Kiniro's heart couldn't settle between anticipation and boredom as he sat perched atop the tallest building on campus, letting the warm black rooftiles fill his body with heat while overlooking the school.
'I bet Todo is having the time of his life,' Kiniro thought as he sighed, imagining the buffet of curses that were being unleashed upon the city, 'There's bound to be a couple of special grades mixed in as well, and here I am sitting on a roof like a gargoyle.'
Kiniro was frustrated, but the anticipation of what lay ahead kept him from abandoning his post selfishly and indulging his gluttony.
'Suguru Geto.'
A smile crossed Kiniro's face as he thought of the man who had once been called his Sensei's equal, the worst curse user of all time, who had slaughtered an entire village and declared war against the whole of Jujutsu society.
Staring out at the horizon, Kiniro's eyes spaced out,'I can't tell what I'm more excited to see, what special grade curses you have in your arsenal or the shape of your soul. But either way, I'm sure not to be disappointed. I've been needing to test my new limits.'
Lost in his daydream of the climactic battle awaiting him, Kiniro nearly missed it when he felt a ripple of cursed energy spread throughout the campus as a curtain descended across the school grounds.
In an instant, Kiniro's gaze focused on the source of the barrier, and it settled on the lone man standing atop one of the retaining walls, dressed in traditional Buddhist robes.
Kiniro's eyes widened, and in an instant his hand flashed out, driving one of Lust's knives through his shoulder as his entire body tensed fighting against itself, 'How dangerous…I've never come that close to losing control so easily.'
Using the flare of pain to focus himself, Kiniro fought the urge to throw himself at Suguru, 'This is what I've been searching for; it seems that the souls of special grades really are something else entirely.'
Letting out a tense exhale, Kiniro sat back on his heels, content to watch and observe as Suguru made his way towards the center of the school, no doubt tracking the massive residual of cursed energy that lingered around Yuta thanks to his cursed state.
'For your sake, Yuta, I hope you are able to fully manifest Rika, otherwise, I'll have ot intervene far sooner than we agreed on.' Biting his lip, Kiniro thought it over for a second before standing up, 'Maybe a bit of encouragement will help.'
---
Yuta's heart pounded as he looked up into the sky and watched the curtain impose itself onto reality, no doubt sealing off all paths of escape, 'So this is it.'
Yuta's heart pounded, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous as he glanced down at the ring attached to the necklace around his neck, a reminder of the terrifying power within, and he remembered Kiniro's words.
A second passed before Yuta tucked the necklace back into his shirt, keeping it hidden, 'I can do this on my own. I don't need Rika; I don't need to risk anyone getting hurt. All I need to do is draw out one of Suguru's trump cards as for tempting him…his goal is to kill me. As long as Kiniro is on standby, I don't care how close to death I come.'
Yuta felt his heart calm as his resolve hardened, 'It's time to stop being afraid, especially after I've come so far.'
"Yuta!"
Hearing his name called, Yuta looked over his shoulder and saw Maki running towards him, a familiar sword clenched in her grasp. A surge of panic shot through Yuta's body as his eyes widened, "Maki! What are you doing here?!"
"Kiniro spotted Suguru," Maki explained as she continued running towards him, "He said that you couldn't face him alone, that there was no way-"
Before Maki could complete her sentence, the courtyard wall exploded in a shower of dust and bricks.
Gritting his teeth, Yuta tore his eyes off of Maki and looked into the cloud of yellow dust as it slowly settled, revealing Suguru himself as he stepped over the rubble and entered the courtyard.
"Yuta Okkostu, we meet again."
Suguru regarded Yuta with a broad grin as he came to a stop, "Before we begin, I have to apologize. If there were any other way, I wouldn't lay a finger on you or any other sorcerer. I consider all of us to be kin, but there is simply no other way to reshape the world in my im-"
Before Suguru could complete his speech, the muffled scratch of metal against leather interrupted him, followed by Maki's furious footsteps as she launched herself at Suguru, rage in her eyes.
Suguru's smile slipped and turned into a disgusting frown as he glanced at Maki, "Hmmm, but monkeys like you, Failure of the Zenin Clan, have no place within my perfect world."
Gritting her teeth, Maki let her rage flow freely and felt Dragonbone in her hands come alive, eagerly taking her cursed energy without her even needing to direct it. The engines along its spine roared to life as the muscles across Maki's body bulged and her speed increased noticeably.
Suguru's eyebrows rose, but he still reacted calmly as a weapon slid out of the sleeve of his robe that unfolded, revealing itself to be a three-sectioned staff, made out of bright red metal with dark steel caps and chains connecting each pole. Undiscouraged, Maki arrived in front of Surguru and swung her sword at a blistering speed as the engines flared.
Crossing the two ends of his staff, Suguru caught Maki's blade in a cross guard, only to feel a tremor pass through his body as the ground beneath his feet cracked. 'This strength…why does it remind me of him?'
Looking into Maki's eyes, Suguru suddenly felt something other than the overwhelming apathy he regarded most monkeys with, 'I'm going to enjoy this.'
"Maki!" Yuta cried out as his body surged with cursed energy, and his hands shot down to his katana.
"Quiet now," Suguru chided as Yuta charged towards them, "I'll deal with you after I make sure this monkey is the first step towards a perfect world."
"I'd like to see you try!" Maki roared back as she pressed down with her sword, trying to break through Suguru's guard.
"How desperate," Suguru said derisively as he shifted his feet and used his cross guard to push Maki to the side, opening her up as his leg lifted off the ground and stuck her in the stomach with a dull thud.
As Maki was sent flying by the blow, Surugu thrust his hand toward Yuta, and a shadowy portal opened, and from it a small swarm of chitnous centipedes spilled forth, crawling over each other in their haste to sink their mandibles into Yuta.
Gritting his teeth, Yuta was forced to abandon his charge and backpedal as the swarm advanced, spilling across the ground like a rogue wave, peaking and crashing with every second.
Catching her footing, Maki clenched her jaw and ignored the spasms across her stomach as Suguru followed up his initial counter, flying across the ground and swinging his three-sectioned staff, relying on his extra reach.
'This staff,' Maki thought as she used Dragonbone to deflect the bright red pole only to have her sword nearly ripped from her hands, 'It's making him stronger…it has to be a cursed tool.'
Seeing the understanding dawn in her eyes, Suguru grinned, "Its name is Playful Cloud, a special-grade cursed tool. That sword in your hands is a masterpiece as well, one you aren't worthy to wield with your filthy hands."
Darting forward, Suguru wielded a section in each hand and let out a series of blindingly fast thrusts, and even without a piercing tip, the force behind each strike was enough to make the air pop.
Gritting her teeth, Maki pushed her body to its limits as she wove in and out of Suguru's jabbing thrusts, occasionally using the flat of her sword to block when the curse user forced her into a disadvantageous position.
'Even with Dragonbone increasing my strength,' Maki thought as she blocked another swing of Suguru's staff only to be sent sliding across the ground and crashing into the courtyard wall, 'It's still not enough…I can't make up the difference with his cursed energy reinforcement.'
Anger and confusion ran like hot coals through Maki's body as she rolled to the side, avoiding the staff thrust that shattered the section of wall she had been leaning against, 'Why did Kiniro send me here? I'm not making a difference.'
Leaning her head to the side, Maki was still buffeted by the fierce gust of wind generated by Playful clouds passing. On unsteady feet, Maki couldn't dodge and could only drop her elbow down by her side as the other end of Suguru's staff came around and landed a clean blow against what would have been her unprotected ribs.
There was a loud crunch followed by a flash of searing hot pain as Maki felt her feet leave the ground. Through the pain, Maki felt a sense of weightlessness as she flew through the air.
"Maki!!"
Hearing her name, Maki looked over to see Yuta staring at her with wide eyes as a wave of cursed energy exploded from his body, outright disintegrating the curses closest to him, all while his hand moved towards the ring hanging from his necklace.
Watching the scene, realization dawned upon Maki and her hate for Kiniro soared to an all-time height, 'So that's why he sent me out here…that bastard. If we both survive this, I'm going to break his arm.'