AN: I've got a quick ask of people who have been enjoying my work! If you have the time and think my fiction deserves it, please leave a review. It really helps optics and promotes my work. But no matter what, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! :)
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Kiniro watched as the butcher's eyes went wide, "You're a lot stronger than you look. That's good."
Reaching behind his back, the man pulled out a large but simple-looking hatchet with a razor-sharp edge, "I might be able to make something decent out of you after all."
"You can try, but I have a question first," Kiniro replied with a playful smile, "What's your name?"
"Juzo Kumiya," the butcher replied without hesitation, "Master Cursetool Smith. You should be honored that I would include you in my gallery."
"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing," Kiniro said, his mask slowly slipping away as he brought his hands together, "Rejoice, as soon you will be absolved of your mortal sins."
"Innate Domain Projection: Gaze of the Seven Princes."
The moment Kiniro's hands formed a seal, Juzo threw himself at him, raising his axe into the air with a bloodthirsty smile, "Die!"
Kiniro's face morphed to match Juzo's expression as seven motes of pink fire flared into existence behind his back, "You first!"
"Argh!" Juzo brought down his axe with a roar, aiming for Kiniro's neck. Staring at the honed blade, Kiniro felt his heart start to speed up, as endorphins flooded through his veins, 'Yeah, that's the stuff!'
With a thought, Kiniro's daggers dropped into his palms as he threw himself backward, clearing Juzo's axe by a hair's breadth.
'He's fast,' Juzo noted as he watched Kiniro move and made note of the daggers now grasped firmly in his hands, 'But in such an enclosed space, there's no way he can keep out of my reach forever. I just need to-'
"Mammon."
Juzo's thoughts were interrupted as Kiniro suddenly spoke out loud before disappearing in a flash of golden light. That was when Juzo noticed the mark on the back of his hand that was now glowing with a similar light, 'H-how, when did he place that on me?'
Before Juzo could come up with an answer, Kiniro suddenly appeared beside him with a grin, "Don't worry, I won't kill you right off the bat, I've got some steam to blow off."
"Why you little-" Juzo snarled as he tried to turn and face Kiniro, only to catch a foot in the side of his ribs as Kiniro spun around and drove his heel into Juzo's body.
"Brgh!"
Spittle flew from Juzo's lips as the force behind Kiniro's kick drove the air from his lungs and sent him sliding across the floor and into the back wall.
'How?!'
Juzo sucked in a breath despite his aching ribs as he stared at Kiniro with wide eyes, 'How could he generate so much power? I didn't even sense him mobilize any cursed energy. But there's no way his body is that strong!'
Juzo then glanced over at Kiniro's shoulder, where one of the flames had suddenly opened, revealing a pitch-black pupil surrounding two parallel lines bisected by a crescent. Despite the pupil not moving, Juzo couldn't help but shake the feeling that something was watching him.
Sensing the burning inquiry in Juzo's eyes, Kiniro laughed, "Come on, don't tell me you couldn't catch it? It was simple, cursed energy reinforcement, 101 of jujutsu sorcery."
Juzo didn't respond and instead glared at Kiniro with a newfound weariness as he realized his opponent wasn't so simple after all.
Seeing the manic energy around Juzo being tamped down, Kiniro frowned, "What, you don't believe me?"
In a flash, Juzo's hand shot down as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife that he threw at Kiniro while dashing to the side. Infused with cursed energy, the knife flew faster than a bullet; however, Kiniro was able to track it easily as he felt another instance of Sin brand itself onto Juzo's soul.
'We'll at least he hasn't given up or tried to run away,' Kiniro praised as the knife slammed into his unprotected chest, the blade disappearing from view as it pierced his heart.
With a grunt, Juzo threw his axe to the side as he reached the far wall where his creations hung, begging him to be used. Grinning Juzo reached up and grabbed his magnum opus, a thick single-edged blade with three holes along the spine that looked almost like engines.
Turning around, Juzo faced Kiniro just in time to watch him pull the knife out of his heart and throw it to the side like it hadn't just dealt him a mortal injury, "Hmm, what's that?"
Juzo faltered as he watched Kiniro continue to stand there unbothered, 'Is he in shock? Wait, no, he isn't even bleeding!'
"Asmodeus ."
Juzo's eyes widened as he watched a strange energy spill forth from Kiniro's wound, and a second later, the wound was gone as if it had never existed. 'Reversed Cursed Technique?!'
"Hey, I asked you a question," Kiniro muttered as another pupil opened behind him, sporting two diamonds stacked atop each other, "What's that in your hands?"
Juzo's grip tightened around his swords as he regarded Kiniro with wide, erratic eyes, "This is Dragon-Bone, my greatest creation. Or at least it was."
"Oh, do you have something better?" Kiniro asked curiously.
Juzo grinned as the manic aura around him swelled to newfound heights, "I will…thanks to you. How lucky am I to come across such a potent vessel for my craftsmanship!"
The three holes along Dragon-Bone's spine ignited as Juzo infused his cursed energy into the blade, making Kiniro's eyes go wide with excitement, 'So these are the heights that cursed tools can reach…thank you for showing me, Juzo.'
Mistaking Kiniro's look for one of fear, Juzo laughed, "Let's put your reversed cursed technique to the test, shall we?"
Without waiting for an answer, Juzo hauled back his arms and threw Dragon-Bone at Kiniro, who watched the blade turn into a spinning saw, propelled by the engines along its spine.
Throwing up his left arm, Kiniro sent his knife flying into the ceiling before retracting the chain, shooting him up into the air and over Dragon Bone that shot past him.
Grinning down at Juzo, Kiniro held out his right arm, and with a burst of cursed energy, his dagger shot out like a harpoon, looking to skewer the butcher like a pig.
However, dodging Juzo simply held out his hand, and that's when Kinrio sensed Dragon-Bone suddenly reverse its flight, turning on a dime. Kinrio tried to retract his knife, but before he could, Dragon-Bone sliced through the air and the chain, sending Kinrio's knife clattering to the floor.
Juzo cackled as he caught Dragon-Bone by the handle, "You should take better care when choosing your equipment, otherwise it'll fail you when you need it most!"
After imparting his wisdom, Juzo bent his knees and jumped, sending himself flying at Kiniro, who was still hanging in mid-air.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Kiniro grabbed onto the chain above him and, with a grunt, pulled himself up while flipping around so his feet were planted on the ceiling.
With a sharp pull, Kiniro retrieved his knife before pushing off the ceiling and propelling himself down to meet Juzo.
Seeing Kiniro approach as he flew through the air, Juzo grinned and swung Dragon-Bone in an upward arc that would lob off Kiniro's head, "Keel over and die!!"
Flipping his knife around, Kiniro held it in a reverse grip as he raised it in front of him at an angle.
Seeing his attempted Juzo, roared with laughter as Dragon-Bone ignited once more, "What did I just say, don't rely on shoddy equip-"
Juzo's words were cut off as a fountain of blood suddenly erupted from his neck, 'What?'
Juzo felt all the strength leave his body, followed by a freezing numbness. 'What just happened?'
Searching for an answer, Juzo's eyes eventually landed on the knife in Kiniro's other hand and the broken chain trailing behind it, 'H-how I saw it drop to the ground…how is it back in his hand?!'
"Seems like you couldn't see that either," Kiniro muttered as he deflected a depowered Dragon-Bone away from his neck, "Though don't feel that bad about missing it, even my sensei would have trouble beating my manipulation speed."
Juzo opened his mouth to reply, but all that came out was blood.
Smiling at the sight, Kiniro laughed a chilling, carefree, and gentle sound, "Don't worry, I'll carry on your legacy. With everything you've shown me, I almost feel like I should be calling you sensei as well. And I'll make sure Dragon-Bone ends up in the hands of someone worthy."
A second later, Juzo's lifeless body hit the floor with a wet thud, all the light gone from his eyes, followed by Kiniro, who landed soundlessly on his feet with a satisfied grin on his face, "This turned out a lot better than I thought it would."
Reaching down, Kiniro picked up Dragon-Bone from Juzo's grasp, 'I wonder if this is a special grade, it certainly feels like it.'
Giving the sword a once-over, Kiniro nodded, 'Maki should be able to make use of this.'