"Innate Domain Projection: Gaze of the Seven Princes"
With a flare of cursed energy, Kiniro's eyes turned into seven-point stars glowing with an inner light. At the same time, seven motes of pink fire flared to life above Kiniro's head, each bearing a strong resemblance to a closed eye.
'What is this?' Satoru questioned as he felt the unfamiliar flow of cursed energy exuding from Kiniro, 'It feels like a domain, but space isn't being closed off within a barrier? He's somehow managing to utilize his innate domain and infuse it with his technique without expanding it. I didn't even know that was possible.'
Even with the blindfold covering most of Satoru's face, Kiniro could tell that his sensi was deep in thought, "Want me to give you a hint?"
"No, I've figured it out," Satoru muttered, "Well, I know what you've done. Though how you managed to do it seems like it should be impossible."
Kiniro clicked his tongue, "Damn, I thought I would stump you for at least a minute…unless you're just pretending to know what I'm doing?"
Satoru smirked, "By using your innate domain, You've changed the activation requirements of your technique. Before, your cursed energy needed to make contact with an attack, but now all you need is line of sight. Under normal circumstances, I would assume you just made a binding vow, but there's more to it than that. It feels like your technique is broader somehow… and those embers behind you…I doubt it's a coincidence that there are seven of them."
"Would you like a demonstration?" Kiniro asked with an expression that would have set off alarm bells in any sane person's head, but despite that, Satoru answered without hesitation, "Sure."
In the blink of an eye, a chained knife shot out of Kiniro's sleeve and flew at Satoru who didn't flinch in the slightest, having already seen the flare of cursed energy. The blade came to a sudden stop as it reached the border of Satoru infinity, but a mark of sin still appeared on the right side of Kiniro's face.
"Well, I can see why you're the strongest," Kiniro muttered as he stared at his knife, seemingly frozen in time, but he could sense the subtle difference. "Expanding the infinitesimal space that exists between all physical matter to create an impassible barrier."
With a thought, Kiniro's knife returned to his sleeve, withdrawing from Satoru's infinity and disappearing from sight. "Makes me wonder how you apply your technique offensively."
"I'm sure you'll get to see me in action at some point," Satoru replied with a grin, "Now on with your demonstration."
Nodding, Kiniro quickly muttered an incantation
"Lucifer"
Kiniro's output of curse energy flared as the sin of pride was absolved, but that wasn't the only effect.
Satoru watched as one of the pink embers above Kiniro's head suddenly flared, growing in size as it split in half, revealing a lone demonic pupil with two lines resembling the antenna of a moth lying in the very center.
The eye then panned over to stare directly at Satoru with an unwavering gaze that embodied an otherworldly judgment, almost manifesting as a physical weight.
Staring back at the demonic orb, Satoru felt its gaze was imbued with Kiniro's technique, creating the distinct sense that he was being judged. 'So an eye opens each time he absolves a sin, and he can use that eye as a proxy for his requirement of line of sight. The real question is…does each eye correspond with a specific sin that needs to be incarnated in order for it to awaken? And if that is the case, what happens in the event that all seven eyes do open?'
"So, what do you think?" Kiniro asked, his voice full of anticipation.
"I think," Satoru muttered as he turned to stare at Kiniro, "That we should talk about how a bunch of people tried to kill you."
Kiniro clicked his tongue in disappointment as his face fell at the misdirection, "It wasn't a bunch, just six."
"When it comes to assassins, six is a lot," Satoru muttered, his tone growing serious, "Did they give you any clues as to who had hired them?"
"Directly no," Kiniro replied vaguely, making Satoru's ears perk up, "But you know who sent them."
It was a question rather than a statement, making Kiniro grin, "I have a strong hunch, but no solid irrefutable evidence."
"And you won't tell me, why?" Satoru questioned, feeling a slight headache from dealing with his pupil's antics.
Kiniro shrugged, "Because it won't change anything. I don't have solid proof, so you can't retaliate without appearing like a massive liability that needs to be contained or put down at all costs. At the same time, whoever attacked me won't try something like this again. They know now that faceless grunts are too weak to handle me, and anyone they send who's strong enough will undoubtedly have a name and a reputation, running the risk of confirming their identity."
Satoru stared at Kiniro for a long second before shaking his head, "That actually makes a lot of sense, which is why I know it's absolute and utter bullshit. You probably just want to see if they're stupid enough to try again."
"Me? No, I would never," Kiniro scoffed as he put a hand on his chest.
Satoru sighed, "Just make sure you don't get yourself killed, you dying would be a waste of potential."
"Aw, it almost sounds like you care about me," Kiniro batted his eyelashes at Satoru, who just shook his head and turned around, "Get out of here and let me enjoy my last pastry in-"
Satoru paused as he looked back at the table, only to find the final pastry gone, seemingly having vanished into thin air. And to make matters worse, Satoru heard Kiniro let out a maniacal cackle before running away, meaning that the desert was most likely long gone.
'I should have let the clans execute him.'
---
A knock on her door made Maki look up from her homework. She then glanced at the time before getting up from her desk, and walking over to the door, 'Better have a damn good excuse.'
"Hey neighbor!"
Maki stared at Kiniro's upside-down visage as he stood upside down from the ceiling like it was perfectly flat ground. Then, without saying a word, Maki went to close the door only for Kiniro to quickly hold up his hands, "W-wait, wait, wait!"
"What do you want?" Maki ground out between clenched teeth as she stared at Kiniro like he was little more than an annoying bug.
"Well, I wanted to ask about your clan-"
That was as far as Kiniro got before the door was slammed in his face, nearly smacking him on the nose, "Go away, and don't come back."
"But you don't understand!" Kiniro shouted to be heard through the door, "I'm pretty sure they sent some death squad after me. They used the same fighting style you do."
There was a brief pause before the door was thrown open and Maki reached through, grabbing Kiniro by the collar and hauling him into her room.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Maki demanded as Kiniro groaned and picked himself off the floor, "Ow, what was that for?"
"You know damn well what it was for," Maki muttered as she stepped over Kiniro and sat back down at her desk to glare at him, "Now you better tell me what happened before I throw you back out."
"So domineering," Kiniro muttered as he stood up, "It's a shame you're too skinny for my tastes."
A shoe slammed into Kiniro's face with a smack, and he groaned before falling back on his ass, "Alright, that one I deserved."
"Five seconds or I throw you out," Maki demanded coldly as she glared at Kiniro, who sighed, "Fine, here's what happened."
Maki was silent for a moment after Kiniro finished recounting his run-in with the assassins before she let out a sigh, "The people you fought most likely belonged to my clan. They're part of the Kukuru Unit, composed of members of the clan who possess cursed energy but no innate technique. Essentially, highly trained foot soldiers who act as the clan's standing army. I was enlisted before I left the clan entirely."
Maki then stared at Kinrio with an appraising gaze, "Why they would want you dead, however, is beyond me. Though knowing your behavior and antics, I would be surprised that you managed to find your way onto their kill list so quickly."
"It's not my fault, I was born this way," Kiniro shrugged, still sitting on the floor from when Maki's shoe had nearly knocked him out, "But unfortunately for them, they thought a couple of grunts would be enough to handle me."
Maki snorted and shook her head at Kiniro's shamelessness, "If that's all you wanted to ask, then there's no reason for you to stay around any longer."
"Well, I did have one more question," Kiniro prompted even as he stood up.
"Oh yeah?" Maki muttered as she crossed her arms.
"Yeah…how would you feel if I killed every last man, woman, and child that donned the Zenin name?"