Chapter 2: The Cursed Child
"We need to run." Blake blurted, and her breathing started to become irregular. "Everyone is going to get killed!"
"We can't, we're trapped in its domain…" Maki muttered as she glanced at her weapon, which was now next to useless in its current state.
Pyrrha readied her weapons and narrowed her eyes.
"Stand behind me everyone I will—"
Her words got cut short as the curse rushed forward so fast that it reached her within seconds. With its grin still present, it formed a fist enveloped in pure curse energy and launched a quick jab.
A loud metallic echo was heard. Pyrrha gritted her teeth as she got pushed backward by its sheer force.
It dented it.
A simple punch from the curse dented the shield and it wasn't even at full power!
The assault did not end as the curse closed its distance again.
Then it delivered a roundhouse kick to her other, shieldless arm.
She blocked it, but the force of the kick sent her sliding backward. Her Aura protected the hit.
Her face remained resolute but Yuta picked up a peculiar detail. A harrowing one.
She was sweating. The seemingly invincible girl who didn't get hit once.
"You bastard!" Maki said as she threw the tip of her spear to the curse, but to no avail, it dodged it easily. It tilted its head as it looked at her and chuckled. It raised its finger and pointed at her.
Before she could react, a blast of curse energy pierced Maki's shoulder. Panic spread on Yuta's face.
"Zen'in!" he shouted as he kneeled towards her to check her.
Maki winced as blood started to pour out of the wound. She pressed the injury with her hand and clutched it tightly.
"We must find a way to leave… Invincible Girl has to hold for us to get help," she muttered as she looked away in shame.
Yuta grimaced, not believing what he was hearing from her.
"And you want us to leave her alone fighting that?! She will not last!"
Maki's eyes glowered at him as if daring him to speak further.
"What can you do?"
His muscles tensed, and his breath hitched. Those words hit him like a truck because he knew she was right. What could he do in his current state? He was useless; he didn't know how to fight, didn't possess any notable curse techniques, and knew next to nothing about the supernatural world.
He watched as Maki's body trembled, but her face remained impassive. In the short time he had known her, he knew how the girl managed her attitude. Though she might come off as brash and crude, she wasn't cruel. If she didn't care about him even an ounce, she wouldn't have tried protecting him from the White Fang members.
Neither of the two wanted to let Pyrrha die, but this seemed the best option, for now, to run. Yet that jarring question still tormented his mind.
What can he do?
Nothing, he could do nothing. He could try to summon Rika, but there is a high chance she would go on a rampage and try to kill everyone again.
He watched as the curse sent a blast of pure energy towards Pyrrha. She planted her feet on the floor and blocked it with her shield, but it was so strong that the floor beneath her started to crack and caused her to slide backward.
Her shield broke.
Her eyes widened as the full force of the blast hit her, which sent her flying across the hallway toward a wall that cracked on impact. Her body flickered with white light, signaling her Aura reserves were nearly depleting.
The spartan girl trembled as she stood up. Her tiara and ponytail came off, causing her hair to fall. She grunted as she saw her right arm limp, unable to move. She grabbed her shoulder with her other arm and pushed it back hard. A crack echoed throughout the entire school.
The curse let out a grin and started to laugh uncontrollably. Like a jester, but a devil-like one, it enjoyed their suffering. Indeed, curses were the most deplorable creatures you could find. At least the Grimm don't have enough sentience when they cause destruction.
Still, her determination didn't seem to waver. She took a long, deep breath and grabbed her spear, the only weapon she could use now. She extended her right arm, and it started to glow back.
Yuta's eyes widened as more than 30 desks started floating around the curse before they morphed into pure iron lines.
Pyrrha moved her hands, which caused the lines to move fast enough to grab the curse by its extremities. She managed to use all of her resources and entangled the curse tightly.
The special grade no longer held its grin but watched in terror as Pyrrha charged at it with her spear. She embedded Fire Dust in the spear, causing it to burst into flames.
She let out a war cry and tossed her spear like a javelin.
And hit its mark straight through its heart. What followed were the screams of pain and started to burn from the inside.
Yuta let out a triumphant smile. Pyrrha was indeed the most potent fighter he had ever met.
However, she made a critical mistake, which was not her fault.
Her weapon isn't a cursed tool.
The flames dimmed, and Yuta could see the curse grinning at them again. Its grin started to get wider as it freed itself from the entanglements. It grabbed the spear and pulled it away from its skin, causing purple blood to start dripping from the wound. It closed instantly, causing Pyrrha to take a step back from it, her determination wavering.
The curse lunged at her and jabbed quickly at her solar plexus. The hit caused her to spit and launch backward, rolling toward Yuta's feet.
He whimpered; he didn't know what to do. They were all going to die, and he couldn't do a single thing about it!
He saw Blake looking in terror as despair started to overcome her, so much so that she began to hyperventilate.
Adam had resigned to his fate, looking down in shame as he waited for death to take them away.
"Okkotsu."
Yuta's eyes widened as Maki grabbed him by his shirt tightly. Her eyes bore directly into his soul.
"Why did you enroll at this school?" Maki said. "What do you want?!"
"I don't understa—"
"You do understand, so answer me!"
Yuta …
What does he want?
All of this time, he lived wallowing in his misery and cursing his existence. He didn't think it was worth it to keep living if he was going to be a walking apocalypse.
So why did he keep on living? He deserves to be lonely and hated so he doesn't cause more trouble. He doesn't deserve love.
"I…"
That doesn't mean he has to put up with what the world throws at him.
"I don't want to be alone."
Yuta…
A part of him, deep inside his soul, wants to defy his circumstances.
"I want to believe that it's okay to keep living— and to move on."
And it's time for that part of his soul to wake up.
"If you want to move on… then it's time for you to wake up and start exorcizing," Maki muttered, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "This is what being a sorcerer is all about."
Her grip started to lose strength as she slid down and fell to the floor, her wounds finally taking their toll on her as she lost consciousness.
Yuta!
His eyes widened as he saw a little girl with brown hair standing right across the hallway. Her childhood friend and first love stood still with a sweet smile.
"Hey, Yuta?" Rika said, her voice soft. "Can I play?"
Yuta gulped. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box.
The curse lost its smile and opened its mouth, gasping. It seemed scared, even frightened. It let out a panicked cry and rushed towards everyone, its hands glowing brightly with curse energy.
Yuta gritted his teeth as he tried to open the box, but the curse was already on his face.
He heard a loud sound coming from his side, and his ears started to ring. Blake finally broke down from her fright and fired a barrage of bullets loaded with Ice Dust at the curse, freezing it in place.
He turned to look at the faunus who had attacked him not too long ago. She glared at him with intense anger.
"Do something!"
Yuta shook his head and nodded at her. He opened the box, revealing a shining silver ring. He pulled it out and placed it on his left finger.
"Rika, you can play."
The curse broke free from its restraints and leaped away from Yuta. It started slowly backing away from them before it turned tail and began to run away.
But it was already too late for it. A white-clawed hand grabbed it by the waist, stopping its movements. Another curse started to emerge from the shadows.
It was a large, pale white creature with white tendrils on the back of its skull. It had a large, muscular upper body, long arms, and a tail-like shadow that served as its lower body. Its face was hollow and empty; it only had a big mouth with sharp teeth.
It was the Vengeful Cursed Sprit, Rika Orimoto, now in her complete, untamed form.
Blake dropped her weapons as she watched Rika's entire form. Her whole form was shaking, preventing her from backing away.
Pyrrha remained awake on the ground, not trying to move as she gritted her teeth. She felt the immense pressure Rika radiated.
Adam's breath hitched as he raised his head slightly. He gritted his teeth and started sweating until he couldn't take it anymore and lost consciousness.
However, Yuta remained calm. He was used to Rika's presence and the effect she tended to have on others.
The Special Grade let out a roar as it used both of its hands enveloped in massive curse energy and delivered a powerful mantis punch to Rika's face. The hit landed as it was so powerful gusts of wind were created around it.
However, Rika stood still, unfazed, she let out an ear-shattering howl as she grabbed the special grade with both of her claws and gripped it tightly.
"That hurt, asshole!" Rika shouted. She opened her mouth, and a purple light started to emerge from her mouth. The curse began to wail as it tried to free itself from her grip.
The light from Rika's mouth came out like a geyser, blasting the curse's entire body with pure curse energy. Yuta covered his eyes as the bright purple light almost left him blind. The blast was so potent that it shook the entire school.
The purple beam continued, shattering everything in its path and creating a big hole that revealed the exteriors, with the yard and parking lot.
Once the light died down, Yuta uncovered his eyes, and he saw Rika letting out an innocent grin as she held the curse on her hand— or at least what remained of it.
The special-grade body's entire body was toast. Its body was limp and unmoving. It was clear that it didn't stand a chance. Its body started to evaporate, and the wind swept away its ashes.
The tension rose as Rika approached Yuta, her fist clenched. No one dared make a move for fear of provoking her.
Except for Yuta, he watched her with a grimace. It's not like he hates her; on the contrary, she was his first love, and he won't ever forget the time he spent with her when she was alive. But now, all he feels for her is pity for what she had become, a curse bent on anger and hate.
"Hey, Yuta— take this."
Yuta blinked and opened his palm. He almost puked as he stared at the object Rika dropped at his hand.
It was a wretched red finger with a black nail that looked too long to fit on a human. The putrid miasma surrounding it made it obvious that it was a cursed object.
How did that curse wind up with such an unholy artifact?
"Yuta— do you like it?"
He wanted to say no, he should say no, but it's not a bright idea to get Rika sad when there are people around him. Not at all.
"Yeah…" Yuta said, smiling sheepishly. "It's— lovely."
Rika's grin widens as she becomes giddy with the praise. Then she glances at the people around Yuta, and her smile vanishes instantly. She starts to growl, and her veins pop out of her skull.
Yuta's whole visage paled as he realized that Rika's overprotectiveness may have doomed everyone. She still had the urge to kill anyone who even hurt him in the slightest.
Blake's ears raised like antennas as she instinctively went for her weapons.
"Each one of you hurt my Yuta," Rika said, looming around everyone. Both of her arms glowed brightly with curse energy. "Now I'm going rip you all—"
"Rika."
Rika froze as she heard the firm voice of Yuta. She turned around to see that he no longer looked meek, but instead, he looked at her with a frown, his eyebrow furrowed.
'Here goes nothing…' he thought as he took a long, deep breath. "I-If you hurt any of them, I won't talk to you in over a month."
Rika let out an audible gasp, and the glow in her hands died down. She started to whimper and grabbed Yuta by the shoulders.
"Yutaaa, I will not harm them, I promise— so please." she pleaded. She lowered her head and let out a sniff.
Yuta didn't say anything. What could he say? The times Rika had gone on a rampage had been numerous, so much so that now he had started to doubt her restraints. He had started to doubt her.
With no answer coming out of Yuta, she disappeared into thin air.
"That— just happened."
Yuta perked up as he saw the Pyrrha standing up, her legs wobbly. The grazes on her face started to drop small bits of blood.
"Miss Nikos, you're—"
"I'm fine, my Aura is working through my wounds." She said, as she grunted for the pain. She then let out a small grin. "I lost…"
Yuta glanced at her with a blank look.
"You are— happy about that?"
Pyrrha stared back at him, giving him an analytical look. She then let out a sigh.
"You really have no idea who I am…" She said, as she made her way and grabbed her spear from the floor. "Don't worry about it, I'm just relieved."
Yuta blinked, what did she mean by that? He should ask her later.
He relaxed his posture, glad that everything was over. This could have easily gone out of hand if he didn't get his act together when the Special Grade attacked. Even so, Rika didn't do everything, Pyrrha and Blake's efforts made him see what he truly needed to do to face his fears.
He watched the cat faunus who clutched his partner in her arms. The White Fang are indeed terrorists who have done evil acts for their beliefs, but even so, each and every one of them has people they care about. They are capable of kindness, camaraderie, and love.
But their leaders are always focused on spiking out their hate and resentfulness. They use the feelings of these people to get what they want. It's disgusting.
It left Yuta with a lot of questions. It doesn't excuse the monstrous acts they have made in the name of— freedom, yet it opened a new perspective, which was one he wanted to ponder in the future. Maybe not all of their members were irredeemable monsters.
"Are you alright?" Yuta asked Blake, who looked at him with her golden eyes. She blinked once, then twice as if trying to figure out something.
"Yeah— I'll be fine."
"That's good to hear. Then we should make our way out of here." Yuta smiled and nodded, he then proceeded to grab the unconscious Maki and carried her over her back.
He almost tripped as he lost his balance, he didn't know she was that heavy!
They were about to leave until Blake's ears started to twitch. Her eyes widened and she started to look around frantically. Yuta looked at her in confusion.
"You should leave now." She said as she started to back away a good distance from them with Adam in her arms.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She raised her spear and pointed it at her.
"Not until authorities arrest you both…"
"Forget about us and run!" Blake retorted in anger. "It's our people!"
Yuta couldn't hear a thing. He was sure that nobody was following them this time, otherwise, Rika would have told him and dealt with them quickly. She very well could be lying to them to escape, but it was a poor attempt at deception.
Click click.
Pyrrha's eyes widened and she wasted no time pulling Yuta away from Blake with her Semblance.
The cursed worm that appeared earlier emerged from the floor and swallowed both White Fang members in its mouth. With no intent to stop, it charged towards Yuta, Pyrrha, and Maki with a screech.
"What now?!" Yuta yelled as tears started to come out of his eyes. Fear started to get a hold of him again.
"We jump!"
Not wasting any more time, Yuta ran towards the hole Rika left and jumped without hesitation. Pyrrha followed suit, jumping alongside with her spear in hand.
She pulled Yuta beside her with one hand and placed her spear under her foot. She then used her semblance to move upwards. She grunted as her exhaustion started to catch on and tampered with her technique.
Her quick thinking paid off as they managed to slow down from terminal velocity, but not enough to slow them down completely. It was a mediocre land, as they fell like a sack of potatoes. It hurt a bit, but it was either that or they would have died.
The curse worm emerged from the school and Yuta gasped as the size of the creature was more than he could have imagined it. The width of its body seemed to approach ten meters minimum!
However, he had enough of being scared and doing nothing. He will no longer remain idle as others risk their lives for him. So he started to scan his surroundings to find something, anything that would help him out of this situation.
He saw a car, not far away from him. It was a run-down, old model, it would probably be unable to reach even sixty kilometers, but it was his only choice.
"Get Zen'in in that car, now!" he shouted at Pyrrha as he pointed to the car. "We must get to Sensei!"
Pyrrha eyed him for a brief moment with uncertainty but it died down the moment Yuta rushed towards the car. She grabbed Maki and rushed behind him.
Yuta broke the driver's seat window and unlocked the door, entering the vehicle. He then unlocked the passenger's seat for Pyrrha to get in with Maki. He needed a way to access the ignition.
"Nikos, open this!"
Pyrrha shakily used her spear and used enough force to open the lock, granting access to the wiring. Yuta instantly went to work while trying to remember the times he hot-wired a car.
'Red coil means power and brown starter…'
He saw the worm sliding towards them at a moderate pace, its mouth wide open. Pyrrha started to get pale.
"Okkotsu?"
He focused solely on the wiring. He pulled out the two ends of the brown wiring, ignoring the pain from the electricity, and pushed both ends together.
He heard a sound, an ignition sound!
Yuta revved the engine with all of his might and drove the car at full speed. The acceleration was so sudden that Pyrrha got pushed behind. The curse was quickly left behind.
Pyrrha's previous fear started to diminish and she sighed in relief, but she was still on high alert, as the worm was still high on their tails.
"You know how to drive?" Pyrrha asked, eyebrows raised.
Yuta nodded as he focused on the road. He needed to rush to the exit.
"Rika taught me when she was alive."
Pyrrha furrowed her eyebrows, giving him a questionable gaze.
"How old were you two?"
Yuta gave her an innocent grin.
"Eleven."
Not the kind of answer she expected.
"WHAT KIND OF CHILDHOOD DID YOU TWO HAVE?!"
Yuta's face reddened as memories of Rika stealing her grandmother's car… which they drove until it crashed. He remembered how they were laughing while they were drifting in an open area.
It was fun, but now that he thought of it, it was very irresponsible on their part. They were children at that time, but still, he couldn't help but think that Rika was no angel at all when she was alive, going as far as to steal her grandmother's car and ring. The ring that he wore now. Granted, Rika's grandmother loathed her existence because she believed that she killed both of her parents, and the feeling was mutual, so he could understand her actions at the time.
He stopped pondering about it as he started to notice a problem down the road. As he drove towards the exit, he couldn't help but think that he should have arrived already. After all, the school wasn't wide enough to warrant a long ride.
Where is the exit?! This place is a maze!
Pyrrha seemed to notice as well and narrowed her eyes, her suspicion growing.
"You have noticed it too, right?" she asked as she glanced at the rearview mirror. The worm was still chasing them, but it didn't show any signs of getting closer. They were at a safe distance if they kept driving at this speed.
"It's just like back in the school…" Yuta muttered as he furrowed his eyebrows. He clutched the steering wheel tightly.
Another domain. Now they cannot afford to fight the curse head n after sustaining heavy injuries, not with Pyrrha wounded and Maki out of commission, it doesn't seem plausible. Maki needed to go to a hospital immediately, so he couldn't afford to summon Rika to handle the curse.
He glanced at the fuel meter, it was nearly empty, and they would not last long. His ears started ringing.
Okko—
What can he do?
That jarring question started to fog his mind as anxiety started to overcome his mind. Cold sweat started to drop off his forehead and his heartbeat started to get faster.
Okkot—
Where was his resolve now? He spouted such bullshit to Maki and she trusted him enough to carry out the mission, and now look at him. She would scoff if she saw how pathetic he was behaving.
"Okkotsu!"
Yuta's eyes widened as he felt Pyrrha shaking his shoulder. He looked at her and saw her gaze never gave in to fear, instead, she looked determined, as always, like a true warrior.
"Focus." She said, gazing at the rear. "We have a curse to stop. You must have some idea how we can get out… whatever the hell this is."
Yuta gulped, he wanted to tell her that he was a new student and didn't know any better, that he didn't she wouldn't have much luck in relying on him. He had no way of knowing how to stop that worm curse worm from surprising them with—
Aren't worms supposed to be faster underground than on land?
When the worm curse came by the first time, it announced itself by creating an earthquake alongside clicking sounds. Its sheer size managed to shake the entire school so they were prepared for its arrival, but it was different this time. It didn't make any sounds at all, only the clicks, and if it wasn't for Blake's warning, they would have been eaten alive. It had to have a condition, but he wasn't sure what kind of.
A curse technique? Was it the effects of its domain?
An idea popped into his mind, a risky one, but they couldn't afford to keep thinking of a better one, they needed to act now. The fuel was at a critical point now.
Yuta took a deep breath and steeled himself. He wanted to keep on living, so he will make sure he can get that. For Rika's sake, and everyone's sake.
"If we want to escape, then we must take the route where it came from. Underground, the sewers are there, right?" Yuta said, eyes narrowing.
Pyrrha grimaced, clearly not liking this idea. "Yes, they are, but the least we should right now is fight that thing on its territory."
"Listen, we don't have much of a choice. My sensei is out there waiting for us, and this is the only thing I can think of to get out of this domain so he can help us in this fight." Yuta pleaded. When he saw Pyrrha's hesitation, he pressed further. "Two things can happen if we go to the sewers. One, we're still in the worm's territory and I will use the closed space and Rika to hold it off, you can then take Zen'in and get out of the domain. Maybe Rika can easily take it down, but if what that Blake girl said it's true, then there are many more White Fang soldiers waiting for us inside that thing."
Pyrrha's eyes widened. "You can't possibly be thinking—"
"Two, we get out of its domain, and we can call Sensei to help us." He said, causing her to shut up. "Either way, I will get you both out here alive!"
Pyrrha stared at him quietly, her emerald eyes calmly scanning him on his own. The staredown that felt like an eternity lasted a mere ten seconds.
"I may have just met you but…" she finally said, grabbing her spear. "I'll trust you, Okkotsu."
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Pyrrha took out a Fire Dust crystal from her pocket and loaded it into her weapon. She took Maki in her arms and lowered the window. She stuck her head outside, sticking her thumb out and taking a deep breath as she aimed. Yuta kept driving as steady as possible for her to focus.
Then she launched her spear full force right at the ground, shattering it on impact. The force of the hit created a big smoke cloud as the rubble started to fly out. Yuta steered the wheel far to the right, causing the car to lose control until it launched itself into the air.
Pyrrha and Yuta jumped outside of the car midair right towards the crater she just made.
Yuta covered his eyes as he was falling through the smoke until he landed on his right arm. He heard a crack and winced in pain.
Pyrrha landed on her feet, but roughly as she nearly fell over from the weight she was carrying. Maki was still in her arms, unaware of what was happening around her. She placed Maki on the ground.
The first thing Yuta did was place his hand on his nose as the smell of feces and sewer water hit him like a sledgehammer. It was awful, to say the least, not a pleasant place to stay at all.
He heard weapons cocking up from behind, and his eyes widened as he felt a hot barrel poking him from behind his skull. He instinctively put his hands up as it would be a terrible idea to move on this situation.
"Okkotsu!" Pyrrha shouted as she tried to move but winced in pain as her wounds started to take a toll. She must have been exhausted from the ordeals they had just gone through, and Yuta couldn't blame her, she was the one that managed to get them out alive after all. She panted heavily.
Yuta heard footsteps coming closer to him, and he could swear he felt his heart stop as he saw who was in front of him. A White Fang soldier, another one, had a mean look on his face as he watched him with nothing but hate under his mask. Pyrrha placed her arms up as well as she lowered her head in shame.
The goon placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a radio, he heard a static sound coming from it.
"We got them, boss, what's your call?" he asked. The radio let out another sound.
"Leave them to me." A voice came out. It was soft, but at the same time, it was menacing, like the tone that serial killers in movies used to have.
The sewers started to shake violently as Yuta could hear a rumbling sound coming closer in this direction. A sound he was very familiar with.
Click, click
Just in front of them, the worm curse broke in with a screech and loomed over them, its rows of teeth showing as its mouth started to widen.
Was this it? Were they going to get eaten?
Then it gagged and spat a big green goo from its mouth that had shades of black around it. Yuta had to squint his eyes to see what it was, and he pursed his lips when he looked at what emerged from the goo.
It was Blake and Adam, the latter who woke up from his knockout, and he looked pissed as he glared at them with pure hatred, the former meanwhile merely looked to the side, pretending she didn't know them. Their wounds were already healed.
However, what stood out the most was the figure that was in front of them, who had dressed like a mistrali priest, with black colored robes and a golden kāṣāya garment. He looked at them with a mischievous grin.
"You two, I was dying to meet you." He said as he walked towards them. When he was near them, he bowed. "My name is Suguru Geto."
"You're their leader…" Pyrrha muttered as she gritted her teeth. "You destroyed my school!"
He sent an innocent look at Pyrrha.
"Oh, that? Sorry, but I needed to do it for my plan to work," Geto said as he rubbed the back of his head. He then scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. "Even so, that school was already overflowing with curses before my intervention. It was already doomed when the monkeys took over."
The way he said monkeys seemed as if he had eaten rotten cheese, his face scrunching up in disgust. He then sighed and looked at them with an angelic smile.
Yuta had to admit that the ability of this man to change from an angel to a deranged psychopath was remarkable. It even sent chills down his spine.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you two," Geto said. "You are perfect for my ideal world; I wouldn't want to ruin that."
"You're ideal… world?" Yuta asked, not taking his eyes off him.
"A world in which the Faunus govern all of you so every one of you can learn how it feels to be oppressed for all these years!" It was one of the White Fang goons that had spoken. His voice was firm and passionate, a tone most members had when speaking about their history. It's also the tone that most extremists use to appeal their horrific acts against humanity.
Geto eyed them neutrally. "Close enough," he said.
The monk glanced at the fallen Zen'in warrior and scowled. Yuta could feel the absolute disgust Geto felt towards her, even if he didn't admit it directly.
A kick on her stomach sent Maki rolling towards Yuta. Panic emerged on his face as he kneeled towards her to check her wounds. She looked haggard, wheezing, almost sick. She was weakened and Geto didn't care, he just hit her while she was down.
This bastard just treated her like she was a piece of shit in his shoes.
He glanced toward their members, and Yuta realized they didn't care. Adam had a smirk on his face, as he looked like he was enjoying every second of Maki's pain; his goons also shared the same feeling as him. The only one who had the decency to look uncomfortable was Blake, as she looked away from the scene with a frown.
Pyrrha let out a growl and readied her spear. Geto let out a evil grin, so wide that he almost looked like a jester.
"Oh Miss Nikos, I don't recommend doing that," he said.
Pyrrha froze as she saw little fecal creatures coming out of the sewer water and crawling around them. They looked like a pile of feces had come to life and had grown eyes, yellow, lifeless eyes. The putrid smell that radiated from them was just a bonus. She started to shake as she clutched her spear tightly, but it was wobbly, she could let it go at any second.
However, Yuta wasn't scared. He touched Pyrrha's spear, which stopped her from shaking. Pyrrha looked at him, emerald eyes wide open.
"It's alright," he said, smiling softly at her. "We'll be okay."
Pyrrha eyed him in uncertainty.
"He hasn't realized it yet, but we managed to get out of the domain,"
Geto's eyes widened, realizing his fatal mistake. He had no time to react as he felt a blur in the wind passing through.
In the span of a second, a white-haired man with a white bandage appeared out of nowhere between Yuta and Geto.
In an instant, all White Fang member's serious façade broke. Adam and Blake immediately drew their weapons, their arms tensed. All the remaining members aimed at the new source of attention.
Silence engulfed them, no one daring to make a move as doing so would prove to be their final breath.
Satoru Gojo looked around his surroundings, looking less than pleased with the situation. He frowned deeply as he saw the wounds that were inflicted on both of his students. His carefree attitude is long gone now.
"Ruining your party, Suguru?" Satoru asked in a low, menacing tone. "You didn't spout bullshit at my student's ear, didn't you?"
"Long time no see, Satoru!" Geto beamed at him. "How's Shoko?"
"She's doing great— she's smoking less now that she does not see your face so often,"
Yuta could swear that he could see Geto— pouting?
"How cold… and here I thought you missed me,"
Satoru didn't seem in the mood for small as he took a step forward. The curse worm that still loomed over them let out a screech and lunged towards them with its mouth wide open.
Satoru lowered part of his bandages, allowing everyone to see the unnaturally bright blue color of his eyes. He pointed his finger towards the curse.
"Curse technique reversal—"
A red ball of cursed energy started to form on his fingertip. Pyrrha's eyes widened.
"He's converting curse energy into— Aura?!"
The red ball of energy shot out of Satoru's fingertip.
"Red!"
It pierced through the curse worm's body like a bullet. It let out a blood-curdling shriek as its body started to swell up and explode into a thousand pieces, its remains raining down on the ground like confetti.
Everyone in the room save for Geto remained awestruck at the display of strength that Satoru demonstrated. Yuta and Pyrrha hadn't seen anything like that before as they glanced at Satoru with awe. The curse they've been fighting not too long ago got exorcized instantly while they struggled!
Adam glanced at Geto, giving him a mean look. "You wanted us to get near that?!"
Geto simply rolled his eyes and turned his look at Satoru again, letting out a pleased smile.
"I didn't finish talking, Suguru." He said as he narrowed his eye. "I know what you're planning, so let me get this straight, you're not taking my students to your group of crazies," Satoru said.
"You're completely— wrong! That's not my plan!" Geto said as he made a buzzing sound with his mouth. "We were just having a heart-to-heart, right?"
He looked at Yuta and was surprised when he saw the intense glare he was giving back.
"I don't know which part you think kicking my friend like trash will make me hear a word you say…" Yuta said as he barely contained his snarl. He was tempted to let Rika out to tear him apart piece by piece. Almost.
Geto sighed and looked at him in disinterest.
"You are extremely basic… it's boring," Geto muttered.
Suddenly, every White Fang member started running toward Geto and his group and surrounded them in a protective cordon. A bright light shone from above them in the hole Satoru made with his attack and a powerful gust of wind started to form around them.
It was the sound of a bullhead. A ladder dropped beside them and the White Fang members started to climb it.
Satoru wasn't going to let them go, as he raised his finger and purple sparks started to surround it.
"I don't recommend doing that Satoru, unless you want to let them die, that is…"
Pyrrha started to back away as the curses that threatened her earlier started to emerge from the sewer water again, their claws ready to strike her at any moment.
Yuta didn't know when it happened, but he could a small pinch on his throat as small fecal creatures started to crawl over his shirt, their spikes aiming right at his jugular. He felt a knot in his throat as he realized the sheer difference between his power and Geto's.
Satoru gritted his teeth as he glanced at the immediate danger and the sparks on his fingers died down. Geto let out a pleased smirk.
"This is not the last time we'll see each other." He said as he raised his arms and let out a mad grin. "On December 24, the White Fang will wage war and I will unleash a thousand curses on the following areas: Kuchinashi and Mistral. Their orders? Massacre every single person in sight!"
The White Fang members cried in enthusiasm as they raised their weapons. Yuta noticed Blake gritting her teeth and clutching the side of the ladder tightly.
"You better tell our cranky principal," Geto said. "They need to start organizing if they want to avoid annihilation." He grinned maniacally.
"Let us curse each other to the death!"
The White Fang member's cry started getting louder.
"Geto! Geto! Geto!" they shouted.
Yuta let out a scowl as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The White Fang followed this man without question, it was as if they had been completely swayed by his charisma. Yet it didn't make any sense, the White Fang loathed humans, and their leader was one of them!
Why do they follow him?!
Their cries died down and the White Fang members started to retreat to the bullhead, alongside Blake and Adam. Only Geto remained, he grabbed the ladder and let out one final bow.
"Goodbye, Satoru, Okkotsu."
With that, Geto retreated to the ladder and the light died down. The sound of the aircraft started getting further until it died down.
The curses surrounding Yuta and Pyrrha disappeared in a black sludge.
Satoru let out a sigh and placed a palm on his face. "I swear that guy likes to show off more than me sometimes…"
He then turned to Pyrrha, Yuta, and Maki. His shoulder relaxed and let out out a carefree smile.
"I'm glad to see that you two are alright! You almost had me worried there," he said as he grabbed Maki and placed her on his shoulder. "I should take her to Shoko for a quick fix. After that, I'll invite you two to breakfast, my treat."
"Breakfast?" Pyrrha said, tilting her head. "We've only been here for an hour."
Satoru snorted.
"Yeah, no, you've been here for a day." He said nonchalantly. Pyrrha and Yuta's mouth gaped.
"A DAY?!"
"Yeah, I was about to kill that man but he told me that it was all part of his plan like a goofy cartoon villain." Satoru shrugged.
"Sensei..." Yuta asked, "Was it worth all this risk to test me?"
Satoru sighed and patted Yuta's head.
"Sorry about that, I was against this idea from the beginning, but next time I see him, I'll deck him in the face for you."
Yuta tilted his head. "Who?"
"That asshole who runs Beacon, Ozpin," Satoru said as a glint appeared in his eye. "Or as he's known in Jujutsu society, one of the five Special Grade sorcerers."
Yuta blinked a couple of times as he processed the information.
"…Who again?"
See you in a week or two for Chapter 3!
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