I then look down at the hand that is holding the beating heart of Yuji's body. Sukuna had already started. "Hehe, you. Mason, you're interesting. A Titan, you called it?" Sukuna turns to me fully, throwing his heart to the side in the meanwhile. I overlap Sukuna's body with the man from the graveyard, to activate my hunter instincts to their full extent. My ocular implant easily recognizes what I want to do and actually overlays an image, though making it transparent so I can still see what Sukuna is doing.

A beast is in front of me.

I must hunt it.

To not die.

To live.

To feel that rush, to feel alive. I must hunt.

At that very second, I gain an unnatural focus. I can think so very clearly and sense everything around me without disturbance.

How do I beat Sukuna, the King of Curses?

He should be at three fingers now, so overwhelming and instant exertion of force should be best. The closest thing would be a fucking nuke but I... don't... have... The Colossal Titan. It may be my only chance. I don't care about Yuji, not really. I'm no hero, I never had those instincts or a Martyr complex to let myself step into a death battle without trying to kill my opponent.

Right now, it's either him or me and my current Hunter mindset, the one I just made the primary one, is fully on board with surviving. And so am I.

I am no saint, you can't be after Yharnam. If Yuji wont claw himself out of Sukuna's grasp himself, then he'll have to die. I have Thanos and Ego to worry about, their far worse. I look to Nobara, who is obviously unsure. "Take Fushiguro and run."

She shakes her head in confusion. "Huh? W-What? Why should I list-"

I narrow my eyes. "Leave." I don't shout, I simply give an order.

The Sorcerer, somebody who had seen death already, simply nods. "S-Sure." I guess she's not close enough to Yuji to both ready herself to die at that demons hands and refute me. She looks to Megumi. "We're leaving."

He frowns in fury and shock. "No?! I'm not leaving Itadori. He's a good person and doesn't deserve t-" Nobara had already tackled him. "What're yo-?" And then promptly knocked him out. I guess her conviction to save Yuji and Megumi depended on my back up, as she said 'I'll need to pull out another miracle'. But now that I am telling her to leave, I think her already shaky and barely built connection with both Yuji and Megumi aren't strong enough to risk her life just that far, yet.

I hadn't taken my eyes off of Sukuna, the strongest sorcerer of the past had simply let Nobara take Megumi and leave, I guess he cared more about me than his future vessel right now. "So, what do you think you'll be able to accomplish? You do know who I am, right?" He taunts.

I do not respond and simply think. I need to at least wait five to ten minutes until they're out of range. While I'm willing to basically kill Yuji right now, that's out of necessity. Nobara and Megumi can still escape.

I could also not have run here with Nobara but with how the encounter with the Special Grade went, I couldn't rely on canon now.

Okay, how do I beat- or at least survive Sukuna?

My Colossal Titan would be my only chance to actually kill him, his Three Finger form is, after cross reverencing a lot of statements from a lot of people of the manga, not strong enough physically to survive what is actually stated to be a nuke. But, his trump card is still the thing I'm most worried about. His Domain Expansion. While it wont matter if eh activates it when I transform, as the domain is purely offensive, I still need to survive ten minutes against him.

So, I play it smart and rely on his overconfidence and refrain from making him think that I am more than a basic human with special powers he doesn't understand. Sukuna leans down slightly, hands now in the pockets of his baggy black pants. "Are you going to do anything? I'm starting to think I shouldn't have let those tw-"

I know I'm slower than him, I know I'm not as perceptive, but the shock facto should let me survive.

For that reason, I had dashed into arms length of him and am about to pierce him with my summoned spear. I can see him grin as his eyes instantly lock onto my new position. His hand slaps away my spear, cutting off it's tip in the process. I don't react to the fact that he had destroyed metal I though previously indestructible and simply let the spear parts burst into flame.

I try and punch his stomach and shoulder with two strikes but both are caught in his palm, the shit-eating grin still on his face as his second pair of eyes lock onto everything I do, granting him even more leeway to taunt me.

I feel the air leave my lungs as I feel the force of double of the Cleric Beasts' claw strike hit my side. My enhanced senses let me hear three of my ribs break slowly with haunting snapping noises. But the pain is nothing and I keep my focus on the enemy, something that obviously shocks Sukuna. The demon in human skin had probably expected me to keel over from the pain.

He does not know Yharnam.

I order Nagini to go for his neck but, of course, Sukuna notices. For a split second, fast enough to where I suspected that it was my imagination, I see a white and black line draw itself from far above my snake, through it's neck and into the ground. A second later, the ground has a hole in it and my snake, while not having it's neck slashed open, has a scar there.

Nagini is hella' durable.

I used Sukuna's diversion of focus to let a burst of as much of Messmer's flame as I could off into his left side. "Hm." I hear him hum, not in any visible pain as his entire left side, along with my hand, is burned to a crisp. My left hand, now charcoal black, simply falls to the floor and collapses into a heap of ash, leaving a burned closed stump of a hand.

I grit my teeth at the pain of getting burned like that but the steam coming from my hand tells me that I will heal.

Sukuna must not feel pain at all, because while he may not have lost his arm, all of the skin on his left side, all the way up to his left cheek, had burned away and revealed flesh and, at some parts, bone. It was a grotesque sight. His eyes where as mocking as ever as all that damage I did, healed in a matter of seconds as skin crawled back over the burned and still glowing flesh. "Not bad."

He mocked as my senses told me that I was in imminent danger. I saw small lines of red appear all along my exposed arm, it's hunter sleeve having burned away. I felt it on my chest and in my face too.

He was counter attacking.

"But it's my turn now." As he confirmed the next half second.

Before his cuts could truly sink themselves into my body, I let a wall of crystal appear between us and I jump back a great distance.

This had all happened within Five seconds.

Holy shit that took everything I had, my ocular implant combined with my neural processors could barely keep up with what was probably a Sukuna that was toying with me. I chuckle a hollow chuckle. "Holy shit- I-I'm fucked!" I tell myself in a whisper as the wall of crystal splits in half, then in thirds before thousands of ice cubes litter the ground as my barrier collapses.

Okay, I need to bargain more time, I need to keep him at a distance, he's too interested too leave now, his grinning and focused four eyes say as much. So...

I pull out my spear, repaired with a noticeable drain in my Magic- or whatever source of literal fire power Messmer's Flame is drawing from- and I slam it deep into the ground. With the benefit of instant transition of information through telepathy, I let the now disgruntled Nagini keep an eye on Sukuna. She reports that he is simply slowly walking towards me.

I put just as much, if not more of my power into the spear before letting it all discharge into the surrounding ground and dirt. All around us, even reaching far past Sukuna and into the street outside the school, the floor turns a soft red, steam coming off of it. "Nghhaa..." I slowly grunt as I put everything I got into this. I feel the drain on my soul, an empty feeling staying behind as I feel my muscles and my mind slacken.

The ground around me cracks as I create a small crater form the sheer strength I am portraying. The addition of the Old Blood, my Levels, the ballistic implant showing me the best way to wield my weapon and the enhanced physique of a shifter, let me crack concrete by simply exerting my strength without any leverage of momentum.

I would've never thought I could do this in my wildest dreams just four days ago. Holy shit things moved fast.

Nagini reports that Sukuna had stopped grinning and was leaning down and watching the ground with a frown. Yeah, you overconfident asshole! I'll bust your ass!

"...NghaaAAAAAHHRRHHH!" And I let all that power I built up over the past thirty seconds go.

Spears as tall as street lanterns litter the heated ground in the hundreds, the concrete cracking, partly falling into a sewer that was unearthed nearby. The mass of flame that exploded upwards all around me had burned away the trees leaves and most of their bark, turning the grass charcoal and killing any animals nearby.

All around us, the night lit up with Crimson Flame. I let go of my spear, though I let the others stay, creating a bamboo forest of steel and death, as I look towards where Sukuna, the King of Curses stood.

Well, now he was impaled, through the stomach, shoulder, left arm and even through his eye. I rip off my lower face mask as I feel an immense heat in my chest from all the fire I let go. I take shallow and quick breath of exhaustion, even as I smile wickedly at injuring and shocking, from the wide eyes- well, three of them anyway- of the strongest sorcerer probably ever. I am so incredibly powerful after only four days? The gamer ability... to what heights will it carry me in a month? A year?

An infinite lifetime?

I grin in hunger at the thought, all the beast I could slay, I could conquer Yharnam and earth- hell, the entire universe! Yes, my goal... I'll be the strongest in the entire galaxy, and all world that shall arrive in mine too! I feel the Old Blood surge as it feeds my delusions. I take a deep breath as I see Sukuna grab one of the spears, the weapon walling to pieces as the others do too, though slower.

I need to stay realistic, I'll do it eventually, I'll be the strongest and I'll have all that I want but I need to stay in the here and now first. Sukuna and Hydra, them first.

I frown as an image of the kind, sweet and soft doll flashes before my mind as I thought of all that I wanted...

Thoughts for later, surviving is more important.

As Sukuna let's the holes in his body regenerate, he starts to laugh. Slowly at first, then more maniacally as he stands up straight on the cross-guard of the spear that impaled his stomach previously. He let's himself drop to the ground head first with his arms stretched wide open. Before he hits the ground, he forms his hands into straight palms and twists his entire body, singing his arms once horizontally.

I know what was coming at that, so I duck as he was about eye-level with me. The next moment, all the spears where chopped in half, along with a good chunk of the school and a lot of the buildings around us. Good thing Jujutsu High had already evacuated because a lot of suburban residencies are now one story shorter.

The King of Curses flips before he slams into the ground, landing softly on his feet. "Hahaha! Mason- go you need a better name!- you've impressed me! For injuring me and forcing me to take you seriously as your first ever debut in the sorcerer- gah, the entire Supernatural world- I grant you the title, The Apostate of Death!" he takes a deep breath as he looks at me, pupils dilated. "Fits your hunters theme, doesn't it?"

Oh, so this is a Hanzo the Salamander with the Sanin situation? He thinks himself so far above me and regards me along with all others so low, that when I actually start climbing the podium that he stands on, he is impressed and thinks he should do something akin to knighting me? Fucking asshole...

Though being called 'The Apostate of Death' is better than 'Mason, kid form Germany', so I'll take it this one time. What the hell even is an 'Apostate' exactly? I only know it from ULTRAKILL. Oh wait- my implant told me. It's a person who renounces a belief or Religion. How the hell does that make sense? Well, I renounced weakness, death and my old life, so I could push through this new one I was thrust into. So I could adapt, so I could continue.

Like I always do.

Maybe he was right, in ways he couldn't even know.

So, 'The Apostate of Death' -because I renounce it- kind of fits.

And if you take the 'death' and 'Apostate' in other contexts, then I renounce a belief or religion, which would be my old life, and I am 'of Death' because I'm basically immortal. Oh, and because I have a serpent god of the abyss and darkness inside my soul, which is as 'death' as it gets.

So, Sukuna just unknowingly- or knowingly- gave me my Hero Name. Or villain name? What the hell am I on a normal Marvel scale of alignment...? I don't care, the title sounds cool as hell and fits perfectly in all interpretations. I'll be moving on with my fight to the death.

Sukuna is obviously in some sort of euphoric battle delusion, kind of like when he fought Mahogara just not that strong yet, and hopefully he wont reach that level before I kill him. I wont even really kill him, his fingers will still be out there but they'll be handled just like before Yuji, so I'll be fine for the foreseeable future.

Sukuna then slashes his left arm upwards and the already destroyed ground get's a ravine carved into itself as I loose all feeling in my right arm, the one without a hand. Looking over, it is cut off from my body. "Fuck!" I hiss in pain as I dodge out of the way of the second slash the fucker had prepared. But it is not the first time I had lost a limb, so I fare well enough as he continues to rain slash after slash at me.

I get several cuts all along my body, ones I couldn't heal yet as I was focusing on my missing arm. I feel the power in my itch to make me transform, to don the flesh and bone of a Titan and stomp this narcissistic fucker into the ground. But I hold it back, knowing full well that the only use a shift would have is to get chopped into tiny little bits. The explosion of the bringer of destruction is what I need, the colossal Titan.

But I'm playing it safe, just a few more minutes.

After the lates attempt to decapitate me, Sukuna had enough of ranged fighting apparently and, in a flicker, stood right before me as I was about to dash to the right. And then the most intense close quarters combat of my life began.

Dodge a left hook, throw a right. Don't get slashed in the stomach, try and impale him with a crystal spear, dodge his horizontal slash counter and tank his fist to my hip. Three punches, I cover my hand in crystals, the feeling uncomfortable but also soothing cold to my heated body, and grab his thrown hands barely in time.

A high kick redirected with my forearm, he spins into a vertical slash that I am forced to get hit by, though I coat as much of my still guarding arm with crystal as I can. I can feel the attack penetrate into my bone but only with a narrow cut, letting me heal it quickly. I summon my Cleaver with a blue mist and extend it while I slash at his legs, ones he is just now using to land after spinning around using the momentum of his previous high kick.

It impacts his shin, though he is undeterred and simply hits me in the stomach twice and dazes me with a strong punch to my temple. I feel myself loose feeling in my body but either my Titan healing or the Old Blood let me get a hold of myself. I summon my spear, imbue it with a flame that is quickly dying out, and stab at him three times, hitting two but missing the last as he ducks below it, now with two medium sized, burned holes in his chest. Though they heal, I still had given him enough injury to know that my versatility and magical strength rivals his physical prowess.

And he's only at three fingers.

I'd never have survived Shibuya- again though, I did get this powerful in only three days...

I dodge his replying upper cut and the slash that came form nowhere with a step to the side and duck down. I spin once, taking my cleaver out of his shin, and try and slash him with it in the face. He, with his speed, simply punches the underside of my blade as it approaches his face, redirecting it and making me loose my already overextended grip. I let the Cleaver return to the dream in cerulean mist as I pull out a Vial of Blood from the very same dream and slam it into my thigh as I summon a crystal wall to separate me from my enemy.

The wall is as fragile as glass to the King, though as it is cracked and shattered with a straight punch. It is no matter though, as my right arm had, with a very uncomfortable tingly feeling and sharp, sudden and stinging sensations of pain, returned. The Blood really is a miracle, no wonder the Church could gain control over an entire mega city with it.

But just as I was thinking he would dash through the still falling ice-like crystals I simply see him standing there, hands folding together to create a hand sign. He speaks, ominous and full of confidence. "You did well, and you deserve only my finest arts as your funeral. You are strong." he then looks at me intensely, all four pupils locked on as my heart stops. "Domain Expansion..."

The area around us turns an eerie red, what I previously thought where special effects turned real ominous crimson coating of reality. "...Malevolent Shrine."

Sukuna rises high as a mountain of bone let's him touch the skies. A temple, in praise of him and death, mounts itself atop it, each of the four walls that it should have replaced with the open mouths, skeletal mouths of gigantic beast I do not know of. He stood in the middle of the one facing me, a smile of absolute victory on his tattooed face. Then, I saw the ground, the school, the very air and nature around us get cut and dismantled as black, red and white lines coated the entire world. I could see Shrine now.

And it was to be my death.

But am I not the one to renounce it?

Maybe I should never have even thought of fighting him, maybe I should never even have come to Japan, maybe I should still be going to school and ignoring the end of the world as the only one able to stop it. But that is not what I did, is it?

As my leg was cut off and I saw it seemingly disintegrate, my right arm and part of my upper torso following, I let my mind focus on the image of destruction, total annihilation as I let myself shift.

-Gojo Saturo-

He had been notified that the mission went wrong and that the newest of his students was said to be buying time against Sukuna himself to let Nobara and Megumi escape. Even when he may have not known the kid that long, he admired his willpower and readiness to adapt, so he thought he should stop him from dying. He was still standing in his room, the door still open from the Sorcerer that had notified him of the sighting and subsequent questioning of one Nobara when they arrived at the edge of the town they where sent to.

The mission had gone wrong, obviously.

"Gotta get him then, can't let Yuji or Mason die just yet." He may have said it casually, as if he was completely non-biased to the entire thing but in truth, he liked Yuji and thought he and Mason could get along just fine. They would both shape the future world of Jujutsu he planned to create just fine.

He used his Limitless: Blue to teleport himself to the edge of the town, the few trees and clear road giving way to a city in the distance. Most of it was covered in red the next second after he arrived. "Hm?!" his eyebrow quirked, it looks like a domain, the signature was the King of Curses', but where was the barrie- Sukuna had used his domain. Just what kind of monster was Mason to force the King of Curses to use his trump card, even when weakened?

Could he be counted amongst the few people he thought could very well surpass hi-

Then the world turned white. His blindfold protected any eye damage but when it passed, he lifted it to really take in what he was seeing. He was glad he was at the other side of the town because, for the third time in Japan's history, the sun had been dropped onto them. It wasn't as big a ball of death as he heard the nuclear bombs where, and it may even be disrespectful to compare the incidents, and his enhanced senses along with his Six Eyes let him know that there was no radiation, so it wasn't a nuke, but it was a ball of fire the size of the Eiffel Tower.

The shockwave reached him and even he was blown away slightly. He could hear windows shattering even as far away as he was, with the few houses that stood along this road that led out of the town and onto land. It was West Tokyo city, but it was a part that was more secluded than the rest. But the vail did not stretch that far, so it would be noticed by the government.

The higher-ups would be pissed, making sure that Japan wouldn't go to war with anybody they could blame, but fuck the higher-ups.

When the ball started dispersing, only leaving smoke behind, he saw something unbelievable. He thought the extent of Masons shifting abilities where a fifteen foot person but this?! He, Gojo Saturo, was sure he could take out a fifteen foot, body builder shaped giant but a fifty foot monster made of purely flesh, bone and sinew? He would win, but it wouldn't be so easy as throwing a hollow purple at it. Shit, that would maybe take out a limb, the unnaturally long things as they are, the arms being long but thin and the legs being like gigantic tree trunks.

The area wasn't red because of the domain now, the domain wasn't even active anymore, it was red because of the immense heat he could feel the beast was giving off. Embers flew through the sky and the earth rumbled as it took it's first steps. "What the hell." He whispered hoarsely. "Man Mason, you're a literal beast." He felt proud but also worried about what handling that power would do to the mind of the young man. Knowing you could wipe out everybody around you if you just wanted too... must be hard. And he would know.

He teleported into the crater, it was curved and stretched wide and out of the city, the tyrannous creature stood in the middle as a pillar of destruction. He saw parts of buildings, cars and the like strewn all about, where they not to have evacuated everybody in the area due to Yuji's- and therefore Sukuna's likely involvement- they would probably see a death count in the hundreds if not thousands.

He saw it's head turn, the disproportionally, though still demonic, small thing it was, then it slacked as he faintly saw steam eject itself from it's neck. The Titan then kneeled, causing a heavy tremor and shockwave. He simply stood by, trusting Mason to handle his power as he had previously. He could trust the kid that much. He noted that he saw no sign of Yuji...

He saw a small figure jump from the Titans head to it's shoulders, then the figure slid along it's arm before landing on the ground. The monster started steaming as it slowly keeled over, it's previously glowing black eyes dead as it shook the earth one last time. He knew it was Mason, and he even saw him notice his presence but before he ran towards him, he made a detour as he seemingly notices something at the edge of the crater.

Gojo simply wanted, both still looking at the corpse of the Titan, already showing it's bones as the rest fell into smoke and also thinking about how to protect Mason and Yuji against the wrath of self-justice fulfilling Jujutsu Politian's.

When he next saw Mason clearly, he was slowly walking, obviously exhausted with weird sets of three red lines along his chin and below his eyes. He was also dragging what looked like a burned chunk of meat with him. When they stood not a meter from each other, he saw that Mason was seemingly imitated and obviously empty of whatever powers his powers, though he still had plenty of Cursed Energy.

He threw what Gojo could now recognize as a burnt upper body and head with the left biceps still remaining to his feet. "Yuji. He'll make a deal with Sukuna and he'll be fine. I'll be-" He promptly fell unconscious.

He looked at 'Yuji' and then at the still form of Mason and his ripped clothing. He could've defiantly handled this differently and he'll question him thoroughly when he wakes up but Gojo knew Yuji would survive. Sukuna is currently holding the soul of Yuji captive and is possessing a dead body, to stay alive he'll have to regenerate the body and return Yuji. Alternately, the King of Curses could wait a day or two until the remaining Cursed Energy of the body, which was now effectively a Cursed Object, fade and die with it. But Gojo somehow was sure he wouldn't, after all, why would the King of Curses let himself be killed by a newbee to the Jujutsu world? No way.

He sighs and puts his hand on Yuji's body before channeling Reversed Cursed Energy into him. He may be pretty sure it'll work out, but it's still his student and he'll help him no matter what.

-Mason Blutdorn (The Apostate of Death)-

When my eyes next opened, I was in my guest room of Jujutsu High. It seems if I don't voluntarily go to sleep, I wont awake in Yharnam. Along with the wooden ceiling and the quiet of what is obviously night, judging from the dark blue hue everything is bathed in, a notification screen greets me.

Secret Quest Complete!

[Encounter with two Special Grades?]

You are now part of team Yuji! For that very reason, you have been sent to the mission in west Tokyo along with them.

Objective: Survive the Special Grade

Bonus Objective 1: Retrieve the Finger of Sukuna

Bonus Objective 2: Do not let Yuji switch

Bonus Objective 3: Beat Sukuna

Bonus Objective 4: Kill Sukuna, either permanently or temporarily

Reward for (Objective, Bonus Objective 3 and Bonus Objective 4): 1 Gacha Token (Beast), 100.000 Blood Echoes, 1 Gacha Token (Machine)

Rolling gacha!

[Bad Omen]

You are attuned with Crows and Ravens of all kind. This ability let's you summon fake Crows, let's you transform into a Crow while keeping human intellect and you can put any Crow- or Raven-like creature under your direct control.

[V1]

Mankind is dead. Blood is fuel. Hell is full. You can now summon the V1 Machine in any safe area and then upload your consciousness into it. Warning! This leaves your original body unprotected.

I take a deep beath. I have a robot body, V-fucking-1 specifically, and for anybody who knows anything about ULTRAKILL knows that that's busted, and I can turn into a Crow and can control crows, giving me even better espionage capabilities and... I'm a pseudo Itachi. Only the Sharingan is missing but I get a feeling that I have that covered in the future.

I lay still in my bed and assume a sleeping position again, trying to make it believable that I'm still asleep while I try and summon V1. I see a brief flash of blue light from a familiar mist before my vision fades.

-V1 (Mason)-

Calibrating...

...

Calibration complete.

Transferring compatible Extensions...

...

Transferred.

Initializing consciousness...

...

Awaken.

My vision reopens again and I can see the su... rounding area? It's all... so low quality. Just like in ULTRAKILL, everything is in the old school DOOM style, retro graphics and all. I guess it's just how V1 sees the world. I instinctually know that I could go into a slide forever and that I have three dash charges available, along with a catalogue of all my weapons.

Because my Soul is now in this robot, I can still use Messmer's flame, though the snakes lie with my body. In addition, I could theoretically still communicate with and control Crows.

I try and pull out the basic Charge Revolver and, after a blue mist covers my right hand for not even a second, I have a futuristic, six-case revolver in my hand. Though I know it does not use traditional ammo, I could fire it all year and not need to recharge it.

I wonder if I could just walk around as V1... Nagini is still giving my images of my surroundings, so I'd know if my body was in danger...

I shrug and walk out my door as the sun started to rise slowly. I walk through the wooden arches and past vending machines, which, by the way, contrast heavily with the surrounding architecture and make it kind of jarring to take a stroll around here.

"Mechamaru? Is this a new Robot of yours? I thought you didn't want to come with us?" I hear a stern voice ask behind me and, turning around with the hydraulic noises of a highly advanced robot, I see Aoi Todo and Mai Zenin standing there. I had apparently replaced Nobara and Fushiguro here. The chiseled man with his bare chest out and the confident, if not a bit overconfident, blue haired woman look at me confusedly.

I shake my head, the notion uncomfortable and unnatural to this body as it is not built for casual interaction. I could turn my head just fine, even better and smoother than a human, but to do it in a non-battle scenario somehow peeves me. "I am not Mechamaru, whoever that is. I have a very much alive and well human form that is in this compound, but I have developed the power to use a robot as a vessel and I intend to test it."

I gesture towards them. Todo slams his fist together as he grins. "You're kind of stealing our friends mojo, dude. That's no good. Still, I have a question to ask you..." I know what's coming and so does Mai, as seen from the pinching of the bridge of her nose and annoyed grunt. "What's your type of woman?"

I pretend to stop and think for a second but seeing as I'd already known this was coming, I can answer pretty fast. "Aesthetically? A nice ass and slim but not 'starving-slim', you know?" I keep it to myself that I also like a hefty pair of... yeah, but gaining his favor is worth not being entirely honest. "Otherwise it's all about how they act."

He strokes his sharp chin. "You and I... we're alike."

I chortle. "Ha. Ha. Ha." Or not, the robotic voice recalling the two-letter word not sounding amused at all, not even sarcastically. "What are you two doing here?" I ask Mai this time. "And names would be nice." I had planned to use V1 as an alter ego not at all connected to my normal persona but that went out the window just now, it's got my CE and people can recognize that, so no use lying.

"Zenin Mai, and this here is Todo Aoi. We're from the Kyoto branch and here to... show you who the competition is for our upcoming event." She explains, all the ego and pride of a kid raised favorably by the Zenin present in her tone.

I nod. "'Show you who the competition is, huh?'... Well, I just came back from a very exhausting fight so, cut me some slack, okay?" I ask but I had fully recovered the moment I woke up. I noticed that I'd fully heal all my exhaustion when I sleep. God, I almost wished I'd died during my fight with Sukuna, just so I could know if I am immortal in the real world because that question has been bugging me ever since I woke up. Could I have just ripped out my eye, fucked the consequences and started burning down everything, revive and start doing the rest of JJK from the shadows? But I didn't, because the risk outweighs the rewards heavily, here. Either I, you know, get to have a slight advantage in my operations of sucking the JJK-verse dry of everything it's got or I... well, die.

I see Todo, tears streaming from his face, refocus on me. "You disregard my companionship that easily? Well... I regret to say, but I'll show you why we came."

They both enter their fighting stances and I simply pull out my energy revolver, the feeling so familiar, it feels like I've been fighting in Hell as a machine for decades...

I had also noticed that both of them, in contrast to the surroundings, aren't pixelated and as real as ever. Kind of a weird contrast but better for me.

Todo is in front of me in a flash, a fist outstretched to punch my titanium skull off me. I was about to dodge when I saw a yellow flash emanate from his fist and, if V1 had a mouth, it'd be grinning. I punch his fist right in the knuckles with my metal one and, the world stops for a fourth of a second and flashes lighter, before his fists momentum is reversed and he spins around, his expression one of disorientation.

Then, I toss out four coins that had materialized in the same fist I used to parry his punch, a timing I nearly missed by the way. I think it get's harder the stronger the attack is. The revolver is vanished in a flash and a large, heavy rail cannon with four energy cells in it's side leaps into my hand, flashing blue with electric power. My new eye(s) focus on one of the coins and I shoot the cannon, a loud, high-pitched sound of discharging energy reverbs around the area before a blue beam of light ricochets throughout all four coins before spilling in half and impacting both Mai and Todo.

I had apparently underestimated it's power as Todo is launched into the stone wall and Mai is flung into a building at least a few dozen meters away. Todo peals himself off of the wall slowly as I retrieve my Shotgun, sure that he survived and hoping Mai did as well. I knew they wouldn't die, I instinctually knew the power of my guns, if only in theory, it's why I was surprised at the sheer flare the rail canon had, so I had no worries using it.

Well, Todo sure survived but the still with electricity crackling and charred black skin the size of a beachball in his upper left peck is sure close to... well, not making him survive. "Ouch." He rubs at his burned and flaking skin, only hissing in pain once. "You're on tough tin can."

I shake my head again. "Not really a Robot but sure."

He grins. "I don't care, you and I, we're fighting. For real now." I then see him slack his muscles in some places and tighten them in others as he takes on a new stance, one where he could clap his hands at any moment. Oh, so we are.

I doubt I could parry him now, if my suspicion on my parry mechanics are true, so I switch my arm out to the red and bulky form of the Knuckleblaster. Better not catch these hands, cuz now they're chambered for 12 gauge. I slide below his first punch and dash behind him to dodge his fist that had now cracked the floor where I slid along a moment ago. I shoot him twice with my revolver, the laser hand canon only leaving trails of smoke and slightly burned skin behind. It's good to know that Cursed Energy prevents much of the damage of energy based guns.

I hear him clap before a I am a few feet in front of me, where Todo had stood, back turned to me. Knowing his Cursed Technique, I duck down as I sense a punch approaching and then I punch his forearm with my shotgun fist, intent on taking out a limb.

As a small shockwave extends out of the impact zone, his hand is launched in an upward arch back to his center, leaving a trail of gore behind as half the diameter of a section of his forearm had been blown to pieces. I rack my fists, ejecting the used shells as I stand back up straight. "You are outmatched. I have faced far worse than you." It isn't really a brag, my neutral and almost AI generated voice wouldn't even allow me to present such emotion vocally, but I do find pride in my achievements and feel the need to show them off.

He chuckles, though it's strained as he rips off a part of his pants to bandage his arm, which is now handing limp to his side. I've apparently hit a few nerves he needed to use it's motor functions properly. Ah, nothing Reversed Cursed Energy can't fix... I note that I've become far more accepting of brutality and violence as V1, fitting of it's brand. So it does change my mindset.

"Worse than me? Really? I've taken on a few big fish, you know!?" He is a bit annoyed, as shown in his tone of voice due to me not allowing the CQC that he desperately relies on but also not making this a completely ranged battle with my guns, something he no doubt has plans for, seeing as he is a purely melee fighter and would have thought of counter measures to it.

And I had gained stat points during the Sukuna fight, something that rocked my world when I saw it after exiting the Colossal titan, which, by the way, makes you feel like a real god of destruction. It's good to know, though, that I can level up my stats through normal use of them, most likely to an extreme extent seeing as I only gained enough Arcane, Skill and even to Insight to see Sukuna's technique at the end of the fight.

I nod. "Ryomen Sukuna." I simply stated, awaiting the reaction of awe that I lived for. It just gives me such a nice feeling to awe and shock people with what I can do... probably has some psychological explanation I'm too uninterested to know.

He stops his small hops, akin to a boxer, as he processes what I've said. "You're the new first year? Mason, or something?"

I nod. "I've also been given a nice title by the King of Curses that I think fits me, The Apostate of Death. I know, it sounds pretentious but I think I've more than earned it." I really have grown to like it, I've been using it in my head a few times while walking around here and it really gives me a feeling of having tangible evidence of my achievements besides my powers. Somebody from the real world, somebody really well known for his power and feared for it even more so, has acknowledged me as his equal- well, until I killed him. Not for ever, he'll be back. But either I'm too strong to care then or I've taken care of the fingers and he wont get the chance to.

"You... I want to call you arrogant but we've heard that Gojo vouches for you, so I've got no choice but to believe it. Man, I thought I was the best in our years. Ah, but it is a challenge I can strive to overcome! Mason, The Apostate of Death, I will beat you eventually!" He then hisses as his arm probably blares up in pain. "But not today, you've won and if I take it any further, we'll kill each other." He laughs then fully. "But I hope to face off with you during the event!"

I nod, trying to put equal vigor in my speech. "Me too." There was none. He turns and waves at me with his good arm.

He was a good way down the stairs when, out of the dust of the building I crashed his partner into, said partner charges out and towards me with a face full of rage. "I'll kill you!" Her attack, the revolver aimed at me, glows yellow as she presses the trigger and my superhuman- or robotic reaction time let me punch just at the right time as I switched back to my normal hand to reflect her shot back towards her.

She now had a hole in her leg and she fell face first into the stairs, tumbling down them with slow, painful crunches and yowls of pain. As she lands, I look towards Todo, who had turned to look at his teammate pitifully. "Don't forget her." I said before disconnecting V1, returning it to, presumably, the dream.

"No, fuck!" I scream as I am again punched by the stuffed toy provided by the principal after I asked Gojo for any help to learn how to use Cursed Energy. I shake my head and refocus on playing OMORI. Instead of watching a movie, I decided to take it a step further and do something so immersive and emotion provoking that it would be almost impossible to keep my CE in control.

It had been a week, an entire week. The Mahito Arc was probably happening right now and I decided I wouldn't interfere. Every night I was just exploring in Yharnam, collecting Echoes and leveling up while diving deeper in the sewers and the lower levels of the big city, while also dying to who I now know is Father Gascoigne, as Violette helpfully explained and Gilbert eluded.

My new stats where high, like I had surpassed Todo. I think, at least, I had also been training after finding out I could train my stats the 'normal' way too.

Level 39

Blood Echoes: 2384

Insight: 5

Vitality: 21

Endurance: 13

Strength: 21

Skill: 20

Bloodtinge: 10

Arcane: 15

Required for level up: 9064

I nod at the stats. About twenty levels, the doll had commented on my rapid growth but really, if you just wander and kill for a week straight, then it's the least I could gain.

But I'm close, I got through two thirds of Bloodborne in half a day and had no incidents with the fucking bear. I had wanted to burn it so many times, Nagini had even reacted to my emotions and had bit the plushie, the marks still visible and the injected poison, of a lethality I have no clue of, still dampened parts of the animal replica.

I had noticed that Gojo was leaving far more often than before, not that I had enough time here to compare, but the signs where there and that he started coming back more often the past four days, proved that he had been training Yuji before. Which makes it clear that he survived, thankfully. I don't know what I was thinking back then, nuking the guy. Some battle rush? The Old Blood...?

Anyways, I continue to play my game in piece as rivalries and important plotlines where playing out somewhere around me.

"Goodwill Event?" I ask Gojo in a fake questioning tone. It's the day, the second to last arc of season one of JJK, which means I'm just so much closer to Shibuya, where I plan to part with the JJK world after draining it dry. I have planned enough the past two weeks to have a half-way decent idea of what to do. Oh, and I've almost got Gascoigne down, which is depressing. I have been wallowing in bed before falling asleep for the past few days, seeing as it was Violette's dad and he had gone insane, which also didn't bode well for her mom... God damn Yharnam.

It's hell.

It's so fucking bad in there.

Why do I need to go back!?

W-

I refocus on the present as instincts gained through rigouts hardship act on their own accord. "Hai! Our sister school in Kyoto will be coming over for some friendly competition! Oh, I'll be right back, they're right there! Just introduce yourself!" He motions towards the approaching group as we came near the giant red gates that I forgot the real name of.

Todo either hadn't gotten- or was just too injured to get Reversed Cursed Energy treatment because his upper right torso and left arm where bandaged still and Mai had a few patches along her face and I knew for a fact she had broken a rib when I shot her, at-fucking-least, so she had a bracer or something on.

Todo grins as he sees me. "Mason!" His arms spread wide for a hug. "You're not what I expected outside Robo-mode but it's all good!" I don't know if he was calling me ugly but he is too high maintenance in a social environment for me, so I just go along and let him hug me. I was wearing the Toji classic, the baggy pants and the black shirt that tight frames my newly gained Olympic swimmers build.

I was pretty proud of it, having it learned through literal blood, sweat and death, which also makes me think I've earned it more than anybody else. It was certainly more painful than the two years I had taken in tenth-to-eleventh grade to get fit.

Nagini nipped at Todo's side and he blinks for a moment at the sensation before letting go of me and looking at the red-scaled sealed god. "Who's this?" He looks to Nagini's second head above my shoulder. "And this?" I see Panda, Toge Inumaki and Maki Zenin walk down the stairs behind us.

I shake my head. "It's just one snake with two heads. She's called Nagini and for simplicities sake, think of her as my Shikigami in Pet mode." I intentionally implied that there was a non-pet mode that could fuck them up because I'll be fighting them soon. Intimidation is half the battle, or something.

I then turn to my 'Senpais'... Holy shit that was bad, I don't want to even try and say that out loud. "I heard you're the Second-Years." I had separated from Nobara and Fushiguro, they had started bantering with the Kyoto guys and I had me eyes of a certain individual from our second year.

Maki Zenin.

Why? You may ask... Well, I'm a teen and she's very attractive... put the pieces together. Also, I can't go through all that I'm planning after JJK alone, I know I need a team, it's impossible to do everything alone, so I'm making a team. If the team consist mostly of women, then that's just coincidence...

Problem, I note. I have no clue how to approach her.

Step one, recruit her. What are her goal currently? If I remember right, then she wants to prove she can be the best sorcerer without using any Cursed Energy, to defy the Zenin. I can... actually help her with that. If she considers using sources besides CE then I have a few things from the MCU I can guide her two, and learn with her. Magic, comes to mind along with the many super-soldier serums I could replicate in my workshop and with the help of the tools of the dream if I just loot the base in Siberia full of sleeping Winter Soldiers.

First, a good impression. Then, try and team up with her during the event, hope for the best and hopefully be interesting enough to consider going out with. After all I've been through, a girlfriend would be nice...

The doll flashes through my mind but I ignore it, she had stated clearly that, while I'm special, her love is for humans and hunters in general and not for me. I have no clue if she is even capable of loving like that... Doesn't matter.

Panda nods at my question, the bear with gloves emotion like a human being quite jarring. "Indeed. I am Panda, this is Inumaki-" He gestures to the white haired kid with his mouth covered by a sip-up neck-piece. Same hair color as me... not as shiny though. Hmph. "-and this is Maki Zenin." He finishes. "We're here to participate in the Goodwill Event."

I nod and extend my hand. "Mason Blutdorn, I am-"

"They guy who killed Sukuna?" Maki finishes, her sword placed on her shoulder as her uniform stretches to fit her new position. "Well, with three fingers but still, I don't think I could've done that." She's impressed...

I nod. "Yeah, it took a lot out of me but I did what I thought was right. No doubt you three aren't bad though." I gesture to Inumaki. "Cursed Speech, if I remember right?" I've been here long enough to actually overhear talk about my schoolmates. I feel more and more included every day. He nods and replies with 'Salmon'. "It's a very useful, if limiting in day-to-day life, ability." I then continue on to Maki.

Okay, I just got a wild idea. "And you..."

"What?" She asks in an offended tone.

I shake my head almost rapidly, the slight panic at trying to approach a woman with romantic interests, even if I don't plan on playing on them right now, bypassing my hunter instincts. "No, no! You could be the strongest member of your team." I take a deep breath, I hadn't read the JJK manga in a few years, and would never again now, so I don't quite remember how she developed past season 2 but I know she has the potential to match- or exceed, I don't remember- Toji.

And I intend on telling her that, after all, while buried in scrolls and in the memories of the few staff that work here, Toji is still a very well known part of Jujutsu history. I can get away with talking about him, hopefully. "Have you ever heard of Toji Fushiguro?"

She tilts her head, her team following along. "Like Megumi?"

Oh shit, I forgot that he's his father. Should I tell him? Uh... Not now, I'm not dealing with the guy who can pull 'with this treasure I summon' while I tell him about his missing father. I nod nevertheless. "Yeah, but they're not closely related. There was an incident related to the man, he was a bounty hunter that had managed to penetrate into the deepest parts of this here Jujutsu Tech, wining against Gojo-" I am cut off immediately.

"You called?" And the only time I didn't want his input, I got it. They pretty boy stood ominously behind me, eye-covering even more intimidating that without, I recon.

I motion toward Maki. "She has the same Heavenly Restriction as a guy called Toji had, I read about him after reading into Megumi and his family na-" I am cut off again.

Gojo's smile had vanished. He 'looked' at me with an intense glare. "Are you sure you know what you're doing right now?" He's only half a head taller than me but seems like a mountain right now.

I nod and take another deep breath, I've killed Sukuna, even if heavily nerfed. If Gojo started trying to kill me, which I doubt even now, I could probably run away at least. "Actually, what I'm about to tell her might seem unbelievable, so could you tell her I'm telling the truth? I know it's insensitive, cuz of what happened back then and what followed but you'd be doing me a favor." I try, Nagini nervously slithering around me, drawing the eye of the three behind me as I deliberately try and distract them from my silent conversation with the strongest of the Jujutsu world.

He thinks for a moment, not showing any signs of hurt, discomfort or anger, just a contemplative expression. "Sure, but you owe me, my cute student." He then claps his hands and draws the attention of the other three. "Toji was a strong opponent. He almost killed me even, had I not awakened my Technique back them. If you truly have the potential to match him, Maki, then I'll talk with the principal about promotion." He takes the first, real and meaningful deep breath I've ever seen from him, one that he actually took to center himself, probably living through the aftermath with Geto currently. "He wasn't evil, he had a job and he did his best but in the end, I'm the strongest. Throughout hea-... see you guys later. I'll be revealing a present I have had prepared now!" His chipper mood was back as he seemingly got a metal cart with an oversized present on int out of nowhere.

Maki was in... a state. I had no clue what to call it. A mixture between hope and shock. I nod. "He defeated Gojo with nothing but a conveniently useful cursed Tool and his immense strength." I see Yuji being revealed as alive in the background, the reaction of Nobara and Fushiguro being a bit stronger as they thought he was fucking pulverized and not just... disheartened... Ha ha. Fuck you.

Panda knew that I was here to talk to Maki and was not interfering because of it and Inumaki couldn't converse much without Maki wanting to or Panda translating. The Zenin that had left her clan by herself then gives me a stern look. "And you're sure I have the same Heavenly Pact?"

I nod. "You have been forced to give up Cursed Energy in exchange for extreme physical prowess, you just haven't really utilized it." I then make my offer. "We can train together, you know. I have no upper limit for my growth either- I know, it's as unfair as it sounds- and I'd like a companion along with me." In more ways than one, I don't say.

She thinks before shrugging, though more sluggishly than she normally would, exhausted from the revelation that who she thought was the invincible god amongst men Gojo can be killed and that she could attain such a power. And right now, I had semi-implied I was the only way to trod down that path. I had revealed all this information and she doesn't know if it requires special training but she thinks I probably do, so my statement rings true still.

She nods with a smug smirk, her glasses framing the stare and making her almost seam like a teacher. Huh, weird. "Sure, I'll be your 'company'. I'm free past ten AM or earlier on weekends. Just call me." She then hands me a small slip of paper.

I had gotten a girls number...

Yes, by bribing her with fulfilling her life-long dream but I did it!

I felt just as good as I did Killing the Cleric Beast- which is a hell of a comparison to draw right now holy shit.

I nod and take it, stuffing it in my pocket, thankful that it's easy to make it seem like I just stuff everything in my pants when I'm actually storing it in the dream.

Then there was still the problem with the little Cursed Energy she has and how Mai would have to sacrifice herself to unlock Maki's full potential... Ha! That's not a problem for me! With everything I can get in Yharnam and the Gamer System, I think I can develop something to get rid of a persons Cursed Energy if they're willing.

But I'll only tell her about that- not about the part with her sister- when we train for the first time to make it seem like it's actually worth it to interact with me. Which it is, but I also have to convince her of that. I'll also have to change her mindset to make her think not of how she compares to her peers but of how she can exceed in her own merits and not try and match them in ones she cant. She'll get a power up from that alone...

I sigh, but that's for later.

Now?

Now I have a few Curses to exorcise.