threads of infinity kenjaku
The streets of the city were eerily quiet, the air heavy with the acrid scent of destruction. Dust hung in the air, illuminated by the faint glow of flickering streetlights, while abandoned cars and debris lined the roads. The once-vibrant Shibuya was now a graveyard of twisted metal and broken glass.
Tsukasa stepped cautiously over shattered concrete, his tattered cloak brushing against the remnants of what was once a bustling urban center. The weight of his injuries and exhaustion pressed against him, but his resolve pushed him forward.
He paused, scanning his surroundings with the precision of the Six Eyes. The cursed energy signatures in the area were scattered, faint traces left behind from the chaos of his battle with Mahoraga. Yet something tugged at his instincts—a faint ripple of energy that seemed... off.
"Not again," he muttered, his voice low. Despite the destruction, the city held secrets, and Tsukasa couldn't shake the feeling that his presence here was no coincidence.
The faint hum of cursed energy clung to the ruined streets of Shibuya like an unshakable fog. Tsukasa moved cautiously, his Six Eyes alert to every fluctuation in the energy around him. Despite the silence of the area, something—no, someone—was out there. The cursed energy trail wasn't random. It was deliberate, calculated.
A faint ripple of cursed energy caused Tsukasa to stop, his gaze snapping to a crumbled overpass nearby. From the shadowed rubble, a figure stepped forward. Long dark hair framed a familiar yet unsettling face—Geto Suguru. But something was off, a sinister presence emanating from within that didn't belong to the man Tsukasa knew of.
The figure's lips curled into a calm yet unnerving smile. "Tsukasa Gojo," the man said, his voice dripping with a mix of curiosity and menace. "What a pleasure to finally meet the anomaly of the Gojo clan."
Tsukasa's eyes narrowed, his body tensing. "Geto Suguru? No…" His gaze sharpened as the Six Eyes revealed the truth. "You're not him. Who are you?"
The man chuckled, his voice echoing with an eerie resonance. "Ah, so perceptive. You're correct—I am not Geto Suguru. But this body? It serves my purposes well enough. You may call me Kenjaku."
Tsukasa didn't flinch, but his grip on his cursed energy tightened. "Whatever you're planning, I don't care. Get in my way, and I'll deal with you like everything else in this wreckage."
Kenjaku's smile deepened. "Bold words. But tell me, Tsukasa, are you so sure you've dealt with everything? You've scratched the surface of true strength, yet you have no idea the scope of what you face. Shibuya is only the beginning."
The air grew heavy, the oppressive weight of Kenjaku's cursed energy pressing against Tsukasa's infinity. Despite his calm exterior, Tsukasa could feel the malice radiating from this man—a patient, calculated malice that promised disaster.
"Words are cheap," Tsukasa said coldly, raising a hand as cursed energy began to swirl around him. "Let me show you what I think of your schemes."
Kenjaku chuckled again, stepping back slightly. "Oh, I'm not here to fight you today. Consider this… an introduction. There are other pieces on the board that require my attention. But we will meet again. And when we do, I expect a much more entertaining display."
With that, Kenjaku turned and began to walk away, his figure dissolving into a cascade of cursed energy. Tsukasa watched him vanish, his fists clenched at his sides. Whoever this "Kenjaku" was, it was clear Shibuya's horrors weren't over.
Tsukasa stood in silence, the residual energy of Kenjaku's presence still lingering like a faint smudge on a pristine lens. His Six Eyes scanned the area instinctively, tracing every ripple of cursed energy, but there was nothing left to see. The man—no, the thing—had vanished as if it had never been there.
A quiet breath escaped him, though it did little to ease the tension winding tighter in his chest. Kenjaku's words replayed in his mind: You've scratched the surface of true strength. It wasn't the boast itself that gnawed at him but the chilling calm with which it was delivered, as if Kenjaku had already calculated every move in advance.
"Shibuya is only the beginning," Tsukasa muttered to himself, his icy blue gaze turning to the rubble-strewn cityscape around him. For all the destruction wrought, it seemed small compared to the storm looming just beyond the horizon.
He turned on his heel, his tattered shirt brushing against the air as he started walking deeper into the city. His focus shifted back to his own immediate goal: mastering his domain. Whatever Kenjaku was planning, Tsukasa knew he couldn't face it with half-formed techniques or incomplete understanding of his own strength.
The Six Eyes flickered to life again, scanning the surrounding area not just for enemies but for a suitable place to train. With the chaos in Shibuya, cursed spirits were likely to be drawn to the city like moths to a flame. It was only a matter of time before he found another one.
And sure enough, he did.
At the far edge of a ruined commercial district, a twisted figure lurked in the shadows of a collapsed building. Its cursed energy pulsed erratically, radiating hunger and malice. Tsukasa smirked faintly, raising a hand as energy began to coil around him.
"Perfect," he said softly. "Let's see if I can take another step forward."
With a swift motion, he unleashed a barrage of cursed energy, the air rippling as his attack closed the distance. The cursed spirit howled in defiance, lunging toward him. But Tsukasa wasn't interested in a long fight. He needed to push his limits.
This was no longer about survival. This was about preparation. And whatever it took, Tsukasa would make sure he was ready for the storm Kenjaku promised.