Shohei stood painted in blood with his fists and blade raised to the two special-grade curses across the courtyard.
His left eye flared in orange and yellow light, leaving a streak where he leapt painting the air like the tail of a comet. The eye gave the dark area around him a dim light, flickering like a raging candle. His right eye contoured the space around it and turned the white sclera of the eye black, occasionally blending with whatever black shadow passed behind him.
Semi-cautious of Shohei's sudden capability of escaping their simultaneous attack and extra curious eyes, the curses engaged the teen once again.
Hanami sprinted forward, throwing a massive hook. Shohei ducked effortlessly and pivoted behind the curse who had grown sluggish from their extensive damage. Shohei ceased the curse by the waist, leaned back, thrust his hips, and slammed the curse into the stone tile of the courtyard with a sickening crunch of their neck.
Shohei rose to his feet as the black and white curse attempted to heal what seemed to be an at least partially broken neck. Before Shohei could stomp down on the curse's neck to further worsen the damage or kill it, he was forced to dodge.
Mahito who had remained further back had transfigured his arm into a spiraling drill and fired it at Shohei. A line of flesh remained on the drill that soared off into the forestry behind him. Shohei followed the flesh line like a map back to its owner, and before reaching Mahito, was forced to dodge again.
The line of flesh erupted in spikes, attempting to skewer the teenager as he raced along it. Shohei sprinted up to Mahito, slashing at his neck. Mahito's head seemingly disappeared, and rather than pausing in confusion, Shohei continued slashing.
Mahito's legs went from simply hairy to entire horses legs. The curse danced backwards with no head on his shoulders as Shohei dogged his hooves with a blinding amount of slashes. Tired of chasing the curse down, Shohei reached for the fleshy line trailing after him and pulled it. The curse stumbled forward before severling its arm with his other hand turned into a blade.
Mahito's head emerged from his shoulders like a turtle's from a shell and his arm was replaced by a brand new one like it was never lost.
"Those slashes might've taken off my head," Mahito chuckled with a minor nervous tone.
"I thought you said I couldn't hurt you," Shohei pried, possibly seeing the curse's confident facade slip for the first time all night. "Scared you're now outclassed?"
Mahito scoffed with another grin and with what typically would be disorienting speed to Shohei, had both arms extend outwards as long blades. The blades reached across the small distance and attempted to take off Shohei's head, but he ducked briskly thanks to Tunnel Vision.
The condensing of his mile wide range of sensing gave him the reactionary capabilities to dodge possibly everything the curses threw at him. It also let him have a heightened sense of cursed energy reading that contributed to his ability to dodge as he could read even the smallest fluctuations in cursed energy. There was no getting the drop on Shohei in his mind.
Hanami lunged at Shohei from behind, trying to tackle him. Hanami was generally the exception to the claim that no one could sneak up on Shohei and his vast sensing due to their exceptional stealth and untraceable cursed energy amongst nature, but Shohei was already faster than the curse before Tunnel Vision. Tunnel Vision gave Shohei an almost automatic reaction to anything that entered his ten feet of sensing, a lot like Batto Sword Drawing utilized by Kasumi Miwa and Shohei's teacher Atsuya Kusakabe.
Shohei jumped directly up and came crashing down onto Hanami as they passed under him. Shohei sunk the curved blade of Iguana Talon into the curse's eye socket and didn't stop twisting it until the curse seized him by the ankle and threw him from its back.
Mahito's own sword arms clashed with Iguana Talon, attempting to overpower Shohei with both. Mahito leaned in and attempted to almost crush the boy as he stretched his body to stand taller, looming over Shohei.
Shohei shoved his blade aside and sent the curse stumbling past him. Shohei turned and with a fully reinforced blade of cursed energy, hacked the curse in half at the thinned waist with one slash. The blade didn't even break and began restoring its chipped blade.
Shohei saw the surge of cursed energy commonly appearing before the curse changed his own body and dodged. From Mahito's severed waist erupted a wave of spikes that attempted to stab Shohei.
He leapt aside and was greeted by Hanami again. Shohei ducked, weaved, and slipped the curses combinations of strikes. Mahito soon recovered with a new pair of legs and attempted to strike Shohei.
Mahito stopped transfiguring his hands to attempt touching Shohei's soul, but changed his torso and legs in varying degrees while trying to surprise Shohei or gain the upper hand. Hanami was not a concern for Shohei as he bobbed and weaved, but Mahito's hands pressured him to contort his body that opened several windows for Hanami to strike him.
Avoiding Mahito's touch was the only real challenge, but Shohei was getting pressured again since activating Tunnel Vision nonetheless. Shohei took to dancing around and even on Hanami, keeping the large and lumbering curse between him and the patchwork curse or spinning across its wide shoulders when Mahito got too close.
"God," Shohei gasped in his head. "This is gonna go on forever. That bastard's energy isn't even halfway used." Shohei looked further into Mahito and saw his stockpile of cursed energy still remaining. "He's not slowing down and I'm not gonna hurt him unless I see his soul. I thought I could see a lot, but how do you even go about seeing a soul."
Hanami jabbed at Shohei as he charged them. Mahito swiped at the boy, but he disappeared over the curse's shoulder like a slippery eel.
"He could run out of cursed energy, but I'm not making that happen anytime soon. My reserves aren't particularly topped off either. A Domain will nullify his technique, but if we clash then I might lose and be backed into a corner. No, I need to just burn Mahito's cursed energy for now. Hanami's weak. I should exorcize them, but if they're pressured too much they might cast a Domain too. Wait…"
A thought resonated through Shohei's mind. A plan. Before the plan could be executed, Shohei had to stall. For now, Shohei would resort to wasting Mahito's energy along with pressuring Hanami into casting a Domain.
Shohei proceeded to dance with the two curses, avoiding too many combinations against Mahito in fear of a counter attack. Most of Shohei's offensive efforts were aimed at critical strikes on Hanami. Splintering their eye trees, carving them up, slicing off their hands were all within the realm of possibility.
Ducking a grasp from Mahito and delivering a devastating kick to Hanami's jaw, the black and white curse were officially at their limits. The curse scraped the bottom of the barrel of their reserves to heal their dislocated jaw.
This was just in time, as Shohei's distinguished eyes were reverting to their basic form. Shohei had spent his remaining time in Tunnel Vision, and Mahito noticed this as well.
"Hanami," Mahito called. "Don't stop. He is finally faltering."The curse grabbed at the boy's dangling arm and almost nicked it, a closer call than previously.
"I-I can't," Hanami muttered, taking a knee and gasping for air. "I can't go on. There is only one thing I can still do."
"Perfect!" Shohei cheered in his mind as the large curse fled to the tree line.
Shohei let himself be occupied by Mahito like he wasn't able to escape the confrontation to pursue Hanami. Shohei danced around Mahito, making sure Hanami was in view as well as in his returned wide sensing range.
The trees surrounding Hanami on the border of the estate shriveled and died in moments. Their leaves had the remaining green stripped from them in their fall state and fell to the ground. The branches curled like dead spider legs and the grass wilted. The giant rose bud on Hanami's left shoulder had bloomed and revealed a giant eye in the center as it brimmed with natural energy, a sort of golden energy versus cursed energies typical blue and black appearance.
Shohei occupied himself with parrying Mahito's hands as Hanami sprinted back to battle, trying to keep all three in close proximity.
Hanami was upon Shohei and called, "Get away Mahito!"
Mahito tried to leap from combatting Shohei, but the boy did not let him leave.
As Hanami said, "Domain Expansion: Beguiling Coppice!" Shohei seized Mahito by his wrists, turned his back to Mahito, crossed his arms over his shoulder, and threw the curse in between him and Hanami.
As the black dome raised around the three of them and flooded the detail when complete, they all sprung to action.
Hanami swiped at Shohei who leapt back from the two curses and cast, "New Shadow Style: Simple Domain." A circle sprouted around Shohei, rippling and glowing blue with energy, defending its caster from any technique the Domain could threaten him with.
Thankfully protected from the Simple Domain, a gigantic pointed branch rocketed towards Shohei, but turned to sawdust and then nothing as it came into contact with the Simple Domain's perimeter.
Mahito rolled to their feet beside Hanami. They all froze.
As they all stood still, Mahito and Shohei took in the sight of the Domain Expansion. They stood in a field with so many flowers it practically was as plentiful as grass, flowers ranging from dainty purple orchids to towering sunflowers. The meadow was encircled by the thickest and tallest forest Shohei had ever seen. The trees looked like they were miles high and Shohei couldn't even see light through the thick and cramped tree trunks. Directly in the open air above the meadow was the sun shining down on them and feeding the plants.
As for the effects and techniques of the Domain, Shohei could not tell. Hanami seemed to be emboldened and restored by the shining sun like a typical plant, but Shohei was sure that was just the stat boost of the Domain taking effect for them.
Shohei examined the flowers around him and saw that dozens of them circling him had turned into red spider lilies. Shohei found this odd and looked up to the trees nearest him that the branch had emitted from. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he felt the indescribable feeling of eyes watching him. The tree branches seemed to have slightly curved toward him, like spears prodding him to remain calm, or else.
"Look at the balls on you," Mahito commented. "You grapled me! For what reason, I can't tell, but it'll be the death of you."
"I don't know," Shohei replied, examining the two curses. "Hanami doesn't look too hot and you don't seem to be welcome here."
"What?" Mahito questioned. Shohei pointed to his feet and the trees behind him. The flowers had turned to red spider lilies and the trees had aimed their spear-like branches just like with Shohei.
"My Domain, just like me, does not appreciate humans," Hanami spoke up. "Mahito may be a curse born from the concept of humans, but the Domain would not automatically attack him like it tried you. Besides, I made him be recognized as my ally as soon as I saw you trap him in here with us. Humans who would enter my Domain would be attacked by the changed flowers at your feet and skewered by the sure hit branches fired from above."
Hanami had another boost in their still diminished strength from revealing their hand and explaining the whole of their Domain.
"So the Domain has a mind of its own?" Shohei called out to Hanami.
"You could say that," Hanami assured, seemingly proud of its rather unique Domain.
"So that means it can sort of think, and it is confused by Mahito," Shohei thought, partially excited by the information. This was great news to Shohei and his plan.
"Enough," Mahito said, impatient and stepping in front of Hanami. "Let's finally kill this pest." Mahito raised his arm, similar to how he fired it as a drill, but nothing happened.
"Haha!" Shohei barked, pointing vindictively at Mahito and his perplexed expression. "Who's the moron now you bastard? You didn't know your own technique gets neutralized in any Domain beside your own. You may be skilled and have had a fight or two, but you're not the know-it-all you pretend to be!"
"Silence," Hanami demanded, rushing to fight Shohei once again.
"Kick him out of his Domain," Mahito said, joining the assault.
Shohei raised Iguana Talon and engaged the curses once again. Shohei found Mahito infinitely less threatening inside a Domain where he had no means of changing his or others soul and shape. Hanami was barely up to scratch even with their revealed hand and Domain buff.
The real challenge was to keep the two curses from removing him from the Simple Domain as they wished. Shohei twisted, contorted, and danced on the spot to stay inside. Thankfully he could move his feet from the ground, unlike Batto Sword Draw and other techniques derived from Simple Domains.
Shohei had to continue to reinforce himself to keep up without the use of Tunnel Vision anymore. Shohei parreid strikes, side stepped slams and tackles, and tripped the curses while bending their arms like chicken wings as Iguana Talon forced its way into the crooks of their arm.
As the fight progressed, Shohei began to feel the repercussions of his reckless slug fest with Hanami, the few powerful blows from Mahito, and the Body Repel that crashed into Shohei.
The curses developed a desperateness as they fought, pressuring Shohei more and more and pushing him to the bring of his stationary simple Domain. Their lack of cursed techniques to use or extreme fatigue did not stop the curse's assault. Their dogged determination coupled with Shohei's handicapped movement let the curses compete with Shohei despite his reinforcement.
Realizing he could not resist his attackers any longer, Shohei decided to act on his plan. He let the curses come and dramatically faked being forced to stumble out of the perimeter of safety for him.
"Now Hanami," Mahito eagerly cried, further pursuing Shohei.
Hanami thrust their hand toward Shohei, but their Domain was one step ahead of them. A spear of wood was rocketing out of the forest towards Shohei's heart, and as he "stumbled" further a grin spread across his face.
In a flash Shohei parried Mahito's fist still outstretched from trying to strike him and twirled the curse as if they were dancing. Shohei grappled Mahito, his arm snaking around the curse's neck, and roughly held him between himself and the attack already upon them.
The wood punctured Mahito's chest and like a snake, Shohei slipped sideways, escaping in exchange for a small scratch on his ribs. Shohei shoved the curse away and waited.
"No!" Hanami screamed out to the now shivering forest and rustling flowers, knowing what Shohei had been banking on. "Wait!" the curse called, too late in lowering their Domain.
The forests all around them took aim at Mahito. The flowers at his feet folded into red spider lilies and spun with the force of a helicopter blade, slicing him like a blender. Spear's rained down on Mahito, impaling him through the neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and jaw, seemingly never ending and soon impairing Shohei's view of the curse. The Domain had mistaken Mahito properly for a human like Shohei could only hope it would.
"Good riddance," Shohei muttered, a foreign snarl curling his lip. His twisted glee in the curse's suffering was cut short as a red spider lily shredded his own achilles tendon.
In a lightning fast series of events, Shohei had failed to raise a second Simple Domain while distracted by Mahito falling victim to his plan, had the flowers around him spiral red to shred him to mist, and a massive wooden spike erupted in a blink of an eye through his stomach.