Chapter 16
Kiyoshi was ready.
As agreed he stood next to Sukuna at the beginning of the field. Then Sukuna would give him the signal to start running, after one minute, he will come after him. "I suggest you not get full of yourself, child. You would become something like me." He warned.
"Got it…" Kiyoshi uttered. He never thought of that. But he wants to show Sukuna that he is capable of doing something like this, besides. Snow is now his element!
"When you are ready to start, start, I'll wait the minute and remember, you got to bide time…"
"I doubt you are going to get very far in this…" Kiyoshi said bravely.
Then… that smile came over Sukuna… that evil grin… does… is this nothing for him to contend with?
Either way, he had to be ready.
Kiyoshi began to make his move, first, he summoned a snow tiger and was quick to mount it, and then he had it run as fast as it could across the field. The snow tiger could run with ease through the frosty terrain, in fact, Kiyoshi believed he could reach the other side without much of a problem!
He never looked back and kept moving.
But he heard something disturbing coming from behind him a minute later.
It was the sound of snow being forcefully pushed to the side…
He turned, and was stunned.
Running at full speed… Sukuna nearly caught up to him!
"Damn it!" he stared summoning golems. "Golems, please stop Sukuna!" he called.
The golems moved as he commanded, and yet, Sukuna destroyed them. Merely by plowing through! The tiger began to pick up pace until suddenly, Kiyoshi was thrown off!
He flew through the air and rolled across the snow. Before he could sit up, Sukuna placed his foot on his chest. "Dead" he decreed. "Again,"
When he took his foot off, Kiyoshi stared at him with disbelief.
"How… can you run that fast through the snow?!" he demanded. "I remember seeing a video of a moose doing that!"
"Moose?" Sukuna asked. "Ah… those massive beasts that lives elsewhere… I suppose that is rather accurate, same principle. A beast large enough, can overcome something a simple as snow. You also don't take into consideration WHO you are up against. Like your brat of a father, he assumes, one sometimes goes off of the appearance of a sorcerer or even curse for that matter without truly understanding their opponent's leverage over theirs…"
"Why do you call my father a brat?"
Sukuna peered at him. "To me, everyone is a brat. He just pisses me off."
Harsh and yet honest, Kiyoshi merely nodded to that and didn't question him farther… and yet… "You called me that before, now you call me child…"
"Don't look into it,"
"But, how did you move so fast?"
Sukuna smirked. "What did I just explain?" he asked of him. "You don't take into consideration WHO you are up against. You know I have lived for over a thousand years, and you don't think I haven't gone to war before in a snow covered battlefield?"
Kiyoshi froze to that. No, he didn't consider it.
"I understand," he said meekly. "Okay, let's try again."
The same a small smirk come over Sukuna, one of intrigue or perhaps he is starting to enjoy himself.
#
"Dead"
"Dead"
"Dead"
"Dead"
"Dead"
"Dead"
"Dead"
He heard that more often than not today. Kiyoshi was starting to get a little frustrated at this point. No matter what he tried, how he tried to get ahead or even slow him down. He couldn't. He was always stopped and was always told. "Dead… start again,"
Sukuna… was truly this strong and that is no curse or elemental energy at his beck and call.
His last defeat left Kiyoshi lying in the snow. Since he realized that Sukuna has been going easy on him this whole time!
He thought for sure that he would get ahead, he left a large enough army to hold him back. The snow golems were given the command to stop him by any and all means possible! Kiyoshi even shrunk the golem tiger he has been using to get away, the smaller the beast the lease amount of resistance against the wind and snow.
However, he was about half way to his goal, when he heard something rushing towards him once more! Kiyoshi turned, his tiger turned to powder as it was stuck with a massive force of snow! Then, before he even hit the ground, Kiyoshi was struck three times with snowballs!
Since then, he has laid on the ground, staring up into the sky… until Sukuna peered over at him. "Dead" he decreed.
"Don't remind me…" Kiyoshi sighed. Slowly he sat up and sneered. "You didn't even move, did you?" Sukuna's smile was wicked, he didn't even move from where he stood at the starting line! "DAMN IT!"
"Don't take it too bad, child. You put up some effort I will admit, as well, for someone so young, using a power not many could possibly understand… it's rather admirable."
Kiyoshi paused as he stared at Sukuna. "Are you saying that I'm a good student or something?"
"It's more than that,"
Sukuna froze. Kiyoshi snickered as Chusi approached. "You two were certainly having a good time. Nice shot babe," she said and winked to Sukuna. Of course he didn't acknowledge the fact he was having fun, but he did help Kiyoshi.
"I don't suppose he taught one other lesson yet has he?" she asked offhandedly.
Kiyoshi paused as he peered at Sukuna once more.
"I was getting to it," he muttered. "Ahem… You do realize the longer we fought, the more of an advantage I gained, didn't you?"
Kiyoshi stood up, he was utterly confused by the statement. "We're surrounded by snow!" he protested.
Chusi giggled until she looked about. Kiyoshi got the hint and began to peer over his surroundings as well, only to realize what Sukuna meant.
Every time he ran after him, every time he rushed or Kiyoshi fled or his golems moved… the snow was compacted down. Before it was up to Sukuna's knees. Now, he could walk on it without issue. When the snow is crushed like this, it is far more difficult to manipulate.
"We compacted the snow…" he whispered.
"This child HAS to have been adopted, considering his brat of a father…"
"Itadori," Chusi said sternly. "Yuuji… Itadori…"
He froze oddly enough. Yet quickly went back to the topic at hand. "You saw the flaws of this, and now you know not to underestimate you opponent correct?"
Kiyoshi nodded.
"Besides, child. You are too reliant on snow. What's stronger that is easily formed in winter?"
Kiyoshi was going to answer, until his stomach roared.
"I didn't realize how hungry I was…"
RRRUUUMMMBBBLLLEEE!
The ground shook a little, Kiyoshi froze as Sukuna appeared a little… embarrassed himself. "Huh, guess I am too. We will break for lunch."
He left first, Kiyoshi lingered but found Chusi walking next to him with the biggest grin on her face. "Why are you so happy?" he asked of her.
She leaned over and whispered. "I really appreciate you helping Ryomen like this, also, it shows me, he can be a good father too…"
He froze in his steps.
Is that what this is all about?!