I opened my eyes, looking at the stars. Once the fight against Jogo was done, I felt his power submerging into me, and the feeling of growing stronger was so intoxicating that I let myself fall and enjoy the cool breeze of Shibuya.
The fact that I was currently lying on cold, hard concrete streets, and half of my view was covered not by lazily drifting clouds with the moon hanging behind them, illuminating them beautifully, but instead by skyscrapers of Shibuya city, didn't diminish my mood in the slightest.
If anything, it made it better. It reminded me that there are always troubles and problems—I just have to focus on the brighter side.
I let out a sigh and inhaled… not the desperate kind—the ragged, broken gasp clawing its way out of dying lungs—but an actual breath.
One that filled my chest properly, slow and heavy, like my body had finally remembered how to exist without fighting for it. The night air of Shibuya felt colder now, or maybe that was just the absence of Jogo's flames trying to roast me alive for the past hour.
Him, Dagon, and those multiple curses altogether.
Either way… I was alive, and more than that—I was stronger now. Gaining power from one special grade is one thing, but stacking power from two of them, and a curse of Jogo's level—
Let's just say it wasn't subtle. It wasn't something I had to think about or test to confirm. I felt like I could rip off those skyscrapers and throw them to the moon—and they would reach there.
I felt like I could punch the earth and the city would cease to exist. I felt f*cking invincible.
A very dangerous and wrong assumption people make when high on power. This was just the confidence power brings to the table, I guess.
And it was f*cking amazing.
I flexed my fingers slowly, watching faint traces of cursed energy curl around them. First came water, and with a flick of my finger, it evaporated until fire replaced it.
"...Damn. This is what I'm talking about… power… real freaking power."
And that was it. The high didn't last as long as I expected. If anything, it was gone too fast, leaving me with dread of what if things hadn't worked out for me. Even thinking about it gave me goosebumps.
'I'm so filing a complaint after I'm done with this reincarnation shit…'
For a moment—just a moment—I allowed myself to lie there and do nothing. No immediate life-or-death crises hanging over my head felt like a novel concept suddenly, ever since I came to this world.
Peace was short-lived though, especially when I recalled why I ended up fighting Jogo in the first place.
"Maki and others…"
My head snapped up, eyes sharpening instantly as the calm shattered. "…shit. I have to go there."
I turned on my heel without another thought. Whatever high I was riding from the power boost could wait. People were dying. People who saved me when I needed saving. And I could be the biggest c*nt in two worlds combined, but let everyone know I wasn't ungrateful.
And that's when it dawned on me… where was the station again?
It was my first time here, after all. Not like I had all of Shibuya mapped out before taking an inter-universal trip from my home planet.
'Whatever, I'll find my way around… the previous owner's memory should have clues, right?'
I darted forward anyway, planning to figure things out on the way when suddenly my eyes fell on something, which put a quick pause to my acceleration.
"…Huh?"
Something crunched under my foot.
I frowned slightly, looking down, expecting rubble or debris. Instead, my eyes landed on a cloth scroll lying half-buried under broken concrete and dust. Burn marks lined its edges, the fabric slightly charred but still intact enough to hold its shape.
"…Someone lost this?"
I narrowed my eyes. "No…"
I could sense it…
I crouched down, picking it up slowly. The moment my fingers brushed against it, a faint pulse of cursed energy ran through the cloth. Not aggressive or overwhelming, but noticeable enough to make my instincts twitch.
"Great. More cursed bullshit."
I let out a tired sigh and unrolled it. Gotta see what I was dealing with here.
"…What the hell?"
Ten objects lay neatly wrapped inside.
They were fingers. Like mummified fingers. All dried up, black, and creepy-looking.
The moment I looked at them, something stirred in the back of my mind. Not a clear memory—just vague recognition that they were important. I had this strange sense that I should know what these were, but I couldn't recall it right now.
"...F*ck it," I muttered under my breath, brows furrowing as I stared at them. "I'll take them with me."
Why?
I had no idea. Gut feeling, let's say. Better with me than lying here in the streets for someone else to pick up.
Carefully, I rolled the scroll back up and tucked it under my arm. Whatever these were, leaving them here felt like a bad idea. And given my track record today, I was trying very hard to avoid making more bad decisions.
Now, where is that station?
I started moving, trying to recall where I came from, following the signs of destruction I created, and the broken memories I had of the previous owner of the body. Anything that could point me toward where I needed to go.
A few steps in, I found myself stopping once again, though.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
A thin trail of blood stretched across the ground ahead, dark and fresh against the broken concrete. It wasn't splattered randomly either. It was consistent. Dragged. Like someone had been moving while bleeding out.
I stared at it for a long second. Then I looked back over my shoulder, in the direction I needed to go. At least, I hoped that was where the station was.
"Meh… not my problem. Maki and others are more important…" I said it out loud.
Doing that would be stupid. Don't be stupid…
"…Absolutely not my problem."
My foot turned slightly.
"…They say curiosity kills the cat for a reason, you bastard…"
I started walking.
In the direction of the blood.
"…Goddammit."
I'm not certain about the cat, but I'm dying a street dog's death if I keep doing this.
I dragged a hand down my face, already knowing I'd regret this.
Still, I followed it.
Why?
Perhaps I was high on power and wanted to test it out. Perhaps I wished to save whoever this blood belonged to and be the hero. Or maybe it was just my nature to seek trouble. I wasn't sure. But I was going there nonetheless.
The further I went, the heavier the air became. Not physically—but something was there. A tension building that I could feel.
"…Well, I'll regret this one way or the other. Better regret going instead of letting it go, I guess."
And eventually, I reached there. Wherever this was—and I happened to see them.
"…Fushiguro."
Narrowing my eyes, I recognized the boy. He was the one who broke into my and Dagon's domain clash with his incomplete domain.
I did recall him from the anime a bit, but I was going with how Maki called him—'Fushiguro'—for now.
He was kneeling, barely upright, his body covered in blood, breathing unevenly. In front of him stood a blond guy with a sword, posture relaxed in a way that made my skin crawl. Like this was entertainment.
It most likely was for curse users like him. Sickos, a bunch of them. I sneered internally. Well, since I was here, I could lend a hand.
I moved toward them faster—and that's when my body, mind, and soul sent danger signals ahead.
Spider-Man might blush at how hard my senses were tingling currently.
Forget bad premonition—I was seeing a disaster ready to unfold and still couldn't pinpoint why I was feeling it until… I saw the boy's hands.
The sign he was forming.
My breath caught.
"…No, you f*cking spammer, don't you do that."
There are a lot of things one can forget, but not a monster that could go toe-to-toe with the strongest in the series.
I rushed to stop him. I moved before I even finished shouting.
My body surged forward, faster than I ever had been, the ground cracking under my feet as cursed energy exploded outward to propel me.
And yet…
I couldn't make it in time.
"With this treasure, I summon…"
My eyes bulged at how much I wanted to rip out the tongue that was setting a nuke in Shibuya.
"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General…"
A presence slammed into reality like a hammer, distorting everything around it. The ground split. The sky seemed to dim. Something… descended.
I couldn't take it anymore, veins popping on my head. "Don't you do it, you M****** F***** P*** OF S**—"
"MAHORAGA…"
A massive figure stood where nothing had been a moment ago.
Eight-handled wheel turning slowly above its head.
Blade resting in its grip.
A grin that didn't belong to anything human.
And looking at him, I knew I really shouldn't have come here. Curiosity kills more than cats—noted.
Behind me, something flew past—a blur of blond hair and panic.
It was the blond guy with that creepy hand sword.
Gone.
Megumi?
Also gone.
One backhand at each.
Who's left?
Mahoraga turned toward me, and from my soul, I screamed—
"Damn you, Fushiguro…"
It closed the distance in an instant.
No warning, no buildup, no dramatic wind-up to signal the attack or those aura-farming walks. One moment Mahoraga stood across from me, the next it was already in front of me, its massive frame blotting out everything else as that sword came down in a clean, merciless arc aimed straight through my torso.
My body moved before my mind caught up. Turns out my instincts and reaction time had also improved by stacking the power of two special grades.
I twisted sideways, cursed energy flaring instinctively around me as the blade passed so close I felt the air split against my skin. The ground behind me didn't fare as well. It parted like wet paper, the impact carving a deep trench through concrete and steel alike.
Sweat seemed to form at my back seeing the destruction one casual swing of this monster could cause.
"Yeah… no, I'm not getting hit by one of those," I muttered, skidding back, boots scraping against broken ground as I forced distance between us. "Stay away… please."
I had seen enough, fought enough, and certainly almost died enough for tonight, thank you very much.
He charged once again, and I stepped in.
Because if I didn't, then I was just that much of a bigger target.
My foot slammed forward, cracking the ground beneath it as I drove my fist straight into Mahoraga's midsection with everything I had. Not technique. Not finesse. Just pure, reinforced cursed energy behind a single punch.
The impact landed, and for a split second— I felt a colossal shift in the air.
To even my surprise, it worked. Barely, but it worked nonetheless. He was driven back a few steps.
"…Oh?"
Almost forgot that I'm strong now…
"Guess I'm not completely screwed yet."
The thought barely finished forming before Mahoraga's fist came crashing down.
I raised both arms on instinct, cursed energy surging to reinforce every inch of my body. The impact hit like a falling building.
My feet sank into the ground, cracks spiderwebbing outward as my entire body screamed under the pressure. All that earlier newfound happiness of my increased strength—gone in an instant.
This thing in front of me was real power. God damn, he got some muscles.
My arms trembled, muscles felt like tearing, bones threatening to give way as I struggled to hold the blow.
"Perhaps taking direct attacks is still a bad idea…" I admitted, ego be damned. Survival comes first.
I wasn't getting one-shot. That was literally my job here.
The laugh came out half-mad, half-relieved as I forced my body to move, twisting under the pressure and slipping out from beneath his fist before it could crush me completely.
Strange how even at times like this my brain refused to take anything seriously. I have a suspicion they reprogrammed it when they sent me here. Nothing else makes sense.
"Okay… okay, focus on the fight now."
Mahoraga turned toward me again, expression unchanged, that same inhuman grin carved into its face as if none of that had mattered.
Oh… I'll make it matter, you f*cker…
My eyes flicked to the wheel above its head, watching it carefully. That was the real problem here. Well, not the wheel itself, but what it represented when it turned.
The Divine General's adaptation.
Mahoraga moved again. This time, I met it head-on.
Our fists collided mid-charge, the impact sending a shockwave tearing through the surrounding ruins as the ground beneath us gave way.
He was strong, there was no doubt about that. However, not by a very big margin. Yes, a shikigami has more physical might—anyone could tell that just by looking at his size alone—but my newly improved reinforcement, with higher cursed energy output and control worth two special-grade curses, was doing wonders for me.
My reinforcement had really improved.
I held my ground, feet digging in as I pushed back against the force.
I slipped to the side again as the follow-up came, ducking under a wide swing and driving my elbow into its side. The hit landed solidly, but Mahoraga barely reacted, its body shifting just enough to absorb the blow before its knee came up toward my ribs.
I blocked. At least, I tried.
Let me tell you, it was the worst idea of the night so far.
Air left my lungs in a violent burst as I was sent skidding across the ground, bouncing once before crashing into a broken wall. Pain flared instantly, sharp and overwhelming, but I forced myself up before it could settle.
The pain was there, but my reinforcement had tanked most of the damage.
"Okay, noted… just don't get hit, period…" I grumbled.
That at least brought some distance between us. More time for me to think, yay…!
"Guess… fun time's over then. Gotta get serious now."
I spat blood to the side, rolling my shoulder as I steadied myself.
Bringing my hands into a familiar hand sign, I grinned.
Killing someone inside my domain usually recovers my technique burnout, as long as I myself haven't taken too much damage, and all the vitality of the kill goes to heal my technique burnout instead of my physical body.
So I had the domain option available from the start. Just needed to feel out his power and come up with a working idea before opening it.
"DOMAIN EXPANSION—"
I said with a huge grin on my face.
"DEATH TRADE."
And then, darkness swallowed everything. The barrier of my domain covered all around us, and the dark fog spread all over.
The same giant cross appeared behind me with its weighing plates as my domain completed.
Mahoraga stood a few meters away, unmoving for a brief moment as if assessing the change. That ever-present grin remained carved onto its face, but something about its posture shifted ever so slightly, as though the absence of normal rules had forced it to pause.
And then the wheel above his head spun.
'Already!'
How fast was this guy's adaptation?
'He's such a cheat, man…'
I wanted to scowl, but I reined in my irritation and dismay as cursed energy surged through me.
Putting trades was the most important. Hope this works.
My gaze locked onto the two things that made Mahoraga what it was—the sword in its hand, and the wheel above its head.
Those were the real problems, especially the wheel. So let's start with removing them first.
"First Trade," I muttered under my breath, "I give up the ability to summon any of my past kills inside the domain."
"And in return… remove any kind of cursed object or weapon from the enemy."
The energy around us hummed as the domain responded almost immediately.
Before the wheel above Mahoraga could turn once again and most likely adapt to my barrier and destroy my domain, the wheel itself vanished from above its head.
Not just the wheel, but also the sword. Both were gone.
Even Mahoraga seemed to pause at that sudden change in situation. It stood there, waiting for its adaptation to continue, but nothing happened.
"…It worked?"
I let out a quiet breath. I was rather unsure if it would work. I was still inclined to use plan B, which was to bombard him with Jogo's maximum meteor.
I couldn't believe that it really worked.
Mahoraga still seemed to just stand there, waiting for its adaptation to complete.
'Did I break his AI?'
He looked confused, staring at his empty hand. Then at his head, where once stood his majestic wheel.
Now, there was nothing.
I just kept staring at him in wonder. It was a dart thrown into the darkness, but it worked.
Now… only to see whether Mahoraga could adapt without the wheel. That was the most important part, of course.
A few more seconds passed. Neither of us seemed to move. Mahoraga waiting for adaptation, and I waiting to see whether he could adapt without his wheel.
The answer…?
He couldn't adapt.
Finally, he roared, seeing no changes taking place in his body, and instead of waiting for adaptation, he rushed at me.
Still a monster that could crush me if I slipped even once. But now, he was no longer unstoppable.
Even without the sword, even without adaptation, his speed hadn't changed. The distance between us vanished instantly as his fist came crashing toward my head with the same overwhelming force as before.
I didn't back down either.
My own fist collided with his, cursed energy erupting outward from the impact as the ground beneath us shattered again. The difference from before was immediate. The clash didn't feel one-sided anymore.
Earlier too, I wasn't losing by any means, but now it was almost equal.
'Most likely the 120% boost from my domain,' I mused.
I was still pushed further than he was, but that was mostly the weight difference acting up. If only I was eight feet tall.
Sigh.
Mahoraga followed up instantly, already charging at me, but I wasn't playing that game anymore.
"We are still in my domain, you know…" I stated with a deadpan.
"Second Trade, no movement."
And just as I said this, both of us were locked in place. Neither of us could move an inch. He could only helplessly flail his hands around while roaring.
I smiled…
"Ah, should have done that before. Now stay." I ordered, not like he was disobeying this one.
Okay… now how do I take him out? Will Sukuna's Arrow do? I had blatantly copied that attack from Sukuna and used it on Jogo. The power wasn't bad—it was good against Jogo—but would it work on a monster of this scale?
Hmm… should, considering I have higher output now. Fine, let's try it.
I once again brought my hands together, and a long line of fire erupted from my palms, lingering and flickering as it slowly took shape under my control.
I grabbed it with both hands, turning it into a fire arrow.
"And as always, stand proud, Mahoraga. You are the strongest enemy I've faced till now. It's a shame that you just happened to fight the strongest version of me as well…"
I grinned and then let the arrow loose.
"FUGA!"
xXx
A/N : See the difference yet, just think, if the story was like this, if his technique could have so easily do everything, wouldn't it had been boring ?
I originally wished to write like this exactly. However, I changed my mind midway, making it so that MC has to struggle more to stay alive.
Would appreciate stones if you can spare any. Thank you.
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