Chapter Ten: Interschool Competition Arc IV (Null frame unlocked)
Aiko's was panting heavily on the verge of collapse. She had used her emotional echo too much and her cursed energy was running out.
Nao was on one knee, exhausted from the battle.
Nao tried attacking with sand storm but again used light distortion and Nao wasn't able to see. She was met with a big stone to the face. Aiko tried helping but she was hit with a big rock summoned by Masaki, Aiko was sent flying to a nearby tree.
"You have no chance against us, we are stronger than you and there's nothing you can do about that," muttered Masaki.
"Don't blabber nonsense Masaki, I'm not done yet, it's only the beginning," replied Nao.
"There's something I've been working on, although it might not be complete, it's gonna help alot," she added blood dripping from her head.
"And what is that?" Hinata asked
"Domain Expansion. Ryoiki Tenkai: Eikyū Suna Rō (Domain Expansion: Eternal Dune Prison)," she shouted with all her might as she held a flower shaped sand in her hands.
Suddenly, the ground shook heavily that even Himuro Sensei felt it, environment changed, the ground was swallowed by great sand and the trees became sand mountains. The sky didn't change, it was the same.
"It's incomplete," said Masaki
"I'm still working on it, it's not easy," muttered Nao.
"That means we can escape it," Hinata tried to attack with energy beam but she was covered with sand by Nao, unable to move.
"What did you do to her?," Masaki asked
"I just covered her with sand and restricted her movements, that's all,"
"Why you pest, you'll pay,"
Masaki and Nao again battled again, punches here and there, technique blasting everywhere, forged weapon from techniques impacting with great force.
Masaki gained the upper hand on Nao, her domain shattered and Hinata was free.
"Finally, I'm free," she said.
"it's over for you," said Masaki as she was about to hit her with her stone forged hammer but—
BOOM!
Fist planted in Masaki's face, it was Akira.
"Akira?" both Nao and Aiko yelled in shock.
"What? What is a little girl doing in the forest? Aren't you scared?" Hinata asked teasingly.
"Now that's the perfect timing," says Himuro Sensei from where she was sitting.
"I wouldn't say that if I were you," muttered Aiko.
"Did you just call me a little girl?," asked Akira
"Oh no, you've angered the beast, now you will face the consequences," added Nao.
"CURSED DOLL MERGE!"Akira yelled.
She merged with her teddy bear doll and became a big tall hairy purple bear with sharp claws.
"Here we go," says Himuro Sensei at her seat,"
"I now see why you are confident, your kids are amazing," says Renjiro
"Precisely,"
"What?, How can little girl have such a powerful technique," Masaki asked.
"I said not to call me a little girl!" she yelled.
She raged and grabbed Masaki, smashing her on the ground over and over again none stop.
Masaki summoned a rock towards Akira but she caught it with one hand.
"Did you think your techniques can work on me?"
She crushed it on her own head and reached for Masaki. But Hinata blasted her with light beams and blinding light making for an escape with Masaki in her arms.
"Blinding light? Apparently, that's all she's good for," Akira muttered returning back to normal with her teddy in her hands.
Nao and Aiko chuckled
"Nao, Aiko, everyone, we've got the two flag. Apparently it's one flag per participant," said Ren in through the ear bud.
"That's good guys, let's head back. Aiko and Akira, follow me, we have to find and help Jūzō," says Nao
"Why?" asks Aiko
"It seems like they are planning to take out Jūzō, for good,"replies Akira.
"But why?" asked Nao
Meanwhile at Jūzō and Sayuri's side
Jūzō landed on both foot after dodging a great ink serpent created by Riku.
"Why can't you stay in one place?, You can't escape me, you are nothing but a third grade weakling," yells Riku.
"Did you just call me a weakling?" Jūzō asked
"Yes, he did. And so is that sister of yours," replies Takeshi.
"I guess the weakling trait runs in the family," Reika added.
Jūzō was pissed off at those words, his hands ignited with fire and he was ready to fight. He dashed at great speed, landing a punch to Takeshi's side, a slap across Reika's face sending the two across the battle area, both coughing blood, stumbling to stand.
Riku watched in both shock and anger.
"Who do you think you are?" Riku yelled going in for an attack.
Jūzō held the punch and this shocked the others. He grabbed Riku by the head, and smashed it into the ground.
He wanted to smash it one more time but Takeshi attacked with blood blades that cut his skin a little.
Jūzō dodged and hit Takeshi with another punch but this time to the face.
"Don't think this is over boy," yelled Riku.
He summoned another snake but Jūzō sliced it easily with his Slicing technique.
"What?, Slicing?" Riku asked
"I don't tolerate vulgar words against the people I love, no vulgar words or else, you will pay dearly, I am not what you think I am," said Jūzō as he walked up to Riku eyes glowing red, fists ignited with fire, aura flaring wildly.
"Who are you?" Asked Riku.
"I.....am....death," he replied
Sayuri's Side
Sayuri and Yumi couldn't do anything but watch the fight, it was like they were watching a movie.
"How is he so powerful?" Asked Yumi.
"Even I don't know how and why he is so powerful," she replied.
"I don't care how powerful he is, they will handle him, you are facing me," said Yumi.
She burst out ribbons, sharp as blade but Sayuri countered with sharper thorns, cutting the ribbons into pieces.
"Leaf blades!" Sayuri yelled sending the blades towards Yumi
The blades cut her little by little although she tried to dodge them. The leaves followed her everywhere she went. Yumi then blasted away the leaves with her ribbons and was about to attack but Sayuri wrapped her with thick vines that she couldn't burst out of.
"Not too fast Missy. I've got you wrapped around my vines. You didn't think you could possibly fight me, a flower sorceress in the forest and win easily could you?. Only if you had a domain, that's the only way you can beat me. If not, you're doomed,"
Sayuri left her to go help Jūzō.
"Where do you think you're going, we are not done yet," said Yumi.
"Nah, I'm done,"
With a snap of Sayuri's finger, the vines tightened more and hung her upside down.
"Feel free to tell me how it feels to be tied up upside down when I'm back, in the mean time, Just hang around. See what I did there?"
Sayuri left her but it wasn't over for Yumi.
"Think again," said Yumi
With great concentration, Yumi planted her ribbons into the ground, blasting them here and there, the vines were cut in no time and she was free.
"Hey Sayuri," muttered Yumi.
"What?," Sayuri said turning just to be met with Yumi's fist to the face.
BAM
She fell and her head hit the ground, she was now on the ground weak and unable to move.
"Told you I wasn't done yet," she said leaving Sayuri there on the ground heading to her team's flag point.
At Jūzō side
"Don't yap nonesense boy!" Yelled Riku.
"Team, together, all at once," he added.
Then, Jūzō was surrounded by Riku, Reika and Takeshi.
"NOW!" yelled Riku
From all sides, the trio used their various techniques at peak point.
Riku with the king cobra ink snake attack, Reika with her cosmic blast and Takeshi with his elongated blood sword.
But before he was hit, he saw Sayuri a distance away, on the floor, weak with blood on her head.
He was enraged, the firery look in his eyes grew stronger and he yelled.
"Sayuri!"
Everyone in a hundred metres heard his voice.
"Uh, that was Jūzō, is anything wrong?" Asked Haruki at his guarding point.
"Isn't that Jūzō's voice?" Asked Sora with Ren and Aiko.
They ran to made their way with great speed to where he was including Nao. They found Sayuri on the ground.
"Sayuri, Sayuri are you alright?" Asked Nao.
No response
"What happened to her?" Haruki asks
They sighted juzo few feet away at a distance. Attacks from three directions.
Then, Jūzō heard a voice. It was Sayuri's voice.
"Don't give up, we are here for you,"
The attacks were 17 inches away from him and he charged his aura with great force that the universe glitched.
Reality began to deplete and restore Immediately.
Everyone including Jūzō, Himuro Sensei and the others were surprised.
"Impossible," said Himuro Sensei
"What is that Himuro Sensei?" Toma asked
"He wield's the Null frame," Master Renjiro replied
"And what is that?" He asked
"It's a technique rarely and almost impossibly attainable. The wielder ises this technique to become almost impossible to harm," Kaede answered
"How?" Toma asked
"The person sees an attack coming and is able to edit it out of reality," Master Renjiro answered
"What?, That's impossible,"
"No, it's not impossible for someone who has six eyes, six eyes allows one to see all techniques' perceptions, strength, usage, effectivity and weakness," Master Ren replied
"He keeps surprising us every single day he gets the chance to," Himuro Sensei adds
The Battle field
"My King Cobra attack, where did it go?" Asked Riku.
"Their attacks vanished into thin air," Nao muttered
"That means," Haruki says
"He wields both six eyes and Null frame,"Nao replies
Gasps went up at Jūzō's ability.
"But how are you sure he wields six eyes," Sora asked
"Because, he didn't see the attack coming. If he hadn't seen it, he would have been hit by one or two of their atracks," Nao replies
"What was that?, Was that a new technique?. Cool," Jūzō said smiling.
"How did you do that?, Six eyes and Null frame?, That's too much for one sorceror" Asked Riku
"I guess I just got lucky,".
Riku attacked with another snake attack but Jūzō with his six eyes understood his new technique and how it worked.
The others too tried again but with greater strength.
Jūzō merely spoke and it backfired
"Return,"
The attacks returned half way of contact and hit their senders
"I'll call that move, back to sender,"
The others were defeated and Sayuri woke up gently, head aching with pain.
"w-w-what Happened?" She asked.
"You were just lying here on the floor, who hit you?" Nao asked.
"Y-Yumi, oh my head" Sayuri said holding her head from the pain.
Then showed up Yumi, looking around in shock.
"What happened here?, Why are they unconscious?"
"Hey, let me tell you what happened," said Sayuri, foot planted in her face.
Yumi was knocked unconscious.
"Have a nice slumber,"
"Five minutes remaining guys," yelled Himuro Sensei
"Five minutes?" Jūzō asked.
"Jūzō, You will have to deploy the flag, it's a ten minute run but with your technique, we can deploy it in seconds!" yells Nao.
"How will I do that?" He yelled running towards them.
"Just focus, lock in to your target, and erase the distance between you and your target, and the law of reality will correct it approximately taking you to your target," replied Nao.
"I'm not sure I can do it,"
"Of course you can Jūzō, you surprise us all the time. Surprise us again," said Sayuri
"Okay," Jūzō collected the flags, focused on his target which was their Flag area. He stood for a moment and then, he opened his eyes, he was already at the flag area.
"I did it, I teleported," said Jūzō
He deployed the flag and the confetti blasted up in the air, the team were happy and joyful.
"Yay, he did it," shouted Sayuri.
They caught up to him and hugged him.
Haruki held him up, chanting his name: "Jūzō, Jūzō , Jūzō....,"
"Well, I guess we won. That means I should receive the alert of the Two million yen we bet on who would win," said Himuro Sensei about to leave with Toma
"But, how did you win, I have strong people," Renjiro argued
"We won because your team focused on taking out Jūzō instead of capturing the flag and deploying it, good bye, see you next time," she replied leaving.
Toma followed her and they all made it to the bus heading back home.
In the forest
"So, the king of curses have awakened, interesting, let's see how long he can hide," said a thick and dark voice. It was the voice of the figure that watched them earlier.