Don't Fuck with the White Mage (Jujutsu Kaisen - Utahime Iori SI Chapter 14)
"Isao-san, everything done on your end?" Asked Kamo Tsururu-sensei, one of my teachers in Kyoto High. She's a strict woman, but always tells me to take it easy. It... never felt natural. I guess she's used to being hard on her students, but with me it's the opposite so she doesn't know how to deal with that.
She doesn't have the Kamo's Inherited Technique, but her Cursed Technique, Light Weight, is pretty good. The name is self-explanatory. She doesn't make things weightless, just lighter and more easier to carry, while having the same mass and density.
"Yes. The barrier is back up on our end now. Thank you all for what you've done." Ijichi Isao said and bowed to us, the reinforcement team three (our arriving group got divided into four teams, one for each cardinal direction), although mostly to me, given I went ahead of everybody and got here on my own. "However I still maintain the opinion that Iori-san's safety shouldn't be risked."
Kamo-sensei sighed and shook her head. "Don't bother. That kid only looks polite. She just goes off on her own and does whatever she wants. This way, I can be responsible around her."
Hey...? Hey wait. Sensei, why do you make me sound like a delinquent? I'm not Mei Mei!
"Ijichi-san, I'm basically a mobile healing unit. My abilities are best utilized while moving with a group rather than being stationary." I stepped up and spoke. "Also, you shouldn't have any problem providing healing to those who need it with the Pururus." I said with a straight face.
I got sorta deadpan looks back that were being polite.
Look, lately when talking to Mana or Mei, I've been compared to a lot of bulldozers or an army, and I wanted to do something to add some femininity to me.
The 'Pururu' was basically a Will-O-Wisp modified to release a pulse of Positive Energy to heal anything in its proximity radius of 1 meter. I made ten of them, leaving them in the west containment team's hands. They should each last five to six hours if used sparingly.
The Pururus aren't alive. Not even close. They aren't Cursed Spirits, or have any intelligence. They are basically a Cursed Technique acting remotely with a few "if-then" commands.
"If anything come up, or the Healing Orbs dissipate, call us on the cellphone and Utahime-san should be able to fly over. Correct?" She asked me at the end.
"It should take me ten minutes to move between each containment point. I'm still working out that flying Technique, but I hopefully should get faster with it." I reassured Mr. Isao.
The flying Technique-Tentatively named "Feather Robe", although I feel a bit cringy on actually naming it that-was basically modified Will-O-Wisps.
The Will-O-Wisps were spheres of Cursed Energy that I created from ambient Cursed Energy, my Cursed Energy and Solo Forbidden Area. Thing is, they don't have to take the shape of a sphere, as I came to have better control over it. And Will-O-Wisps can combine.
I could have the Will-O-Wisps flatten, stretched, thinned... and cover myself and my clothing, while allowing me to move it telekinetically. Thus flight.
Also it can also act as a force field if needed.
I made Aura from RWBY in a sense. Just without the Semblance.
I gave myself Tactile Telekinesis. Yey.
Wait. If I cover something at a distance with a Will-O-Wisp I can move it.
...I have Telekinesis. Kinda.
Not important, thinking about that later.
"Very well, I understand. Time is of the essence." Isao sighed, but nodded and wished us farewell. "We'll take care of things here. We await your reports after stabilizing the other containment areas."
"We're heading off." Kamo-sensei said, then turned and left.
I gave Mr. Isao a small bow, and rushed after Kamo-sensei. With us was two dozen Sorcerers, as we planned to head to south containment team.
West containment area here is taken care of. Geto and Ieiri are in the northern containment area, so things should be okay there. Mana and the Zenin Clan are in the east, so that area should be okay.
South, who headed there? I tried to remember. Katana-san and his group I think. Oh, Tanaka should also be there. Neat.
Our group ran toward our destination. I thought of offering my Will-O-Wisps to have everyone fly there faster, but likely Kamo-sensei and others would argue that as the healer I need to conserve my strength. Which... fair, but I can't help but feel I need to get to the different locations faster.
The so-called Special Grade I faced wasn't anything special in my opinion. Yes, my standards are skewed due to thinking of the Disaster Curses and Heian Era Sorcerers, but if the others are of similar strength they should be manageable by everyone else.
But still ten Special Grades is still ten Special Grades. If even one of them has some kind of deadly trick without a good counter... I need to confirm all ten are dead as quickly as possible.
This is annoying. Geto Suguru couldn't help but think.
He couldn't help but lament the bad timing of it all. No sooner did he and his group land at the northern containment area, did Suguru and others hear a bell ring.
They looked at where the sound originated to see a Special Grade Curse with the symbol of the Mirror of the Shore. It looked like a humanoid fish walking upright, dressed in a tribal dress carrying a straw bag. On one of it's hands was a bracelet with jingling shells. It was the Fisherman Cursed Spirit.
The instant Suguru looked at the Fisherman, he found himself pulled into a Domain of darkness and shallow waters.
He looked around to see his group that was suppose to be the rescue, along with the containment team were in the Domain as well.
Suguru Immediately jumped to the side as he sensed an attack coming his way. There was a sharp movement of wind, only for one of his Cursed Spirit placed on automatic defense-Sacrificial Possum-to take the blow for him and disappear. Sacrificial Possum can take one fatal hit for Suguru, before needing to recharge for a month. It can be used one second time, but it would be vanquished forever. With Utahime's supercharging before the mission, it could now take up to ten life killing blows.
Suguru then jumped back as Fisherman lunged at him from the pool under his feet, only to dive back into the shallow pond and vanish.
Screams rang around Suguru from other Sorcerers, who couldn't dodge Fisherman.
Wait, why did the Fisherman hit my Sacrificial Possum the first time, but not the second?
Shoko has already cast her Simple Domain, as did other Sorcerers who could react. Suguru called upon the Cursed Spirit he sealed back after Utahime's buffed them, to call on them in this situation. He had them protect the other Sorcerers, easily managing the task, while he looked at the Domain, trying to decipher it.
Another sure hit blow. Sacrificial Possum lost another life.
"Suguru!" Shoko shouted. "Get in my barrier!" She urged him.
"Just a second, almost got it!" He shouted back.
Another sure hit. Scarifical Possum protect him once more.
Something splash the pond behind Suguru.
Fisherman jumped, not from the ground, but the darkened water in the air.
"Gotcha." Suguru smirked.
Instantly Fisherman froze in the air, as a Simple Domain expanded with such range and speed it caught up to and smacked against the second Special Grade in the area. The one who casted Domain they were trapped in.
And right now that Special Grade Cursed Spirit, was pushed up against the barrier of its own Domain. It was the Hiding Darkness Cursed Spirit, holding the symbol of the Mirror of the Deep.
It looked like an eldritch deep ocean squid's face.
"Am I pretty?" Suguru's Kuchisake-Onna Cured Spirit asked. More like bellowed the question as it reverberated throughout the Domain.
Hiding Darkness let out a clicking growl.
Fishermen struggled with it's mouth for a bit.
Then spoke.
"Nrrooo!" With a look frustration and anger, Fisherman spoke its first word.
Multiple scissor stabbed Fisherman's torso, its arms were cut, and it's face was caught by a pair of scissor, that bit down on the front of it's face. Then two pairs of scissors caught it's neck.
Hiding Darkness moved to smash against Kuchisake-Onna.
"Idiot." Suguru grinned. "You should have grabbed all of my Cursed Spirits when you grabbed me."
The Domain broke as a water cutter beam blasted from outside the Domain, aiming right at Hiding Darkness. With Suguru acting as the marksman, Rainbow Dragon sniped Hiding Darkness from outside the Domain, scoring a shot through the heart. Or rather where it would have one.
"Heh." Suguru couldn't believe his luck. He held out a hand, and absorbed the two Cursed Spirits he dominated. "Two Special Grade Curses for the prize of one. Not a bad first haul."
After a few moment, Suguru held two small shining spheres, that were once Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Mana panted in exertion, her limbs trembling.
This... is a problem.
The forest around them had multiple trees damaged or broken.
Beyond the first one Mana smashed Rust Cloth into, the rest was from her having to dodge the Cursed Spirit's attacks.
The Special Grade turned out to be a much worse match up than Mana had anticipated.
The reason? Its Cursed Technique, Corrosion. Rust Cloth's ability was to rust or corrode anything it touched, including Cursed Techniques.
So for a Cursed Technique like Projection Sorcery, that required Mana to get up close and personal for combat, it was a fatal deal for her.
Using Fast Forward to launch multiple attacks wasn't feasible, because the moment Mana punched the Cursed Spirit, she'd be thrown out of her 24FPS, and her speed returned to normal.
She could try to build up her momentum for one devastating attack, but...
Mana hissed, as her bloodied bandaged arm, reminded her of her injure from that mistake.
Rust Cloth was fast. Fast enough to grab her arm, after she scored a strong hit upon it. The broken part of it's armored torso attests to that.
The scratches on her arm were small, but already looked rotted in parts, showing muscles. She wrapped it up, but she didn't know how long she could fight.
Rust Cloth let out his screech zooming at Mana.
Mana created a path and dashed away, trying to put some distance between her and the Cursed Spirit.
Yet Rust Cloth kept up since she was on her first path. She still managed to dodge, and started her second path, then her third. She was now faster than Rust Cloth by the fourth sequence, now on her fifth she can begin her counterattack-
Mana's eyes widened as she quickly tried to bring her arm up, to block a kick from Rust Cloth.
"GAH!" She was thrown out of her path, holding her other arm, the worn out cloth around her bicep disintegrating, with the skin easily tearing and bleeding. The hit was strong, painful, the contact thankfully was minimal so the corrosion didn't touch her for long.
Mana quickly righted herself as she stared at her opponent with disbelief and terror.
It anticipated where I would move?
It shouldn't be possible for Rust Cloth to familiarize itself with her movement pattern this quickly. Mana barely clashed with it a few times.
Or could it be...
Mana thought back to one of her spars with Lady Utahime.
"Utahime-senpai, please have a serious match with me!" Mana had requested earnestly one time.
"Hmm? What brought this on?" Lady Utahime raised an eyebrow.
"Um, well, I'm always helping you with your training, but I would like to know how strong you really aren't without any self-restraints, you know." Mana wondered.
"Alright, sure." Utahime nodded with a smile.
...
...
...
One hit.
That was all it took.
Mana started her sequence as usual, taking her time to circle Utahime and build up speed. The odd thing she immediately realized was that Utahime wasn't taking any stances or readying herself like she usually did.
It stung Mana's pride somewhat, that Lady Utahime thought this would be easy without her Binding Vow.
Mana made her trajectory sudden and junky to throw Lady Utahime off. She made it look like she was gonna pass by Lady Utahime, only to turn and punch her form the side-
Mana was on the ground, pain flashing in her stomach. She struggled to breath for a moment, from Lady Utahime's palm strike.
A second later and she was fine due to Lady Utahime's healing.
"Wha... Huh? What?" Mana tried to gather her thoughts.
One moment Lady Utahime was just standing normally, without a stance, relaxed, the next the moved with precision to deliver one single strike to Mana's stomach, taking her out.
"How!?" Mana cried out as she sat up.
"I'm not sure if this is something most would be able to do, but..." Lady Utahime said as she pulled Mana up to stand. "When you make the path you're going to go on for your 24FPS, there's a trace of Cursed Energy there, of where you're going to go. Basically your Cursed Energy is building a railroad out for you to be pulled through. I'm familiar with your energy enough to notice it. Maybe your opponents wouldn't, but if they do, they can easily attack at where you're going to be."
Mana just looked at Lady Utahime gobsmacked.
"Of course, you're too quick so odds are they aren't likely to be able to take advantage of that." Lady Utahime chuckled bashfully.
So that was it, huh.
Its energy sensing ability was that high.
Rust Cloth could sense where she will be, and uses its Technique to throw her out of her Projection Sorcery.
Mana wondered if she could try to power through Rust Cloth's Corrosion but thickening her Cursed Energy covering her body. She clicked her tongue and shook the thought away. Rust Cloth's Cursed Energy had a sharp feeling to it.
Meaning, it's like a knife with an aura that decays what it cuts.
Rust Cloth dashed at her once more.
Looks like I'll have to use everything. Even the Techniques I'm not finished with yet.
Rust Cloth thrust it's arm at Mana, while preparing to jump aside to kick her, when she charged directions.
Only to be stunned at five different paths sprung from Mana.
Extension Technique: Multiple Shots.
It didn't know which way she was going to go.
Mana dashed forward, Rust Cloth attacked.
She jumped to the side, it threw a spin kick.
Only for Mana to jump over the Cursed Spirit and kick it in the back of it's head to dash away. Her shoes looked good for only one more hit.
Mana clicked her tongue in annoyance that her shoe even with energy reinforcement could only let her do so much.
Wait! Mana's eyes widened. Why was her clothes so wore out after clashing with Rust Cloth, when she should be reinforcing herself and her clothes with Cursed Energy?
Thinking about it, if Corrosion was so strong, then any contact with Rust Cloth should have resulted in her clothes and items disintegrating and her flesh under it rotting. It took multiple hits for her clothes to disintegrate. Even the hit to her bicep wasn't as bad. Only her arm that was grabbed by the Cursed Spirit's sharp claws had the most damage.
Mana focused on her Cursed Energy, on the layer reinforcing and protecting her. Feeling it at her leg, her arm, and other places she had contact with Rust Cloth. Her eyes widened as her Cursed Energy in those places felt... thinner. Somehow weaker than in the rest of her body.
Mana canceled Cursed Energy reinforcement and applied it again.
Her body and clothes were strengthened back to what they should be. Even her injuries didn't hurt as much anymore.
"So that was it." Mana said to herself. Rust Cloth's Cursed Technique lingered upon the areas it contacted.
Rust Cloth let out a screak. Mana wasn't sure if it was a shout of frustration or a cackle at her figuring out its trick.
She would have to cancel and remake her energy reinforcement from here on out after every clash.
Mana rushed forward, Rust Cloth doing the same to meet her.
Mana dodged Rust Cloth, paying much more attention to the Cursed Spirit's movement, while planning her own to build up her momentum.
Rust Cloth growled, sounding like the rattling of metal pipes, at the frustration at not being able to catch its prey.
Mana build up her speed, slowly reaching the sound barrier as Fast Forward was applied as well. Using two Techniques as once was draining her faster than usual.
But then again, I'm used to sparring with someone that does something this insane daily.
The winds were roaring.
BOOM!
Sound broke, and Mana launched a flying kick into Rust Cloth's back.
It slammed into the ground then into a tree. Broke through it and two more after it.
Rust Cloth let out a whine, disoriented and angry.
So Mana did it again.
BOOM!
SMASH!
And again.
BOOM!
SMASH!
And again!
BOOM!
SMASH!
Durable little fucker. Mana thought gritting her teeth.
But still, she only had to give it a few more hits to end it. The cracks along its entire armored body showed that.
Mana made another round, gaining speed, crossing the sound barier-BOOM!-And now to deliver a final punch-!
"GRAAAAAA!" Rust Cloth bellowed a roar.
It's Cursed Energy exploded off of it like a sonar pulse, carrying Corrosion.
Mana's paths were suddenly gone. Erased, like they were sand constructs. No, her Cursed Energy all together was momentarily gone.
Rust Cloth was in her face, and a fist slammed into her gut.
Mana lost her breath as she was launched back, but landed on her feet. Her side was bleeding after taking a direct hit without Cursed Energy strengthening her. The only good thing about this, was at least her wound wasn't a full on puncture wound.
Rust Cloth came at her in a feral manner, with a front line attack, clawing at her face.
Instinctively, Mana reinforced her body with Cursed Energy, parried the claw, and launched a punch at Rust Cloth's face. Only for her opponent to punch her side wound with its free hand.
Mana cried out in pain, as she jumped away from the grinning Cursed Spirit.
I need to end this now! The pain was ever present, her vision was wavering a bit.
Mana started her sequence with Multiple Shots once more. She noticed this time, when Rust Cloth started to gather his Cursed Energy for another Corrosion Pulse.
What do I do?
If she's hit by that wave again, she will be defenseless and the next attack she takes from the Special Grade will be her last.
Should I tank it? Maybe she can spike up her Cursed Energy to cancel out the way somewhat, so she can keep her Projection Sorcery up, and counterattack.
Yet, she fears that won't work.
Rust Cloth growled, as its charge was complete. It hugged its arm to its sides.
Mana's eyes widened, there was no more time to think.
Run away? The thought came, and with it dread.
"Geniuses are really amazing. To be able to expand on your ability from a support-type Cursed Technique like that. Utahime-senpai is something else."
A memory of relaxing after sparring session thundered into Mana's mind.
"Truthfully I never thought of myself as a genius." Lady Utahime had said. "Yes, my growth is steady due to training, but to tell you a secret, the real bites of growth I had were in battle. Where I was on the back foot, and no other time to think but follow my instinct to do one thing. Well, two technically."
"What were they?"
"To win, to live. Well, they are one and the same for me in those situations. So you can just say, I followed my instincts to win. I didn't have any other thought in mind at those times."
"GRAAAAAA!" Rust Cloth roared, spread its arms wide and unleashed his Corrosion Pulse.
Mana dashed right toward Rust Cloth whom she could see was running after the pulse toward her. It looked confused at her in that moment.
The wave approached Mana. It was coming closer and closer, inches away, then centimeters.
"Say Mana, have you ever been trapped in a frame by your own Technique?"
"Huh? Um, no, of course not. I never wanted to fail, so I made sure never to make that mistake. The Cursed Technique doesn't allow it anyways since once the 24 frames are set, my body automatically just follows them."
Mana canceled her Technique. Cancelled everything, even her energy reinforcement.
The wave passed her doing nothing. For she had no Cursed Energy out to be weakened.
Rust Cloth smirked in victory.
Then instantly Mana cast her Cursed Technique once more, her momentum at a level that she didn't have to start over.
Claw parried.
Cancel Cursed Technique to remove energy rot.
Activated Cursed Technique again. Punch.
Cancel Cursed Technique. Dodge.
Activate Cursed Cursed Technique.
Canceling and activating Projection Sorcery multiple times without losing speed, meant she can start her sequence and stop it at any point. That she can change for move set on the fly. She wasn't chained down by the twenty four frames.
She should have been froze for one second in a frame for breaking the 24FPS rule, but she didn't.
She was free from it, because her Projection Sorcery was a mutation.
How?
Cursed Energy may resemble natural laws in its operation, but it has no reason to follow it.
Thus in one generation, Mana crystalized a new possibility.
Extension Technique: Film Edit!
Mana punched Rust Cloth, dodged a counter attack, parried another as she delivered a leg swing then a knee to the Curse's face. She jumped back, dashed forward, and punched him in the side where the armor was cracked. It broke.
Her Cursed Energy was dwindling. She was injured and exhausted.
Yet Mana followed her idol's example. She wondered what would Utahime-sama do and the answer was obvious.
"I'll punch the shit outta you until I'm won!" Mana screamed.
Her attacks getting sharper and sharper, faster and faster, as her momentum never slowed.
Rust Cloth strengthened the Corrosion aura around it, but Mana punched through it.
Even if her Cursed Energy was weakened, her fist retained their speed.
SMASH! SMASH! SMASH!
Over and over again, she didn't stop.
Rust Cloth dropped it's Technique, brought it's arm up to tank the attack while jumping away.
BAM!
One of its arms broke off, the other had a crack throughout it.
But it gained its distance, its energy gathered.
It waited for Mana to get close to reach it.
And unleashed a Corrosion Pulse in her face.
It laughed as Mana's Technique broke, as the girl was falling toward it without Projection Sorcery to save her.
"I still have my momentum!" Mana shouted, as her Cursed Energy gathered into limbs.
Almost in slow motion Rust Cloth's knife-like fingers headed toward Mana.
Blood covered Rust Cloth's claws, much to its joy.
Then its eyes blinked in confusion, before widening in fear.
Mana used one arm to slam aside the offending limb aside. An arm that was covered with minimal Cursed Energy. Just enough to not lose the arm all together.
Her pulled back fist had the rest of her Cursed Energy rushing to it.
Mana punched forward.
Black Flash!
Rust Cloth's face was crumbled inward in an instant. The next moment it's head exploded clean off its body.
Mana's body kept spiraling forward from the speed as she hit the ground a few times, before rolling and hitting a tree.
"GAAH!" Mana coughed and began to apply her Cursed Energy to her whole body again. The pain was flashing too high in her mind, but she could still manage it. She hadn't lost too much blood.
She looked to Rust Cloth's body to see it disintegrating into Cursed Energy. She had vanquished it.
"Holy..." A voice that entered the clearing said.
"She... Mana actually slayed the Special Grade all on her own?" Zenin Ranta uttered in awed shock.
Mana looked up to see members of the Hei Unit had arrived, with some Kukuru Unit behind them.
She also saw the Zenin Head arrive as well.
"Well, well..." Zenin Naobito held his chin as he looked at her with a wide grin. "Aren't you quite the surprise?"
"Cursed Spirit..." Mana panted and took a breath. "Handled, Naobito-sama." Mana smiled back.
