Mahito's grin widened. "Aren't you mistaking it for 'exorcise,' Jujutsu Sorcerer?" he taunted, the words rolling off his tongue with ease. Licking his lips, he couldn't help but relish in the situation before him.
'Izuku Midoriya has no regard for his own life,' he thought. 'Geto doesn't allow me to use an external Binding Vow such as taking hostages. Then if he meets someone he wants to kill badly but is unable to, will he rely on Sukuna? The fact that he was able to reive and turn Junpei back to his normal self really puts a pause on what I wanna do to him...to push him even more....perhap I'll just have to kill everyone in this school.'
Licking his lips once again, he couldn't help but muse, 'A hatred that transcends his own interests will impose a Binding Vow on Izuku Midoriya in Sukuna's favor. It would be better if it increases the chance of Sukuna joining us.'
'But this means I have to be stronger than him. And surprisingly, I'm up against… my mortal enemy.'
"Hahahaha! Perhaps it might have been possible if you had simply allowed Junpei to die, but you've used up a majority of your massive curse energy reserves just now. That stunt you pulled, I'm willing to bet it was the first time you used such a technique! That's why you used up so much of your curse energy. Right now, you're easy picking!" Mahito said analytically.
Izuku grabbed his katana as the cursed energy from it increased along with the trembling body of Izuku as he let out a roar of rage, something that caused him not think clearly since he lost a good amount of blood but he didn't care as he starts lunging forward with a powerful punch aimed straight at Mahito. The impact of his strike left a crater in every surface that it hit, but Mahito was too quick for him to land a hit.
Mahito simply changed the shape of his hand into wings, evading Izuku's slash attacks with ease. Izuku with no amount of analytical thinking, used his katana and summoned Blue like arcs of cursed energy with all his might, however, Mahito simply grinned in amusement, dodging Izuku's slashes with the grace and ease of a bird in flight.
Izuku stopped for a just a second as he carefully analyzed his opponent, 'He keeps reshaping his soul. What should I do? If I keep using the cursed energy within the katana it'll likely consumed more of my blood and I won't continue to fight...wait...can I even do 'that'....I'm not sure but I've gotta try', Izuku thought.
Meanwhile, Mahito was also strategizing his next move. 'Since his attack is effective, it's not a good idea to transform my body to give him a bigger target,' he mused.
Izuku's determination remained unwavering. 'I think I know what to do....even if I lose more blood to feed my sword...I'll do it a hundred or thousand times. I'll continue to strike…until you're crushed!' he growled inwardly, his cursed energy enveloping his fists all the way to his Katana as the blade itself gave of a light red hue in preparation for another attack.
Mahito's face twisted into an evil grin as he quickly shifted his form.'In that case… let's change into a streamlined form that's... optimal for killing!' he decided, his right hand transforming into multiple razor-sharp chain whip of blades.
Izuku's eyes widened but thay narrowed he watched Mahito swing the chains with clear enjoyment, creating deep cuts in the hallway as he did so. Izuku leapt into action, narrowly dodging each attack and blocking them with his Katana with precision.
As Mahito continued to wreak havoc on the surroundings, a section of the wall got destroyed. Izuku then leapt from the hole and landed safely on the school's grounds.
Mahito's arm morphed into a drill, spinning rapidly as he launched it directly at Izuku.
However Izuku's quick reflexes allowed him to dodge the deadly drill. He gripped onto Mahito's outstretched arm with a firm grip. "I'm sure you can't stretch forever," he said.
Suddenly, Izuku's hands were pierced by sharp spikes that had appeared from Mahito's arm. Blood gushed out as Izuku gritted his teeth in pain.
But Izuku didn't let go instead he held on tightly and He pulled Mahito toward him as he infused cursed energy into his leg and kicked the curse through the wall besides them to the outside. He followed after him and sent a barrage of slashes at his opponent some landing but others missing, clicking his tongue he stomped hard on the ground causing the dust to built up and causing a smoke screen. Mahito looked around trying to find the young sorcerer but his instincts told him to look up where he saw Izuku midair with his arms raised up and sent a large arc of cursed energy straight at him.
Mahito dodges to the side, the energy hitting the ground next to him but before he knew it, it had exploded sending him flying out where he was met with Izuku who used his fist and slammed the curse into the ground which made a large crater. Following up he stomped Mahitos head further into the ground and jumped back as spikes shot out of the curse's body. The cursed spirit jumped to his feet and turned his hand into a club and attacked Izuku who blocked with his katana but that only pushed him as his body hits a wall, As he did a follow up attack, Izuku slammed his fist to the ground one more time to obscure Mahito's vision.
As Mahito darted his eyes around the smoke-filled area, Izuku came up behind him and delivered a powerful punch to the gut with Divergent Fist. Mahito gasped and nearly doubled over, but the expression on his face quickly morphed into a big, unsettling grin.
Blood splattered as spikes emerged and when the smoke cleared, Izuku's jaw hung open in pain. Three huge spikes had pierced his body.
'Damn it' he thought as he felt his cursed energy depleting.
"You can't beat me," Mahito taunted. "Hurry up and switch… to Sukuna," he said, placing his palms against Izuku's chest.
[Idle Transfiguration.]
Mahito gasped as he entered Sukuna's innate domain. His eyes widened and his heart pounded. The atmosphere was foreboding, with Sukuna sitting on his throne of bones.
"Did you just touch my soul?" Sukuna asked, his voice cutting through the air. "We both laughed at this brat from the bottom of our hearts," Sukuna said. "I'll forgive you once. There's no second chance."
Mahito could only stand there, frozen.
"Know your place... you foolish puppet," Sukuna declared, his voice echoing through the domain.
Mahito stood frozen as Izuku grabbed his head. "I'm not going to switch," Izuku growled, his voice strained. "I told you, didn't I? I'll kill you."
With a forceful headbutt, Izuku slammed his skull against Mahito's. Before Mahito could regain his bearings, Izuku relentlessly continued the assault, delivering multiple headbutts that caused blood to gush out. Finally, with one last headbutt, Izuku released his grip.
As Mahito crumpled to the ground, Izuku swiftly followed up with a roundhouse kick that landed squarely on Mahito's face. Blood poured forth, his face brutally bruised.
Izuku shouted, poised to attack once more, but to his surprise, Mahito suddenly appeared behind him.
"What?" Izuku could barely utter, taken aback as he felt even more of his blood being consumed by his katana.
'Damn it how hungry is this thing?'
Mahito's arm already transformed into a mace-like shape as he prepared to attack Itadori.
However, just as he was about to strike, Nanami suddenly appeared, blocking his attack with his knife.
Mahito jumped back with a grin. "Oh, my," he said.
"Nanami..." Izuku muttered.
"I'll lecture you later," Nanami said firmly. "Report the situation first."
Izuku almost stumbled but he continued on, " was able to save Junpei...using reverse cursed energy"
Nanami couldn't help but think to himself, 'He's always thinking of others.'
"How are you doing physically?" Nanami inquired.
"I'm fine," Izuku replied, wiping the blood from his lips. "I have a lot of holes, though."
As he said thay steam formed from where his injuries were but his cursed energy was still low.
"How is that fine?" Nanami muttered under his breath.
"Also," Izuku continued, "everyone from the school is unconscious in the gym."
"Hey, you look energetic, 7:3 Sorcerer," Mahito greeted, his arm having reverted to normal. "It's great that we're both doing well. Shall we hug...to celebrate our reunion?" He said, not noticing the small bit of blood on his nose.
Nanami quickly spotted the blood and asked, "Midoriya-kun, why is his nose bleeding?"
"I punched him," Izuku replied bluntly.
"When?" Nanami pressed.
"At the very start," Izuku confirmed.
"Did he touch you with his hand?" Nanami clarified.
"Yes," Izuku replied.
"My attacks have zero effect on him," Nanami said, processing the information. He thought to himself, 'Firstly, he may not be able to use his ability on Midoriya-kun. Secondly, he has a reason not to kill Midoriya Either way, it's an advantage.'
"But I can stifle his movements," Nanami declared. "Let's create openings for each other and take the opportunity to attack. We must exorcise him here."
"Alright!" Izuku responded as he held his katana in a reverse grip.
'Come on body, Don't fail me now, I need to end this bastard'
'Want me to help?' Sukuna merely asked in a bored like tone.
'...Not yet....I how when but not now so you'll have to wait' Izuku said.
Mahito propelled himself into the air and transformed his entire body into a porcupine-like figure.
Nanami and Izuku quickly dodged out of the way as big sharp pointed ends pierced the ground.
"I thought this was good," Mahito mused as Izuku and Nanami chipped away at his pointed ends. "But they evaded my attacks. After they dodged it, they started shaving away the weaker ends. It's only good for small fries. Let's stop this."
As Mahito reverted back to his original shape and landed on the ground, Nanami and Izuku seized the opportunity and launched a coordinated attack that produced a powerful blast, enveloping the area in a cloud of black smoke. Mahito came out of the smoke in a child-like form.
"Before he changes his shape..." Nanami uttered.
"He charges his cursed energy first!" Izuku answered.
"Very good."
Mahito let out a giggle as he continued to run with his much smaller form. "Even if I make myself smaller, I still risk getting killed by Izuku Midoriya in just one blow," he mused, changing back to his normal size. "He really is my nemesis."
'Transfigured humans,' Nanami thought to himself. 'He still has some stored.'
Mahito wasted no time in giving them orders. "Kill that short-haired brat," he commanded.
Izuku quickly moved out of the way as the three transfigured humans came charging towards him.
Meanwhile, Mahito launched an attack on Nanami, his hand transformed into a long, deadly blade. But Nanami was quick on his feet, dodging the attack with ease.
Mahito smirked in contempt, taking back the blade and turning his hand back to its original form. "I knew it. That kid can't bring himself to kill humans," he taunted.
The transfigured humans grabbed onto Izuku, clinging to his legs and shoulders. Izuku frantically shook them off, running as fast as he could to get away. He leapt onto the roof of a nearby corridor, trying to distance himself from the creatures.
One of the transfigured humans attempted to jump on him, and Izuku instinctively grabbed onto its neck. As he saw what he was holding, his face contorted in distress.
"Let's play..." The transfigured human uttered.
Another transfigured human pounced on Izuku and he let go of his grasp. Despite his best efforts to dodge each attack, he found himself pinned to the ground. As he struggled to break free, he heard the voice of the transfigured human on top of him, uttering a desperate plea through labored breaths. "Please... kill me."
One of the monsters managed to say making Izuku look at it with horror before biting his tongue and gripping his katana tight as he quickly cut all the transfigured into pieces.
'I'm sorry' Izuku thought as he got up shakily, 'I have to keep moving'
"I want you to fight against him next, will he cry this time?" Mahito taunted with a smirk, as he pinned Nanami against the wall, his hand enlarged which kept Nanami from moving.
Mahito charged his left hand with cursed energy as he said, "He's just a foolish brat who can't match ideals with reality."
"That's not true," Nanami calmly countered. "He's on it right now. If anything, you're the foolish one."
All of a sudden, Izuku leapt from the upstairs window, forcefully kicking away Mahito's massive arm upon landing. Mahito wore a manic grin on his face as he asked, "You killed them?"
Nanami attacked from behind with a swing of his blade. 'His cursed energy level increased. I'll change my shape right before the impact-' Mahito thought, but Izuku was too quick. He slammed his fist into Mahito's face, then followed up with a powerful blow from Nanami's blade.
Mahito found himself trapped in a barrage of brutal attacks, each one landing with crushing force on his body. Izuku and Nanami relentlessly assaulted him, unwilling to give him a moment's respite. Blow after blow rained down on him.
Izuku and Nanami relentlessly continued their barrage of attacks while Mahito found himself unable to retaliate. He thought to himself, 'There's no time for me to make a substitute... What... What a fresh inspiration!'
'Is this... DEATH?!'
Mahito let out a manic giggle as his eyes rolled backwards. 'I can do it now, right?'
Mahito's mouth opened wide, revealing two pairs of small hands, forming a hand seal.
[Domain Expansion.]
Multiple large, dark hands suddenly appeared, quickly pushing Izuku out of the way. From these hands, more emerged, clasping together to form a flower-like shape. Connected to the hands were several arms that intertwined and grabbed one another, forming a net pattern that surrounded Nanami, trapping him inside.
[Self-Embodiment of Perfection!]
"Darn it," Nanami cursed.
Mahito's expression softened as he spoke, "Now... I just want to thank you."
Outside the domain, Izuku pounded on the barrier with frustration. "Are you serious?!" he cried out, his fist bleeding from the relentless punching. "Why was only Nanamin trapped inside? If this goes on... If this goes on..." His voice trailed off as the hopelessness set in, dreading the worst possible outcome.
'How do you crack an egg?'
'What?'
Izuku was confused until he looked above....and growled, "You bitch"
'Yeah fuck you too'
'Domain Expansion. An enclosed space constructed using cursed energy. A secret weapon that will enhance the owner's strengths. It's the pinnacle of cursed techniques that I couldn't reach,' Nanami thought to himself.
Nanami's thoughts continued, 'To use any cursed technique which transfigures the soul, he probably needs to touch someone with the palm of his original hand. But now that I'm inside his domain... I'm literally in the palm of my opponent's hand.'
He cursed inwardly, 'Darn it. Jujutsu Sorcerers are shit. Sometimes, we have to force our comrades to accept and sacrifice their lives for others.' His brows furrowed, 'That's why I quit. Or rather, I escaped.'
"Do you like casse-croûte?" The girl behind the counter asked.
"What?" Nanami said, looking bewildered at the girl behind the bakery counter.
"You always buy this, don't you?" the girl said, offering a bright smile.
"Yes," Nanami replied flatly. "The nearby convenience store stopped selling it."
"Well, our bread is better than what you'd find at a convenience store, don't you think?" the girl said, placing the purchase in a bag.
"I mean, this is a bakery," Nanami stated bluntly as he handed over his payment.
"Wow, that was harsh," the girl replied.
Nanami headed out of the store, the girl's voice calling out after him. "Please come again!"
As he peeked over his shoulder, he muttered under his breath, "A Fly Head..." He noticed a small cursed spirit perched on the girl's shoulder. 'I guess it's fine to leave it alone. It will be trouble if I do a bad job and she thinks I'm some shady medium,' he thought.
Their supervisor made his rounds, greeting everyone with a cheerful, "Hello everybody! How's it going?"
Nanami sat with a newly hired employee, offering him advice.
"Remember, when clients give us their money, they're entrusting us with their lives. It's important to balance the benefits and risks. But at the beginning, just focus on facing the clients with sincerity. Remember this."
The newbie nodded eagerly, responding with a confident, "Yes!"
Their supervisor walked up behind Nanami, his tone slightly playful. "Don't make it sound so rigid, Nanami. You'll scare the newbie. Our top priority is the company's profit, which ultimately benefits our clients," he said.
Nanami didn't hold back, saying bluntly, "Even if it means persuading clients to buy stocks that won't rise?"
"Of course!" The supervisor answered with confidence. "This is the legitimate reward for us who watch the market 24 hours a day. Isn't this your second year, Nanami? You're clever. You should let loose. I have high expectations of you." Having said that, the supervisor walked away.
'I'm a person who does not have a concept of what is worth doing, and what is worth living for. I'll just earn some money until I'm 30 or 40 years old, then I'll enjoy an aimless life in a country with a low cost of living.'
Nanami's daily routine was a never-ending cycle of work, overtime, and exhaustion. 'Four years after graduation, I think about money all the time. Curse or other human beings, I can stay away from them if I have money.'
'Money. Money. Money. Money,' he kept repeating to himself. 'As long as I have money...'
"Are you okay?" The girl in the bakery asked. "Have you been sleeping well?"
"What about you? You look tired," Nanami asked however, his exhaustion was evident from the dark circles under his eyes that adorned his fatigued face.
"You can tell?" The girl attempted to put on a cheerful front. "I feel that my shoulders are quite heavy recently. Besides, I don't sleep well too."
"My job is to let the rich entrust their money to me and make them richer. To be honest, no one will be sad even if I'm gone. But if the bakery is gone, people who want to eat bread will be sad. But somehow, a job like mine that's outside of such a human cycle gives me a better salary. It's quite strange when I think about it."
"Are you showing off?" The girl asked hesitantly.
"No."
The girl chuckled awkwardly, "I'm sorry. It's quite hard for me to understand."
Nanami asked, "Could you step forward a bit?" as he fixed his gaze on the Fly Head cursed spirit perched on the girl's shoulder.
The girl appeared puzzled but moved forward obediently. Nanami held his arm up and exorcised the cursed spirit in one swift motion, asking her, "How do you feel now?"
The girl was taken aback but moved her shoulders in circles and exclaimed, "Let me see... What? It feels light!"
"Go to the hospital if you still feel sick," Nanami advised. "I'll get going now."
"Wait! Wait!" the girl called out to him, running after him. "Thank you!" she exclaimed gratefully, waving her hand. "Please come again!"
'Thank you...' Nanami thought inwardly.
"Strange. Did he not hear me?" The girl wondered. "Thank you! Please come again!" She shouted once more.
'I thought I had nothing to live for,' he thought. Nanami's finger hovered over Gojo Satoru's name on his phone. Finally, he pressed the call button. "Hello. It's Nanami. I would like to talk to you... Yes. I'll return to Jujutsu High tomorrow... Why are you laughing?"
"Idle Transfiguration," Mahito said. "I thank you."
Nanami removed his glasses and replied, "No need. I've received enough gratitude," with a small smile. He added, "I have no regrets."
Mahito smirked but the sound of something breaking caught his attention. As he looked up, he saw a fist punching a hole through the barrier above them.
Mahito and Nanami were both caught off guard as Izuku broke through the barrier with a forceful kick, fully entering the domain.
Mahito's eyes widened, 'How did he enter?'
As Nanami began to realize how Izuku had been able to break through, a revelation dawned on him. 'I see,' he thought to himself, 'The greater the barrier, the weaker it is to external attacks. The domain only focuses on closing itself. In other words, it's easy for an invasion to happen because it brings no benefit to the intruder-especially in the cases of Unlimited Void and Self-Embodiment of Perfection, where victory is confirmed by trapping the opponent inside.'
Nanami also quickly realized, 'However, inside Midoriya-kun, there lies something that must not be touched!'
A sinister aura manifested as Mahito came face to face with Sukuna. The air around him felt heavy and oppressive, as though it was suffocating all those present.
"I told you. No second chances," Sukuna spoke with a commanding authority, waving two fingers nonchalantly in a gesture of dominance.
Mahito's shoulder was immediately slashed, causing a torrent of blood to spray out in a gruesome display. The sight left Nanami stunned.
With absolute certainty, Nanami thought, 'There is no one in this world more proud and conceited. He lives guided by his pleasure or displeasure.'
Sukuna appeared indifferent to the chaos and destruction that unfolded around him, his gaze is apathetic over the faces of those who stood before him. 'It's either you die... or you die... It doesn't matter.'
'Except for...' Sukuna thought over Izuku...the brat himself caused him to be even more interested, ' I couldn't care less.'
Sukuna began to fade into the darkness, disappearing as the barrier of the domain shattered into a million pieces. Left in his wake was Mahito, who kneeled on the ground, writhing in agony as rivers of blood gushed from his wounded body.
Izuku surveyed the bleeding and wounded form of Mahito lying before him as he quickly dashed towards the cursed spirit, 'I'll kill you! ' he snarled inwardly.
With a grim smile on his face, Mahito cursed, 'Domain Expansion has used up too much cursed energy. It was truly a last resort. But that scoundrel, Sukuna...' Mahito narrowed his eyes with fierce determination, 'But this is the critical moment! Squeeze it out! The last of my cursed energy!'
Mahito's body began to look like a balloon and swell, growing into a gigantic form.
As Izuku sprinted towards Mahito's gargantuan figure, he observed with a sharp eye. 'The target is large, the flow of his cursed energy is slowing down. There will be no counterattack. I can definitely attack him. It's my last chance. No need for tricks.'
With his katana coated in cursed energy, Izuku unleashed his move, 'Divergent Slash!' He sent a sword strike directly into Mahito's stomach. But to his shock, there was no resistance. Mahito's body seemed to pop like a balloon, disintegrating before his eyes.
'What's going on? I felt nothing,' Izuku thought, bewildered. Suddenly, a movement caught his attention, and he whirled around, only to find Mahito darting towards a nearby drain in a smaller form.
"Bye-bye!"
"Wait!" Izuku called out, but it was too late. With a parting wave, Mahito slinked down the drain, leaving only his words hanging in the air. "It was fun," he said lastly, before vanishing from sight.
Nanami quickly followed Mahito's retreating form with a swift blow from his blade, destroying the drain in the process. But it was too late-the cursed spirit had already escaped
"Tch," Nanami grumbled as he reached for his phone, quickly dialing a number. "Ino-kun, the target has escaped into the sewers. That's right... Please conduct a thorough search of the direction southeast to my location. With his current state, even you should be able to exorcise him."
After ending the call, Nanami turned back to Izuku, only to see the young boy crumpling to the ground.
"Midoriya-kun!" he cried out in alarm.
Inside his mind, Izuku desperately tried to urge his exhausted body to move. 'Move, my body! Weren't you going to kill him?' he thought, frustration and determination coursing through him. But the toll of exhaustion and injuries had finally taken their toll, rendering Izuku unable to move.
As Nanami's voice called out to him, Izuku's consciousness slipped away, succumbing to the harsh reality of his weakened state.
'I need...to make sure...Junpei's....ok'
'He's alright brat...and so is his mother...just rest...you need it'
'I'm...glad'
Sukuna just sighed, "You're interesting while also annoying...can't believe how lucky I am"
He said this sarcastically.