A/N: Would anyone like a Sunday update for A New Archon?
Easter's tomorrow and all, but I might be away with family. Kinda need to know here...
That said, we'll keep this note brief, since someone complained about it. Its always something...T_T
Sorry for the erratic updates, as mentioned before, this week's updates are a bit scuffed due to me working seven days in a row and Covid fatigue, not to mention Easter being right around the corner
I'm updating what I can, while I can, and it is driving me INSANE because while I have updates ready for Archon, Grace, Golden Son, Journey, and the like, they require time, polish and multiple scenes, many of which are looking to be in the tens of thousands of words. I want them to be perfect or damn close to it. Things should go back to normal once we hit April.
Meanwhile, this story went and surged past 1,700 hundred reviews very quickly when I wasn't looking, so here we are, ANOTHER early update!
Feedback really does kick me into high gear; if this chapter gets a good reception as well, then I'll do my best to update early once more, as I've been consistently doing for awhile now. Do let me know! In other news...
...thanks again to everyone for the support.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes.
They're tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me. Now then, let us continue this terrifying tale.
As for this fight...it helps if you think of the Sukuna vs Megumi bought from way back when...but far more visceral. Naturally, there's verbatim, of course.
Finally, the Banshee Shriek, as mentioned last chapter, is a sword from Yu Yu Hakusho...
"Congratulations. The brat will never lower his guard again. Is this what you wanted?
He has hardened his heart. Closed himself off. And its all...your...
...FAULT.
~a future scene.
Land One Hit
"You hold your head quite high...fool."
Natsuo snarled in pain and slumped down to one knee, gripping the severed stump of his right arm, or rather, what remained of it.
Sukuna was rather proud of his handiwork; not only had he severed the mongrel's limb well below the elbow with a single Cleave, but he'd cut deep into his chest as well. The wounds were deep, humiliating, painful, but not enough to kill outright. Said pain would keep the foolish Zeni'n conscious awhile longer, which suited his purposes just fine.
Better yet, this worm didn't appear to possess the reversed curse technique at that; or if he did, it was a terribly degraded version of the true technique.
Really, he should've dropped to his knees like a good little worm. Maybe he would've kept his arm, then. Instead he'd foolishly tried to dodge as though he were some common curse. Even now he didn't kneel fully, that foolish pride left him crouched down upon one knee rather than two. Unacceptable. Another slash took the Zeni'n's legs out from under him and sent him sprawling in the dirt. He hadn't severed them outright naturally; there were so many vital arteries in the legs, it wouldn't do to sever them and end this early.
Naoya's brother grit his teeth and dragged himself upright. "How?!
"How, what?" Sukuna played along with a smug smile, reveling in the fool's fear.
"How are you this strong?!" The screaming sorcerer shrilled at him. "You haven't even eaten a single finger yet!"
Ah, the ignorance of the weak. How amusing. He tilted his head with a sly smile. "Its not necessarily that I'm strong at the moment, you're just weak."
The man absolutely convulsed at the wretched word. "Weak?"
...what did I just say?" his grin grew, nearly splitting Naruto's face in twine. "Without those precious cursed tools of yours, you're really quite useless. Borrowed strength is no strength at all. But you taught the the brat a vital lesson; to never lower his guard. For that, you have my gratitude. Allow me to...thank you.
He flicked out a hand, tapped his shoulder in passing as he walked by, and healed his wounds with a judicious application of the Reversed Curse Technique.
Natsuo recoiled, clutching at his restored arm and chest with a startled gasp. "Why...?"
"Now, now, don't make such a face. It wouldn't be any fun if you died too soon. Tell you what, lets make this a little more interesting, shall we?" He pivoted back and beckoned at the young man, making a come-hither motion with one hand. "Land one hit."
Here at last, Naoya's fool brother showed some small semblance of concern. "What? Don't mock me!" up came his blade as he took up his stance. "You're a ghost of your true self! I don't fear you!
He rasped a laugh. "Then you will die braver than most."
Hmm. Perhaps this was too easy...?
"If you manage to wound me, I'll swap out with the brat-hmm, actually, wait a second." He reached up and tore open his shirt, exposing his tattooed torso to the air. "There. That's much better. I'm finally outside, after all." he reached up and ran both hands through his hair -why did it have to be blond?!- spiking up the damp tresses at his touch. "Lets use the open space-
Natsuo rushed him with a snarl, Banshee Shriek in hand, slashing wildly.
It was so easy to break his defenses; he didn't even need to use cleave or dismantle for this. He blocked with one hand to prevent the cursed blade from cutting his flesh, grabbed his wrist with the other, and reeled him in like a fish on a hook. The bruising roundhouse that followed tore a laugh from his lips, and a pained gasp from his prey. Stunned, he reeled back, only for him to drag him once more. A second blow struck the nerves of his right hand, loosening his grasp and allowing him to wrest the Banshee Shriek from the buffoon's his grasp and toss it over his shoulder.
"A sword that disrupts cursed energy? You won't be needing this...but I'll take it. Thank you for your generous donation~!"
Credit where it was due, Natuso didn't give up; he drove a fist in an it his face; to which Sukuna lazily swayed aside from that, the next, and a third. He even deigned to raise an arm and deflect a few rather than evade them outright. Wasn't that nice of him? This mortal should feel honored.
"More."
A counter broke the elder Zeni'n's jaw and left him spitting teeth.
"More."
A spinning kick obliterated his nose, rendering it a greasy red stain
"MORE!"
A casual backhand snapped Natsuo's head to the side and nearly broke his neck on the spot.
"Put more cursed energy behind it when you strike me!"
A twisted hand thrust itself in his face brimming with black sparks, and idly, he noticed each finger bore a gnarled ring of some sort, bearing much malice. Interesting.
Sukuna lopped the hand clean off, rings and all.
Natsuo recoiled with a yowl, clutching the severed stump of his hand; said scream was rendered a broken gurgle as Sukuna tore a fresh hole in his torso. He closed his eyes and savored the shrieks that followed his grisly handiwork. Gut wounds always were the worst, you know? They didn't kill you, not right away, but they were bleeders and they hurt like a bitch.
Made them all the more fun to inflict, that did.
Oh, dear. It looked like Naoya's brother was done. Couldn't have that.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Crouching down before him, he gave him a nudge. "You see, the brat doesn't care about you and you...you're not half as smart as you think you are. If you were, you would realize your so-called pawn is using you just as much as you're using him.
"Nonsense! Toji made a binding vow with me...!"
Sukuna smiled. "And what were the terms of said vow?"
Toji's laughter echoed in the background; Natsuo must've realized something was amiss; because all the blood drained from his face. "No...
"Now you understand." Sukuna patted his head. "You're not the lion here, you're the sheep, a lamb ripe for slaughter, a sacrifice. I've been rather pent up these last few days you see, unlike you, the brat knows how to word his vows where it counts. I can't hurt anyone he cares about. But you...
He took ahold of him by the hair and lifted his head gingerly, gently, so as not to break his neck.
...he doesn't care about you now, does he? Which means for the next hour, you're mine.
The little fool tried to rally of course. "If you kill me, you'll never find Maki and Mai!"
"I'm not worried about those brats. They can defend themselves. Now, then."
He pressed a finger to Natsuo's torso, just above his kidneys.
There it was. The uncertainty. The fear he craved.
...let's have some fun."
(.0.0.0.)
Maki Zen'in was no fool.
She wasn't blind to danger either, not like Mai.
From the moment she laid eye on Naoya, the second she saw those marks, she knew the truth.
Naoya had a monster inside him.
Just thinking about it mad her shudder. She didn't know when he'd acquired such a creature, didn't know how, didn't rightly know why even, only that he did. Everything added up; though she dearly wished it didn't. It wasn't just the marks on her cousin's face, his tone had been too different, his praise rough, his instruction harsh. She'd seen right through him. He'd scowled at her and Mai both, yet for all his ire, he hadn't raised a hand against them.
Why? Was there a Binding Vow in effect? So man questions, not nearly enough answers...
So, yes.
Maki knew his secret.
But Mai didn't, and ignorance was bliss.
So she'd played dumb for him and her sister's sake, feigned naivete she didn't truly feel.
Her right ear twitched just so.
Wait. She sensed-
A rough burlap sack slammed down over her head with vicious speed, enveloping her and the rest of her body, cutting off the light of day alongside her musings. In an instant she found herself hoisted up over someone's shoulder; jostle violently now as they took off in a dead sprint. It all happened so fast, she was almost shocked...almost.
"Quick!" a hash voice cried! "Grab the other brat! For lord Natsuo!"
"Really?" she sighed in annoyance "Are you stupid?"
Evidently so.
It wasn't their fault for being brainless she supposed; they had impeccable timing, really; they'd chosen to strike when she was alone, isolated. Help was minutes away at best; as far as they were concerned, this was a prime opportunity. Someone must be distracting Medusa as well, else they'd never have gotten this far.
Unfortunately for them...
Rather than try to extricate herself, she slapped her hands together. "Shukaku."
"Here~!"
Sand erupted around her at her beck and call, ensnaring her captors in coffins of crushing earth. She heard what followed; felt it, rather than saw it; the breaking of bones, the crushing of corpses the wails of the withered as the dusty grains sapped the life from their bodies and more. The lucky ones were killed outright.
Others...were not so fortunate.
She drained the very water from their bodies and left shriveled husks behind, neither alive nor dead, but caught somewhere between. She didn't like using this technique -it made her feel dirty- but she wanted to leave at least one of them alive, the better to interrogate.
Her captor must've been one of the latter, because the hands holding her fell away, sending her tumbling to the floor with a yelp.
Tearing her way free from the sack, Maki stood, dusted herself off, and smiled at her remaining would-be-kidnappers
Shukaku hopped onto her shoulder and bared his fangs, tail thrashing behind him.
Huh. Maybe Naoya was right. These "beasts" of his really were scary.
"Have you said your prayers?"
Kill 'em all.
(.0.0.0.)
Naruto came to and found Toji standing over Satoru's body.
His gorge rose in his throat.
"What have you done?"
...what was necessary." his uncle flicked his blade clean, idly shedding the blood across its edge. "Whether he lives or dies is up to him. If he's strong, he'll survive. If not, he wasn't worthy of the Six Eyes. And as for you, nephew...you're not ready. You think you are, but you aren't."
"One final lesson."
Naruto saw red.
He lunged.
(.0.0.0.)
It had to be done.
Contrary to popular belief, Toji took no pleasure in his deeds here today. Once upon a time -before Naoya, before the brats- he might have. He was the Sorcerer Killer after all. Blood was his bread and butter. A lifetime ago he would've chuckled about this over a cold drink and spared his victims no more thought than an ant crushed underfoot.
Now?
He hated this.
Hated it, but went through with it; because this necessary all the same. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. He'd seen what was to come. If he didn't do this, nothing would change.
If nothing changed, Naoya would die.
As would Megumi and Tsumik and those bratty twins.
And he...he just couldn't have that. So he had to change things, upset the status quo, as it were. Natsuo was a wily one; he had plans, foul, terrible plans that must be stopped. To facilitate that, he'd needed to draw him out, get him out into the open where he could be cornered and struck down.
Lucky for him, the bastard was terrible at wording his vows; and an idiot at that. It had been all too easy to lure him out with false promises.
As for the runts...let them hate him for this. He would bow his neck and offer his head later.
Assuming there was a later; assuming he survived the next five seconds.
The ground ruptured behind him as he dodged death by a hairs breath. He twisted aside, only to grunt as a clenched fist hammered his side and broke a rib, forcing him to leap away. The brat was quick, but he was also fighting mad, fighting stupid they called it. Now that he'd recovered his cursed technique he was a very real danger, but so long as he fought like this there was a chance he might make it out of this in one piece and outlast his temper long enough to explain-ah shit.
The kid caught him by the ankle and swung him down at breakneck speed, slamming him into the ground.
Anyone else would've died. Not him. He was built better than that.
He almost wished he had, if only to be spared the pain.
Naruto snarled down at him. "If Gojo dies, so do you!"
"He won't."
A hand gripped his throat. "You don't know that!"
...I do, because I held back." He rasped a laugh, revealing the ruse at last. "You truly care for your friends, don't you? Remember that feeling; remember this moment. Take strength from it. But don't let your guard down. Never again."
"What are you...?"
Toji cracked a bloody smile and plucked a folded letter from his pocket, creased and worn. "It would take to long to explain...so here. Read this once you finish me off. It explains everything." His plan to lure Natsuo out of hiding and get him killed, the reason he'd attacked him, all of it. Everything.
Naoya tensed above him, but accepted it nonetheless like the good nephew he was. Good. He'd be able to protect Megumi and Tsumiki once he was gone.
Much to his chagrin, the boy read it first, rather than kill him outright. He Frowned. Looked back to him, back to the letter now. "Why...?"
Toji granted him a weary smile. "Because I'm your uncle, idiot. Are you going to kill me, or what? Make your choice."
His right eye twitched "You stabbed me!"
"You got better...?
The kid didn't answer, not with words, not at first. Rather than retort, he drilled a spiralling sphere into his gut. He couldn't even begin to describe the pain that followed; the blast blazed into him, the shockwave that came thereafter sent him sprawling. He didn't resist, didn't try to rise when he crashed to the ground, even when a dagger jabbed into his throat.
"An arm or your eye." it was not a question. "Choose."
Ah. So that was the price he'd pay.
"Eye." he decided.
...good." the very word dripped venom. "The next time you do something like that without warning me, I'll kill you. Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
Naoya handed him the blade.
Toji took it without hesitation, slammed it into his left eyesocket, and twisted the hilt.
His eye tore free with a sickening squelch and plopped into the dirt.
Just like that, half his vision darkened forevermore.
Only then did the pain drag him under.
He passed out with a smile.
A/N: And you thought Toji went bad~!
Next chapter will explain all, rest assured!
Would you prefer weekly updates or monthly ones? Do let me know!
As ever, reviews keep me alive. Without them, I cannot write. So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly? Hope you enjoy the previews.
We've got some new ones and some are...intense.
They've been expanded and then some!
Read at your own risk:
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING~!
SPOILERS AWAIT THEE~!
YE BE WARNED~!
(Previews)
Most are condensed to save time and space. SKIP THEM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED.
"You will come with us."
Mai ripped her revolver from her belt and began loading the chamber with bullets.
"Did you not hear me, child?!"
"Hush." she held up a finger. "Almost done."
Her task complete, she closed the chamber and pointed her pistol their way.
"One of these six bullets is special." she smiled, mimicking a shit-eating grin she'd once seen Naoya use. "You feeling lucky punk?"
She mentally pumped a fist.
Yes! She finally got to use that line!
No way was she wasting his gift on a scrub of a kidnapper.
"Yuuuuuuta! Its so nice to finally meet you!"
"Humans, curses, demons, they're all the same thing in the end, really.
Everybody wants something in this life. There are no exceptions.
The key, my dear, is figuring out what that something is.
And once you've attained that knowledge...
...then the advantage becomes yours.
That is why Naoya will die.
My brother is soft.
WEAK."
"He may be, but I'm not."
"What the-who the devil are you?!"
"SUCH A POOR CHOICE OF WORDS."
Yo. I hear you need a fifth member."
"And you are...?"
The young man cracked his knuckles.
"Oi, now." his eyes began to glow. "That's my friend. GET YOUR FILTHY MITTS OFF HER."
"Listen to yourselves! Have you all bothered to think about what kind of person you're trying to curse?!
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Looking forward to your feedback~!
Hope you have a great day,
~Nz.