Chapter 15

Waiting was by far the worst part of the plan, Misaki Yata thought, fighting to not fidget. He was the leader of the team and desperate to act like it. Gone was the grumpy kid, too hot-headed to do anything right. It was high time he went away. That's what Yata kept repeating to himself ever since he arrived in position with his team and had to wait, but it didn't help the anxiety at all. Thus, he was relieved when he heard Sceptre 4's second-in-command speak through the earpiece that has been forced onto him for the sake of communication.

'Visual of the enemy confirmed,' she said, voice distorted by static, but Yata was sure he could hear relief in it as well. He closed his eyes and breathed in, then out. The enemy was here.

'I confirm the enemies are Yukari Mishakuji and Sukuna Gojo only,' Awashima spoke again, moments later. Yata opened his eyes. He knew she didn't mean the Green King and the damned turncoat didn't come and indeed she confirmed observing motion near the van parked some distance away. But that meant- 'Following through with plan B, I regroup with the auxiliary teams.'

'Understood,' Kusanagi replied through the earpiece. Awashima told them, teams one and three, that she wished them luck and Kusanagi answered in a similar fashion. Listening to them pretending to be professional, Yata felt like puking, but he didn't say anything about that out loud. Instead he took out Anna's bead and spoke into it.

'Damned Blues putting us in the first line while they wait and watch,' he grumbled. Some of his teammates behind him muttered with displeasure.

'Ah, Yatagarasu, you might want to put the mike away from your mouth next time you say something like that,' Kusanagi told him, both through the earpiece and the bead. Realising his mistake, Yata felt his cheeks burn.

'I would like to remind you that your task is to merely hold back Mishakuji and Gojo and fall back before they can inflict too much damage, letting Sceptre 4 take care of them,' Awashima spoke sharply through the earpiece. Yata winced, but he couldn't simply back down and apologize, no matter how mature a team leader he was now.

'If it's so easy then why are you not taking the first hit?' he asked, angrily.

'What's going on, Yata?' Kamamoto asked him and this time Yata thought to wrap his hand around the mike, before replying.

'It seems the Black Dog's not out there, so team two is moving onto plan B,' he said quickly, ignoring what Awashima told him through the earpiece. It wasn't like he cared what the damned Blues thought anyway. He smirked and lifted the bead to his face again. 'Let's show the damned Blues what we're made of and stop both Mishakuji and Gojo,' he suggested, earning himself some cheers from the HOMRA members around him.

'I might be too old for your enthusiasm, Yatagatasu, but I too don't like when the Blues order us around under the guise of being the strongest. Let's do our best,' Kusanagi answered. Yata could hear the smile in his voice. He uncovered the mike of Sceptre 4's communication device and turned to look at his team.

'No blood! No bone! No ash!' he shouted, hoping all Blues heard him loud and clear. His team shouted with him the second time and the third.

And afterwards, they waited. It was thoroughly anticlimactic, but it appeared that Neko was much better at delaying the attack than anybody has thought she would be. Not to mention that Mishakuji and Gojo had to go through a series of traps meant to exhaust them as much as possible before they hit the human obstacles on their race to open the path for their King.

With Awashima gone from her vantage point, the task of relaying information about what happened outside was delegated to the small team of Blues operating the Tower's security systems. That they were quiet meant they had nothing to report, Yata supposed, which was probably good. They would warn them if the Green King has made a move, because then everybody was to step away and let him pass right through. Of course, there were traps to exhaust him as well, but no clansman stood chance against a King.

At some point a tremble ran through the building and the most horrible thoughts of the Green clan simply exploding the whole ground floor, rather than fighting through the illusions, aiming to crash the whole structure, filled Yato's mind. He supposed they could get the Dresden Slate out of the rubble afterwards.

Fortunately, it wasn't anything like that. A few minutes after the tremble, one of the Blues reported, his voice shaking as though he has seen something terrifying, that Mishakuji and Gojo have broken through the illusion. Which meant they were on their way up.

Finally!

'Alright, everybody,' Yata called out. 'One of those bastards is on his way up here. Let's show him what HOMRA is made of!' he shouted. His teammates cheered loud and Yata thought briefly that it felt nice. He could get used to this. 'Let's make him regret ever coming here,' he shouted louder and the other clansmen cheered louder in reply.

'No bone! No blood! No ash!' they yelled in unison, this time right on time. No later than the last word was spoken, the fire door in front of them got slashed into pieces and a small, light haired kid holding a green, crackling scythe, walked in.

Sukuna Gojo.

Which, Yata realized with some worry, meant that right about now Kusanagi was facing the worse opponent: Yukari Mishakuji.

'Hah, you see to be pretty energetic for a point source,' the kid mocked, stopping a few metres away, legs slightly apart, the scythe casually propped against his shoulder. If he was in any way intimidated by meeting such a numerous group, he showed none of it. Then again, Yata knew first hand that Sukuna Gojo was a formidable enemy. Even with all the HOMRA members present, they should probably be happy if they managed to slow him down without suffering casualties.

'Ah, damn it, I drew the short straw,' the kid said after looking at the gathered Red clansmen. Yata narrowed eyes at him as he scowled. 'Yukari will for sure get more points now,' he said with distaste. And just like that, all of Yata's cool-headedness evaporated.

'What did you say?' he growled, the stick he was holding bursting into flames. Gojo smirked mockingly and confirmed that he was disappointed by the amount of points he'd get for taking down the Red clansmen present.

With a yell, Yata pounced, but when he landed, Gojo wasn't there anymore. He heard the kid laugh and turned around right on time to see and dodge the green scythe that was rushing towards his neck. He missed what happened immediately after, but the shouts of his comrades told him they have also charged into action.

Gojo evaded them all gracefully and then turned to attack, scattering the group all around. He looked like he was having the time of his life and Yata swore to himself he was going to scratch that smile off the impertinent face.

His attack was met with the scythe and a smirk, but at least this time the brat hadn't had the time to get away. Fuelled by that partial success, Yata pushed in two more attacks that got parried before Kamamoto's arrival forced Gojo to jump away. Akagi got him there, almost managing to touch the Green clansman with his baseball bat.

Static cracked in Yata's earpiece, throwing him off his next attack. Angrily, he was about to get rid of the now useless device, but before he could, he heard Kusanagi speak.

'Sorry Seri, we couldn't keep him for long,' he said. He sounded like he had trouble breathing and worry immediately clouded Yata's senses. He had to shake it off, telling himself that Kusanagi was ok. 'Mishakuji is on the way up now,' HOMRA's second-in-command added. The words were followed by a few, heavy breaths. Yata was about to ask what has happened, but Awashima was faster to speak.

'Understood,' she replied, all coolness and professionalism. For a split of a second Yata hated her. 'We're ready for Mishakuji. Take care and get out of the way,' she recommended. Kusanagi confirmed. Right, now he really didn't need the earpiece anymore, Yata thought.

'Yata, watch out,' he heard at the same moment and instinctively stepped to the side, the communication device forgotten. The green scythe buried itself into the floor exactly where he was standing before.

'Any good news in there?' Sukuna Gojo mocked. 'How's the other team doing against Yukari? Or is there nobody to speak to anymore?' he asked, gleeful. With a furious growl, Yata jumped at him, attacking as fast as he could, almost missing a step when he realized he has forced Gojo into defensive. Unfortunately it only lasted a moment, before the kid pirouetted away and Yata, as well as everybody else, had to jump or be slashed with the scythe.

'Damn, that kid's good,' Akagi panted. Yata was also breathing heavily by then and so were, he noticed, all the others. Even Sukuna Gojo, but while they were weary and hesitant, he appeared to be having the time of his life.

Yata had a sudden idea.

'In any case, if you're in it for points than you are losing, since Mishakuji has passed the first team and is on to the next level,' he said. Immediately, a scowl replaced the delighted expression on Gojo's face. Yata smirked: at least he has managed something. 'But I guess not all people can be really good.'

'I'll show you good, you red trash,' Sukuna Gojo hissed.

He attacked like a lightning, striking so fast Yata has barely had the time to raise his weapon to stop the scythe from slashing him in half. Then, before he had the time to think, he pushed the kid backwards, where Kamamoto and Bando were waiting. They attacked in unison and Gojo could only avoid one of them. But even hit by Bando, he has managed to get away.

And now, he was angry.

Yata knew this wasn't good, but he couldn't help feeling the satisfaction for managing to shake up the infuriating brat. He ducked from the next attack of the scythe and dared a counter that just barely missed the Green brat. In fact, Yata was sure his clothes have been singed. He smirked in satisfaction.

Sukuna Gojo erased that smirk from his face in a split of a second. Right after escaping from Yata's attack, he turned to the others and Akagi wasn't quite fast enough in getting away. The scythe sliced clean through the metal rod he was using as weapon and continued undisturbed towards his neck.

Somehow, Akagi managed to turn and the scythe slashed deep into his shoulder instead, his pained scream everything Yata could hear for a moment, the bursting blood everything he could see.

He forced himself out of his stupor and charged, pouncing on Gojo before Akagi has even fallen to the ground. Gojo saw him coming. He parried the blow Yata was sure should have slammed anybody into the ground and threw Yata away.

He skidded to halt not far from a wall, somehow remaining upright, and had just enough time to get his bearings back before Gojo was charging for another attack.

'Captain, the Grey King has allied himself with the Green King. He is at the ground level now, going into the building. I repeat-'

Fushimi's voice nearly shouted through the earpiece Yata has forgotten to take off, finished too abruptly by something that could have been a distant gunshot, paralysing Yata with shock for a moment. It would have been the last moment of his life, because Sukuna Gojo did not waste opportunities, but Kamamoto was there and just barely managed to kick Gojo off course.

'Yatagarasu, get a hold of yourself, there's no time to space out,' Kamamoto yelled, landing and moving back into an attack position. But the words fell on deaf ears. Somehow, Yata immediately realized two things that made it feel like reality was slowly crumbling around his feet.

Saruhiko Fushimi has not betrayed the Blue King. And. That was a gunshot Yata has heard just as the desperate message stopped.

Heart racing a mile a minute, Yata pressed the earpiece into his ear and shouted into the microphone, demanding his friend to answer, to explain, to speak up. To let him know that what he thought he heard hasn't just happened. Some distant part of his brain realized that he was starting to sound more and more hysterical with each second Saruhiko wasn't answering, that his hands were shaking.

'Ho-oh, did that pitiful monkey turn out to be a traitor after all?' Sukuna Gojo asked. Somehow, his voice filtered through to Yata and he stopped shouting for a moment, turning to where the Green clansman was standing, his weapon casually propped against his shoulder, a mocking smile on his face and a gleam in his eyes. 'If that is so then he got what he deserved. He can go rot with that stupid, old King of yours,' he laughed.

Gojo, that brat, laughed. Cheerfully. Because Saruhiko died.

Something snapped.

The edges of his vision blurred red.

Somebody shouted.

The last thing Yata was consciously aware of, before the haze of red took everything away, was the way Sukuna Gojo's eyes widened, suddenly, in a space of a heartbeat, so close as though Yata has somehow jumped the distance between them.