Chapter 12: Intervention !!
A boy with dark hair had his bangs draping over one of his eyes, a look of anger and distaste written on his face.
Yuji Itadori stood before him, a soft look and determination on his features.
"You know Itadori... I simply hate everyone and everything, down to those idiots who looked down on me!" The boy said, venom dripping from his voice.
"What are you saying Junpei, you're acting differe—"
"Shut up!! You wouldn't know. Those shitheads, they killed my mother by placing whatever this thing is!!!" The boy we come to know as Junpei showed Yuji a decayed, mummified finger.
"Junpei... I'm sor—"
"Stop apologizing... Those disgraces will pay for their actions today." Junpei clapped his hands together, a black shadow emerging from the ground.
A Shikigami, glowing against the dark hallways of the school, came into manifestation, its physique like a gelatinous jellyfish.
Yuji braced himself, cursed energy flaring up his body.
"I hate people who do something like that too, but you? I wouldn't want you to go down this path you're moving into, so please step down, Junpei, or I'll be forced to act."
Junpei held his head low, a slow chuckle coming from him. "You don't understand me, do you, Yuji? All my life I've been getting the shittiest end of the stick, and now I can finally have the ability to stand up for myself and enact the pain others have caused me
.
I did say if I see a button that'll kill the people I hate, I'd push it without hesitation."
Yuji's eyes widened in shock as the Shikigami launched itself at him with speed, its sharp, sting-like tentacles piercing the air.
BAM!!!
Yuji ducked, delivering a shattering jab at the body of the Shikigami, sending it back, only for it to launch again.
Yuji spun, landing a kick to its head, crushing its being to the ground, but the jellyfish-like nature of the Shikigami bounced it back.
Junpei clapped his hands again, his cursed energy flaring up, and the Shikigami grew in size, its body glowing brighter.
"Just stop and get out of my way already!!!"
The Shikigami launched itself at Yuji, but to Junpei's surprise, Yuji didn't dodge. Instead, he stood his ground, determination burning in his eyes.
"If I can't tell you that you're needed and the good parts of life haven't gotten to you yet, then I'll show you." The Shikigami stabbed him with its stings, poison oozing from its pores.
"I don't want you to end up like this; you won't be any different than the people who treated you as nothing, but why don't you come with me instead? There are others who'll welcome you easily, and those who'd guide you..." Yuji trailed off.
"Why did you..." Junpei dropped his hands, dispelling the Shikigami, the air trailing with residual cursed energy.
"How are you so sure? How can you speak for them in their place?"
"I am sure. What's left is for you to see that yourself, and if they don't, I'll be here for you." Yuji assured him, his voice soft but determined to make him feel belonged.
Junpei raised his head, his lips parted about to speak, but a pale hand appeared on his shoulder.
Tap.
"Junpei, you didn't tell me you had friends..."
"Mahito..." Junpei trailed off, coming to a realization. Suddenly, he started to go cold, sweat dropping from his head.
"What is this, a Jujutsu Sorcerer?" A sly and cunning smile played on Mahito's lips.
"What are yo—"
"Nuh-uh," Mahito wiggled his finger mockingly, "Don't come any closer, sorcerer."
Yuji gritted his teeth, his mind racing and tension rising.
"They say you're the protector of the everyday, mundane, and boring human life from curses like us. Exorcise our kind to make sure of this.
And in return, we harm humans; it's part of our being, really. So the same way you save people without a second thought, I kill without one as well..."
Mahito traced his fingers from Junpei's shoulder to his face.
"And our perception of how we see others and how we see the world is our soul..."
Slash!!!
Before he could activate Idle Transfiguration on Junpei, his hand was chopped off, blood pumping profusely.
"Huh?" Mahito questioned before his face was hit by a force comparable to that of a speeding truck.
Blam!!!
Yuji landed a strong right hook on Mahito, sending him flying through the corridor and into a classroom, destruction following.
Yuji hurried to Junpei's side, "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Junpei said, his breathing ragged.
"Thank you, Nanami-san." Yuji expressed his gratitude towards the blonde-haired man who settled his dull blade wrapped in talismans back into his grip.
"Who is he?" Junpei asked curiously.
"Don't worry, that's Nanami Sensei. He's reliable." Yuji gave a huge smile.
"This proved to be more than you can handle."
"Basically. And what kind of cursed spirit is that?"
"I've encountered it once; it's dangerous, very dangerous."
"How dangerous?" Yuji tilted his head.
"'Don't let him touch you' kind of dangerous." He responded curtly.
Yuji received the message, nodding in understanding before looking back at Junpei.
"I think you'd have to leave this one to us, Junpei." Yuji said.
"But I can help, I ha—"
"I refuse to let a child risk his well-being for something that's not worth it."
Junpei, looking taken aback in confusion, responded, "But what about Yuji?"
Nanami looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes.
"I meant an 'inexperienced' child."
The word hit Junpei like a train. Looking down at the ground, he got up before looking at Yuji.
"Well, I can't complain on that part, I'm still new to all of this, so I'll leave you." Junpei said before making his way through the door down the corridor.
Crash!!
The debris from the destruction Yuji caused earlier started tumbling down, Mahito coming into view, a sly, devious smile playing on his face.
"This is going to be fun..."
"Yuji." Nanami called out to his student.
"Hai!!"
"Stay focused."
"Okay!" Yuji responded with energy in his voice before taking a stance.
Mahito clicked his lips in a crazed fashion before launching his limb, morphing into a sharp spear tearing through the air.
Voom!!!
Yuji ducked while Nanami sidestepped, raising his blade. Yuji went for a grab to tug the limb, but Mahito grinned.
The limb shot out several spikes, going in several directions.
Nanami widened his eyes in surprise. Yuji rolled away, giving himself space, his reflexes wild. Nanami blocked the spike going for his head with his blade.
Mahito launched himself with elongated limbs, a maniacal expression on his face.
Nanami moved swiftly, gripping his blade and igniting it with cursed energy; it cut clean into Mahito's rib cage, but got stuck.
Nanami looked up at Mahito who smiled slyly.
Wham!!!
Mahito slapped Nanami across the room with reverberating force.
Yuji came with an axe kick from the air, landing on Mahito's neck.
Snap!
His head tilted at an unnatural angle, Mahito looked at Itadori with disdain on his face.
Itadori locked in with focus, following up with landing three clean strikes with his fist, tearing into Mahito's torso.
Mahito's eyes went white. Nanami came back in, cocking his dull blade back with cursed energy flaring up.
Nanami's blade met with a hardened exterior. Mahito morphed into a block of hardened flesh.
Mahito's head materialized at Nanami's face.
"Boo!"
Mahito laughed as Nanami tried blocking the flurry attack of hardened pillars of flesh.
"Nanami-san!" He covered the distance quickly with his superhuman speed.
Mahito morphed back to his original form, spinning with his hand turning into a blade above Yuji.
"What's with the rush? Why don't I make this a little bit more interesting?"
The blade landed on Yuji's forearm he put up for guard by instinct.
The ground beneath them spiderwebbed in cracks, before inevitably being destroyed.
Yuji coughed from the dust and debris that rose into the air, before his eyes caught a faint glint of metal coming at him!
He rose up on his feet, flipping away from the attack. From the smoke, Mahito had his arms turned into a whip-like weapon, swinging like a deranged man.
The whip cracked the corridor walls, destroying the side of the building.
Yuji jumped down to the school's yard, his knees buckling under his weight.
Nanami came to his side.
"Did he touch you?"
Yuji wiped off the trail of blood from his mouth, saying.
"No... At least not yet."
"I have an idea, Yuji, but we'll need to get closer to him." Nanami proposed.
"But won't that give him more range to touch us with his palm?"
"High risk, high reward." Nanami responded curtly before his and Itadori's instincts went up in alarm.
They both jumped out of the way, dodging a large drilling projectile, digging through the ground like paper.
Yuji snapped back at the source, Mahito on cloud nine.
"This is going more fun than I expected... Too bad Junpei isn't here to experience it as well." Mahito pouted childishly.
"Screw you."
Nanami tossed his blade at unnerving speed at Mahito, cleaving through the air.
Mahito snapped his neck, dodging it with no effort.
"Got you now." Yuji whispered as he grabbed Mahito's body, skillfully restricting his hands from moving.
Yuji threw Mahito into the ground with all of his strength.
But before he could make contact with earth, he morphed his body once again.
This time a large mass of flesh with multiple spikes shooting in all directions.
Nanami and Yuji dodged skillfully, their eyes filled with brutal focus and merciless calculations.
Yuji and Nanami smashed through the spikes like dried up clay, both going for the main body.
Mahito morphed back into his normal form, but he was met with the image of two predators about to devour him whole.
Huh? I thought I got them. Dammit, I can't morph into a size that big, I'll be a bigger target from both of them.
Yuji cocked back his fist like a spring lock, while Nanami stretched back his arm, readying for a devastating hit with his blade.
These guys... They'll kill me.
Black Flash!!!!
Black streaks scattered around the area, emanating from both fist and blade.
Mahito felt his being destroyed, his bones broken, his jaw gaping in shock.
Yuji dug his knuckles down into Mahito's torso, the force making a gaping hole in his stomach, Nanami's blade tearing through his hands, preventing Mahito from using his cursed technique even if he regained himself from this shock.
Spit, blood, and sweat painted the floor, the air cackling with cursed energy and everything wrong.
Mahito was sent flying. Yuji and Nanami rushed him, both going for the offensive.
Blam!!! Slam!!!
Yuji's fist dug deeper with every hit into Mahito's body, Nanami's blade hitting with thunderous precision and booming strength with every hit.
At this point, both sorcerers were acting at 120 percent of their potential.
Mahito didn't know where to look, his world turned upside down with the dull but devastating hits on his body and soul.
Mahito's mind flashed back to his discussion with Kenjaku.
"So you're saying I could summon him at any time?"
Kenjaku nodded. "It only works when you're at an absolute disadvantage and in need of his assistance. But don't mistake him for a genie, because he will kill if you take this privilege for granted."
Mahito's flashback ended briefly, his body still being pummeled past recognition.
I'm close to the essence of my soul... No, this is different. This is the essence of sorcery, the absolute peak.... But do I want to risk that to see this guy in action... His robust soul will lead me to understanding mine better.
Oh, the peak of sorcery will have to wait.
"Manifest: Zankei Kubigari!"
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Writing Nanami and Yuji synchronizing in a fight is hard, but let me know if you fw with my style of writing fights