Lucien opened his eyes and found himself floating in absolute darkness.

He looked down at his hands, but they felt strange—transparent, like he was looking through frosted glass. His entire body had the same ethereal quality, as if he was made of mist rather than flesh and bone.

"Is this my Soul?" he wondered aloud, though his voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

He sighed, the sound echoing strangely in the void. "I really died, huh?"

The realization hit him hard.

This was the first time he'd tasted true defeat, and he'd paid for it with his life. All his power, all his training, all his determination—none of it had been enough against the King of Curses.

He looked around, but there was nothing but endless darkness stretching in every direction. No light, no sound, no sensation except the cold emptiness of the void.

"Is this death?" he thought. "To be alone in the darkness for eternity?"

Just then, the darkness began to shift and swirl around him. The void twisted and reformed, and suddenly Lucien found himself floating high above what looked like a massive battlefield.

Below him, two enormous armies clashed in brutal combat. He recognized one side immediately—the Shadow Monarch's army. Black, wraith-like creatures moved with supernatural grace and speed, their forms shifting and flowing like living darkness.

Even though he didn't have a physical body right now, Lucien felt a surge of excitement looking at the sheer size of the army. They were countless in number, stretching across the battlefield like a dark ocean.

This could have been his, had he lived.

On the opposite side was another army, equally massive in scale. But these weren't shadows—they were creatures of flesh and bone, monsters and demons of every conceivable type.

The scene shifted, focusing on a particular section of the battle. There was Sukuna, cutting through Shadow Soldiers with the same casual efficiency he'd shown against Lucien. Each time he destroyed one, it would simply regenerate and continue fighting.

A group of shadow knights surrounded him, attacking from all angles. Sukuna regenerated from every wound they inflicted, his healing factor making him effectively immortal.

Then a lone shadow soldier stepped forward from the chaos.

It was Igris, the Blood-Red Commander.

The shadow knight moved with purpose, dashing toward Sukuna with incredible speed. What followed was a battle that made Lucien's fight look like a children's game.

They fought with devastating intensity, both combatants regenerating from wounds that should have been instantly fatal. Igris's sword clashed against Sukuna's claws and slashes, creating shockwaves that shattered the ground around them.

Then Igris did something different. Instead of going for the body, he aimed directly for Sukuna's head.

The shadow sword found its mark, and Sukuna's head separated from his shoulders in a spray of dark blood. The King of Curses dropped dead instantly, his body crashing to the battlefield.

"The head," Lucien realized. "The head was the key."

In the next moment, something incredible happened. Sukuna's corpse began to dissolve into shadow, and when the transformation was complete, he stood up again—but this time as a Shadow Soldier.

Without hesitation, he turned on his former army and began attacking them with the same ruthless efficiency.

Lucien felt a stab of regret. "I should have ripped off Sukuna's head when I had the chance, rather than attacking his heart."

But there was no point dwelling on it now. He was dead, and—

A notification appeared in front of him, glowing text that somehow seemed more real than the vision around him.

[HP has reached 1... Status Recovery Effect is used.]

Before Lucien could figure out what was happening, he suddenly found himself back in the chamber. A green glow emanated from his body, washing over him like warm sunlight.

He looked down in amazement. His body was whole again—arms, legs, everything back where it belonged. His shirt was gone, destroyed in the previous battle, but his skin showed no sign of the devastating wounds he'd suffered.

"What the hell?" he muttered, flexing his fingers and testing his restored limbs. "I am alive?"

Across the chamber, Sukuna stood exactly where he'd been before, completely intact and watching with those four red eyes. When he saw that Lucien had returned, the King of Curses brought one hand forward with a smirk pasted on his face. That gesture was unmistakably a challenge.

Come at me.

"You want another round?" Lucien said, a dangerous edge creeping into his voice, "It will be different this time."

He summoned his daggers from where they'd fallen, but immediately put them back into his inventory.

A smirk crossed his face as he mentally accessed his status screen and dumped every available stat point into Strength.

Then he rushed at Sukuna.

The King of Curses met his charge with equal ferocity, and they collided in the center of the chamber with enough force to send shockwaves. The impact cracked the floor beneath their feet and sent chunks of debris flying in all directions.

This time was different. Sukuna had a maniacal smile on his face, as if he was finally facing an opponent worth his attention. His four eyes blazed with something that might have been excitement.

Lucien found himself grinning back. "That's more like it! Now you're taking me seriously!"

Despite everything, despite the pain and the near-death experience, despite knowing he was still outmatched, he was starting to enjoy this.

They broke apart and immediately went at each other again. Sukuna's claws extended, and he slashed downward with devastating force. Lucien caught the King of Curses' wrist, and he actually managed to stop the attack.

For a split second, they were locked in a test of raw power, neither giving ground.

"Not so easy this time, is it?" Lucien snarled through gritted teeth.

Then Sukuna's other three arms joined the assault.

Lucien ducked under a horizontal slash aimed at his head, twisted away from claws seeking his ribs, and drove his knee upward toward Sukuna's stomach.

The King of Curses caught his leg with one hand and used the leverage to slam him into the ground.

But Lucien rolled backward and came up swinging, his fist connecting with Sukuna's jaw in a thunderous impact that echoed through the chamber.

The King of Curses' head snapped to the side, but he was already retaliating, all four arms moving in a blur of lethal strikes.

"Come on!" Lucien shouted as he ducked under a vicious swipe.

The exchange that followed was beyond anything Lucien had ever experienced.

They moved at speeds that would have been invisible to normal eyes, their bodies colliding and separating in a deadly dance of violence.

Every strike from either fighter carried enough force to shatter buildings, to pulverize bone, to end a normal person's life instantly.

Sukuna raked his claws across Lucien's chest, opening four parallel gashes from shoulder to hip. Blood sprayed across the chamber floor, but Lucien ignored the pain and drove his elbow into Sukuna's temple with bone-crushing force.

"You like drawing blood?" Lucien spat, wiping crimson from his lips. "Let me return the favor!"

Both fighters staggered back, wounds already beginning to heal. Lucien's regeneration was nowhere near Sukuna's level, but it was enough to keep him in the fight.

They circled each other like predators, both grinning with savage joy. This wasn't just combat anymore—it was art, it was poetry written in blood and violence.

Sukuna lunged forward with all four arms extended. Lucien dropped to the ground and swept his leg in a wide arc, catching the King of Curses behind the knees. Sukuna stumbled but didn't fall, instead using the momentum to spin and bring his claws around in a devastating horizontal slash.

Lucien threw himself backward, the claws missing his throat by inches. He could feel the wind from the attack, could see the stone wall behind him split where the invisible force continued its path.

But he was already moving forward again, his fist aimed at Sukuna's solar plexus. The King of Curses caught his punch with one hand, but Lucien was ready for that. He drove his other fist into Sukuna's wrist, forcing him to release his grip, then spun and delivered a backhand that caught Sukuna across the face.

The impact sent the King of Curses sliding backward across the stone floor, but he recovered almost instantly. His four eyes were blazing now, that maniacal smile wider than ever.

They came together again in the center of the chamber, trading blows once again. Punch, counter, slash, dodge, grab, throw, strike. Neither fighter gave quarter, neither showed mercy or hesitation.

Lucien's ribs cracked under a devastating combination from Sukuna's multiple arms. He responded by grabbing the King of Curses around the waist and driving him into one of the remaining pillars with enough force to reduce the ancient stone to rubble.

Sukuna emerged from the debris with his arms spread wide, inviting the next exchange. Lucien obliged, rushing forward with a flying knee that caught the King of Curses in the chest and sent him tumbling across the chamber.

But Sukuna was already on his feet, already moving, already attacking. His claws found Lucien's shoulder, tearing through muscle and scraping against bone. Lucien grabbed Sukuna's arm and used it as leverage to spin around and drive his knee into the King of Curses' spine.

The sound of the impact was like a gunshot. Sukuna's back arched unnaturally, but he was already healing, already turning to continue the fight.

They were both bleeding now, both marked by the brutal exchange. Lucien's chest was a map of claw marks and bruises. Sukuna's face showed the effects of repeated impacts, though his healing factor was already working to erase the damage.

But Lucien was learning. With every exchange, every failed attack, every successful counter, he was adapting to Sukuna's fighting style. The King of Curses was incredibly powerful, but he fought with a certain pattern, a rhythm that could be exploited.

"Getting predictable, aren't you?" Lucien taunted as he dodged another combination. "All that power, but no creativity."

Lucien feinted to the left, telegraphing a punch toward Sukuna's ribs. The King of Curses moved to block, but Lucien spun right instead, catching him with an uppercut that snapped his head back with tremendous force.

"Gotcha!" Lucien laughed as Sukuna's feet actually left the ground from the impact.

But he recovered quickly, launching into a combination that forced Lucien to give ground. Four arms moved in perfect coordination, creating a wall of strikes that seemed impossible to penetrate. Lucien ducked, weaved, and blocked what he could, but several attacks got through, adding fresh wounds to his collection.

Still, he'd learned something valuable. Sukuna had fallen for the feint completely.

The battle continued with savage intensity. They crashed through the remaining pillars, shattered the ancient floor beneath their feet, and painted the walls with their blood. Neither fighter showed any sign of slowing down, nor did they gave any indication that they were considering retreat or surrender.

Lucien feinted again, this time dropping low as if going for Sukuna's legs. The King of Curses prepared to counter the expected rising attack, but Lucien pivoted and came up with an elbow strike that connected with his jaw.

The impact was tremendous. Sukuna's head snapped to the side, and he staggered backward, his usual perfect balance disrupted. But he shook off the effects and immediately pressed his counterattack, forcing Lucien to dance backward to avoid a flurry of slashes.

Two successful feints. Sukuna was learning his pattern, adapting to his tactics just as Lucien was adapting to his. The King of Curses was incredibly intelligent—he wouldn't fall for the same trick a third time.

But that was exactly what Lucien was counting on.

They clashed again in the center of the chamber, the force of their collision creating another crater in the already devastated floor. Sukuna's claws raked across Lucien's back, opening wounds that went deep enough to expose muscle and bone. Lucien responded by grabbing Sukuna's head with both hands and driving his knee upward with every ounce of his enhanced strength.

The King of Curses' head snapped back from the impact, but he was already retaliating. All four arms came around in a devastating combination that caught Lucien from multiple angles simultaneously. The impacts drove him to his knees, blood streaming from fresh wounds.

But he was back on his feet in seconds, his own regeneration working overtime to keep him functional. They circled each other again, both breathing heavily despite their supernatural endurance.

This was it. Time for the real gambit.

"You think you've figured me out?" Lucien said with a bloody grin as he dropped into the same low stance he'd used for his previous feints. "Think again."

He telegraphed another attack on Sukuna's legs, but this time, the King of Curses didn't even bother to defend. He stood perfectly still, that maniacal smile growing wider, his four arms relaxed at his sides.

He wasn't going to fall for it again. He was so confident in his read of Lucien's pattern that he didn't even consider the possibility of a real attack.

"Arrogant bastard," Lucien muttered under his breath. "That's exactly what I was counting on."

That arrogance was exactly what Lucien had been waiting for.

Instead of the expected feint, he exploded forward from his low position with every ounce of power his enhanced strength could provide. His shoulder connected with Sukuna's unguarded midsection like a battering ram, driving all four of the King of Curses' eyes wide with genuine surprise.

"Surprise, motherf**ker!" Lucien roared as Sukuna stumbled backward for the first time in the entire fight.

For the first time in the entire fight, Sukuna had been completely caught off guard. He stumbled backward, his perfect balance finally disrupted, his defensive posture completely broken.

This was it. His only chance. The window of opportunity he'd been fighting for through this entire brutal exchange.

Lucien summoned both daggers into his hands and launched himself at Sukuna's exposed neck with the fury of a man who had died once and refused to do it again.

"DIE, YOU BASTARD!" he roared, his voice echoing through the chamber with primal, animalistic fury that came from somewhere deeper than rational thought.

Sukuna realized his mistake in that instant. His eyes blazed with sudden alarm as he understood how completely he'd been outmaneuvered. Immediately, he unleashed a desperate barrage of Dismantles, pouring every ounce of his power into stopping Lucien's attack.

The invisible blades carved deep cuts across Lucien's arms as he raised them to protect his face. They opened gashes across his chest that exposed his ribs. They sliced through the muscles of his legs, threatening to bring him down before he could reach his target.

But Lucien didn't even try to dodge. He pushed through the pain, through the blood loss, through the agony of being cut apart piece by piece. Nothing mattered except reaching Sukuna's neck. Nothing existed except the two daggers in his hands and the target before him.

His vision was turning red from blood loss. His strength was fading with every step. But he was close now, so close he could see the individual pores on Sukuna's skin.

The King of Curses threw everything he had into one final barrage, slashes that would have reduced a mountain to rubble. They tore through Lucien's body like paper, opening wounds that should have been instantly fatal.

But it was too late.

Lucien's daggers found their mark, punching through flesh and cartilage and bone. With a final surge of strength born from pure determination, he twisted the blades and ripped Sukuna's head clean off his shoulders.

The severed head spun through the air, those four red eyes finally losing their light as it bounced across the blood-soaked stone floor. The King of Curses' body stood for a moment longer, as if it didn't understand what had happened, then collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Lucien stood over the corpse, swaying on his feet, blood streaming from dozens of wounds. His breathing was ragged, his vision was blurred, and every part of his body screamed in agony.

But he was alive. And Sukuna was finally, truly, permanently dead.

He'd won.

....

A.N.: I poured 8+ hours and 3 edits to write this fight... I hope you loved it. Thank You dear readers.

.....

POWER STONE GOAL: 700 ( 1 Extra Chapter)

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