Chapter Text
REKKA DENKI AND GOJO SATOSHI DISCREETLY HIGH-FIVED EACH OTHER AS THE FIRST-GRADE VENGEFUL SPIRIT OOZED ICHOR AND SMOKE, dissolving slowly on the cracked concrete floor. Felling the curse had been easier than anticipated, though todayโs assessment wasnโt about Satoshiโs battle prowess but his ability to lead a team and maintain composure under pressure. So far, heโd done well.
The Doors and Windows accompanying him โ a group of thirteen in total โ had fanned out under his command, combing the rest of the abandoned station for any residual energy or clues signalling a second curse. Now, alone in the quiet drizzle of the rainy afternoon, Denki leaned against Satoshiโs side with a lazy grin.
โYou did good, I hope you know that.โ Denki said easily, pride shining in his voice. โIโm only second-grade, but Iโve been on enough assessments to know you passed.โ
Satoshi rolled his eyes, unwilling to let Denki inflate his ego. He settled himself in reality instead.
โDude, the mission isnโt over yet. And thereโs paperwork to do afterwards.โ A small smile teased his lips. โThanks for the encouragement though.โ His gaze drifted to the faintly sizzling curse remnants on the floor. โAnd for the assist.โ
Denki laughed, the sound echoing through the hollow shell of Manseibashi Station.
โNot quite Hollow Purple, but I know how to handle a rowdy curse.โ
They were just two idiots having fun, teasing each other while pacing across the platform. The abandoned train tracks disappeared beneath the rain, the steel rails gleaming faintly. It was easy with Denki โ his hellfire was a perfect mix of golden fury and roaring flames, a hint of his diluted Kinzoku blood. His twin sister served as a servant at the Kinzoku Estate in Hokkaido, though Denki rarely spoke of her. Apparently, they didnโt exactly see eye to eye.
Satoshi understood all too well. His own twin, Seichiro, was an anomaly in their monstrous family โ low cursed energy, no interest in sorcery, only devoted to wife and child. Everyone else could fuck off, as far as he was concerned. Satoshi wasnโt sure if he envied or pitied him.
โYouโre thinking too hard.โ Denki said, popping his gum. โAnd youโre right, missionโs not over. Donโt blow it now.โ
Satoshi nodded, closing his eyes to summon what little of his Six Eyes remained. He scanned the stationโs veil in a silent headcount โ the two Doors near the entrance, five Windows patrolling the perimeter, sixโ no, five other people.ย Four. Then the flash hit him like a freight train, raw cursed energy rippling through the air, knocking him and Denki off balance.
A hellfire barrier erupted where Denkiโs fingers had dug into the ground, blasting outward, pushing him back and protecting him. People were dying โ their cursed energy extinguished one by one. The coppery stench of blood mixed with the rain, but Satoshi forced himself to run toward the main area while Denki covered his flank.
His foot slipped in a pool of blood. He looked up, stomach twisting as he saw the bodies of his team strung up on thin razor wire, crimson dripping slowly to the floor, soaking his face.
โWhatโ?โ
Denki arrived seconds later, equally horrified, before his gaze snapped to the corner. Shadows twisted on the ground, a strange dance of glittering darkness interwoven with gold, swirling in small clouds. The clicking of heels echoed ominously.
โHello, Five and a half eyes.โ
Satoshiโs eyes narrowed. Kinzoku Mikazuki stepped forward, the same cold, lethal grace he knew all too well. But something was wrong.
โThe Magistrateโs already sent backup? I didnโt evenโโ
โNot exactly.โ
Before he could finish, a whip of golden razor wire cracked through the air, slicing his skin, tearing flesh from bone as he raised his arms to protect his face. Denki threw up a wall of hellfire again, but Mikazukiโs cursed energy swallowed it whole. Liquid gold shifted into sharp needles, countless as stars, veering at Denki with impossible speed. He screamed, staggering back, blood pouring from countless wounds as the needles pierced him, melting into his skin like venom.
โThese poor Magistrate goons were easy.โ Mikazuki purred, leaning close to Satoshi, gripping his shirt like he weighed nothing. โBut I think Iโm going to have fun with you.โ
Satoshiโs heart hammered as he faced her. But even as he squared up, he felt it; something off about her cursed energy. The gold flickered with darkness, shadows bleeding through like ink in water. It wasnโt just Mikazukiโs power. It was twisted, corrupted. He didnโt have time to puzzle it out.
She lunged.
The fight exploded in a blur of movement โ golden wire slicing through the air, clashing against walls and floor, shadows creeping along with it. Satoshi dodged and blocked, hellfire roaring from his palms, but her attacks were fluid, unnatural. The Beldamโs shapeshifting curse was flawless. He swung, but she melted away into a mist of black and gold threads, reforming behind him. Her claws raked across his back, pain flaring hot and bright.
โWrong, wrong, wrong.โ She whispered, voice like silk dipped in venom. โYou donโt belong here.โ
Satoshi gritted his teeth, pushing his cursed energy higher. He unleashed a burst of cursed energy that shattered a concrete pillar, but she vanished again, reappearing on the ceiling like a twisted spider. He barely managed to parry the next assault; a flurry of golden needles laced with creeping darkness, slipping through his defences, carving into his flesh.
Breath ragged, vision dimming, Satoshi staggered, blood dripping from cuts that burned like acid. His knees buckled, but he hold on. The fight twisted and turned like a deadly dance. Satoshi barely caught the flicker of movement as the Beldam โ wearing Mikazukiโs form like a cruel mask โ lunged again, golden wire whipping through the air, laced with tendrils of creeping darkness that slithered like poison.
Satoshi gritted his teeth, knowing this wasnโt Mikazuki. His Six Eyes told him so; the cursed energy signature was fractured, unnatural, like a shattered mirror reflecting both light and void. His eyes burned as he pushed them to the edge, veins darkening, tears streaming, blood seeping from the corners as his vision sharpened to impossible clarity.
He saw everything: the faintest shifts in cursed energy, the subtle bends in gravity around her movements, the lethal intention behind every strike.
He couldnโt rely on Gojoโs techniques here. The fake Mikazuki was too erratic, too corrupted. Instead, he called on his fatherโs legacy, the gravitational arts passed down through his bloodline โ ancient powers of pressure, attraction, and repulsion.
He clenched his fists, the air around him rippling as he activated his cursed technique.
With a guttural shout, Satoshi pulled inwards โ gravity intensified around the Beldamโs figure, warping the space as if the floor beneath her was a black hole. The golden needles paused, caught mid-air, trembling as if suspended by an invisible force.
The Beldam hissed, claws scratching against the crushing force. But she twisted, using her shapeshifting curse to slip through the edge of his gravity well, reforming in midair with a cruel smile.
Satoshi didnโt hesitate. He reversed the flow, pushing outward, a shockwave of gravitational force blasting her back against a crumbling pillar. Dust and shards rained down as she snarled, gold and darkness dripping from her form like poisoned honey.
Blood blurred Satoshiโs vision; his eyes burned fiercely, the Six Eyes pushed beyond their limit as he scanned her every movement, predicting attacks before they fully formed.
She struck again, this time with lightning speed; razor wire slicing through the air, aiming for his chest. Satoshi twisted, extending his palm forward. The gravitational field snapped taut, catching the wire, bending it into a cage that held her momentarily. He surged forward, unleashing a devastating palm strike imbued with gravitational pressure. The blow connected, sending her staggering.
But the cursed energy around her flared โ gold and black intertwining, shadows curling like living smoke. She retaliated, summoning a thousand needles that spun like a deadly cyclone, each one a lance of pain and corruption.
Satoshi dodged, rolling and flipping across the shattered concrete, his movements honed by years of training, but exhaustion was creeping in. His cursed energy flickered, his lungs burning with the effort. His eyes wept blood, vision swimming, but still, he forced himself to push harder. He formed two small spheres of condensed gravity in each hand and hurled them like bombs.
They exploded around her, cracking the floor and sending shards flying. The Beldam snarled but stood firm, her silhouette shimmering and splitting, one moment golden and radiant, the next cloaked in shadowy void.
She launched herself at him, claws raking a deep gash across his side. Pain seared through him, but Satoshi used the moment to sweep her legs out with a well-timed gravitational pull, sending her crashing to the ground.
He rushed forward, pressing his advantage, but the fight wasnโt over.
The cursed energy around her pulsed โ wrong, alien โ and in the blink of an eye, she vanished, only to reappear behind him. A sharp strike, a whisper of silk and venom, and his world tipped sideways. He spun, barely blocking the deadly wire slicing at his neck. His cursed energy flared, creating a barrier of crushing force, but the darkness behind the gold whispered promises of doom.
His knees buckled, vision darkening, and as his body hit the cold floor, he struggled to hold onto consciousness. The last thing he saw was her smile and the flicker of the corrupted cursed energy that didnโt belong to Mikazuki at all.