I do not own Jujutsu Kaisen or any of the characters.

Failure

Shinji stepped into the station and stopped, eyes wide, as he watched Nanami shredding his way through dozens of Transfigured Humans. Except, half od his body had been burned away down to bone and muscle.

"Nanami!" Shinji shouted, exploding forward as the last Transfigured Human died.

Nanami turned to him and smiled. "You made it this deep, huh?"

"Hang on!" Shinji said. "You have-"

"Wait!" Nanami said. "Maki was also attacked by the Cursed Spirit that did this to me! She's back that way." He pointed away from Shibuya, down a separate tunnel.

"You have ten minutes!" Shinji said, amending the time limit from the one minute he was going to give.

Yuma shot forward in his usual Curse form, setting his hand on Nanami's shoulder as Reverse Cursed Energy shone from his hand. Nanami's flesh regenerated, but it was almost entirely scar tissue. It wasn't bad, but it was definitely going to show forever. Then, once he'd finished with Nanami, he pointed to Kasumi, then the ground before exploding down the tunnel Nanami had indicated. Finally, he reached two more burned bodies. One was beyond saving, but the other was still clinging to life. He knelt, placing his hands on Maki's forehead gently, Reverse Cursed Energy shining from his hands. Unlike Nanami, as Maki healed, so did the scars. by the time it was done, she looked good as new, apart from her hair not having regrown and her shirt having been burned off. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before opening as shape-shifted into his human form, pulling his shirt off before lifting Maki's upper body and pulling the shirt onto her gently.

"Thank you," Maki said weakly.

"You're welcome," Yuma said, picking her up and retaking his Curse form.

He exploded back down the tunnel, reaching the others in about a minute before setting Maki down gently.

"Maki!" Kasumi said, kneeling beside her.

"You're here?" Maki asked, then looked to Nanami. "Good, he found you, too."

"Naobito?" Nanami asked.

Yuma shook his head before giving Shinji back control.

"He was dead," Shinji said. "Kasumi, Nanami, take Maki and head for the surface. "I'll head deeper in and try to rescue Gojo."

Nanami nodded, but Kasumi shook her head.

"I'm not letting you go alone," Kasumi said.

"I'm not," Shinji said, just as Itadori walked into the room. "I'll be with him."

"You're all alive!" Itadori smiled, only for it to drop instantly. "Nanami, you're...and Maki, too!"

"We're alright now, thanks to Shinji," Nanami said.

"Thanks to Yuma," Shinji corrected. "I can only make Reverse Cursed Energy work by kissing someone." He glanced at Kasumi as her cheeks tinted just slightly and she looked away, toward where Gojo should be. "He's the one that healed you."

Nanami nodded and helped Maki to her feet. "Miwa, we're going."

Kasumi hesitated before nodding, hugging Shinji. "Be careful."

Shinji nodded, and the three of them that were leaving headed back the way Nanami had come, since they couldn't be sure Mahito had retreated past where they were.

"Itadori, be careful," Shinji said. "Mahito may be around here somewhere I fought him and weakened him, but he may still be around."

Itadori nodded, and they both turned, heading deeper in. However, before long, they stopped as they found a man in a monk's robe with a scar running horizontally across his forehead, the scar stitched closed but not sealed, as though his body had never bothered to try and heal the wound. Itadori tensed immediately as Shinji stepped forward, narrowing his eyes as he tried to decide how to strike.

"Ah, so you're the one who defeated Mahito so thoroughly," the man said. "He was in such rough shape that it was easy for me to collect him. I thank you."

"Collect him?" Shinji asked. "Oh. Curse Manipulation. You collect and then control Curses, right? I'm guessing you have the Prison Realm with you, then, Geto."

"Perhaps," Geto smiled. "Did you know that catfish used to be associated with earthquakes?" he held out a hand and dangled a Catfish glowing with Cursed Energy. "It was believed that a giant catfish was swimming through tunnels deep in the earth, and that was causing earthquakes."

Just then, a massive pit appeared below Shinji and Itadori, both falling, only to crash down on the still-level ground.

"Did you think you fell?" Geto chuckled. "Looking from the side, it appeared as though you merely flipped over."

Shinji exploded forward, reaching Geto instantly and punching at him, only for a mass of barbed tentacles to explode out of something large, flat, and black suddenly hovering beside Geto, shoving him back to Itadori before slamming both into the ground, the barbs ripping at their flesh.

"So impatient," Geto said. "Fine then, let me ask you this. Do you know about Maximum Techniques? Apart from Domains, they are Cursed Techniques' most supreme art. The Curse Manipulation Technique, Maximum Uzumaki combines all the Cursed Spirits I have absorbed and hits my opponent with super-condensed Cursed Energy." He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Itadori growled as he and Shinji struggled to stand.

"Oh, sorry," he smirked. "I just realized I had suddenly started to act like him. We were talking about Uzumaki. Uzumaki is powerful, but using it means I negate Cursed Spirit Manipulation's main advantage, the great number of moves at my disposal. So, at first, I didn't really find it that exciting. I simply thought of it as recycling Low-Grade spirits. But I was wrong. Its true value is revealed when Semi-Grade One spirits or higher are used and the Technique is extracted." He smirked as he looked up. Above them, Nishimiya from Kyoto was hovering above them on her broom, a lamp hanging from the front.

A second later, three arrows fired at Geto, but he avoided them. A sniper bullet nearly hit him, only for a conjured Cursed Spirit catfish to block it. Then, Kasumi was there. Shinji's heart leapt into his throat, and he rocketed forward just as she slashed. Geto caught her sword and shattered the blade just as a massive spiral of flesh and melted Curses appeared above and behind him. Shinji slashed with a Cursed Energy katana but missed by a hair's breadth. Then, he swept Kasumi into his arms and launched himself to the side, a split second before Uzumaki fired.

"New Shadow Style, huh?" Geto mused. "It's certainly nice facing someone with a little know-how."

Shinji glanced around, ignoring the gaping pit Geto had formed with his attack. Everyone had escaped the strike thanks to Utahime, a man Shinji didn't recognize with a katana, and Panda, currently in his gorilla form.

"Who is that?" Kamo asked.

"It looks like Suguru Geto, but I don't know who's inside," Panda said. Just then, someone else arrived, wearing a loose white shirt with a purple haori, with a strip of blood across his nose and a pair of messy buns on the back of his head. He was panting and staring at Geto with more confusion and animosity than Shinji had ever seen.

"Greetings, Choso," Geto said.

"That guy..." Choso rasped.

"It appears you have noticed," Geto smirked.

"So that's the deal, huh?" Choso snarled. "NORITOSHI KAMO! ! !"

"Noritoshi...Kamo?" Everyone but Kamo and Shinji asked, looking to Kamo.

"Me?" Kamo asked.

"All of you, run!" Shinji snapped, stepping toward Geto, arms crossed and bearing his favored arm blades. "Right now!"

"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked.

"The black mark on the Kamo Family history," the man Shinji didn't know said.

"Noritoshi Kamo, the original, was renown as the evilest sorcerer in history," Shinji explained. "One hundred fifty years ago, he suddenly went dark, and it's debatable if even Sukuna's evil rivaled his."

"Noritoshi Kamo is but one of many names," Geto said. "Call me whatever you want."

"How..." Choso snarled in rage before charging. "How dare you...try to make me kill...my little brother Itadori!?"

"Uh...what?" Shinji asked, looking to Itadori, who looked as confused as everyone else.

Just then, Choso skidded to a stop as someone new appeared beside Geto. It was a child dressed as a monk with snow white hair hanging about chin-length. There was a horizontal line of plum pink across the back of their hair, and Shinji couldn't tell if it was a male or female, even when they spoke.

"Step aside, bottom feeder," the small monk said. "Don't make me wait any longer."

"Get out of my way!" Choso shouted. "I'm his older brother!"

And with that, Choso began the inevitable fight. His blood swarmed to his hands, then fired as an arrow, nearly as fast as a bullet. The monk tried to block it, but it was a distraction. Choso disconnected the arrow just shy of the monk and slashed at Geto, who leapt out of the way. Then, Choso exploded toward Geto. Shinji debated helping, but he knew it was a losing battle even if Choso had Shinji, Itadori, and Aoi Todo as backup. Instead, Shinji raised a hand, sending a blast of Cursed Energy through the ceiling and up through the ground to the surface. Then, he formed seven silhouettes of himself from Cursed Energy. A moment later, the projections had taken everyone but Itadori and Choso to the surface, just as Todo arrived with another that Shinji didn't recognize, a teen dressed as a Butler with his blonde hair parted on the left side of his head and falling to his chin.

"Todo, surface!" Shinji ordered.

Todo grabbed both Itadori and the other person and complied. Shinji turned to the battle ahead of them.

"Where do you think you're going?" Geto asked, still fending off Choso.

"Getting us a little more room for fun," Shinji said. "Choso, let's go."

Choso leapt backward as the monk held up his right hand, the hole in it sealing into a scar. Choso nodded, and he and Shinji leapt up to the surface.

"Choso, stick close to Itadori!" Shinji instructed. "I'll take point with Todo, since Todo's got his Technique and also hasn't had to fight anyone yet!"
Todo and Choso nodded.

"We'll take Prison Realm back, but our first priority is dealing as much damage as possible," Shinji said, just as Geto and the monk reached the surface.

"Ice formation, Frost Calm!" the monk shouted, blowing across his palm at them. Shinji and Todo scattered, and a mass of ice formed around the others, trapping them in place.

"Don't kill them, Uraume," Geto instructed. "We need a messenger."

"Is that enough reason to let them live!?" Uraume asked.

Just then, Itadori, who hadn't been frozen, smashed into Choso, freeing him.

"Whose body do you think that is!?" Uraume demanded, just before Shinji reached him with Todo.

Geto made no move to interfere as the two struggled to land a single blow against Uraume, both failing. He was good. Finally, he slammed a kick into each, as Uraume raised a hand.

"Yuji Itadori alone will be enough!" Uraume said, frigid air drifting from his palms. "Ice Formation, Icefall!"

He slammed his hands into the ground, ice crystals swarming from under them and spiraling into the air before becoming massive spears that fell fast.

"Time to branch out, Yuma!" Shinji shouted, then jumped, flipping to face the incoming spears before waving a hand in front of his chest.

A half-dozen spheres of scarlet Cursed Energy appeared in a line, then exploded outward, scattering as they expanded into blasts, blurred trails chasing them. Then, they met the ice and erupted into massive explosions, blasting the ice into dust. Shinji finished his back flip and met Uraume's glare with his own.

"Way to go, Shinji!" Itadori cheered.

"Don't cheer yet!" Shinji said, narrowing his eyes. "We're just starting this!"

He waved his hand again and sent the same attack streaking at Uraume. Uraume slammed his hands into the ground, and a wall of ice formed, only for three of the blasts to speed up and blast into it. The other three curved over it as Uraume was shielding himself from the ice fragments.

"What!?" Uraume shouted, narrowly escaping the remaining blasts.

His dodge took him close to Shinji, who swore harshly, leaping away from him and flipping. Uraume narrowed his eyes and slammed his hands into the ground, ice flooding up around him.

"Replicated Technique!" Shinji shouted. "Seven Star Sword, Grand Chariot!"

Scarlet light suddenly shone from above them as the seven Projection Clones Shinji had sent into the sky prepared to become ammunition for his attack, everyone's head snapping up. The blasts were arranged into the Big Dipper, and just as everyone saw them, they fired. They streaked downward from above the clouds to the ground in roughly one second, erupting into massive explosions as they hit.

"Where did he get so much power!?" Uraume's voice shouted over the explosions as he leapt out of the cloud of smoke, singled and lightly burned, but largely unharmed.

"Replicated Technique, Destructo Disk!" Shinji shouted, now in front of Uraume, hurling the twin, scarlet, Cursed Energy circular saw blades, then hurled four more in rapid succession.

"Who is this bastard!?" Uraume demanded, one of the saws slicing a jagged scratch into his cheek, another a slightly deeper gash in his side.

The other four missed, but as they passed, Shinji swung his right arm in a circle, the fingers spread, then clenched his fist and ripped it backward. The saws all transformed into Cursed Energy blasts in an instant and rocketed back toward Uraume. He had only enough time to look back before they exploded into him. As the smoke cleared, Uraume exploded toward Shinji rapidly.

"Enough of this!" Uraume seethed. "Just die!"

His hand swiped the ground and massive icicles burst from the ground in a wave, Shinji narrowly avoiding them. However, when Uraume neared the spot Shinji had been, a bolt of Cursed Energy lighting suddenly shattered the ice beside him. His eyes went wide instantly.

"Gran Rey Cero!" Shinji roared, the blast immediately slamming into Uraume and carrying him away before exploding.

"Not bad," Geto commended him.

"ENOUGH! ! !" Uraume seethed, just as a Cursed Energy projection of Shinji appeared behind him.

As Uraume began to spin, crossing his arms to block an energy blast, Todo clapped, swapping Shinji with his projection.

"Black Flash!" Shinji snarled, slamming a punch into Uraume's arms, his Cursed Energy flashing black and sending Uraume hurtling toward the projection again.

"Todo!" Shinji shouted.

As Todo clapped, Uraume spun, throwing a punch at the projection he was expecting to had swapped with Shinji again. Except, he hadn't swapped them. The projection exploded on the spot, hurling Uraume, and Shinji appeared behind him as he landed.

"Domain Expansion!" Shinji shouted, the barrier instantly swallowing Uraume and himself.

Unlike his and Yuma's joint Domain Expansion, like they'd used against Mahito, Shinji's personal Domain Expansion took the form of a massive, pitch-black void, Uraume spun toward Shinji, only for Shinji to vanish.

"One Thousand Hell!" Shinji's voice called, just as countless Cursed Energy projectiles blazed to life around Uraume in a spherical cage. Uraume's jaw dropped as he stared at them.

"No way!" Uraume gaped.

The projectiles, along with the Domain itself, was another Replicated technique, one of the most powerful attacks of the final boss, Xemnas, in one of Shinji's favorite video games, Kingdom Hearts II. Each projectile was a two-foot-long energy blade with rounded ends, and as Shinji swung a hand downward toward Uraume, they all streaked inward with the same speed as his Grand Chariot blasts had earlier. The timing of the release was randomized, however, making it impossible to predict, even by Shinji, and impossible to block, except by Gojo. Uraume formed a sphere of ice around himself, but the first couple dozen projectiles to hit it had reduced it to dust. Then, the projectiles began to slam into Uraume, creating a larger and larger explosion as more and more slammed home. Then, all at once, the Domain and the projectiles that hadn't found their mark yet shattered like glass. Uraume crashed to the ground, the smoke clearing rapidly, as Geto walked over to him from where he'd broken the barrier.

"You did well, Shinji Ichinose," Geto commended him, Shinji panting and hunched forward from exhaustion. "I'll admit, I underestimated you. But this fight is over."

He picked up Uraume's battered, burned body, and smirked, then turned, walking away. Shinji took a step forward, oy to immediately launch himself backward as an enormous Curse with bug eyes, long hair covering its body, and an enormous mouth tried to take a bite out of him, missing by clapped, and suddenly Shinji was beside him, a flood of Curses racing toward them and a woman with long blonde hair, red-lensed goggles on top of her head, a black, sleeveless martial arts vest, jeans, and dark boots standing beside them. There was a long Shikigami hovering behind her, looking like a fleshy dragonfly with small, diamond-shaped, blade-like legs along its body, and a pair of rectangular pieces of bone sticking out of its mouth like a poor imitation of a duck bill.

"They're coming!" the woman said as Shinji glanced where he'd been, seeing a small dagger imbued with Cursed Energy.

"What happened?" Shinji asked.

"Later!" Todo said. "We need to retreat!"

"Right!" the woman nodded.

"They won't let us go that easy!" Shinji said, waving a hand and sending a half-dozen blasts into the flood of Cursed Spirits.

Just from the effectiveness of the blasts, he could tell that their power ranged from Grade 2 to Grade 1. However, the blasts, while nowhere near what he'd used against Uraume, delayed the Cursed Spirits just long enough. The moment the blasts fired, everyone fled. A moment later, the pursuit was back on. Everyone worked together to cover each other as the Cursed Spirits chased them, each using their skills and weapons carefully, Kasumi using a katana formed from her Shikigami's threads and Shinji using a wide range of blasts and projections. Finally, however, they managed to escape, though they were scattered. By the time they got away, Shinji and Kasumi had wound up on their own and had long since lost track of the others.

"Let's find a place to lay low," Shinji said. "We both need rest."

Kasumi nodded, and they headed for one of the many abandoned buildings, making sure it was clear of Cursed Spirits before settling in to rest, setting up a rotating watch between the two of them and Yuma.

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