Chapter 172

Tokyo No. 1 Colony, Part 12 (1⑫) is the one hundred and seventy-second chapter of Gege Akutami's Jujutsu Kaisen.

Summary
Megumi springs another trap on his opponent as their battle reaches its climax. Both he and Reggie struggle under extreme pressure to prove who can bear the most weight!

Plot Details
The average human being can only withstand about five to six units of g-force before losing consciousness. Megumi weighs sixty kilograms and is carrying 2.4 tons of weight, which equates to forty units of g-force. A fully matured elephant weights three to six tons and Megumi's domain increases the precision of his cursed technique, replicating Max Elephant's weight realistically. With that weight falling atop him, Reggie fractured his right fibula and heel bone. Both combatants are under immense pressure and could be crushed to death at any moment.

Reggie laments over not saving the trucks he used earlier for more weight at this moment. He's been soaked with water by Max Elephant, but there are still receipts he can release, including his ace. Reggie wonders if he can enter the shadow to release his ace and finish off Megumi. He dismisses this idea because anything caught in the shadow after its dispelled might be unable to escape. It's possible in a scenario that after Megumi dies, Reggie remains trapped inside the shadow. Furthermore, he's unsure of what it's actually like inside the liquid shadow substance. He decides this option is too risky and tries to withstand the elephant's weight while releasing his ace in the hole.

Reggie attempts to hold up the elephant with one arm while taking out the proper receipt. Before he can fully activate Contractual Re-Creation, Reggie succumbs to Max Elephant's weight and falls into the shadow. Without any buoyancy or resistance inside the shadow, Reggie falls into the darkness and begins to lose consciousness without any access to oxygen. With Reggie likely defeated, Megumi waits until he's sure his opponent is dead before dispelling the domain and emptying his shadow.

Suddenly, one of the cars inside Megumi's shadow takes Reggie back to the surface. Things Reggie re-creates disappear after he gives them a command. He refrained from doing so to the cars until now because he wanted to weight to bear down on Megumi. Rescued from certain demise, Reggie commends Megumi's strength and admits he's a strong sorcerer before immediately stating that he's even stronger. He activates Contractual Re-Creation and summons a small, two-story wooden house that weighs at least thirty tons.

The situation drastically changes in the next moment. Despite using his ace, Reggie abruptly finds himself underwater being strangled by Megumi from behind. Megumi's weight is being used to drown Reggie, so he's forced to deactivate his cursed technique and unregister the weight of the cars. Reggie is able to swim back to the surface for air and realizes he's inside a pool on the basement level of the gymnasium. Megumi fled into his shadow and ended the domain, making it so the house broke the floor and forced Reggie to fall into the pool below. It's unclear how Megumi was able to move despite the weight, but Reggie theorizes that he did so by ejecting himself from the shadow.

Megumi walks up to his opponent as Reggie crawls his way out of the water. Megumi tells Reggie his receipts are too wet to use now. Normally, splashing the receipts with water isn't enough to make the print fade, so that alone isn't enough to stop Reggie from producing things with Contractual Re-Creation. However, soaking the receipts prevents Reggie from fulfilling the activation condition that requires burning the receipts with cursed energy.

Reggie doesn't outwardly agree with Megumi and counters with the notion that Megumi can't summon shikigami anymore. Megumi agrees that this is the case and suggests their exchange will be a physical fight from now on. However, Reggie doesn't actually believe this. He knows Megumi let go of him in the pool and waited before immediately attacking again so he could replenish his cursed technique after dispelling the domain. He expects Megumi to summon a shikigami and plans on countering Megumi as soon as he lets up to do so. Additionally, Reggie is confident none of Megumi's shikigami can finish him because he believes he's still unable to use Divine Dog.

In a one-on-one close quarters combat exchange, Reggie is able to gain the upper hand on Megumi. He admits Reggie is a tough opponent, made evident by his ability to withstand Max Elephant's weight earlier. He's also a talented martial artist with fine-tuned cursed energy reinforcement techniques. Reggie tries to use his talent to pressure Megumi into summoning a shikigami other than the dog.

Just before Reggie is able to land a direct hit on Megumi, a portion of the far left side of Reggie's face, his ear, and much of his left shoulder are completely sheered off. Having suffered a lethal blow at blinding speed, Reggie is taken back by the quickness of the attack. He looks back to see none other than Divine Dog: Totality. It has two holes in its nose from the knives as well as tufts of Reggie's hair and flesh in its mouth. Megumi was waiting until Reggie had completely dismissed the dog, confirming the latter's earlier statement that a sorcerer is nothing but a con artist. Reggie repeats this as he collapses to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Character in Order of Appearances

 * Reggie Star
 * Megumi Fushiguro

Battles & Events

 * Culling Game
 * Megumi Fushiguro vs. Reggie Star (Concluded)

Locations

 * Tokyo No. 1 Colony
 * Ikebukuro