The battlefield was quiet, an unnatural silence smothering the chaos that had erupted only moments ago. Blood still dripped from Sukuna’s claws, as he turned toward her with his malevolent grin.

"Such a fragile little thing," Sukuna mused, his voice a mixture of curiosity and disdain. "And yet, you walk among monsters unbroken. How amusing."

She stood her ground, trembling but defiant, her fists clenched at her sides. Yuji's closest friend—the one who always had his back, who never faltered in her loyalty—was now face-to-face with the King of Curses.

Sukuna took a step closer, towering over her like an omen of doom. His four eyes bore into hers, searching for fear, but instead, he found a flicker of determination.

"Such spirit," he murmured, almost to himself. "It would be a shame to destroy it." His grin widened. "No, I think I'll keep you intact."

She didn't flinch, even as the air around him grew suffocatingly thick with cursed energy. "You think I'm afraid of you?" she spat. "You won't touch Yuji, or anyone else I care about."

Sukuna tilted his head, his expression shifting. For a moment, the cruelty in his eyes softened into something unsettlingly reverent. "Care about, you say?" His laughter echoed, cold and sharp. "Such loyalty... I wonder if it’s wasted on that brat."

His hand reached out, but instead of striking, his claws brushed a lock of her hair from her face with a gentleness that made her stomach twist.

"A goddess," he said, almost mockingly, but there was something deeper behind the word, something reverent. "That’s what you are to everyone, isn't it?"

She took a step back, her heart pounding. Sukuna's grin returned, but now it was layered with something far more dangerous than malice—interest.

"I’ll spare you this time, little goddess," he said, his voice a chilling promise. "Stay alive, for my sake."

And just like that, he vanished, leaving her standing in eerie silence, her mind racing with questions she didn’t dare voice aloud.