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𝐉𝐮𝐣𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧: 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬
By: AnonWriterzzzz

Chapter 10: Azuma Kabe Cave Mission, Part 2

YouTube link for immersion (ik you cant highlight it but the immersion is realllyyy good, it's worth typing out)

/watch?v=kxqJuc1HHbg

Azuma Kabe Cave System, Japan
7th of September, 2024
1:45 PM 1 hour & 7 minutes of Oxygen remaining

Shin planted his trembling hands on the rough, debris-strewn ground, forcing himself upright amid the chaos. His muscles ached, and a sharp pain throbbed at the back of his skull. As he grasped his aching head, dust and small pebbles tumbled from his disheveled hair, clattering softly onto the rubble below. A low groan escaped his lips, the sound echoing faintly in the confined space.

Blinking to clear his blurred vision, Shin surveyed his surroundings. The cavern was a disorienting maze of jagged rocks and twisted metal beams, illuminated only by the faint glow filtering through cracks above. The air was thick with swirling dust particles that shimmered like tiny stars. His heart pounded as he searched frantically for Miyazato, panic tightening his chest. Double images danced before his eyes, remnants of the impact.

A flash of pale skin caught his attention—Miyazato's arm protruding from beneath a pile of shattered stone. Relief surged through him. Ignoring the vertigo that threatened to topple him, Shin staggered to his feet. The ground seemed to tilt beneath him as he rushed forward, nearly stumbling over scattered debris. Reaching out, he tried to summon Void Blue to lift the rocks, but only a flicker of energy sparked at his fingertips before fizzling out. His cursed technique had burnt out, drained from overusing his inexperienced Six Eyes.

A hot trickle of blood seeped from his nose, dripping onto the dusty ground as he doubled over in pain. The stinging sensation behind his eyes intensified, radiating through his sinuses. Gritting his teeth, Shin wiped the blood away with the back of his hand, smearing it across his cheek. He began to heave away chunks of rubble with his bare hands, the rough edges biting into his skin. Each stone cast aside brought Miyazato's face further into view—pale and dust-covered but unmistakably alive.

He carefully pulled Miyazato free, laying him gently on a relatively flat slab of rock nearby. Pressing two fingers against Miyazato's neck, he held his breath until he felt a faint pulse flutter beneath his fingertips. A sigh of relief escaped him, and tension eased from his shoulders.

Scanning for injuries, Shin noticed a thin stream of blood tracing down Miyazato's forehead, disappearing into his hairline. His uniform was torn, gashes revealing bruised skin beneath. Dust and grime smeared across his glasses, which sat askew on his nose.

Amid the debris, a flashlight lay miraculously intact, its beam casting a narrow shaft of light that pierced the gloom. Shin retrieved it, grateful for the familiar weight in his hand. He gently lifted one eyelid and shone the light into Miyazato's eye. The pupil contracted. Miyazato's eyelashes fluttered, and a soft groan escaped his lips. Shin slipped an arm under Miyazato's shoulders to help him sit up. The cold, damp air of the cavern wrapped around them, carrying the distant sounds of settling rubble and dripping water. As Miyazato's gaze slowly focused, confusion flickered in his eyes.

Miyazato, weakened: "Oh man... What happened..."

Shin: "Miyazato, listen very carefully, we need to get out of this cave as soon as possible."

Miyazato's eyes widened, and he began breathing deeper.

Miyazato, growing worried: "What about Joyo?"

Shin: "He is still alive, just trapped in that spider web."

Miyazato: "Okay then... Use your technique so we can get out of here."

Shin: "I can't, I think I may have burned it out."

They exchanged a tense glance, silence stretching between them as uncertainty flickered in their eyes.

Miyazato: "That's not good..."

Shin pointed behind him, revealing a large tunnel that connected to the hole they were in.

Shin: "Maybe there is an exit deeper in that tunnel over there, let's go."

The two stood up, dusting themselves off, and began walking down the tunnel. The air was cool and damp, carrying the faint scent of earth and rust. With the flashlight gripped firmly in his hand, Shin cast its beam around the tunnel walls, the light slicing through the darkness. The flashlight revealed the remnants of the abandoned mine: ancient minecarts derailed along rusted tracks, buckets still filled with dull, unrefined minerals that glistened faintly. Old wooden supports braced the tunnel ceiling, the beams warped and cracked with age, barely holding themselves together against the relentless press of time and gravity.

As they ventured deeper, the tunnel branched into smaller passageways that snaked into the cavern walls like veins. The walls were scarred with pickaxe marks, telling silent tales of the miners' relentless toil. Occasionally, a trickle of gravel would skitter down the walls, causing them to pause and listen intently. The oppressive darkness seemed to close in around them, relieved only by the narrow cone of light from the flashlight. Despite the eerie atmosphere, there was a certain solemn beauty to the place—a forgotten realm where nature slowly reclaimed man's endeavors.

Miyazato: "I thought that the entire mine was destroyed in a cave-in. Why is the infrastructure still intact?"

Shin: "I'm not sure... Maybe the story was exaggerated for the media?"

The two continued walking down the mine, and Shin flashed the light around, looking for any other evidence to piece together what happened. As he passed over a shaft entrance, he noticed a golden light shining from the darkness. He pointed the flashlight toward the golden light and discovered the corpse of a worker sitting against the wall. Shin and Miyazato were startled, its open eyes staring directly past them. They composed themselves and walked toward the corpse, kneeling down at its side to get a better look. The corpse was unharmed, no signs of a struggle or foul play. Miyazato pondered for a moment, placing his palm over his mouth.

Miyazato: "This is strange... there are no lacerations or bruises on the body, or signs of malnourishment."

Shin reached his arm out and placed his palm over the corpse's eyes, closing them for him. They walked through the shaft where the body was perched, Shin shining the light across the walls. As they ventured deeper, they began to notice strange black growths on the cave walls. Shin placed his hand on the growth, a humid slime coating its surface. Shin retracted his hand and shook it off, trying to get rid of the slime. The further down they walked, the bigger the growths on the cave walls seemed to become. They continued walking and entered a large chamber at the end of the shaft.

As they passed through the narrow opening, a wave of humid stench assaulted their senses, thick and suffocating like a damp, rotting blanket. Miyazato immediately covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his uniform, his eyes watering from the intensity. The air was heavy, laden with the putrid smell of decay and something indefinably foul. Shin raised the flashlight, its beam cutting through the oppressive darkness to reveal the chamber's gruesome secret. The light fell upon a massive, pulsating growth that dominated the center of the cavern—a grotesque amalgamation of green flesh-like substance that throbbed rhythmically, as if alive. Thick tubes sprouted from its quivering surface, snaking outward and burrowing into the surrounding walls like invasive roots. Along the outer edges, enormous pod-like appendages bulged obscenely, their semi-translucent membranes stretching taut over shadowy forms within—each pod large enough to hold a human.

The walls glistened with a slick, mucus-like slime that reflected the flashlight's beam, casting eerie, shifting patterns across the chamber. Faint sounds filled the air—a wet, sucking noise from the tubes, the distant drip of viscous fluids, and an unsettling hum that seemed to emanate from the growth itself. Miyazato and Shin exchanged horrified glances, their faces pale in the dim light. The sheer scale and unnaturalness of the scene left them momentarily speechless, a deep-seated revulsion twisting in their stomachs.

Miyazato, shocked: "What the hell is this?!"

Shin attempted to activate his Six Eyes, to a striking failure.

Shin: "I can't tell, my Six Eyes aren't working properly."

Miyazato: "I think it's some sort of... cocoon..."

Shin: "What could it be holding?"

Miyazato pondered for a moment.

Miyazato: "Let's find out."

Shin stayed back while Miyazato walked up to the growth. The smell made it difficult to even step forward. As he walked, he raised his hands and summoned a "SPLIT" tag at his fingertips, and once he reached the mass, he placed it on one of the pods. He stepped back and snapped his fingers, the pod bursting open as bodily fluids and oil came shooting out. As the dust settled, Shin and Miyazato looked in worry at the opened pod, when suddenly, a hand burst from the opening and planted itself on the crack. Miyazato stepped back while the hand opened up the tear in the pod.

The tear began to open wider, the hand turning into an arm, the arm turning into yet another miner, who immediately fell out of the pod, slamming onto the hard floor. He was soaked in oils, barely strong enough to even crawl. Shin and Miyazato rushed forward and knelt down to tend to the miner.

Shin, worried: "What happened to you?!"

The worker didn't respond, just panting on the ground. He was wearing rugged mining equipment and a cracked white hard hat. He was seemingly uninjured, much like the corpse of the worker outside the shaft. As the worker continued regaining his strength, he looked at Shin and spoke with a faint voice.

Worker, faintly: "... Behind you..."

Miyazato and Shin looked behind them, now pointing the light towards the chamber's entrance, to the sight of eight glassy eyes trained on them. Shin dropped the flashlight in fear, revealing the figure of the same spider from the surface. They instinctively backed up, the spider growing closer and closer. It raised its legs, about to crash down on them, when suddenly, a faint shout could be heard from the tunnel. As the shouting reached the chamber, Shin looked up to see Joyo Zankoku jumping in the air, with his fists raised. He crashed down on the spider's back, releasing kinetic energy that enhanced his strike. The spider dropped immediately, its blood flying everywhere. As the dust dissipated, Shin and Miyazato looked ahead, staring at Joyo.

Joyo, sternly: "You're welcome."

Shin: "Yeah, thanks."

Joyo looked behind the two, peering at the worker.

Joyo: "Who is your new friend?"

Miyazato: "He is one of the workers. Turns out, the media was wrong about what happened down here."

Joyo: "What's that... gross mass behind you two?"

Miyazato: "It—"

As Miyazato was about to explain, Shin came to a realization and interjected.

Shin: "It's a cursed energy siphon."

Joyo and Miyazato looked at Shin in confusion.

Shin: "I have an idea of what's going on here, so bear with me. This mine did not collapse from natural causes, Rogin did it so he could force the workers into those pods, in order to torture them, causing them to form negative cursed energy. He siphons that energy through the tubes and to wherever his physical body is."

Miyazato, worried: "So that means he's regaining his strength for whatever he is planning."

Shin: "Correct, and he is using spider shikigami to safeguard the place."

Miyazato: "I thought his shikigami were just to deceive people."

Shin: "We were wrong. I know that because one of them tried to deceive me, and it did a terrible job."

Joyo hopped down from the spider's corpse, which melted into the same puddle of black goo as before. He approached Shin and faced him eye to eye.

Joyo, angry: "And why should I trust you?"

Shin, meeting his gaze: "Back off, Joyo."

Miyazato stepped in between them, separating them with his arms.

Miyazato: "Both of you, that's enough! Now is not the time to fight, we have about 45 minutes of oxygen left, so we need to complete this mission quickly."

The two separated, locking eyes with each other as Joyo picked up the unconscious worker. He placed him in a fireman's carry, and they walked out. Before leaving, Miyazato approached the siphon and manifested several "SPLIT" tags onto all ten of his fingers. He flicked them all to the siphon and snapped his fingers. The siphon exploded, and shreds of mass went flying throughout the cave. Miyazato wiped some off his uniform and walked out with the other two.

Once outside of the cave, Joyo dropped the unconscious worker off next to the corpse of his colleague. They headed further down the original tunnel and found several other mine shafts on the sides of the walls. Miyazato looked around and spoke to Shin and Joyo.

Miyazato: "We should split up and see if we can find any other siphons in this cave."

Shin: "My technique is burnt out, how am I supposed to defend myself?"

Miyazato thought for a minute, and an idea formed in his head.

Miyazato: "Joyo, you go with Shin down the mine shafts, keep him safe."

Joyo, angry: "Great, another privileged kid to take care of..."

Miyazato: "It's not like that, Joyo..."

Shin's fists clenched at his sides, knuckles turning white. At the mention of another child, his grip loosened, curiosity overtaking his frustration. Another child? What does he mean?

Shin: "What do you mean, another?"

Miyazato: "Don't worry about it, Shin. Let's go on with the task at hand. Joyo, Shin, you take that shaft to the left, I will go down here."

Miyazato pointed behind him. Shin nodded while Joyo formed a disgusted look on his face. They descended into the mine shaft, the air growing cooler and damper with each step. The rhythmic dripping of water echoed hauntingly through the cavernous depths, each droplet's splash magnifying the silence that enveloped them. The scent of wet stone and ancient earth filled the air as they ventured deeper into the heart of the cave. While walking, Shin looked towards Joyo, who was slightly ducking his head so as not to hit the ceiling of the shaft. Curiosity brewed in his head as he thought about the mention of the 'other child.' Reluctantly, Shin struck up a conversation with Joyo, twiddling his thumbs, trying to ignore their differences.

Shin, awkwardly: "So... what 'child' were you talking about?"

Joyo didn't respond, just glancing towards Shin with the flashlight facing forward. Shin formed an annoyed expression on his face, his eyes whitening out in frustration.

Shin: "What the heck is your problem with me?"

Suddenly, Joyo stopped in his tracks, the dust from his boots clouding around his feet. He faced Shin, with rage on his face.

Joyo, shouting: "My problem with you is that you are just a brat who doesn't know what he is doing. If I were to put my money on it, your mere presence is going to get us killed by Rogin, or whoever he sends at us to stop you."

Shin, furious: "Do you have... ANY idea what I have been through?"

Joyo: "Yeah, I do. I bet you were cheated out of a normal childhood for reasons outside your control. Am I in the ballpark, Gojo?"

At the mention of his forsaken family name, Shin stepped up to Joyo, looking up as a vein began to bulge from his forehead. He stared directly into Joyo's eyes, Joyo meeting this deathly gaze back. They began shouting at each other with pure rage.

Shin: "You say that name again, and I will hurt you."

Joyo: "Give me your best shot, moron."

Shin: "How do you know what I've been through, huh?"

Joyo looked directly into Shin's eyes, a tear starting to form under his right iris.

Joyo, growing emotional: "I know... because I went through it too."

Shin's mouth hung slightly open, shocked by this sudden confession.

Joyo: "I never got the chance to play catch with my father because he sold me to the old higher-ups when I developed my cursed technique. I was three years old."

Shin: "God... I had no idea..."

Joyo: "Any time I got a chance to make friends, I would end up hurting them because I couldn't control the kinetic energy stored inside me. Because of this, the higher-ups decided it would be best to raise me in isolation, and when your father killed them all, Itadori-Sensei took me out and trained me in the basics of cursed energy control."

Shin stood still, the mention of his father's name not even harboring a response from him. The tear forming in Joyo's eye fell and barreled down his face, eventually dropping onto the floor. Joyo wiped his eye with his fist.

Joyo: "The reason why I don't like you is because you are like me, and I hate myself. No purpose in life, just a cog in the machine of Jujutsu Sorcery. You can relate, right?"

Shin, dreadful: "Yeah... I can..."

The two stood in silence, staring at the floor now marked by Joyo's wet tear. Before Shin could say anything else, Joyo shifted his body to the left and continued down the hallway, not saying a word to Shin. Now in the dark, Shin quickly moved back up to where Joyo was, and they made their way to the end of the shaft. As they walked through, Joyo shined the light directly at the back of the chamber, to the sight of a much larger black mass overwhelming the walls of the cave. Joyo shined the light around the cave walls, revealing several tubes protruding into the cave walls and leading to the large mass.

Joyo, pointing at the tubes: "Hey Gojo, check that out."

At the mention of that name, Shin turned around. He looked straight at Joyo, not with anger, but with content. He nodded and made his way towards the tubes and placed his hand on it, the palms of his hands now covered in a greasy slime. He retracted his hand and shook it off.

Shin: "In the last chamber, there was a worker placed in cocoons just like that. We should break out whoever is trapped in there. Maybe he can assist us."

Joyo nodded and they made their way to the egg. He placed his hands on its surface, closed his eyes, and channeled his stockpiled kinetic energy into it. His hands flared with cursed energy, a deep teal flame engulfing his fists. As the energy pulsated into the egg, it vibrated violently, tears beginning to form on the slimy surface. Joyo pushed his hand as deep as he could, imbuing the last of his kinetic energy into the egg. Suddenly, the egg's skin exploded, strange oils splattering across the cave walls and onto the two. Shin covered his face with his arms, slime covering them. His infinity seemingly non-existent, as the chamber became silent.

The darkness covering the room was broken by the sight of two glowing red circles, coming from whatever was in the egg. Shin and Joyo looked up, staring at the lights. A loud rumble emitted from the broken egg, the bioluminescence flaring up. The natural light shone upon the child of the egg, revealing a towering figure, nearly ten feet tall, with a heavily muscled, broad-shouldered frame covered in grotesque, samurai-like biological armor. His pallid, stone-like skin was laced with dark, pulsating veins, and his glowing crimson eyes burned with a menacing intensity. His face was distorted with monstrous features, covered by a skeletal mask and shadowed by a horned helmet fused to his skull, with unnaturally long limbs, claw-like hands, and a massive katana on his back.

Joyo looked up in determination as the monster stepped up, directly facing him. The chamber rumbled with every step, further agitating the bioluminescence. It reached its arm to its back, gripping the large sword attached to him. The monster looked down and opened its jaw, a deep, terrifying voice escaping from its skeletonized face.

Niiro: "YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF NIIRO, HIGH LIEUTENANT OF THE RULER'S ARMY. MOVE, OR PERISH."

Joyo: "Get a load of this guy, Gojo, only weak people make threa—"

Joyo abruptly stopped speaking, looking down to the sight of Niiro's talons impaled through his chest. Blood spewed out of Joyo's mouth, and Niiro retracted his arm, more blood gushing out the stab wounds. Niiro reeled his leg back and sent the bottom of his foot to Joyo's chest, launching him to the entry of the chamber. Niiro looked in Shin's direction. A cold sweat broke out on Shin's forehead as Niiro marched toward him. His legs felt rooted to the spot, and his heart pounded like a drum in his chest. He began backpedaling, tripping on a tube that had fallen when Joyo burst open the egg. Shin desperately crawled onto the cave wall, hitting his back on the hard rock. Niiro reached back and pulled out his sword, a seven-foot metallic blade sharp enough to cut the sturdiest of trees. He continued walking towards Shin, each step causing dust to fall from the ceiling. Right as he reached Shin, he raised his blade, but before he sent it crashing down, Joyo Zankoku drop-kicked Niiro's side, imbuing the strike with 25% of his kinetic energy stockpile. Niiro was sent flying to the wall, a crater forming on the impact. Joyo landed on his feet, blood staining his Jujutsu High uniform, a claw shape torn into the fabric. Behind him, Miyazato stood slumped, a worker hanging on his shoulder.

Joyo: "TAKE THAT TO ROGIN, WOULD YOU!"

Miyazato approached Shin, who was trembling against the wall. He reached out his free arm, grabbing Shin's hand and pulling him up.

Miyazato, collected: "Shin, we need to get out of the cave. Our oxygen is running out, and Itadori-Sensei will be opening up the entrance soon. I was able to rescue the other workers, but they are too weak to move on their own. You have to use blue to transport them out of here."

Shin hyperventilated, the sound of his own breathing drowning out Miyazato's voice. All he could hear was the high-pitched frequency in his ears, a side effect of his panic. He blankly stared at the ground, but was interrupted by Miyazato's cold hand striking his face.

Miyazato: "Get a hold of yourself! We are all going to die if you don't snap out of it!"

Shin rubbed his cheek with his hand, slowly recollecting himself.

Shin, panting: "Okay... okay... Take me to where they are..."

Miyazato and Shin ran out of the chamber and into the tunnel, leaving Joyo and Niiro alone. Niiro emerged from the rubble, a gray mist exiting his jaw. Joyo slapped his shoulders and entered a combat stance, imbuing cursed energy into his hands. Niiro planted his foot outside the crater and began charging toward Joyo. Joyo matched him by charging at Niiro himself. Niiro reeled his fist back and sent a haymaker to Joyo's face. He smiled as the punch landed straight on his cheek. Joyo turned with the punch and used the momentum to send a roundhouse kick to Niiro's extended arm, the kinetic energy from the punch now transferred back into his arm.

Chunks of the bio-armor flew off as the impact created a shockwave that traveled throughout the cave. Joyo landed on his feet and immediately sent another kick to Niiro's chest, but Niiro caught it with his hand, squeezing tightly as he yanked on Joyo's leg, dragging him across the floor. He threw Joyo across the chamber and planted his foot on the ground. Niiro leapt towards Joyo and sent a powerful fist directly to his face. Joyo ducked down, the fist driving deep into the wall. Joyo reeled his elbow back and sent his fist to Niiro's side, more chunks of the armor breaking away, revealing the skeleton it was protecting. Joyo continued punching his chest, chipping at the armor until only the ribcage remained. Joyo reeled both his fists back and drove them deep into Niiro's chest, the bones breaking at Joyo's touch. Joyo looked up to see Niiro already staring straight at him. The gray mist coming from his mouth landed on Joyo's face.

Joyo, confident: "Is this all you got, loser?!"

Joyo looked back at the newly formed hole in Niiro's chest, his arms still deep inside. Suddenly, the ribcage began growing back out of thin air, the sharp bones stabbing through Joyo's arms, pinning him in place. Reversed Cursed Technique?! thought Joyo. Niiro retracted his arm from the wall and stared at Joyo, who was now trapped inside of him. A terrified expression formed on Joyo's face.

Back in the main tunnel, Shin and Miyazato were tending to the unconscious workers. There were eight workers lined up against the wall, all weakened from the torture they endured in the pods. Shin reached his arms out and attempted to activate his cursed technique. His Six Eyes flared to life, the slime that had gotten on his body now repelled by his infinity, cleaning him. He used Void Blue, and the workers began to levitate off the ground. Shin looked to Miyazato, a smile forming on his face. Shin began moving the workers toward the hole they woke up in, when suddenly, the crash of rocks sounded from behind him. The two turned around to find an unconscious Joyo, his forearms completely missing. He was covered in blood and facing the entrance to the chamber where they had just fought.

Shin and Miyazato looked towards the tunnel entrance, and emerging from the darkness, Niiro stood upright, having ducked down to get across the tunnel. Shin looked toward Miyazato, using blue to pull Joyo off the ground and toward Miyazato.

Shin: "Miyazato, grab Joyo and get the hell out of the mines. I will deal with him."

Miyazato: "What about the workers?"

Shin, shouting: "If we're lucky, they will survive the cave-in, just go!"

Miyazato hesitantly looked toward Shin, before fixing his gaze onto Joyo. He knelt down, picked him up, and placed him in a fireman's carry. He nodded toward Shin and began tracking toward the hole, disappearing into the darkness. Shin faced Niiro and clasped his hands together. Niiro observed Shin for a moment and opened his jaw, the gray mist pooling onto the floor.

Niiro: "BEARER OF THE SIX EYES, SURRENDER NOW AND HIS MAJESTY WILL SPARE YOUR LIFE."

Shin paused for a moment, focusing intently on his cursed technique. A mixture of sweat and blood poured down his face, that liquid being pushed away as it reached his hands.

Shin: "Cameron told me not to use this, but you leave me no other choice."

Shin focused intensely, channeling his cursed energy into his hands. A faint blue light began to emanate from the cracks between his fingers, illuminating his determined expression. As he spread his hands apart, the blue energy swirled into a shimmering sphere that pulsed with raw pieces of rock and debris lifted from the ground, drawn toward the orb, and began to orbit it, creating a miniature asteroid belt around the glowing mass. The sphere grew larger and brighter as Shin rotated his hands, the energy responding to his movements like a living entity.

Shin, shouting: "MAXIMUM OUTPUT: VOID BLUE!"

The cavern trembled as he unleashed his technique. The now gigantic mass of Void Blue tore away at the cave walls, ripping huge chunks of rock that merged with the swirling energy. The orb moved in perfect harmony with Shin's gestures, its size and intensity increasing as he poured more cursed energy into it. Swelling to the size of a massive boulder, it crackled with power. With fierce determination in his eyes, Shin thrust his hands toward Niiro, sending the colossal sphere hurtling forward. The sheer force of the attack caused the cave ceiling to shudder and begin collapsing.

The Void Blue slammed into Niiro with devastating impact, violently stripping away layers of his bio-armor. The attack was so swift and powerful that Niiro's reversed cursed technique couldn't keep up with the damage. The cave began to rumble violently, rocks and debris falling all around.

As Shin looked upward, he saw a massive boulder breaking loose from the ceiling, plummeting directly toward him. Summoning his last reserves of strength, he activated his Infinity, just barely managing to halt the rock's descent. His arms trembled under the strain as he tried desperately to repel the boulder. Blood suddenly gushed from his mouth, the toll of overexerting his technique proving too great. His Infinity faltered, and with a resounding crash, the boulder came down upon him, rendering him unconscious instantly.

Azuma Kabe Cave System, Japan
7th of September, 2024
9:13 PM

The slender curve of a waxing crescent moon hung low in the sky, its silver light casting a delicate glow over the rugged landscape. Stars were strewn across the vast expanse like scattered diamonds, twinkling brilliantly against the velvet backdrop of the cosmos. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine and the distant whisper of nocturnal creatures stirring.

Deep within the cave, Shin lay unconscious beneath a heap of rocks and rubble, his body partially buried by the debris. Dust settled gently around him, and small pebbles occasionally tumbled down to rest beside him. The aftermath of his Maximum Output: Void Blue had left the cavern teetering on the brink of collapse, but fate had spared him a complete cave-in.

From the shadows at the cave's entrance, a majestic deer emerged, its coat shimmering with an ethereal glow that seemed almost otherworldly. It moved with graceful precision, each hoofstep silent on the rocky ground. As it approached Shin, it lowered its noble head, and with a gentle touch of its soft muzzle, it kissed his forehead. Instantly, the wounds upon him began to mend, the bleeding ceased, and a serene expression washed over his face.

The deer lifted its head, letting out a resonant call—a sound both haunting and beautiful—that echoed through the silent cave. In response, a figure stirred within the shadows. Stepping into the dim light, Megumi Fushiguro appeared, his expression stoic yet tinged with disapproval. The soft glow illuminated the sharp angles of his face and the determined set of his eyes. He walked over to Shin's resting form, the deer bowing its head slightly as he approached. Megumi surveyed the scene, taking in the remnants of destruction and Shin's vulnerable state. With a sigh, he shook his head, a mixture of concern and exasperation evident in his gaze.

Megumi: "What a pain..."

END OF VOLUME 1

AN:

I am so disappointed in myself for procrastinating this chapter for TWO WEEKS, Super sorry for that! Volumes will now be separated by 10 chapters, and I will post a new story for each volume. Stay tuned for the release of volume 2!