It was heard and seen around the world.
A chorus of flesh and gore splattering against solid ground
In a blink, the man's form shattered, his rants about serving his god and seeking vengeance dissolving into thin air.
A palm had slammed into his chest, from a boy who could hardly even be considered a young man, and that simple impact had sliced him into countless pieces, toppling to the floor in a heap of blood, some even splashing on the teen's emotionless face-
His four eyes, two golden brown, the others a violent red, stared ahead as if this was nothing to him, like a tainted piece of normalcy in a corrupted life.
Memories are a funny thing. You can accept, bury, or change them to suit your needs, but you'll never truly be rid of them, finding you even in the most bizarre circumstances, like an endless cycle of encounters, and each time, they seem to take on different meanings.
To some, Yuji Itadori was an innocent boy, an unknown, tragic victim who found his way to a foreign land. To others, he was a monster with a power no one could rightfully comprehend; both sides stood true in their own right, but what was he in this moment?
It's just a matter of interpretation.
...
A man fell on his back, watching as the remains of his comrade came crashing down, staining their surroundings red as he found himself shivering for the first time in years, staring up at what could only be described as death incarnate...a fifteen-year-old boy.
His lip quivered as his skin paled, but the vessel paid it no mind, reaching out a hand toward his face, with so much pressure coming off of him, it might as well be suffocating-
*SCHWING
Time slowed as four cultists raced across the room, some leaping between the tables like insane apes, the others rushing along the floor as if possessed by some unseen force, soon surrounding the vessel on all sides as they lunged at him in a diamond formation, weapons at the ready.
His red eyes gleamed, shifting to the side oh so slightly, their spirals glowing before-
*FWING
His mutated right arm twitched, and in an instant, he had whirled around so fast it was nearly impossible to see-
Yuji's nails acted like claws, clenching down on the first neck he saw, and with a burst of unseen power, he pulled, moving in a simple circle.
The moment they made contact, there was a horrible squelching sound before slashes tore through their bodies, sending sprays of blood into the surrounding air as four bodies fell apart around him, with Itadori still holding the severed head of one.
The man below shivered, "w-w-what are-AHHHHH!"
*CRASH
The sorcerer didn't even look at him, simply raising a foot and bringing it down with so much force that the man's entire upper body exploded into red liquid, cracking through to the floor beneath.
Across the room, there was a mixed of shocked reactions as voices bellowed out-
"What the hell?!"
"What is he!?"
"What is that ability!?"
"He...his eyes...they look just like-"
One seemed to take command, waving a hand, "It doesn't matter! You know what we're here for! Kill the Headmasters and be done with it!"
*TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP-TAP
There was a thudding of boots as most of the cultists swarmed toward the sorcerer, with a small contingent breaking off toward Ozpin and Ironwood's downed forms, with only the latter remaining conscious enough to shakily reach into his jacket-
They were across the room-
If Yuji didn't act-
They and everyone else here would die-
Images of his past failures blipped through his mind, but they didn't break him-
No-
His expression hardened, and the vessel took off running at a pace far faster than any human, or even any Huntsman, could match-
*BOOM
*SPLAT
*BOOM
*SPLAT
His sneakers would hit the ground, and one would leap at him from the air in a flying tackle, and with a simple graze of his hand, the man's body split in two, with Yuji running straight through the resulting mist.
Two would come at him from the sides, only for his palms to slam against their stomachs, bisecting them both in half as they screamed in pain.
Voices continued to ring out as bodies flew apart in every direction-
"Those powers! They're-"
"Without a doubt, he's slicing them!"
"Has he returned!? Then why is he-"
*Bang-Bang-Bang
From the floor, Ironwood had all but ripped a black revolver out of his jacket, firing round after round at his assailants as purple sparks ran through the air as the men suddenly came crashing to the floor, weighed down as gravity locked them in place, but there were so many, and with the sixth shot-
*Click
Their smiles lasted only for a moment-
Yuji broke through the horde, parting them like a sea of bodies, with every touch sending limbs flying in every direction, leaving stragglers on all sides as some were too terrified to even approach him.
His fist clenched as blood pooled out from his nails, crystalizing in a vibrant sphere of color and as the vessel slid into a pitcher's stance, the veins along his left arm bulged as he hurled a ball with so much force, it broke the sound barrier, sending a shockwave in every direction as it impacted the group ahead.
"Supernova."
He said it so calmly; it was unreal, and what followed was a blast that shook the building to its foundation.
*BOOOOOOOOOOM
One second, the men were there, the next-
They were mist, shredded to absolutely nothing by the sorcerer's inherited technique, with one hobbling about on one leg, swaying from side to side as his tattered body struggled to even breathe, but-
*FWING
He saw the red of Yuji's fingers before they slammed through his skull and out the other side, sending chunks of brain matter out in every direction.
There was a horrified silence as all parties involved found themselves panting, as if just standing near this boy was draining everything they had.
The sorcerer hardly reacted, retracting his fist as yet another body slumped to the ground, taking a moment to scan his surroundings-
In less than a minute, the vessel had killed well into the dozens, but with how many were left, he had his work cut out for-
*Clap...clap...clap
A voice rang out from the stairwell, with each step billowing out over a silent atmosphere, their words riddled with a hatred few could hope to match.
"It's good to see you having so much fun... who'd have thought that all it took was a little 'persuasion?'"
His black horns popped up first, followed by a mess of shining red hair, his upper face covered in a white Grimm mask, with an ever-present smile strewn over his tan skin.
The Faunus' black clothes swayed with the breeze as he marched in without a care in the world, with each and every remaining cultist bending the knee to his very presence, but he didn't even bother to acknowledge them.
He towered over the sorcerer, standing mere feet away, "Yuji Itadori...I know everything I need to know about you."
The vessel met his glare, "Taurus, right? And how the hell do you even know about me?"
The older teen's grin grew, "Let me guess. Sienna told you my name and a little sob story about how I'm the son she never had?"
The sorcerer's silence spoke volumes, making the leader laugh, "Just like I expected, that old fool played right into my plans."
Yuji stared him down, "Plans?"
Adam crossed his arms over his chest, "You think she was the only one that knew of your existence? The second that story came out, you sent the White Fang into a frenzy, but I was the first to click things together, to find out what you really are, but I had to be sure-"
The swordsman tilted his head toward the cameras, "Only one Faunus in all our history has had the power to cut anything, one so dangerous that the world itself swore to forget his name, but to us? The true followers of Ryomen? He stands for something else, a concept that transcends time...for in death, we are free, to kill is to liberate, and to die is to participate in the grand ritual of sacrifice, and you're playing your part perfectly, my friend."
Itadori's eyes flickered in anger, his fingers curling, "You're out of your mind if you think I'm on your side."
"You don't seem to understand. I've already won, and no matter how this ends, things will move exactly as I intend them to, and it only hinged on you coming here."
"What!?"
"I figured you were connected to him somehow...and assumed if I took the reigns of this little group and caused enough trouble, you'd get alarmed and come right to me, and not telling anyone? You made it that much easier for this encounter to happen, Yuji Itadori...the descendant of Ryomen."
There were shocked gasps from the crowd, but the vessel hardly showed a reaction, "Is that right? You seem to know a lot for the moron that worships a killer."
Adam scoffed, reaching down to withdraw his sword as a red aura engulfed him, sending tremors through the floor, "Tch! I am everything but a believer!"
Energy blasted through Yuji's hair, yet the vessel held his ground like it was nothing, "Tell me somethin'. If you know what I am, then why aren't you running for your life?"
The sorcerer's stance dropped, his nails sharpening, "You're actin' like you stand a chance...or are you so nuts, you think I'm weaker than you?"
The Faunus laughed, "Between us, I didn't plan on meeting you this early on, but I figured 'why waste the opportunity?' The world's moving in my direction, but I want it to go faster-"
His blade glowed red as it spun around in his hold, "It was all too easy. The Atlesians have grown fat and lazy, thinking their military's the best in the world, and all it took was a few clever minds to bring them to their knees...a few disgruntled workers to poison your food and air, and a few of their token-educated Faunus to hack their defense systems...the people can only take so much before they get sick of the abuse, you know?"
Adam took a step forward, his presence radiating out, "And with their hatred bestowed on me, who knows what we're really capable of? Our combined strength, taken across many journeys of abuse at the hands of the human race, and a fortunate encounter with the catalyst that'll send things spiraling out of control have all pushed me to go farther than I ever could've dreamed as a boy in the Dust mines."
His grin grew manic, "Right now, I feel as though the end's in sight, and whether you or I die here doesn't matter...the world will hate the Faunus for what we are, and they'll respond in kind and in time...all of Remnant will be a land for our kind, or we'll drag it down with us."
"That way, we can finally be-"
Yuji cut him off with a simple gesture, stretching a hand toward his face, his fingers spread apart like a pair of scissors, "No-"
His teeth barred, "You won't."
"Dismantle."
*SCHWING
The Faunus lurched back as dozens of slashes tore through his clothes, sending blood splattering through the air in jagged, X-shaped patterns across his entire frame, but-
Yuji squinted, watching as his opponent's sword glowed bright, "They're shallow?... What!?"
Adam only chuckled, dragging a hand along his chest, sending a sprinkle of blood down below, "Another gamble...and another success. I wonder how far I'll get before one of us loses for good?"
The Faunus grabbed his sheathe with his left, flipping it over, shoving its' rifle-like barrel in the vessel's face as he yelled, "Kill the rest!"
*Click
Yuji's eyes flashed in all directions, even as sparks flickered to existence from the gun in his face, scanning his surroundings with unnatural precision.
There were so many things to consider-
Gramps and Ironwood were right next to him, but the others: Weiss, Winter, the guests...they all were deep in hostile territory, and he'd need to move fast...no-
no-no-no-
Even Yuji wasn't that quick...what to do-what to do-what to do!?
He could see the guns being raised in slow motion as others charged toward the downed guests, blades and weapons at the ready-
There were so many-
Too many-
Sukuna was faster than lightning, and if the vessel threw everything he had into this...maybe...just maybe he could match that speed for a few moments, but-
Could he really do it?
Yuji wasn't Gojo, he couldn't just magic his way into saving anyone, and everything like it wasn't a big deal-
His life was nothing but screw-ups, failures, and deaths he could've stopped if he was just a little stronger-
His heart raced
...
...
*Bop
A phantom limb dropped onto his shoulder, followed by an all too familiar voice, 'Brother-'
Yuji didn't need to look up to realize he was hallucinating-
Todo wasn't really here...and he definitely didn't have his left arm anymore, but-
He could still hear his besto friendo's fated words in his mind, 'Brother, you're a man amongst men. Don't limit yourself to such narrow-mindness.'
A shiver ran through him, with memories of his long-lost friends blurring before his eyes, the mere thought sending pangs through his chest, pushing the vessel's unbreakable will back out like a maelstrom.
He found himself mouthing the words, the ones that inspired him in the hellhole of Shibuya-
"We are Jujutsu sorcerers."
...
...
*BANG
The shot went off as the sorcerer flashed into motion, whirling around on his right heel, throwing every bit of his weight into his left as his leg flew up, cracking against the side of Adam's temple.
*CRACK
The Faunus' shot flew astray, blasting straight into the ceiling as chandelier glass rained down, with him flying off against a nearby wall, but Yuji wasn't done.
The vessel flowed with the motion. Kicking his foot off the ground, he flipped upside down, and in a moment that seemed to break the rules of reality itself, his palms slammed against the cold floor as his power surged, spreading across the entire structure-
*SCHWING
*CRRRRRRRRRRRR
What happened next would appear as the blink of an eye to all spectators, except a certain Beacon student-
One whose silver orbs were currently stained with tears.
...
Back at Beacon
To say things were absolute chaos was an understatement-
The day started out as normal as usual, with the members of team PYRN and RWBY deciding to gather together to watch their friends on TV, totally not to mess with them about it later, but-
Things had gone wrong so fast, and with so much hitting them at once, it was like everyone was in shock.
The attack-
The revelations about Yuji-
How those 'stripes' on his face were never marks...they were an extra set of eyes.
But what shook them to their very cores was what he did after.
To most people, Yuji Itadori was strong. Still, he was a sweet goofball and one many believed wouldn't hurt a fly, but here, in the span of a few short minutes, he had gone on a killing spree, taking at least a few dozen people out with a simple touch, followed by a sight that made most of his friends recoil in terror.
Pyrrha was just blankly staring ahead.
Nora was covering Ren's eyes.
Yang was dragging her hands along her face, muttering something about stripes and eyes.
None of them were in a good state, but it was hard to say who was the worst off, but two came close to the title-
Blake had seemingly shut down after that red-haired boy showed up on the screen, becoming so unnaturally pale it was like she was dead, just mumbling nonsense as she stared at his glaring reflection, but Ruby-
The scythe-user was a complete mess, but her tear-filled eyes were glued to the screen, watching in a level of detail that simply wasn't possible for anyone else.
Yuji slammed his palms into the ground and-
*CRRRRRRRRRRR
Slash marks appeared for the briefest of moments before the entire second floor fell apart, sending every single person tumbling below, with weapons firing off course and victim and attacker alike found themselves helpless, even if only for a few seconds-
But that was enough for Itadori.
Ruby could only watch as her first friend leaped between the falling chunks of rubble at impossible speed, nanoseconds if that, one moment, he had grabbed a cultist by their head, and the next, it had impacted across the room, denting in the wall as it splattered.
It was a nightmare of body parts, with most of his opponents disintegrating on impact, and those he couldn't reach on his trajectory, he simply flicked a wrist toward, and unseen slashes tore them to bits, his glinting, miscolored eyes moving in all directions at once, giving him an unreal level of accuracy as he blurred into action.
But to the average person?
The world around him went grey, flicking out of color for an instant before-
*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASHHHHHHHHHHH
The sorcerer flew at an uncontrollable speed, slamming back-first into a wall up above, taking in a massive gasp as sweat poured down his face-
There was a colossal splatter as surviving victims hit the floor below, followed by torrential rain of body parts and visceral fluids.
Adam followed suit, landing with an audible crunch, holding a hand to his head as his shaky vision slowly lost its blur, observing the sight ahead with complete indifference, but that wasn't it-
He started-
"Ha...hahahaha! You truly are everything I needed for this to happen!"
He held his hands out before him as if in some insanity-fueled reverence, "What else can you do!? Let the world see what we really are, Yuji Itadori!"
Up above, the vessel gasped, clenching his chest as he took rapid breaths, forcing himself out of the hole he made; Yuji fell, slamming down with a splatter as red liquid moved in all directions.
The vessel stared down at the mess below, clenching a fist so tight, bones audibly popped, "I'm so-"
"Hm?"
Cursed Energy billowed off the sorcerer in droves, sending a pulse out around him, "So tired of your type...the sort that thinks lives are something you can just play with out of some...some delusion that you know better...and what the hell do you get out of it!?"
Adam only laughed more, "There's an old saying I like. 'He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become a monster,' and humanity has certainly failed at that."
He raised a hand to their immaculate surroundings, "They live in luxury while we have squaller; they despise our existence, yet need our labor. The world runs on Faunus blood, yet they spill it in the streets every time we so much as STEP out of line! That is the world we live in, but the greatest irony of it all?"
Adam put a hand to his heart, "We aren't monsters! Or at least, we weren't at first, but hatred is such a fickle thing, and it's something humanity never seems to understand. They spend hundreds of years kicking our kind down, and you never hear a word about it, but one of us suddenly takes a stand? They panic because deep down, they're terrified of the beasts they've made, children who would've grown up normal instead swore to spend every waking moment of their life fighting for revenge, but it's so misguided..."
The Bull dragged a finger along his mask, "Some want equality, others want to reverse the standing, to enslave humanity, but those solutions are temporary. Don't you see? So long as an 'other' exists in our world, a group that can be blamed for every single problem, these cycles will never stop, and so...if we become the monsters they see us as, then the only solution-"
Yuji took a step forward, "Lemme guess, you wanna kill everyone 'cause you seriously think that'll fix something."
"How did you-"
The sorcerer spat, walking forward, stopping right before a certain white-haired Atlesian as she struggled to rise to her feet, putting a hand on her shoulder as a glow emanated out-
Winter's eyes flashed toward him, "What are you-"
Itadori shook his head, "I can't get it all out of your system, not without more time, but right now, I need someone to keep watch here...so I can deal with this."
He leaned closer, his grip tightening, "Can you do that?"
The specialist stared at him for a moment, then looked around at their surroundings, "...What exactly are you planning to do?...What...what are you?"
Itadori's blank stare remained passive, looking up toward Adam as he loomed ahead, "I'm gonna do the one thing I'm good at...something only a real monster could go through with."
...
...
Remotely piloted camera drones flew overhead.
Her expression hardened as she gave a curt nod, and within moments, she was standing once more, and the sorcerer walked ahead, "I'll fix everyone here when he's dead."
Adam just smiled, "You seem so certain...are you sure you don't want to keep up your act a little longer?"
Yuji shook his head, "It's always the same...people just can't leave each other alone...yeah, I know our world is screwed up, and I don't got any answers, but most people have nothin' to do with it, and if you're gonna stand there and tell me they need to die because you think you know better, then you're a bigger moron than I thought."
He stared across the gore-filled mess, his glare growing as he waved a hand, "You're not a monster. You're just a fake, some coward who needs to hide behind big words and followers instead of doing what he wants on his own because you're too pathetic and weak to do it yourself...it's too bad for you, I'm not."
Yuji's face hardened, taking an expression that spoke of war and nothing else, "Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, people like you-"
A burning aura erupted across him as he raised a fist, "Should be put down like dogs."
Adam clasped his hands around the grip of his red sword, letting it drift to the right, "Criticize our methods all you want, but at least they're those of a Faunus knowing what he truly is...but you? You're just a traitor who fights for a human cause...even associating with the Schnees'. Once I finish here, I'll be sure to have my fun with them."
...
...
Two opponents stood off, both victims of the world around them in their own right, but with very different intentions on where to go from here.
One refused to buckle, never relenting on his ideals, even as forces beyond his control sent him down again and again.
The other suffered under the heel of an oppressive regime, his once innocent mind tainted, embracing a path so wicked, it would leave him hated forever, but at the end of the day-
Both would call themselves monsters but for very different reasons.
*FWING
Adam flashed in front of the sorcerer, raising his blade high, burning through the atmosphere itself as it came crashing down, only to be met with the vessel's right forearm-
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
Windows shattered around them, raining glass down on the mess below, but Yuji didn't so much as budge an inch, holding the larger teen back as if he were nothing.
"Is that it?"
"H-HOW!?"
*CRUNCH
With the most simple of motions, Itadori's left fist flashed forward, slamming into the leader's stomach with so much force it visibly dented inward, sending spittle up from his mouth until the second impact billowed out, sending Adam careening back, but the sorcerer wouldn't give him any leeway.
Yuji disappeared from sight, reappearing below his opponent, slamming a palm into his chest, changing their trajectory mid-flight as they unnaturally rose into the air before blasting off, flying straight through a solid stone wall as debris blasted out, sending the two out onto the barren streets of Vale with a colossal blast.
Buildings passed by in a blur as Adam tumbled across the immaculately decorated roadways of Vale like a rock over water, slamming his sword against the ground to slow his momentum to a halt, panting as he struggled to take a single breath, his organs felt like they had been slammed into by a train, but before he could even stand-
*Blink
Yuji was right in front of him, raising an open hand toward the teen, and only then did it seem to set into his mind-
They were all alone out here, and there was no reason for the vessel to hold back.
*Fwing
The sorcerer raised his left hand and swiped it over the horizon-
*BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH
What followed was a massive blast, the likes of which the Faunus couldn't comprehend, slamming into him all at once with enough force to slice him down to the bone-
Uprooted trees and shredded asphalt flew away in hurricane-like winds as buildings shook along their foundations. An entire city block turned into a nightmare like it was the most casual act imaginable.
*CRACK-CRACK-SLASH
Jagged cuts appeared along the Taurus' entire body, sending his blood into the mixture as chunks of his mask billowed off, revealing his blue right eye as it stared at the monster ahead of him.
Without a doubt-
If it wasn't for his semblance-
He would've died in an instant, but this level of damage-
No...he'd push through it.
Adam gritted his teeth, his grip tightening, trying in vain to hold his ground, but as the streets around his embedded sword began to give way-
There was a flash of green
As several tons of weight slammed into him head-on, sending the killer teen flying back.
Before the thought that Itadori had thrown an entire military truck at the Faunus could set in, the vehicle split in two, followed by a chorus of molten slag and sparks billowing out as Yuji outpaced his opponent, sliding toward him as the hard ground drifted below, his right fist clenched-
Yuji's eyes flashed yellow as he surged ahead, slamming a blow straight into the maniac's stomach, sending a shockwave out in every direction as alarms billowed off from the city, sending the Faunus into the air, but he wasn't done-
The vessel didn't so much as let Adam land, grabbing the teen by his leg before he could fall back, yanking him straight down as the sorcerer's left knee crashed against his chin, with the sounds of cracking teeth echoing out, and as the teen fell, with a burst of energy, Yuji's hands blurred, grabbing the taller boy by his horns before whirling around on his heels, sending him straight through the glass shelter of a bus stop as shrapnel rained down around him.
*CRASH
Adam bounced along the ground before sliding to a stop, staring down at his reflection amidst the broken bits of glass and metal, all the while, Itadori trudged toward him, an emotionless glare on his features-
The Bull hissed, dragging a hand along his torso, pulling back to see a red smear along his palm, but forced himself to his feet, reaching down to grab his blade, "It's fantastic, isn't it?...You're even stronger than the reports said."
He needed to keep this fight going for as long as possible, but against something like this?
Itadori kept his four eyes on his opponent, not slowing his approach in the slightest, "I'm not the kinda guy that boasts, but I'll tell you one thing, so that anyone else that tries this again knows what'll happen."
The vessel slammed a foot into the ground so hard it sent rocks scattering around him, "Back when I fought Raven, I wasn't at half of what I can really do...but you won't have that luxury, 'cause, unlike a lotta people, I know rot when I see it, and there's only one way of dealing with it."
Back then, Yuji was still recovering from the insanity of Shinjuku. That fight had taken everything out of him and then some.
Coming back from the dead wasn't the easiest thing to bounce back from, but with help from Gramps, he turned around pretty quickly.
The Faunus' lip quivered into a snarl as he shook, "You think you're the only one here that can do as he pleases?...Don't get cocky!"
Adam charged in, his stance lowered as his sword dropped to his left, dragging along the pavement as red sparks rang out while Yuji just waited.
The Faunus let off a diaganal swing, leaving a red imprint across the air as he cleaved for Itadori's neck, and the vessel simply spun on his heels, drifting to the right as the attack flew by, but-
*Click
The Bull grinned as he flowed with the motion, his other hand reaching to grab his sheathe, and without needing to look, shoved it right in the vessel's torso, and as the fire dust blasted ou-
*SCHWING
"GAH!"
Yuji batted the teen's hand aside with the flick of a wrist, sending the rounds off course as they melted through a stop sign, and with a sudden noise, blood splattered across the streets as Adam's rifle, along with most of his fingers clattered to the ground.
So-
Cleave works just fine.
The sorcerer didn't give the Faunus a chance to recover as he instinctively tried to clasp his missing digits, adjusting his feet, the the vessel ran in, throwing a right straight through his opponent's unguarded left, cracking against the maniac's jawbone, knocking his head back as more blood flew from his mouth-
Itadori followed through, bashing the killer's ribs with a savage throw from his left, feeling bones pop beneath his strike, only to meet his recoil halfway, sending a right straight for his head, smashing against Adam's mask as his face dented in, blasting him back across the street through a storefront as the wall collapsed on top of him, burying the Bull in rubble.
As the vessel approached, the sounds of whirring engines echoed out across the urban landscape, growing closer by the moment as armored footsteps followed suit.
Bullheads emerged over the buildings, swaying as if barely able to stay in control, their pilots long since dead, replaced by the Faunus' maddened followers, their sliding doors opening, revealing a mix of men and metal, as dozens of haywire Atlas robots shifted their limbs into firearms as more poured out across the rooftops, some still coated in the remains of their previous allies.
Itadori stood there in the middle of the open road, his eyes flickering across as the sounds of machine guns humming to life billowed out, followed by an onslaught of color-
*FRRRRRRRRRRR-BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Dust rounds blew across the city environment, fire, ice, gravity, every possible combination one could think of, their shots piercing through the earth like nothing, each leaving a smoking trail racing toward the vessel as each bullhead followed suit until they made contact.
Hundreds of rounds slammed into the sorcerer at once as the onslaught went on for more than a few painful seconds, not stopping until the guns overheated or ran out of munitions, and as smog dotted the streets, the world could only watch with bated breath.
No living person, Huntsmen or not could survive that, the boy would be lucky if there was even a puddle left of hi-
*Tap-tap-tap
A figure emerged from the cloud, revealing the vessel, his pink locks flowing with the breeze, still standing as if nothing happened, his shirt completely torn to shreds, exposing his muscled flesh to the world beyond, his tattered pants only fairing a bit better, but-
There wasn't a scratch on him-
The shots had landed, but-
Did they do nothing!?
It was like shock had taken over the atmosphere, with only the noise of the bullheads accompanying them, all the while-
Yuji scanned his surroundings and in one swift motion-
He raised his hands to the sky, pointing them straight at one of the aircraft-
And slammed them together-
*SCHWING
A ray of piercing blood shot out at untold speeds, slamming into the cockpit, straight through the cultist pilot's torso and out the other side, and with a casual turn of his arms, the beam sliced through the armored hull as if it didn't exist, the engines igniting as the skies of Vale glowed for the briefest of moments.
*BOOOOOOOOOM
Yuji didn't stop, spinning on his heels as the blood-fueled attack pursued its prey. Even as the enemy aircraft tried to avoid him, he followed them with ease, and each time the attack made contact, the result was the same-
*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOOOOM
The blasts ignited the skies like fireworks, and the second they were gone, he simply changed his aim for the rooftops, cutting jagged slices through buildings as entire concrete structures collapsed to the ground below, knocking giant plumes of dust into the air.
As the bullheads fell toward the ground, Yuji took a step forward before the ground beneath him exploded into a crater. The sorcerer launched himself up above, landing atop one of the burning vehicles. He grabbed one of its massive wings with his bare hand and tore it free with a single slice, leaping even higher as it collided with the ground in another blast.
As Adam pulled himself free, pushing the last chunks of fallen rock away, what he saw up above could only described as a nightmare-
In yet another blink of an eye-
Yuji Itadori had annihilated another army, no worse for wear as if this was the most basic thing imaginable...but the Faunus found himself squinting, seeing a burst of motion far up above...what was-
*Flash
The sun glared as a spinning object hurdled its way toward the Faunus, his exposed eye widening, looking at his surroundings. He might as well have been stuck in a tomb, with his only path out in the direct line of fire-
...
...
He gripped his sword as it began to glow bright.
Time for another gamble.
...
...
Itadori watched the scene below unfolding as he fell. The makeshift blade careened toward its target like a blur, and without a doubt in his mind, it would slice him and the entire building in half, but as it approached-
The world seemed to darken.
And there was a flash of red.
It was so fast, the human eye would miss it entirely, one moment, the blade was inches from reaching the Faunus, and then-
Yuji's eyes widened, sensing something all too familiar billowing out ahead, but that was impossible, how was-
"Cursed Energy?"
*SCHWING
A thin spray of blood erupted across the sorcerer's chest as the metallic object exploded into nothing, and a gleaming red slash slammed into him.
The sorcerer's gaze hardened as a mass of darkness shot out of the building, destroying the entire structure as it appeared right in front of him, throwing a hand at the last moment, letting the attack slide along his knuckles as skin peeled back, only for the Faunus' image to distort, with one becoming two, as the Bull cracked his heel against the sorcerer's skull with a sideways kick, sending him flying across town.
As Yuji spun out of control, his face tensed up, watching as the blurry form of his opponnent followed suit, racing along the rooftops before launching off after him-
Without a doubt, that was Cursed Energy, but it was-
That signature? Of course, Yuji knew it, but it just made no sense-
The attack that hit him...it felt like...his Energy, but...but that wouldn't make any sense...unless?
...
...
Adam's expression shifted between emotions, watching as entire sections of the city drifted beneath them, with their inhabitants looking oh so small...
With this stolen power-
they were-
so-
so-
small.
The Faunus found himself laughing, watching as his opponent flipped upright, defying the laws of gravity as he landed sideways along the glass windows of a towering skyscraper, drifting back as sparks crackled beneath his feet.
Adam raised his sword, holding its gleaming form over his chest, "Hehehehhehe...HAHAHAHA! I get it...I get it...I GET IT NOW!"
*SCHWING
A burst of red light flashed toward the sorcerer, only for him to stare at it as an unseen force slashed most of the attack to bits, the remains slamming into the building as massive gash marks tore through solid steel and concrete.
The White Fang leader's smile grew and grew, "That's why it doesn't bother you...why our struggle...why none of it matters to you! IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE NOTHING TO YOU, ISN'T IT!?"
Adam slammed down along the building edge, running across the cracked glass planes as he rushed toward the vessel, his form blurring as two doppelganger afterimages blurred into existence beside him, a ferocious snarl coating their faces as his voice echoed out in unison, "Well even with all the power in the world, I'll never forget, not for one second what the human race did to us, WHAT THEY DID TO ME!"
The world beneath drifted by as if it didn't exist, and with a sideways bash from his fingerless hand, the Faunus knocked his own mask off, revealing the scarred logo of a company Yuji was all too familiar with-
SDC, he had brought their stuff to Weiss more than enough times to recognize the name-
What the hell?
The Faunus growled, only seeing his enemy's eyes widen a bit before going back to the same static as always, and so enraged, he charged, his form blurring as countless strikes rained down from different directions, his false clones doing wonders to mask fiction as reality.
They flashed in different directions-
One moment, they were ahead of him; the next, besides, their locations changing so fast, no one could predict it.
*FLASH
The Bull smiled as he rushed ahead, appearing right behind the sorcerer, standing completely still, more than happy to let the fool impale himself on-
*Bump-Bump
In a single second, Yuji Itadori had leaned back, his four eyes blankly staring at the killer, not so much as doing a thing-
Why wasn't he moving-
What was-
At the last moment, Adam noticed the vessel's hand move as it flashed behind his back-
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK
The Faunus' sword collided with Itadori's spine, moving in for a brief moment before-
Yuji blankly spoke, "It's absorption, isn't it? Your semblance-"
"H-huh?"
Even as the blade neared his flesh, Itadori hardly seemed to care, "It won't do ya any good. You're gonna die here regardless."
*BANG
Yuji caught the weapon with his bare hand behind his back, stopping it in its tracks, and with a burst of energy, jumped up, flipping himself upside down with unnatural precision, and reached out a free hand-
Adam tried to yank his sword free but couldn't so much as budge it from the sorcerer's hold, "W-what!?"
*Bump-Bump
There was a flash of red near the Bull's face as a hand appeared in a blur, and by sheer instinct, the older teen pushed every bit of power into his heels, twisting his form and leaping off the building as a palm connected with his fingerless left arm-
"Cleave."
*SPRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Blood sprayed like a firehose as the Bull's limb fell free to the ground below, leaving him with a wounded stump at his shoulder; time seemed to slow as he hovered there for a second, his face contorted into shock, but before the pain could register-
Itadori's form rotated, landing in a sideways crouch along the skyscraper's battered walls. His eyes gleamed as his focus intensified, sending a shockwave of pressure that shattered windows across the structure-
His fist ignited as the flow of reality shifted, funneling into a singularity that joined a chorus of moments in the sea of time, but to him, there was only one target at that instant, one that sharpened his senses to a trillionth of a second-
And as he lunged-
Space distorted-
And his Energy flashed black-
*CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Adam saw the sparks before his world went white, feeling his sternum shatter as an unholy force slammed into him with so much pressure, it send the wind around them into a frenzy-
"BLACK FLASH!"
Blood and spittle erupted from his mouth as the attack sent him across the street, smashing straight through row after row of electronic billboards, finding himself trapped in a cage of steel and wire as he bounced and smashed into another rooftop as electricity coursed through him.
Yuji stared at the teen's twitching form, letting off an angry hiss-
He had to be laser-careful fighting in a crowded space like this-
Too much power in a cleave or a dismantle would send an entire building toward the people below, and Itadori didn't have the power to vaporize a structure that large...not without something drastic, but firing that in a place like this would cause more harm than good.
The vessel watched the Taurus as he flinched, letting off a blanch of bile and visceral liquid as he somehow struggled to his feet, still twitching as static coursed around him.
But if Itadori was right about this, then letting this fight drag on could make things a lot worse-
It didn't take him long to realize Adam's semblance was a lot like Yang's, but she had to tank an attack and then use SOME of that kinetic energy for herself. This guy's was different.
Taurus didn't just take an attack; he took all of it and then threw it back at you, and the vessel's only workaround was overloading it to do any damage, but it was like doing surgery on a fish-
Too much, he destroys something he can't fix-
Too little, then he's just feeding the guy power-
He needed to get creative, or this was gonna be a big game of Operation.
And so-
The building trembled as the vessel launched off its surface, the wind billowing across him as he slammed down on the opposing rooftop below.
*BOOM
There was a rhythmic approach of footsteps heading straight for the Faunus, so calm and collected; it only reinforced the fact that he was completely and utterly outmatched.
Adam's entire body was numb, which, alongside his semblance, was the only thing keeping him conscious at this point, and driven by a will to accomplish his goals no matter the cost, he gripped his blade with spasming fingers, pulling it toward his bindin-
Before Adam could break free, a sudden force yanked the wire wrapped around him, sending the teen flying toward the vessel and he surged toward him, a sphere of red appearing in his hand-
"Wha-BLHHHHHHHHHHH!"
*Gulp
A vile sensation billowed out through the Faunus as he gasped, falling into a coughing mess as a horrible feeling flowed down his throat and into his insides, but soon found himself whirled around like a tornado as Yuji used the wire to slam the maniac into a nearby wall, sending a mess of bricks onto the roadways below.
Adam shuttered, gasping for air, but it felt like he was breathing in ash, "Wha-what the hell did you just make me swallow!?"
The sorcerer raised a mutated hand as a red liquid moved along his flesh, "You know, for a guy that claims to know enough, you sure are dumb...tryin' to poison the one person in the world who's immune to all of it, and ya know why that is?"
Itadori tilted his head, hearing the screams down below as people fled for their lives, "I've eaten some of the worst things you can imagine, stuff so nasty and so deadly, they'd kill most people with a touch, and it's 'cause of them, I can say-"
The vessel raised all of his fingers as images of the King of Curses, and eventually, two of his own cursed siblings flashed to mind: Eso and Kechizu, now a part of him-
"My blood is toxic, and in ten minutes, you'll be dead."
The Faunus was silent for a second, his blue eyes narrowing, "You're...you're lying!"
"Why deny it? I'm sure you can feel it, and even if you tried to puke your guts out, there's more than enough in you to do the job. In five minutes, your insides will start melting. In seven, you'll lose all motor function, and by nine, your brain will be so fried, you won't know what's real, and then, your heart's gonna stop."
"No...no...NO!"
Yuji braced his arms, "That's right, this is a dead man's hand, and no matter how much energy you try to steal from me, it won't do you any good, and the only way of winning-"
"Was by not playing at all."
Adam thrashed in place, his binds moving around him, "You...you...YOU FUCKING RAT! DO YOU KNOW...DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY PUT ME THROUGH!?"
*CRRRRRRRRRR
He fell to the ground, the metal and wires around him bending as his form began to glow once more, "Years, and years, and years, and YEARS OF ABUSE! THEY KILLED MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER IN THOSE MINES, AND YOU'RE DEFENDING THE FAMILY WHO DID THIS TO US!?"
The Faunus' chest rose and fell as he rabidly panted, "I won't stop...I won't stop until every last one of them are dead and gone!...AND I WON'T WASTE MY TIME WORSHIPING THE FAILURE OF A GOD WHO COULDN'T FINISH THE JOB HIMSELF!"
*SNAP
The binds broke as Adam rose to his feet, gripping his glowing sword with renewed vigor, "I won't let it end like this...it's always them, every war, every conflict, every piece of violence on this planet is because of the human race, and if they want a demon, then I'll be the one to take them out first."
*FWING
A voice echoed out behind him as Yuji stared the Bull down, "No, you won't."
When did he?
Adam roared, whirling around on his heels and taking a massive swing, only for the vessel to duck beneath the resounding flash of light, cleaving several buildings apart as their segments fell to the roadways below.
Pressure emanated from the pair as they stood each other down, their respective energies overwhelming their surroundings with an indescribable dread as Yuji casually jumped back, and the Faunus foolishly followed.
They landed on a falling rooftop, hearing the screams from nearby bystanders, with Adam taking the lead, he slammed a knee for the sorcerer's torso, only for the vessel to block it with an open palm, bashing his free hand against the swordman's stump of an arm, pushing him off balance-
*CRACK
Yuji's foot smashed into the Bull's face, and with a moment to spare, raised his fingers toward him, and with a flick, unseen slashes sent the older teen careening through a falling apartment window and into an occupied family living room as a mother and son screamed at his sudden appearance.
The Faunus didn't care, sending a vibrant wave out the way he entered, the red glow bearing down on the parent and child, only to-
*SLASH
Blood sprayed as Itadori appeared in front of them, wrapping the pair in his arms as the slice splattered across his back, and without a second to waste, the vessel slammed a foot into a wall, ripping it apart before diving out to the streets below, his shirtless form tumbling over the roadways as he took the brunt of the fall, with the building making an impact soon after, sending objects flying.
The mother opened her eyes, only to scream as she met the mutated teen's stare, but there was no time, and with a gentle throw, Yuji tossed them aside as Adam emerged from the ruins, slamming against the sorcerer as they tumbled through the front doors of a bank, alarms blaring as slashes rang out in every direction.
Itadori crashed through the teller's box, only for the Faunus lunge at him in a leap, slamming his boots against the teen's chest, sending him through layers of concrete until denting an imprint of himself on a metal vault door.
As the Taurus charged after him, Yuji reached back, crunching the giant metal surface with his hands, and with a single slice, he pulled, slamming the object through the solid walls as it bashed into Adam like a makeshift bat, sending him back the way he came.
The Bull landed on his back, the entire world spinning, only to gasp as the sounds of utter destruction rang out as Yuji forced the massive object overhead, ripping through the ceiling above them as he brought the vault door down hard, the world becoming a whirl of grey-
*CRASH
Yuji landed on top of the object, knowing there was more than a few feet of steel between him and his opponent. It was just a matter of-
*Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang
Gunshots rang out as armed guards opened fire on the vessel, and in that moment of confusion, the platform beneath him shifted as a vibrant glow emanated out from beneath the hunk of metal-
Adam roared, using his stolen Energy, slamming his heels against the massive object, sending it and the sorcerer sky high, tearing through floor after floor as screams rang out, soon leaping after him at high speeds, appearing as distortion as more and more copies blurred into existence around him.
Yuji kept a palm above, using his technique to carve a path, hoping that no one got in their way, and as his eyes flashed, looking for any sign of motion-
*SCHWING-SCHWING-SCHWING
A piece of the door broke apart as the Faunus emerged, tackling the sorcerer off course as the pair tumbled into an office floor, with their makeshift platform shooting off until it broke through the rooftop, careening off across town-
The pair crashed through row after row of cubicles as chaos ensued, with Itadori intentionally falling back, using his leverage against the floor to slam his heels against the Faunus' stomach, sending him careening into a support pillar as he smashed straight through, rolling with the motion and back onto his feet to charge the sorcerer once more.
Adam swung from his right, and with a burst of motion, Itadori put pressure in his limbs, curling into a ball as he leaped to his left over his opponent's attack, with the blade grazing his spiked hairs off before landing on his feet, soon pushing off the ground once more, this time, slamming his hands down on the blade itself, ignoring the singe of his own flesh, his form compressed before bashing his heels straight into Adam's face, but this time, the Faunus held his ground-
Even with his cheek dented in, the Faunus forced his semblance through, the world around them going dark as he pushed forward, slamming his skull against the vessel in a vicious headbutt before-
*HRRR
*BLAH
The older teen suddenly blenched, sending a wave of his own blood into Yuji's face as he stumbled back, looking down at the liquid filled with chunks of flesh, his eyes widening as the sorcerer blankly swiped it away with the flick of a hand, a knowing look crossing his features-
"It won't be long now."
Adam panted, his eyes narrowing as he seemed to glow brighter, "GO TO HELL!"
There was a violent hiss as his Energy seemed to charge; with the temperature rising so rapidly, it sent water coolers boiling as light fixtures popped overhead-
"I'll show you-"
"I'll show them-"
"I'LL SHOW YOU ALL WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRAMPLE A PEOPLE FOR TOO LONG!"
Yuji tensed as Adam charged him once more, not knowing why, but for some reason.
Something felt different-
He could hear three sets of footprints at once...not just one moving around at an insane speed, like something was trying to occur, but didn't quite have the form to truly emerge-
What the hell?
Adam swung below from his right, and the vessel outpaced him once more, leaning back to avoid the-
*SCHWING
Yuji's eyes widened, watching as the blade flew by.
Without a hand holding it, instead, there was a fist going toward his face, and it was at this moment that something fascinating occurred as Adam seemed more focused than he ever had in his entire life, no longer putting up an act but fighting with every bit of power he had in him-
It was an imitation-
But a perfect one nevertheless-
Even if its user didn't understand its uses, the Faunus certainly had experience in redirecting energy, even if for his own terrible goals, but something many people, even sorcerers, seem to forget-
Yuji's expression turned to shock as a crackle of darkness crossed his vision before a massive force impacted the teen across his face, sending blood from his mouth as black sparks billowed across the office space, the sheer pressure sending him out the window and toward a nearby tower-
Those sparks-
They don't choose who to bless.
*CRASH
Windows across the floor exploded as Adam stood, with dark bursts of electricity flowing through his red hair, instinctively catching his blade before blankly staring at his fist for a moment, not sure himself about what just happened, but-
He felt different, like...he was in the zone.
...
...
Yuji faced the direction he came from as he flew toward a nearby structure, "Black Flash?...He's already figured out how to apply Cursed Energy to his attacks. At that level?"
It wasn't even close to actually hurting the sorcerer, but the fact that Taurus did so in such a short amount of time meant he was dangerous.
This guy-
Without a doubt-
He was more than just some showboater. No, if he were born a sorcerer, Adam would've had the potential to go a lot farther than he ever could've with his current skillset, but he wouldn't be a problem for much long-
*BOOOOOOOM
The offices exploded apart as a booming voice followed suit, "I'M STILL FULL OF POWER, ITADORI!"
Even from a distance, Yuji could see the crazed look in his opponent's eye as he rushed toward him across the skies, giving a sadistic smile through red-coated teeth as the city passed beneath them, though he didn't bother responding.
The vessel landed, standing horizontally against a metal strut, only to leap upward as a blurred figure crashed where he once was, sending plumes of dark smoke in every direction as Adam came rushing out from the right, running against the forces of gravity before-
Itadori's expression shifted as he examined the figure for a moment-
It didn't have a soul, but if it was fake, where was-
*CRACK
The glass shattered beneath the apparition as it ran, taking a leap toward the vessel, and to his surprise, another doppelganger emerged from the smog, rushing in from the left, both Adams' reaching him at the same time as Cursed Energy billowed off the pair in droves-
Yuji jumped back as they impacted, his eyes flashing to the right as one tried to bisect him with their sword, leaning back as it passed overhead, slamming a foot toward its torso, only to be blocked by its gleaming sword, sending the duplicate sliding back, racing off to the side the moment it broke free-
Does it have mass? But without a soul, how was-
The other leaped ahead, raising a boot overhead as it came crashing down with explosive force. The vessel narrowly shifted to the right, the attack rocketed against the building as the entity landed, and using the small impact crater as leverage, it threw a right, bashing the sorcerer in the chest, driving him upward as yet another blast rang out, with a third Adam rushing out of the cloud, a cackling smile on his face as he dove for the sorcerer's throat-
This one was the real one, but if that was the case, then-
Would the others be able to?
Yuji raised his hands to block, grimacing as the blade sank through, coming out the other end of his palms as Adam used his momentum to leap up, turning his legs into a pincer as they cracked the sorcerer across the face, sending him further up as the third appeared above, running straight at him-
Itadori raised a hand, and with a single slice-
"Dismantle."
*SCHWING
The distortion sliced in half on impact, without any sign of blood or organs to speak of, just-
Crackling bits of Cursed Energy before it billowed away into nothing-
So that's how it is?
His expression hardened as he flipped around, facing the remaining pair, slamming his palms together as red liquid pooled around the tips of his fingers, "You've done it now."
The sound of chirping birds rang out as a beam of concentrated blood blasted through the other doppelganger, leaving only the original, whose demented sneer only faltered with the occasional cough as more of his insides bubbled to the surface "I-"
*BLEGH
It stained his face red, "I'm just full of surprises, aren't I!?-"
He flung more vibrant strikes at the sorcerer, who slashed them into nothing as the pair continued to ascend, "I dreamed of this, you know!? Growing up a slave, to someday break through to a power I couldn't even imagine, to the greatest achievement one could ever acquire: TRUE FREEDOM!"
Cursed Energy ignited around his fist as he lunged, tossing his sword into his mouth, speaking through gritted teeth, "I'm so close to it, to giving our people a chance to choose their own fates in a world made for them! I'm sure of it, and I'll surpass you and everyone else who-"
*BOP
Yuji caught his fist as if it were nothing, his blank stare meeting the teen's widening blue eyes, "You still can't keep up."
...
...
"Eh?"
*SCHWING
Adam trembled, watching as his last remaining arm shredded apart before his very eyes, their momentum reaching its apex as they crossed the rooftop, sailing over the streets of Vale, with the world appearing so massive, yet so unrefined from up here.
Yuji's fist slammed into the teen's stomach, forcing him to spit out his sword as it fell out of sight, the last vestiges of red fading from its form before it disappeared.
The Faunus' semblance followed suit, and a feeling of absolute weakness washed over him. As gravity took hold, he found himself helpless, slamming into the roof below, collapsing instantly, but that hardly lasted-
Yuji landed with grace, slowly walking up before grabbing Adam by his neck, raising the White Fang leader high, and staring him down with those four eyes of his "...You have every right to be angry."
"H-huh?"
"I'm sure you have your reasons for what you're doing, and honestly, I just don't care. The world's a messed up place that does horrible things to everyone, and the one fair thing about it is that it's not fair to anyone, but at the end of the day, it's only about what the strongest person wants and your biggest mistake-"
Adam paled as a palm slammed against his torso, followed by a squelch and the horrible sound of his insides spilling out, no longer able to feel his legs as they, too, splattered across the rooftop as Yuji's blank stare sent a horrified shiver through his very core, "Was that you didn't know your place...calling yourself a demon against humanity...how foolish."
*Bump-Bump-Bump
Itadori pulled him closer, those red eyes gleaming up at him, the image of him beginning to shift, with Taurus finding himself staring at someone similar, yet different, coming face to face with the same boy, but marked with dark tattoos across his figure, only to blink and be back in reality once more, but as the seconds passed-
*Bump-Bump
The two images began to line up, and even as the older teen started to fade from this world, his heart trembled in fear as two different beings spoke at once, "The only demon on Earth-"
"Is me."
*Bump
...
...
...
Yuji watched as the light faded from Adam's eyes, and the older boy slumped over in his hold, no longer breathing, and without any ceremony, simply tossed his corpse onto the roof with a crunch-
"Good riddance."
...
Sometime later
Ozpin grumbled, hearing a mix of foreign noises and voices, his mind too delirious to recognize what was happening for a few brief moments before forcing himself awake with a gasp.
He sat up, realizing he was on a makeshift bed, with more than enough mentioning of Atlas along the military bunk to know where it came from, finding himself in an infirmary of sorts, with dozens of others in various states of awareness.
A doctor noticed him, calling out to someone in the distance, with the Director recognizing Ironwood's presence as he talked to several of his underlings at once, barking out orders until the two made eye contact, and with a simple wave, the man dismissed his followers before approaching.
The general spoke first, hands clasped behind his back, "It's good to see you're alright, old friend."
The Headmaster hummed, putting a hand to his head, "More or less, though I can't say I'm surprised to see you on your feet so soon. You never were one to sit still."
The man nodded, raising a gloved hand as a metallic click rang out, "That, and a little Atlas engineering, does wonders, though it didn't seem to do any good at the moment-"
Ironwood sneered, "To think they'd be so brazen to attack our forces head-on, even I didn't expect that level of bullheadedness, even from a group as deranged as the White Fang."
The Director reached to the side, grabbing his cane, placing it on the ground as he leaned against it, "Desperation breeds extreme lines of thought, though, to think they'd achieve something like this...I can only wonder how."
"I have my top men looking into it, but I think we both know other factors are involved. The White Fang, for all their boasting, aren't capable of achieving anything like this on their own. More than half of their forces lack basic literacy, but they somehow managed to not only bypass our defenses but hack into our security drones...and what they did with them-"
Ironwood hissed, "We're still counting the dead, and frankly, the only reason you and I are even speaking right now is because of that boy of yours."
Ozpin seemed to perk up, looking around at their crowded surroundings, "Yuji? What exactly did he do? Perhaps we should move somewhere-"
The General's expression hardened, raising a hand, "There's no hiding this, Oz. What happened here was one of many coordinated assaults, with the majority aimed at media broadcasting stations...they wanted this televised, and our censors couldn't suppress it in time, and I don't quite know how to tell you this, but-"
For a man like Ironwood to hesitate, it could only mean the worst.
The Director forced himself to his feet, staring the man down, "James, tell me."
...
...
"He killed them, Oz. Every last one of them, in a way I didn't think possible until I saw it for myself."
...
...
"Where is he? I need to make sure he's-"
The Atlesian raised a hand, "Wait, there's something you need to see first."
Ironwood reached into his jacket, pulling out a tablet as footage appeared along the screen, showing the devastation along the streets of Vale, but what the Director saw along the buildings shook him to his core-
Ozpin took a step forward, "Those are...slashes?"
The same ones he saw at Mountain Glenn.
"It's not just that."
The image shifted, and at that moment, the Headmaster saw a blurred image of Itadori, his four eyes on full display, and the blank stare those lower slits gave brought him back to that fateful encounter all those years ago.
Ironwood stared him down, "Oz, is he-"
The Director gave a brief nod and a hard stare, "I've known there was a connection between them from the very beginning, but James, I can assure you that Yuji is-"
The General reached out, dropping a hand on his long-time ally's shoulder, "This conversation can wait. We're already in enough of a mess as it is."
"How are you handling the press?"
"What is there to handle? The entire debacle was seen around the world. Our military was made a laughing stock, and that 'grandson' of yours...people are already calling for his head."
The immortal sighed, "...People fear what they don't understand. It's just a fact of life, and in time, I'm certain they'll understand what he did."
"It's more than that. We can't chalk this up to self-defense-"
"And why not?"
"Because he knew this was going to happen."
"...What did you just say?"
"These aren't my claims. Adam Taurus, the Faunus who orchestrated the attack, said it himself, but Itadori didn't deny it. We don't have all the details yet, but Oz-"
Ironwood glanced to the side, "Yuji killed well near a hundred people today, maniacs for certain, but what he did-"
"It was vindictive, and so far, he's shown absolutely no remorse for his actions, and while you and I know what it takes to win these wars, the public doesn't. They're not just going to see him as a murderer, but a Faunus with a power they can't comprehend, and that will terrify them."
The Headmaster furrowed his brow, raising a hand to clasp his chin, "...This is what they wanted, isn't it? To make the world afraid? Be it of them or him...we can't let this get out of hand. If the negativity spreads-"
Ironwood stared at the ground for a moment, "I know, and the Kingdoms have already lost enough land to the Grimm. We'll need a reprisal, a coordinated response to show the people we're still in control, and I won't lie to you. It needs to be harsh-"
"And you want him to be involved, I would assume?"
"At least in some capacity...that boy is too valuable of an asset to lose because of something like public opinion-"
"James, he isn't-"
"He proved today that he is more than capable of handling whatever the world throws at him, and to waste that potential simply isn't an option."
Ozpin slammed his cane against the ground, "He's fifteen!"
The General held his ground, "And no normal boy would ever come close to doing what he did today. You need to stop believing in an innocence that isn't there. He took the lives of the insane to save ours and even used those powers of his to get the poison out of our bloodstreams. That chemical agent would've left us crippled or dead, and he removed it with almost no effort."
Ironwood took a step forward, "As far as I'm concerned, he's already one of us."
Ozpin huffed, pushing past the man as he walked off, "We'll discuss this later."
...
It didn't take the Director long to find the sorcerer, working on one of the many victims as his hands glowed white, taking occasional glances across the room as Winter tried to console her younger sister in the most professional manner possible-
An awkward pat on the shoulder.
Penny was around too, and despite the circumstances, she just stood watching the encounter with an innocent smile but wasn't allowed to touch anyone for the possibility of her crushing someone's bones into dust.
A gravely voice huffed, "How long's this gonna take?"
Only then did Ozpin realize that the boy was working on Qrow.
Yuji blankly stared down at him, "You drank the entire bar, old man."
"Yeah, so?"
"A couple drops of that stuff woulda killed a normal person. You're seriously lucky to be alive."
The Huntsman pulled out a flask, taking a swig, "Luck's got nothing to do with it; I just got the strongest liver in the world, is all...but who went and made you poison expert? Yang told me you're flunkin' all your classes-"
"Why were you talkin' about my grades?"
"'Cause we were making fun of you."
"Really?"
"Probably, I wasn't really listening."
"Oh, well, uh...it's kinda complicated."
Ozpin's cane tapped along the floor, "It seems this whole day has been rather complicated, hm?"
Yuji looked over his shoulder, a faint smile crossing his face, "Oh, hey, Gramps...feeling alright?"
The lower slits on his face had long since closed, but his stare was ice cold.
The immortal stared at him for a moment, "...There's something I need to ask you, and I'd like an honest answer, even if it's difficult to hear."
"...Yeah, I get it."
Qrow could feel the tension and tried to get up, "I can get out of your hair for a few-"
Ozpin shook his head, "No, you're just as involved and will likely know of this in the coming days anyway."
The Headmaster pulled up a chair and sat beside the vessel, going silent for a few moments as the sounds of health workers and soldiers running about echoed throughout the complex.
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"Yuji, if I were to ask you...do you know the name 'Ryomen,' would you?"
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The sorcerer's face went so dull, it was like he wasn't even alive, "...How could I not?...After everything he's done, I could never forget Sukuna for as long as I live."
"Sukuna?"
"Yeah...you only said part of his title, 'Ryomen Sukuna,' it means Two-Faced Spirit...I didn't think you knew about him."
Ozpin stared at the teen's haunted expression for a moment, "We've...had an encounter before, one that I'll tell you of sometime later, but for right now, Yuji, I need to know, what is your relationship with him?"
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Yuji took a slow breath as he looked down at his glowing hands, with all other sounds and motions disappearing as the mere thought of that demon drove his mind into a frenzy, "You could say that Sukuna is my ancestor, who lived a thousand years before us, but-"
He looked up to meet the Headmaster's stare, "Death didn't stop him."
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And that's a wrap for my take on RWBY Volume 1. Before we do Chibi, the Q&A, or anything else, I just wanna thank everyone for joining us in this endeavor. It's been a blast, and I really enjoy this project, so I appreciate you being here.
I will be taking a bit of a break for a few weeks while I go to Scotland, so Volume 2 will probably start around June of 2024, and with that, let's shitpost.
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Chibi:
Most of team PYRN couldn't help but coo as a figure stalked around their room, with another riding on their shoulders, resting their chin on top of a mound of shiny black hair-
Yuji raised a brow as his head grazed the ceiling, "Why are we doin' this again?"
Choso looked up at him, "Because I'm the big brother."
"That doesn't answer the question!"
"It...it does."
"How?"
"We...we...-"
Pyrrha raised a hand, "Are you making up for lost time?"
The half-curse flashed her an appreciative nod, but his intense stare made her shiver in terror, "EEEP!
Choso ignored her and his surroundings, as he did in most awkward social situations, "Yeah, your big brother is doing this to make up for lost time."
Yuji hummed, "Speakin' of time. When are the others getting here?"
Nora jumped around them in circles, "Ooooh, others!? Oh, right-right-right, your mom smashed a lotta dudes, right!?"
*PTOOOOOOOO
The brothers spat as Ren raised a finger, "Well, if they didn't know about each other until recently, wouldn't it be a sneaky link?"
Yuji and Choso crumbled into paper, tumbling to the floor, the mental image of Kenjaku having a sneaky link being too much to handle before-
*Knock-knock-knock
Pyrrha's green eyes lit up, "Oh, that must be her, I'll get it!"
She ran across the room, straightening herself up in the mirror before hand, but as she grabbed the handle and pulled it open with a smile, "Hi, Miss...ter? Itadori?-Eh?"
She looked back and forth, swearing that Yuji mentioned his dad looking like him, but this was-
A pale-skinned man with long black hair, wearing a traditional Japanese Kimono and a distinguishable line of stitches along his forehead-
His hands slapped against his face, "Oh, you are just the cutest thing! My sweet little baby, Yuji, told me all about you on the phone, something about a tall girl and thinking she was-"
Itadori poked his head around the corner, his face burning red, "Moooooom!"
The armored girl was seeing circles, looking back and forth between the two, "That's...that's your...mom?"
The vessel deadpanned, "She forgot to put on her face."
Kenjaku blinked, looking down at his stolen hands, "Oh...so I did...silly me!"
The ancient sorcerer gently slid past the redhead, grabbing Ren by his arm, "Be a dear and help me change, will you, sweetheart?"
The quiet teen paled, "Wait, wha-"
The door slammed, followed by Ren screaming and a horrible squelching sound, and the second it opened-
Out popped a woman with dark black hair and cold brown eyes, wearing a simple sweater and jeans, a gentle smile on her face, "That's better, isn't it?"
Ren was currently curled up against the toilet, covered in blood as he violently shivered.
From the floor, Choso rose to his feet, "Mother, what happened with our other siblings?"
Kenjaku tapped a styled nail against her chin, "Oh, them...forgot they existed for a moment, heheheh...Eso's with the youngest ones. You know how those jars can be-"
Nora tilted her head, "Jars?"
"Though...I'm not quite sure where Kechizu wandered off to."
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Out in the hallway, the door to team RWBY's room slammed open as Weiss came trudging out, "I am so sick of your nonsense!"
Ruby called out, "I said I'm sorry!"
"You maxed out my card on cookies!"
"Only after Blake made me read her smut!"
Yang audibly growled, "She what!?"
The bow-wearing girl gulped, "I...I didn't think she'd read it!"
The Schnee pushed the door shut as chaos ensued, marching off, only to turn a corner and-
*BAM
She collided with someone, her butt hitting the floor, as she glared upward, "Hey! Watch where you're go-
"...ing?"
She was face to face with something out of her worst nightmares: a bipedal, frog-like being with a massive, bloody mouth along its torso, its back hunched over, bringing its eyeless face all too close to the white-haired girl-
This was the most terrifying moment of her life, but-
Was...
Was it holding a pretty pink present in its hands?
Its giant mouth moved, "Man-"
Weiss shivered, "e-eh?"
Kechizu gagged, "You are seriously ugly."
"WHAT!?"
...
Q&A
1: Someone asked my take on a Cursebreaker Reaction fic:
I just wanna point out that they called me 'author-san,' and while I appreciate the courtesy, I am a white guy from Chicago; you don't gotta give me Japanese honorifics.
I'm not opposed to a reaction fic, but it would have to be someone else writing it, and if anyone wanted to do that, I'd even give it a shoutout, but I don't wanna invest time in that sort of project.
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2: What's my plan if the manga takes a different direction than what I have planned?
So far, literally everything I've predicted about JJK in this fic has come true, but tbh, this is an alt-timeline Yuji to begin with, so even if the manga goes off the rails, it won't impact what I have planned.
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3: What's the pairing situation?
Even I don't have an answer to this question, and a lot of Yuji's interactions with his potential options are me trying to figure that out. I'd rather it benefit the story than just be there for the sake of it, so we'll see where it goes.
Sidenote: I feel like I have to say this: I am NOT writing a harem, so please stop asking me to do that.
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4: Where is Jaune?
Yeah, this question was a long time coming, and I'll DM the lengthy explanation if people ask for specifics, but what about the TLDR?
Yuji needed to become part of the RWBY universe, which meant having a team and a partner. If Jaune had been here, that couldn't have happened, plus we'd have two of the 'dumb character who gets things explained to them/the reader' tropes, which would've gotten boring.
No hate to Jaune fans. I just have no use for the character in Cursebreaker, so he doesn't exist. (I also think if there was a reaction fic, it would feel like Jaune is in the cuck chair, considering Pyrrha and Weiss are both interested in the guy who replaced him)
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5: Where are Yuji and Sukuna in Remnant's Power Scaling?
I think this chapter answered that question pretty well. They are the strongest, and I'm sure some of you are dreading/excited about the implications of this.
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6: Will Ruby and Yuji ever recover from their trauma that they had newly acquired from obtaining one of Blake's books?
Ruby will never be the same, and hugs are ruined forever.
Yuji, meanwhile, thought Blake was the silent, cool type, but his world and friendship with Ruby were shattered when he found out the cat girl was a creep.
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7: If Cursed Spirits were to come back in mass numbers, how would Huntsmen be able to handle them?
This one's not really spoiler-ish, but it's not a stretch to argue an experienced Huntsman like Qrow could probably easily fight well into first grade, but that's where you start encountering higher tiers from JJK with busted abilities.
I'll say it: Mahito would solo all of RWBY with no effort, and lord knows what that dude could do if he interacted with someone's aura.
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8: Why is Yuji so stupid in Cursebreaker?
This fic is mostly shitposting with an underlying plot, and I'm always serious when I need to be, but I think the issue is people come here, don't look at the Humor tag, then get angry about us having fun.
I am not an edgy person, and I write seriously when I need to, but otherwise, I'm just goofing off, so I exaggerate certain character traits for the joke of it, as you do in a comedy.
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9: What inspired me to write Cursebreaker?
Honestly? It more or less started as a one-off conversation on our Discord server, where someone mentioned JJK and RWBY power scaling, and it went from there.
I made the first chapter. It was insanely well-received, and we figured we'd go all in with it.
There's no particular RWBY fic that inspires me, and being real, there are a lot of tropes in other crossovers that I'm not too fond of, but I won't get into my gripes.
I am a huge fan of Mercs in Remnant, though. I'm sad that the story died; it was hilarious.
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Anyway, it's been a fun ride. I'm gonna enjoy my little break, and as always, it's a pleasure talking to you guys; see you in the next Volume; cheers.
Discord:
/pcVw2c9MPt