Sukuna stood there before the destruction left in the wake of his fight with Mahoraga and said, "Hey, kid, I've shown you what true power is. Nothing else here is interesting, so I'm going to give you back control. Learn well and make sure not to disappoint me when the time comes."
Sukuna smirked as the markings faded, and Kiyotaka looked at the destruction ahead of him.
The smile faded as Kiyotaka looked at it, his eyes shrank slightly at the sight, and then the memories flowed into his mind. He was disgusted at the sight of it and the memories that followed. So many lives wasted, never being able to achieve anything meaningful.
Kiyotaka frowned, thinking, 'How vile. Killing people is as disgusting a feeling as I expected. Even though it wasn't me, my body remembers every kill. Even if it won't stop me from doing it when necessary, I won't find pleasure in it. I will never become a depraved killer. I'm sure of that fact.'
He looked down at his clothes and thought, 'Dust... no... ashes of living beings.'
He moves to brush it off, but his hand stops, trembling for a second and the memories of the screams fill his head. He couldn't ignore the lives that were taken. He was, in all accounts, horrified at the events that had unfolded.
He looked disappointed at it all. He looked at the missing buildings and streets in front of him as he thought, 'What a horrible failure this was. In the end, I was helpless because I wasn't strong enough. What an annoying feeling. I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to feel that way.'
He closes his eyes slowly, using his mental control to delete the screams and blood spilled from his mind in an attempt to maintain his mental state. He wanted no part in remembering such things.
Kiyotaka then chanted, "Manifest", generating a gust of gas to get rid of the ashes, and only then did he take a breath.
Kiyotaka felt his body and thought, 'Fully healed and full of Cursed Energy as promised. Hm? For some reason, my reserves have increased. Not by a lot, but the change is significant. I think I have 75% of the reserves that Gojo has now. Is it because of exposure to Sukuna's Cursed Energy and Techniques? Perhaps...'
Kiyotaka turned to B5 and thought, 'Right now, my priority needs to be unsealing Gojo-Sensei.'
He ran towards it thinking, 'I understand now why they wanted to execute me so badly. That level of strength, he had and the carnage that resulted from it... Anyone would fear that level of immense power. Even me.'
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Kiyotaka ran down the stairs to find Nanami, with half his skin burned off due to an encounter with Jogo and Mahito's hand on his back, as Nanami asked, "You're here?"
Mahito smiled, saying, "I've been here. The whole time. Shall we chat for a bit? You and I have gone at it a few times, after all."
Nanami sighed, looking down and thinking, 'Haibara, what was I even hoping to accomplish in the end? I ran. I ran away, and yet I came back over some vague reason like a job worth doing.'
Nanami looked back up, thinking, 'I can't. That's wrong. I can't Haibara.'
A hallucination of Haibara appeared before him as Nanami thought, 'I can't say that. It'll just be a curse upon him.'
Mahito looked back, noticing Kiyotaka and saying, "Oh? You're here?"
Kiyotaka's face showed a slight glare as he said, "Take your hand off him, Mahito."
Mahito smiled and said, "You're so obsessed with control. Heh heh."
Haibara pointed towards Kiyotaka.
Nanami looked away, thinking, 'I shouldn't. He's still only a child. No, he probably didn't even get the chance to be a child. I shouldn't take away that chance from him.'
Haibara pointed at Kiyotaka again.
Nanami's eyes widened, thinking, 'I sh-' before relenting and saying, "Ayanokoji-kun."
Kiyotaka began walking forward, thinking, 'There must be a way, right? Is there really nothing that I can do?'
Nanami smiled and said, "I'll leave the rest to you. I'm sorry for being... such an irresponsible adult."
As he said this, his body was transfigured by Mahito as his upper half exploded with Mahito smiling.
Kiyotaka's eyes shrank, thinking, 'No. Damn it, no.'
Kiyotaka gritted his teeth, thinking of all the moments he'd spent with Nanami. How that man had treated him as a child. Not in a demeaning way but with care.
Mahito looked to him and asked, "Oh? You feel bad? You're getting soft on me. Heh heh."
Kiyotaka calmed his expression, saying, "I don't see that as a bad thing. It means he had value to me. It means I was able to value him as a human being."
Mahito laughed and said, "What's with that worthless kind of thing?"
Kiyotaka took a stance, taking in a deep breath, funnelled Cursed Energy into his fists and said, "I'll take it from here, Nanami. Leave the rest to me", as his gaze focused on Mahito.
Kiyotaka rushed in towards Mahito, who unleashed an onslaught of slashing blades by transforming his arms.
Kiyotaka used Kintic Anchor to dodge them as He slammed his fist into Mahito's face, sending him flying into a wall as Mahito thought, 'Wha-. What the hell? How is he this much stronger?'
Mahito got up thinking, 'Wait, is this guy... out of my league now?'
Kiyotaka rushed in with a cold expression as Mahito thought, 'Not good!'
Kiyotaka slammed both his fists into Mahito, who coughed out blue blood, thinking, 'What the hell? Since when did he get this strong?!!'
Kiyotaka began pummeling him over and over as Mahito was unable to react to the speed of his strikes, thinking, 'This isn't good. It's too much. If this keeps up, I'll run out of Cursed Energy from reshaping my soul!'
Mahito generated spikes on his body, thinking, 'Go on! Punch with full force, asshole!'
Kiyotaka slammed his fist into a spike, cracking and breaking it completely, and then hitting Mahito directly as he spat out blood, thinking, 'I'm going to die. I'm scared. I'm scared.'
Mahito scrambled backward, his eyes were wide, darting around for an exit that didn't exist as he shouted, "Stop it... Stop it! You're not human! No human should have this much... this much strength! You're a demon! A monster! I won't let my life be taken like this!"
"[What's with that worthless kind of thing?] You're the one who said it as if life had no value. Why are you complaining now? Nanami-sensei told me to take it from here. I'm going to ensure there's nothing left for you to reshape."
Kiyotaka said this as Mahito looked horrified as he thought, 'Life has value. I see now. My life... has value. It has more value than that 7:3 sorcerer. That's why I was able to kill him, and that's why... I'm losing right now. So... I will boost the value of my own life! My soul!'
Mahito got up as Kiyotaka struck at him, only to find the mass in front of his fist transform as it hit Mahito into a gas as Mahito smirked, saying, "Your Mass is linked to your soul. I can see your soul lingering in it! Your soul, but not Sukuna's. I understand that now. Haha! If mass created from a Cursed Technique can have a soul, then so can the mass around me! Then everything has a soul! Even things that are not living. That means I can use Idle Transfiguration on it and manipulate it!"
He said this as he placed his hands on the ground, and the ground obeyed him, morphing into cylinders as they sprouted out from the ground, attacking Kiyotaka, who jumped back, dodging the attacks and thinking, 'What in the world? Since when could his technique do that? The ground itself has a soul? Everything has a soul? Is that how this world works? When learning energy transfer, you're taught that all things want to reach a state of low energy. It was taught like that to make understanding it easier. No one truly believed matter had a will of its own, but could that be the case? '
Upon realising that all life has value, Mahito's philosophy changed. Some would understand the wrongness of their actions, but Mahito was a curse, and so he took another path. To establish the value of his own life. His soul. Upon understanding the value he had towards his own soul, he understood it completely. With this, he became able to understand Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's soul and was able to perceive it in his Cursed technique and the absence of Ryomen Sukuna's soul in it. With this, the conclusion that all things in the world have a soul, even things that were not alive, was an easy conclusion.
Mahito rushed in using the air as footholds, copying Kiyotaka's Kinetic Anchor, thinking, 'I'm thrilled by the value of my own talent! My life! My soul!'
He closed in the distance, dodging Kiyotaka's spike projectiles, thinking, 'Ah, I really am... A Curse!' as he slammed his fist into Kiyotaka, shouting, "Black Flash!", as Black Sparks flew from the impact, sending Kiyotaka flying back.
The Sparks of Black do not choose who to bless.
Kiyotaka coughed up blood as he slammed into a wall and then got up, wiping the blood from his mouth and thinking, 'Not good. He's grown exponentially. Right now, he's on a different level than even Jogo.'
Sukuna looked amused at Mahito's growth, thinking, 'Oh? Not bad. I can acknowledge him. He's strong. He might turn out to be quite fun. So Ayanokoji. How will you deal with this level of Jujutsu?'
Kiyotaka took a breath as his injuries began to heal, his ribs stitching back into place, and he thought, 'This guy. I might not be able to beat him on my own.'
Mahito rushed in shouting, "Both of us fight for ourselves and no one else! You are me, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka!"
Kiyotaka threw up his arms, only for cylinders of earth to smash into him as Mahito rushed in, grabbed Kiyotaka and threw him into a pillar, and then another cylinder hit Kiyotaka, throwing it as debris fell on top of him, burying him.
Mahito smiled, thinking, 'Before I could only use Idle Transfiguration on other things through one hand, but now...I can shift that portion of my soul to whatever part of my body I need. Even my feet.'
Mahito laughed gleefully as Kiyotaka slowly got out from under the rubble, thinking, 'I'll have to hold on until I get help.'
Mahito rushed forward, kicking off the air as Kiyotaka's eyes widened, thinking, 'He's doing that again?!!'
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Mahito smirked as Junpei glared at him, asking, "Are you still mad?"
Nobara glared, asking, "Patch-face. Are you the one? Are you the one who's been screwing with this idiot?"
Mahito smirked, asking, "Oh? Am I famous?"
Nobara smirked, saying, "Yeah. For running away like a little bitch."
Mahito laughed, saying, "I like you. You're someone worth killing. Too bad Junpei is too pathetic."
He looked to Junpei's dark expression with a smirk, thinking, 'How pitiful. The value of your life is so pitiful that killing you probably won't increase the value of mine too much. But at least... it'll be fun.'
Mahito laughed at Junpei, saying, "Aw. What's wrong, Junpei? Do you miss your mommy?"
Nobara got a tick mark, shouting, "Shut the fuck up!"
Junpei smiled and said, "Nah. Right now, I'm just happy that you've come right there ready for me to kill you."
Nobara looked surprised before smiling and saying, "It shouldn't be too hard, right, Junpei? After all, exorcising a cowardly bug like him should be light work, right, Junpei?"
Junpei nodded, saying, "Yeah."
Mahito looked to them and laughed, saying, "Not bad," before rushing forward and shouting, "But you're not cursing me properly. Let me show you!"
The ground changed as Junpei jumped up onto a car, thinking, 'Even the environment now?'
Nobara jumped up onto an awning and shouted, "I thought you said he manipulates souls. Not the ground!"
Junpei sweated, saying, "I don't know what the hell he's doing or how."
Nobara sweated, saying, "This isn't good."
Mahito smirked widely, shouting, "I'll make a mess of the two of you and show your corpses to Ayanokoji! That's the way to truly curse someone!"
Usually, a clone shouldn't be able to use Idle Transfiguration on other things; however, Mahito's understanding of his own soul now allowed for it to be possible on inanimate objects.
Mahito sank into the ground, making Nobara shout, "What the hell?"
Suddenly, Mahito appeared behind her as the stingers from moon dregs stung Mahito, giving Nobara time to dodge under the slice of Mahito's transfigured arm.
Junpei glared and shouted, "Phase all you want, but you have to come out to attack you, piece of shit. I've watched Naruto, so pull as much Obito Uchiha bullshit as you want. I'll catch you when you're not looking!"
Mahito looked surprised as he felt his Cursed Energy cannibalise itself due to Junpei's technique as he thought, 'He poisoned my Cursed Energy?'
He looked to Junpei with a smile, before licking his lips and thinking, 'Maybe the value of your soul is actually quite high. How... delightful.'
That's when Nobara stabbed Mahito, who said, "Sorry, but that won't work on me."
Nobara swung her hammer down, shouting, "Shut up!" as the hammer hit and she shouted, "Resonance!"
Mahito's expression became horrified as he felt the attack resonate and damage his soul.
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Mahito transfigured his arm into a blade, swinging at Kiyotaka when suddenly nails burst out of Mahito as Kiyotaka thought, 'Kugisaki's technique!'
Mahito coughed up blood, thinking, 'Damn it! That girl and that Junepi!'
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The Clone of Mahito spat out blood, thinking, 'No way... Ayanokoji Kiyotaka isn't my only natural enemy?!'
Nobara smiled, saying, "That's odd. I just felt my Cursed Energy explode far away from here. The pressure from your Cursed Energy is also lacklustre, and back then, you didn't go for a grab to transfigure me. You're... some kind of double who can't transfigure the souls of people, right?"
Mahito pulled out the nail and licked his lips, saying, "Correct."
Junpei laughed and said, 'A shitty version of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, huh? Makes sense for you."
Nobara looked annoyed, shouting, "Stop making references that I don't understand!"
Mahito smiled and began running away, shouting, "Well... I guess I'll run away!" while having a coniving smirk plastered across his face.
Nobara and Junpei ran after him, shouting, "Wait, you bastard!"
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He didn't hesitate. He rushed in, slamming his fists into Mahito over and over, pinning him to a wall and pumelling him while thinking, 'She's out there fighting a clone most likely. Her resonance must have transferred the damage to the original, which is this Mahito. His Cursed Energy is... canibalising itself? Junpei's Cursed technique is targeting Mahito's Cursed Energy itself. He's also fighting the clone, too! We can win!'
Kiyotaka kept pummelling him as the transfigured the ground, and Kiyotaka jumped back, clapping his hands together and chanting, "Piercing Mass: Rapid Fire!" as a few hit, but then the earth closed around Mahito, shielding him.
Suddenly, Mahito came out from the ground beneath him as Kiyotaka sweated, thinking, 'He's learned how to integrate his soul with the things around him and maintain his consciousness?'
Kiyotaka threw up his arms in defence as they were cut off, and he jumped back thinking, 'He almost took my head off there.'
Slowly, Kiyotaka's hands began to regenerate as he thought, 'He's getting stronger every minute that he's alive. If only I had killed him back then. I wasn't strong enough back then, and this is the result', while remembering their first fight at Satozakura High School.
Kiyotaka sighed and said, "I see. You're not becoming the station. You're using it as a transport system. Like electricity flowing through a system."
Mahito smirked, saying, "Bingo. Get ready to be fried!"
Mahito phased into the ground again as Kiyotaka struck that spot, clicking his tongue and thinking, 'No good, huh?'
Kiyotaka braces himself, thinking, 'How annoying, still if I see him get affected by Kugisaki's technique, then I can unleash an onslaught of attacks. Get ready for that moment and exorcise him with my Maximum Technique before he can escape into the ground. I'll have to trust that they can keep him stunned long enough to complete the chants.'
Kiyotaka took a stance as Mahito thought, 'My Cursed Energy is constantly dropping, slowly but surely, and I'm taking a beating from both sides. I'm terrified. What an amazing test of the value of my soul!'
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To Be Continued
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