling my name. And I'm gonna slash right through it."

Gojo Satoru nodded. "The Udon will be waitin' for ya when ya get back here."

"Hehe. I look forward to it."

She watched as the white-haired Sorcerer continued his march into the infinite oblivion. This realm—this space—was true enlightenment.

She would reach it, some day, and become immersed in it just like him. But for now…

She grabbed hold of the tatami sliding door, and waved off the departed Sorcerer of Infinity.

"See ya around, Gojo Satoru! I can't wait for our duel—it's gonna be fun as hell!"

The man sighed, unfurling his blindfold as he turned on his heels with a wave of his own.

"…Same here! And…

…say hi to my students for me, will ya?"

Musashi smiled bright as the sun, with a wistful shine coming from her eyes.

"Of course. I'll let them know you're doing just fine."

With a final bow, the last thing she saw was a glimpse of crystal blue eyes and snow white hair, before she shut the door on the Void of her own volition.

For the first time in what must have felt like an eternity, Shinjuku had finally fallen into silence.

Pure, tranquil silence. The only thing that moved was the gentle breeze of the wind as it ruffled through the man and woman's hair.

No longer were there the ripping tears of Cleaves or Dismantles, nor were there the clanging and the metallic slashing of steeled blades.

Instead, all that remained after their final clash of the finest abilities they had to offer, was…

…

Ryomen Sukuna stood tall.

His legs and arms remained stalwart and strong.

Yet…he did not move. He could not move.

Meanwhile, the crouched, nearly prone body of his opponent continued to hold her swung katana in her shaky, bloodied hands.

One of her eyes was sealed shut, torn from a Dismantle that had slashed into her face. Her stomach was still as ripped open and maimed as before.

Blood, blood and more blood seeped out of her mouth, making her taste nothing but metal. Her kimono was ruined and shredded; she was lucky that her essentials were still covered.

But…

Closing her one good eye, she gripped her sword's sheathe and silently, methodically, slid her katana blade into its rightful home.

And with a click—

Miyamoto Musashi's Sword of Zero was sealed.

And Ryomen Sukuna's body split perfectly in two, straight down the middle.

Usage of Reverse Cursed Technique was impossible. The sword had rendered the entire concept of the King of Curses to Zero. Null.

Nonexistence.

Nothing he could do could prevent his annihilation.

"A…Ahh…"

He felt, for the first time in his thousand years of existence, his body, at its full potential, begin to flake away.

He, who could sever the very world, failed to grasp what was beyond.

The realm of nothingness. Of true, empty, yet infinite enlightenment.

Even in his last, fleeting seconds, he found the final dregs of strength within him to carve a bittersweet smile on his face.

Ahhhh. So this is what you must have felt, Gojo Satoru…

He leaned his head back, and stared up into the endless skies.

All he had cared about in his life was being the strongest. To have all of humanity—the entire world—under his foot to rule and dominate. There was no one who could challenge him. No one could rival him in this world.

This world.

Yet thanks to a certain wandering samurai, he had understood his fatal mistake.

He would never be the strongest. As long as he held those earthly desires, he could never truly grasp when it meant to have strength.

It came from Beyond. A Beyond that he had only realized when it was far too late for him.

He cracked open his disintegrating mouth, and uttered the final breath that exited his lungs.

"So this…is what it's like…

to…to…"

Ryomen Sukuna closed his eyes, which faded into dust. Seconds later, so did the rest of his body.

Nothing, not even his fingers remained.

Miyamoto Musashi stood to her feet, looking back at the ashes that fluttered up into the sky blue heavens.

The Strongest Sorcerer in History—a nightmarish remnant from the Heian Era. A calamity that had plagued Jujutsu Society for countless years…

…had become naught but dust in the wind, thanks to the Flower at the Apex of Heaven.

A/N:

So for the longest time, I've actually avoided Jujutsu Kaisen. I only actually ever got into it about a month ago, after the constant, endless stream of Lobotomy Kaisen memes thrown my way—not to mention the JJK memes spreading like a wildfire through other fandoms to the point where it's become as much of a widespread joke as the Thanos memes from Infinity War and Endgame.

But after watching it, I really enjoyed it! It's a genuinely fun series, and one of the freshest Shounen Battle Anime I've seen in a while. It's fast-paced, it's energetic, the characters are fun, and shit can be hilarious or hit the fan immediately at the drop of a hat. In Shounen-anime standards, I'd give it a pretty strong 8-9/10.

Now, that being said: power-wise, compared to Fate…there's not a ton of characters that can actually stand up to Servants. Sukuna being the obvious biggest example— he could likely take down quite a large number of them, especially with the World-Cutter, but…Musashi?

I actually didn't know the question going into it, but the answer became slowly more clear the more I analyzed both of what they can do. Sure, in animation, Sukuna looks stronger (especially since Musashi has only been fully showcased in video games where animation is more constrained), but I think Musashi has more counters than Sukuna does. Let's break it down:

Sukuna's advantages:

— His Regeneration/Durability. His Reverse Cursed Technique is a lot faster than a Servant's ability to naturally regenerate. Both Servants and Sukuna can take a stupid amount of damage that would most definitely be fatal for the average human, but Sukuna can undo that damage himself. Meanwhile, Servants are mostly dependent on their Master or outside spells to heal them. While they can do it themselves, it takes time and usually requires them going into Spirit Form.

— His four arms are also a natural advantage. Four is more than two, after all, which allows him to multitask while fighting her. Oh, don't forget his two mouths, as well. Those factors are huge both in his series, and in the context of this battle as well.

— Range. Musashi's a close-mid range fighter, while Sukuna can attack from close as well as afar with both his Fire as well as Dismantle.

Musashi's advantages:

— Her Speed, by a long shot. Sukuna at his strongest, his Heian Form, moves at lightning speed (as seen with his battle against Kashimo Hajime) which is easily extremely hypersonic, but Musashi has fought against the Dioscuri Twins in FGO's Fifth Lostbelt chapter, and…they were said to move at lightspeed. She even admitted that if she were allowed to fight one by herself, she could probably beat them. Therefore, her combat speed is way, way higher than Sukuna's. Even if you wanna use the return-stroke of lightning, which is probably highballing him, that only places him at an average of about 1/2 lightspeed. Musashi would still be twice as fast.

— Her Attack Power. As a Berserker, she has A Rank Strength, which places her in a similar tier as heavyweights like Heracles, who is stated to be capable of crushing mountains. Sukuna's leveled city blocks, sure, but even if he was capable of leveling a city, that's still not on the same tier as mountain-busting.

— Her Hax: specifically what I highlighted in the battle: her Emptiness. Sukuna's World-Slash, if taken at face value, can cut "anything" that exists in the world, but Musashi's Emptiness makes her so that her existence literally becomes "Zero", or completely empty. My interpretation was: Sukuna can't cut through nothing, since by definition, "nothing" doesn't exist in the world. If he had Mahoraga to adapt to it, then that's a different story, but I did say no outside help (I also don't think Mahoraga could help much, Musashi has the capability to just oneshot it). Therefore, she would be able to evade the attack that killed Gojo.

Now, whether or not Domain Expansions can use their conceptual sure-hit effect to hit Musashi despite her Emptiness is a debatable question (since it can negate Gojo's Infinity), but I think it wouldn't matter because of the last point—

— Her Noble Phantasm. If it struck Sukuna, it would likely be a killshot—he doesn't have anything that can protect against the Kurikara Divine Blade. What's more, before she gets the sword of Void, that four-armed Nioh appears which is a manifestation of the pressure she exhumes, which is apparently so powerful that it actually harms the target even though she's just standing in place. I likened this to a sort of Simple-Domain, at least a similar idea to it, so it would provide her enough protection from the DE's sure hit effect to make it land.

That's assuming that the DE sure hit even works on Emptiness, anyway.

That's not even getting into the Heavenly Eye, which can basically allow her to cut off all possibilities where she's lost and lock onto the chance that she wins. Which is a bit arbitrary, but is incredibly effective. That plays a gigantic factor, too.

Now, as you can see, Musashi has quite a bit more over Sukuna. While I don't think she wins 10/10 times, I do lean toward the more-often-than-not category.

I also had to really upsell what Sukuna could do and take everything he says about his powers literally (I don't think the World-Cutting Slash can cut through, like, Lord Camelot or Avalon or anything, since their feats go way higher), but even then, he still falls short.

Ergo, Musashi wins.

That isn't why I wanted to make the battle, however, and it's not why I write what-ifs battle in the first place.

I do it to honor the series that I like, and to make fun writings for readers to enjoy. I hope that the story was meaningful to you.

If you agree, disagree, liked it, disliked it, etc, then please feel free to leave a review.

Also, keep an eye out for the next one. I have another fight planned, so be ready for that in the future.

Alright, I'll see you all when I see you!

~SSJeannu