Mahito entered the building, saying, "Things have gone quiet, huh? Did Junpei end up finishing up his little tantrum without Sukuna's Vessel arriving?"
Mahito walked through the halls thinking, 'Geto did tell me that Sukuna's vessel isn't a fool that can be manipulated, but he's still a sorcerer, so I thought he'd rush in. Maybe my view of sorcerers isn't right.'
Mahito sighed, thinking, 'Forcing the switch with Sukuna might not be possible then. Even though Geto said this wouldn't work, I really wanted to try it.'
Mahito then saw Kiyotaka walking up to him and smiled, saying, "Oh, a Jujutsu Sorcerer?"
Kiyotaka looked at him and said, "Your Cursed Energy. You're a Special-Grade, aren't you?"
Mahito smirked, saying, "I am. Vessel of Sukuna."
Mahito smirked as he said this, as Kiyotaka thought, 'How does he know that?'
Mahito walked closer, saying, "You're being a bit reckless, aren't you? Coming out here like this?"
Suddenly, Mahito's head was cut off cleanly as Junpei stood behind Mahito, holding a cleaver Kiyotaka had made via his Cursed Technique and given to him.
Junpei looked shocked, asking, "It was... that easy?"
Kiyotaka was about to nod when something stuck itself through his stomach as Junpei shouted, "Ayanokoji!"
Kiyotaka spat out some blood but then infused his fist with his Cursed Technique, cutting off the object.
Mahito observed this thinking, 'He formed a blade around his hand?'
Mahito rushed towards Kiyotaka. He saw Kiyotaka's fist aimed at his face and thought, 'My hand will reach you first!', when a physical mass that focused to one concentrated point, like a spear, extended from Kiyotaka's hand and hit Mahito in the face, piercing his face to an extent, defenestrating him as Mahito fell to the playground below.
Kiyotaka jumped down, saying, "Junpei. Stay up there and use your Shikigami to provide support. And remember. Do not let him touch you."
Junpei nodded, summoning his Shikigami.
Mahito sat up with a disfigured face, thinking, 'That was an unusual blow. Interesting.! He can change his Cursed Energy into physical mass.'
He fixed his face and got up, saying, "Too bad, though. That won't work. So long as I maintain the shape of my-"
Mahito got a nosebleed as he was shocked, thinking, 'What's going on?'
He fixed his stance, becoming more serious and thinking, 'He struck the shape of my soul as well? That's right! Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's a vessel. His body constantly houses another soul in addition to his own. So naturally..."
Mahito wiped the blood from his nose and said, "You're aware...of the outline of your soul?"
Mahito smirked, thinking, 'He's my natural-born nemesis!'
Kiyotaka then chanted, "Manifest", as several projectiles fired towards Mahito, who turned his arms into wings as he evaded them before landing on the ground and saying, "Oh wow. You can do that too?"
That's when Kiyotaka rushed in, saying, "Manifest!" as he created a sword in his hand and slashed at Mahito, who dodged the slash.
Mahito avoided the slashes, thinking, 'If he cuts my head off, I might actually die.'
That's when two tendrils hit him on the sides. They didn't hurt or poison him, but they stopped him from moving back and held him in place as Kiyotaka swung his blade, aiming to decapitate his opponent.'
Mahito's eyes widened as he thought, 'Am I... going to die? No!'
Mahito separated his head and body manually so that Kiyotaka's blade would pass through meaninglessly, but as he was reconnecting, Kiyotaka kicked him in the gut, sending him flying back as Mahito thought, 'So much power. Was he using Cursed Energy? But I couldn't see it. Is it... invisible?'
Mahito smirked, thinking, 'This guy is strong! He could actually end up killing me!'
Kiyotaka got into a stance, readying his blade and thinking, 'Before he changes his shape, he stores up Cursed Energy. With cover fire from Junpei, it should be possible to kill this Cursed Spirit. But I need to cut its head off personally for that to happen. Even if I can't manage it, Nanami will be here soon.'
Tendrils struck the area near Mahito, who rushed back, avoiding each tendril as Kiyotaka rushed in.
Mahito saw him thinking, 'I don't know what will happen if he cuts off my head. I might just die.'
Mahito threw up his arms, sending off his own tenrdrals as Kiyotaka's eyes widened before focusing. He swung his blade, cutting down each of the tendrils, thinking, 'He's a quick learner. He could become a big threat if I don't make him a quick dier as well.'
Kiyotaka felt the tendrils cut him a few times, thinking, 'I'm not used to operating at this level. I'll have to learn to adjust.'
Kiyotaka charged forward, shouting, "Manifest!" as a slab appeared before him that he put his shoulder against to push as the slab tanked the tendrils for him.
Mahito looked surprised, thinking, 'Can he make just about anything?'
Mahito focused an attack that burst through the slab as dust billowed up. He walked over, avoiding attacks from Junpei's Shikigami and thinking, 'Where did he...'
Kiyotaka burst out from the ground behind him and swung his blade at Mahito's neck, who thought, 'What the?!!'
Mahito reduced his height to dodge, trying to touch Kiyotaka's legs, but Kiyotaka kicked Mahito, who reinforced himself with Cursed Energy as he dragged his feet to a stop, thinking, 'I can't tell if he's using Cursed Energy or not. That's dangerous!'
Kiyotaka patted the dust off his clothes, thinking, 'I was able to dig underground, yet that wasn't good enough to catch him? His instincts are good. Even with someone else pressuring him, he was able to manage it. He's talented.'
Kiyotaka looked to Mahito as they circled each other, as they both thought, 'I have to keep my guard up, or I'll die.'
Kiyotaka readied his sword, thinking, 'He's figured out that My Cursed Energy is invisible.'
Kiyotaka then chanted, "Manifest!", as he created a sheathe, strapping it to his waist and sheathing his blade, thinking, 'I'll make a binding vow. I'll only manifest the sword sheathed, and I'll sacrifice 25% of my output when engaging in normal swings for a 35% increase in output for an unsheathing swing.'
Kiyotaka considered the extra 15% bonus fair due to the time and effort required to unsheathe the blade before a fight, and having to sheathe and unsheathe the blade for the increased output swings.
Mahito looked at him, thinking, 'He made a Sheathe? And then sheathed his blade? Why? It must be the same as that 7:3 Sorcerer. A binding vow to increase his output.'
Junpei waved his hand as his Shikigami unleashed an attack of multiple tendrils focused at one point. Mahito smirked, saying, "You're getting desperate, Junpei. Just like your mother did when that Curse ripped her in half!"
Junpei felt his veins pop in his head as he shouted, "Die!" As the tendrils followed Mahito like a homing Missile.
Mahito smirked, thinking, 'Aw. Did I hurt his feelings?'
Mahito laughed to himself a little.
Kiyotaka then chanted, saying, "Manifest", as he breathed out smoke from his mouth that surrounded him, hiding his presence. Then the smoke dissipated, and Kiyotaka was gone.
Mahito's eyes widened, thinking, 'Wait! I let my guard down! Where is Sukuna's vessel?!'
He looked around but couldn't see him anywhere. That's when a veil tore apart, making Kiyotaka visible as he unsheathed his sword, swinging at Mahito while nailing him in the gut to disorientate him, thinking, 'Cursed Energy comes from the navel, so if I hit you here, you can't use your Cursed Technique to escape!'
Tendrils hit Mahito as suddenly Kiyotaka's eyes widened, thinking, 'That's not the spot where your Cursed Energy comes from? Did you change the position by modifying your own body?'
Mahito smiled in joy as he grew spikes along his body, extending them as Kiyotaka took several cuts and stabs all over his body before jumping back, thinking, 'It's not just his physical ability that makes him Special-Grade. It's his versatility and abnormality.'
He wiped the blood from his face and said, "Junpei. Calm down. If you get worked up, things will get more difficult. Not easier."
Junpei looked to Kiyotaka, saying, "Didn't you hear what he said...!"
Kiyotaka then said, "That's obvious. No sane person wouldn't be desperate when facing death. Not even I would be calm. Don't get caught up in that rage. Focus it towards the goal."
Junpei shouted, "I am!"
"You're not. You're letting yourself be controlled by your rage. Being controlled by it and focusing it towards a goal are different things."
Kiyotaka looked to Mahito, thinking, 'That cloak I made. It can coat me in my Cursed Energy Trait to an enormous degree and therefore allow me to become invisible, but... it tore under the weight of my Cursed Energy? Why? Did it get overloaded? I haven't set any binding vows for it either, so maybe it's not efficient yet. I'll have to ask Gojo about it later.'
Kiyotaka tried to reinforce his blade but noticed, thinking, 'That cloak drained me almost dry of my Cursed Energy. Nanami should arrive soon, though. It should turn out all right.'
Mahito smirked, saying, "You almost killed me three times! I'm feeling a rush! I understand it now! The meaning of death!"
He said this as he understood his innate domain, his eyes sharpening, as his hand sporuted from his tongue, forming two-handed hand-signs in his mouth, and he thinks, "Domain Expansion!"
Black hands appear as Kiyotaka jumps back to avoid them, shouting, "Break it from the outside, Junpei!"
Mahito's domain manifests as he thinks, "Self-Embodiment of Perfection!"
Kiyotaka stands there thinking, 'This is probably the end for me. I'm sorry, Suzune. It looks like I won't get to see you again. And I was so interested to see how I would end up feeling about you. But... I can't avoid his attack in this domain.'
There was banging that could be heard from outside the domain, but eventually it stopped, and Kiyotaka thought, 'He can't break it from the outside? It's likely that he and his Shikigami don't have the physical strength to manage it.'
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'The only chance would be to make a breakthrough and unleash my own Domain, but I don't have one right now. I haven't even received training in it. Gojo likely never meant for me to take things this far regarding our binding vow. I'm the one who was unable to take a chance about this kind of thing... no. Maybe it was just that I wanted to help Junpei.'
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'What a fool I've become. Yet... it doesn't feel so bad.'
Mahito smirked, saying, "Right now. I'm grateful to you."
Mahito activated the Sure-Hit Effect, thinking, 'Now. Swap out with Sukuna,' but then he felt a sense of dread and a massive amount of Cursed Energy.
There was a pool of blood at their feet and a ribcage above them. In front of them was a pile of skulls stacked up, and Sukuna was sitting on said bones.
Sukuna looked to Mahito with a dark expression, asking, "You dare touch my soul?"
He looked to him with an unamused face, saying, "Know your place, fool", as he casually flicked his finger, and a slash hit Mahito, blood gushing from his wound, spraying up.
Mahito wailed in pain as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding, while Sukuna thought, 'Whether you die. It doesn't matter to me. I truly don't care', while looking at Mahito.
The Domain shattered as Kiyotaka sweated, thinking, 'It's thanks to Sukuna that I'm alive.'
Mahito looked to Kiyotaka, thinking, 'I can't use Idle Transfiguration against him?'
He gritted his teeth in pain, thinking, 'Domain Expansion... That really burns a lot of Cursed Energy. It truly is a trump card. A final technique. And that damn Sukuna... But this is a critical moment.'
Kiyotaka rushed in thinking, 'I'm not going to make it. I'm not fast enough, so...'
Kiyotaka shouted, "Manifest!" as he created mass at his feet to propel himself forward, thinking, 'Nanami didn't make it here, so he's likely still fighting off whatever this curse's creations are. I have to finish this myself!'
He sheathed his blade as he targeted Mahito's neck, when suddenly Mahito ballooned up, and they both thought, 'I'll use the last of my Cursed Energy!'
Kiyotaka swung his blade, slashing Mahito, only for Mahito to pop.
Kiyotaka's eyes widened, thinking, 'No feedback?'
He halted himself, quickly swinging his sword behind him as Mahito threw up his arms in a desperate defence of his neck, just barely avoiding a decapitation as his arms hung by just a thread, and he then slipped into the sewers, saying, "Bye Bye" with a smile.
Kiyotaka fell onto his ass thinking, 'Where's Junpei?'
Kiyotaka looked up to see Junpei passed out from overexertion and thought, 'He's running on fumes. He must have been bashing at the Domain for a while, trying to break it as I asked. He likely ran out of Cursed Energy before he could manage it.'
Kiyotaka wiped the sweat off his forehead, thinking, 'We didn't manage it. Mission failed. But... I feel stronger than before.'
Nanami arrived as he looked to Kiyotaka and said, "I didn't think you were the type to disobey orders. You're more like Gojo than I thought", as he offered Kiyotaka his hand.
Kiyotaka took a breath, saying, "I don't actually consider that an insult", while taking Nanami's hand and getting up.
Kiyotaka dusted his shirt off, saying, "It escaped into the sewers. It used a Domain, so it's weak right now. Unfortunately, I don't have the strength or Cursed Energy to keep fighting for now."
Nanami nodded as he made the call. He then turned to Kiyotaka and asked, "How did you survive its Domain?"
Kiyotaka then said, "Dismiss", as his sword and sheathe evaporated and then answered Nanami, saying, "Sukuna doesn't appreciate his soul being touched."
Nanami's eyes widened as he nodded before asking, "The civilians?"
"0 Casualties. 1 new recruit."
Nanami looked to Junpei, who was unconscious and said, "You'll have to take that part up with Yaga."
Kiyotaka looked to Nanami and said, "You should go after it. There's still a chance to exorcise it."
Nanami looked to Kiyotaka and shook his head, saying, "I'll prioritise you."
Nanami sighed and said, "I apologise for taking so long. The sheer number of Transfigured Humans he made. We had to hunt each of them down."
Kiyotaka nodded, thinking, 'It's like he anticipated that fighting Nanami and me would lead to death. Or was it someone else who guided him on this path?'
Nanami turned to Kiyotaka and asked, "If Yoshino Junpei now has a Cursed Technique, can I ask about his performance?"
Kiyotaka nodded and said, "He worked well in the job I assigned him. Cover fire. The point wasn't to hurt Mahito but to keep him distracted, even if only a little, so that I could finish him off."
Nanami looked to Kiyotaka and asked, "So you able to injure the Curse?"
Kiyotaka nodded, saying, "It has to do with understanding the outline of the soul."
"Because you're a vessel."
Kiyotaka nodded.
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Junpei stood over a grave saying, "I'm sorry, Mom. I got you involved in this."
He put down some flowers, thinking, 'If I had been open with Ayanokoji from the start, would things have ended up better?'
Kiyotaka patted his back, saying, "Mahito likely organised most of this on purpose. He likely killed those three in front of you to draw you in."
Junpei gritted his teeth, shouting, "And I fell for it!"
"Instead of blaming yourself. Don't fall for it again."
Kiyotaka said this as tears fell from Junpei's eyes and he fell to his knees.
Kiyotaka watched as Junpei wailed out in sorrow, thinking, 'This is unpleasant to watch.'
He squatted down, putting his hand on Junpei's back and saying, "Live a life your mother would be happy to see you living."
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Kiyotaka and Junpei walked over to Gojo as he looked to them and asked, "What's going on here?"
Kiyotaka pointed to Junpei and said, "Adopt this child."
"Wut?"
Gojo looked dumbfounded.
"Was it a bad joke?"
Gojo nodded, saying, "It was horrible."
Kiyotaka looked to Gojo and said, "He's new to all of this, yet he's got very good combat ability."
Gojo looked to Junpei, inspecting his Cursed Energy, and said, "He's sloppy. Not good for the amount of Cursed Energy he has."
Junpei surprisingly respected that Gojo was being honest with him, saying, "I... want to become stronger."
Gojo smiled and said, "Alright then. You'll have to get past Old Man Yaga, but I'm alright with taking in another student. Especially if one of my students is vouching for them."
Gojo smiled as Junpei's eyes widened, thinking, 'He's okay with this? Just like that?'
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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