Curse spirits manifest due to people's negativity; their existence is based on the vilest acts humanity can produce. They can't exist in the same world as creatures that are attracted to negativity, and yet, humanity has to deal with both of them. In a world with Curses and Grimm, it is up to the people to learn how to defend against these dangers and defeat those who wish to ally with evil.
Recipe for Chaos (Jujutsu Kaisen X RWBY Xover)
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Chapter 1: Dark Beginings
"Why is Yuta Okkotsu still alive?"
Sitting inside the office room in a laidback position, Satoru Gojo let out an audible groan. He was at his wit's end as he tried to argue with Gakuganji about the fate of his newest student. It's not his fault that the higher-ups are too short-sighted to see the enormous potential that the boy holds.
Rika Orimoto is not to be trifled with, and even though he can't predict what the Special Grade might unleash upon the world, the uncertainty makes her more dangerous than ever. This is why Satoru can see why they are hesitant to make him an official student in Jujutsu High.
However, he couldn't care less.
"I told you, old man, I will train him to the point that he will become a fine sorcerer. Why can't you trust me on this one?"
"Your last recruits have been… below-average sorcerers. At this point, they tend to be more trouble than help."
Satoru snorted.
Hakari got his entire salary blown away and now lives solely on casino money. Funnily enough, the punishment he received was not because he got high on gambling and earned a bad reputation from the students. No, the higher-ups didn't care about that.
He got the school in massive debt by claiming he was fighting against a Special Grade curse and needed resources. Needless to say, that pachinko machine should be full of lien by now.
The school lost millions of lien that day, prompting a cut on the staff's salary to compensate.
He saw Mei Mei– of all people, nearly losing her cool.
Satoru returned from his thoughts when he heard another older man pouring sake into a cup.
Naobito Zen'in rubbed his temples as he contemplated the predicament. His usual arrogant, condescending attitude was nowhere to be seen.
He stepped in, his voice cold. "Listen, I don't care what you do with Maki. She's a joke that should never have been born, but that boy…" He paused, his eyes narrowing. "He's cursed with love. He's too dangerous. So no, we can't trust you. End of discussion."
Satoru took a deep breath, slightly taking off his blindfold. One of the Six Eyes flashed in tandem with his anger. "I'll let that direct jab at my student slide this time, but do that again…" He trailed off, his voice dripping with menace. "And I will kill you."
Naobito gritted his teeth but then smiled back at the challenge. "You're welcome to try."
Satoru turned to Gakuganji, his eyes steely. "As for the boy—"
"I already told you he's not placing a foot in Jujutsu High."
He narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his patience. "Let me finish. I don't think any of you old coots realize his potential—and the consequences of killing him."
Gakuganji and Naobito eyed him with intrigue.
"To prove that I ain't trying to bluff you, here's somebody that will surely convince your outdated brains." He pulled out his phone and opened a hologram, revealing a slightly blurry image that started to clear itself. He smiled in anticipation as the phone began to reveal a peculiar man.
His regal posture, the way he held his cane, and his mere presence screamed respect. One of the highest authorities in Remnant started to make himself known as he adjusted his glasses.
However, his welcoming party was anything but respectful to him.
The atmosphere immediately became hostile as the headmaster of Beacon Academy made himself known. A sake glass could be heard breaking as Naobito rose from his seat with a feral grin, his veins popping out from his forehead.
"Greetings, gentleman," Ozpin said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the three men in the room. "Gakuganji, Satoru— Naobito."
Satoru didn't miss the slight venom his tone carried.
"What in the world is this traitor doing here?!" Gakuganji roared, his face red with anger.
"You have the gall to even show your face after everything you've done, Ozpin?" Naobito sneered. His was akin to a low growl.
Ozpin's smile faltered. "I had no control over the situation that happened nine years ago. I thought I made that clear."
"Yet you've still failed us. What's your point?" Gakuganji demanded.
"I need Yuta Okkotsu alive," Ozpin said simply.
"Why?" Naobito asked, his eyes narrowed. "Is this another one of your shady plots?"
"Yes," he said, "Sooner or later, we'll be facing a war we cannot win, and we will need him," Ozpin said gravely.
"Ha, I heard this story too many times." Naobito scoffed. "I thought you had Salem under control. Was that a miscalculation as well?"
Satoru kept his attention on the conversation. Ozpin didn't explain it to him, but he said that he needed him to hold a meeting with the higher-ups and to bring him along.
If Salem was part of why he was eager for a surprise meeting… the whole world might have a big problem on their hands.
Ozpin laughed, a bitter sound. "I don't know which one of you thought for even a second that Salem could be controlled forever. Nobody is that foolish."
"Who's the fool?" Naobito asked, his voice rising as he stood up from his seat. "To come to us asking for peace, only to make a mockery of us once again."
"Do you wish to hold onto your traditions and be annihilated so that you can satisfy your ego?!" Ozpin shouted, his eyes flashing with anger.
Satoru let out a sly grin. Somebody needed to say that. It was a little uncharacteristic from the usually professional headmaster, but if it served to get the point across to these old relics, then he couldn't afford to look meek.
Naobito kept his gaze locked with Ozpin's and went back to his seat, muttering incoherent words with Gakuganji. After the brief exchange, the two old men looked at each other one last time and nodded.
"Depending on the magnitude of the threat Salem is, we're… willing to hear you out." Gakuganji said finally. "Do you think you can convince the entire council to join your cause?"
"Oh, I'm sure we will find lots to talk about," Ozpin said with a knowing smile.
"Since it's clear you and Gojo planned this meeting, we would like you to do one thing for us should you want to regain our trust," Naobito said, his eyes fixed on him.
Satoru and Ozpin looked at each other and shrugged. Whatever this old bastard wanted to do, it shouldn't be too hard to follow.
"We will let Okkotsu live—for now. Make sure that he controls his powers. Should he prove to be more trouble than he is worth, then the kid will be eliminated, and…" Naobito let out an evil grin. "All hunter schools in Mistral shall be replaced by jujutsu schools."
'Wait, what?'
Did Naobito become senile? He must have if he decided to pull out an outrageous request like this. Surely Ozpin wouldn't—
"I accept."
That man is crazy.
He is completely, utterly insane.
Satoru suppressed a chortle that was trying to escape from his mouth. Oh, he cannot wait when the news reaches Lionheart's ears. He will eagerly await to know the outcome of this situation.
Naobito stood up and raised his cup of sake. "Since we can't formally shake hands, let us have a drink."
Ozpin had a glass of whisky ready on his desk and raised it.
"For peace."
Naobito let out a mischievous grin. "For your downfall."
The men drowned their glasses without a second thought.
(X)
"Why are you driving?!"
The one who asked the question was no other than Maki Zen'in. Or, as Naobito loved to call her, the failure of the Zen'in clan. She was tapping her foot impassively as Satoru made his way to the driver's seat.
"Because Ijichi said that he needed to take care of business, and I'm the only one old enough to drive?" he said as he smiled teasingly at her. "What– scared?"
She took a deep breath and locked her eyes at him.
"You are wearing a blindfold."
"Yes."
"You've barely ever touched a car."
"I normally let others drive for me, so you're technically wrong."
"Are you telling me there isn't a single worker here at Jujutsu High? The place with probably hundreds of people working overtime?"
"Can you drive?"
Maki gritted her teeth at him and sighed. Not wanting to argue any further, she went and took her seat in the back, grumbling to herself. Another person followed suit. A kid with a white shirt sat beside her—a reasonable distance away from her, to be precise.
This kid was the newest Special Grade sorcerer, Yuta Okkotsu.
Satoru revved up the engine and took off—next destination, Sanctum Academy.
He let out a silly grin as the cars around him started to open up and let him through. Advantages of him driving? No one, not anyone, will dare to fuck around with someone that's driving with a blindfold.
Yuta fidgeted nervously as he stared at Maki, then at the window, then at her again. The girl didn't even pay attention to him, staring out the window with a cold expression. Satoru sat in the driver's seat, humming as he drove.
He glanced over at Yuta. The kid was scared; that much seemed obvious, no matter how hard he was trying to hide it. He smiled. He knew that Yuta had potential. He just needed to bring it out.
"Sensei," Yuta said, his voice trembling slightly. "How many curses are inside Sanctum?"
Satoru glanced in the rearview mirror. "Hmm, it shouldn't be that much," he said. "And that rarely happens."
"Rarely?" Yuta echoed.
"Places with a lot of negativity are usually overflowing with curses," Maki said, keeping her disinterested gaze on the window. "Kids are immature and lack the self-awareness to know how this world works, so they curse each other nonstop. Places like this are usually reserved for Grade 1 sorcerers and above."
Satoru chuckled. "Recently, the curse activity has been much lower than before, which is why this will be the perfect initiation for you!" he said. "Nothing too crazy will happen, hopefully, but I think you kids should be able to defend yourselves just fine."
Yuta forced a smile at his dismissive tone.
Satoru saw the building of Sanctum Academy and pulled up in front. He turned off the engine and got out of the car. Yuta and Maki followed.
"Here we are," he said. "Now, let me pull out a curtain..."
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure." He chanted.
A gray dome started to form and slowly descended from the top to the entirety of Sanctum, covering it all the way to its yards. Yuta looked confused.
"A lot of people in Mistral don't take too kindly to the likes of us," Satoru explained. "So we're kinda forced to cover our tracks if we want to keep a low profile. We don't want pedestrians to flood us with their hate and cynicism and make the situation worse for us."
The curtain managed to cover Sanctum in its entirety. Satoru looked towards his students. He started to make his way outside.
"You can begin your work now," he said, waving goodbye at them. "Oh, and try not to die~"
The last thing he saw was Yuta gulping hard.
He laughed as he remembered how Shoko reacted similarly on her first mission. He and Geto teased her nonstop after that.
His smile vanished as he remembered his long-lost friend.
'Suguru…'
What could he have been doing now? How many more has he killed in his mad crusade?
Just then, he heard the radio of the car crackling to life.
"We interrupt this broadcast to inform you about an urgent case regarding Sanctum Academy," a voice said. "There have been reports of children disappearing for a whole three days without any trace of them. We implore you– to any huntsmen available, to go solve the problem and rescue the children so their families may be at peace."
He frowned. "That can't be good…"
The last thing they needed was a pair of huntsman interfering with them. Oum, forbid they kill the curses without a cursed tool.
"Nah, they'll be fine."
He got inside the car and reclined his seat to relax.
The kids will be okay. He picked them as his students, after all.
His only concern was if he should have lied to them to trust Ozpin's prediction.
(X)
"Now, this is worthy of being called a burger!"
He held a tray that contained three burgers. Two of these burgers had an appearance like gods handcrafted it. The triple patty was held by a beautiful golden brown bun and Atlesian cheese that had melted in each layer. There was sweet onion sauce nearly falling off the burger with the sheer amount they had added. It was enough to make his mouth drool.
The other burger—left much to be desired, as it was merely a sandwich stuffed with countless fish to the point that it started wobbling. Who comes to a burger place to order a fish sandwich?! It was even her idea to reunite here.
He hated to admit it, but he had to give credit where it was due. The monkeys sure knew how to cook a good meal.
Geto walked toward the table where two Faunus waited for him. The male Faunus wore a black leather coat and a red shirt underneath. His most notable feature was his sunglasses, which gave him a cliché 'bad boy' aura. He sat alongside his girlfriend, Blake Belladonna. She wore less flashy clothes, opting for her black vest and white undershirt.
He placed the tray on the table alongside the radio that was playing. Blake and Adam wasted no time and grabbed their food faster than they could blink. Geto chuckled at the sight.
"-we implore you—to any huntsmen available, to go solve the problem and rescue the children so their families may be at peace." The radio chimed in.
"Oh, that's your cue," he said, taking a bite of the burger. "Any questions?"
Adam looked at him, then to Blake, then back at him again.
"Yeah, two of them." Adam deadpanned. "Blake, what the fuck is that?"
Blake's eyes widened, and she turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Who comes to a burger place to order that? They're supposed to sell the best burgers in town, going by the ratings at least. Why did you even recommend this place?"
"I… seriously would like to know that as well," Geto added. Blake's cheeks flushed at the attack. She coughed awkwardly.
"I– like eating this, that's good enough for you two?" Blake said. "Not like you two know anything about food…"
"Said the literal cat," Geto added. Blake merely grabbed her sandwich, leaned towards him, and started eating it—slowly. His face crunched in disgust.
'This brat!'
"We're getting sidetracked here." Geto gulped, turning away from the disgusting sight. He turned to Adam, who merely looked at him with a slight smirk. "What else do you want to ask?"
Adam's smile faltered.
"Can you remind me why we're committing suicide?"
Geto sighed. "Don't worry, you two will be fine."
"Geto, we'll follow you even if it costs us our lives, but are you certain that it's wise to be dangerously close to Satoru Gojo and potentially a Special Grade curse?" Adam asked, taking another bite from his burger.
"Knowing Satoru," Geto said. "He's probably using the school to test Okkotsu and will not interfere. Rest easy; if for some reason Satoru decides to move, I promise I'll get you both out of there."
When he heard the news about a new special-grade sorcerer coming to Mistral, he grew highly intrigued. The four special-grade sorcerers were the pinnacle of jujutsu society, so earning that title was far from easy. A regular prodigy would get to Grade 1 maximum—you needed to be a genius as well to achieve the maximum rank.
He knew the higher-ups didn't give up ranks that easily on the first day. As he investigated this phenomenon further, he found an exciting piece of data.
Yuta Okkotsu had an interesting lineage. He's a descendant of Michizane Sugawara. Being a descendant of the Gojo family—no matter how distant it may be, was bound to earn him an advantage in the practice of sorcery. He also had a history of mass killings that jujutsu higher-ups quickly swept under the rug, even though the kid looked like he wouldn't harm a fly.
Why haven't jujutsu higher-ups killed him already if he was so dangerous? Oum knows why. They could send a couple of Grade 1 sorcerers and be done with it by the morning.
Unless they couldn't—and that changes a lot.
The kid is cursed.
The Special Grade sorcerers won't want to help the higher-ups with this task. Satoru won't harm a kid with immense potential, Yuki abhorrers the higher-ups themselves, and the final one isn't even allowed to be in Mistral.
This is a golden opportunity.
Geto thought about the political consequences of him losing control again and leaking the data of Yuta's lineage, jeopardizing the name of the Gojo clan. It's not like he holds anything against Satoru, but the possibility of the kingdoms waging war against Jujutsu High would be at an all-time high.
But what he wanted the most was Yuta's curse. How dangerous is it that it got the higher-ups so riled up?
He must see what he's capable of.
"If you two are finished," Geto said, downing his burger with one big bite. "Comw witw mm."
Adam and Blake looked at each other and smiled, then back to Geto.
"What?"
He swallowed. "Come with me, brats."
The two of them finished eating and stood up from the table. They exited the establishment and walked toward an alley, where they found a manhole. Blake looked around before nodding. She put on her White Fang mask.
Adam put on his mask as well. He grabbed the door and opened it. His body immediately froze, and he sighed.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Blake's face started to lose color. "Geto, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"
The sight couldn't have been more appealing. They looked at a colorful red blob with white stripes decorated with a tinge of golden ornaments along its antennae. The mollusk opened its spacious mouth, covered in a strange green-looking slime.
This curse is one of his favorite rides!
Geto let out an innocent smile. "You two, get in the slug."
Adam shook his head. "I swear sometimes you're having way too much fun with this," he said, taking a deep breath and jumping into the mollusk's mouth.
"Blake?"
Geto looked at the cat faunus with intrigue and noticed her slightly blue face as she tapped the worm with her shoes, only to wobble at her touch.
"…What are you doing?"
"So— slimy,"
The only sensible action he could do as that ridiculous statement left her mouth was to place his hand on his forehead.
Not even Utahime in her teenage years was this picky!
(X)
Sanctum Academy was once a school that held much prestige. It gave Mistral constant top-tier hunters like Leonardo Lionheart and Taiyang Xiao Long. Parents usually wanted to enroll their children here, so much so that its classrooms started overflowing yearly.
Its prestige didn't last long.
Once its top students started to graduate, society's bar for them started to get higher, so high that it became unreal. This added a lot of pressure to the students.
The result? Stressed-out kids constantly bullied each other. Teachers resigned because they were unable to control their kids, which caused depression rates to skyrocket. Like a domino effect, education started to decline, which meant that the kids began to regress to their most primal instinct—violence. Curses started overflowing the place not long after a kid killed himself out of pure stress.
As the duo walked through the hallways. Yuta started to notice his surroundings. Broken windows, dusty walls, subpar graffiti art painted everywhere. It is safe to say that he didn't like this place at all. The constant bullying he used to receive back in the day added to his anxiety.
Why was he sent to the school without any weapons? Either Satoru Gojo is not as responsible as he may seem, or he is testing his powers to see what he could work with. Both options seemed the most likely.
Either way, Yuta doesn't mind what the outcome may be. He's only scared due to the bad memories the school gave him. If he dies on the mission—then at least he hoped it would be quick.
"Hey, step up," Maki said, breaking him from his stupor. "We don't even know what could be out there, and your fear will create even more curses… or attract Grimm."
Yuta nodded and took a deep breath. "I know," he said. "It's just that I don't like schools. E-even if I'm producing negativity… the curses don't seem to be acting up, right?"
Maki glanced at the classrooms and noticed that there were a couple of Grade 3 curses watching them from afar, but didn't dare to make a move towards them.
"They are scared," she said, raising her naginata. He gave him an analytical look. "Of you."
"Me?"
"Of your curse, to be precise." She concluded as she narrowed her eyes. "But it takes more to be special grade than just scaring curses."
Yuta tried to open his mouth to speak but couldn't. The girl in front of him glared at him with such intensity that he started to feel small just by being watched. He has dealt with that judgmental look for too long to know what it's like.
"A-Are special grades strong?"
Maki blinked once. Then twice.
"Seriously, you…" she sighed, "Special Grades are the highest class in the system; they are considered anomalies. Currently, there are only five special grades in the world, yourself included."
"I-I don't think I deserve to be called such." he laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I agree." She said instantly, which made him freeze. "…You don't have any motivation at all, do you? You won't last long with that attitude."
Yuta lowered his head at her harsh but true words. Why was he rescued? Why is he here? There is no reason for someone like him to be training for sorcery, and yet he is. Does the world like to play jokes around him while he drowns in his misery?
Suddenly, the school started to shake. The windows rumbled, and some of them broke from the vibrations. The walls crumbled, and the floor cracked.
Maki seemed the first to recover from her shock as she realized that the ground beneath them was starting to break apart.
Then, the sound died down. Everything stopped.
Click. Click. They started to hear.
Suddenly, rows of teeth started to emerge out of the floor, launching both of them in the air.
"Watch out!" Maki shouted as she placed her foot on the rubble at the last second and pushed herself hard enough to move. She grabbed Yuta and launched herself to the side as the floor beneath them shattered. A slug monster with various teeth and no lips threatened to swallow them whole. Its mouth started to drip a strange green-looking slime.
The Zen'in readied her spear. "Get ready, transfer student!"
The monster started to get bigger and gagged once.
Twice.
At the third gag, it spat a human bullet. Its speed was so high that it managed to graze Maki's face. She barely managed to step to the side. Blood started to come out from her cheek as she gritted her teeth. Yuta could only watch in horror at how the toughest girl he had ever met almost got killed in front of his eyes.
The attacker landed gracefully on his feet. He then stood up, faced the others, and sheathed his katana.
His blood ran cold as he laid eyes on the mask that the redhead wore. The markings of a White Fang mask.
The monster spat another figure, which came out slower than the first. A girl wearing the same mask landed beside the curse. The brunette had a stone-cold expression on her face. The fact they almost killed them as soon as they laid their eyes on them confirmed what he feared the most.
This wasn't a mission to hunt a curse anymore… this was a terrorist attack.
The slug then started to dig straight down the hole and disappeared.
Both attackers surrounded them in a pincer formation. Maki gritted her teeth and started to look at both sides, waiting for either of them to strike.
"Adam fucking Tauros…" Maki said through gritted teeth.
Who?
Yuta tried to open his mouth to ask the question but was interrupted as soon as Adam started shooting bullets from his sheath.
Maki quickly blocked them with her spear.
"I don't want to waste my time chatting with a monkey." He said as he unsheathed his sword and ran head-first at them.
The girl rushed forward and kicked Yuta in the face, sending him crashing towards a window, which shattered on impact. He tried to get up quickly but was placed in a chokehold by his attacker. He put his arm beside his throat in instinct, saving him in a pinch.
As Maki exchanged blows with Adam, the latter used both his sword and the gun of his sheath with great effectiveness. Swinging forwards while shooting. It was straightforward but effective, forcing her on the defensive. However, she had an advantage that her opponent hadn't realized yet.
Polearm, greater range, better poke.
She had to be precise. She was in a tight hallway, and it was dangerously easy to mess up her form with the naginata but not too tight to render it useless. She went on the offensive.
She spun her weapon with fluidity, threatening to strike him at any moment. It halted Adam's assault as he started to back off from her spins.
Feint, after feint, it seemed that she was just stalling the inevitable and getting worn down in the process. It made the redhead lose his cool.
"Damn human!" Adam shouted, lunging with his sword for a quick, decisive blow.
A big mistake, Maki found her opening. With his torso in the bare, Maki swept to the side and swung her knee at him, kicking him with such strength that it made him gag and sent him stumbling backward.
Don't… hurt…Yuta!
Adam gasped as he saw two white claws emerging from nothingness, threatening to rip the girl in half.
"Blake!" Adam shouted. In his distraction, Maki managed to cut him, shallow, but enough to make him bleed.
Blake noticed Rika looming over her and was quick enough to get out of her range. Yuta started to cough as he tried to recover from the hold.
The cat faunus wasted no time rushing to her partner's side. She unleashed two blades tied together with a rope.
If Maki got tangled with those, she would be instantly executed. It forced her on the defensive.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, Adam and Blake started to overwhelm her with their combined attacks.
Blake started slashing her with her weapon. The cuts weren't fatal, but enough to wear her down. Not even the reinforcement from her uniform will help her tank that many attacks.
As soon as Maki tried to block Blake's attacks, Adam punched her square in the face with a haymaker, sending her backward. The attack broke her nose and made her bleed.
It wasn't over; both White Fang members followed the same strategy. Each time Maki defended herself from Blake's attacks, she would get punched by the other. There was nothing she could do about it.
"Mak—"
His breath hitched as he started to feel Rika's fury increasing the longer the fight dragged on. He clutched his head as the negative thoughts clouded his mind and threatened to let loose. Her claws vanished as he tried his best to suppress her.
Let me… Yuta. LET ME EAT THEM!
'No, no, not again!'
He doesn't want to cause more massacres because of his inability to control Rika. He doesn't want to cause any more pain. Tears started to come out of his eyes as he felt Rika coming out little by little.
'I just want to die, dammit!'
Suddenly, he heard glass shattering and turned his gaze up. He watched as a figure ran toward Blake and Adam and bashed them hard with a shield.
The White Fang members backed off, and Yuta heard a growling sound from Adam.
"You…" he said as he tried to suppress his snarl. "Why are you here?!"
Yuta heard armored footsteps approaching him. His vision started to clear, and he finally got a good look at his savior.
The girl was beautiful, no doubt about that. She wore a gladiator outfit with a brown and red corset. Her hips were armored with a bronze plate decorated like her weapon, a spear and a shield. Her emerald eyes scanned him for life-threatening wounds. Once she found nothing, she smiled and offered him her hand.
"Are you alright?"
The way she said those words was soothing, as if everything would be alright now. It calmed his thoughts, and Rika started to calm herself, but not before her jealousy stirred up his thoughts again.
It made him dizzy, but he could work with it. It wasn't as suffocating as it was before.
He heard Maki laughing from behind. She didn't seem to mind her bloodied face as she let out a feral grin at them.
"Now that we have much-needed backup…" she said as she resumed her battle stance. "Let's try that again."
Yuta grabbed the gladiator girl's hand and managed to stand up.
"I'm alright, thank you." He said as he watched both of the White Fang members sweat when they weren't even fighting, not even daring to move. It was strange; they had the upper hand not too long ago. "Excuse me, who are you?"
The girl's eyes widened, and she tried to open her mouth and then closed it, seemingly lost for words. Maki also looked at Yuta as if he had grown a second head.
After all, no one, not a single soul in Mistral was ignorant of the existence of the biggest prodigy of the Huntsman.
Twenty years ago, that title belonged to Summer Rose. Now— it belongs to Pyrrha Nikos.
(X)
"I'm… Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you?"
Pyrrha's previous bravado was long gone, replaced by uncertainty, which was strange coming from the Pride of Mistral herself. However, it didn't matter; their numbers were equal, and now they could fight their attackers. Maki didn't count Yuta as a fighter, nor did he possess the requirements to become one.
"Nice to meet you too… thanks for the safe!" he beamed as he dusted himself off—the attack the cat faunus made earlier left him with pebbles all over his outfit.
"You're… welcome?" Pyrrha said, still stunned for moments.
"Hey, Invincible Girl, focus!"
Her voice bellowed throughout the room. She had no patience to withstand Yuta's ignorance right now. Her scream caused the gladiator girl to switch focus, and she was fully attentive to the group of enemies who did not dare to make a move.
Just before, they were beating her and Yuta without wasting a single second. Now? They even let them have some small talk, a complete 180 in their strategy.
Maki knew very well what made them hesitate.
"Can you fight?" Pyrrha asked as she spared a glance at her bloodied face.
Maki touched her head and grunted. She lowered her hand and saw no blood soaking her hand; it already dried. She felt her head spinning slightly, but she could fix it with a few deep breaths.
This is nothing compared to the pain she endured at the hands of the Zen'in clan.
"A little tap, but I'll be fine." She said, letting out a grin. "I can still move enough to kick his ass."
Adam let out a growl and briefly looked at Blake, which she returned. They nodded.
"Don't joke around this time," Blake said, pressing the button of her weapon, which caused it to change shape. The chains' magnets broke, and the weapon morphed into a pistol with sickles.
Adam grabbed the hilt of his sword until his knuckles went white.
"I'll kill her instantly."
Maki snorted. "Come on then! I'm wearing bright red for you."
This fool… she didn't know why, but he started to piss her off.
Blake opened fire at Pyrrha, which she swiftly blocked. Ice started to cover her shield, but not enough to cover it completely.
Adam started to let out swift and aggressive strikes. Maki dodged to the side, her eyes never leaving her opponent's weapon. She knew she had the advantage and tried to keep her distance as she poked with her spear.
Pyrrha tried her best to support Maki, but the cat was persistent, not letting her get close to Adam by any means. She was on her own for now.
Swift pokes and retreats. That was the best strategy to defeat a sword user.
Maki's frown deepened. No matter how much she stroked Adam, he didn't seem to take any damage at all. It was as if—
Her eyes widened as she watched Adam start to glow bright red from all over his body. His sword, hair, and mask shone brightly. He burned more colorful and more brilliant the more she hit him.
He was charging!
Maki wasted no time and jumped, using all of her strength to get away from his range.
That Semblance is a big problem.
Her muscles tensed, and her breath hitched. Adam was already by her side, sword glowing like an uncontrollable flame.
Pyrrha's hand started to glow black, and she flung a desk at Adam, saving her in a pinch. The leader grunted but managed to land swiftly and focused his attention on the gladiator girl, his gaze glowing bright red from under his mask.
"Tch, he nearly killed me." Maki spat, her eyes narrowing at him. She felt the cold sweat coming down her forehead. "I know your tricks now, bull."
"Blake. Hurricane." Adam said, causing the cat faunus to grab a black orb from her pocket and throw it to the ground.
Smoke bombs.
Maki's gaze hardened as she saw a silhouette leaping forward, running in circles around them. The movement was fast enough to start creating afterimages of itself as it surrounded them.
Blake started to move faster with each passing second. So fast that she began creating afterimages of herself as she ran. It would disorient anyone who wasn't prepared.
She started shooting bullets at them, which Pyrrha quickly blocked with her shield. The gladiator girl focused all her attention on the cat, likely figuring out a way to disrupt her.
Not Maki; she knew very well who the threat was. Adam waited, biding his time to strike them down with his fully charged glowing stick. But doing so while protecting Yuta, who stood close to them and was next to useless, would prove difficult.
"Hey," Pyrrha whispered loud enough for her to hear. "Count to ten and take down that sword guy. I'll make an opening for you when I find the real one."
Real one?
Maki's face lightened up, so that's how it was.
'One.'
The average time the untrained eye can see per flick is 12 milliseconds.
'Two.'
Nobody can move that fast unless your name is Satoru Gojo.
'Three.'
So, there has to be a catch.
'Four.'
That meant Blake wasn't unbelievably fast.
'Five.'
It was her Semblance that allowed her to appear fast under certain conditions.
'Six.'
The smoke and the lighting of the night helped her blend the true nature of her semblance.
'Seven.'
Illusions with multiple fakes tried to disorient them from the real one.
'Eight.'
Pyrrha Nikos deduced that Semblance in less than a second, all while monitoring Adam's actual threat and protecting Yuta simultaneously.
'Nine.'
She really was invincible.
'Ten!'
Maki's gaze hardened as Pyrrha deflected one last bullet before spinning her shield. She circled and threw her shield at one of Blake's silhouettes, and it disappeared on contact.
The cat Faunus capitalized on her now shieldless opponent and shot her entire cartridge at her, but Pyrha was prepared. She sponged the bullets with her Aura and used her Semblance to redirect her shield back at her, aimed right at Blake's back.
A direct hit caused her to lose footing. Her entire body started flicking in purple light as her Aura gave out.
Maki could hear a snarl getting closer. Adam emerged from the shadows and charged right after her, his face full of rage and hatred, his sword unsheathed and glowing brightly.
She let out a grin. She was prepared for this; her mind never left him for one second. Instead of running away from certain death, she welcomed it and used her spear to tank the slash of the blade.
Her plan worked; the pole of the spear managed to block his semblance briefly before her weapon broke.
"I got you now!" she yelled as she used the small window of opportunity she had to grab Adam's shoulders and hit him with a powerful head-butt to the face, breaking his Aura and mask at the same time. Her feral smile did not leave her at any time.
All this time, he could have assassinated Pyrrha, who was busy fighting his partner, but he decided to come at her even though it was a poor decision.
It didn't surprise her, for there was a piece of Adam's behavior that started to piss her off to no end.
Throughout the fight, he did not attack Pyrrha, using every opportunity to attack her instead. Blake seemed to have caught on to this behavior and tried to use herself as a decoy.
When watching Pyrrha, the leader seemed calm and focused—tense for sure, but he didn't lose his composure and kept a clear head, pathing carefully to not get into her range. When he fought against Maki, however, his slashes became more erratic, and his aggression started to rise to the point of almost going berserk.
It was evident that Adam wanted to crush her, and she enjoyed every second of his failed attempts.
Maki grabbed the tip of the spear and sliced through Adam's torso.
"Adam!" Blake yelled as she saw her partner's torso bleed from the cut. In her distraction, Pyrrha hit her with the tip of the shield, shattering her Aura instantly. The faunus landed beside Adam as she groaned.
Neither of them were dead. Maki nearly did, but the cuts she gave him were shallow; she didn't hit any vitals, but still enough to hinder him.
After all, she wanted to know why these fools attacked them in the first place.
Maki kneeled to the ground, panting. The pain from her earlier beating started to come back as she felt her head begin to spin again. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to stop the nausea from coming.
She watched as Adam crawled towards her with his sword in hand in one final attempt to take her down. Maki rolled her eyes.
With a haymaker to the face, she sent him rolling away a few meters away.
"Learn to know when you're defeated, idiot," Maki said, her face no longer holding that grin she always wore and instead replaced it with a frown.
She could hear him groan as he clutched his head. This time, it would be hard for him to stand up.
"Finally, it's over..." Pyrrha sighed as she walked towards her side. She looked in better shape than she thought she would. Her armor barely had any scratches or dents. It was like she wasn't hit at all.
"I should be the one saying that…" Maki muttered as she stood up from her spot. She grabbed the spear, which now had the size of a fork, and walked towards Blake, who began to clutch Adam tightly in her arms.
Maki uses her free hand to yank the mask off Blake's face. The cat's golden eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth when the spear reached her throat.
"Why's the White Fang here?" Maki said curtly. She jerks her thumb at Yuta. "Is it because of him?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you, I highly doubt they were here because of me."
A new Special Grade sorcerer would have sent alarms to any nearby criminal who wanted to challenge Jujutsu High. Anyone who wasn't affiliated with the school would try their hardest to see them wiped off the map, as not a single faction in Remnant is on good terms with them.
One could have concluded that the White Fang should have sympathy for them, as they were outcasts from the world, something the White Fang could relate to. However, a terrorist's mindset is as narrow as a water hose.
Sure, they could have been after Pyrrha. Killing Mistral's prodigy would surely plummet their morale, leaving them open for attacks, but they should have sent more manpower if that was the case. These two idiots weren't going to cut it if they didn't manage even to touch her.
They had to be after Yuta. Why did they want him? She doesn't have the answer to that question.
Blake doesn't say a word; she merely stares at her uninterestedly. It was starting to piss her off that the idea of killing her almost tempted her.
Almost.
"It will be complicated to interrogate someone so deep in their delusion," Pyrrha added, her tone firm. The gladiator girl merely watched the terrorists with a grimace. "We should leave this to a professional."
"I will agree with you on this one; they aren't going to be as kind as us," Maki said as she lowered her blade. She turned to see Pyrrha, who had a sour look on her face. Her emerald eyes were scanning her thoroughly.
"Are you completely sure you're alright? They were giving a good beating before I arrived." She asked as she pursed her lips.
Maki shrugged it off.
"I'm fine; it's nothing too serious," she muttered.
Gosh, she wanted to change the subject. It felt uncomfortable when others worried about her.
"Why are you here anyway?"
Pyrrha blinked, seemingly taken off guard by her question.
"Oh… that." She began to rub her shoulder. "I heard a commotion this morning, and since I was near the zone, I went to investigate. It turns out this place had a lot of cursed spirits nearby that were killing the students there. So I rushed in and did my best to evacuate everyone while fending them off. As luck would have it, I arrived just as the curses started to lose control so I could save people in time."
Maki raised an eyebrow. "All by yourself? How did you even kill the curses without cursed energy… or a cursed tool?"
"I… didn't use a curse tool to kill them," Pyrrha said. Before Maki could express her displeasure, she continued, palms raised. "I know what you want to say, but I had to do something. Otherwise, I would have let people die… and I wouldn't forgive myself if that happened."
Killing curses without a cursed tool was beyond irresponsible. There was a reason sorcerers were needed to deal with higher-level curses; their equipment and experience were invaluable on this field, and Huntsman lacked those.
When a curse dies, it isn't exorcized; it merely regenerates itself and keeps causing more trouble for the people. Cursed tools and sorcerers are necessary to keep them at bay.
If sorcerers didn't deal with curses, Grimm would quickly overflow the place, and chaos would ensue.
No faction wants that. It would be unreasonable for them to attack each other.
So they leave each other be… and that causes more problems along the way.
If Jujutsu High provided them with cursed tools, then Huntsman would finally be able to fight curses fair and square. They could deal with Grade 3 or lower curses with no problem while leaving the higher-level ones at the hands of professional sorcerers.
But no, the families would prefer to watch the world burn than work with the kingdoms… and vice versa.
If the four kingdoms left history behind and tried to reach an agreement, things would be different.
Maki looked at the devastation of the school. No corpses littered on the ground, as curses ate them whole before they could be found, so now they can't be at peace. If neither side reaches an agreement, then more people will die unnecessarily.
Still, Sanctum was doomed from the start. The quality of its education plummeted ever since Pyrrha graduated.
"No offense, but this place is a dump," she said bluntly. Instead of being offended, the gladiator girl merely nodded.
"It wasn't always like this. When I studied here, it was a very peaceful and decent-looking place. The people who taught me were very kind, and I will never forget them… even if I did check my privilege. Regardless of its reputation now, I still have to protect it."
Maki blinked a couple of times. She's just like…
Like…
A comic book heroine.
She glances at Yuta, who smiles at her words. She even has the heroine's charm!
It's not like that was a problem. In a cursed world, people like her are essential to remind others they aren't destined to curse each other.
"Right… sorry for doubting you." That was all Maki managed to say. She began walking towards Blake, who held her partner tightly in her arms; she probably needed to knock her down if she caused too much trouble.
"Anyway, we need to leave. Since you've been here a long time now, you must be tired. We can take you to eat as thanks."
Pyrrha tilted her head.
"A long time has passed? I was here only 20 minutes."
That stopped Maki in her tracks. She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Pyrrha as if she had grown a second head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she said, startled by Maki's sudden change of aura.
"Because the curses already lost control by morning, and it was already past noon since we arrived…" Maki muttered. She placed her hand on her chin in deep thought.
If Pyrrha arrived in the morning, why did she take so long to leave? At the very least, she should be tired… unless she was lying—
No, she seemed too genuine to lie about something like that. Still, there's no way she was here only 20 minutes.
Her eyes widened in horror. All these unknowns were too familiar in the books she read, but she hadn't experienced them yet… and didn't want to.
Maki ran towards a nearby classroom door and opened it. She felt a knot in her throat and resisted the urge to punch a nearby wall out of frustration.
"Nikos… did you feel like the curse spirits were becoming more erratic?"
"I don't know what you mean, I just—" Pyrrha rushed to her side, and she immediately became quiet as soon as she saw what was through the door. "What… is this?"
It was the same hallway they just fought in. The damage from their previous battle remained: the broken windows, the cracked floor, the destroyed furniture.
But what most caught her attention was that she could see everyone through the door: Pyrrha, Yuta, Blake, Adam, and herself.
A domain in the entire school.
It was an incomplete one, but it didn't erase the fact that they were trapped within. If the entire school got warped by it, it would have been impossible to go through the fight in the first place, as they would be unable to find anyone if the caster didn't want to.
Unless that someone— or something did want them to fight.
Maki rushed towards Blake, who merely watched her with a blank expression. She grabbed her by her vest and pulled her up, glaring intently at her eyes.
"These curses are yours; command them to stand down!"
Blake frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. She was going to ask her again until she heard Adam coughing, blood pouring out of her mouth.
"Did you…" he gasped. "…exorcise the curse?"
Yuta grimaced and looked at him.
"I thought you waited for us to exorcize the curses! You arrived exactly after we finished!" he yelled. He didn't try to hide his anger at the leader.
"They did, but at the same time they didn't…"
Everyone turned to see Maki, who started to massage her temples. She began to walk back and forth at a fast pace.
"When did you two arrive?"
"Two hours after you entered," Blake said as she averted her eyes. She cupped her chin as she seemed deep in thought briefly. She then let out an audible gasp, her golden eyes contracting to the point of almost turning into slits.
Time is warped. There's no way to tell how long they have been here or how much time has passed outside.
What is Gojo doing?! He should have picked up an anomaly like this with his eyes alone!
Hehe…
The room temperature seemed to drop below zero, and the atmosphere became heavier than it was before. Everyone seemed to feel it as they stopped their pondering to face the immediate danger they were in.
Adam gritted his teeth and tried to crawl away from the zone, but he was too weak that he gave up the moment he realized he would not get far.
Blake trembled uncontrollably, clutching her weapon with no intent of letting it go.
Yuta almost pissed his pants, whimpering from the repulsive sight that was before him.
Pyrrha gulped, and sweat started to pour out of her forehead. She readied her spear and shield, waiting for the worst to happen.
What stood before them was a pale humanoid monstrosity, wearing a mere long rag as its underwear. Its whole body had an unnatural pale color, with its hands painted blue. Its face had a set of tendrils seemingly grabbing its skull. Its four eyes opened up, and it let a huge cheshire grin at them.
But what stood out the most was its cursed energy; the amount it radiated was beyond ridiculous.
None of them was prepared to face a Special Grade curse.
Sitting inside the office room in a laidback position, Satoru Gojo let out an audible groan. He was at his wit's end as he tried to argue with Gakuganji about the fate of his newest student. It's not his fault that the higher-ups are too short-sighted to see the enormous potential that the boy holds.
Rika Orimoto is not to be trifled with, and even though he can't predict what the Special Grade might unleash upon the world, the uncertainty makes her more dangerous than ever. This is why Satoru can see why they are hesitant to make him an official student in Jujutsu High.
However, he couldn't care less.
"I told you, old man, I will train him to the point that he will become a fine sorcerer. Why can't you trust me on this one?"
"Your last recruits have been… below-average sorcerers. At this point, they tend to be more trouble than help."
Satoru snorted.
Hakari got his entire salary blown away and now lives solely on casino money. Funnily enough, the punishment he received was not because he got high on gambling and earned a bad reputation from the students. No, the higher-ups didn't care about that.
He got the school in massive debt by claiming he was fighting against a Special Grade curse and needed resources. Needless to say, that pachinko machine should be full of lien by now.
The school lost millions of lien that day, prompting a cut on the staff's salary to compensate.
He saw Mei Mei– of all people, nearly losing her cool.
Satoru returned from his thoughts when he heard another older man pouring sake into a cup.
Naobito Zen'in rubbed his temples as he contemplated the predicament. His usual arrogant, condescending attitude was nowhere to be seen.
He stepped in, his voice cold. "Listen, I don't care what you do with Maki. She's a joke that should never have been born, but that boy…" He paused, his eyes narrowing. "He's cursed with love. He's too dangerous. So no, we can't trust you. End of discussion."
Satoru took a deep breath, slightly taking off his blindfold. One of the Six Eyes flashed in tandem with his anger. "I'll let that direct jab at my student slide this time, but do that again…" He trailed off, his voice dripping with menace. "And I will kill you."
Naobito gritted his teeth but then smiled back at the challenge. "You're welcome to try."
Satoru turned to Gakuganji, his eyes steely. "As for the boy—"
"I already told you he's not placing a foot in Jujutsu High."
He narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his patience. "Let me finish. I don't think any of you old coots realize his potential—and the consequences of killing him."
Gakuganji and Naobito eyed him with intrigue.
"To prove that I ain't trying to bluff you, here's somebody that will surely convince your outdated brains." He pulled out his phone and opened a hologram, revealing a slightly blurry image that started to clear itself. He smiled in anticipation as the phone began to reveal a peculiar man.
His regal posture, the way he held his cane, and his mere presence screamed respect. One of the highest authorities in Remnant started to make himself known as he adjusted his glasses.
However, his welcoming party was anything but respectful to him.
The atmosphere immediately became hostile as the headmaster of Beacon Academy made himself known. A sake glass could be heard breaking as Naobito rose from his seat with a feral grin, his veins popping out from his forehead.
"Greetings, gentleman," Ozpin said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the three men in the room. "Gakuganji, Satoru— Naobito."
Satoru didn't miss the slight venom his tone carried.
"What in the world is this traitor doing here?!" Gakuganji roared, his face red with anger.
"You have the gall to even show your face after everything you've done, Ozpin?" Naobito sneered. His was akin to a low growl.
Ozpin's smile faltered. "I had no control over the situation that happened nine years ago. I thought I made that clear."
"Yet you've still failed us. What's your point?" Gakuganji demanded.
"I need Yuta Okkotsu alive," Ozpin said simply.
"Why?" Naobito asked, his eyes narrowed. "Is this another one of your shady plots?"
"Yes," he said, "Sooner or later, we'll be facing a war we cannot win, and we will need him," Ozpin said gravely.
"Ha, I heard this story too many times." Naobito scoffed. "I thought you had Salem under control. Was that a miscalculation as well?"
Satoru kept his attention on the conversation. Ozpin didn't explain it to him, but he said that he needed him to hold a meeting with the higher-ups and to bring him along.
If Salem was part of why he was eager for a surprise meeting… the whole world might have a big problem on their hands.
Ozpin laughed, a bitter sound. "I don't know which one of you thought for even a second that Salem could be controlled forever. Nobody is that foolish."
"Who's the fool?" Naobito asked, his voice rising as he stood up from his seat. "To come to us asking for peace, only to make a mockery of us once again."
"Do you wish to hold onto your traditions and be annihilated so that you can satisfy your ego?!" Ozpin shouted, his eyes flashing with anger.
Satoru let out a sly grin. Somebody needed to say that. It was a little uncharacteristic from the usually professional headmaster, but if it served to get the point across to these old relics, then he couldn't afford to look meek.
Naobito kept his gaze locked with Ozpin's and went back to his seat, muttering incoherent words with Gakuganji. After the brief exchange, the two old men looked at each other one last time and nodded.
"Depending on the magnitude of the threat Salem is, we're… willing to hear you out." Gakuganji said finally. "Do you think you can convince the entire council to join your cause?"
"Oh, I'm sure we will find lots to talk about," Ozpin said with a knowing smile.
"Since it's clear you and Gojo planned this meeting, we would like you to do one thing for us should you want to regain our trust," Naobito said, his eyes fixed on him.
Satoru and Ozpin looked at each other and shrugged. Whatever this old bastard wanted to do, it shouldn't be too hard to follow.
"We will let Okkotsu live—for now. Make sure that he controls his powers. Should he prove to be more trouble than he is worth, then the kid will be eliminated, and…" Naobito let out an evil grin. "All hunter schools in Mistral shall be replaced by jujutsu schools."
'Wait, what?'
Did Naobito become senile? He must have if he decided to pull out an outrageous request like this. Surely Ozpin wouldn't—
"I accept."
That man is crazy.
He is completely, utterly insane.
Satoru suppressed a chortle that was trying to escape from his mouth. Oh, he cannot wait when the news reaches Lionheart's ears. He will eagerly await to know the outcome of this situation.
Naobito stood up and raised his cup of sake. "Since we can't formally shake hands, let us have a drink."
Ozpin had a glass of whisky ready on his desk and raised it.
"For peace."
Naobito let out a mischievous grin. "For your downfall."
The men drowned their glasses without a second thought.
(X)
"Why are you driving?!"
The one who asked the question was no other than Maki Zen'in. Or, as Naobito loved to call her, the failure of the Zen'in clan. She was tapping her foot impassively as Satoru made his way to the driver's seat.
"Because Ijichi said that he needed to take care of business, and I'm the only one old enough to drive?" he said as he smiled teasingly at her. "What– scared?"
She took a deep breath and locked her eyes at him.
"You are wearing a blindfold."
"Yes."
"You've barely ever touched a car."
"I normally let others drive for me, so you're technically wrong."
"Are you telling me there isn't a single worker here at Jujutsu High? The place with probably hundreds of people working overtime?"
"Can you drive?"
Maki gritted her teeth at him and sighed. Not wanting to argue any further, she went and took her seat in the back, grumbling to herself. Another person followed suit. A kid with a white shirt sat beside her—a reasonable distance away from her, to be precise.
This kid was the newest Special Grade sorcerer, Yuta Okkotsu.
Satoru revved up the engine and took off—next destination, Sanctum Academy.
He let out a silly grin as the cars around him started to open up and let him through. Advantages of him driving? No one, not anyone, will dare to fuck around with someone that's driving with a blindfold.
Yuta fidgeted nervously as he stared at Maki, then at the window, then at her again. The girl didn't even pay attention to him, staring out the window with a cold expression. Satoru sat in the driver's seat, humming as he drove.
He glanced over at Yuta. The kid was scared; that much seemed obvious, no matter how hard he was trying to hide it. He smiled. He knew that Yuta had potential. He just needed to bring it out.
"Sensei," Yuta said, his voice trembling slightly. "How many curses are inside Sanctum?"
Satoru glanced in the rearview mirror. "Hmm, it shouldn't be that much," he said. "And that rarely happens."
"Rarely?" Yuta echoed.
"Places with a lot of negativity are usually overflowing with curses," Maki said, keeping her disinterested gaze on the window. "Kids are immature and lack the self-awareness to know how this world works, so they curse each other nonstop. Places like this are usually reserved for Grade 1 sorcerers and above."
Satoru chuckled. "Recently, the curse activity has been much lower than before, which is why this will be the perfect initiation for you!" he said. "Nothing too crazy will happen, hopefully, but I think you kids should be able to defend yourselves just fine."
Yuta forced a smile at his dismissive tone.
Satoru saw the building of Sanctum Academy and pulled up in front. He turned off the engine and got out of the car. Yuta and Maki followed.
"Here we are," he said. "Now, let me pull out a curtain..."
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure." He chanted.
A gray dome started to form and slowly descended from the top to the entirety of Sanctum, covering it all the way to its yards. Yuta looked confused.
"A lot of people in Mistral don't take too kindly to the likes of us," Satoru explained. "So we're kinda forced to cover our tracks if we want to keep a low profile. We don't want pedestrians to flood us with their hate and cynicism and make the situation worse for us."
The curtain managed to cover Sanctum in its entirety. Satoru looked towards his students. He started to make his way outside.
"You can begin your work now," he said, waving goodbye at them. "Oh, and try not to die~"
The last thing he saw was Yuta gulping hard.
He laughed as he remembered how Shoko reacted similarly on her first mission. He and Geto teased her nonstop after that.
His smile vanished as he remembered his long-lost friend.
'Suguru…'
What could he have been doing now? How many more has he killed in his mad crusade?
Just then, he heard the radio of the car crackling to life.
"We interrupt this broadcast to inform you about an urgent case regarding Sanctum Academy," a voice said. "There have been reports of children disappearing for a whole three days without any trace of them. We implore you– to any huntsmen available, to go solve the problem and rescue the children so their families may be at peace."
He frowned. "That can't be good…"
The last thing they needed was a pair of huntsman interfering with them. Oum, forbid they kill the curses without a cursed tool.
"Nah, they'll be fine."
He got inside the car and reclined his seat to relax.
The kids will be okay. He picked them as his students, after all.
His only concern was if he should have lied to them to trust Ozpin's prediction.
(X)
"Now, this is worthy of being called a burger!"
He held a tray that contained three burgers. Two of these burgers had an appearance like gods handcrafted it. The triple patty was held by a beautiful golden brown bun and Atlesian cheese that had melted in each layer. There was sweet onion sauce nearly falling off the burger with the sheer amount they had added. It was enough to make his mouth drool.
The other burger—left much to be desired, as it was merely a sandwich stuffed with countless fish to the point that it started wobbling. Who comes to a burger place to order a fish sandwich?! It was even her idea to reunite here.
He hated to admit it, but he had to give credit where it was due. The monkeys sure knew how to cook a good meal.
Geto walked toward the table where two Faunus waited for him. The male Faunus wore a black leather coat and a red shirt underneath. His most notable feature was his sunglasses, which gave him a cliché 'bad boy' aura. He sat alongside his girlfriend, Blake Belladonna. She wore less flashy clothes, opting for her black vest and white undershirt.
He placed the tray on the table alongside the radio that was playing. Blake and Adam wasted no time and grabbed their food faster than they could blink. Geto chuckled at the sight.
"-we implore you—to any huntsmen available, to go solve the problem and rescue the children so their families may be at peace." The radio chimed in.
"Oh, that's your cue," he said, taking a bite of the burger. "Any questions?"
Adam looked at him, then to Blake, then back at him again.
"Yeah, two of them." Adam deadpanned. "Blake, what the fuck is that?"
Blake's eyes widened, and she turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Who comes to a burger place to order that? They're supposed to sell the best burgers in town, going by the ratings at least. Why did you even recommend this place?"
"I… seriously would like to know that as well," Geto added. Blake's cheeks flushed at the attack. She coughed awkwardly.
"I– like eating this, that's good enough for you two?" Blake said. "Not like you two know anything about food…"
"Said the literal cat," Geto added. Blake merely grabbed her sandwich, leaned towards him, and started eating it—slowly. His face crunched in disgust.
'This brat!'
"We're getting sidetracked here." Geto gulped, turning away from the disgusting sight. He turned to Adam, who merely looked at him with a slight smirk. "What else do you want to ask?"
Adam's smile faltered.
"Can you remind me why we're committing suicide?"
Geto sighed. "Don't worry, you two will be fine."
"Geto, we'll follow you even if it costs us our lives, but are you certain that it's wise to be dangerously close to Satoru Gojo and potentially a Special Grade curse?" Adam asked, taking another bite from his burger.
"Knowing Satoru," Geto said. "He's probably using the school to test Okkotsu and will not interfere. Rest easy; if for some reason Satoru decides to move, I promise I'll get you both out of there."
When he heard the news about a new special-grade sorcerer coming to Mistral, he grew highly intrigued. The four special-grade sorcerers were the pinnacle of jujutsu society, so earning that title was far from easy. A regular prodigy would get to Grade 1 maximum—you needed to be a genius as well to achieve the maximum rank.
He knew the higher-ups didn't give up ranks that easily on the first day. As he investigated this phenomenon further, he found an exciting piece of data.
Yuta Okkotsu had an interesting lineage. He's a descendant of Michizane Sugawara. Being a descendant of the Gojo family—no matter how distant it may be, was bound to earn him an advantage in the practice of sorcery. He also had a history of mass killings that jujutsu higher-ups quickly swept under the rug, even though the kid looked like he wouldn't harm a fly.
Why haven't jujutsu higher-ups killed him already if he was so dangerous? Oum knows why. They could send a couple of Grade 1 sorcerers and be done with it by the morning.
Unless they couldn't—and that changes a lot.
The kid is cursed.
The Special Grade sorcerers won't want to help the higher-ups with this task. Satoru won't harm a kid with immense potential, Yuki abhorrers the higher-ups themselves, and the final one isn't even allowed to be in Mistral.
This is a golden opportunity.
Geto thought about the political consequences of him losing control again and leaking the data of Yuta's lineage, jeopardizing the name of the Gojo clan. It's not like he holds anything against Satoru, but the possibility of the kingdoms waging war against Jujutsu High would be at an all-time high.
But what he wanted the most was Yuta's curse. How dangerous is it that it got the higher-ups so riled up?
He must see what he's capable of.
"If you two are finished," Geto said, downing his burger with one big bite. "Comw witw mm."
Adam and Blake looked at each other and smiled, then back to Geto.
"What?"
He swallowed. "Come with me, brats."
The two of them finished eating and stood up from the table. They exited the establishment and walked toward an alley, where they found a manhole. Blake looked around before nodding. She put on her White Fang mask.
Adam put on his mask as well. He grabbed the door and opened it. His body immediately froze, and he sighed.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Blake's face started to lose color. "Geto, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"
The sight couldn't have been more appealing. They looked at a colorful red blob with white stripes decorated with a tinge of golden ornaments along its antennae. The mollusk opened its spacious mouth, covered in a strange green-looking slime.
This curse is one of his favorite rides!
Geto let out an innocent smile. "You two, get in the slug."
Adam shook his head. "I swear sometimes you're having way too much fun with this," he said, taking a deep breath and jumping into the mollusk's mouth.
"Blake?"
Geto looked at the cat faunus with intrigue and noticed her slightly blue face as she tapped the worm with her shoes, only to wobble at her touch.
"…What are you doing?"
"So— slimy,"
The only sensible action he could do as that ridiculous statement left her mouth was to place his hand on his forehead.
Not even Utahime in her teenage years was this picky!
(X)
Sanctum Academy was once a school that held much prestige. It gave Mistral constant top-tier hunters like Leonardo Lionheart and Taiyang Xiao Long. Parents usually wanted to enroll their children here, so much so that its classrooms started overflowing yearly.
Its prestige didn't last long.
Once its top students started to graduate, society's bar for them started to get higher, so high that it became unreal. This added a lot of pressure to the students.
The result? Stressed-out kids constantly bullied each other. Teachers resigned because they were unable to control their kids, which caused depression rates to skyrocket. Like a domino effect, education started to decline, which meant that the kids began to regress to their most primal instinct—violence. Curses started overflowing the place not long after a kid killed himself out of pure stress.
As the duo walked through the hallways. Yuta started to notice his surroundings. Broken windows, dusty walls, subpar graffiti art painted everywhere. It is safe to say that he didn't like this place at all. The constant bullying he used to receive back in the day added to his anxiety.
Why was he sent to the school without any weapons? Either Satoru Gojo is not as responsible as he may seem, or he is testing his powers to see what he could work with. Both options seemed the most likely.
Either way, Yuta doesn't mind what the outcome may be. He's only scared due to the bad memories the school gave him. If he dies on the mission—then at least he hoped it would be quick.
"Hey, step up," Maki said, breaking him from his stupor. "We don't even know what could be out there, and your fear will create even more curses… or attract Grimm."
Yuta nodded and took a deep breath. "I know," he said. "It's just that I don't like schools. E-even if I'm producing negativity… the curses don't seem to be acting up, right?"
Maki glanced at the classrooms and noticed that there were a couple of Grade 3 curses watching them from afar, but didn't dare to make a move towards them.
"They are scared," she said, raising her naginata. He gave him an analytical look. "Of you."
"Me?"
"Of your curse, to be precise." She concluded as she narrowed her eyes. "But it takes more to be special grade than just scaring curses."
Yuta tried to open his mouth to speak but couldn't. The girl in front of him glared at him with such intensity that he started to feel small just by being watched. He has dealt with that judgmental look for too long to know what it's like.
"A-Are special grades strong?"
Maki blinked once. Then twice.
"Seriously, you…" she sighed, "Special Grades are the highest class in the system; they are considered anomalies. Currently, there are only five special grades in the world, yourself included."
"I-I don't think I deserve to be called such." he laughed sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I agree." She said instantly, which made him freeze. "…You don't have any motivation at all, do you? You won't last long with that attitude."
Yuta lowered his head at her harsh but true words. Why was he rescued? Why is he here? There is no reason for someone like him to be training for sorcery, and yet he is. Does the world like to play jokes around him while he drowns in his misery?
Suddenly, the school started to shake. The windows rumbled, and some of them broke from the vibrations. The walls crumbled, and the floor cracked.
Maki seemed the first to recover from her shock as she realized that the ground beneath them was starting to break apart.
Then, the sound died down. Everything stopped.
Click. Click. They started to hear.
Suddenly, rows of teeth started to emerge out of the floor, launching both of them in the air.
"Watch out!" Maki shouted as she placed her foot on the rubble at the last second and pushed herself hard enough to move. She grabbed Yuta and launched herself to the side as the floor beneath them shattered. A slug monster with various teeth and no lips threatened to swallow them whole. Its mouth started to drip a strange green-looking slime.
The Zen'in readied her spear. "Get ready, transfer student!"
The monster started to get bigger and gagged once.
Twice.
At the third gag, it spat a human bullet. Its speed was so high that it managed to graze Maki's face. She barely managed to step to the side. Blood started to come out from her cheek as she gritted her teeth. Yuta could only watch in horror at how the toughest girl he had ever met almost got killed in front of his eyes.
The attacker landed gracefully on his feet. He then stood up, faced the others, and sheathed his katana.
His blood ran cold as he laid eyes on the mask that the redhead wore. The markings of a White Fang mask.
The monster spat another figure, which came out slower than the first. A girl wearing the same mask landed beside the curse. The brunette had a stone-cold expression on her face. The fact they almost killed them as soon as they laid their eyes on them confirmed what he feared the most.
This wasn't a mission to hunt a curse anymore… this was a terrorist attack.
The slug then started to dig straight down the hole and disappeared.
Both attackers surrounded them in a pincer formation. Maki gritted her teeth and started to look at both sides, waiting for either of them to strike.
"Adam fucking Tauros…" Maki said through gritted teeth.
Who?
Yuta tried to open his mouth to ask the question but was interrupted as soon as Adam started shooting bullets from his sheath.
Maki quickly blocked them with her spear.
"I don't want to waste my time chatting with a monkey." He said as he unsheathed his sword and ran head-first at them.
The girl rushed forward and kicked Yuta in the face, sending him crashing towards a window, which shattered on impact. He tried to get up quickly but was placed in a chokehold by his attacker. He put his arm beside his throat in instinct, saving him in a pinch.
As Maki exchanged blows with Adam, the latter used both his sword and the gun of his sheath with great effectiveness. Swinging forwards while shooting. It was straightforward but effective, forcing her on the defensive. However, she had an advantage that her opponent hadn't realized yet.
Polearm, greater range, better poke.
She had to be precise. She was in a tight hallway, and it was dangerously easy to mess up her form with the naginata but not too tight to render it useless. She went on the offensive.
She spun her weapon with fluidity, threatening to strike him at any moment. It halted Adam's assault as he started to back off from her spins.
Feint, after feint, it seemed that she was just stalling the inevitable and getting worn down in the process. It made the redhead lose his cool.
"Damn human!" Adam shouted, lunging with his sword for a quick, decisive blow.
A big mistake, Maki found her opening. With his torso in the bare, Maki swept to the side and swung her knee at him, kicking him with such strength that it made him gag and sent him stumbling backward.
Don't… hurt…Yuta!
Adam gasped as he saw two white claws emerging from nothingness, threatening to rip the girl in half.
"Blake!" Adam shouted. In his distraction, Maki managed to cut him, shallow, but enough to make him bleed.
Blake noticed Rika looming over her and was quick enough to get out of her range. Yuta started to cough as he tried to recover from the hold.
The cat faunus wasted no time rushing to her partner's side. She unleashed two blades tied together with a rope.
If Maki got tangled with those, she would be instantly executed. It forced her on the defensive.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, Adam and Blake started to overwhelm her with their combined attacks.
Blake started slashing her with her weapon. The cuts weren't fatal, but enough to wear her down. Not even the reinforcement from her uniform will help her tank that many attacks.
As soon as Maki tried to block Blake's attacks, Adam punched her square in the face with a haymaker, sending her backward. The attack broke her nose and made her bleed.
It wasn't over; both White Fang members followed the same strategy. Each time Maki defended herself from Blake's attacks, she would get punched by the other. There was nothing she could do about it.
"Mak—"
His breath hitched as he started to feel Rika's fury increasing the longer the fight dragged on. He clutched his head as the negative thoughts clouded his mind and threatened to let loose. Her claws vanished as he tried his best to suppress her.
Let me… Yuta. LET ME EAT THEM!
'No, no, not again!'
He doesn't want to cause more massacres because of his inability to control Rika. He doesn't want to cause any more pain. Tears started to come out of his eyes as he felt Rika coming out little by little.
'I just want to die, dammit!'
Suddenly, he heard glass shattering and turned his gaze up. He watched as a figure ran toward Blake and Adam and bashed them hard with a shield.
The White Fang members backed off, and Yuta heard a growling sound from Adam.
"You…" he said as he tried to suppress his snarl. "Why are you here?!"
Yuta heard armored footsteps approaching him. His vision started to clear, and he finally got a good look at his savior.
The girl was beautiful, no doubt about that. She wore a gladiator outfit with a brown and red corset. Her hips were armored with a bronze plate decorated like her weapon, a spear and a shield. Her emerald eyes scanned him for life-threatening wounds. Once she found nothing, she smiled and offered him her hand.
"Are you alright?"
The way she said those words was soothing, as if everything would be alright now. It calmed his thoughts, and Rika started to calm herself, but not before her jealousy stirred up his thoughts again.
It made him dizzy, but he could work with it. It wasn't as suffocating as it was before.
He heard Maki laughing from behind. She didn't seem to mind her bloodied face as she let out a feral grin at them.
"Now that we have much-needed backup…" she said as she resumed her battle stance. "Let's try that again."
Yuta grabbed the gladiator girl's hand and managed to stand up.
"I'm alright, thank you." He said as he watched both of the White Fang members sweat when they weren't even fighting, not even daring to move. It was strange; they had the upper hand not too long ago. "Excuse me, who are you?"
The girl's eyes widened, and she tried to open her mouth and then closed it, seemingly lost for words. Maki also looked at Yuta as if he had grown a second head.
After all, no one, not a single soul in Mistral was ignorant of the existence of the biggest prodigy of the Huntsman.
Twenty years ago, that title belonged to Summer Rose. Now— it belongs to Pyrrha Nikos.
(X)
"I'm… Pyrrha Nikos, nice to meet you?"
Pyrrha's previous bravado was long gone, replaced by uncertainty, which was strange coming from the Pride of Mistral herself. However, it didn't matter; their numbers were equal, and now they could fight their attackers. Maki didn't count Yuta as a fighter, nor did he possess the requirements to become one.
"Nice to meet you too… thanks for the safe!" he beamed as he dusted himself off—the attack the cat faunus made earlier left him with pebbles all over his outfit.
"You're… welcome?" Pyrrha said, still stunned for moments.
"Hey, Invincible Girl, focus!"
Her voice bellowed throughout the room. She had no patience to withstand Yuta's ignorance right now. Her scream caused the gladiator girl to switch focus, and she was fully attentive to the group of enemies who did not dare to make a move.
Just before, they were beating her and Yuta without wasting a single second. Now? They even let them have some small talk, a complete 180 in their strategy.
Maki knew very well what made them hesitate.
"Can you fight?" Pyrrha asked as she spared a glance at her bloodied face.
Maki touched her head and grunted. She lowered her hand and saw no blood soaking her hand; it already dried. She felt her head spinning slightly, but she could fix it with a few deep breaths.
This is nothing compared to the pain she endured at the hands of the Zen'in clan.
"A little tap, but I'll be fine." She said, letting out a grin. "I can still move enough to kick his ass."
Adam let out a growl and briefly looked at Blake, which she returned. They nodded.
"Don't joke around this time," Blake said, pressing the button of her weapon, which caused it to change shape. The chains' magnets broke, and the weapon morphed into a pistol with sickles.
Adam grabbed the hilt of his sword until his knuckles went white.
"I'll kill her instantly."
Maki snorted. "Come on then! I'm wearing bright red for you."
This fool… she didn't know why, but he started to piss her off.
Blake opened fire at Pyrrha, which she swiftly blocked. Ice started to cover her shield, but not enough to cover it completely.
Adam started to let out swift and aggressive strikes. Maki dodged to the side, her eyes never leaving her opponent's weapon. She knew she had the advantage and tried to keep her distance as she poked with her spear.
Pyrrha tried her best to support Maki, but the cat was persistent, not letting her get close to Adam by any means. She was on her own for now.
Swift pokes and retreats. That was the best strategy to defeat a sword user.
Maki's frown deepened. No matter how much she stroked Adam, he didn't seem to take any damage at all. It was as if—
Her eyes widened as she watched Adam start to glow bright red from all over his body. His sword, hair, and mask shone brightly. He burned more colorful and more brilliant the more she hit him.
He was charging!
Maki wasted no time and jumped, using all of her strength to get away from his range.
That Semblance is a big problem.
Her muscles tensed, and her breath hitched. Adam was already by her side, sword glowing like an uncontrollable flame.
Pyrrha's hand started to glow black, and she flung a desk at Adam, saving her in a pinch. The leader grunted but managed to land swiftly and focused his attention on the gladiator girl, his gaze glowing bright red from under his mask.
"Tch, he nearly killed me." Maki spat, her eyes narrowing at him. She felt the cold sweat coming down her forehead. "I know your tricks now, bull."
"Blake. Hurricane." Adam said, causing the cat faunus to grab a black orb from her pocket and throw it to the ground.
Smoke bombs.
Maki's gaze hardened as she saw a silhouette leaping forward, running in circles around them. The movement was fast enough to start creating afterimages of itself as it surrounded them.
Blake started to move faster with each passing second. So fast that she began creating afterimages of herself as she ran. It would disorient anyone who wasn't prepared.
She started shooting bullets at them, which Pyrrha quickly blocked with her shield. The gladiator girl focused all her attention on the cat, likely figuring out a way to disrupt her.
Not Maki; she knew very well who the threat was. Adam waited, biding his time to strike them down with his fully charged glowing stick. But doing so while protecting Yuta, who stood close to them and was next to useless, would prove difficult.
"Hey," Pyrrha whispered loud enough for her to hear. "Count to ten and take down that sword guy. I'll make an opening for you when I find the real one."
Real one?
Maki's face lightened up, so that's how it was.
'One.'
The average time the untrained eye can see per flick is 12 milliseconds.
'Two.'
Nobody can move that fast unless your name is Satoru Gojo.
'Three.'
So, there has to be a catch.
'Four.'
That meant Blake wasn't unbelievably fast.
'Five.'
It was her Semblance that allowed her to appear fast under certain conditions.
'Six.'
The smoke and the lighting of the night helped her blend the true nature of her semblance.
'Seven.'
Illusions with multiple fakes tried to disorient them from the real one.
'Eight.'
Pyrrha Nikos deduced that Semblance in less than a second, all while monitoring Adam's actual threat and protecting Yuta simultaneously.
'Nine.'
She really was invincible.
'Ten!'
Maki's gaze hardened as Pyrrha deflected one last bullet before spinning her shield. She circled and threw her shield at one of Blake's silhouettes, and it disappeared on contact.
The cat Faunus capitalized on her now shieldless opponent and shot her entire cartridge at her, but Pyrha was prepared. She sponged the bullets with her Aura and used her Semblance to redirect her shield back at her, aimed right at Blake's back.
A direct hit caused her to lose footing. Her entire body started flicking in purple light as her Aura gave out.
Maki could hear a snarl getting closer. Adam emerged from the shadows and charged right after her, his face full of rage and hatred, his sword unsheathed and glowing brightly.
She let out a grin. She was prepared for this; her mind never left him for one second. Instead of running away from certain death, she welcomed it and used her spear to tank the slash of the blade.
Her plan worked; the pole of the spear managed to block his semblance briefly before her weapon broke.
"I got you now!" she yelled as she used the small window of opportunity she had to grab Adam's shoulders and hit him with a powerful head-butt to the face, breaking his Aura and mask at the same time. Her feral smile did not leave her at any time.
All this time, he could have assassinated Pyrrha, who was busy fighting his partner, but he decided to come at her even though it was a poor decision.
It didn't surprise her, for there was a piece of Adam's behavior that started to piss her off to no end.
Throughout the fight, he did not attack Pyrrha, using every opportunity to attack her instead. Blake seemed to have caught on to this behavior and tried to use herself as a decoy.
When watching Pyrrha, the leader seemed calm and focused—tense for sure, but he didn't lose his composure and kept a clear head, pathing carefully to not get into her range. When he fought against Maki, however, his slashes became more erratic, and his aggression started to rise to the point of almost going berserk.
It was evident that Adam wanted to crush her, and she enjoyed every second of his failed attempts.
Maki grabbed the tip of the spear and sliced through Adam's torso.
"Adam!" Blake yelled as she saw her partner's torso bleed from the cut. In her distraction, Pyrrha hit her with the tip of the shield, shattering her Aura instantly. The faunus landed beside Adam as she groaned.
Neither of them were dead. Maki nearly did, but the cuts she gave him were shallow; she didn't hit any vitals, but still enough to hinder him.
After all, she wanted to know why these fools attacked them in the first place.
Maki kneeled to the ground, panting. The pain from her earlier beating started to come back as she felt her head begin to spin again. She took a deep breath and steeled herself to stop the nausea from coming.
She watched as Adam crawled towards her with his sword in hand in one final attempt to take her down. Maki rolled her eyes.
With a haymaker to the face, she sent him rolling away a few meters away.
"Learn to know when you're defeated, idiot," Maki said, her face no longer holding that grin she always wore and instead replaced it with a frown.
She could hear him groan as he clutched his head. This time, it would be hard for him to stand up.
"Finally, it's over..." Pyrrha sighed as she walked towards her side. She looked in better shape than she thought she would. Her armor barely had any scratches or dents. It was like she wasn't hit at all.
"I should be the one saying that…" Maki muttered as she stood up from her spot. She grabbed the spear, which now had the size of a fork, and walked towards Blake, who began to clutch Adam tightly in her arms.
Maki uses her free hand to yank the mask off Blake's face. The cat's golden eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth when the spear reached her throat.
"Why's the White Fang here?" Maki said curtly. She jerks her thumb at Yuta. "Is it because of him?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you, I highly doubt they were here because of me."
A new Special Grade sorcerer would have sent alarms to any nearby criminal who wanted to challenge Jujutsu High. Anyone who wasn't affiliated with the school would try their hardest to see them wiped off the map, as not a single faction in Remnant is on good terms with them.
One could have concluded that the White Fang should have sympathy for them, as they were outcasts from the world, something the White Fang could relate to. However, a terrorist's mindset is as narrow as a water hose.
Sure, they could have been after Pyrrha. Killing Mistral's prodigy would surely plummet their morale, leaving them open for attacks, but they should have sent more manpower if that was the case. These two idiots weren't going to cut it if they didn't manage even to touch her.
They had to be after Yuta. Why did they want him? She doesn't have the answer to that question.
Blake doesn't say a word; she merely stares at her uninterestedly. It was starting to piss her off that the idea of killing her almost tempted her.
Almost.
"It will be complicated to interrogate someone so deep in their delusion," Pyrrha added, her tone firm. The gladiator girl merely watched the terrorists with a grimace. "We should leave this to a professional."
"I will agree with you on this one; they aren't going to be as kind as us," Maki said as she lowered her blade. She turned to see Pyrrha, who had a sour look on her face. Her emerald eyes were scanning her thoroughly.
"Are you completely sure you're alright? They were giving a good beating before I arrived." She asked as she pursed her lips.
Maki shrugged it off.
"I'm fine; it's nothing too serious," she muttered.
Gosh, she wanted to change the subject. It felt uncomfortable when others worried about her.
"Why are you here anyway?"
Pyrrha blinked, seemingly taken off guard by her question.
"Oh… that." She began to rub her shoulder. "I heard a commotion this morning, and since I was near the zone, I went to investigate. It turns out this place had a lot of cursed spirits nearby that were killing the students there. So I rushed in and did my best to evacuate everyone while fending them off. As luck would have it, I arrived just as the curses started to lose control so I could save people in time."
Maki raised an eyebrow. "All by yourself? How did you even kill the curses without cursed energy… or a cursed tool?"
"I… didn't use a curse tool to kill them," Pyrrha said. Before Maki could express her displeasure, she continued, palms raised. "I know what you want to say, but I had to do something. Otherwise, I would have let people die… and I wouldn't forgive myself if that happened."
Killing curses without a cursed tool was beyond irresponsible. There was a reason sorcerers were needed to deal with higher-level curses; their equipment and experience were invaluable on this field, and Huntsman lacked those.
When a curse dies, it isn't exorcized; it merely regenerates itself and keeps causing more trouble for the people. Cursed tools and sorcerers are necessary to keep them at bay.
If sorcerers didn't deal with curses, Grimm would quickly overflow the place, and chaos would ensue.
No faction wants that. It would be unreasonable for them to attack each other.
So they leave each other be… and that causes more problems along the way.
If Jujutsu High provided them with cursed tools, then Huntsman would finally be able to fight curses fair and square. They could deal with Grade 3 or lower curses with no problem while leaving the higher-level ones at the hands of professional sorcerers.
But no, the families would prefer to watch the world burn than work with the kingdoms… and vice versa.
If the four kingdoms left history behind and tried to reach an agreement, things would be different.
Maki looked at the devastation of the school. No corpses littered on the ground, as curses ate them whole before they could be found, so now they can't be at peace. If neither side reaches an agreement, then more people will die unnecessarily.
Still, Sanctum was doomed from the start. The quality of its education plummeted ever since Pyrrha graduated.
"No offense, but this place is a dump," she said bluntly. Instead of being offended, the gladiator girl merely nodded.
"It wasn't always like this. When I studied here, it was a very peaceful and decent-looking place. The people who taught me were very kind, and I will never forget them… even if I did check my privilege. Regardless of its reputation now, I still have to protect it."
Maki blinked a couple of times. She's just like…
Like…
A comic book heroine.
She glances at Yuta, who smiles at her words. She even has the heroine's charm!
It's not like that was a problem. In a cursed world, people like her are essential to remind others they aren't destined to curse each other.
"Right… sorry for doubting you." That was all Maki managed to say. She began walking towards Blake, who held her partner tightly in her arms; she probably needed to knock her down if she caused too much trouble.
"Anyway, we need to leave. Since you've been here a long time now, you must be tired. We can take you to eat as thanks."
Pyrrha tilted her head.
"A long time has passed? I was here only 20 minutes."
That stopped Maki in her tracks. She furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at Pyrrha as if she had grown a second head.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she said, startled by Maki's sudden change of aura.
"Because the curses already lost control by morning, and it was already past noon since we arrived…" Maki muttered. She placed her hand on her chin in deep thought.
If Pyrrha arrived in the morning, why did she take so long to leave? At the very least, she should be tired… unless she was lying—
No, she seemed too genuine to lie about something like that. Still, there's no way she was here only 20 minutes.
Her eyes widened in horror. All these unknowns were too familiar in the books she read, but she hadn't experienced them yet… and didn't want to.
Maki ran towards a nearby classroom door and opened it. She felt a knot in her throat and resisted the urge to punch a nearby wall out of frustration.
"Nikos… did you feel like the curse spirits were becoming more erratic?"
"I don't know what you mean, I just—" Pyrrha rushed to her side, and she immediately became quiet as soon as she saw what was through the door. "What… is this?"
It was the same hallway they just fought in. The damage from their previous battle remained: the broken windows, the cracked floor, the destroyed furniture.
But what most caught her attention was that she could see everyone through the door: Pyrrha, Yuta, Blake, Adam, and herself.
A domain in the entire school.
It was an incomplete one, but it didn't erase the fact that they were trapped within. If the entire school got warped by it, it would have been impossible to go through the fight in the first place, as they would be unable to find anyone if the caster didn't want to.
Unless that someone— or something did want them to fight.
Maki rushed towards Blake, who merely watched her with a blank expression. She grabbed her by her vest and pulled her up, glaring intently at her eyes.
"These curses are yours; command them to stand down!"
Blake frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. She was going to ask her again until she heard Adam coughing, blood pouring out of her mouth.
"Did you…" he gasped. "…exorcise the curse?"
Yuta grimaced and looked at him.
"I thought you waited for us to exorcize the curses! You arrived exactly after we finished!" he yelled. He didn't try to hide his anger at the leader.
"They did, but at the same time they didn't…"
Everyone turned to see Maki, who started to massage her temples. She began to walk back and forth at a fast pace.
"When did you two arrive?"
"Two hours after you entered," Blake said as she averted her eyes. She cupped her chin as she seemed deep in thought briefly. She then let out an audible gasp, her golden eyes contracting to the point of almost turning into slits.
Time is warped. There's no way to tell how long they have been here or how much time has passed outside.
What is Gojo doing?! He should have picked up an anomaly like this with his eyes alone!
Hehe…
The room temperature seemed to drop below zero, and the atmosphere became heavier than it was before. Everyone seemed to feel it as they stopped their pondering to face the immediate danger they were in.
Adam gritted his teeth and tried to crawl away from the zone, but he was too weak that he gave up the moment he realized he would not get far.
Blake trembled uncontrollably, clutching her weapon with no intent of letting it go.
Yuta almost pissed his pants, whimpering from the repulsive sight that was before him.
Pyrrha gulped, and sweat started to pour out of her forehead. She readied her spear and shield, waiting for the worst to happen.
What stood before them was a pale humanoid monstrosity, wearing a mere long rag as its underwear. Its whole body had an unnatural pale color, with its hands painted blue. Its face had a set of tendrils seemingly grabbing its skull. Its four eyes opened up, and it let a huge cheshire grin at them.
But what stood out the most was its cursed energy; the amount it radiated was beyond ridiculous.
None of them was prepared to face a Special Grade curse.
Chapter 2: The Cursed Child
"We need to run." Blake blurted, and her breathing started to become irregular. "Everyone is going to get killed!"
"We can't, we're trapped in its domain…" Maki muttered as she glanced at her weapon, which was now next to useless in its current state.
Pyrrha readied her weapons and narrowed her eyes.
"Stand behind me everyone I will—"
Her words got cut short as the curse rushed forward so fast that it reached her within seconds. With its grin still present, it formed a fist enveloped in pure curse energy and launched a quick jab.
A loud metallic echo was heard. Pyrrha gritted her teeth as she got pushed backward by its sheer force.
It dented it.
A simple punch from the curse dented the shield and it wasn't even at full power!
The assault did not end as the curse closed its distance again.
Then it delivered a roundhouse kick to her other, shieldless arm.
She blocked it, but the force of the kick sent her sliding backward. Her Aura protected the hit.
Her face remained resolute but Yuta picked up a peculiar detail. A harrowing one.
She was sweating. The seemingly invincible girl who didn't get hit once.
"You bastard!" Maki said as she threw the tip of her spear to the curse, but to no avail, it dodged it easily. It tilted its head as it looked at her and chuckled. It raised its finger and pointed at her.
Before she could react, a blast of curse energy pierced Maki's shoulder. Panic spread on Yuta's face.
"Zen'in!" he shouted as he kneeled towards her to check her.
Maki winced as blood started to pour out of the wound. She pressed the injury with her hand and clutched it tightly.
"We must find a way to leave… Invincible Girl has to hold for us to get help," she muttered as she looked away in shame.
Yuta grimaced, not believing what he was hearing from her.
"And you want us to leave her alone fighting that?! She will not last!"
Maki's eyes glowered at him as if daring him to speak further.
"What can you do?"
His muscles tensed, and his breath hitched. Those words hit him like a truck because he knew she was right. What could he do in his current state? He was useless; he didn't know how to fight, didn't possess any notable curse techniques, and knew next to nothing about the supernatural world.
He watched as Maki's body trembled, but her face remained impassive. In the short time he had known her, he knew how the girl managed her attitude. Though she might come off as brash and crude, she wasn't cruel. If she didn't care about him even an ounce, she wouldn't have tried protecting him from the White Fang members.
Neither of the two wanted to let Pyrrha die, but this seemed the best option, for now, to run. Yet that jarring question still tormented his mind.
What can he do?
Nothing, he could do nothing. He could try to summon Rika, but there is a high chance she would go on a rampage and try to kill everyone again.
He watched as the curse sent a blast of pure energy towards Pyrrha. She planted her feet on the floor and blocked it with her shield, but it was so strong that the floor beneath her started to crack and caused her to slide backward.
Her shield broke.
Her eyes widened as the full force of the blast hit her, which sent her flying across the hallway toward a wall that cracked on impact. Her body flickered with white light, signaling her Aura reserves were nearly depleting.
The spartan girl trembled as she stood up. Her tiara and ponytail came off, causing her hair to fall. She grunted as she saw her right arm limp, unable to move. She grabbed her shoulder with her other arm and pushed it back hard. A crack echoed throughout the entire school.
The curse let out a grin and started to laugh uncontrollably. Like a jester, but a devil-like one, it enjoyed their suffering. Indeed, curses were the most deplorable creatures you could find. At least the Grimm don't have enough sentience when they cause destruction.
Still, her determination didn't seem to waver. She took a long, deep breath and grabbed her spear, the only weapon she could use now. She extended her right arm, and it started to glow back.
Yuta's eyes widened as more than 30 desks started floating around the curse before they morphed into pure iron lines.
Pyrrha moved her hands, which caused the lines to move fast enough to grab the curse by its extremities. She managed to use all of her resources and entangled the curse tightly.
The special grade no longer held its grin but watched in terror as Pyrrha charged at it with her spear. She embedded Fire Dust in the spear, causing it to burst into flames.
She let out a war cry and tossed her spear like a javelin.
And hit its mark straight through its heart. What followed were the screams of pain and started to burn from the inside.
Yuta let out a triumphant smile. Pyrrha was indeed the most potent fighter he had ever met.
However, she made a critical mistake, which was not her fault.
Her weapon isn't a cursed tool.
The flames dimmed, and Yuta could see the curse grinning at them again. Its grin started to get wider as it freed itself from the entanglements. It grabbed the spear and pulled it away from its skin, causing purple blood to start dripping from the wound. It closed instantly, causing Pyrrha to take a step back from it, her determination wavering.
The curse lunged at her and jabbed quickly at her solar plexus. The hit caused her to spit and launch backward, rolling toward Yuta's feet.
He whimpered; he didn't know what to do. They were all going to die, and he couldn't do a single thing about it!
He saw Blake looking in terror as despair started to overcome her, so much so that she began to hyperventilate.
Adam had resigned to his fate, looking down in shame as he waited for death to take them away.
"Okkotsu."
Yuta's eyes widened as Maki grabbed him by his shirt tightly. Her eyes bore directly into his soul.
"Why did you enroll at this school?" Maki said. "What do you want?!"
"I don't understa—"
"You do understand, so answer me!"
Yuta…
What does he want?
All of this time, he lived wallowing in his misery and cursing his existence. He didn't think it was worth it to keep living if he was going to be a walking apocalypse.
So why did he keep on living? He deserves to be lonely and hated so he doesn't cause more trouble. He doesn't deserve love.
"I…"
That doesn't mean he has to put up with what the world throws at him.
"I don't want to be alone."
Yuta…
A part of him, deep inside his soul, wants to defy his circumstances.
"I want to believe that it's okay to keep living— and to move on."
And it's time for that part of his soul to wake up.
"If you want to move on… then it's time for you to wake up and start exorcizing," Maki muttered, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "This is what being a sorcerer is all about."
Her grip started to lose strength as she slid down and fell to the floor, her wounds finally taking their toll on her as she lost consciousness.
Yuta!
His eyes widened as he saw a little girl with brown hair standing right across the hallway. Her childhood friend and first love stood still with a sweet smile.
"Hey, Yuta?" Rika said, her voice soft. "Can I play?"
Yuta gulped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.
The curse lost its smile and opened its mouth, gasping. It seemed scared, even frightened. It let out a panicked cry and rushed towards everyone, its hands glowing brightly with curse energy.
Yuta gritted his teeth as he tried to open the box, but the curse was already on his face.
He heard a loud sound coming from his side, and his ears started to ring. Blake finally broke down from her fright and fired a barrage of bullets loaded with Ice Dust at the curse, freezing it in place.
He turned to look at the faunus who had attacked him not too long ago. She glared at him with intense anger.
"Do something!"
Yuta shook his head and nodded at her. He opened the box, revealing a shining silver ring. He pulled it out and placed it on his left finger.
"Rika, you can play."
The curse broke free from its restraints and leaped away from Yuta. It started slowly backing away from them before it turned tail and began to run away.
But it was already too late for it. A white-clawed hand grabbed it by the waist, stopping its movements. Another curse started to emerge from the shadows.
It was a large, pale white creature with white tendrils on the back of its skull. It had a large, muscular upper body, long arms, and a tail-like shadow that served as its lower body. Its face was hollow and empty; it only had a big mouth with sharp teeth.
It was the Vengeful Cursed Sprit, Rika Orimoto, now in her complete, untamed form.
Blake dropped her weapons as she watched Rika's entire form. Her whole form was shaking, preventing her from backing away.
Pyrrha remained awake on the ground, not trying to move as she gritted her teeth. She felt the immense pressure Rika radiated.
Adam's breath hitched as he raised his head slightly. He gritted his teeth and started sweating until he couldn't take it anymore and lost consciousness.
However, Yuta remained calm. He was used to Rika's presence and the effect she tended to have on others.
The Special Grade let out a roar as it used both of its hands enveloped in massive curse energy and delivered a powerful mantis punch to Rika's face. The hit landed as it was so powerful gusts of wind were created around it.
However, Rika stood still, unfazed, she let out an ear-shattering howl as she grabbed the special grade with both of her claws and gripped it tightly.
"That hurt, asshole!" Rika shouted. She opened her mouth, and a purple light started to emerge from her mouth. The curse began to wail as it tried to free itself from her grip.
The light from Rika's mouth came out like a geyser, blasting the curse's entire body with pure curse energy. Yuta covered his eyes as the bright purple light almost left him blind. The blast was so potent that it shook the entire school.
The purple beam continued, shattering everything in its path and creating a big hole that revealed the exteriors, with the yard and parking lot.
Once the light died down, Yuta uncovered his eyes, and he saw Rika letting out an innocent grin as she held the curse on her hand— or at least what remained of it.
The special-grade body's entire body was toast. Its body was limp and unmoving. It was clear that it didn't stand a chance. Its body started to evaporate, and the wind swept away its ashes.
The tension rose as Rika approached Yuta, her fist clenched. No one dared make a move for fear of provoking her.
Except for Yuta, he watched her with a grimace. It's not like he hates her; on the contrary, she was his first love, and he won't ever forget the time he spent with her when she was alive. But now, all he feels for her is pity for what she had become, a curse bent on anger and hate.
"Hey, Yuta— take this."
Yuta blinked and opened his palm. He almost puked as he stared at the object Rika dropped at his hand.
It was a wretched red finger with a black nail that looked too long to fit on a human. The putrid miasma surrounding it made it obvious that it was a cursed object.
How did that curse wind up with such an unholy artifact?
"Yuta— do you like it?"
He wanted to say no, he should say no, but it's not a bright idea to get Rika sad when there are people around him. Not at all.
"Yeah…" Yuta said, smiling sheepishly. "It's— lovely."
Rika's grin widens as she becomes giddy with the praise. Then she glances at the people around Yuta, and her smile vanishes instantly. She starts to growl, and her veins pop out of her skull.
Yuta's whole visage paled as he realized that Rika's overprotectiveness may have doomed everyone. She still had the urge to kill anyone who even hurt him in the slightest.
Blake's ears raised like antennas as she instinctively went for her weapons.
"Each one of you hurt my Yuta," Rika said, looming around everyone. Both of her arms glowed brightly with curse energy. "Now I'm going rip you all—"
"Rika."
Rika froze as she heard the firm voice of Yuta. She turned around to see that he no longer looked meek, but instead, he looked at her with a frown, his eyebrow furrowed.
'Here goes nothing…' he thought as he took a long, deep breath. "I-If you hurt any of them, I won't talk to you in over a month."
Rika let out an audible gasp, and the glow in her hands died down. She started to whimper and grabbed Yuta by the shoulders.
"Yutaaa, I will not harm them, I promise— so please." she pleaded. She lowered her head and let out a sniff.
Yuta didn't say anything. What could he say? The times Rika had gone on a rampage had been numerous, so much so that now he had started to doubt her restraints. He had started to doubt her.
With no answer coming out of Yuta, she disappeared into thin air.
"That— just happened."
Yuta perked up as he saw the Pyrrha standing up, her legs wobbly. The grazes on her face started to drop small bits of blood.
"Miss Nikos, you're—"
"I'm fine, my Aura is working through my wounds." She said, as she grunted for the pain. She then let out a small grin. "I lost…"
Yuta glanced at her with a blank look.
"You are— happy about that?"
Pyrrha stared back at him, giving him an analytical look. She then let out a sigh.
"You really have no idea who I am…" She said, as she made her way and grabbed her spear from the floor. "Don't worry about it, I'm just relieved."
Yuta blinked, what did she mean by that? He should ask her later.
He relaxed his posture, glad that everything was over. This could have easily gone out of hand if he didn't get his act together when the Special Grade attacked. Even so, Rika didn't do everything, Pyrrha and Blake's efforts made him see what he truly needed to do to face his fears.
He watched the cat faunus who clutched his partner in her arms. The White Fang are indeed terrorists who have done evil acts for their beliefs, but even so, each and every one of them has people they care about. They are capable of kindness, camaraderie, and love.
But their leaders are always focused on spiking out their hate and resentfulness. They use the feelings of these people to get what they want. It's disgusting.
It left Yuta with a lot of questions. It doesn't excuse the monstrous acts they have made in the name of— freedom, yet it opened a new perspective, which was one he wanted to ponder in the future. Maybe not all of their members were irredeemable monsters.
"Are you alright?" Yuta asked Blake, who looked at him with her golden eyes. She blinked once, then twice as if trying to figure out something.
"Yeah— I'll be fine."
"That's good to hear. Then we should make our way out of here." Yuta smiled and nodded, he then proceeded to grab the unconscious Maki and carried her over her back.
He almost tripped as he lost his balance, he didn't know she was that heavy!
They were about to leave until Blake's ears started to twitch. Her eyes widened and she started to look around frantically. Yuta looked at her in confusion.
"You should leave now." She said as she started to back away a good distance from them with Adam in her arms.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She raised her spear and pointed it at her.
"Not until authorities arrest you both…"
"Forget about us and run!" Blake retorted in anger. "It's our people!"
Yuta couldn't hear a thing. He was sure that nobody was following them this time, otherwise, Rika would have told him and dealt with them quickly. She very well could be lying to them to escape, but it was a poor attempt at deception.
Click click.
Pyrrha's eyes widened and she wasted no time to pull Yuta away from Blake with her Semblance.
The cursed worm that appeared earlier emerged from the floor and swallowed both White Fang members in its mouth. With no intent to stop, it charged towards Yuta, Pyrrha, and Maki with a screech.
"What now?!" Yuta yelled as tears started to come out of his eyes. Fear started to get a hold of him again.
"We jump!"
Not wasting any more time, Yuta ran towards the hole Rika left and jumped without hesitation. Pyrrha followed suit, jumping alongside with her spear in hand.
She pulled Yuta beside her with one hand and placed her spear under her foot. She then used her semblance to move upwards. She grunted as her exhaustion started to catch on and tampered with her technique.
Her quick thinking paid off as they managed to slow down from terminal velocity, but not enough to slow them down completely. It was a mediocre land, as they fell like a sack of potatoes. It hurt a bit, but it was either that or they would have died.
The curse worm emerged from the school and Yuta gasped as the size of the creature was more than he could have imagined it. The width of its body seemed to approach ten meters minimum!
However, he had enough of being scared and doing nothing. He will no longer remain idle as others risk their lives for him. So he started to scan his surroundings to find something, anything that would help him out of this situation.
He saw a car, not far away from him. It was a run-down, old model, it would probably be unable to reach even sixty kilometers, but it was his only choice.
"Get Zen'in in that car, now!" he shouted at Pyrrha as he pointed to the car. "We must get to Sensei!"
Pyrrha eyed him for a brief moment with uncertainty but it died down the moment Yuta rushed towards the car. She grabbed Maki and rushed behind him.
Yuta broke the driver's seat window and unlocked the door, entering the vehicle. He then unlocked the passenger's seat for Pyrrha to get in with Maki. He needed a way to access the ignition.
"Nikos, open this!"
Pyrrha shakily used her spear and used enough force to open the lock, granting access to the wiring. Yuta instantly went to work while trying to remember the times he hot-wired a car.
'Red coil means power and brown starter…'
He saw the worm sliding towards them at a moderate pace, its mouth wide open. Pyrrha started to get pale.
"Okkotsu?"
He focused solely on the wiring. He pulled out the two ends of the brown wiring, ignoring the pain from the electricity, and pushed both ends together.
He heard a sound, an ignition sound!
Yuta revved the engine with all of his might and drove the car at full speed. The acceleration was so sudden that Pyrrha got pushed behind. The curse was quickly left behind.
Pyrrha's previous fear started to diminish and she sighed in relief, but she was still on high alert, as the worm was still high on their tails.
"You know how to drive?" Pyrrha asked, eyebrows raised.
Yuta nodded as he focused on the road. He needed to rush to the exit.
"Rika taught me when she was alive."
Pyrrha furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a questionable gaze.
"How old were you two?"
Yuta gave her an innocent grin.
"Eleven."
Not the kind of answer she expected.
"WHAT KIND OF CHILDHOOD DID YOU TWO HAVE?!"
Yuta's face reddened as memories of Rika stealing her grandmother's car… which they drove until it crashed. He remembered how they were laughing while they were drifting in an open area.
It was fun, but now that he thought of it, it was very irresponsible on their part. They were children at that time, but still, he couldn't help but think that Rika was no angel at all when she was alive, going as far as to steal her grandmother's car and ring. The ring that he wore now. Granted, Rika's grandmother loathed her existence because she believed that she killed both of her parents, and the feeling was mutual, so he could understand her actions at the time.
He stopped pondering about it as he started to notice a problem down the road. As he drove towards the exit, he couldn't help but think that he should have arrived already. After all, the school wasn't wide enough to warrant a long ride.
Where is the exit?! This place is a maze!
Pyrrha seemed to notice as well and narrowed her eyes, her suspicion growing.
"You have noticed it too, right?" she asked as she glanced at the rearview mirror. The worm was still chasing them, but it didn't show any signs of getting closer. They were at a safe distance if they kept driving at this speed.
"It's just like back in the school…" Yuta muttered as he furrowed his eyebrows. He clutched the steering wheel tightly.
Another domain. Now they cannot afford to fight the curse head n after sustaining heavy injuries, not with Pyrrha wounded and Maki out of commission, it doesn't seem plausible. Maki needed to go to a hospital immediately, so he couldn't afford to summon Rika to handle the curse.
He glanced at the fuel meter, it was nearly empty, and they would not last long. His ears started ringing.
Okko—
What can he do?
That jarring question started to fog his mind as anxiety started to overcome his mind. Cold sweat started to drop off his forehead and his heartbeat started to get faster.
Okkot—
Where was his resolve now? He spouted such bullshit to Maki and she trusted him enough to carry out the mission, and now look at him. She would scoff if she saw how pathetic he was behaving.
"Okkotsu!"
Yuta's eyes widened as he felt Pyrrha shaking his shoulder. He looked at her and saw her gaze never gave in to fear, instead, she looked determined, as always, like a true warrior.
"Focus." She said, gazing at the rear. "We have a curse to stop. You must have some idea how we can get out… whatever the hell this is."
Yuta gulped, he wanted to tell her that he was a new student and didn't know any better, that he didn't she wouldn't have much luck in relying on him. He had no way of knowing how to stop that worm curse worm from surprising them with—
Aren't worms supposed to be faster underground than on land?
When the worm curse came by the first time, it announced itself by creating an earthquake alongside clicking sounds. Its sheer size managed to shake the entire school so they were prepared for its arrival, but it was different this time. It didn't make any sounds at all, only the clicks, and if it wasn't for Blake's warning, they would have been eaten alive. It had to have a condition, but he wasn't sure what kind of.
A curse technique? Was it the effects of its domain?
An idea popped into his mind, a risky one, but they couldn't afford to keep thinking of a better one, they needed to act now. The fuel was at a critical point now.
Yuta took a deep breath and steeled himself. He wanted to keep on living, so he will make sure he can get that. For Rika's sake, and everyone's sake.
"If we want to escape, then we must take the route where it came from. Underground, the sewers are there, right?" Yuta said, eyes narrowing.
Pyrrha grimaced, clearly not liking this idea. "Yes, they are, but the least we should right now is fight that thing on its territory."
"Listen, we don't have much of a choice. My sensei is out there waiting for us, and this is the only thing I can think of to get out of this domain so he can help us in this fight." Yuta pleaded. When he saw Pyrrha's hesitation, he pressed further. "Two things can happen if we go to the sewers. One, we're still in the worm's territory and I will use the closed space and Rika to hold it off, you can then take Zen'in and get out of the domain. Maybe Rika can easily take it down, but if what that Blake girl said it's true, then there are many more White Fang soldiers waiting for us inside that thing."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be thinking—"
"Two, we get out of its domain, and we can call Sensei to help us." He said, causing her to shut up. "Either way, I will get you both out here alive!"
Pyrrha stared at him quietly, her emerald eyes calmly scanning him on his own. The staredown that felt like an eternity lasted a mere ten seconds.
"I may have just met you but…" she finally said, grabbing her spear. "I'll trust you, Okkotsu."
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Yuta covered his eyes as he was falling through the smoke until he landed on his right arm. He heard a crack and winced in pain.
Pyrrha landed on her feet, but roughly as she nearly fell over from the weight she was carrying. Maki was still in her arms, unaware of what was happening around her. She placed Maki on the ground.
The first thing Yuta did was place his hand on his nose as the smell of feces and sewer water hit him like a sledgehammer. It was awful, to say the least, not a pleasant place to stay at all.
He heard weapons cocking up from behind, and his eyes widened as he felt a hot barrel poking him from behind his skull. He instinctively put his hands up as it would be a terrible idea to move on this situation.
"Okkotsu!" Pyrrha shouted as she tried to move but winced in pain as her wounds started to take a toll. She must have been exhausted from the ordeals they had just gone through, and Yuta couldn't blame her, she was the one that managed to get them out alive after all. She panted heavily.
Yuta heard footsteps coming closer to him, and he could swear he felt his heart stop as he saw who was in front of him. A White Fang soldier, another one, had a mean look on his face as he watched him with nothing but hate under his mask. Pyrrha placed her arms up as well as she lowered her head in shame.
The goon placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a radio, he heard a static sound coming from it.
"We got them, boss, what's your call?" he asked. The radio let out another sound.
"Leave them to me." A voice came out. It was soft, but at the same time, it was menacing, like the tone that serial killers in movies used to have.
The sewers started to shake violently as Yuta could hear a rumbling sound coming closer in this direction. A sound he was very familiar with.
Click, click
Just in front of them, the worm curse broke in with a screech and loomed over them, its rows of teeth showing as its mouth started to widen.
Was this it? Were they going to get eaten?
Then it gagged and spat a big green goo from its mouth that had shades of black around it. Yuta had to squint his eyes to see what it was, and he pursed his lips when he looked at what emerged from the goo.
It was Blake and Adam, the latter who woke up from his knockout, and he looked pissed as he glared at them with pure hatred, the former meanwhile merely looked to the side, pretending she didn't know them. Their wounds were already healed.
However, what stood out the most was the figure that was in front of them, who had dressed like a mistrali priest, with black colored robes and a golden kāṣāya garment. He looked at them with a mischievous grin.
"You two, I was dying to meet you." He said as he walked towards them. When he was near them, he bowed. "My name is Suguru Geto."
"You're their leader…" Pyrrha muttered as she gritted her teeth. "You destroyed my school!"
He sent an innocent look at Pyrrha.
"Oh, that? Sorry, but I needed to do it for my plan to work," Geto said as he rubbed the back of his head. He then scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. "Even so, that school was already overflowing with curses before my intervention. It was already doomed when the monkeys took over."
The way he said monkeys seemed as if he had eaten rotten cheese, his face scrunching up in disgust. He then sighed and looked at them with an angelic smile.
Yuta had to admit that the ability of this man to change from an angel to a deranged psychopath was remarkable. It even sent chills down his spine.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you two," Geto said. "You are perfect for my ideal world; I wouldn't want to ruin that."
"You're ideal… world?" Yuta asked, not taking his eyes off him.
"A world in which the Faunus govern all of you so every one of you can learn how it feels to be oppressed for all these years!" It was one of the White Fang goons that had spoken. His voice was firm and passionate, a tone most members had when speaking about their history. It's also the tone that most extremists use to appeal their horrific acts against humanity.
Geto eyed them neutrally. "Close enough," he said.
The monk glanced at the fallen Zen'in warrior and scowled. Yuta could feel the absolute disgust Geto felt towards her, even if he didn't admit it directly.
A kick on her stomach sent Maki rolling towards Yuta. Panic emerged on his face as he kneeled towards her to check her wounds. She looked haggard, wheezing, almost sick. She was weakened and Geto didn't care, he just hit her while she was down.
This bastard just treated her like she was a piece of shit in his shoes.
He glanced toward their members, and Yuta realized they didn't care. Adam had a smirk on his face, as he looked like he was enjoying every second of Maki's pain; his goons also shared the same feeling as him. The only one who had the decency to look uncomfortable was Blake, as she looked away from the scene with a frown.
Pyrrha let out a growl and readied her spear. Geto let out a evil grin, so wide that he almost looked like a jester.
"Oh Miss Nikos, I don't recommend doing that," he said.
Pyrrha froze as she saw little fecal creatures coming out of the sewer water and crawling around them. They looked like a pile of feces had come to life and had grown eyes, yellow, lifeless eyes. The putrid smell that radiated from them was just a bonus. She started to shake as she clutched her spear tightly, but it was wobbly, she could let it go at any second.
However, Yuta wasn't scared. He touched Pyrrha's spear, which stopped her from shaking. Pyrrha looked at him, emerald eyes wide open.
"It's alright," he said, smiling softly at her. "We'll be okay."
Pyrrha eyed him in uncertainty.
"He hasn't realized it yet, but we managed to get out of the domain,"
Geto's eyes widened, realizing his fatal mistake. He had no time to react as he felt a blur in the wind passing through.
In the span of a second, a white-haired man with a white bandage appeared out of nowhere between Yuta and Geto.
In an instant, all White Fang member's serious façade broke. Adam and Blake immediately drew their weapons, their arms tensed. All the remaining members aimed at the new source of attention.
Silence engulfed them, no one daring to make a move as doing so would prove to be their final breath.
Satoru Gojo looked around his surroundings, looking less than pleased with the situation. He frowned deeply as he saw the wounds that were inflicted on both of his students. His carefree attitude is long gone now.
"Ruining your party, Suguru?" Satoru asked in a low, menacing tone. "You didn't spout bullshit at my student's ear, didn't you?"
"Long time no see, Satoru!" Geto beamed at him. "How's Shoko?"
"She's doing great— she's smoking less now that she does not see your face so often,"
Yuta could swear that he could see Geto— pouting?
"How cold… and here I thought you missed me,"
Satoru didn't seem in the mood for small as he took a step forward. The curse worm that still loomed over them let out a screech and lunged towards them with its mouth wide open.
Satoru lowered part of his bandages, allowing everyone to see the unnaturally bright blue color of his eyes. He pointed his finger towards the curse.
"Curse technique reversal—"
A red ball of cursed energy started to form on his fingertip. Pyrrha's eyes widened.
"He's converting curse energy into— Aura?!"
The red ball of energy shot out of Satoru's fingertip.
"Red!"
It pierced through the curse worm's body like a bullet. It let out a blood-curdling shriek as its body started to swell up and explode into a thousand pieces, its remains raining down on the ground like confetti.
Everyone in the room save for Geto remained awestruck at the display of strength that Satoru demonstrated. Yuta and Pyrrha hadn't seen anything like that before as they glanced at Satoru with awe. The curse they've been fighting not too long ago got exorcized instantly while they struggled!
Adam glanced at Geto, giving him a mean look. "You wanted us to get near that?!"
Geto simply rolled his eyes and turned his look at Satoru again, letting out a pleased smile.
"I didn't finish talking, Suguru." He said as he narrowed his eye. "I know what you're planning, so let me get this straight, you're not taking my students to your group of crazies," Satoru said.
"You're completely— wrong! That's not my plan!" Geto said as he made a buzzing sound with his mouth. "We were just having a heart-to-heart, right?"
He looked at Yuta and was surprised when he saw the intense glare he was giving back.
"I don't know which part you think kicking my friend like trash will make me hear a word you say…" Yuta said as he barely contained his snarl. He was tempted to let Rika out to tear him apart piece by piece. Almost.
Geto sighed and looked at him in disinterest.
"You are extremely basic… it's boring," Geto muttered.
Suddenly, every White Fang member started running toward Geto and his group and surrounded them in a protective cordon. A bright light shone from above them in the hole Satoru made with his attack and a powerful gust of wind started to form around them.
It was the sound of a bullhead. A ladder dropped beside them and the White Fang members started to climb it.
Satoru wasn't going to let them go, as he raised his finger and purple sparks started to surround it.
"I don't recommend doing that Satoru, unless you want to let them die, that is…"
Pyrrha started to back away as the curses that threatened her earlier started to emerge from the sewer water again, their claws ready to strike her at any moment.
Yuta didn't know when it happened, but he could a small pinch on his throat as small fecal creatures started to crawl over his shirt, their spikes aiming right at his jugular. He felt a knot in his throat as he realized the sheer difference between his power and Geto's.
Satoru gritted his teeth as he glanced at the immediate danger and the sparks on his fingers died down. Geto let out a pleased smirk.
"This is not the last time we'll see each other." He said as he raised his arms and let out a mad grin. "On December 24, the White Fang will wage war and I will unleash a thousand curses on the following areas: Kuchinashi and Mistral. Their orders? Massacre every single person in sight!"
The White Fang members cried in enthusiasm as they raised their weapons. Yuta noticed Blake gritting her teeth and clutching the side of the ladder tightly.
"You better tell our cranky principal," Geto said. "They need to start organizing if they want to avoid annihilation." He grinned maniacally.
"Let us curse each other to the death!"
The White Fang member's cry started getting louder.
"Geto! Geto! Geto!" they shouted.
Yuta let out a scowl as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The White Fang followed this man without question, it was as if they had been completely swayed by his charisma. Yet it didn't make any sense, the White Fang loathed humans, and their leader was one of them!
Why do they follow him?!
Their cries died down and the White Fang members started to retreat to the bullhead, alongside Blake and Adam. Only Geto remained, he grabbed the ladder and let out one final bow.
"Goodbye, Satoru, Okkotsu."
With that, Geto retreated to the ladder and the light died down. The sound of the aircraft started getting further until it died down.
The curses surrounding Yuta and Pyrrha disappeared in a black sludge.
Satoru let out a sigh and placed a palm on his face. "I swear that guy likes to show off more than me sometimes…"
He then turned to Pyrrha, Yuta, and Maki. His shoulder relaxed and let out out a carefree smile.
"I'm glad to see that you two are alright! You almost had me worried there," he said as he grabbed Maki and placed her on his shoulder. "I should take her to Shoko for a quick fix. After that, I'll invite you two to breakfast, my treat."
"Breakfast?" Pyrrha said, tilting her head. "We've only been here for an hour."
Satoru snorted.
"Yeah, no, you've been here for a day." He said nonchalantly. Pyrrha and Yuta's mouth gaped.
"A DAY?!"
"Yeah, I was about to kill that man but he told me that it was all part of his plan like a goofy cartoon villain." Satoru shrugged.
"Sensei..." Yuta asked, "Was it worth all this risk to test me?"
Satoru sighed and patted Yuta's head.
"Sorry about that, I was against this idea from the beginning, but next time I see him, I'll deck him in the face for you."
Yuta tilted his head. "Who?"
"That asshole who runs Beacon, Ozpin," Satoru said as a glint appeared in his eyes. "Or as he's known in Jujutsu society, one of the five Special Grade sorcerers."
Yuta blinked a couple of times as he processed the information.
"…Who again?"
"We can't, we're trapped in its domain…" Maki muttered as she glanced at her weapon, which was now next to useless in its current state.
Pyrrha readied her weapons and narrowed her eyes.
"Stand behind me everyone I will—"
Her words got cut short as the curse rushed forward so fast that it reached her within seconds. With its grin still present, it formed a fist enveloped in pure curse energy and launched a quick jab.
A loud metallic echo was heard. Pyrrha gritted her teeth as she got pushed backward by its sheer force.
It dented it.
A simple punch from the curse dented the shield and it wasn't even at full power!
The assault did not end as the curse closed its distance again.
Then it delivered a roundhouse kick to her other, shieldless arm.
She blocked it, but the force of the kick sent her sliding backward. Her Aura protected the hit.
Her face remained resolute but Yuta picked up a peculiar detail. A harrowing one.
She was sweating. The seemingly invincible girl who didn't get hit once.
"You bastard!" Maki said as she threw the tip of her spear to the curse, but to no avail, it dodged it easily. It tilted its head as it looked at her and chuckled. It raised its finger and pointed at her.
Before she could react, a blast of curse energy pierced Maki's shoulder. Panic spread on Yuta's face.
"Zen'in!" he shouted as he kneeled towards her to check her.
Maki winced as blood started to pour out of the wound. She pressed the injury with her hand and clutched it tightly.
"We must find a way to leave… Invincible Girl has to hold for us to get help," she muttered as she looked away in shame.
Yuta grimaced, not believing what he was hearing from her.
"And you want us to leave her alone fighting that?! She will not last!"
Maki's eyes glowered at him as if daring him to speak further.
"What can you do?"
His muscles tensed, and his breath hitched. Those words hit him like a truck because he knew she was right. What could he do in his current state? He was useless; he didn't know how to fight, didn't possess any notable curse techniques, and knew next to nothing about the supernatural world.
He watched as Maki's body trembled, but her face remained impassive. In the short time he had known her, he knew how the girl managed her attitude. Though she might come off as brash and crude, she wasn't cruel. If she didn't care about him even an ounce, she wouldn't have tried protecting him from the White Fang members.
Neither of the two wanted to let Pyrrha die, but this seemed the best option, for now, to run. Yet that jarring question still tormented his mind.
What can he do?
Nothing, he could do nothing. He could try to summon Rika, but there is a high chance she would go on a rampage and try to kill everyone again.
He watched as the curse sent a blast of pure energy towards Pyrrha. She planted her feet on the floor and blocked it with her shield, but it was so strong that the floor beneath her started to crack and caused her to slide backward.
Her shield broke.
Her eyes widened as the full force of the blast hit her, which sent her flying across the hallway toward a wall that cracked on impact. Her body flickered with white light, signaling her Aura reserves were nearly depleting.
The spartan girl trembled as she stood up. Her tiara and ponytail came off, causing her hair to fall. She grunted as she saw her right arm limp, unable to move. She grabbed her shoulder with her other arm and pushed it back hard. A crack echoed throughout the entire school.
The curse let out a grin and started to laugh uncontrollably. Like a jester, but a devil-like one, it enjoyed their suffering. Indeed, curses were the most deplorable creatures you could find. At least the Grimm don't have enough sentience when they cause destruction.
Still, her determination didn't seem to waver. She took a long, deep breath and grabbed her spear, the only weapon she could use now. She extended her right arm, and it started to glow back.
Yuta's eyes widened as more than 30 desks started floating around the curse before they morphed into pure iron lines.
Pyrrha moved her hands, which caused the lines to move fast enough to grab the curse by its extremities. She managed to use all of her resources and entangled the curse tightly.
The special grade no longer held its grin but watched in terror as Pyrrha charged at it with her spear. She embedded Fire Dust in the spear, causing it to burst into flames.
She let out a war cry and tossed her spear like a javelin.
And hit its mark straight through its heart. What followed were the screams of pain and started to burn from the inside.
Yuta let out a triumphant smile. Pyrrha was indeed the most potent fighter he had ever met.
However, she made a critical mistake, which was not her fault.
Her weapon isn't a cursed tool.
The flames dimmed, and Yuta could see the curse grinning at them again. Its grin started to get wider as it freed itself from the entanglements. It grabbed the spear and pulled it away from its skin, causing purple blood to start dripping from the wound. It closed instantly, causing Pyrrha to take a step back from it, her determination wavering.
The curse lunged at her and jabbed quickly at her solar plexus. The hit caused her to spit and launch backward, rolling toward Yuta's feet.
He whimpered; he didn't know what to do. They were all going to die, and he couldn't do a single thing about it!
He saw Blake looking in terror as despair started to overcome her, so much so that she began to hyperventilate.
Adam had resigned to his fate, looking down in shame as he waited for death to take them away.
"Okkotsu."
Yuta's eyes widened as Maki grabbed him by his shirt tightly. Her eyes bore directly into his soul.
"Why did you enroll at this school?" Maki said. "What do you want?!"
"I don't understa—"
"You do understand, so answer me!"
Yuta…
What does he want?
All of this time, he lived wallowing in his misery and cursing his existence. He didn't think it was worth it to keep living if he was going to be a walking apocalypse.
So why did he keep on living? He deserves to be lonely and hated so he doesn't cause more trouble. He doesn't deserve love.
"I…"
That doesn't mean he has to put up with what the world throws at him.
"I don't want to be alone."
Yuta…
A part of him, deep inside his soul, wants to defy his circumstances.
"I want to believe that it's okay to keep living— and to move on."
And it's time for that part of his soul to wake up.
"If you want to move on… then it's time for you to wake up and start exorcizing," Maki muttered, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "This is what being a sorcerer is all about."
Her grip started to lose strength as she slid down and fell to the floor, her wounds finally taking their toll on her as she lost consciousness.
Yuta!
His eyes widened as he saw a little girl with brown hair standing right across the hallway. Her childhood friend and first love stood still with a sweet smile.
"Hey, Yuta?" Rika said, her voice soft. "Can I play?"
Yuta gulped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.
The curse lost its smile and opened its mouth, gasping. It seemed scared, even frightened. It let out a panicked cry and rushed towards everyone, its hands glowing brightly with curse energy.
Yuta gritted his teeth as he tried to open the box, but the curse was already on his face.
He heard a loud sound coming from his side, and his ears started to ring. Blake finally broke down from her fright and fired a barrage of bullets loaded with Ice Dust at the curse, freezing it in place.
He turned to look at the faunus who had attacked him not too long ago. She glared at him with intense anger.
"Do something!"
Yuta shook his head and nodded at her. He opened the box, revealing a shining silver ring. He pulled it out and placed it on his left finger.
"Rika, you can play."
The curse broke free from its restraints and leaped away from Yuta. It started slowly backing away from them before it turned tail and began to run away.
But it was already too late for it. A white-clawed hand grabbed it by the waist, stopping its movements. Another curse started to emerge from the shadows.
It was a large, pale white creature with white tendrils on the back of its skull. It had a large, muscular upper body, long arms, and a tail-like shadow that served as its lower body. Its face was hollow and empty; it only had a big mouth with sharp teeth.
It was the Vengeful Cursed Sprit, Rika Orimoto, now in her complete, untamed form.
Blake dropped her weapons as she watched Rika's entire form. Her whole form was shaking, preventing her from backing away.
Pyrrha remained awake on the ground, not trying to move as she gritted her teeth. She felt the immense pressure Rika radiated.
Adam's breath hitched as he raised his head slightly. He gritted his teeth and started sweating until he couldn't take it anymore and lost consciousness.
However, Yuta remained calm. He was used to Rika's presence and the effect she tended to have on others.
The Special Grade let out a roar as it used both of its hands enveloped in massive curse energy and delivered a powerful mantis punch to Rika's face. The hit landed as it was so powerful gusts of wind were created around it.
However, Rika stood still, unfazed, she let out an ear-shattering howl as she grabbed the special grade with both of her claws and gripped it tightly.
"That hurt, asshole!" Rika shouted. She opened her mouth, and a purple light started to emerge from her mouth. The curse began to wail as it tried to free itself from her grip.
The light from Rika's mouth came out like a geyser, blasting the curse's entire body with pure curse energy. Yuta covered his eyes as the bright purple light almost left him blind. The blast was so potent that it shook the entire school.
The purple beam continued, shattering everything in its path and creating a big hole that revealed the exteriors, with the yard and parking lot.
Once the light died down, Yuta uncovered his eyes, and he saw Rika letting out an innocent grin as she held the curse on her hand— or at least what remained of it.
The special-grade body's entire body was toast. Its body was limp and unmoving. It was clear that it didn't stand a chance. Its body started to evaporate, and the wind swept away its ashes.
The tension rose as Rika approached Yuta, her fist clenched. No one dared make a move for fear of provoking her.
Except for Yuta, he watched her with a grimace. It's not like he hates her; on the contrary, she was his first love, and he won't ever forget the time he spent with her when she was alive. But now, all he feels for her is pity for what she had become, a curse bent on anger and hate.
"Hey, Yuta— take this."
Yuta blinked and opened his palm. He almost puked as he stared at the object Rika dropped at his hand.
It was a wretched red finger with a black nail that looked too long to fit on a human. The putrid miasma surrounding it made it obvious that it was a cursed object.
How did that curse wind up with such an unholy artifact?
"Yuta— do you like it?"
He wanted to say no, he should say no, but it's not a bright idea to get Rika sad when there are people around him. Not at all.
"Yeah…" Yuta said, smiling sheepishly. "It's— lovely."
Rika's grin widens as she becomes giddy with the praise. Then she glances at the people around Yuta, and her smile vanishes instantly. She starts to growl, and her veins pop out of her skull.
Yuta's whole visage paled as he realized that Rika's overprotectiveness may have doomed everyone. She still had the urge to kill anyone who even hurt him in the slightest.
Blake's ears raised like antennas as she instinctively went for her weapons.
"Each one of you hurt my Yuta," Rika said, looming around everyone. Both of her arms glowed brightly with curse energy. "Now I'm going rip you all—"
"Rika."
Rika froze as she heard the firm voice of Yuta. She turned around to see that he no longer looked meek, but instead, he looked at her with a frown, his eyebrow furrowed.
'Here goes nothing…' he thought as he took a long, deep breath. "I-If you hurt any of them, I won't talk to you in over a month."
Rika let out an audible gasp, and the glow in her hands died down. She started to whimper and grabbed Yuta by the shoulders.
"Yutaaa, I will not harm them, I promise— so please." she pleaded. She lowered her head and let out a sniff.
Yuta didn't say anything. What could he say? The times Rika had gone on a rampage had been numerous, so much so that now he had started to doubt her restraints. He had started to doubt her.
With no answer coming out of Yuta, she disappeared into thin air.
"That— just happened."
Yuta perked up as he saw the Pyrrha standing up, her legs wobbly. The grazes on her face started to drop small bits of blood.
"Miss Nikos, you're—"
"I'm fine, my Aura is working through my wounds." She said, as she grunted for the pain. She then let out a small grin. "I lost…"
Yuta glanced at her with a blank look.
"You are— happy about that?"
Pyrrha stared back at him, giving him an analytical look. She then let out a sigh.
"You really have no idea who I am…" She said, as she made her way and grabbed her spear from the floor. "Don't worry about it, I'm just relieved."
Yuta blinked, what did she mean by that? He should ask her later.
He relaxed his posture, glad that everything was over. This could have easily gone out of hand if he didn't get his act together when the Special Grade attacked. Even so, Rika didn't do everything, Pyrrha and Blake's efforts made him see what he truly needed to do to face his fears.
He watched the cat faunus who clutched his partner in her arms. The White Fang are indeed terrorists who have done evil acts for their beliefs, but even so, each and every one of them has people they care about. They are capable of kindness, camaraderie, and love.
But their leaders are always focused on spiking out their hate and resentfulness. They use the feelings of these people to get what they want. It's disgusting.
It left Yuta with a lot of questions. It doesn't excuse the monstrous acts they have made in the name of— freedom, yet it opened a new perspective, which was one he wanted to ponder in the future. Maybe not all of their members were irredeemable monsters.
"Are you alright?" Yuta asked Blake, who looked at him with her golden eyes. She blinked once, then twice as if trying to figure out something.
"Yeah— I'll be fine."
"That's good to hear. Then we should make our way out of here." Yuta smiled and nodded, he then proceeded to grab the unconscious Maki and carried her over her back.
He almost tripped as he lost his balance, he didn't know she was that heavy!
They were about to leave until Blake's ears started to twitch. Her eyes widened and she started to look around frantically. Yuta looked at her in confusion.
"You should leave now." She said as she started to back away a good distance from them with Adam in her arms.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She raised her spear and pointed it at her.
"Not until authorities arrest you both…"
"Forget about us and run!" Blake retorted in anger. "It's our people!"
Yuta couldn't hear a thing. He was sure that nobody was following them this time, otherwise, Rika would have told him and dealt with them quickly. She very well could be lying to them to escape, but it was a poor attempt at deception.
Click click.
Pyrrha's eyes widened and she wasted no time to pull Yuta away from Blake with her Semblance.
The cursed worm that appeared earlier emerged from the floor and swallowed both White Fang members in its mouth. With no intent to stop, it charged towards Yuta, Pyrrha, and Maki with a screech.
"What now?!" Yuta yelled as tears started to come out of his eyes. Fear started to get a hold of him again.
"We jump!"
Not wasting any more time, Yuta ran towards the hole Rika left and jumped without hesitation. Pyrrha followed suit, jumping alongside with her spear in hand.
She pulled Yuta beside her with one hand and placed her spear under her foot. She then used her semblance to move upwards. She grunted as her exhaustion started to catch on and tampered with her technique.
Her quick thinking paid off as they managed to slow down from terminal velocity, but not enough to slow them down completely. It was a mediocre land, as they fell like a sack of potatoes. It hurt a bit, but it was either that or they would have died.
The curse worm emerged from the school and Yuta gasped as the size of the creature was more than he could have imagined it. The width of its body seemed to approach ten meters minimum!
However, he had enough of being scared and doing nothing. He will no longer remain idle as others risk their lives for him. So he started to scan his surroundings to find something, anything that would help him out of this situation.
He saw a car, not far away from him. It was a run-down, old model, it would probably be unable to reach even sixty kilometers, but it was his only choice.
"Get Zen'in in that car, now!" he shouted at Pyrrha as he pointed to the car. "We must get to Sensei!"
Pyrrha eyed him for a brief moment with uncertainty but it died down the moment Yuta rushed towards the car. She grabbed Maki and rushed behind him.
Yuta broke the driver's seat window and unlocked the door, entering the vehicle. He then unlocked the passenger's seat for Pyrrha to get in with Maki. He needed a way to access the ignition.
"Nikos, open this!"
Pyrrha shakily used her spear and used enough force to open the lock, granting access to the wiring. Yuta instantly went to work while trying to remember the times he hot-wired a car.
'Red coil means power and brown starter…'
He saw the worm sliding towards them at a moderate pace, its mouth wide open. Pyrrha started to get pale.
"Okkotsu?"
He focused solely on the wiring. He pulled out the two ends of the brown wiring, ignoring the pain from the electricity, and pushed both ends together.
He heard a sound, an ignition sound!
Yuta revved the engine with all of his might and drove the car at full speed. The acceleration was so sudden that Pyrrha got pushed behind. The curse was quickly left behind.
Pyrrha's previous fear started to diminish and she sighed in relief, but she was still on high alert, as the worm was still high on their tails.
"You know how to drive?" Pyrrha asked, eyebrows raised.
Yuta nodded as he focused on the road. He needed to rush to the exit.
"Rika taught me when she was alive."
Pyrrha furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a questionable gaze.
"How old were you two?"
Yuta gave her an innocent grin.
"Eleven."
Not the kind of answer she expected.
"WHAT KIND OF CHILDHOOD DID YOU TWO HAVE?!"
Yuta's face reddened as memories of Rika stealing her grandmother's car… which they drove until it crashed. He remembered how they were laughing while they were drifting in an open area.
It was fun, but now that he thought of it, it was very irresponsible on their part. They were children at that time, but still, he couldn't help but think that Rika was no angel at all when she was alive, going as far as to steal her grandmother's car and ring. The ring that he wore now. Granted, Rika's grandmother loathed her existence because she believed that she killed both of her parents, and the feeling was mutual, so he could understand her actions at the time.
He stopped pondering about it as he started to notice a problem down the road. As he drove towards the exit, he couldn't help but think that he should have arrived already. After all, the school wasn't wide enough to warrant a long ride.
Where is the exit?! This place is a maze!
Pyrrha seemed to notice as well and narrowed her eyes, her suspicion growing.
"You have noticed it too, right?" she asked as she glanced at the rearview mirror. The worm was still chasing them, but it didn't show any signs of getting closer. They were at a safe distance if they kept driving at this speed.
"It's just like back in the school…" Yuta muttered as he furrowed his eyebrows. He clutched the steering wheel tightly.
Another domain. Now they cannot afford to fight the curse head n after sustaining heavy injuries, not with Pyrrha wounded and Maki out of commission, it doesn't seem plausible. Maki needed to go to a hospital immediately, so he couldn't afford to summon Rika to handle the curse.
He glanced at the fuel meter, it was nearly empty, and they would not last long. His ears started ringing.
Okko—
What can he do?
That jarring question started to fog his mind as anxiety started to overcome his mind. Cold sweat started to drop off his forehead and his heartbeat started to get faster.
Okkot—
Where was his resolve now? He spouted such bullshit to Maki and she trusted him enough to carry out the mission, and now look at him. She would scoff if she saw how pathetic he was behaving.
"Okkotsu!"
Yuta's eyes widened as he felt Pyrrha shaking his shoulder. He looked at her and saw her gaze never gave in to fear, instead, she looked determined, as always, like a true warrior.
"Focus." She said, gazing at the rear. "We have a curse to stop. You must have some idea how we can get out… whatever the hell this is."
Yuta gulped, he wanted to tell her that he was a new student and didn't know any better, that he didn't she wouldn't have much luck in relying on him. He had no way of knowing how to stop that worm curse worm from surprising them with—
Aren't worms supposed to be faster underground than on land?
When the worm curse came by the first time, it announced itself by creating an earthquake alongside clicking sounds. Its sheer size managed to shake the entire school so they were prepared for its arrival, but it was different this time. It didn't make any sounds at all, only the clicks, and if it wasn't for Blake's warning, they would have been eaten alive. It had to have a condition, but he wasn't sure what kind of.
A curse technique? Was it the effects of its domain?
An idea popped into his mind, a risky one, but they couldn't afford to keep thinking of a better one, they needed to act now. The fuel was at a critical point now.
Yuta took a deep breath and steeled himself. He wanted to keep on living, so he will make sure he can get that. For Rika's sake, and everyone's sake.
"If we want to escape, then we must take the route where it came from. Underground, the sewers are there, right?" Yuta said, eyes narrowing.
Pyrrha grimaced, clearly not liking this idea. "Yes, they are, but the least we should right now is fight that thing on its territory."
"Listen, we don't have much of a choice. My sensei is out there waiting for us, and this is the only thing I can think of to get out of this domain so he can help us in this fight." Yuta pleaded. When he saw Pyrrha's hesitation, he pressed further. "Two things can happen if we go to the sewers. One, we're still in the worm's territory and I will use the closed space and Rika to hold it off, you can then take Zen'in and get out of the domain. Maybe Rika can easily take it down, but if what that Blake girl said it's true, then there are many more White Fang soldiers waiting for us inside that thing."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be thinking—"
"Two, we get out of its domain, and we can call Sensei to help us." He said, causing her to shut up. "Either way, I will get you both out here alive!"
Pyrrha stared at him quietly, her emerald eyes calmly scanning him on his own. The staredown that felt like an eternity lasted a mere ten seconds.
"I may have just met you but…" she finally said, grabbing her spear. "I'll trust you, Okkotsu."
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Yuta covered his eyes as he was falling through the smoke until he landed on his right arm. He heard a crack and winced in pain.
Pyrrha landed on her feet, but roughly as she nearly fell over from the weight she was carrying. Maki was still in her arms, unaware of what was happening around her. She placed Maki on the ground.
The first thing Yuta did was place his hand on his nose as the smell of feces and sewer water hit him like a sledgehammer. It was awful, to say the least, not a pleasant place to stay at all.
He heard weapons cocking up from behind, and his eyes widened as he felt a hot barrel poking him from behind his skull. He instinctively put his hands up as it would be a terrible idea to move on this situation.
"Okkotsu!" Pyrrha shouted as she tried to move but winced in pain as her wounds started to take a toll. She must have been exhausted from the ordeals they had just gone through, and Yuta couldn't blame her, she was the one that managed to get them out alive after all. She panted heavily.
Yuta heard footsteps coming closer to him, and he could swear he felt his heart stop as he saw who was in front of him. A White Fang soldier, another one, had a mean look on his face as he watched him with nothing but hate under his mask. Pyrrha placed her arms up as well as she lowered her head in shame.
The goon placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a radio, he heard a static sound coming from it.
"We got them, boss, what's your call?" he asked. The radio let out another sound.
"Leave them to me." A voice came out. It was soft, but at the same time, it was menacing, like the tone that serial killers in movies used to have.
The sewers started to shake violently as Yuta could hear a rumbling sound coming closer in this direction. A sound he was very familiar with.
Click, click
Just in front of them, the worm curse broke in with a screech and loomed over them, its rows of teeth showing as its mouth started to widen.
Was this it? Were they going to get eaten?
Then it gagged and spat a big green goo from its mouth that had shades of black around it. Yuta had to squint his eyes to see what it was, and he pursed his lips when he looked at what emerged from the goo.
It was Blake and Adam, the latter who woke up from his knockout, and he looked pissed as he glared at them with pure hatred, the former meanwhile merely looked to the side, pretending she didn't know them. Their wounds were already healed.
However, what stood out the most was the figure that was in front of them, who had dressed like a mistrali priest, with black colored robes and a golden kāṣāya garment. He looked at them with a mischievous grin.
"You two, I was dying to meet you." He said as he walked towards them. When he was near them, he bowed. "My name is Suguru Geto."
"You're their leader…" Pyrrha muttered as she gritted her teeth. "You destroyed my school!"
He sent an innocent look at Pyrrha.
"Oh, that? Sorry, but I needed to do it for my plan to work," Geto said as he rubbed the back of his head. He then scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. "Even so, that school was already overflowing with curses before my intervention. It was already doomed when the monkeys took over."
The way he said monkeys seemed as if he had eaten rotten cheese, his face scrunching up in disgust. He then sighed and looked at them with an angelic smile.
Yuta had to admit that the ability of this man to change from an angel to a deranged psychopath was remarkable. It even sent chills down his spine.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you two," Geto said. "You are perfect for my ideal world; I wouldn't want to ruin that."
"You're ideal… world?" Yuta asked, not taking his eyes off him.
"A world in which the Faunus govern all of you so every one of you can learn how it feels to be oppressed for all these years!" It was one of the White Fang goons that had spoken. His voice was firm and passionate, a tone most members had when speaking about their history. It's also the tone that most extremists use to appeal their horrific acts against humanity.
Geto eyed them neutrally. "Close enough," he said.
The monk glanced at the fallen Zen'in warrior and scowled. Yuta could feel the absolute disgust Geto felt towards her, even if he didn't admit it directly.
A kick on her stomach sent Maki rolling towards Yuta. Panic emerged on his face as he kneeled towards her to check her wounds. She looked haggard, wheezing, almost sick. She was weakened and Geto didn't care, he just hit her while she was down.
This bastard just treated her like she was a piece of shit in his shoes.
He glanced toward their members, and Yuta realized they didn't care. Adam had a smirk on his face, as he looked like he was enjoying every second of Maki's pain; his goons also shared the same feeling as him. The only one who had the decency to look uncomfortable was Blake, as she looked away from the scene with a frown.
Pyrrha let out a growl and readied her spear. Geto let out a evil grin, so wide that he almost looked like a jester.
"Oh Miss Nikos, I don't recommend doing that," he said.
Pyrrha froze as she saw little fecal creatures coming out of the sewer water and crawling around them. They looked like a pile of feces had come to life and had grown eyes, yellow, lifeless eyes. The putrid smell that radiated from them was just a bonus. She started to shake as she clutched her spear tightly, but it was wobbly, she could let it go at any second.
However, Yuta wasn't scared. He touched Pyrrha's spear, which stopped her from shaking. Pyrrha looked at him, emerald eyes wide open.
"It's alright," he said, smiling softly at her. "We'll be okay."
Pyrrha eyed him in uncertainty.
"He hasn't realized it yet, but we managed to get out of the domain,"
Geto's eyes widened, realizing his fatal mistake. He had no time to react as he felt a blur in the wind passing through.
In the span of a second, a white-haired man with a white bandage appeared out of nowhere between Yuta and Geto.
In an instant, all White Fang member's serious façade broke. Adam and Blake immediately drew their weapons, their arms tensed. All the remaining members aimed at the new source of attention.
Silence engulfed them, no one daring to make a move as doing so would prove to be their final breath.
Satoru Gojo looked around his surroundings, looking less than pleased with the situation. He frowned deeply as he saw the wounds that were inflicted on both of his students. His carefree attitude is long gone now.
"Ruining your party, Suguru?" Satoru asked in a low, menacing tone. "You didn't spout bullshit at my student's ear, didn't you?"
"Long time no see, Satoru!" Geto beamed at him. "How's Shoko?"
"She's doing great— she's smoking less now that she does not see your face so often,"
Yuta could swear that he could see Geto— pouting?
"How cold… and here I thought you missed me,"
Satoru didn't seem in the mood for small as he took a step forward. The curse worm that still loomed over them let out a screech and lunged towards them with its mouth wide open.
Satoru lowered part of his bandages, allowing everyone to see the unnaturally bright blue color of his eyes. He pointed his finger towards the curse.
"Curse technique reversal—"
A red ball of cursed energy started to form on his fingertip. Pyrrha's eyes widened.
"He's converting curse energy into— Aura?!"
The red ball of energy shot out of Satoru's fingertip.
"Red!"
It pierced through the curse worm's body like a bullet. It let out a blood-curdling shriek as its body started to swell up and explode into a thousand pieces, its remains raining down on the ground like confetti.
Everyone in the room save for Geto remained awestruck at the display of strength that Satoru demonstrated. Yuta and Pyrrha hadn't seen anything like that before as they glanced at Satoru with awe. The curse they've been fighting not too long ago got exorcized instantly while they struggled!
Adam glanced at Geto, giving him a mean look. "You wanted us to get near that?!"
Geto simply rolled his eyes and turned his look at Satoru again, letting out a pleased smile.
"I didn't finish talking, Suguru." He said as he narrowed his eye. "I know what you're planning, so let me get this straight, you're not taking my students to your group of crazies," Satoru said.
"You're completely— wrong! That's not my plan!" Geto said as he made a buzzing sound with his mouth. "We were just having a heart-to-heart, right?"
He looked at Yuta and was surprised when he saw the intense glare he was giving back.
"I don't know which part you think kicking my friend like trash will make me hear a word you say…" Yuta said as he barely contained his snarl. He was tempted to let Rika out to tear him apart piece by piece. Almost.
Geto sighed and looked at him in disinterest.
"You are extremely basic… it's boring," Geto muttered.
Suddenly, every White Fang member started running toward Geto and his group and surrounded them in a protective cordon. A bright light shone from above them in the hole Satoru made with his attack and a powerful gust of wind started to form around them.
It was the sound of a bullhead. A ladder dropped beside them and the White Fang members started to climb it.
Satoru wasn't going to let them go, as he raised his finger and purple sparks started to surround it.
"I don't recommend doing that Satoru, unless you want to let them die, that is…"
Pyrrha started to back away as the curses that threatened her earlier started to emerge from the sewer water again, their claws ready to strike her at any moment.
Yuta didn't know when it happened, but he could a small pinch on his throat as small fecal creatures started to crawl over his shirt, their spikes aiming right at his jugular. He felt a knot in his throat as he realized the sheer difference between his power and Geto's.
Satoru gritted his teeth as he glanced at the immediate danger and the sparks on his fingers died down. Geto let out a pleased smirk.
"This is not the last time we'll see each other." He said as he raised his arms and let out a mad grin. "On December 24, the White Fang will wage war and I will unleash a thousand curses on the following areas: Kuchinashi and Mistral. Their orders? Massacre every single person in sight!"
The White Fang members cried in enthusiasm as they raised their weapons. Yuta noticed Blake gritting her teeth and clutching the side of the ladder tightly.
"You better tell our cranky principal," Geto said. "They need to start organizing if they want to avoid annihilation." He grinned maniacally.
"Let us curse each other to the death!"
The White Fang member's cry started getting louder.
"Geto! Geto! Geto!" they shouted.
Yuta let out a scowl as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The White Fang followed this man without question, it was as if they had been completely swayed by his charisma. Yet it didn't make any sense, the White Fang loathed humans, and their leader was one of them!
Why do they follow him?!
Their cries died down and the White Fang members started to retreat to the bullhead, alongside Blake and Adam. Only Geto remained, he grabbed the ladder and let out one final bow.
"Goodbye, Satoru, Okkotsu."
With that, Geto retreated to the ladder and the light died down. The sound of the aircraft started getting further until it died down.
The curses surrounding Yuta and Pyrrha disappeared in a black sludge.
Satoru let out a sigh and placed a palm on his face. "I swear that guy likes to show off more than me sometimes…"
He then turned to Pyrrha, Yuta, and Maki. His shoulder relaxed and let out out a carefree smile.
"I'm glad to see that you two are alright! You almost had me worried there," he said as he grabbed Maki and placed her on his shoulder. "I should take her to Shoko for a quick fix. After that, I'll invite you two to breakfast, my treat."
"Breakfast?" Pyrrha said, tilting her head. "We've only been here for an hour."
Satoru snorted.
"Yeah, no, you've been here for a day." He said nonchalantly. Pyrrha and Yuta's mouth gaped.
"A DAY?!"
"Yeah, I was about to kill that man but he told me that it was all part of his plan like a goofy cartoon villain." Satoru shrugged.
"Sensei..." Yuta asked, "Was it worth all this risk to test me?"
Satoru sighed and patted Yuta's head.
"Sorry about that, I was against this idea from the beginning, but next time I see him, I'll deck him in the face for you."
Yuta tilted his head. "Who?"
"That asshole who runs Beacon, Ozpin," Satoru said as a glint appeared in his eyes. "Or as he's known in Jujutsu society, one of the five Special Grade sorcerers."
Yuta blinked a couple of times as he processed the information.
"…Who again?"
Salem, by Jujutsu Kaisen standards is "weak", the only thing that gives her an advantage is her immortality, but given the existance of the Prison Realm and potentially other methods to seal oponents, Salem could be dealt pretty easily. Btw, how come Pyrrha knows about curses?
Yes, she could be dealt with pretty easily, but remember that this is a fusion between the settings of RWBY and JJK. What does this mean? That Salem and Ozpin were around the time when sorcerers were at their peak... make of that as you wish.
As for Pyrrha, she knows about curses the same way as people from The Witcher know about monsters. Huntsmen know of their existence, but they don't dare to take matters into their own hands because they lack the tools to deal with them, as explained in the first chapter.
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Chapter 3: Scorpio
It was October 25. Only 60 days remain until the war starts.
Pyrrha washed her face in the sink. She grabbed some paper towels and started to clean the dried blood from herself. She felt a small sting in her stomach, but it quickly went away, her Aura started to heal most of her injuries. When she thought about it, she wasn't damaged that much compared to Maki, that girl should stay in the hospital for at least a week with all the beating she took.
It is strange, why does a girl who has yet to awaken Aura or Cursed Energy think about joining a profession where death is likely to happen?
She shook her head, she should investigate later, right now, she wouldn't get anywhere pondering forever.
She grabbed the elastic that she placed on the counter and tied her hair back to her usual ponytail. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her circlet was missing. Most likely, it was destroyed alongside her shield, Akoúo̱.
She shuddered as she remembered the Special Grade curse she fought. She has fought her fair share of Huntsman in tournaments and even helped professionals to subdue criminals and terrorists like the White Fang. She has slayed a pack of Ursa, a flock of Nevermore and Griffons without breaking a sweat. She even managed to fend off curses by herself.
But that— thing not only did it beat her, it mocked her, laughed at her beaten-down state. It let itself get stabbed by her weapon only to regenerate its wound instantly, just to let her know how futile it was for her to fight.
It relieved her, to some degree, she wanted to go out the streets of Mistral and shout that she was beaten by the curse so that the world knows that she wasn't untouchable. She couldn't do that, of course, it would drag her family name into the mud, and she couldn't do that to her mom.
It relieved her to know that she still had much room to grow, even if she was stronger than the average hunter. Hard work beats talent if talent stops working hard. She should use this defeat as a learning experience.
Her frown deepened as she clutched both ends of the bathroom counter.
"Frustrating…" she muttered.
She let out a sigh and closed the sink. She will train to become stronger so that she can be a huntress she can be proud of.
She walked towards the exit and covered her eyes as the light of the sun passed through her eyes. It was still hard to believe that she was inside the school for an entire day when it only felt like an hour inside that domain. After the battle ended, she needed to make a quick stop at a public restroom to wash away her wounds. Luckily, not a single soul was nearby so no one had seen her bloodied form.
She wanted to take a shower and read a book— badly. Even if her Aura had healed all of her wounds, the battle still left her physically and mentally exhausted.
"Miss Nikos!"
Pyrrha's sour face vanished as she laid eyes on the boy who waved at her. Yuta Okkotsu.
She didn't know what to make of him. At first, she only saw Yuta as a normal civilian who needed help to get out of an urgent situation, he was fragile, defenseless, and afraid. However, she realized how wrong she was about him. The boy was so much more than meets the eye.
What interested Pyrrha the most was the fact that it was her first time encountering someone who didn't know who she was, which was a refreshing take. Yuta didn't place her on a pedestal and didn't fear to have a conversation with her. He treated her like a normal human being.
And that was enough.
"He's still not here?" she asked as she approached the boy. She crossed her arms.
"Sensei said that he wouldn't take long but—" Yuta said as he placed his scroll on his ear. He frowned. "No answer— he said it was only ten minutes and it's been more than an hour already!"
Satoru Gojo left a good first impression on her. With his display of power and intimidation, it's no wonder that the White Fang is afraid of him. Only one in a million can achieve absurd strength like that, he must be an extremely talented and gifted individual. There must be a reason why he's taking so long.
A blur in the wind startled Pyrrha as she turned to look at the sudden presence that came to them.
Satoru stood behind them, holding a white bag in his left hand, and in his right hand, he held— a bottle of chocolate milk?
"Sorry for the wait." He said as he waved at them. "Had to make a stop for this bad boy on Vale."
Satoru motioned for his bottle of chocolate milk, which he slurped, loudly.
Pyrrha felt her left eye twitch. She didn't know why, but for an unknown reason, this man irritated her to a degree. She tried to not let her bother her that much as she had dealt with people with worse manners than him.
She let Satoru's words sink in and her eyes widened. 'Did he just say Vale?!'
She knew Satoru could teleport, but she didn't know how wide is the range of his teleportation. Is it global? That would be too much, there has to be some sort of limitation of what he can do.
"You went all the way to Vale— just to get chocolate milk?" Yuta said with clear exasperation in his tone.
"Hey, this milk is miles better than the crap they serve over here."
"Sensei, that's not the point…" Yuta let out an awkward chuckle.
"I also brought crepes!"
Their irritation melted away as Satoru shook the bags, releasing the intoxicating aroma of hot chocolate into the air. It was so potent that Pyrrha couldn't help but drool, while Yuta's stomach rumbled audibly, causing his face to flush with embarrassment.
Satoru let out a hearty laugh. "Alright kids, you'll get your chance to eat. Stand beside me. We need to visit someone."
Pyrrha and Yuta exchanged glances before shrugging and walking over to stand beside Satoru. Satoru clasped his hands, and in an instant, the world around Pyrrha shifted and transformed.
Just a moment ago, she had been standing outside the public restrooms, feeling the cool breeze on her skin. Now, she found herself in a hospital room, the sudden chill of the air making her shiver. She blinked rapidly, her mind struggling to process the abrupt change in scenery. She felt slightly dizzy, but not enough to make her nauseous.
Teleportation felt incredibly weird.
It seemed Yuta was experiencing teleportation for the first time as well, as he stumbled backward before rubbing his temples, trying to steady himself after the sudden shift.
"Alright, we're here. She must be starving for some breakfast as well." Satoru said as he looked at the sign on the front door.
Zen'in Maki.
Pyrrha grimaced as she read the sign. Did Maki recover from her wounds that fast? She had no Aura, so recovering from a punctured shoulder and possible brain damage should take a lot of time. She should need plenty of rest and not be bothered for a while.
Satoru knocked at the door. "Coming in!"
"I told you I didn't want to see your stupid face for the rest of the day!"
The powerful sound of Maki's voice echoed from inside, Yuta and Maki recoiled back as sweat started to come out of their heads.
'She sounds… pleasant.' Pyrrha thought. She had just met Maki, so she had never talked to her outside of the battlefield. It made her nervous that the girl was just as intense as she was when fighting.
She couldn't help but think that she must have a lot of energy if she screamed like that after being beaten unconscious from the fight.
Satoru opened the door without a care in the world and went inside, Yuta and Pyrrha followed. It was a standard hospital room with one bathroom and a TV at the front. The lights of the sun could be seen pointing at the white bed that held the green-haired Zen'in girl, she wore a hospital gown, without her glasses and her hair down. Maki turned to them with a scowl, only for it to die down the moment she laid eyes on Pyrrha and Yuta.
'No wounds?' Pyrrha thought as she noticed that Maki's shoulder was already healed. No bandages were wrapped on her head where she was hit the most. Yuta seemed to have the same question as he glanced at her with intrigue.
"You two have yet to meet the best doctor of Jujutsu High. Shoko can heal wounds in seconds with her ability, but you would still need to rest otherwise your brain will go boom." Satoru said as he seemingly seemed to read their minds.
"Go— boom?" Yuta asked as he tilted his head.
"That was the worst explanation I've ever heard…" Maki muttered as she closed her eyes, calming down from her previous outburst.
Pyrrha mentally agreed with her. Is this guy qualified to teach at Jujutsu High? He has to be, maybe he didn't have the time to explain everything to them. He teaches there after all.
Maki's eyed them carefully. Her face held a neutral expression. "What are you two doing here?"
"You did say that you were going to invite me to food once all of this was over," Pyrrha said as she grinned at her.
Maki smiled back. "I did say that. You deserve it after what you did."
"Which is why I as the great sensei I am, decided to be kind enough to go get the food for you!" Satoru said as showed them the white bags. "Now, let's eat before it gets cold!"
The group took their seats around Maki. Satoru unboxed the crepes and started handing each one to them. They were of the same flavor, with hot hazelnut cream and strawberry bits which gave it a strange but welcoming bittersweet flavor. They munched them quietly, enjoying their much-needed meal after their fight.
Pyrrha had to give him this, Satoru does know how to pick his sweets. It was delicious.
"I spoke to Ozpin and he told me that Rika's behavior back there seemed a little bit strange compared to the other times she had come out," Satoru said, his tone relaxed but still curious. "You managed to fully manifest her and briefly control her— at the expense of a great deal of property damage. Care to explain how you managed to do that?"
Yuta's eyes widened before he frowned and looked to the side. He was uncomfortable talking about his power, but it seemed that this topic was too important to be ignored, so Pyrrha didn't say anything.
She was curious as well, but also wary. She trained to not be scared of anything and it has yielded results over the years, but Rika Orimoto was a different story. The emotions that curse emitted when she was summoned were so rampant that she swore that Grimm would be flooding them in a matter of seconds. It was so potent that she couldn't move from the ground and could only lay there as Rika loomed over her with killing intent.
However, she could also feel sadness and frustration coming from her before she disappeared.
"I— put on the ring," Yuta said as he raised his hand. A silver ring shone with the light of the sun.
"Oh?" Satoru perked up at the ring and chuckled. "So you did have a link, we're getting somewhere now. How did you manage to control her?"
"I don't know. I just—told her what I wanted her to do or else I wouldn't talk to her for a month? I know that she tends to get very lonely if I don't do that." Yuta said as he twiddled his thumbs.
"So it's just like an abusive husband scenario," Maki said as she eyed Yuta carefully. Yuta's face flushed as she started at Maki with panic.
"I would never—"
"Don't do it again." It was Pyrrha who blurted out those words. She felt everyone watch her curiously as she started to sweat when remembering the events of the school. "I never felt such a heavy presence like that before. When you got your curse out, I almost puked, all of her envy, jealousy, and anger suffocated me. It felt like I was being buried alive under a skyscraper. If that— thing was to lose control over you, I don't even want to imagine what would happen."
"Right, Aura users are more sensible to negative emotions than regular sorcerers, so that's why you've probably felt like that." Satoru as he patted her on the shoulder. "Still, Invincible Girl has a point, if you were to break Rika's heart— the damage she could cause would be catastrophic."
'Again with that nickname?!' Pyrrha thought as her face started to get red from the embarrassment. She wanted to bury her head on her knees. He has the gall to call her invincible when she just told him one of the most vulnerable moments of her career!
Maki shook her head and sighed.
"Seriously, puberty hit that curse like a truck."
Pyrrha said nothing as she quietly kept eating her crepe, but noticed that nobody was doing the same. Yuta looked at Maki with a horrified face while Satoru had his mouth agape as he tried to say something but couldn't. Maki seemed to notice this and let out a scowl.
"What?!"
Satoru leaned towards her ear and muttered some words that Pyrrha couldn't decipher. She watched as Maki's scowl turned into panic as she let out a quiet snarl at Satoru.
"You should have told me that before…!" Pyrrha heard her mutter. Satoru shrugged and went back to eat his breakfast quietly.
'What was that all about?' Pyrrha thought as she shook her head and went back to eating.
Maki let out an awkward cough.
"Changing the subject— Okkotsu, you need training, fast," Maki said bluntly, causing him to flinch. "You were mostly useless in that fight against the White Fang, and I will not babysit you twenty-four-seven if you and I are going to be going to missions in the future, which is why I will help you— if you survive."
Pyrrha could see a devilish smile forming on Maki's face. Yuta started to sweat and let out an awkward smile.
"Miss Zen'in, I don't like that smile coming out from you…" he said as he slowly backed away from her.
A dangerous glint in Maki's eye flinched Yuta on his spot. She raised one finger.
"First of all, we'll establish some ground rules," Maki said firmly. "Stop being so damn formal. From now on, you're calling me Maki, and only that, I mean it. Don't you dare to use my family's name."
Maki glanced at Pyrrha, and the latter nodded back. She didn't need to say anything as she already understood that the message was directed to her as well. It was evident that Maki had family issues, as to how bad are they, she didn't know and wasn't that close to her to even ask. Maki then turned to look at Yuta again and raised another finger.
"Second, be punctual, you will be arriving at seven in the morning, every day, and not later. Got it?"
Yuta nodded, still scared from the girl's earlier outburst. Maki raised a third finger.
"Third, no whining. I'm here to help you, not torture you to death. There's a war coming, so I want you to give it your all if you want to survive." Maki said, as watched Yuta intently. "Got all that?"
Yuta nodded resolutely. Not a single trace of the quiet scared kid from the school remained. Pyrrha smiled, it didn't seem possible at first, but she had to admit that Yuta had a warrior's mentality. He seemed like a coward the first she met him, but when push comes to shove, he can come up with the most insane stuff to pull a victory.
She wasn't sure how well could he fare on his training to be a sorcerer. From what she had heard, sorcerers had an entirely different philosophy from that of the Huntsman, which had led to heated debates between both factions. Selfishness against selflessness.
A thought popped into Pyrrha's mind. Yuta was still a fresh new leaf, so maybe if he held the values of both Huntsman and Sorcerer… then he would become a very capable individual in his own right, able to fight alongside Huntsman while striving to become the best version of himself. Even if his curse scared Pyrrha to no end, she understood that Yuta didn't hold ill intentions towards anyone, and while his feelings to protect them from the Special Grade back then were driven out of basic self-preservation, he showed that he was genuine after stopping Rika from killing them.
She had decided.
"Okkotsu, I can help you with battle tactics if you want."
Yuta glanced at Pyrrha with a dumbfounded expression, that she had to admit she found cute. She tilted her head, expecting him to say yes, after all, every aspiring Huntsman wouldn't waste an opportunity to train with her.
"Miss Nikos, you know about battle tactics?"
Unless you're as oblivious as he is.
Pyrrha blinked once as he looked at him as if he was joking, but when she saw that it was a serious question, she couldn't contain herself. She let out a snicker.
"Huh?!"
It was Satoru who grabbed Yuta by the shoulder and looked at him with an exasperated face.
"Seriously, you don't even watch TV?! She's The Pyrrha Nikos, the youngest prodigy, winner of Mistral's Regional tournament, Pumpkin Pete's mascot— doesn't ring a bell?" he said as he tried to explain it to him like he was a child. Yuta let out an awkward laugh, causing Satoru to lower his head.
"You really are a depressed kid…" he sighed.
Pyrrha shook her head in amusement and tapped Yuta's shoulder, prompting him to look back at her.
"Don't listen to him, I'll be happy to help you!" Pyrrha grinned. "The only thing I ask is that you call me Pyrrha."
Yuta smiled back and nodded. "You got it, Pyrrha."
Maki briefly looked at them and shrugged, munching through her crepe quietly.
Satoru face's twisted into a frown as he leaned toward Yuta closely, causing the latter to tense from the sudden scrutinizing gaze.
"Say, what's that on your pocket?"
Yuta perked up as to what he was saying and put a hand in his pocket. He then pulled out a severed, withered finger from inside. Pyrrha cringed at the sight, but nearly puked when she felt the curse energy soar through the air. She had felt curse energy before, but this feeling was completely different when she felt Yuta and Satoru. Just like Rika, it was more like a putrid stench, malicious and corrupted.
Maki's eyes widened at the object and her face started to lose color.
"This? Rika gave it to me, she said not to throw it away?" Yuta said innocently. He got uncomfortable the more he looked at it. "I thought it was a gift from her but—"
'A gift? What kind of gift is that?!' Pyrrha gawked at not what he just said, but at how casually he said it.
Satoru seemed to process what he had just heard as he numbly stared at the object, before quickly yanking it away from Yuta, the latter let out a yelp from the sudden movement.
Satoru's grin started to widen the more he inspected the object.
"Sensei?"
"Ain't no way this is a gift!" he said as he let out a laugh. "This is one of the fingers of Ryoumen Sukuna!"
Maki blinked before she looked at Yuta with a disapproving gaze.
"You just carried a Special Grade curse object like it was your wallet…" she sighed. "It's lucky that you have your curse with you, otherwise you would be dead."
Yuta started to tremble as he let out a mirthless chuckle.
"Good to know…"
"Yeah, if you give it a good wave like this..." Satoru said as he waved the finger like a whip. Curse energy flew out of it like a geyser and struck windows, causing them to vibrate until they cracked.
"You release so much cursed energy that it can cause curses to appear, but since Okkotsu has Rika with him, we don't have to worry about that!"
Yuta and Pyrrha had their eyes widened at the destruction a mere object caused. Maki simply rolled her eyes and went back to eat. Satoru waved the finger on Yuta's face despite his disgust for it.
"Hehe~ come on, look at it!"
"I don't want to look at that wretched thing!"
Pyrrha gritted her teeth in disgust. She leaned towards Maki.
"Is he always like that?" she whispered.
Maki let out a snort. "He's worse…"
She didn't want to think about him like this, but the more he watched Satoru waving that finger like a child playing with a toy while laughing like an idiot, she managed to come to one conclusion.
"Ehehehe~"
Satoru Gojo is a complete clown.
(X)
After visiting Maki at the hospital, Satoru stood in the waiting room, using his scroll to get in contact with Ozpin. He placed the device on his ear.
Only to be met with a rapid beeping sound of a deadline. He clicked his tongue, either he didn't want to answer or he was making his way here to Mistral. Probably the former.
Oh, he had a lot of things to say to that man. He knew Ozpin's curse technique allowed him to take risks like nobody else, but even that has its limitations, limitations that Satoru himself knows well.
He sighed. He had a lot of issues to take care of. He had a meeting with Yaga and the rest of the higher-ups to discuss the state of the current situation, or rather, they will use the meeting to reprimand him about the chaos caused in Sanctum, putting all the blame on him.
He didn't want to deal with the old bastards but in the end, this was all for the sake of restructuring the whole corrupted society of the jujutsu world. He was surprised that Pyrrha offered her help to train Yuta, which would surely boost the relations between the kingdoms and the sorcerers. The whole heroic philosophy of the Huntsman does seem bullshit to him, but if Yuta is able to harness both mentalities into one, then he might be able to surpass him.
He rested his head on the wall as he looked at the white ceiling. He looked at it for quite a while before he started to tap on his scroll again.
"I should probably call her…"
He scrolled through his contacts until he reached the one that he was looking for. He let out a sigh. He started the call and placed the scroll on his ear. He heard a long beeping sound until it stopped.
The line was up but no one answered. Satoru let out a mischievous grin.
"Doing the cold shoulder even when the line is up?"
"Why have you called?" A sharp, womanly voice could be heard from the other side. A voice he was very familiar with.
"Come on, we haven't talked in ages! I wanted to check on an old friend here. What? Did working tirelessly in Atlas turn you even crankier?"
He heard a sigh from the other side.
"Satoru, I'm busy, and I have no time to deal with your—" she seemed to choke on her words. Satoru's grin widened as she gave away her embarrassment. "—trolling."
"So you do know our slang!"
"I'm hanging up."
"Wait, Winter!" he panicked. He heard a beeping sound. "That icy bitch!"
He dialed the same number again and waited. He tapped his foot repeatedly before the line picked up again.
"You have ten seconds to speak before I block you."
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He said before grimacing. "Listen, I have serious news."
"Oh? I'm listening." Winter asked, her tone carrying slight interest. "You never call when there's trouble."
"I am usually able to handle everything myself." He sighed. "But this is something that should concern you as well."
"—What do you mean?" she said after a slight pause, her voice breaking slightly. She had a hunch, as expected from someone as sharp as her.
Time to drop the bomb on her.
"Suguru has appeared once again, and he intends to massacre every single person in Mistral."
The dead silence after he said it was as expected. After nine years of disappearance, Suguru decides to show up again and decides to declare war out of the blue. It must be hard for her, especially after the events that transpired between them. He heard a slight whimper from her but didn't dare to make a witty comment on it.
That incident is best left forgotten.
"Winter?" Satoru asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I'm here," Winter said, her voice heavy and tired. "Suguru— that's insanity,"
"Is it that surprising for you?" Satoru asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it's just— it's irrational, even if it this is him that we're talking about," Winter said, her voice regaining professionalism. "Don't you tell me that you don't think the same?"
"Yeah, I feel you, he's not the one to start a war he cannot win."
"So, why are you telling me this? This is confidential, right?" Winter said curtly. Her military persona coming back up. Satoru scoffed.
"I don't give a crap if it's confidential or not, I just felt that of all people I could tell, I think you're the one that deserves to know the most," Satoru said as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Use that information how you wish. You can either come here or tell Ironwood and your team, I don't care. Though I think Ozpin will disclose this information with Ironwood eventually, so I recommend you to wait."
"I never liked your aloof approach to authority." She scolded, her voice as calm as steel. Her voice then started to lose her edge. "But— thank you for telling me, I mean it."
He nodded, letting out a grin on his own.
"Anytime," he said. His grin started to widen. "So, how in touch are you with our slang?"
He heard a growl from the other side. The line died down and Satoru checked his screen and his mouth gaped.
"She really did block me!"
(X)
In the dimly lit bar, the ambient should have had a hum of chatter and the occasional clinking of glasses, which would have set the backdrop for a friendly game of pool. However, while the game between these two people was friendly, the environment was far from welcoming.
The entire place was run over, with dead people scattered on the floor. Their faces purpled with their eyes red from the absence of oxygen. Blood dripped from their mouth like a fountain. Their eyes were lifeless as flies hovered over them. The bar tables were broken in pieces alongside the stools. The bar counter was destroyed, with broken bottles dripping small droplets of alcohol.
The only object that remained was being used by two people. He stood on one end, having a deep frown while sitting on top of the worn, green-felted table, while the other person held a cue stick with a sense of casual confidence.
This person playing pool—who's covered in blood he might add—wears a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, along with white pants. He had a long black scorpion tail protruding from his back.
This person was his— reluctant colleague, Tyrian Callows.
Why was he reluctant to work with him? Aside from being a complete psychopath, it was the fact that he is the perfect assassin, able to stealth himself as much as he wants to for missions. That's great, it means that he will not screw up important operations, but what ticks him off the most was the fact that at this very moment, he was not being discreet at all, and destroyed the entire bar just to spite him.
And he, Hazel Rainart, has to put up with this psycho man-child as much as he doesn't want to.
"You know, Rainart, I found out that there's a new Special Grade Sorcerer in the ranks of Jujutsu High. You don't see that every day…"
Hazel glanced at his colleague with intrigue. A new Special Grade sorcerer? That can't be good, Jujutsu High was the biggest threat against Salem, just under the Hunters. Them having a new Special Grade in their ranks is not something to scoff at.
"Do you have proof?" Hazel asked in a gruff voice, his question caused Tyrian to smirk and open his scroll. The Faunus handed his scroll to him.
"See for yourself, Watts has already made his digging."
Hazel took the scroll from him and started to check the information.
'Yuta Okkotsu, Age 16, Hair color: Black, Eye Color…"
He kept scrolling through the useless information about the boy until he stopped. He narrowed his eyes at a particular detail that caught his attention.
'Curse Energy Level— Boundless?!'
He looked at Tyrian with a raised eyebrow, the latter simply grinned as he kept playing his own game of pool without issue.
"So, anything fancy that has caught your eye?" Tyrian asked as he let out a dark chuckle.
"This can't be correct. No one, not anyone can hold that much curse energy." Hazel said as he glanced at the details of the boy's curse, Rika Orimoto. The Vengeful Spirit has haunted the boy for the rest of his life, yet it has given him access to a myriad of possibilities in battles. "Watts has to be insane if he thinks this information is remotely correct."
Tyrian hit the white ball and managed to stick two striped balls into one hole. He looked at Hazel with a disinterested gaze.
"Come on, we both know Watts is never wrong. Or are you already too old that you forgot that the impossible could become possible?"
Hazel glared dangerously at Tyrian. "Mock me once again and I'll send you to an early grave."
"Oooh~ scary," Tyrian said as he held up his hands in surrender. When Hazel scowled and started to walk towards him, his smile vanished. "Okay, okay! You made your point."
Hazel relaxed his posture and set his sights on the scroll again. When he found nothing of interest, he threw the scroll back at Tyrian who caught it effortlessly.
"So— do you think he will help us against the Satoru Gojo?" Tyrian asked as he went to his game. Hazel let out a hum as he started to ponder on the details. He then shook his head.
"Impossible, from the information Watts gathered, it seems that the kid is an incorruptible type. I've had to deal with a fair share of those back in the day." Hazel said as he let out a sigh. "They're annoying to deal with."
Tyrian snorted in amusement. "So, we're back to square one once again."
"No, this is a unique opportunity."
Tyrian and Hazel's eyes widened as another presence entered the bar. Did the Huntsman find them that fast?
No, this presence is eerily familiar. He relaxed his posture, but he was still on edge at how seamlessly this person made his presence known without alerting any of them. If they were enemies, they would have been killed instantly by this person.
Hazel turned to look at the person in question and saw a white-haired monk who had a red patch on the back of his head. He could feel the indifference from his gaze as his dark pink eyes seemed lifeless to normal people. He wore a plain white monk robe.
'Uraume…' Hazel thought as he furrowed his eyebrows. The Curse User was an enigma, he was probably as old as Ozpin and Salem, but with a temperament that was the opposite of his curse technique.
However, he is also one who holds the knowledge for them to advance.
"In all of my years, I've never seen a cursed spirit with the power of Rika Orimoto," Uraume said as he poured himself a glass of sake. "She's the key to Satoru Gojo's downfall."
"Oh, are you certain?" Tyrian said as he approached him with a sly grin. Uraume sent him a cold glare that made him stop.
"I'm never wrong. With the amount of curse energy she possesses, she can do anything she wants without bothering to run out." He said as he drank the glass. "Ozpin probably knows this and has taken steps to groom the boy as we speak. You must seize Rika Orimoto at once."
"You are forgetting an important detail," Hazel said. "She's a Vengeful spirit, even if we manage to kill Okkotsu and subdue her. We won't be able to fully control her unless we have a Curse Manipulator on our side."
"And I want to add that Suguru Geto won't comply with us," Tyrian added which caused Uraume to sigh.
"I know that which is my colleague has made a Curse Tool specifically for this situation," Uraume said as he pulled a big black metal box and placed it on the counter. Tyrian walked over and grabbed the box with a curious gaze. Hazel glanced towards the box, curious about its contents.
Tyrian shrugged and opened the box. His eyes widened we he found a severed shadow claw that belonged to a Beowolf. Hazel was taken aback as well as he observed the claw with interest. What surprised both men was not the fact that there was a Beowolf's claw in a box, but rather, it was the fact that it was not disappearing.
Grimm and Curse Spirits share one trait with each other and that is the fact that they disappear when they are killed. It was the sole reason why the kingdoms had a difficult time studying the supernatural. Tyrian grabbed the claw and held it until it disappeared after ten seconds of being outside of the box.
"Eternal Shrine is a Special Grade cursed tool that holds a strong barrier technique that doesn't allow anything to die as long as it stays inside. This applies to curse spirits as well." Uraume said. "I trust that I don't need to tell you what I need you to do with it?"
Hazel grunted and nodded. He was tempted to punch Uraume's pompous face, but quickly shoved that thought away. He knew he would be killed instantly should he try that.
"What about the boy?" Tyrian asked, eager to know more. Uraume let out a scoff.
"Dead or alive, I don't care. You only need to bring me a sample of his curse."
Tyrian's let out a psychotic grin as he started to chuckle.
"Where should we begin?"
(X)
November 25. Only 28 days remain until the war starts.
Pyrrha took a deep breath as she felt the breeze of nature in full force. It was never hot in Argus, the city was well known for being in the very north of Mistral and since it was winter eve, the snow started to fill the city.
Since there wasn't a blizzard, however, it didn't feel overwhelmingly cold, so that meant for her a perfect day for training.
She rubbed her eyes as her tiredness started to get the better of her, but she fought the urge to fall asleep. She mustn't rest, not when the fate of Anima could be in play in the next few days. If she wanted to stand a chance against the menace that was Suguru Geto, she needed to bring out her best. If that would mean sacrificing a few hours of sleep, then so be it.
Standing in the courtyard of the local dojo, she heard a panting coming from behind and glanced at the source of the noise. Yuta was sweating bullets as he rubbed his forehead taking deep breaths. He gripped his bokken tightly.
Pyrrha had to give credit to Yuta's impressive progress, he had improved a lot these days. She liked his choice of weapon, a katana, though it was easy to pick and hard to master, he seemed natural with it. A talented person would take half a year to attain beginner level with the blade, yet Yuta had already grasped the fundamentals within one month. It seems that Maki's training paid off.
However, his choice of weapon also showed how disconnected the jujutsu world is from the rest, if both factions combined their arsenal of weapons with their knowledge of the supernatural, both of them would be unstoppable. But alas she had no place to say anything, politics were always a tiresome subject to her.
"Again!" Yuta shouted as he went back to his stance. Pyrrha glanced at him in concern.
"Are you sure? You seem pretty tired already."
"I'm alright, I will try to be more aggressive this time, please, one more! No Semblance like before." Yuta said with a serious expression. Realizing that any of her concerns would fall into deft ears, Pyrrha sighed and let out a challenging grin.
She gripped her wooden shield and spear prop.
"Come!"
Yuta rushed toward Pyrrha and swung his sword to her blindside. She parried with her spear and grinned.
'Nice speed!' she silently praised. However, it left his torso wide open, she took her chance to bash him with her shield.
Only for him to dodge the attack by dropping himself to the ground. Pyrrha let out a gasp as she looked down and Yuta raised both of his legs.
She leaped away from the kick with a somersault and slid away from the powerful kick.
'That was close!' Yuta has never attempted to combine martial arts with swordsmanship against her, so it did catch her by surprise. A feeling that had been dormant for too long started to brew inside her. She was getting excited.
Yuta's eyes watched her like a true predator, he rushed to her once again. Pyrrha raised her shield once again, but instead of stopping for an attack, he kept pushing forward, smashing his shoulder into the shield. Pyrrha felt herself sliding backward as Yuta used his momentum to sidestep towards her rear.
Pyrrha gritted her teeth, using the back end of the spear which hit Yuta's solar plexus, causing him to lose balance. She then attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick to the face to seal the deal, but Yuta blocked it with his arm. She used this opportunity to reposition herself and face directly. She narrowed her eyes, it's time to stop fooling around now.
'Good, Yuta, keep up like that!'
Pyrrha gripped her spear tightly and lunged towards him. Yuta panicked as he moved his blade to block her rapid strikes. Their blades clashed.
Again.
And again.
'He's blocking them perfectly!' Pyrrha let out a proud grin which didn't last very long. Yuta had managed to ensnare her spear by holding it with his blade and sliding it toward her vitals. She managed to dodge it in time, but Yuta kept pressing as he lowered the blade once again to strike her. Pyrrha raised her shield to block it.
It was a feint. Yuta jumped and climbed to her shield, placing both legs on the base. The weight made her reel back into an angle that allowed her opponent to place one foot on her spear arm. Without being able to counter now, it left her open to a fatal blow.
So Pyrrha proceeded to get out of her comfort zone and let go of her weapons.
"Huh?"
Yuta seemed at a loss as he lost balance. Pyrrha then grabbed both of his arms midair and forced him to let go of his weapon as well. Using her superior strength, she pinned Yuta to the ground with both of her arms. With no way to break from her grip, it seemed that there was a clear winner.
"Do you yield?" Pyrrha said as sweat started to come out of her. Yuta tried to struggle a little, but to no avail, he let out a sigh.
"I yield."
Pyrrha loosened her grip and stood up. She offered Yuta a hand, which the latter took with a smile as she pulled him back up.
"You're good! Still not as good as a professional, but you're getting there." Pyrrha commented as she let out a grin. Yuta let out a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Thanks, Pyrrha, I'm trying my best."
Pyrrha wanted to let out a friendly scoff, this guy was humble to a fault.
"Then, time for a lesson." She said as she made her way towards a weapon box that was near the entrance and started rummaging through the contents. She then pulled out a set of wooden nunchakus.
"If a nunchaku wielder is doing this—" she starts spinning them gracefully. "What do you do?"
Yuta tried to track her movements, but it seemed the more he tried to track the movements, the dizzier he became. He couldn't help but make a nervous smile.
"I use the range I have with my weapon to overwhelm you." He said reluctantly. Pyrrha raised her eyebrow in amusement.
"Show me." She said as she went into her stance. Yuta focused his eyes on her and carefully treaded to her side.
When he swung his blade the first time, it was his last. Pyrrha dodged the strike and quickly spun the nunchakus fluently as she swung the weapon to the point of just barely hitting Yuta in three different vital areas. His arm, clavicle, and head.
"You would've been sent to the hospital had I hit you with all three of those strikes," Pyrrha said as she watched Yuta's stunned face in amusement. She tapped him in the forehead which brought him back from his stupor. "See, when you're fighting against a nunchaku user as a katana wielder, you're evenly matched. You can disable the user with precise attacks, but if I were to dodge you I would have poked you for damage and broke multiple bones. So while I will not kill you on the first strike, I will wear you down until you become a cripple. So, what do you do?"
Yuta started scratching his head with a frown as he got his gears working. His eyes lit up as he placed a fist on his open palm.
"I tangle the user with my blade, right?"
Pyrrha blinked a couple of times as she processed what she just heard. She started to splutter and snicker until she broke into a full-blown laugh. The fact that he just said such a baffling statement with so much confidence and seriousness had broken her teacher persona.
Yuta's face turned red and he let out a sigh.
"Come on Pyrrha, don't laugh at me. I'm trying to learn…"
Pyrrha's laugh died down as she took deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry, I haven't laughed like this in a while, it's just that what you're saying only happens in movies. Nobody is that good." Pyrrha said. "Look, it all comes to timing and footwork, because trying to parry against the nunchaku is almost useless, as you can't predict where it's going to land, you must trade blows until you find the perfect opportunity to strike."
Yuta nodded as he took all the information in. If he wanted to be a hunter, he needed to gather all the necessary information about weapons. There is a myriad of rogue hunters in Remnant, each of them having their own custom weapon, but most of them are amalgamations of basic weapons.
"Salmon roe!"
Pyrrha perked up at the voice that called them and looked at the entrance. Standing there was a slim, pale man with brown eyes. He had spiky white hair and wore a Jujutsu High uniform with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Oh, Inumaki, is it time to leave?!" Yuta shouted loud enough for the young sorcerer to hear. Inumaki nodded.
"Salmon!"
Right, she forgot about that. The only reason Yuta had come to her hometown was because there had been an increase in curse activity and Satoru sent him here for a few days as they investigated.
Yuta tilted his head and let out an anxious grin. It seemed that he didn't understand his partner quite well, and neither did she, but she would worry about it later.
"R-Right…" he managed to say. He turned to Pyrrha and let out a quick bow. "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but I must leave now. I have to accompany Inumaki on a mission."
Pyrrha let out a chuckle and shrugged.
"It's alright Yuta, I've had fun! Just don't forget to come here to practice tactics against mono spear wielders, and one more thing—" Pyrrha said as she let out a wink. "If you want to learn a trick to beat Maki, I can show it to you in our next session."
Yuta's face lit up when she said that and let out a nod. "Thank you Pyrrha, you're the best! I'll be off!"
Pyrrha waved him goodbye as she watched the boy run off. She had known him for a month now, and even after knowing who she was and the accomplishments she's made, Yuta still didn't seem to care about her status and treated her like a normal human being. It was a great change of pace from the usual pompous characters who tried too hard to impress her. She was proud to call him a friend by now, and she was more than happy to teach him more about being a great fighter.
It might have frustrated her that Rika had destroyed Sanctum, but she understood that it wasn't Yuta's fault. When he learns to control Rika better, future tragedies can be avoided, and with the pace he's going, it won't take him long to achieve that.
She had to admit that Yuta had immense potential, if he kept training and survived this upcoming war, he could become a great sorcerer. And she will keep training as well to make sure that he survives to protect that bright future.
'Maybe I should pay Maki a visit…'
(X)
Yuta absentmindedly walked towards his destination as he thought about the words Satoru said to him before sending them to Argus.
'If Rika loses control again, both of us are gonna be executed! So you better not let her out.'
What baffled him was how nonchalantly he said it.
He shook his head; he didn't have to worry about that anymore. He's stronger now, he can face his opponents with his own strength.
Argus's fish market stood forlorn and empty, the people were evacuated as the curse activity in this vicinity soared. Yuta felt uneasy as he smelled the metallic scent of blood and rotten fish. The mist made it hard for them to see further inside the market.
"Inumaki, where is the jujutsu member we were supposed to meet?" Yuta as he glanced at the mysterious sorcerer.
He didn't know what to make of Toge Inumaki. He always wore a neutral expression on his face and with the mask covering his mouth, it made it incredibly hard to know what kind of emotion he tried to convey. It didn't help that the only language he spoke was onigiri ingredients.
To say that Yuta was intimidated by him would be an understatement.
"Tuna." Toge's said as his eyes narrowed. He scanned the room as he seemingly tried to find the Jujutsu High operative, but to no avail, not a single soul could be found inside. "Mustard leaf…"
'What the hell does that even mean?!' Yuta's anxiety rose as he tried to understand the gibberish.
A whistle. Yuta's blood ran cold as he heard the sound of footsteps and dragging treading from behind. The whistle came from the voice of a man, and his chilling melody sounded had a mix of melancholy and dread. Inumaki seemed to have felt the same, as he stood motionless with his eyes widened and sweat started to come out of his forehead.
The footsteps became closer and the figure started to show itself. The first thing that Yuta noticed was that the man dragged the corpse of a blonde man in a suit. His blood painted the floor red as he was getting dragged on.
It was the Jujutsu operative they were supposed to meet. Now lying lifeless while getting dragged like a sack of potatoes.
The man who presented himself had a pale complexion and wore a white vest. His most notable trait was the black scorpion tail that moved from his rear, the tip covered in red as it started to let out droplets of blood.
They heard another set of footsteps that started to approach which added to their anxiety. While the previous footsteps sounded smooth and almost quiet, this set of footsteps thundered across the market, and each step carried power. A hulking man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes started to make his presence known, wearing an olive green coat. Unlike his companion who wore an annoying grin, this man had a stone-cold face, giving an intimidating glare at them.
Yuta started to sweat bullets as he unsheathed his katana, gripping it tightly while his hands trembled. The scorpion Faunus let out a manic grin at him and his eyes started to glow bright purple.
"Yuta Okkotsu, we meet at last."
Toge's breath hitched, and his first reaction was to pull off his mask, showing the black marking around his lips. He spoke.
"Hide!"
Pyrrha washed her face in the sink. She grabbed some paper towels and started to clean the dried blood from herself. She felt a small sting in her stomach, but it quickly went away, her Aura started to heal most of her injuries. When she thought about it, she wasn't damaged that much compared to Maki, that girl should stay in the hospital for at least a week with all the beating she took.
It is strange, why does a girl who has yet to awaken Aura or Cursed Energy think about joining a profession where death is likely to happen?
She shook her head, she should investigate later, right now, she wouldn't get anywhere pondering forever.
She grabbed the elastic that she placed on the counter and tied her hair back to her usual ponytail. She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that her circlet was missing. Most likely, it was destroyed alongside her shield, Akoúo̱.
She shuddered as she remembered the Special Grade curse she fought. She has fought her fair share of Huntsman in tournaments and even helped professionals to subdue criminals and terrorists like the White Fang. She has slayed a pack of Ursa, a flock of Nevermore and Griffons without breaking a sweat. She even managed to fend off curses by herself.
But that— thing not only did it beat her, it mocked her, laughed at her beaten-down state. It let itself get stabbed by her weapon only to regenerate its wound instantly, just to let her know how futile it was for her to fight.
It relieved her, to some degree, she wanted to go out the streets of Mistral and shout that she was beaten by the curse so that the world knows that she wasn't untouchable. She couldn't do that, of course, it would drag her family name into the mud, and she couldn't do that to her mom.
It relieved her to know that she still had much room to grow, even if she was stronger than the average hunter. Hard work beats talent if talent stops working hard. She should use this defeat as a learning experience.
Her frown deepened as she clutched both ends of the bathroom counter.
"Frustrating…" she muttered.
She let out a sigh and closed the sink. She will train to become stronger so that she can be a huntress she can be proud of.
She walked towards the exit and covered her eyes as the light of the sun passed through her eyes. It was still hard to believe that she was inside the school for an entire day when it only felt like an hour inside that domain. After the battle ended, she needed to make a quick stop at a public restroom to wash away her wounds. Luckily, not a single soul was nearby so no one had seen her bloodied form.
She wanted to take a shower and read a book— badly. Even if her Aura had healed all of her wounds, the battle still left her physically and mentally exhausted.
"Miss Nikos!"
Pyrrha's sour face vanished as she laid eyes on the boy who waved at her. Yuta Okkotsu.
She didn't know what to make of him. At first, she only saw Yuta as a normal civilian who needed help to get out of an urgent situation, he was fragile, defenseless, and afraid. However, she realized how wrong she was about him. The boy was so much more than meets the eye.
What interested Pyrrha the most was the fact that it was her first time encountering someone who didn't know who she was, which was a refreshing take. Yuta didn't place her on a pedestal and didn't fear to have a conversation with her. He treated her like a normal human being.
And that was enough.
"He's still not here?" she asked as she approached the boy. She crossed her arms.
"Sensei said that he wouldn't take long but—" Yuta said as he placed his scroll on his ear. He frowned. "No answer— he said it was only ten minutes and it's been more than an hour already!"
Satoru Gojo left a good first impression on her. With his display of power and intimidation, it's no wonder that the White Fang is afraid of him. Only one in a million can achieve absurd strength like that, he must be an extremely talented and gifted individual. There must be a reason why he's taking so long.
A blur in the wind startled Pyrrha as she turned to look at the sudden presence that came to them.
Satoru stood behind them, holding a white bag in his left hand, and in his right hand, he held— a bottle of chocolate milk?
"Sorry for the wait." He said as he waved at them. "Had to make a stop for this bad boy on Vale."
Satoru motioned for his bottle of chocolate milk, which he slurped, loudly.
Pyrrha felt her left eye twitch. She didn't know why, but for an unknown reason, this man irritated her to a degree. She tried to not let her bother her that much as she had dealt with people with worse manners than him.
She let Satoru's words sink in and her eyes widened. 'Did he just say Vale?!'
She knew Satoru could teleport, but she didn't know how wide is the range of his teleportation. Is it global? That would be too much, there has to be some sort of limitation of what he can do.
"You went all the way to Vale— just to get chocolate milk?" Yuta said with clear exasperation in his tone.
"Hey, this milk is miles better than the crap they serve over here."
"Sensei, that's not the point…" Yuta let out an awkward chuckle.
"I also brought crepes!"
Their irritation melted away as Satoru shook the bags, releasing the intoxicating aroma of hot chocolate into the air. It was so potent that Pyrrha couldn't help but drool, while Yuta's stomach rumbled audibly, causing his face to flush with embarrassment.
Satoru let out a hearty laugh. "Alright kids, you'll get your chance to eat. Stand beside me. We need to visit someone."
Pyrrha and Yuta exchanged glances before shrugging and walking over to stand beside Satoru. Satoru clasped his hands, and in an instant, the world around Pyrrha shifted and transformed.
Just a moment ago, she had been standing outside the public restrooms, feeling the cool breeze on her skin. Now, she found herself in a hospital room, the sudden chill of the air making her shiver. She blinked rapidly, her mind struggling to process the abrupt change in scenery. She felt slightly dizzy, but not enough to make her nauseous.
Teleportation felt incredibly weird.
It seemed Yuta was experiencing teleportation for the first time as well, as he stumbled backward before rubbing his temples, trying to steady himself after the sudden shift.
"Alright, we're here. She must be starving for some breakfast as well." Satoru said as he looked at the sign on the front door.
Zen'in Maki.
Pyrrha grimaced as she read the sign. Did Maki recover from her wounds that fast? She had no Aura, so recovering from a punctured shoulder and possible brain damage should take a lot of time. She should need plenty of rest and not be bothered for a while.
Satoru knocked at the door. "Coming in!"
"I told you I didn't want to see your stupid face for the rest of the day!"
The powerful sound of Maki's voice echoed from inside, Yuta and Maki recoiled back as sweat started to come out of their heads.
'She sounds… pleasant.' Pyrrha thought. She had just met Maki, so she had never talked to her outside of the battlefield. It made her nervous that the girl was just as intense as she was when fighting.
She couldn't help but think that she must have a lot of energy if she screamed like that after being beaten unconscious from the fight.
Satoru opened the door without a care in the world and went inside, Yuta and Pyrrha followed. It was a standard hospital room with one bathroom and a TV at the front. The lights of the sun could be seen pointing at the white bed that held the green-haired Zen'in girl, she wore a hospital gown, without her glasses and her hair down. Maki turned to them with a scowl, only for it to die down the moment she laid eyes on Pyrrha and Yuta.
'No wounds?' Pyrrha thought as she noticed that Maki's shoulder was already healed. No bandages were wrapped on her head where she was hit the most. Yuta seemed to have the same question as he glanced at her with intrigue.
"You two have yet to meet the best doctor of Jujutsu High. Shoko can heal wounds in seconds with her ability, but you would still need to rest otherwise your brain will go boom." Satoru said as he seemingly seemed to read their minds.
"Go— boom?" Yuta asked as he tilted his head.
"That was the worst explanation I've ever heard…" Maki muttered as she closed her eyes, calming down from her previous outburst.
Pyrrha mentally agreed with her. Is this guy qualified to teach at Jujutsu High? He has to be, maybe he didn't have the time to explain everything to them. He teaches there after all.
Maki's eyed them carefully. Her face held a neutral expression. "What are you two doing here?"
"You did say that you were going to invite me to food once all of this was over," Pyrrha said as she grinned at her.
Maki smiled back. "I did say that. You deserve it after what you did."
"Which is why I as the great sensei I am, decided to be kind enough to go get the food for you!" Satoru said as showed them the white bags. "Now, let's eat before it gets cold!"
The group took their seats around Maki. Satoru unboxed the crepes and started handing each one to them. They were of the same flavor, with hot hazelnut cream and strawberry bits which gave it a strange but welcoming bittersweet flavor. They munched them quietly, enjoying their much-needed meal after their fight.
Pyrrha had to give him this, Satoru does know how to pick his sweets. It was delicious.
"I spoke to Ozpin and he told me that Rika's behavior back there seemed a little bit strange compared to the other times she had come out," Satoru said, his tone relaxed but still curious. "You managed to fully manifest her and briefly control her— at the expense of a great deal of property damage. Care to explain how you managed to do that?"
Yuta's eyes widened before he frowned and looked to the side. He was uncomfortable talking about his power, but it seemed that this topic was too important to be ignored, so Pyrrha didn't say anything.
She was curious as well, but also wary. She trained to not be scared of anything and it has yielded results over the years, but Rika Orimoto was a different story. The emotions that curse emitted when she was summoned were so rampant that she swore that Grimm would be flooding them in a matter of seconds. It was so potent that she couldn't move from the ground and could only lay there as Rika loomed over her with killing intent.
However, she could also feel sadness and frustration coming from her before she disappeared.
"I— put on the ring," Yuta said as he raised his hand. A silver ring shone with the light of the sun.
"Oh?" Satoru perked up at the ring and chuckled. "So you did have a link, we're getting somewhere now. How did you manage to control her?"
"I don't know. I just—told her what I wanted her to do or else I wouldn't talk to her for a month? I know that she tends to get very lonely if I don't do that." Yuta said as he twiddled his thumbs.
"So it's just like an abusive husband scenario," Maki said as she eyed Yuta carefully. Yuta's face flushed as she started at Maki with panic.
"I would never—"
"Don't do it again." It was Pyrrha who blurted out those words. She felt everyone watch her curiously as she started to sweat when remembering the events of the school. "I never felt such a heavy presence like that before. When you got your curse out, I almost puked, all of her envy, jealousy, and anger suffocated me. It felt like I was being buried alive under a skyscraper. If that— thing was to lose control over you, I don't even want to imagine what would happen."
"Right, Aura users are more sensible to negative emotions than regular sorcerers, so that's why you've probably felt like that." Satoru as he patted her on the shoulder. "Still, Invincible Girl has a point, if you were to break Rika's heart— the damage she could cause would be catastrophic."
'Again with that nickname?!' Pyrrha thought as her face started to get red from the embarrassment. She wanted to bury her head on her knees. He has the gall to call her invincible when she just told him one of the most vulnerable moments of her career!
Maki shook her head and sighed.
"Seriously, puberty hit that curse like a truck."
Pyrrha said nothing as she quietly kept eating her crepe, but noticed that nobody was doing the same. Yuta looked at Maki with a horrified face while Satoru had his mouth agape as he tried to say something but couldn't. Maki seemed to notice this and let out a scowl.
"What?!"
Satoru leaned towards her ear and muttered some words that Pyrrha couldn't decipher. She watched as Maki's scowl turned into panic as she let out a quiet snarl at Satoru.
"You should have told me that before…!" Pyrrha heard her mutter. Satoru shrugged and went back to eat his breakfast quietly.
'What was that all about?' Pyrrha thought as she shook her head and went back to eating.
Maki let out an awkward cough.
"Changing the subject— Okkotsu, you need training, fast," Maki said bluntly, causing him to flinch. "You were mostly useless in that fight against the White Fang, and I will not babysit you twenty-four-seven if you and I are going to be going to missions in the future, which is why I will help you— if you survive."
Pyrrha could see a devilish smile forming on Maki's face. Yuta started to sweat and let out an awkward smile.
"Miss Zen'in, I don't like that smile coming out from you…" he said as he slowly backed away from her.
A dangerous glint in Maki's eye flinched Yuta on his spot. She raised one finger.
"First of all, we'll establish some ground rules," Maki said firmly. "Stop being so damn formal. From now on, you're calling me Maki, and only that, I mean it. Don't you dare to use my family's name."
Maki glanced at Pyrrha, and the latter nodded back. She didn't need to say anything as she already understood that the message was directed to her as well. It was evident that Maki had family issues, as to how bad are they, she didn't know and wasn't that close to her to even ask. Maki then turned to look at Yuta again and raised another finger.
"Second, be punctual, you will be arriving at seven in the morning, every day, and not later. Got it?"
Yuta nodded, still scared from the girl's earlier outburst. Maki raised a third finger.
"Third, no whining. I'm here to help you, not torture you to death. There's a war coming, so I want you to give it your all if you want to survive." Maki said, as watched Yuta intently. "Got all that?"
Yuta nodded resolutely. Not a single trace of the quiet scared kid from the school remained. Pyrrha smiled, it didn't seem possible at first, but she had to admit that Yuta had a warrior's mentality. He seemed like a coward the first she met him, but when push comes to shove, he can come up with the most insane stuff to pull a victory.
She wasn't sure how well could he fare on his training to be a sorcerer. From what she had heard, sorcerers had an entirely different philosophy from that of the Huntsman, which had led to heated debates between both factions. Selfishness against selflessness.
A thought popped into Pyrrha's mind. Yuta was still a fresh new leaf, so maybe if he held the values of both Huntsman and Sorcerer… then he would become a very capable individual in his own right, able to fight alongside Huntsman while striving to become the best version of himself. Even if his curse scared Pyrrha to no end, she understood that Yuta didn't hold ill intentions towards anyone, and while his feelings to protect them from the Special Grade back then were driven out of basic self-preservation, he showed that he was genuine after stopping Rika from killing them.
She had decided.
"Okkotsu, I can help you with battle tactics if you want."
Yuta glanced at Pyrrha with a dumbfounded expression, that she had to admit she found cute. She tilted her head, expecting him to say yes, after all, every aspiring Huntsman wouldn't waste an opportunity to train with her.
"Miss Nikos, you know about battle tactics?"
Unless you're as oblivious as he is.
Pyrrha blinked once as he looked at him as if he was joking, but when she saw that it was a serious question, she couldn't contain herself. She let out a snicker.
"Huh?!"
It was Satoru who grabbed Yuta by the shoulder and looked at him with an exasperated face.
"Seriously, you don't even watch TV?! She's The Pyrrha Nikos, the youngest prodigy, winner of Mistral's Regional tournament, Pumpkin Pete's mascot— doesn't ring a bell?" he said as he tried to explain it to him like he was a child. Yuta let out an awkward laugh, causing Satoru to lower his head.
"You really are a depressed kid…" he sighed.
Pyrrha shook her head in amusement and tapped Yuta's shoulder, prompting him to look back at her.
"Don't listen to him, I'll be happy to help you!" Pyrrha grinned. "The only thing I ask is that you call me Pyrrha."
Yuta smiled back and nodded. "You got it, Pyrrha."
Maki briefly looked at them and shrugged, munching through her crepe quietly.
Satoru face's twisted into a frown as he leaned toward Yuta closely, causing the latter to tense from the sudden scrutinizing gaze.
"Say, what's that on your pocket?"
Yuta perked up as to what he was saying and put a hand in his pocket. He then pulled out a severed, withered finger from inside. Pyrrha cringed at the sight, but nearly puked when she felt the curse energy soar through the air. She had felt curse energy before, but this feeling was completely different when she felt Yuta and Satoru. Just like Rika, it was more like a putrid stench, malicious and corrupted.
Maki's eyes widened at the object and her face started to lose color.
"This? Rika gave it to me, she said not to throw it away?" Yuta said innocently. He got uncomfortable the more he looked at it. "I thought it was a gift from her but—"
'A gift? What kind of gift is that?!' Pyrrha gawked at not what he just said, but at how casually he said it.
Satoru seemed to process what he had just heard as he numbly stared at the object, before quickly yanking it away from Yuta, the latter let out a yelp from the sudden movement.
Satoru's grin started to widen the more he inspected the object.
"Sensei?"
"Ain't no way this is a gift!" he said as he let out a laugh. "This is one of the fingers of Ryoumen Sukuna!"
Maki blinked before she looked at Yuta with a disapproving gaze.
"You just carried a Special Grade curse object like it was your wallet…" she sighed. "It's lucky that you have your curse with you, otherwise you would be dead."
Yuta started to tremble as he let out a mirthless chuckle.
"Good to know…"
"Yeah, if you give it a good wave like this..." Satoru said as he waved the finger like a whip. Curse energy flew out of it like a geyser and struck windows, causing them to vibrate until they cracked.
"You release so much cursed energy that it can cause curses to appear, but since Okkotsu has Rika with him, we don't have to worry about that!"
Yuta and Pyrrha had their eyes widened at the destruction a mere object caused. Maki simply rolled her eyes and went back to eat. Satoru waved the finger on Yuta's face despite his disgust for it.
"Hehe~ come on, look at it!"
"I don't want to look at that wretched thing!"
Pyrrha gritted her teeth in disgust. She leaned towards Maki.
"Is he always like that?" she whispered.
Maki let out a snort. "He's worse…"
She didn't want to think about him like this, but the more he watched Satoru waving that finger like a child playing with a toy while laughing like an idiot, she managed to come to one conclusion.
"Ehehehe~"
Satoru Gojo is a complete clown.
(X)
After visiting Maki at the hospital, Satoru stood in the waiting room, using his scroll to get in contact with Ozpin. He placed the device on his ear.
Only to be met with a rapid beeping sound of a deadline. He clicked his tongue, either he didn't want to answer or he was making his way here to Mistral. Probably the former.
Oh, he had a lot of things to say to that man. He knew Ozpin's curse technique allowed him to take risks like nobody else, but even that has its limitations, limitations that Satoru himself knows well.
He sighed. He had a lot of issues to take care of. He had a meeting with Yaga and the rest of the higher-ups to discuss the state of the current situation, or rather, they will use the meeting to reprimand him about the chaos caused in Sanctum, putting all the blame on him.
He didn't want to deal with the old bastards but in the end, this was all for the sake of restructuring the whole corrupted society of the jujutsu world. He was surprised that Pyrrha offered her help to train Yuta, which would surely boost the relations between the kingdoms and the sorcerers. The whole heroic philosophy of the Huntsman does seem bullshit to him, but if Yuta is able to harness both mentalities into one, then he might be able to surpass him.
He rested his head on the wall as he looked at the white ceiling. He looked at it for quite a while before he started to tap on his scroll again.
"I should probably call her…"
He scrolled through his contacts until he reached the one that he was looking for. He let out a sigh. He started the call and placed the scroll on his ear. He heard a long beeping sound until it stopped.
The line was up but no one answered. Satoru let out a mischievous grin.
"Doing the cold shoulder even when the line is up?"
"Why have you called?" A sharp, womanly voice could be heard from the other side. A voice he was very familiar with.
"Come on, we haven't talked in ages! I wanted to check on an old friend here. What? Did working tirelessly in Atlas turn you even crankier?"
He heard a sigh from the other side.
"Satoru, I'm busy, and I have no time to deal with your—" she seemed to choke on her words. Satoru's grin widened as she gave away her embarrassment. "—trolling."
"So you do know our slang!"
"I'm hanging up."
"Wait, Winter!" he panicked. He heard a beeping sound. "That icy bitch!"
He dialed the same number again and waited. He tapped his foot repeatedly before the line picked up again.
"You have ten seconds to speak before I block you."
"Sorry, I couldn't help myself." He said before grimacing. "Listen, I have serious news."
"Oh? I'm listening." Winter asked, her tone carrying slight interest. "You never call when there's trouble."
"I am usually able to handle everything myself." He sighed. "But this is something that should concern you as well."
"—What do you mean?" she said after a slight pause, her voice breaking slightly. She had a hunch, as expected from someone as sharp as her.
Time to drop the bomb on her.
"Suguru has appeared once again, and he intends to massacre every single person in Mistral."
The dead silence after he said it was as expected. After nine years of disappearance, Suguru decides to show up again and decides to declare war out of the blue. It must be hard for her, especially after the events that transpired between them. He heard a slight whimper from her but didn't dare to make a witty comment on it.
That incident is best left forgotten.
"Winter?" Satoru asked, tilting his head to the side.
"I'm here," Winter said, her voice heavy and tired. "Suguru— that's insanity,"
"Is it that surprising for you?" Satoru asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, it's just— it's irrational, even if it this is him that we're talking about," Winter said, her voice regaining professionalism. "Don't you tell me that you don't think the same?"
"Yeah, I feel you, he's not the one to start a war he cannot win."
"So, why are you telling me this? This is confidential, right?" Winter said curtly. Her military persona coming back up. Satoru scoffed.
"I don't give a crap if it's confidential or not, I just felt that of all people I could tell, I think you're the one that deserves to know the most," Satoru said as he let out an exasperated sigh. "Use that information how you wish. You can either come here or tell Ironwood and your team, I don't care. Though I think Ozpin will disclose this information with Ironwood eventually, so I recommend you to wait."
"I never liked your aloof approach to authority." She scolded, her voice as calm as steel. Her voice then started to lose her edge. "But— thank you for telling me, I mean it."
He nodded, letting out a grin on his own.
"Anytime," he said. His grin started to widen. "So, how in touch are you with our slang?"
He heard a growl from the other side. The line died down and Satoru checked his screen and his mouth gaped.
"She really did block me!"
(X)
In the dimly lit bar, the ambient should have had a hum of chatter and the occasional clinking of glasses, which would have set the backdrop for a friendly game of pool. However, while the game between these two people was friendly, the environment was far from welcoming.
The entire place was run over, with dead people scattered on the floor. Their faces purpled with their eyes red from the absence of oxygen. Blood dripped from their mouth like a fountain. Their eyes were lifeless as flies hovered over them. The bar tables were broken in pieces alongside the stools. The bar counter was destroyed, with broken bottles dripping small droplets of alcohol.
The only object that remained was being used by two people. He stood on one end, having a deep frown while sitting on top of the worn, green-felted table, while the other person held a cue stick with a sense of casual confidence.
This person playing pool—who's covered in blood he might add—wears a white sleeveless jacket with leather belts strapped to it, along with white pants. He had a long black scorpion tail protruding from his back.
This person was his— reluctant colleague, Tyrian Callows.
Why was he reluctant to work with him? Aside from being a complete psychopath, it was the fact that he is the perfect assassin, able to stealth himself as much as he wants to for missions. That's great, it means that he will not screw up important operations, but what ticks him off the most was the fact that at this very moment, he was not being discreet at all, and destroyed the entire bar just to spite him.
And he, Hazel Rainart, has to put up with this psycho man-child as much as he doesn't want to.
"You know, Rainart, I found out that there's a new Special Grade Sorcerer in the ranks of Jujutsu High. You don't see that every day…"
Hazel glanced at his colleague with intrigue. A new Special Grade sorcerer? That can't be good, Jujutsu High was the biggest threat against Salem, just under the Hunters. Them having a new Special Grade in their ranks is not something to scoff at.
"Do you have proof?" Hazel asked in a gruff voice, his question caused Tyrian to smirk and open his scroll. The Faunus handed his scroll to him.
"See for yourself, Watts has already made his digging."
Hazel took the scroll from him and started to check the information.
'Yuta Okkotsu, Age 16, Hair color: Black, Eye Color…"
He kept scrolling through the useless information about the boy until he stopped. He narrowed his eyes at a particular detail that caught his attention.
'Curse Energy Level— Boundless?!'
He looked at Tyrian with a raised eyebrow, the latter simply grinned as he kept playing his own game of pool without issue.
"So, anything fancy that has caught your eye?" Tyrian asked as he let out a dark chuckle.
"This can't be correct. No one, not anyone can hold that much curse energy." Hazel said as he glanced at the details of the boy's curse, Rika Orimoto. The Vengeful Spirit has haunted the boy for the rest of his life, yet it has given him access to a myriad of possibilities in battles. "Watts has to be insane if he thinks this information is remotely correct."
Tyrian hit the white ball and managed to stick two striped balls into one hole. He looked at Hazel with a disinterested gaze.
"Come on, we both know Watts is never wrong. Or are you already too old that you forgot that the impossible could become possible?"
Hazel glared dangerously at Tyrian. "Mock me once again and I'll send you to an early grave."
"Oooh~ scary," Tyrian said as he held up his hands in surrender. When Hazel scowled and started to walk towards him, his smile vanished. "Okay, okay! You made your point."
Hazel relaxed his posture and set his sights on the scroll again. When he found nothing of interest, he threw the scroll back at Tyrian who caught it effortlessly.
"So— do you think he will help us against the Satoru Gojo?" Tyrian asked as he went to his game. Hazel let out a hum as he started to ponder on the details. He then shook his head.
"Impossible, from the information Watts gathered, it seems that the kid is an incorruptible type. I've had to deal with a fair share of those back in the day." Hazel said as he let out a sigh. "They're annoying to deal with."
Tyrian snorted in amusement. "So, we're back to square one once again."
"No, this is a unique opportunity."
Tyrian and Hazel's eyes widened as another presence entered the bar. Did the Huntsman find them that fast?
No, this presence is eerily familiar. He relaxed his posture, but he was still on edge at how seamlessly this person made his presence known without alerting any of them. If they were enemies, they would have been killed instantly by this person.
Hazel turned to look at the person in question and saw a white-haired monk who had a red patch on the back of his head. He could feel the indifference from his gaze as his dark pink eyes seemed lifeless to normal people. He wore a plain white monk robe.
'Uraume…' Hazel thought as he furrowed his eyebrows. The Curse User was an enigma, he was probably as old as Ozpin and Salem, but with a temperament that was the opposite of his curse technique.
However, he is also one who holds the knowledge for them to advance.
"In all of my years, I've never seen a cursed spirit with the power of Rika Orimoto," Uraume said as he poured himself a glass of sake. "She's the key to Satoru Gojo's downfall."
"Oh, are you certain?" Tyrian said as he approached him with a sly grin. Uraume sent him a cold glare that made him stop.
"I'm never wrong. With the amount of curse energy she possesses, she can do anything she wants without bothering to run out." He said as he drank the glass. "Ozpin probably knows this and has taken steps to groom the boy as we speak. You must seize Rika Orimoto at once."
"You are forgetting an important detail," Hazel said. "She's a Vengeful spirit, even if we manage to kill Okkotsu and subdue her. We won't be able to fully control her unless we have a Curse Manipulator on our side."
"And I want to add that Suguru Geto won't comply with us," Tyrian added which caused Uraume to sigh.
"I know that which is my colleague has made a Curse Tool specifically for this situation," Uraume said as he pulled a big black metal box and placed it on the counter. Tyrian walked over and grabbed the box with a curious gaze. Hazel glanced towards the box, curious about its contents.
Tyrian shrugged and opened the box. His eyes widened we he found a severed shadow claw that belonged to a Beowolf. Hazel was taken aback as well as he observed the claw with interest. What surprised both men was not the fact that there was a Beowolf's claw in a box, but rather, it was the fact that it was not disappearing.
Grimm and Curse Spirits share one trait with each other and that is the fact that they disappear when they are killed. It was the sole reason why the kingdoms had a difficult time studying the supernatural. Tyrian grabbed the claw and held it until it disappeared after ten seconds of being outside of the box.
"Eternal Shrine is a Special Grade cursed tool that holds a strong barrier technique that doesn't allow anything to die as long as it stays inside. This applies to curse spirits as well." Uraume said. "I trust that I don't need to tell you what I need you to do with it?"
Hazel grunted and nodded. He was tempted to punch Uraume's pompous face, but quickly shoved that thought away. He knew he would be killed instantly should he try that.
"What about the boy?" Tyrian asked, eager to know more. Uraume let out a scoff.
"Dead or alive, I don't care. You only need to bring me a sample of his curse."
Tyrian's let out a psychotic grin as he started to chuckle.
"Where should we begin?"
(X)
November 25. Only 28 days remain until the war starts.
Pyrrha took a deep breath as she felt the breeze of nature in full force. It was never hot in Argus, the city was well known for being in the very north of Mistral and since it was winter eve, the snow started to fill the city.
Since there wasn't a blizzard, however, it didn't feel overwhelmingly cold, so that meant for her a perfect day for training.
She rubbed her eyes as her tiredness started to get the better of her, but she fought the urge to fall asleep. She mustn't rest, not when the fate of Anima could be in play in the next few days. If she wanted to stand a chance against the menace that was Suguru Geto, she needed to bring out her best. If that would mean sacrificing a few hours of sleep, then so be it.
Standing in the courtyard of the local dojo, she heard a panting coming from behind and glanced at the source of the noise. Yuta was sweating bullets as he rubbed his forehead taking deep breaths. He gripped his bokken tightly.
Pyrrha had to give credit to Yuta's impressive progress, he had improved a lot these days. She liked his choice of weapon, a katana, though it was easy to pick and hard to master, he seemed natural with it. A talented person would take half a year to attain beginner level with the blade, yet Yuta had already grasped the fundamentals within one month. It seems that Maki's training paid off.
However, his choice of weapon also showed how disconnected the jujutsu world is from the rest, if both factions combined their arsenal of weapons with their knowledge of the supernatural, both of them would be unstoppable. But alas she had no place to say anything, politics were always a tiresome subject to her.
"Again!" Yuta shouted as he went back to his stance. Pyrrha glanced at him in concern.
"Are you sure? You seem pretty tired already."
"I'm alright, I will try to be more aggressive this time, please, one more! No Semblance like before." Yuta said with a serious expression. Realizing that any of her concerns would fall into deft ears, Pyrrha sighed and let out a challenging grin.
She gripped her wooden shield and spear prop.
"Come!"
Yuta rushed toward Pyrrha and swung his sword to her blindside. She parried with her spear and grinned.
'Nice speed!' she silently praised. However, it left his torso wide open, she took her chance to bash him with her shield.
Only for him to dodge the attack by dropping himself to the ground. Pyrrha let out a gasp as she looked down and Yuta raised both of his legs.
She leaped away from the kick with a somersault and slid away from the powerful kick.
'That was close!' Yuta has never attempted to combine martial arts with swordsmanship against her, so it did catch her by surprise. A feeling that had been dormant for too long started to brew inside her. She was getting excited.
Yuta's eyes watched her like a true predator, he rushed to her once again. Pyrrha raised her shield once again, but instead of stopping for an attack, he kept pushing forward, smashing his shoulder into the shield. Pyrrha felt herself sliding backward as Yuta used his momentum to sidestep towards her rear.
Pyrrha gritted her teeth, using the back end of the spear which hit Yuta's solar plexus, causing him to lose balance. She then attempted to deliver a roundhouse kick to the face to seal the deal, but Yuta blocked it with his arm. She used this opportunity to reposition herself and face directly. She narrowed her eyes, it's time to stop fooling around now.
'Good, Yuta, keep up like that!'
Pyrrha gripped her spear tightly and lunged towards him. Yuta panicked as he moved his blade to block her rapid strikes. Their blades clashed.
Again.
And again.
'He's blocking them perfectly!' Pyrrha let out a proud grin which didn't last very long. Yuta had managed to ensnare her spear by holding it with his blade and sliding it toward her vitals. She managed to dodge it in time, but Yuta kept pressing as he lowered the blade once again to strike her. Pyrrha raised her shield to block it.
It was a feint. Yuta jumped and climbed to her shield, placing both legs on the base. The weight made her reel back into an angle that allowed her opponent to place one foot on her spear arm. Without being able to counter now, it left her open to a fatal blow.
So Pyrrha proceeded to get out of her comfort zone and let go of her weapons.
"Huh?"
Yuta seemed at a loss as he lost balance. Pyrrha then grabbed both of his arms midair and forced him to let go of his weapon as well. Using her superior strength, she pinned Yuta to the ground with both of her arms. With no way to break from her grip, it seemed that there was a clear winner.
"Do you yield?" Pyrrha said as sweat started to come out of her. Yuta tried to struggle a little, but to no avail, he let out a sigh.
"I yield."
Pyrrha loosened her grip and stood up. She offered Yuta a hand, which the latter took with a smile as she pulled him back up.
"You're good! Still not as good as a professional, but you're getting there." Pyrrha commented as she let out a grin. Yuta let out a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Thanks, Pyrrha, I'm trying my best."
Pyrrha wanted to let out a friendly scoff, this guy was humble to a fault.
"Then, time for a lesson." She said as she made her way towards a weapon box that was near the entrance and started rummaging through the contents. She then pulled out a set of wooden nunchakus.
"If a nunchaku wielder is doing this—" she starts spinning them gracefully. "What do you do?"
Yuta tried to track her movements, but it seemed the more he tried to track the movements, the dizzier he became. He couldn't help but make a nervous smile.
"I use the range I have with my weapon to overwhelm you." He said reluctantly. Pyrrha raised her eyebrow in amusement.
"Show me." She said as she went into her stance. Yuta focused his eyes on her and carefully treaded to her side.
When he swung his blade the first time, it was his last. Pyrrha dodged the strike and quickly spun the nunchakus fluently as she swung the weapon to the point of just barely hitting Yuta in three different vital areas. His arm, clavicle, and head.
"You would've been sent to the hospital had I hit you with all three of those strikes," Pyrrha said as she watched Yuta's stunned face in amusement. She tapped him in the forehead which brought him back from his stupor. "See, when you're fighting against a nunchaku user as a katana wielder, you're evenly matched. You can disable the user with precise attacks, but if I were to dodge you I would have poked you for damage and broke multiple bones. So while I will not kill you on the first strike, I will wear you down until you become a cripple. So, what do you do?"
Yuta started scratching his head with a frown as he got his gears working. His eyes lit up as he placed a fist on his open palm.
"I tangle the user with my blade, right?"
Pyrrha blinked a couple of times as she processed what she just heard. She started to splutter and snicker until she broke into a full-blown laugh. The fact that he just said such a baffling statement with so much confidence and seriousness had broken her teacher persona.
Yuta's face turned red and he let out a sigh.
"Come on Pyrrha, don't laugh at me. I'm trying to learn…"
Pyrrha's laugh died down as she took deep breaths and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Sorry, sorry, I haven't laughed like this in a while, it's just that what you're saying only happens in movies. Nobody is that good." Pyrrha said. "Look, it all comes to timing and footwork, because trying to parry against the nunchaku is almost useless, as you can't predict where it's going to land, you must trade blows until you find the perfect opportunity to strike."
Yuta nodded as he took all the information in. If he wanted to be a hunter, he needed to gather all the necessary information about weapons. There is a myriad of rogue hunters in Remnant, each of them having their own custom weapon, but most of them are amalgamations of basic weapons.
"Salmon roe!"
Pyrrha perked up at the voice that called them and looked at the entrance. Standing there was a slim, pale man with brown eyes. He had spiky white hair and wore a Jujutsu High uniform with a brown scarf wrapped around his neck.
"Oh, Inumaki, is it time to leave?!" Yuta shouted loud enough for the young sorcerer to hear. Inumaki nodded.
"Salmon!"
Right, she forgot about that. The only reason Yuta had come to her hometown was because there had been an increase in curse activity and Satoru sent him here for a few days as they investigated.
Yuta tilted his head and let out an anxious grin. It seemed that he didn't understand his partner quite well, and neither did she, but she would worry about it later.
"R-Right…" he managed to say. He turned to Pyrrha and let out a quick bow. "I'm sorry Pyrrha, but I must leave now. I have to accompany Inumaki on a mission."
Pyrrha let out a chuckle and shrugged.
"It's alright Yuta, I've had fun! Just don't forget to come here to practice tactics against mono spear wielders, and one more thing—" Pyrrha said as she let out a wink. "If you want to learn a trick to beat Maki, I can show it to you in our next session."
Yuta's face lit up when she said that and let out a nod. "Thank you Pyrrha, you're the best! I'll be off!"
Pyrrha waved him goodbye as she watched the boy run off. She had known him for a month now, and even after knowing who she was and the accomplishments she's made, Yuta still didn't seem to care about her status and treated her like a normal human being. It was a great change of pace from the usual pompous characters who tried too hard to impress her. She was proud to call him a friend by now, and she was more than happy to teach him more about being a great fighter.
It might have frustrated her that Rika had destroyed Sanctum, but she understood that it wasn't Yuta's fault. When he learns to control Rika better, future tragedies can be avoided, and with the pace he's going, it won't take him long to achieve that.
She had to admit that Yuta had immense potential, if he kept training and survived this upcoming war, he could become a great sorcerer. And she will keep training as well to make sure that he survives to protect that bright future.
'Maybe I should pay Maki a visit…'
(X)
Yuta absentmindedly walked towards his destination as he thought about the words Satoru said to him before sending them to Argus.
'If Rika loses control again, both of us are gonna be executed! So you better not let her out.'
What baffled him was how nonchalantly he said it.
He shook his head; he didn't have to worry about that anymore. He's stronger now, he can face his opponents with his own strength.
Argus's fish market stood forlorn and empty, the people were evacuated as the curse activity in this vicinity soared. Yuta felt uneasy as he smelled the metallic scent of blood and rotten fish. The mist made it hard for them to see further inside the market.
"Inumaki, where is the jujutsu member we were supposed to meet?" Yuta as he glanced at the mysterious sorcerer.
He didn't know what to make of Toge Inumaki. He always wore a neutral expression on his face and with the mask covering his mouth, it made it incredibly hard to know what kind of emotion he tried to convey. It didn't help that the only language he spoke was onigiri ingredients.
To say that Yuta was intimidated by him would be an understatement.
"Tuna." Toge's said as his eyes narrowed. He scanned the room as he seemingly tried to find the Jujutsu High operative, but to no avail, not a single soul could be found inside. "Mustard leaf…"
'What the hell does that even mean?!' Yuta's anxiety rose as he tried to understand the gibberish.
A whistle. Yuta's blood ran cold as he heard the sound of footsteps and dragging treading from behind. The whistle came from the voice of a man, and his chilling melody sounded had a mix of melancholy and dread. Inumaki seemed to have felt the same, as he stood motionless with his eyes widened and sweat started to come out of his forehead.
The footsteps became closer and the figure started to show itself. The first thing that Yuta noticed was that the man dragged the corpse of a blonde man in a suit. His blood painted the floor red as he was getting dragged on.
It was the Jujutsu operative they were supposed to meet. Now lying lifeless while getting dragged like a sack of potatoes.
The man who presented himself had a pale complexion and wore a white vest. His most notable trait was the black scorpion tail that moved from his rear, the tip covered in red as it started to let out droplets of blood.
They heard another set of footsteps that started to approach which added to their anxiety. While the previous footsteps sounded smooth and almost quiet, this set of footsteps thundered across the market, and each step carried power. A hulking man with dark brown hair and light brown eyes started to make his presence known, wearing an olive green coat. Unlike his companion who wore an annoying grin, this man had a stone-cold face, giving an intimidating glare at them.
Yuta started to sweat bullets as he unsheathed his katana, gripping it tightly while his hands trembled. The scorpion Faunus let out a manic grin at him and his eyes started to glow bright purple.
"Yuta Okkotsu, we meet at last."
Toge's breath hitched, and his first reaction was to pull off his mask, showing the black marking around his lips. He spoke.
"Hide!"
If it seems that Yuta's story is getting rushed... it's because it is. The main characters of the story are Yuuji and Ruby, not Yuta, yet the latter's story is important to establish the world of Recipe for Chaos and its power system. Yuuji Itadori will make his appearance soon, count on it.