(Y/n) tightened her grip on her sais, scanning the two figures in front of her once more. She had never seen them before, nor did she know their abilities—but that alone was enough to put her on edge. Fighting blind was always a risk. She had to rely on pure instinct.
A part of her hesitated. Satoru had told her not to engage. He had been firm about it—"Stay back, observe, don't fight unless absolutely necessary." And she wanted to listen. She wasn't sure if she had gathered enough cursed energy to hold her ground, let alone win.
But there was no time to think about that now.
The school was behind her. The students had enemies of their own for sure. With the barrier in place, they were likely without reinforcements. She couldn't let these two in.
Her own uncertainty faded as her priority took over—she couldn't let them through.
The man on the left stood in a casual stance, one hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed sword. He wasn't tense, but she could tell he was ready. There was something sharp about his gaze, like he was watching her every move. He was relaxed—but not careless.
The woman, on the other hand, had no visible weapon. She stood with an almost amused expression, tilting her head slightly as if sizing (Y/n) up. At first glance, she seemed unbothered, but something about her presence felt... off. The air around her wavered unnaturally, as if space itself distorted whenever she moved.
(Y/n) narrowed her eyes. 'An illusion? No... something else.'
The man exhaled through his nose, amused. "You're alone?" His voice was deep, steady. "They left a single sorcerer to guard the gate?"
(Y/n) didn't answer. No use giving them information.
The woman hummed, crossing her arms. "As long as it isn't Gojo, this is going to be easy." She tilted her head slightly. "I bet you're a low-grade sorceress too."
(Y/n)'s fingers tightened around her sais. "You're scared of Satoru, aren't you?" She wouldn't let herself be provoked.
The man chuckled. "Hmm, I wonder... How long can you hold out on your own?"
The woman smirked. "Maybe she thinks she can win."
(Y/n) met her gaze evenly. "Maybe I don't need to win."
A beat of silence.
Then, the man unsheathed his sword. The woman took a step forward.
The fight had begun.
The man moved first.
(Y/n) barely had time to react before he was on her, his sword flashing in an arc aimed at her shoulder. She twisted away, her sai moving to intercept, the clash of metal ringing in her ears. Sparks flew as she redirected his blade, but the force of the attack still sent a shudder through her arms.
He's fast. Too fast.
She pushed back and retaliated, shifting the prong of her sai into a narrow blade and aiming for his side. Her weapon cut through his clothing, slicing into flesh, leaving a nasty wound—but before she could even register the hit, she saw it.
The wound sealed almost instantly, the muscle knitting back together as if it had never been there. 'This isn't just reversed cursed technique. No, this is something more efficient.'
(Y/n) barely had time to process it before the woman attacked.
She caught the subtle shift in space just before her balance wavered—she had been moved. She hadn't stepped, hadn't shifted, but suddenly, she was too far from the man and too close to the woman.
A fist shot toward her face. (Y/n) blocked just in time, summoning a thin plate of metal to absorb the impact. The force rattled through her, but she held her ground.
'She didn't teleport me. She stretched the space between us.'
The realization came a second too late. The moment her focus shifted, the man lunged again, slashing low.
She leaped back, molding her weapon again—her sai twisted into a longer spear just as she landed, forcing more distance between them. Her chest heaved as she quickly reassessed.
'The woman manipulates space. The man is fast—skilled. And he heals.'
"Clever," the man remarked, rolling his shoulder as he eyed her spear. "You can change your weapons. That's useful."
The woman's expression remained unreadable, but her eyes flickered with something—mild curiosity, perhaps.
(Y/n) didn't answer. She had learned enough from their first exchange. The woman controlled distance, keeping her partner at an advantage. The man was strong on his own, but with her ability, he became unpredictable. And now she knew he wouldn't go down easily.
She needed to find a way to counter them.
She shifted her stance, keeping her spear raised. The moment they moved again, she forced her weapon to change—a sudden shift into a chain, which she lashed toward the woman. If she could bind her—
But the chain never reached. Space warped again, and the distance stretched impossibly far in an instant.
Her attack fell short.
The man capitalized on it.
A sudden, sharp pain slashed across her arm as his sword found its mark. (Y/n) bit back a hiss, twisting away, but the sting was already setting in, blood seeping through her sleeve.
"You're holding back," the woman observed. "Why?"
(Y/n)'s grip tightened around her weapon. 'Because I'm not at 100%.'
She could feel it now—her cursed energy was still recovering. The last thing she needed was to burn through it too quickly.
But hesitation was costing her.
She tried again. This time, she molded a barrier—a solid metal wall, trying to separate herself from the woman. If she could just force a one-on-one...
The wall was useless. The woman merely stepped forward, and the space between them folded—suddenly, she was in front of (Y/n) again, bypassing the barrier entirely.
A hard kick slammed into (Y/n)'s stomach, knocking her back.
She barely managed to stay on her feet, gasping for air. The ache in her ribs was sharp.
Her hands clenched into fists. 'I need to break their rhythm.'
She changed tactics. Her spear shortened back into a sai, her free hand molding a cluster of sharp, needle-thin blades.
She threw them—not at the woman, but at the man. If he healed, she needed to slow him down. The moment he dodged, she lunged for the woman instead.
Their eyes met. Surprise flickered in them, just for a second.
But the woman was faster. Space distorted—and (Y/n) suddenly stumbled as the ground beneath her seemed to stretch in an instant. Her strike missed entirely.
She cursed.
A sharp impact slammed against her back, sending her reeling. Her breath came heavier, her body aching from the repeated dodges and attacks. They weren't even slowing down, while she—
She was tiring.
The man exhaled, tilting his head. "You're persistent."
(Y/n) glared, forcing herself to steady her breathing. "You talk too much."
The woman smirked. "She's getting frustrated."
She was frustrated. Their teamwork was seamless, and every opening she created closed just as quickly. If this kept up—
No. She refused to think about losing.
She just needed to push further. Find an opening.
Even if it cost her everything.
(Y/n) gritted her teeth, her muscles screaming in protest as she forced herself to stay standing. The battle had turned into a vicious cycle—attack, dodge, counter, repeat. But no matter what she tried, the two enemies in front of her always regained control. The woman twisted space to keep her off balance, and the man healed faster than she could land lasting damage.
She was running out of options.
Another slash came—faster than before. Her body moved on instinct, twisting just enough to avoid a fatal strike. But she wasn't fast enough.
Pain exploded through her as the blade tore into her shoulder. It burned deep, severing muscle, and she staggered under the force of the blow. The weight of the sword lodged in her body pinned her in place.
The man didn't pull away immediately. A mistake.
Desperation drove her next move. Instead of retreating, she lunged forward.
She impaled herself further onto the sword.
His eyes widened in surprise. "What—"
She grabbed his wrist before he could react. A shudder ran through her as her body instinctively latched onto his cursed energy—hungry, demanding, desperate.
The sensation was overwhelming.
It poured into her like a raging current, hotter than fire, surging through her veins. It was almost too much. The sheer volume of power he possessed threatened to drown her, but she couldn't stop. She had already started, and her body refused to let go.
The man jerked, his body tensing as the drain took effect. His once unshakable composure cracked, his muscles locking in place. His breath hitched, and for the first time since the fight began, (Y/n) saw something other than amusement in his expression—shock.
"You—" His voice faltered, growing weaker.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to endure the unbearable sensation of his energy fusing with hers. Her body trembled violently, her strength returning tenfold. The pain in her shoulder dulled as new cursed energy flooded through her limbs. It was intoxicating.
Too intoxicating.
She couldn't stop.
The man let out a strangled sound, his free hand grabbing at her arm in an attempt to pry her off. But it was useless. His strength was waning, and hers was rising beyond control. His once fluid movements became sluggish, his grip faltering.
The woman noticed instantly. "Let go of him!"
Space distorted—(Y/n) felt the shift, the familiar pull that tried to rip her away. But this time, she fought against it. She tightened her hold, anchoring herself to the man, refusing to be moved. The overwhelming surge of energy continued, swallowing every other thought in her mind.
Then, a sharp, sudden impact slammed into her side, sending her flying.
She crashed into the ground, her breath knocked out of her lungs, but the damage was already done.
She had absorbed too much.
Her body trembled violently as raw cursed energy crackled under her skin, barely contained. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her breathing erratic.
And across from her, the man collapsed, his skin unnervingly pale, his chest no more raising and falling.
(Y/n) swallowed hard, her senses still reeling from the rush. Exhaleing, she steadied herself as she rose to her feet.
The sword was still lodged in her shoulder, but she barely registered the pain anymore. She had taken him down. And now—
Her eyes snapped toward the woman again.
The shift in the air was immediate. The woman's confident smirk wavered, her gaze sharpening as she took an instinctive step back. 'She knows she's next.'
(Y/n) took a step forward.
The woman didn't wait. Space folded around her in an instant—she was trying to retreat.
"Not so fast."
(Y/n)'s cursed energy surged.
The moment she reached out, the air around them cracked.
Reality twisted.
And then—
The world around them changed.
The distorted battlefield was gone. The ground, the sky—everything was replaced by walls.
Four walls. A ceiling. A floor.
A room.
(Y/n) stood in the center of it, breathing heavily, her body barely holding together—but her energy filled every inch of the space. The woman's eyes darted around, her brows furrowing as she took in the new environment. The familiar walls, the polished wooden floor, the soft glow of a single overhead light.
"What is this?" The woman's voice was sharp now, laced with something that almost sounded like concern.
(Y/n) smiled, slow and deliberate. "My domain."
The woman moved instantly, attempting to shift space, to pull the distance between them—but nothing changed. No warping, no distortion.
Her expression flickered—just for a second.
(Y/n) took another step forward. "I control everything here."
The woman didn't waste time. She lunged, her speed still formidable, her fist aimed straight for (Y/n)'s face.
(Y/n) didn't even blink.
She just thought—and a wall materialized between them in an instant. The woman crashed into it, her momentum halting abruptly.
She staggered back, shaking off the impact, but (Y/n) was already moving. A flick of her wrist, and the ground beneath them shifted—metal spikes shot up from the floor, forcing the woman to twist and dodge.
She was fast. But without her technique, she was predictable.
(Y/n) struck, her sai shifting into a chain mid-air, wrapping around the woman's wrist. A sharp tug pulled her forward, off-balance, right into (Y/n)'s grasp.
And that was all she needed.
(Y/n) pressed her palm against the woman's chest.
A rush of cursed energy exploded between them.
The woman choked out a gasp as her energy was pulled from her body, rushing into (Y/n) in a searing wave. Her legs buckled, her struggles growing weak.
(Y/n) inhaled sharply, drowning in the sensation. It was too much—too powerful—
And she wanted more.
Her grip tightened.
The woman trembled, her breathing shallow, her cursed energy draining rapidly.
Just a little more.
Her mind screamed at her to stop, but her body craved the power, the rush, the control.
The woman sagged in her grip, her head tilting forward. Her skin had grown pale.
'STOP.'
(Y/n)'s eyes widened.
She wrenched herself back, releasing the woman abruptly.
The woman collapsed to the floor, her body limp—alive, but unconscious.
(Y/n) staggered. Her heart was racing. Her body trembled, her hands unsteady. She could still feel the lingering energy, burning beneath her skin, filling every inch of her being.
She had almost—
She almost—
Her head spun.
She stumbled, her knees buckling.
Her hands felt wet.
She looked down.
Blood.
Her blood.
It was everywhere. Dripping from her fingers, soaking through her clothes. The wound in her shoulder—her ribs—her arms—
She had forgotten.
The cursed energy she had absorbed was keeping her standing, keeping her alive—but her body was breaking. She had lost too much blood.
Her vision blurred.
She swayed.
And then—
Darkness.
She collapsed.