"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.