I do not own Jujutsu Kaisen or any of the characters.
Special Grade
Shinji stopped, his right arm freezing just as it was about to kill the Cursed Spirit. Kasumi pivoted around him, slashing it, then turned back to him, only to see him still standing frozen, eyes wide but staring unblinkingly.
"What is it?" Kasumi asked.
He slowly straightened up, looking around. "Kasumi, let me borrow your phone for a moment."
She frowned but handed it to him and he dialed Gojo's private number.
"What's up, Miwa?" Gojo answered. "Isn't it a little insubordinate to call a teacher from the opposite school as you're-"
"It's Shinji," Shinji interrupted.
"What?" Gojo asked, Shinji knowing he heard the seriousness in Shinji's tone. "Hey, Mei Mei, show me Shinji and Kasumi. I see you. What is it?"
"My usual source says that the Grade Two, which was actually a Semi Grade One, is dead," Shinji said.
"Really?" Gojo asked. "Well that's-"
"Gojo!" Shinji snapped. "I need your permission!"
Gojo was silent for a long while before speaking again. "If you really need to use it, do it. But be careful, and don't jump the gun if you don't have to."
"I know," Shinji said. "I won't." He hung up and passed the phone back. "You need to go and find the others. Maki and Mai. Tell them that there's an Unregistered Special Grade in the forest somewhere, and they need to gather everyone they can, but not to separate under any circumstance."
"What about you?" Kasumi asked.
"I'm going to find it and slow it down," Shinji said. "I can sense it somewhere, and it's overlapping my sense for both Inumaki and Junpei."
"What!?" Kasumi gasped. "No way! If you're planning to fight them, I can-"
"It would kill you in a second, Kasumi!" Shinji snapped. "Believe me, you're very powerful, but you're not ready for a Special Grade."
Kasumi fell silent, tears welling in her eyes before she nodded. "Be careful."
"I will," Shinji nodded. "Maki and Mai should be that way. I can sense them fighting. If you hurry, you can catch them before they separate."
Kasumi nodded, turning and sprinting the way he had pointed, Shinji sprinting the other direction, toward the flood of oppressive Cursed Energy he sensed. Finally, after a longer series of jumps than he liked, he reached the one-sided battle. Fushiguro, Kamo, and Inumaki were all struggling to flee from a massive wall of growing, sharp-pointed roots, or trees, that were pursuing them. Just as he landed behind them, firing off a massive beam of Cursed Energy, blasting the roots apart, another wall exploded into the front gate of the compound they were in, all four scattering.
"Ichinose!" Fushiguro said.
"Shinji!" Shinji corrected him. "Inumaki, it's a Special Grade, isn't it?"
Inumaki nodded mutely, his collar unzipped currently.
"We need to get out of here!" Kamo said.
"Yes, you do," Shinji nodded, forming himself a massive weapon formed of a gigantic, single-edged blade with a five-handed grip at one end of the back. "Very quickly."
"What the hell do you think you can do!?" Kamo demanded.
"Unlike all of you, at my strongest, I'm somewhere around a Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer," Shinji said. "All three of you, run away right now! If you can get ahold of Todo and Itadori, send them here!"
"If only Gojo was here!" Fushigura said.
"We don't need him yet," Shinji said.
Just then, they all stopped, looking up as a Veil began to expand above them, rapidly growing downward and casting a yellowish light on all of them until it was fully formed.
"I'm calling him," Fushiguro said.
He pulled out his phone, only for the Special Grade to appear, punching the phone and smashing it. Shinji spun, catching a glimpse of it before it struck. It had white skin with black lines spread over its body. It had a right arm, but its left was either missing or wrapped in the cloth around the left side of its torso. It wore a pair of baggy black pants on its legs, and had black claws for toes. In all, it looked almost human, except for the roots extending where its eyes should be and curving upward like horns, its off-white skin and black fingers and toes, and what looked like bone plating on the rest of its head. It definitely didn't lack for power, as when its fist exploded into Shinji's right arm, he exploded backward into the wall of shattered roots, though thankfully he was able to use Cursed Energy to prevent himself from being impaled by the broken ends.
"All of you go, now!" Shinji ordered, exploding forward as his massive weapon shone and shifted into a pair of trench knives like he'd used against Mahito.
They ignored him. In fact, they did the exact opposite. Kamo used his Cursed Technique of controlling blood to send a shuriken of blood slamming into the Special Grade's head, leaving no mark at all, before Fushiguro sent his Nue Shikigami exploding into the Curse, also not leaving a mark, nor did Fushiguro's black-bladed sword when it slammed into the Curse's thigh a moment later. Then, suddenly, the Special Grade said something as it evaded Shinji, however, none of them could understand for a moment. Until the meaning of the words simply appeared in their heads.
"Stop it, foolish children!" the Special Grade's surprisingly feminine voice ordered as it reached up to the cloth around its left side. "I merely wish to protect this planet, that's all."
"It's a Curse spouting nonsense!" Kamo said. "Don't listen!"
"Shut up, Kamo!" Shinji snapped at him. "This is no ordinary Curse! It's no less intelligent than you are! It's one of two Gojo fought, and it's the second I've fought as well, making a total of at least three."
"He's right," Fushiguro said. "This is on a whole different level than lower-Grade Cursed Spirits."
"The forests, the oceans and the skies all weep so vehemently that I can no longer stand it," the Curse said. "It's impossible to coexist with humans any longer. The Earth knows that there are some humans that are kind to it, but how much does that insignificant amount of affection help?" It raised its arm and head, as though worshiping the sky. "All they desire is time."
"Get out of here!" Shinji growled. "I can't beat this, especially without going all out!"
"This planet can shine through," the Special Grade said. "All it requires is a bit of time." It held its arm out to the side in a one-armed Jesus pose just as roots exploded up from the ground behind it, Shinji shifting his trench knives into a pair of wakizashi. "Time without humans! Please die and become sages!"
"Run now!" Shinji ordered, exploding forward as the attack began.
Instantly, the other three fled as Shinji flipped over the roots, spinning and slashing, a shockwave of Cursed Energy flying out of his blades, blasting the roots they couldn't reach apart. Then, as he landed, he crossed the sword, only for the Special Grade's fist to explode through them, sending him exploding backward. He flipped, landing on his feet and coughed up blood before ducking aside from a punch.
"Not good enough!" Shinji roared, scarlet Cursed Energy coating his fist in a gauntlet before it exploded against the Special Grade's face.
It exploded backward, and Shinji exploded after it, only to launch himself away as roots swarmed toward him. But he could still see the Special Grade through the gap.
"Once again!" Shinji shouted, a scarlet sphere forming in his palm. "Replicated Technique! Cero!"
The attack, a replica of one from Bleach thst his Curse half had figured out on a whim, exploded away from him, obliterating the roots before hitting the Special Grade and exploding. Then, as the dust began to settle, he spun, barely managing to deflect the Special Grade's fist, then flipped over several roots. Then, he drilled his fist into its cracked, chipped head, sending it exploding into the ground. It flipped instsntly, drilling a fist into his gut and sending him flying.
"You have potential, but you're not nearly strong enough alone," the Special Grade said.
"We'll do this in small increments," Shinji growled. "You have thirty seconds. Make them count!"
The Curse took over and exploded forward. The Special Grade met him, their fists meeting, only for Shinji's curse to skid backward. As it stopped, roots exploded forward, only for Shinji's Curse to lean forward, its long, blade-like horns aimed at the roots and the Special Grade. A second later, a scarlet Cursed Energy sphere spiraled into existence in the space between the ends of his horns before exploding outward. The power had multiplied from Shinji's, so when the blast exploded, the Special Grade rocketed away. Shinji's Curse exploded forward, forming itself a long ninjato, and when roots burst out of the ground, its right arm became a blur, shredding his way through. He slashed at the Special Grade, but it punched through the sword, though at the cost of its arm being split halfway to the elbow. Shinji's Curse avoided the fist himself, however, and his foot snapped up, slamming into the Special Grade's face. The eye trees both shattered, and cracks formed over its entire face, and it exploded backward, cratering the ground. Shinji's Curse formed an enormous spear, and it fell from above, stabbing downward at the Special Grade, only for its hand to catch the spear. Shinji's Curse roared, shoving downward, then formed a second with his free hand and stabbed downward, but the Special Grade avoided it. However, as the spear met the ground, the spear's tip erupted into a massive explosion, hurling them both. As both landed, Shinji's Curse hurled his remaining spear just before Shinji retook control. The Special Agrade avoided the spear, allowing it to hit the Veil and erupt, the fireball making the trees below it look like grass to a beach ball.
Shinji swore, exploding forward, only for the Curse to catch his right arm and swing him around, smashing him to the ground hard enough to ahatter it. Before he could kill Shinji, however, Shinji grit his teeth.
"You have thirty seconds!" Shinji roared.
The roar became that of his Curse before its fists exploded into oposite sides of the Special Grade's face, rocking it backward before jumping to its feet and roaring, drilling its right fist into its head. Then his knee as he pulled the Special Grade's face downward sharply, then his other fist, then his foot in a roundhoue kick. The Curse sailed backward, and Shinji's Curse pursued it. However, just as he reached it, Maki appeared behind it, slashing and breaking her sword against its forearm harmlessly.
"You can't harm me with that dull sword," the Special Grade said. It avoided Fushiguro's sword, however, losing an eye tree. "Now that sword isn't so bad."
Shinji's Curse exploded forward, swiping a hand along the remains of Maki's blade and forming a Cursed Energy blade for her. Maki didn't question it, and neither did Fushiguro. Either they recognized Shinji's Curse's arms, or they simply were banking on the new unknown curse to target the bigger fish first. All three reached the Special Grade together, slashing, only for it to vanish, roots exploding from the ground, which Shinji's Curse blasted instantly with a beam of Cursed Energy. Then, as it landed, control onve again shifted back to Shinji.
"I see," Maki said. "So your Cursed Technique is actually just a Curse. You're just like Itadori."
"Not hardly," Shinji said. "My Curse isn't anywhere near Sukuna's level, even at only two fingers. It's nothing like Rika, either. It's barely at one of Sukuna's Fingers, and thst's being generous."
"We're wasting time!" All three exploded forward again, but as they did, the Special Grade lost patience.
Its first blow drilled Shinji down into the ground. The second sent Fushiguro bouncing away, and when he pushed himself up, there was a plant with a pair of mouths growing from his abdomen. The third strike nearly impaled Maki through the heart, though she managed to nearly evade it, suffering only one bicep being punctured.
"You should stop using Curse Techniques," the Special Grade warned Fushiguro. "That bud implanted inside of you now loves Cursed Energy, and the more it feeds on, the further its roots will grow inside of you."
"Why bother with the warning if you're going to kill us anyway?" Fushiguro growled.
"It seemed faster if I-"
"You have five-"
"Shinji, Maki, Fushiguro!" Kasumi's voice shouted.
"-minutes!"
Scarlet Cursed Energy exploded up around Shinji as he gave the order, feeling his Curse's rage and frustration, as well as fear, mix with his own. As the Cursed Energy faded, the Curse snarled, its ninjato now so focused it shone, and a wave of malice and hostility flooding from it so thickly that it was almost suffocating.
"No way!" Kasumi gasped. "Shinji is...a curse?"
Shinji's Curse roared, exploding forward, and the Special Grade shot forward to meet it, only for the back edge of the ninjato to explode into its chest, sending it exploding away and sending out a massive shockwave. It shot past Fushiguro and Maki, its hand brushing each of them. Instantly, the plant growing from Megumi crumbled and Maki's arm healed, both gaping at their healed wounds. Then, Shinji's curse reached the Special Grade, slashing with the sharp edge of his sword. It avoided it, but as it did, a massive shockwsve tore along the ground all the way to the Veil. Shinji's Curse spun, but the Special Grade's fist greeted its face. He spun, slashing and splitting its side open, only for roots to explode up around Shinji's Curse. They explkded together before whipping and hurling him away, and he flipped, landing on the ground before toaring again. Suddenly, a dozen Cursed Energy ninjato formed in the air around it as two more formed in its hands and it exploded forward. Suddenly, it was striking rapidly with all fourteen blades, not having to touch the twelve it was controling telepathically. Its blades whirled around and around, streaking outward in stabs and slashes, shredding any roots that attacked and sheering off pieces of the Special Grades body rapidly, only for them to almost instsntly reform. Swords became spears, which became scythes, which became axes. The never-ending string of strikes constantly altering their frequency and style as the weapons shifted forms. Shinji's Curse traded his dual swords for a flail, a kusarigama, chakrams, windmill shuriken, a mallet, a morning star, daggers, brass knuckles, and spiked gauntlets. The Special Grade couldn't keep up.
Until it could. The tide of the battle shifted so dramatically that no one even saw the shift. One moment it was being completely dominated. The next, a full forest's worth of roots had exploded through Shinji's Curse's weapons and slammed him to the ground, pinning him. Then, the Special Grade was over him, slamming its fist down into his face again, and again, and again.
"Shinji!" Fushiguro shouted.
Then, the assault was over. Todo and Itadori both announced their arrival with a fist to the Special Grade's face, sending it bouncing away from Shinji's Curse. It raised a trembling hand to its shattered face, using a Reversed Curse Technique to restore its body before control returned to Shinji, the Curse side of his soul slipping into unconsciousness for the first time since they'd merged. Shinji groaned, scraping himself up off the ground.
"You alive?" Todo asked seriously.
"I am," Shinji said. "I'm not so sure about the other one. At least, not yet. Hooefulky he's just sleeping, but I'll worry about that once this thing's dead."
"We'll take over," Itadori said.
"I'm going to help where I can," Shinji said. "I can attack from range, or act as a distraction."
Todo and Itadori both nodded, only for Todo to turn, walking away from the Special Grade as Panda arrived to take Fushiguro and Maki away from the fight.
"What are you doing?" Shinji asked Todo.
"I won't lift a finger to help Itadori until he lands a Black Flash," Shinji said. "Hear me? If you can't do that, I'll just stand here and watch you die!"
"What's a Black Flash?" Shinji asked.
"You don't know?" Todo asked. "As experienced as you are?"
"You can talk?" Itadori asked. "There's something I want to ask you. Are you allied with a humanoid Cursed Spirit who has a patchwork face?"
"Mahito," Shinji said.
"And if I say I am?" the Special Grade asked.
Itadori dropped punching the ground and sending an explosion of dust and debris at the Special Grade, who had formed a sphere of tangled roots over his right hand. Then, he shot forward, avoiding the sphere as the Special Grade hurled it at him. Then, he slammed a trio of kicks into the Special Grade, knocking it backward. It dropped its guard as it realized thst Itadori's striking power was relatively low, though only because it didn't know he held back. Then, Itadori exploded forward, drilling a punch into its gut and sending it skidding backward, though the power was still relatively low. A massive root shot forward and Itadori leapt backward as Shinji hurled a Cursed Energy chakram, severing the root and stopping its growth. As he glanced back at Itadori and Todo, however, Todo slapped Itadori.
"Anger is an important trigger for sorcerers," Todo said. "Sometimes they can be taken down purely because they accidentally angered their foe. The opposite is also true. Simetimes they lose because their own anger disrupts their Cursed Energy, so they can't exercise their abilities. Your friend has been wounded, and worse yet, they've rained on you honeymoon with me, your best friend, so I can really understand why you'd be boiling with rage. But that rage is too much for you. Put it away for now." Then, he slapped him again. "Are those stray thoughts gone now?"
"Yeah!" Itadori grinned, punching one hand into the other. "All better! Thank you so much, best friend!"
Shinji retreated to Todo as Itadori stalked forward again. "So, what is a Black Flash?"
"It's a distortion of space born from the impact of Cursed Energy delivered within a trillionth of a second of a blow," Todo explained quietly enough that the Special Grade wouldn't hear him. "It delivers two point five times the strength of a normal blow. There are no sorcerers who can consistantly use Black Flash. However, between those who have experienced Black Flash and those who have not, their distance from the core of Cursed Energy is like of Heaven from Earth." He paused a second as Itadori began to focus so hard he began to drool, the Special Grade readying himself. "The instant Cursed Energy impacts within a trillionth of a second of a blow, space is distorted, and Cursed Energy flashes black.
At that exact moment, Itadori's Cursed Energy flashed black for a split second as his fist met the Special Grade's. Its arm was blown apart instantly, and Todo grinned.
"He's grown," Todo said.
"Now we help him?" Shinji asked.
"Do you have the energy to?" Todo asked.
"I can manage," Shinji said. "But my usual ace is down for the count, so I'm down to just the one arm and my projections."
Todo nodded, walking forward as Itadori stared at his hands in confusion. "Now you understand the taste of Cursed Energy. Up until now, you've just been throwing an ingredient you've never tasted before into a pot and boiling it without knowing why. But after experiencing Black Flash, and understanding the taste of your ingredient, your Cursed Energy, you stand on a completwly different level as a chef than you did three seconds ago. Congratulations, Brother. You can become strong."
"Enough talking," Shinji said. "We need to get back to work."
Itadori and Todo both turned as the Special Grade's arm regenerated.
"It can heal?" Itadori asked.
"Its body is made of Cursed Energy, so until it runs out, assume it can heal," Shinji said. "Unless you crush the head."
"Right," Todo nodded, he and Itadori both taking identical stances with their right hand held up across their torsos and their left behind themselves. "What do you say you and I get cooking, brother?"
"Yeah," Itadori nodded.
"I'm taking the lead," Shinji said quietly. "I'll draw attention, then you two use your power to deal damage."
Todo and Itadori nodded just as the Special Grade reached up to the cloth on its left side.
"It seems, I should take you two a little more seriously, even if your diversion is an annoyance at best," The Special Grade said, ripping the cloth off.
Below it, there was a black arm with a rose the size of its head on top of its shoulder. Then, just before Shinji and the others could charge, it slammed its hands into the ground. The difference was immediately obvious. The roots that exploded from the ground were easily three times faster, and within seconds of dodging around them, and then leaping from one to another, they wefe so high in the air that the trees looked like grass, and still the roots were coming.
"That's a wide-range attack!" Itadori shouted as they finally stopped.
"Don't falter!" Todo said. "Wide-ranging attacks have less speed and power!"
Just then, the Special Grade burst out of the roots behind them, flicking small bits of wood at them like bullets. All three avoided them, Shinji exploding forward instantly. His fist exploded into the Special Grade's black left forearm and it brushed his arm aside, its right fist throwing a punch, which exploded into a Cursed Energy shield he had formed on his left arm. He sailed backward, but before the Special Grade had noticed the real threat, both Todo and Itadori had reached it. Both of their fists exploded into its face, hurling it backward. However, as they landed, the roots were auddenly gone, compressed into a sphere as tall as the Special Grade, on which it was standing. Shinji swore. They weren't real roots. They were a manifestation of its Cursed Energy.
Then, as they were falling, three roots stabbed down at them. Todo and Itadori kicked off of eachother's feet to throw themselves out of the way, and Shinji raised his hand, firing a beam of Cursed Energy. The Special Grade leapt out of the way, allowing the sphere to be blasted, the spear heading for Shinji also being blasted apart. However, there was still nothing for Shinji to land on, so he flipped, punching the ground as he landed, the concussion breaking his momentum just enough to spare him any injury, Todo and Itadori both landing hard. However, as soon as they had all landed, they were off agsin. The Special Grade swung a hand, a field of flowers appesring, only to erupt into a massive formation of root spikes. All three avoided it, and continued to charge as the Special Grade began to shout.
"Mahito, right now, I'm enjoying a fight!" it shouted. "I'm enjoying a fight, Mahito!"
"Enjoy this!" Shinji roared, drilling his fist into the Special Grade's face, trying to time his application of Cursed Energy with the strike.
However, he failed to produce a Black Flash. The Special Grade staggered backward and Itadori and Todo leapt over him.
"You're not angry enough!" Todo said, just before a root snagged his ankle.
As it began to swing him around, Itadori began to trade blows with the Special Grade. Then, the root hurled Todo, a massive wall of spikes growing to meet him. However, before he reached it, he clapped, and suddenly it was the Special Grade who was impaled. Itadori froze, bht Shinji's arm snapped up, firing a massive blast of Cursed Energy. The blast hit just as the Special Grade began to recover from its surprise, exploding and sending it flying.
"I see," the Special Grade said, pushing itself up, already healed. "It's simple, and yet, therefore, it's a troubling technique you have."
"Yes," Todo agreed. "It's simply swapping my position for that of my opponents! The Boogy Woogy!"
"Let's do it!" Shinji said, all three charging.
"By the way, clapping my hands is necessary to activate it!" Todo shouted, swapping with the other two rapidly several times.
Then, they began to strike again and again. Every couple of trikes, Todo clapped, the constant changes keeping the Special Grade from being sble to keep up, due to not knowing who he was swapping with. Itadori drilled a fist into its back, then Shinji to its gut. Todo drilled several punches into its front as Itadori swung for the back ot head. Todo clapped and Itadori's fist exploded into the Special Grade's face at the same time as Shinji's slammed into its spine. Todo clapped again and Hinni spun in a circle, now in front of the Special Grade. It punched down at him, but Todo clapped twice, switching with first Shinji, then Itadori, who blocked the strike just as Shinji's fist exploded into one side of the Special Grade's ribs as Todo's exploded into the other side. Blood sprayed from its mouth just as Shinji formed a blade from the back of his forearm past his fist and slashed it up the side. Todo slammed a pair of kicks into its front as Itadori slammed several punches into its back. Then, Todo clapped, the punch meant for him passing over Itadori's head before a second clap allowed Todo to drill a knee into its gut, doubling it over before swapping with Itadori again, allowing Itadori's uppercut to slam into its chin. Then, As Shinji jumped for a Cirsed Energy Gauntlet empowered Superman punch, Todo clapped twice, leaving Shinji in front of the Curse, Itadori now behind it, jumping and throwing an aerial round kick at the back of its head. Both strikes hit, fracturing the head and sending blood and bits of its body flying, as well as its eye trees, but they didn't kill it. By the time the assault continued, it had healed. And then, Shinji landed a Black Flash, then another, then another. The Special Grade began to turn to Todo as he clapped and it spun toward him, expecting Itadori, only for his strike, a fourth Black Flash, to crash into its back.
Then, Shinji exploded forward. As he did, he allowed himself to do what he never did. Remember. Remember the emotions he'd felt during his Curse's creation. Remember the emotions when Gojo and Nanami showed up to exercise it, when he'd foolishly tried to fight them. Remember the feeling of the reason for him bearing his Curse's arm and soul. And then, he allowed himself to feel the rage that this Special Grade Curse had nearly killed his own Curse. Rage boiled inside of him. Pain boiled inside of him. And then, Todo clapped, and instead of the side of the Special Grade's head, his fist exploded into its face. His scarlet Curse Energy exploded, sending it rocketing away, toward Itadori, just as the Special Grade hurled a pair of root spheres into the air. Todo clapped again, and Shinji's elbow exploded down on it, his Curse Energy once again exploding.
"Faster!" Todo ordered, beginning to clap rapidly as Itadori and Shinji charged.
Shinji threw a kick, Todo allowing it to hit and throw the Curse's upper body off the ground before the three of their blows began to rain against the Curse yet again. Amid the flurry of attacks, Shinji used his weaker left arm to fire a blast of Cursed Energy, destroying the two spheres just before they could fire wood spikes at anyone. More and more blows began to rain against the Curse, all three putting their all into it. Finally, Shinji felt his own Curse stir, and its rage instantly roared through him, adding to his own as well as getting itself up and raring to go. He couldn't maintain control for long, but just long enough. If they shared a soul, they shared senses.
"You have one try!" Shinji shouted.
Then, the next time his fist met the Special Grade, it was the Curse in control, and their shared Curse Energy flared black. The Special Grade's chest burst open, and Todo grinned as Itadori cheered. Control shifted back to Shinji, and he dropped, punching at an angle. Todo understood instantly, and placed him at the Curse's side. As Shinji's fist connected, his Cursed Energy flashed black a second time, shattering the Special Grade's leg bones, but hit next uppercut wasn't a Black Flash. However, even as he fought, he felt something stir in the back of his mind, an understanding. If he could land a Black Flash, and gain the enhanced awareness and control of Cursed Energy, he could use it to finally achieve Domain Expansion.
Finally, the Special Grade began to adapt. It timed the strikes to use roots to escape them, then when Todo swapped with it to get it back, the roots it had formed as a followup attack, struck where it had been. When Itadori attacked it, his Black Flash hit at the same time as the Special Grade's own punch. However, Shinji's it hadn't seen coming. He drove his left arm's blade, the same as earlier, into its back and ripped upward, then slammed a right-handed punch into its back just as he ripped the blade out. Todo seapped the Special Grade and Itadori, and Shinji grabbed Itadori by the collar, hurling him into the air. Todo swapped with Itadori at the peak of his jump, and Shinji leapt to Itadori, hurling him a second time. Then, he begsn to fend off the Special Grade. When itadori and Todo met, they leapt off of each other's feet again, sending Itadori streaking down at the Special Grade. Then, he swapped places with the Special Grade. It looked around in confusion, Shinji leaping away from Todo. However, just as Itadori was about to crash down on Todo, Todo swapped back with the Special Grade, then with Shinji. Itadori's strike wasn't a Black Flash, but it embedded the Special Grade in the ground. Then, Itadori leapt free just as Ahinji's shining, scarlet spear reached the Special Grade, exploding. The Special Grade flipped to its feet, a massive flower exploding from the ground and opening, revealing dozens of the Same buds as Grey had been hit with. However, when they fired, Todo clapped his hands, swapping the Special Grade's position with Itadori directly. The buds didn't hurt the Curse, and Todo dispelled his Cursed Energy entirely just before they hit him, all of them bouncing off. Shinji grinned. He figured it out. Then, just as the Special Grade realized he was still falling, his fist exploded into the top of its head, sending it exploding into the ground. Todo's foot punted its head, then swapped with Itadori, allowing him to punch the Special Grade in the chest, hurling him. Shinji grabbed him and spun, hurling him after the Curse before Todo swapped with Itadori, keeping the momentum for himself before drilling both feet into the Curse's head. A moment later, as they reached it, they were at the site the battle started. Then, as Itadori pulled ahead of Todo, he swapped Itadori with a three-part pole Maki had left behind.
Hinji skidded to a stop, taking aim. He focused hard, pushing as much Cursed Energy into the replicated Cero as he could while maintsining control. This would have to be his last projection. He had already burned through too much. He focused on the Cursed Energy, disrupting its flow to make it fight against itself, increasing its destructive potential. Bolts of Cursed Energy like lightning began to flash from it. The timing needed to be perfect, but he could tell at a glance that Todo knew his plan. Todo's strike with the weapon, empowered further than its own limits by his own Cursed Energy hit hard, but the Special Grade was still standing. It drew in the life force of the plants around it, the rose on its shoukder opening to reveal an eye, which began to shine blindingly. Itadori was standing still, watching. Waiting. Finally, Gojo arrived. The Veil vanished, and the Special Grade's head snapped up.
"Now!" Todo and Shinji both shouted.
A moment later, Shinji was where Itadori had been, then Itadori where Todo had been, the three part pole spinning toward the Special Grade in a blur. It's attention snapped back to them, but as it ducked under the weapon, it was suddenly Todo. The Special Grade swore, but Todo's fist exploded down on the Special Grade. Then, he swapped with Itadori. Itadori's kick was a Black Flash, sending the Special Grade exploding to the ground in front of Shinji.
"Replicated Technique!" Shinji roared. "Gran Rey Cero!"
The blast struck perfectly, swallowing the Special Grade whole and and carried him nearly a quarter mile before exploding into a truly massive blast. Finally, as the smoke cleared, Shinji fell to his knees, panting, and sighed.
"Did you exorcise it?" Todo asked as he and Itadori walked over to him.
"I don't know," Shinji said. "It definitely took a lot of damage, so it's weak, but now it's weak enough that I can't sense it, or maybe I'm the one that's too weak." He looked around. "I don't see Kasumi. She was here before you two arrived."
"We saw her running away," Todo said. "She shoukd be safe."
Shinji nodded, forcing himself to his feet. "Let's go and find the others."
Todo and Itadori held his arms, Itadori over his shoulders and Todo in front of himself, to compensate for the height difference, beginning to help him walk.
"Thanks Todo, Itadori," Shinji said.
"Call me Yuji," Itadori said. "We're friends, after all."
Shinji smiked, nodding, only to pass out, Todo taking him into his arms to carry him alone.
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