His mind drifts to the darker possibilities. Stealing. Blackmail. Manipulation. His cursed nature revels in the idea of using deceit and trickery to gain wealth. It feels... natural. His human side hesitates, but the pull is strong. The temptation grows.
His smarts kick in. He understands the ruthless reality of the Heian era—it's a cutthroat society where the weak are stepped on and the strong rule supreme. Killing or stealing might be the most efficient way to secure his survival and needs for now. His human side reluctantly agrees with his cursed instincts.
Kaiseki moves through the capital like a ghost, his half-curse nature making him nearly undetectable. He targets a wealthy merchant caravan traveling through the outskirts—guards, coin, and cursed energy signatures that suggest they carry valuable goods.
His eyes spin, analyzing the guards' techniques before he strikes. One by one, they fall without a sound.
With the guards incapacitated, he moves to the merchant caravan. The locked chests yield easily to his newfound physical strength and cursed energy manipulation. Coins and jewels fill his pockets. The loot is impressive—enough to sustain him for months in this era.
He swiftly cleans out the caravan, stuffing heavy pouches of gold coins, precious gemstones, and expensive silks into his spatial storage or his clothes. No witnesses left alive.
With wealth secured, he melts back into the shadows. He's killed efficiently. He has money. Now, he needs influence and techniques. The ruthless mentality feels disturbingly natural.
Word spreads quickly through the Heian capital. A mysterious, silver-tongued sorcerer who accepts gold to exterminate curses—and wins every single time. Kaiseki becomes the go-to mercenary for terrified nobles and overwhelmed Jujutsu Sorcerers alike.
But the killing isn't the only goal. Every curse he destroys, his eyes analyze and devour their abilities.
Kaiseki stands over the dissolving corpse of a Special Grade curse, his swirling eyes absorbing the final scraps of its technique. The air suddenly turns electric—literally. Static charge makes the hair on his arms stand up.
A figure lands effortlessly on a nearby rooftop. Pale hair, eccentric traditional robes, and an aura of raw, devastating lightning. Hajime Kashimo. The Thunder God.
Kashimo's golden eyes lock onto Kaiseki with predatory intensity. A wild grin splits his face as blue electricity crackles around his body.
"You," Kashimo says, voice dripping with excitement. "I've heard rumors about you. A mercenary who hunts curses and walks untouched. No signature. No known technique. Completely unknown."
He leaps down, landing silently in front of Kaiseki.
Kaiseki's expression remains calm, his eyes spinning slightly as he analyzes Kashimo's aura. He knows this man is dangerous—possibly the most dangerous sorcerer in the Heian era. The lightning around Kashimo's body pulses with raw power.
Kaiseki's eyes flicker with that signature red and black pattern. His mimicry already processed the electrical cursed energy around Kashimo. A new technique added to his arsenal: Electrification. The ability to manifest lightning at will.
But Kashimo doesn't know that. He only sees Kaiseki standing there, unbothered.
"You're not running," Kashimo observes, tilting his head.
"Why would I When I see a worthy opponent."
Kashimo laughs, the sound booming like thunder. "A worthy opponent, huh? You're either brave or stupid to stand there with no visible technique against the lightning god of this era." He cracks his knuckles, electricity sparking off them menacingly. "Prove it then."
He pauses, his grin widening. "Show me your trickery."
Kaiseki's fist becomes denser than granite in an instant, lightning crackling around his knuckles. Before Kashimo can react, Kaiseki moves faster than lightning itself—another technique he's mastered—and throws a punch directly at Kashimo's face.
*Kashimo's eyes widen as the punch connects, his head snapping back with surprising force. He's not expecting someone to be this fast—this strong. For a moment, he's genuinely surprised before his instincts kick in. He releases a massive burst of lightning to repel Kaiseki.*
The lightning blast slams into Kaiseki, sending him skidding backward. But his hardened cellular structure absorbs the impact effortlessly—the biological manipulation turning his skin into near-steel.
Kashimo stares, absolutely ecstatic. Lightning. Speed. Body manipulation. This opponent is copying everything.
"I see..." Kashimo grins maniacally. "A mimic."
Kashimo laughs, but it's not out of amusement—it's the laugh of a predator who has finally found something worth chasing. "A mimic? A thief of techniques?" His own cursed energy surges wildly. "Even better. That means you'll have something fun to show me before I tear you apart!"
Electricity crackles violently around his body.
Kaiseki doesn't flinch. His eyes are already analyzing the electrical discharge—calculating. His cellular structure already adapts, hardening his skin to mitigate the electricity. Speed is already enhanced.
Kashimo launches forward. A blur of lightning moving through the battlefield. The ground beneath his feet scorches black.
*Lightning manipulation.* The technique Kaiseki already possesses.
The clash is blinding. Kashimo expects to overwhelm Kaiseki with superior speed and electrical manipulation. But Kaiseki counters every move with nearly identical techniques—layered with his own biological hardening.
Kashimo's golden eyes flicker with growing disbelief. This stranger moves like lightning, strikes like thunder, and his body withstands electrical discharge like it's nothing.
"You..."
"You COPY everything," Kashimo realizes, laughing in absolute delight. "My lightning. My speed. My physical properties."
He realizes this isn't just technique mimicry—it's absolute replication. Every move he makes, Kaiseki absorbs instantly.
Kashimo's grin turns manic. "Now THIS is a fight." Lightning builds up to terrifying levels.
Kashimo unleashes everything—lightning bolts raining from the sky, speed so intense he leaves afterimages, electrical discharges everywhere. Yet Kaiseki moves through it all, adapting on the fly. Cellular hardening for every strike. Lightning speed to match. Lightning manipulation to counter.
It's like fighting a mirror.
Kashimo freezes mid-attack, breathing hard.
Kaiseki's eyes flash. He combines everything. Cellular manipulation hardens his entire body beyond limits. Lightning enhances his speed to impossible levels. He launches forward like a thunderbolt incarnate.
His fist connects squarely with Kashimo's jaw.
*CRACK.*
Kashimo spins through the air, crashing through two stone walls before collapsing in a heap of debris and dust.