As I ran to the fire escape once again, my mind was working in overdrive.
What the fuck?
What the hell was that?
A Cursed Spirit?
But this was DxD.
What the fuck?
As I went down the rusting stairs, I looked back to see the thing fast approaching, taking quick steps to where I was like a Terminator out for blood.
It stopped, prompting me to stop as well.
What the fuck was it doing now?
—In hindsight, I should've just ran faster. The sheer novelty of the situation and the fact that I had been retired for two years even before my reincarnation had stifled my judgment and had me committing amateur mistakes, but I should've known better.
On the battlefield, even the smallest mistake could get you killed.
And with me having stopped to look?
I just committed one of the biggest blunders of them all.
It clapped its hands together, pointing both hands at my direction as it braced itself, shifting to a bladed stance to mitigate recoil.
I knew that move. Everyone and their mom knew that move, especially if they've watched Jujutsu Kaisen and have already gone over Shibuya.
"Oh, FUCK!"
I immediately ducked, throwing myself down the stairs and almost out of the railing even in my desperation to avoid what was coming next.
Blood Manipulation: Piercing Blood
Time slowed down.
It seemed a fragile thing. Just a single line of blood, shooting out of his hands at incredible speed.
But it cut through steel and concrete like a hot knife going through butter, slicing the door and the railing and even cutting into the neighboring building, causing the metal of the banisters to scream as it slid into the alley below; now cut into pieces by the mysterious entity.
It was cool to see on TV, especially when it was a physically-gifted high school kid that had to deal with it, but in real-life?
It was fucking horrifying.
I kept on running down, hearing the thing charge forward until eventually, it reached the steel grates of the fire escape.
I looked up just in time to see it jump.
Dropping over the edge, it immediately caught itself on the railing in front of me, its bone-white fingers grasping onto the rusted steel tightly as the structure creaked and groaned under its weight.
I was horrified.
What the fuck was this thing?
I jammed the spike of my crowbar into its fingers, hoping to pry its palm open and have it fall to the ground, but it didn't work. I kept on trying, hoping to injure it somehow, but it didn't even faze the fucking thing. It continued to pull itself up, its arm coursing with purple veins as it did so before its other hand came for a grab.
With me having abandoned my crowbar, the monster caught nothing but air as I hurriedly stepped back, looking left and right for a way out.
"...shit. Shit. Shit."
If I went left and into the stairs that would lead to the alley, I'd have gotten caught by the fucking monster.
If I went right, jumping over the railing and risking broken bones and tetanus, I'd be in the perfect range for a Piercing Blood; boxed in by the narrow concrete and forced into a linear path.
So, when I saw the open door behind my back, leading back to the department store, I immediately started running again, closing the door behind me in a futile attempt to keep it at bay.
Eventually, after running at breakneck speeds as I turned from corner to corner, I eventually lost sight of the thing.
I was on the second floor now, resting behind a sea of couches as I desperately tried to regain my breath, wheezing from the effort of all that running.
I could feel it. The telltale marks of exhaustion, creeping into my veins and making every limb in my body feel like they're on fire.
I could feel my heart beating frantically, my lungs working at twice the speed as pools of sweat coalesced into my pits and on my chest and back.
This place was a fucking death trap. The zombies weren't a problem, although their presence here was concerning. Did that girl have some sort of necromantic bullshit for her Cursed Technique?
I couldn't say for sure. If I had access to my Cursed Energy, I wouldn't be as worried. If I could just bolster my physical abilities to the degree I trained for back in my prime, I knew for sure that I'd be able to get out of this place with no problem.
But no matter how much I concentrated, I couldn't get it to do anything. I could see it just fine, but I couldn't actually use it.
Normally, I'd just take my time and figure it out step by step, but that wasn't an option. In my state, without Cursed Energy, even a single zombie like last time would kill me.
Not to mention that fucking thing outside.
Like, really? Some humanoid abomination with Blood Manipulation? Whoever was handling this shitty game needed to chill out and cut the Soulsborne bullshit.
I wasn't some former spec ops assassin. I wasn't superhuman.
I was just some two-bit thug who was blessed enough to have a good head on his shoulders.
It was why I got into all this nerdy shit. It was a great way to destress and disassociate from all the shit I had to do.
I guess this was my penance, huh? Azazel's heavenly father must've been laughing from beyond the grave right now, knowing that some former hired hitter's about to get got by a creature straight outta his favorite show.
Not that I didn't deserve it.
—I opened my eyes, shaking myself out of that train of thought as I took a deep breath before exhaling, hoping to regain my energy for what was up ahead.
I needed to get out.
But for some reason, the system hasn't said anything about the mission.
Even when I checked, the parameters of the mission remained the same. I still had to investigate the department store.
And to do that?
I needed something that could get me past the zombies and that fucking thing with Blood Manipulation.
"Fuck." I mumbled, before smiling wryly to myself.
If the hardware section was still around, I could've made some bombs and some traps to help me out with clearing this place.
But aside from the large stockpile of couches on this floor though, there was nothing in this place that I could use.
—Eventually, I caught my breath, having recovered somewhat from the strenuous exercise of running for my life.
And as soon as I felt fine, the System decided to be nice for a change.
System Alert!
You've undergone strenuous exercise under the heat of battle. Your Strength has increased.
Stat point found. Utilizing as a modifier.
Recalculating…
Level Up! Strength has reached D.
What?
System Alert!
You've undergone strenuous exercise under the heat of battle. Your Agility has increased.
Stat point found. Utilizing as a modifier.
Recalculating…
Level Up! Agility has reached D.
Holy shit.
System Alert!
You've undergone strenuous exercise under the heat of battle. Your Constitution has increased.
Stat points found. Utilizing as a modifier.
Recalculating…
Level Up! Constitution has reached C.
As I felt my body heat up once again, skin, bone, and sinew changing under my notice to accommodate for these changes in physicality as my thin frame was filled out through the system, I felt calm.
Turns out that was how stat points worked.
You couldn't just add points to a stat and expect it to work out for you.
They were made to increase the boons you'd get from actually training your ass off. And from the start, the system gave me five to use as I saw fit.
Was this the gift of the fucker who sent me here?
Giving me a starter package with the stats and the gacha system?
If that was the case, then why wasn't it working when I was testing shit out with Azazel?
Did it really have to work when I was fighting something?
Well, I ain't gonna complain anymore. Not when I felt good. Far better than I've ever been since I've found myself in Kuoh.
I felt close to my prime back when I was working. At least, in terms of endurance.
The moment I stood up and threw a simple one-two just to see how it shaped up to my previous skills, I knew it still wasn't enough for my standards.
But it had to be enough. It had to be.
Stepping out from behind my cover, I summoned my kukri back into my hand, the blade feeling light and properly-balanced in my hand for once.
It was time to investigate. So, that's what I did.
I spent several minutes combing over the second floor.
Nothing.
I went into the bathrooms, waiting for something to just jump at me so I could kill it.
Still nothing.
I was about to head up once again, going into the escalators in the hopes of finding something I've missed from the third floor, when I heard a familiar banging on the door.
"Huh. I guess there's still more."
I sighed.
Time to see just what I really got, two years after washing my hands of all this bullshit.
Searching for cover, I took shelter behind a row of empty shelves, keeping my ear to the ground as I waited for my target.
I took a deep breath, exhaling softly and slowly.
Calm and serene. Inhale, exhale.
When I first started learning this shit, that was the first thing I learned. If you were gonna be killing someone from behind, then you better believe you need to keep your ass out of sight. It was just common sense.
And to do that, you need to keep everything about you hidden. Not just from sight, but from all the senses of the body.
Finding the right piece of cover was just the start. Breathing right was the second step, and knowing when to stay still and wait was the third.
And as soon as that door crashed open, the sound of groaning metal mixing with the din of animalistic snarls, I took those first three steps like a fish did to water; taking the fourth and final stage judiciously as soon as the ghoul stepped into range.
With my left leg ready and chambered, I released a leg kick straight into the back of his knee, my shin impacting cold flesh as it made my target fall on its knees.
Before it could even snarl in response, my right hand blurred forward.
A single, diagonal slash right into the base of the neck as the zombie's head drooped forward due to the sudden change in elevation released the thing from the curse of undeath; decapitating the thing in one go and making its head roll on the floor, a permanent snarl affixed to its face for all eternity.
I nodded.
—Decent enough.
Hearing another low growl, my head snapped to the source of the sound.
Another zombie on the left.
It started running, its limbs flailing about erratically as it made its way to me. So, I stepped back into cover and stayed still.
Normally, this was where I'd run. Against people that could think, being a sitting duck was suicide.
But these weren't people.
They were decently fast for zombies, but they weren't the people I had to deal with back then. Hell, I was killing them even as a scrawny fuck just fine a while ago.
The moment the zombie turned the corner, it found me waiting.
I stepped forward and slashed to the left, striking its arm and chest and causing angry lines of blood to appear and gush out from beneath its blue shirt.
—Even if it couldn't feel pain, the mutilation of a major muscle group would shit on its offensive capabilities.
Still, it lashed out with the wounded arm.
A futile attempt.
Fighting in close quarters wasn't just some mindless task a dumb fuck could do after four weeks in a McDojo and a day of gym.
It was an art full of deception, of positioning and jockeying for control with the help of lies and carefully-planned sequences.
When I was learning how to use a sword from the boss after we watched Rurouni Kenshin for the second time that week, I learned that the root of success when it came to this type of shit was in the understanding of Sen, or initiative. After all, understanding how initiative worked, who held it, and how to take it, was an important aspect not just in fighting individual battles but also when it came to strategy. The battlefield was like a tide; shifting, and ever-changing depending on who held the initiative, on who had grasped the momentum needed to take victory.
And in this case, I was riding the wave after taking Go-no-Sen, the first out of the three types of initiative achieved by attacking first; succeeding in my attempt and injuring it in such a way that whatever reprisal it could cook up fell flat on the floor.
All I had to do was finish it.
So, I slipped its attempt to claw at me by moving to the right and slashing higher this time as I passed, taking its neck in one go and slicing yet another head off.
Blood splattered all over the floor and even on my clothes like rain, but, well. At least I was perfectly fine.
Turning towards the fire exit from where they came, I began walking, hoping to finally find an answer from this shitty place.
With me having regained my previous skills, having to deal with the zombies in this place should be a piece of cake.
Provided that that monster doesn't show up of course.
- -
While Finn-san was looking around the department store, I, Hanakai Momo, was cleaning up after his mess.
As I flew among the stars, my wings flapping furiously, I shot spell after spell at the eyeless monstrosity below.
It was perceptive, for a lumbering lunk. It avoided most of the magical arrows I sent its way with ease, taking the hits from the ones it couldn't dodge with only scratches to show for it.
I had to hit it with something big.
But how?
—Extending my hand and allowing magical energy to push through and circulate in the spell array, I shot a Fire Lance, comparable to the massive bolts of a Roman ballista.
Devil Magic was fueled by imagination, so, the more grounded the image, the easier it was to bring to reality, with cementing its existence with magic circles containing its vectors being common practice to make devil combat spells more efficient.
And while Fire Lance wasn't some complex expression of magical brilliance, it was a mainstay in the Sitri Army in the Underworld for a reason; being a decent spell with plenty of firepower.
But it wasn't enough.
It flew straight towards my target, but just like all the others, it simply dodged the fire lance before clapping its hands together, pointing it into my direction; the magical projectile exploding behind it in a conflagration of crimson and orange.
"Again?!" I sputtered, immediately changing altitude just in time to avoid what was coming next.
Almost immediately, a red line appeared in the space where my head was just a second ago, the sound of pressurized fluid crackling and popping as it broke the sound barrier unmistakable to my ears.
If that hit me, I would've been dead. No questions asked. It was almost reminiscent of Serafall-sama's application of Water Magic, but with blood.
I had scoffed at Finn-san's poor showing against this monster as I watched his progress with Nevermore, but perhaps such was warranted; his surprising combat skills aside.
I confess I knew little of fighting in melee combat, but I've never seen someone fight with such precision and control in person.
Oh, I've watched the occasional MMA video since Tsubasa-san's passions were in that direction. Despite being humans, even I'd admit they far outstripped my best friend when it came to technical skills.
But Finn-san's talents weren't in that area. That was what worried me.
His skill was killing. Not martial arts, not combat. Killing.
The way he waited for openings before capitalizing on vital areas, the way he took into account the environment before making his move, the way he controlled the flow of battle itself with careful consideration until it suited his desired outcome, it wasn't a skill that came from the dojo.
He wasn't like Kiba-san. He wasn't like Tsubaki-senpai. Those two had formal training in both swordsmanship and naginatajutsu respectively. Finn-san was clearly trained, and from the looks of it, possessed considerable experience in more… criminal matters, if his infiltration was to be analyzed. But by whom?
The government? No. He was too young.
Some criminal organization? Most likely, but I had no evidence.
The Church was also a possibility, considering the purpose he seemed to have in coming here.
Maybe he was even connected to the people we were hunting in some shape or form.
Either way, we needed to be careful.
As much as he would make an excellent candidate for Sona-kaichou's remaining Evil Pieces, his uncertain origins were a cause for concern.
But before I worry about that, I still had to deal with my little guest.
—Dipping low, I readied another bolt of energy, inspecting the monster's response.
All I needed was an opening.
So, I went over what I knew about it once again.
It was strong. As physically strong as Ruru-chan, or maybe even Koneko-chan from the Occult Research Club. But most importantly, it was smart. It knew what attacks were to avoid and which ones it could take with little issue. It wasn't particularly fast, but it took advantage of my own casting times to evade my bigger spells while tanking my smaller ones.
Almost as if it could read the inscriptions in the magic circles I use. Almost as if it had an understanding of Devil Magic.
I frowned.
I needed more information. I needed more time. But I didn't have more time. I needed to beat it fast, before the rest of the Student Council came.
Sona-kaichou put me in this post for a reason. She trusted me, a first-year, over Tomoe-san, over Tsubasa-san, over Reya-san, over Ruru-chan, over even Tsubaki-senpai.
And I was going to defeat my enemy, or die trying.
I shot three more blasts of energy its way, hoping to draw a response as I tucked my bat-like wings in and dove from above.
It took them with no complaints, but I expected it.
It was far too tough for it to end just like that.
So, I came prepared.
I purposely made those blasts weak so I could focus on a spell in my off-hand, offsetting the delay in cast time in order to hit my target at point-blank range.
And as I got closer and closer, close enough to see its muscles coil in anticipation even amidst the smoke created by my previous attack, I fired it at the thing as I passed by.
Another Fire Lance.
It was a direct hit, impacting its abdomen and sending it flying backwards into the dusty ventilation units of the roof, kicking up clouds of debris in the process as the spell exploded in a bright starburst of red and orange.
Readying another spell, I pushed forward, readying a green magic circle on my right this time before letting loose a spell more powerful than all the others I've used in this particular engagement.
"O' Wind, I offer my supplication upon you. Uproot the weeds from my garden and reduce the unworthy to rubble. Whirlwind Blast." I intoned as I spun in mid-air and released the spell as if I was attempting a spike at perfect form, allowing the ball of compressed air to hit the ivory-skinned giant.
I felt the air grow sharp even from a distance, picking up speed and growing heavy with the scent of ozone as dust and sand were pushed in all directions in its wake. The abrasive winds howled ferociously as it tore the skin of the enemy giant into pieces, sending rivulets of blood flying as if they were morning mist called forth by the coming of dawn.
But dawn had yet to arrive. Night was still in full sway, and the damn thing was still alive.
Holding both hands together seemingly in prayer, with its feet spread apart to mitigate recoil.
Blood Manipulation: Piercing Blood
I made a mistake.
I was far too close to dodge this attack unscathed.
Even as I twisted in the air, even pulling back my wings to reduce my visual profile, it still grazed me right on the arm, cutting deep into my flesh with its passing.
I immediately re-engaged my wings, attempting to pull back as soon as I did so, but the pain proved to be unbearable.
I stumbled to the ground, letting out a whimper of pain.
I was going to die.
I was going to die, alone, on a dingy rooftop because of a mistake made by my own hand.
I gritted my teeth.
I refused to accept it. Even if I died right then and there, I was going to bring this damn thing with me.
I still had things I needed to prove. Things I needed to show, to my friends, to my family, and especially to my Father.
Hanakai Momo was a flower that could work well with others, but she could stand alone.
Even in death, I'd rather die with dignity than beg for mercy.
Thankfully, that didn't happen.
I was waiting for another attack like that deadly blood wire it was using, but for some reason, it didn't fire a second shot.
I immediately pulled back, colliding magic circles for a water spell and a fire spell together right between my palms to create copious amounts of steam as it started moving again, ignoring the pain my sudden movement caused me as it released a powerful punch that made the cement on my feet tremble as cracks began running upon its surface.
"A time delay, huh?" I whispered.
—It couldn't use that attack more than once at a given moment.
There must be some constraints involved. Maybe it was using its own blood, meaning it had to regenerate what it shot out before it could fire again.
And while it was doing so, it couldn't move for just a single second. That was the opening I needed to take advantage of.
—The monster rushed forward, ignoring the mist as it aimed for a swing at me with its gigantic fists.
I immediately erected a simple physical barrier, dissipating the force of the impact as it deflected the blow to the side; allowing me to release a single Fireball at close quarters.
The ensuing explosion almost singed the hair off my brow, yet I pushed on, releasing more bolts of magical energy to harass the monster and allow me to gain some distance.
We stood there as the dust cleared, seemingly waiting for each other to move first and restart the fighting.
I could see the various nicks and small wounds my attacks caused upon its person. The burns my various spells inflicted upon its body.
I was keeping up with it, but at this rate, I'd die first due to exhaustion. As a Bishop, my stores of energy were substantial, but not infinite.
Plus, the wound on my abdomen was worsening. It may have been a graze, but the wound felt deep. Perhaps deep enough to have even nicked an organ.
I exhaled.
I was prepared to fight until the end. It was part of my job as Sona-kaichou's Bishop.
She and the rest of the Peerage showed me kindness, but as I was, I remained undeserving of such treatment.
So, I had to fight.
But, in the end, I didn't have to. As I heard the sound of beating wings from behind me, I felt a sigh of relief despite my frustration.
I bit my lip.
I had to be saved. Again.
"MOMO-CHAN!" Ruru-chan yelled from a distance, but I couldn't really hear her.
All I could hear were the thundering footsteps of the monster as it turned back, unleashing a thick mist of blood that obscured its whereabouts as it disappeared into the unknown.
I collapsed into the ground out of exhaustion.
What was that thing?
What was it doing here?
And why was Finn-san here?
Those three questions swirled in my mind as I kept myself awake with the remaining vestiges of my energy.
- Ω -
Deep inside the labyrinth that was the emergency exit of this crappy department store, I, Finn Tsukigawa, felt the earth rumble once again, dust falling like rain from the ceiling as I heard the sound of metal groaning from above.
"What the hell was happening up there?" I mumbled out, looking into the hall before me.
It was covered in blood.
Blood from the zombies I've killed, who were definitely related to Jujutsu Kaisen somehow. The Cursed Energy I could sense but couldn't use attested to that shit.
And the non-Euclidean shenanigans happening in this fucking corridor.
From the size of this building, you'd expect the emergency exits to be pretty big for emergencies. But it shouldn't be big enough to constitute entire floors of labyrinthine twists and turns on their own.
Still, it wasn't all that bad. I've regained most of my physical capabilities back in my previous life, so there was that. The rest of the zombies in the department store didn't seem all that tough once I got my shit back.
But, still. I came close to dying a few times. The zombies weren't difficult at all, despite how worried I was at the beginning, but the thing that used Blood Manipulation?
That was different.
I was outclassed. Not by a single degree, but by fucking miles. I couldn't even do anything to that thing. I was helpless. Far too helpless for my liking.
And I had the sinking feeling that even with my current stats, I'd die to that thing in seconds.
I chuckled to myself.
As much as I regretted the shit I had to do in my previous job, I had to admit it. My success against the scum of the earth gave me far too much confidence than what I needed for this place.
This place wasn't a game. This place may have been fanservice central back in the day, but that didn't make it any less deadly.
I was weak. No matter the skills I had, no matter my experience dealing with dangerous situations, it all meant nothing in the face of real power.
I knew all that the moment I figured it out.
After all, my death happened because of that same shit.
I died because they didn't need a soldier anymore. They needed a loose end tied up, so they did it in a way I'd never be able to deal with no matter what I did.
And I lost everything because of it. I lost the happy ending I've fought for. In the guise of figuring things out with Azazel, I've forgotten that.
No, I chose to forget, using the system as an excuse to distract myself. Because the moment I accepted that I was really dead, and that my siblings were really lost to me, I'd have accepted that everything I've ever fought for was gone forever.
But now, I've realized it fully.
I had to get stronger.
I didn't know if I wanted to enjoy the second chance I've gotten just yet, but I had to be strong enough to protect the daily life I've managed to find for myself.
If not for myself, then for the people I've lost.
The people I've killed.
—As I opened the door I found to be the source of all those zombies, I was immediately greeted with a system notice.
System Alert!
You've found the Dungeon "Shinkawa's Hidden Laboratory".
The Mission "Stirrings of Darkness" has been cleared.
Rewards:
•1 Stat Point
•1 Charge of Deus Ex Machina
A Dungeon, huh?
Looking at the blood covering my body and the fatigue I felt despite my new level of physical fitness, I sighed.
I wasn't in the condition for this shit.
But I'd come back.
Just not today.
—Turning my back to the door from where I came, I began to walk, dragging my ass back home.
AN: Hey, guys! Sorry for taking this long, I tried something new with the format. Lemme know if y'all prefer chapters that are this long, or if you'd like chapters that were like the previous ones in terms of length. I gotta say, I'm overwhelmed at how well this shit's doing if I'm gonna be honest. I wrote this just for the hell of it, and to see this level of engagement with the first thing I've written and published online in the past five years is fucking insane. Thank y'all for giving my shit a chance, bros! I appreciate it!
Now that we're done with the prologue, we'll be shifting gears and go straight into Kuoh Academy, so expect more familiar characters from canon in the next one. Since I've busted out stuff from JJK, I might even have certain characters pop out.
Anyway. Thank you for reading! Leave a comment or a review if you feel like it, or don't. I appreciate the support nevertheless. See y'all in the next one!