A Cold Mist of Shadows and Thunder
The cold mist bit at the skin, freezing every breath into pale clouds in the air. At the center of a dim altar circle, Shinzo Zen'in stood tall, his back straight, his shadow writhing like a living creature beneath his feet. No more words were needed—only the hiss of curses broke the silence.
Then—shhrrip!—the shadow split into five.
Five clones identical to Shinzo emerged, but each bore a grotesque addition: half-meter-long rabbit ears rising from their heads. The pale ears stood stiff, throbbing red at the tips, quivering like massive antennas siphoning every ripple of energy in the air.
"Your Limitless is loud, Six Eyes," hissed Shinzo's real voice, while the mouths of all five clones moved in unison.
"Like a funeral bell ringing."
Gojo charged.
His body blurred—his fist shot forward toward the real Shinzo. BAM! It struck nothing but air. The first clone dissolved into black smoke.
Behind you!
Two clones appeared instantly. One swept low—zzzt!—blocked by Infinity. The other lunged from the side—kraak!—Infinity again. Enough to make Gojo smirk.
The rabbit ears twitched wildly.
They caught even the smallest fluctuation in the Limitless layers—the microscopic pauses when Gojo transitioned between attacks. Each clone struck in sequence, forcing Gojo to constantly refresh his defense.
"Overwhelmed, Six Eyes heir?" hissed the clone to Gojo's left.
Gojo grinned, his sunglasses cracking. "This is just the warm-up, zombie."
Suddenly, the real Shinzo appeared above Gojo—his body glowing pale blue, arcs of lightning racing across his skin.
"RAGING LIGHTNING STRIKE!"
Shinzo's fist came crashing down, wrapped in cursed thunder.
BRZAAAAK!
Gojo raised his hand—Red exploded from his palm—but Shinzo's thunder punch landed first.
—BOOOOM!—
The earth roared. Gojo was hurled back, carving a deep trench in the frozen ground. Smoke billowed from his scorched left arm.
Not far off, Suguru Geto was locked in combat with the Divine Dog: Totality (Ancient Version). The three-meter-tall beast was steel-muscled, its jaws a rushing iron trap.
"You annoying little dwarf!"* the dog growled, each step shaking the earth.
Geto offered only a thin smile.
"You bark too much, mutt."
With graceful motion, Geto raised a hand.
A Blade-Winged Cursed Falcon dove for the dog's eyes.
A Giant Poison Toad spat acidic mist.
The beast roared, crushing the falcon in its jaws—but Geto had already vanished.
"Over here, monster!"
Geto appeared on the beast's back, his hand plunging into its shadow. Dark violet cursed energy surged from the beast into his palm—
Curse Manipulation: Extraction!
The dog screamed in agony—
Then—SREEEK!—its tail snapped like an electric serpent!
Teeth of lightning clamped onto Geto's shoulder. Blood sprayed.
"Shinzo's electric body... infected his shikigami?!" Geto muttered, his face hardening.
Back to Gojo. Four clones remained, surrounding him. Their rabbit ears trembled violently, decoding the next assault pattern. Gojo breathed heavily—his Infinity was under constant pressure from the "radar" of those cursed ears.
Shinzo hovered in the sky, his body still crackling with blue lightning.
"Tired already, Heir of Nagao?"
Gojo lifted his head, a faint smile on his dusty face.
"Tired? I'm just getting serious."
Suddenly—Gojo vanished. Not ordinary speed, but micro-teleportation through Limitless!
He reappeared right in front of the center clone. Before its rabbit ears could twitch—
"Sevenfold Impact: VOID!"
Gojo's palm struck the clone's chest—
DUUUUARR!
All five remaining clones exploded into ash and sparks, consumed by compressed Void energy. Their rabbit ears burned to dust.
The real Shinzo landed hard, the electricity around him dimming. Gojo stood amid smoking rubble, his white cloak torn, but his gaze still sharp as a blade.
"Your radar's too slow, Shinzo," Gojo wiped blood from his chin.
"But not bad for a warm-up."
In the distance, Geto had managed to trap the Ancient Dog with cursed chains, though blood still poured from his wounds.
Shinzo growled. Electricity surged in his hands—darker now, more savage.
"You're stalling, Six Eyes. The shadows will swallow the light... again."
The sky blackened. Clouds thickened above. Lightning danced.
The fight wasn't over—this was only the first act.
Geto stood in a swamp of mud and static electricity. Blood soaked his shoulder—still leaking from the dog's tail strike. The Divine Dog growled, iron jaws snapping in rage. But Geto's eyes did not flinch. A thin smirk bloomed on his face.
"Bait and switch? I'm a master at it too," he whispered.
His hand spread wide. Cursed energy hissed from his palm like dark purple fog.
"Arise—Hell Battalion!"
Five spirits burst forth from his hand:
Gashadokuro — A four-meter skeletal giant, its rib-sword rusted.
Flame Kodama — A burning tree spirit, its branches snapping like whips of fire.
Onikuma — A horned mountain bear, claws shredding the air.
Jorogumo — A spider-woman, her webs spewing acid.
Otoroshi — A porcupine beast, charging like a spiked cannonball.
The ancient dog barked and charged. But Geto didn't brawl—he played chess.
"Flame Kodama! Trap its leg!"
Flaming vines coiled around the dog's front leg—it staggered.
"Gashadokuro! Crack its skull!"
The rib-sword crashed down—KRAAK!—the dog's skull cracked, but didn't shatter.
The dog raged, biting off Gashadokuro's arm. But Geto grinned.
"Jorogumo—SECONDARY WEB!"
Sticky threads sealed the dog's snout, silencing its roar. Onikuma and Otoroshi crashed in from both sides—claws and spikes ripping into its flanks. Black blood burst forth.
"ENOUGH!" roared Geto. His hand clenched the air.
"Curse Manipulation: FINAL EXTRACTION!"
His spirits surged into the dog's body—compressing, twisting, ripping.
The dog shrieked—an anguished howl—before its body detonated into a thousand fragments of shadow and lightning. Geto stood amidst the storm of cursed energy, breath ragged, but victorious.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
A slow, mocking applause.
Shinzo stood atop the ruined altar, pale blue electricity still crackling from his fingertips. His eyes—cold but gleaming—locked on Geto.
"Magnificent, Spirit Eater... The chaos you unleashed... beautiful."
His voice echoed—part praise, part disdain.
"But chaos cannot outshine the order of shadow."
Shinzo raised both arms. The shadow beneath him bubbled violently—deeper, more savage—like hell's gates opening.
"Ten Shadows Technique: Chimera Fusion!"
CRACK-CRACK-KRUUK!
What emerged was Shinzo's own version of Agito:
The body of a tiger the size of a truck, muscles slithering beneath skin.
The head of a stag, with antlers branching like lightning forks, eyes glowing red.
Rear tiger legs, but front limbs replaced by spinning blade wheels from Madoka's cursed design.
A tail of clattering human skulls.
Its whole body sheathed in Shinzo's black electricity.
"Chimera Shadow: 'Mourning Thunderbeast'..." Shinzo whispered. "Tear the Spirit Thief apart."
The chimera didn't roar. It moved—silent and deadly, as fast as lightning on a black night.
Geto had just summoned a giant stone spirit guardian—when the monster HIT.
BRZAAAAK!
The blade-wheels spun, slicing the rock guardian in two. Geto was flung back, blood spraying from a nearly-severed arm.
ZZZTTT!
The stag antlers fired black lightning. Geto twisted, but it caught his leg—
"GAAHH!" His muscles burned and seized.
The chimera didn't wait. The Tiger Funeral claws shredded the ground, launching Geto upward. Madoka's jaws opened wide—ready to bite.
Geto used his last strength: "Come forth—Thousand Spider Shield!"
A swarm of small spider spirits erupted, weaving a giant web.
CRUNCH!
The chimera crushed the web in an instant—but it bought Geto 0.1 seconds to escape.
He landed hard, limping, blood pouring from burns and claw wounds. But his eyes—still sharp.
"You... Frankenstein freak of a monster..." he hissed with a bitter smile.
In the distance, Gojo dashed in to assist—
"Stay out of this, Satoru!" Geto shouted, his hands forming a new mudra.
"This is a shikigami duel!"
Shinzo smiled. His chimera snorted, black lightning billowing from its deer nostrils. The blade wheels spun again—ready to kill.
The air changed:
The forest went silent. Even the wind dared not whisper.
Shinzo's electricity cracked through the sky, making the world's hair stand on end.
"The real show begins now, Spirit Eater," Shinzo whispered.
"Let's see… how long you'll last."
The chimera "Mourning Thunderbeast" raised its head—its antlers pierced the sky—black lightning split the clouds.
Geto steadied his breath. His strongest cursed spirit pulsed at his fingertips.
Blood or death—there was no retreat.