As Sukuna in Invincible-Chapter 62: The Trial

The trail of destruction left by Battle Beast wasn't difficult to follow.

Broken concrete, shattered asphalt, and the occasional terrified civilian pointing in the direction of "the monster" led Yuji and Uraume to the outskirts of the city, where the urban landscape gave way to an industrial zone of abandoned warehouses and factories.

"He's not trying to hide," Yuji observed, surveying the path of devastation that stretched before them. "It's almost like he wants to be followed."

Uraume's expression remained impassive. "Or he simply does not care if he is. Beings of great power often disregard the concept of stealth."

They found Battle Beast in what had once been a steel mill, now long abandoned, its massive furnaces cold and silent.

The alien warrior stood amid the rusted machinery, methodically tearing apart a section of the building to create what appeared to be a makeshift shelter or base of operations.

He didn't look up when they entered, though Yuji had no doubt Battle Beast had been aware of their approach long before they reached the building.

"You followed me," Battle Beast stated without turning, his massive hands effortlessly bending a steel beam into a more suitable shape for his purposes. "Brave. Foolish, but brave."

"I thought someone should keep you company," Yuji replied with that characteristic directness. "Make sure you're settling in okay."

Now Battle Beast did turn, his bestial features arranged in what might have been amusement or contempt - it was difficult to tell with his alien physiology. "The human thinks I need... companionship." He snorted, the sound echoing through the cavernous space. "Amusing."

Uraume stepped forward, her posture subtly defensive. "We are here to observe, not to interfere. Sukuna-sama valued this world. We will ensure it remains protected in his absence."

Battle Beast's eyes narrowed as he studied them both. "The ice wielder and the vessel." He set down the steel beam with surprising gentleness. "You think to follow me? To watch over me like some unruly cub?"

"Something like that," Yuji admitted with a slight shrug. "Though I was thinking more like teammates."

Battle Beast's laughter was sudden and harsh, like the bark of a predator. "Teammates? You presume much, human." He stalked forward, his massive frame dwarfing Yuji as he loomed over him. "If you wish to follow me, then you will be my subordinate, not my equal."

Yuji stood his ground, unflinching despite the intimidating presence before him. "I can work with that."

"Can you?" Battle Beast circled him slowly, assessing. "To be my subordinate, you must be at least a warrior worthy of a modicum of respect." His lips pulled back in a predatory smile.

"I will test your mettle, human. If you fail and still attempt to follow me, I will kill you - whether the four-armed one values you or not."

Uraume stepped between them, ice crystals forming in the air around her. "Unacceptable. Sukuna-sama specifically ordered me to ensure his well-being. I will not permit you to endanger him."

"It's okay, Uraume," Yuji said, gently moving her aside. "I can handle this."

"You cannot," she replied, her voice carrying unusual emotion. "This creature is beyond your capabilities. Even holding back, he could kill you with a single blow."

"Maybe," Yuji conceded. "But sometimes you have to risk something to gain something greater." He met her eyes directly.

"This will be beneficial for Sukuna when he returns. Having Battle Beast as an ally, having me able to work with him - it's what Sukuna would want."

Uraume's expression remained conflicted. "Sukuna-sama's orders were explicit."

"And I'm asking you to trust me," Yuji countered. "If things get too dangerous, you can step in. But let me try this first."

For a long moment, Uraume seemed to wage an internal battle between her duty and Yuji's request.

Finally, she stepped back, though ice crystals continued to hover in the air around her. "I will not interfere unless your life is in immediate danger. But know that I do this against my better judgment."

Battle Beast had watched this exchange with growing impatience. "Enough talk. If you wish to prove yourself worthy, human, then face me." He moved to the center of the abandoned mill, clearing debris with casual sweeps of his massive arms. "I will restrain myself. Somewhat."

Yuji stepped into the makeshift arena, rolling his shoulders and neck to loosen up. Despite his outward calm, his heart hammered in his chest.

He had faced cursed spirits, sorcerers, even Sukuna himself (Died instantly though) - but Battle Beast was something else entirely. A being of such raw physical power that could almost feel its weight pressing down on the city - if not the entire world.

"Just to be clear," Yuji said, settling into a fighting stance, "this isn't to the death, right?"

Battle Beast's smile was all teeth. "That depends entirely on your performance, human."

Without further warning, Battle Beast charged. Despite his massive size, he moved with shocking speed, covering the distance between them in a heartbeat.

Yuji barely managed to dodge the first strike, feeling the wind of the alien's fist as it passed inches from his face.

The second blow caught him in the shoulder, sending him tumbling across the concrete floor. Pain bloomed where Battle Beast had struck him, but Yuji forced himself back to his feet, shaking off the impact.

"Too slow," Battle Beast commented, already closing in for another attack. "Too weak. Is this truly all the vessel of the four-armed one can offer?"

The Beast knew of his nature through his ability to identify the soul and the dimensional chaos - he after is a warrior cursed to traverse creation for a battle worthy of death. The soul's veil can not hide from him.

Yuji gritted his teeth, focusing his mind the way Gojo had taught him - he must calm down, but that was easier said than done.

For Battle Beast simply radiated death. Everything about him, every movement felt like certain death accompanied it.

Yuji hit his face as he focused once more.

He needed to remember what he had in his arsenal.

Though he no longer housed Sukuna, the months of training hadn't been wasted.

He could still channel cursed energy, still enhance his physical abilities beyond normal human limits.

When Battle Beast struck again, Yuji saw his opening.

Time seemed to slow as he slipped inside the alien's guard, his body moving with the fluid precision that had been drilled into him through countless brutal training sessions.

Yuji's fist drove forward, aimed at Battle Beast's exposed midsection. In that perfect moment of connection - that infinitesimal instant when flesh met flesh - something extraordinary happened.

The air around Yuji's knuckles distorted.

Cursed energy, which had been flowing through his body like a gentle current, suddenly converged at the exact point of impact.

The spiritual and the physical aligned in perfect harmony, creating a phenomenon that sorcerers had revered for centuries.

A BLACK FLASH.

Reality itself seemed to shudder. A burst of darkness erupted from the point of contact, expanding outward in a perfect sphere of concentrated power.

Battle Beast's eyes widened in genuine surprise as the force of the blow - far beyond what the human frame before him should have been capable of generating - sent shockwaves through his massive body.

For the first time since the fight began, the alien warrior was forced to acknowledge this was no ordinary human.

Battle Beast grunted in surprise, actually taking a step back. "Interesting. The human has some power after all."

Encouraged, Yuji pressed his advantage, delivering another black flash-enhanced strike to Battle Beast's jaw. The alien warrior's head snapped back, more from surprise than actual damage, but it was enough to create an opening.

Yuji capitalized, unleashing a barrage of attacks, each one accompanied by that distinctive black flash - fifteen to be specific.

Though Battle Beast was clearly holding back, the fight had taken on a serious tone. The alien's movements became more precise, his counterattacks more focused.

A particularly powerful blow sent Yuji flying into a support column, the impact knocking the wind from his lungs. As he struggled to breathe, Battle Beast advanced, his expression unreadable.

"You fight well, for a human," he acknowledged. "But not well enough."

He raised his fist for what would clearly be a devastating blow, even with his restraint. Yuji knew he couldn't dodge in time, couldn't counter with his current level of power.

In that moment of desperate need, something shifted within him. A connection that had been dormant since Sukuna's extraction suddenly flared to life.

The black flashes that had accompanied his strikes had awakened something - a resonance, a memory of power that had once flowed through his body.

Time seemed to slow as Yuji felt a familiar yet different energy surge through him. Not Sukuna's cursed energy, but something that belonged to Yuji himself - a technique inherited from his time as the King's vessel, shaped by his own soul.

"Dismantle," Yuji whispered, the word coming to his lips without conscious thought.

Battle Beast's descending fist met not flesh but an invisible barrier of cutting force. The alien warrior roared in surprise and pain as his own attack was turned against him, fine lacerations appearing across his knuckles and forearm.

Yuji stared in disbelief at his own hands, now surrounded by a faint pattern of cursed energy that resembled Sukuna's cutting technique. Not as powerful, not as refined, but unmistakably similar.

"What is this?" Battle Beast demanded, examining his wounded arm - having held too much back to be able to be slightly hurt - with a mixture of pain and interest. "You did not possess this ability before."

"I... don't know," Yuji admitted, still struggling to comprehend what had happened. "It's like... like I inherited something from Sukuna. A shadow of his technique."

Uraume had moved closer, her expression showing rare astonishment. "Fascinating," she whispered. "He inherited Sukuna-sama's technique, this is either because of his time as a vessel or because..."

Because he is Sukuna-sama's son in the eyes of Heaven.

The evidence was undeniable. The cuts on Battle Beast's arm, the distinctive pattern of cursed energy around Yuji's hands - somehow, he had awakened a version of Sukuna's Shrine technique.

Battle Beast studied Yuji with renewed interest, his earlier dismissiveness replaced by something closer to respect. "The vessel becomes the wielder," he observed. "Magnificient"

Without warning, he attacked again, this time with greater speed and force.

Yuji instinctively raised his hands, and once more the invisible cutting force manifested, creating a barrier between them - a different interpretation of the technique, shaping it differently.

Battle Beast pressed against it, testing its strength, his expression growing more intrigued as the technique held.

"Not as powerful as the four-armed one's," Battle Beast noted. "But effective nonetheless."

He backed away, lowering his guard in a clear signal that the test was over. "You have surprised me, human. Few can claim such an achievement."

Yuji lowered his hands, the cursed energy pattern fading as his concentration relaxed. He felt drained but exhilarated, the discovery of this new ability overshadowing the exhaustion of the fight.

"So... did I pass?" he asked, unable to keep a slight grin from his face despite the seriousness of the situation.

Battle Beast considered him for a long moment, then nodded once. "You may follow me as my subordinate. Your power, while limited, shows potential. And your connection to the four-armed one..." He paused, seeming to search for the right words. "It intrigues me."

Uraume approached cautiously, her ice powers still at the ready despite the apparent conclusion of hostilities. "You have awakened something unexpected," she said to Yuji, her tone carrying a mixture of concern and curiosity.

"Sukuna-sama will find this development... interesting when he returns."

Yuji nodded but something about it showed a bit of worry and scepticism.

"He will return," Battle Beast suddenly stated with absolute certainty, surprising both Yuji and Uraume with his conviction. "A warrior of his caliber does not simply vanish from existence. The four-armed one will find his way back to this battlefield."

Uraume nodded in silent agreement, perhaps the first moment of understanding between the ice wielder and the alien gladiator.

Battle Beast turned back to his construction project, his massive hands effortlessly bending steel beams into place. "Until that day comes, human, you will assist me in preparing for the Viltrumites' arrival. Your new ability may prove useful."

Yuji nodded again, still trying to process everything that had happened.

Somehow, through the black flashes, through the desperate moment of need, he had connected with a power that had once belonged solely to Sukuna.

A technique that should have been impossible for him to access.

"Shrine," he whispered, the name just coming to him instinctively, feeling the cursed energy respond to the word, gathering around his hands in that distinctive pattern.

It wasn't as powerful as Sukuna's version - far from it. But it was his now - different (unknown to him for now) a tool to help protect this world until its rightful guardian returned.

As Battle Beast continued his work and Uraume watched with cautious vigilance, Yuji couldn't help but wonder what other surprises awaited him. What other echoes of Sukuna's power might still reside within him, waiting to be awakened?

And somewhere, in a dimension ruled by an Emperor obsessed with his friend, would Sukuna somehow sense this connection? Would he know that his former vessel now carried a fragment of his power?

Only time would tell. But for now, Yuji had passed the Beast's trial. He had earned a place at Battle Beast's side, earned the right to help protect what Sukuna had valued.

It was a start. And in a world still reeling from dimensional chaos, still recovering from the merger's effects, a start was all anyone could ask for.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all liked the Chapter!

Yeah, Yuji awakened Shrine - his version of it that is. I'll give a hint - it has Gojo's influence all over it.

Also, 15 blackflashes, I believe this is fair, since this Yuji didn't have the Shinjuku training but was more closely possessed by Sukuna because of the dimensional transfer, and Battle Beast's pressure - his strength creating that - made Yuji constantly feel like he was near death.

So yeah, do tell me how you found it and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)