Remnant's Cursebreaker

by TheCongo

"Aura? The moon is shattered? What's your semblance? Catch these hands!" From a time of Sorcerers to one of Hunters and Grimm, Yuji Itadori still doesn't have a clue what's going on. Whether he'll be Remnant's upstart savior or its ruinous demise remains to be seen, but the idea stays the same, fight for what's right and destroy that curse once and for all! JJK spoilers ahead.

30. An Ancient Evil Vol 1

Welcome back to another edition; I hope life is going well for all of you.

I just wanted to thank Chepatard for making a new cover pic for the fic; I appreciate you, brother.

Also, we're apparently the most favorite JJK crossover on the site now, so that's cool. Thanks for all your support. I'll continue to do what I do and feel awkward when people recognize me on Reddit posts, lol.

Let's get into this.

BetaReaders: BFTyrant, Chris, Daki, Rockmean, Luxutor, ReallyRey, Hackerman27, Chepatard, Jasonzzldude, Tupjunk, and Megadumbo.

...

At Haven Academy

Ozpin stood before an elegant statue of a woman draped in silken finery, with layers of gold strewn about like light emanating off a divine figure, holding a small pendant in his hand.

The campus had closed down the main building for 'emergency construction,' ensuring they were utterly alone aside from isolated pockets of Atlesian military personnel that seemed to be increasing by the hour.

The immortal sighed, "Was it really necessary to force Leonardo's hand like that?"

A voice echoed out from his scroll as Ironwood responded with a grunt, "Is that what you'd call it?"

"What else could it be but coercion?"

"Weak leadership. I hardly had to tell him once before he handed the thing over. What sort of police state has a coward like that at the helm? No wonder things have spiraled out of control here."

The General moved his scroll to the side, barking out orders to some unseen soldier, "Escort the asset to the elevator. You can't expect someone her age to move on her own."

Ozpin hummed, "I dare say that Leonardo hasn't been in control for some time, but who exactly is may be a question for another day...perhaps another lifetime."

"That serious?"

"It's easier to tie a knot than it is to undo one, old friend. I've made more than enough mistakes to realize that much."

"Hmph, I can't say I envy you. Domestic drivel like that has never interested me. I usually leave it up to the council and corporations to figure that nonsense out."

The immortal idly tapped his cane against his foot, "It's a bit ironic if you think about it."

"What is?"

"I can say for certain that the man before you cared more for Atlas than he did the world, and you have been nearly the complete opposite, James."

The Headmaster looked up at the ceiling, ignoring the aches in his bones, "Most people spend the duration of their careers rectifying the mistakes of their predecessors and unknowingly create more problems for those who follow them. It's all cyclical. We blame those who came before and despise the young for doing the same to us."

Ironwood chuckled, "It's called getting old, Oz. No one wants to admit that their time in the sun has come and gone."

"Is it truly such a bad thing? I'd imagine a retirement in the countryside could be quite pleasant."

"You might want to sit in a rocking chair and slurp jello and pills out of a cup, but that isn't something I'd wish on my worst enemy...not with the lives we lived."

There was static as Ironwood thought for a moment, "People like us devote ourselves to leadership over this mess of a world, and it might just be me, but-"

"There's no meaning in a slow death in obscurity."

Ozpin adjusted his dark glasses, "Very few people get to choose how it happens. You'd be amazed at the insignificant things your mind focuses on in those last moments-"

...

...

Ozpin cleared his throat, "That day at Mountain Glenn, I kept asking for his name. It's all I could focus on...something as pointless as a name has so little meaning when you're facing oblivion, but...it's always so important when you're looking death in the eye."

James sighed, "It's the human mind, Oz. We always try to make sense of everything, as if just a little more knowledge will make a difference in battle...or act as closure when there's nothing more you can do."

"Perhaps...or maybe it's because that man is the closest thing I've seen to true and utter death in this world...Believe me, I have met beings beyond comprehension, and even they dwarf in comparison to the feelings of dread and malevolence he gave off."

A nearby elevator light dinged as the doors opened, revealing the general, with his arm supporting an elderly woman with white hair as they marched toward the waiting director.

Ozpin turned his scroll off, approaching the woman with a smile, "Fria, it's been some time, hasn't it?"

She squinted up with withered eyes, "You changed faces again, didn't you?"

"I don't have much of a choice in the matter, I'm afraid."

She politely smiled, "I'll need to redo my paintings then, won't I?"

Ozpin reached out, clasping the frail woman's hands, "I appreciate you volunteering for this, though you are more than welcome to wait outside during the-"

"You'll never find it on your own if you do."

There was an unspoken tension in her words.

With that, Ozpin relented, motioning them toward the statue, and after inserting Leonardo's pendant into a nearly unseen slot, the sounds of mechanical components humming to life broke out.

The statue lowered, revealing a flat platform on top, and after the three boarded, it slowly began descending downward, with the light from the surface growing more distant by the moment.

Ironwood stared ahead, "What exactly makes this place so dangerous?"

Ozpin noticed his hands shake just a bit before forcing them to stop, "It's not necessarily the location that's dangerous. It's the relics that make them as such."

The immortal raised his cane as their surroundings grew dark, giving off a bright green glow, "Long ago, at times when the days were cold and the nights long, the gods used to speak to us, whether to impart wisdom or perhaps just out of idle boredom, I can't say... Nevertheless, they would tell us things, Salem and I, of a period when monsters roamed this world, created by our own imaginations."

Ozpin plucked his glasses off, looking his old friend in the eye, "They came from a plane between reality and dream, a place where the energy of thought coalesced into something more, and once ready, they would burn their way into our world to cause havoc."

The aged man sighed, clasping his hands behind his back, "It was a neverending cycle of devastation, and at great cost to themselves, the gods sealed it away, but this newly found peace came with distinct flaws.

You can close the door, but so long as mankind has existed, energy has continued to flow into that place, and much like a geyser threatening to erupt without rhyme or reason, this realm requires a constant means to release the pressure within.

Fria blankly smiled, "Thus the relics were born...objects of immense power, with powers beyond imagination...they aren't so much gifts, but necessary burdens to use in order to prevent catastrophe, and if it weren't for them, that fragile seal would've broken long ago."

Ironwood raised a brow, "What could break such a thing?"

Ozpin sighed, "It's actually quite easy."

James turned to face the man, "Hm?"

"The gods made it to keep things from getting out, meaning the outside of the seal is actually quite weak by comparison. Though, you'd have to have the same energy as them in order to do such a thing-"

...

...

Ironwood's eyes widened, "That's why you're so afraid of him. If he knew, then-"

Ozpin gravely nodded, "Everything we've worked for could come tumbling down, and I believe I speak for everyone in this world when I say that we're better off not knowing what is waiting for us on the other side."

The lift came to an abrupt halt, revealing a cavernous room with a metallic floor coated in a series of progressively larger, gleaming blue lights leading to a sealed doorway.

Ironwood was the first to step off, his expression hardening as his breath came off as a cloud of steam, instinctively reaching for his holstered pistol, "I don't like this."

The General thought he heard something, forcing him to look left, then right, "The air feels...wrong."

Ozpin walked ahead, "Try not to make sense of it. You're more likely to go mad than ever understand it...the laws of reality, even down to the most basic principles of physics, are little more than suggestions the further you go."

...

...

The Headmaster stopped in his tracks, "...James."

Ironwood kept his stance, "What?"

Ozpin's eyes seemed to glow with unknown authority beneath the synthetic light, "No matter what you see...no matter what you hear...do not leave the Maiden's side, are we clear?"

The man scoffed, "I'm hardly one to take risks, Oz. Though, if you're trying to spook me into letting you handle this yourself, then you're setting yourself up for disappointment."

"It isn't about that...this place...the vaults, they penetrate your mind...show you things...from your deepest desires to the very things you haven't told a soul, it draws on them and tries to pull out from stability, to trick you into sinking below...to that realm."

The immortal gave off an uncharacteristic glare, "Think of the vaults and relics as a means of relieving pressure, like a vent with steam coming out of it, only to be collected by a filter near the top of the smokestack...their environments are impossibilities, driven by that unnatural energy...Cursed Energy, as Yuji calls it. We only wonder what's waiting beneath that fragile layer between the planes, so your sake and ours...listen to what the Maiden has to say."

Fria gently put a knuckle to the man's jacket, pushing his unseen hand away from his gun, "You won't be needing that here, and if you did-"

She sweetly smiled, "We'd all be dead anyway, so save yourself the headache, won't you, dear? Or else you might end up as wrinkled as me."

The elderly woman raised a hand to him, "Be a dear and walk me, won't you?"

The General did as he was told, leading her closer to the doorway, "How many times has Oz called on you to do this?"

"Me? Never, why do you ask?"

"This isn't adding up...you said he had-"

"Oh, a different face?"

The old woman laughed, "I suppose you wouldn't understand that part of it...being a Maiden is a bit complicated, dear, especially if you're attuned to the one you have...your memories and thoughts aren't-"

"Entirely your own."

Ozpin stood next to the doorway buried between layers of standing rocks, letting out a mumble about hating sand as small particles of the stuff littered the surrounding walkway, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to settle this Ryomen business once and for all...honestly, I should've done this from the beginning, but I was so obsessed with Salem, I simply-"

He dropped his head, "Let it slip through the cracks."

The moment Fria stepped onto the platform, the light beneath her displayed an intricate symbol glowed beneath them, revealing a lion of snow, and soon, the glare traveled along the ground, coursing over the doorway as it shifted to bright orange.

She turned to face the men as the doorway opened, exposing a seemingly endless desert beyond the entrance, "What can be lost can always be found. Just be sure you're ready to hear it-"

"The truth waits for no man, after all."

The three disappeared inside.

...

Atop the Mountains of Mistral

Cinder stood amidst the flowing embers as they swirled around her, "Raven Branwen... if you don't mind me saying, you used to be quite the hero of mine as a little girl."

The one-eyed bandit looked down at the scorched remains of her follower, a hand on her holstered blade, "And this is how you show appreciation? By murdering my kin?"

The half-maiden smiled, "Oh, I'm sorry, I must be mistaken...I was led to believe you killed your own father to assume control of your tribe?"

Her eyes widened, "How do you-"

"I have my sources...but really, who am I to judge? I burned my siblings to ash and made mother watch before slicing her throat quite a few years ago, so-"

Cinder's sickly sweet smile, "In a way, we're alike... wouldn't you agree?"

The half-maiden began to circle the bandit as she did the same, "Neither us is content to sit by while others control what they were given, not what they earned...the world wasn't fair to us at birth, so why should we be fair to anyone else in death?"

Raven gave a disappointed sigh, "God, you're pathetic."

"Pardon?"

The bandit scoffed, her fingers inching along her holster, "Are you really so desperate for approval that you're trying to justify yourself to me after killing one of my own? But I suppose a little wretch like you can't help but delude yourself into thinking you matter."

"I'm sorry, which of us lost to a teenager?"

...

...

Cinder laughed, waving a hand at herself, "Certainly not me, oh, but...you might not be able to see it from there. Want me to get closer so you can get a look with your good eye?"

Raven huffed, a burst of red escaping her eyes before dispersing, "You have no idea what you're talking about. That boy is nothing short of-"

"A monster? Yes-yes, I've heard it before...don't worry, there are plans for him in motion, but what I'm interested in is that Maiden you're holding onto, so I'll get to the chase and say this in a way you'll understand."

Cinder raised a hand as flames erupted from her palm, "You are going to willingly give me the Spring Maiden."

Raven clicked the trigger on her holster, withdrawing her vibrant red sword, "And what makes you say that?"

Cinder tilted her head like an innocent child, raising a finger as sparks crankled downward, illuminating the snowy ground, "Your daughter will die if you don't, and I assure you, it won't be gentle."

...

...

The wind blew through Raven's hair as she glared, "You're lying."

Cinder sighed, pulling out her scroll, and with a single tap, the half Maiden slid the device toward the Chieftan, showing a live feed of the teen and her teammates, minus one, sitting in a cafeteria, blissfully eating, laughing, and throwing fries at each other.

The manic woman raised a finger toward the side of her head, flicking away a few dark strands of hair to reveal an earpiece, "And to show you I'm not kidding, how about an example? Don't worry, you'll be able to see the fireworks from here-"

*BRRRR

The ground buckled as the snow visibly dropped several feet, condensing and compacting in an area of effect, with Cinder following suit as her knees almost buckled, the sheer pressure nearly knocking her unconscious as she tried to keep her eyes open, "W-what!?"

She tried to look left and right, but her head could hardly move, but-

"Where-"

The psychopath snarled, desperately trying to find her target, who had disappeared entirely, "Where did she go!?"

*Click-Click

The sound of boots hitting solid ground reverberated, and before the young woman could look-

*FWING

A searing blade crashed through the atmosphere, meeting solid flesh, cleaving straight through bone and out the other side as vaporized blood came off as steam, severing Cinder's head as it sailed off a few feet before tumbling down into the muck, her torso slumping over soon after.

Raven sighed, lowering her technique, slowly sheathing her sword as she glared down at the corpse, "insolent, little brat."

...

...

A sigh echoed out to the bandit's right, "Well, I suppose you'll need more convincing...what a shame. I was hoping to get this done without dragging that lunatic into it. He always makes things worse, but it can't be helped."

Raven turned on a dime, her face contorting into shock as she saw the killer standing there, utterly unharmed, "H-"

She looked down at the body, realizing it was gone, along with the blood and every other trace of its existence, "How-"

The chieftain redrew her sword, pointing it toward her opponent, "What sort of trick are you playing?"

Cinder indifferently raised her shoulders, "Trick? Hmph, you seriously thought I would've gone into this without making contingencies? And you call me pathetic, you arrogant hag. I'll give you one more chance. Refuse, and what happens next is on you."

Only silence followed.

The killer raised her hands, "Can't blame a girl for wanting things to go easy...but I think you'll come around after seeing what's in store-"

The moonlight illuminated her pale face, contorted into a vicious smile, "I guarantee it."

Cinder pushed a button, "Do it."

...

At the same time, outside of a cafe

Yuji groaned in annoyance, trying to lean away, "Seriously, I think it's fine."

Weiss pulled him closer, adjusting his shirt collar, "You would. Now, stay still! You need to look presentable to make a good impression!"

"I don't think that's gonna work. Your sister's pretty mad with me...does your family have anger issues?"

The heiress pouted, poking him in the cheek, "No, we have a 'You' problem. Now, get serious."

"I am serious!"

She gave him a disbelieving look, forcing the vessel to raise his hands to explain himself, "Oy, I paid off Sun so we could do this at all, and Gramps is gonna notice like...half my cash gone. Ima get in trouble for this!"

Weiss glared up at him, looking very unthreatening from how short she was, "You do these things to yourself. That entire situation wouldn't have happened if you just stayed quiet."

"You don't mean that."

"How do you know what I mean?"

He smiled, "You're too nice. It's what I like about ya."

Weiss' head vibrated, unable to take a compliment to save her life as she turned around in a huff, "Hmph...and who says I like you?"

"You did."

"N-no!"

Itadori tried leaning over her shoulder as she rotated around like a machine, "How about I say all the things I like about you?"

Her pale face got red, "Don't you dare! My sister will be here any minute! She'll kill us if she sees you doing this in public!"

"Doing what? I'm just sayin' what I think."

"It's scandalous!"

"It's a scandal to say you're sweet?"

"Stoooop!"

He chuckled, zooming around her, unable to keep up with the perpetual motion machine known as Weiss, "How about smart?"

The Schnee covered her face, but it only motivated him to try harder, "Funny?"

The sorcerer leaned closer, "Cute?"

...

...

As steam drifted off her head, Yuji gently grabbed her wrists, pulling them back. Her shimmering blue eyes looked up at him and that goofy smile he always had, "Hey, for real, I want them to like me too."

He dumbly tilted his head, "Well...not like you like me and how I like you, but like...friend...like-"

"What was I saying?"

Weiss sighed, "I know what you mean, but it's not an easy sell, you realize?"

The sorcerer dropped his head, "Yeah...I don't think anyone in your family likes me all that much."

"Think your family would feel the same about me?"

"Uhhh...most of 'em would probably try to kill you."

Weiss' eyes started spinning as she paled, "Guh?"

"Well, Choso might not...no, you'd be taking my time instead of him...he uh...he might try to kill ya."

"GUH!?"

"Hey, I never said us datin' was gonna be easy."

She rolled her eyes, "Things not being a pain in the neck hardly sounds like real life."

"You're always so worried about stuff that hasn't happened yet. Livin' like that isn't healthy."

"Maybe, but if you don't think about these things, they just spiral out of control, and even now, I hardly know where to start. There's the team, my career, what I want out of life, it gets...a bit much."

"Eh, even if it's somethin' small like cleaning your room, it's better than just being miserable and doing nothing."

Yuji happily laughed, "Build your way up! I know I'm gonna."

Weiss tilted her head, "You have plans? That's a first."

"Well, I gotta make your family like me somehow, don't I?"

"It's not THAT serious."

"It is to me. I mean...if we're gonna be together for the long run, I might as well make sure Christmas get-togethers and birthdays ain't awkward."

The Schnee giggled, "You always say things in the weirdest way, but-"

Weiss moved in, wrapping her arms around him in a hug, "Thank you."

Yuji awkwardly scratched his cheek with a finger, "Don't thank me yet...I haven't event started studying and stuff yet."

"I'll have you know. I'm a great teacher."

"Are you on ratemyprofessor?"

"Rate your what?"

"Oh...you're one of THOSE teachers."

A tick mark appeared on her forehead, "Do you want my help or not?"

"Well, yeah...we're probably not gonna get anything done if it's us, though."

Weiss huffed, "You're the distracting one, not me."

"Well, you gimme a lot to be distracted by."

Her face burned red, "S-stop that! I'm being serious. We'll both have to work twice as hard to make this work, even if it's a nuisance!"

Yuji shrugged, "Ain't that just life? You gotta deal with the annoying junk for those few good parts of the day?"

"And what would those good parts be?"

The vessel smiled, putting a hand to cup the side of her face, leaning closer, "I've got a few ideas."

Weiss blushed more, but didn't move away, "I told you, it's scandalous."

"Who cares?"

He moved in, feeling that cold chill as his lips met hers, lasting only a few moments before pulling back.

...

...

Weiss paled, "You...You brushed your teeth since then, right?"

The mood dissipated immediately.

Yuji cocked his head to the side, "Eh? Since when?"

"Y-you know..."

"This mornin'? Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"No...that's not what I-"

Regret crossed her face, and she looked away, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

...

...

Yuji's eyes dulled, "Oh, that's what you're talkin' about-"

...

...

"My brothers."

The Schnee sighed, looking at the ground, "All of that at once was just...a lot...I ruined the mood, didn't I?"

Yuji shook his head, wrapping her hands in his, raising them up, "No, you're fine...I mean, we sorta have to talk about that at some point, don't we?"

Weiss was quiet for a bit, "...I'm sorry you had to do that."

"So am I."

Yuji stared at nothing in particular, "If it were up to me, they woulda gotten to live normal lives, but that's just not what happened...I did the best I could for 'em."

"You don't need to explain it, I-I saw it, remember?"

"I know, well...you know about as little as I do about the whole thing."

"It just seems so awful to have to push that onto you."

Yuji waved a hand, "Right or wrong had nothin' to do with it, and besides, me and Choso really didn't have a handle on what the whole thing meant. We just thought that...I dunno... that anything was better for our brothers than what they had-"

He deadpanned, "I honestly thought I woulda turned into some freaky lookin' monster with extra limbs when I did that."

Weiss did a spit take, "And you still did it!?"

"Yeah, and I would do it again."

There was a lot of meaning behind those simple words.

It's strange. Yuji really had no idea what becoming a Death Painting Womb meant, even now, just that his biology changed, but physically? He looked the same.

His blood was poison, his lifespan unknown, and eventually, he could make extra mouths appear on his skin...it was sort of a grey area that muddled his feelings-

But with the girl in front of him?

That wasn't the case.

...

...

Weiss sighed, slumping forward, "I know you would."

Weiss pulled their hands up, placing them over his chest, her icy stare melting as she looked at him, "It's-"

She gently smiled up at him, "It's why I like you too. There's no secret reason or anything like that. You just...care...and I don't know if it's because you're nothing like what I grew up with, but I hope that part of you never changes."

Yuji felt a creeping burn trickle over his face, "Weiss...I-"

He grinned, "I'm not plannin' on changing anytime soon. I got lots to look forward to, but...can I ask you something?"

The heiress hummed, "Ask me what?"

"Would you still like me if I was a worm?"

*CRACK

The Schnee's brain snapped, with steam coming off her skull, "I'm...what?"

He wriggled a finger, "W-O-R-M...Worm! Would ya still like me if I was one?"

"But...you aren't a worm."

"I know, but what if I WAS a worm?"

"That...that's stupid. You aren't a worm, so why are you asking?"

Yuji kicked the ground with a pout, "I'd like you if you were a snowman..."

"Wha-"

Her eyes went white, "Why would I be a snowman!?"

He flinched, backing away, "Why are you mad!?"

"I'm a woman! A snow-woman!...Oh my-"

Weiss pinched between her eyes, "Why am I playing along with this!?"

"'Cause it's fun!"

"No, it isn't."

"So...about that worm question-"

She turned around in a huff, "I won't dignify that with an answer."

"Huh? Why not?"

Her nose faced the sky, "You should know how I feel by now."

Why do girls expect you to just know these things?

Yuji sighed, "At least gimme a hin-"

...

...

The vessel slowly exhaled, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as a familiar yet alien sensation made him pause.

Yuji looked behind him as crowds continued to trickle down the sidewalk, but standing in the middle of them, facing right toward him as people continuously blocked out their visage as they passed by-

It was someone young, wearing what looked like a hooded trenchcoat, with...a hospital gown underneath? Their pale legs were a mess of dry blood and muck, staring at him from beneath their shroud with eyes that dimmed and glowed at random intervals-

That feeling...he only felt it whenever he or Choso used their-

His face hardened, "Who are you?"

Weiss came down from her annoyance, leaning to the side to look past him, "Are you talking to someone?"

She took a step forward, "Who-"

Itadori blocked her with an arm, "Don't."

"Is something wrong?"

"I...I don't know. I can't put my finger on it."

The figure stepped closer, passing beneath a streetlight, the glow illuminating their ghastly features, revealing the figure to be a young woman, with random bits of metal and circuitry melted into her skin as her patchy hair dangled.

The crowd was utterly unaware.

Weiss gasped as Yuji raised his fingers like a pair of scissors, "What the hell!?-"

*CRRR

"I wouldn't do that."

A voice billowed out from the woman from somewhere other than her stitched-shut lips, a man's voice no less.

"This unit is remotely controlled, and the parts aren't quite there yet, but besides that-"

She tugged a finger against her jacket, briefly exposing a digital timer stapled into her stomach, counting down from ten minutes, going second by second, "I haven't set the scene, and I'm not known to forgive bad actors. Believe me, there is more than enough to take out the entire street and then some. I made sure of that."

Yuji's face contorted into shock, realizing just how many people were out and about, knowing fully well that an explosion wouldn't hurt him, but-

The vessel slowly lowered his hand, clenching it into a hardened fist, "What do you want?"

"First... introductions...no play works without presenting the cast and what makes them tick...forgive the pun, I'm excitable."

Her arms crookedly moved as she bowed almost impossibly low as bones and metal crunched, "My name is Arthur Watts, former Atlesian scientist and the one who...assumed control of their precious machines during the White Fang attack some weeks ago."

Weiss hissed, "That...That was you!?"

"Quite so, and must I say, it was an impressive display of their incompetence without me, but I digress...I'm much more interested in what you showed that day, Yuji Itadori. On that note, I suggest you open your scroll."

Itadori grimaced, hissing in frustration, but soon dug out the device, seeing a pop up window flash across the screen-

"Is this-"

"My exact location. Two point three miles East, one mile beneath the surface."

"Do you seriously think I'm not gonna throttle you over this...over-"

He growled, "Over what you did to this girl and everyone else!?"

"Quite the contrary. I'm hedging my bets that you do, but let's not pretend you have a choice in this."

The young girl reached into her jacket and pulled something out, exposing a syringe with dark red fluid sloshing about inside, craning her neck to the side and putting the jagged tip against her pale skin as a forced smile crossed her face.

"Allow me to express my gratitude. Your fight with Taurus provided so much illuminating data, figurative...and literal. I must say, I'm quite fond of that condensed beam of weaponized blood cells-"

"You made it very easy to gather enough samples for what I had planned."

Itadori squinted, "What you had planned? I don't-"

*CRICK

The needle pierced her skin, injecting the fluid in as the surrounding tissue visibly darkened, with a familiar pattern traversing her flesh like a corrupt webbing, moving through her arm and into her torso in mere moments before

*HURT

She lurched forward and backward, her arms wrapping around her stomach before a slew of darkened bile erupted from her mouth, splattering the ground red as bystanders stopped at the commotion.

"Hey, what the hell!?"

"Someone call an ambulance. This girl is really sick!"

"Someone do something!"

Yuji stood utterly still, shaking as he watched the needle roll across the stone-covered ground, stopping at his feet.

He twitched a finger, watching as what remained of the fluid inside jumped just a bit before splashing back down.

A horrible realization came over him.

Yuji's eyes widened, "You...you took it, didn't you?"

Weiss looked up at him, "Took what!?"

"Take is such a strong word. I prefer...collected and improved."

Watts forced the girl to back up into the crowd, tearing the jacket clean off as the timer began to rapidly drop, hitting the remaining seconds almost instantaneously, "There's nothing more dull than a plot without action-"

"Let's give the people something to remember."

The timer dinged-

*Beep-Beep-Be-

The sound dragged on a lot longer than it should've, and it was only then that the sorcerer noticed the white glow beneath their feet.

A familiar clock-like glyph.

"Hey!"

Weiss slammed an elbow into his ribs, getting his attention as she held out a shaky hand, "I can't hold advanced glyphs like this for long, so if you're going to do something, do it!"

The vessel was still in shock, hardly able to think in these precious few seconds, but-

That look she gave him-

It was complete trust, leaving things in his hands, but-

What was he supposed to do!? There were crowds everywhere, and there wasn't enough time to get the explosives away in time; even at his top speed, it wouldn't be enough.

Regular people weren't made to survive things like him-

...

...

Like him.

The ground exploded in a shockwave as the sorcerer bolted forward, blitzing through the crowd, dodging between slow-moving figures, watching as the timer across the young woman's chest dropped to less than a second, forcing him to move that much faster.

Itadori reached his target, slamming a boot into the ground, sending out a shockwave that sent the surrounding passerby flying away in slow motion, then grabbing the attacker by the neck, dragging the young woman back, and raising her high.

In that split second, he could only wince, not able to any risk from the man controlling her fighting back.

His eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry."

*CRK

Her neck snapped, and her airway collapsed, but there was no time to hesitate. His arm bent, and with Cursed Energy flowing through him, Itadori pushed with everything he had.

The vessel came crashing down, slamming her corpse through solid ground, and the moment she breached the walkway, he dove on top of her, anchoring his hands into the pavement, his fingers clutching through the concrete itself.

The glyph broke soon after.

*BOOOOOOOM

An unholy amount of force blasted into the sorcerer's face, coating him in muck and gore as her body disintegrated instantaneously, the pressure shredding through his clothes, sending him blasting off at an awkward ankle.

Yuji crashed into a nearby building, breaching solid brick as glass shattered. Soon, he fell to the ground and landed on his back, staring up at the rising plume of smoke in the sky, his ears ringing and his vision blocked by who knows what.

The explosion hadn't so much as scratched him, but taking that full force wasn't the best feeling in the world like getting put in a microwave on steroids.

...

...

A hand nudged his shoulder, and the sorcerer looked up to see Weiss kneeling at his side, mouthing a few words, making him squint in confusion, "What?"

The sound came back all at once as she shook him a bit, "I said, are you alright!?"

Itadori slowly raised an arm, putting a hand on the ground as he cracked his neck, soon feeling something in his mouth-

*PTU

He spat out a tooth that wasn't his, looking around at the screaming and fleeing crowds, "Yeah, I'm good. Was anyone-"

The Schnee shook her head, "Aside from getting the scare of their lives? No...but-"

She tried to hide her disgust, digging into a pocket to pull out a handkerchief, "You look terrible."

Yuji deadpanned, gently pushing her attempt at cleaning him aside, pushing himself to his feet, "That can wait. We gotta deal with this first."

There were a lot of people staring at them.

He looked down, "We gotta track this guy down before he can-"

*BZZZT

"Did you really think I only brought one?"

The vessel's eyes widened, looking toward the crowd, seeing a disheveled boy with the same chunks of shimmering metal poking out of his skin, injecting himself with the same red fluid, his skin distorting and darkening.

The pair's faces sank as Watts forced his unwilling victim to grin, "What kind of idiot do you take me for?"

He flicked a trigger, the timer embedded into his chest rapidly counting down-

*BEEP-BEEP-BEEP

Yuji could feel his heart buckle.

There wasn't a choice.

If he did nothing, who knows how many people would die, but-

Doing this would still hurt people who did nothing to deserve it.

...

...

Itadori's eyes shook in terror, throwing out a hand as he screamed, "DISMANTLE!"

The attack rang true, cutting down Watts', severing his victim's body in half, alongside more than a few bystanders as it crashed through the crowd, sending limbs and gore flying in every direction.

As Watts fell, his smile only grew, his stolen lips moving as blood flowed out, "I warned you not to do that."

*BEEPBEEPBEEEP-BEEEEEEP

*BOOOOOOOM

A colossal blast rang out, and all Itadori could do was tackle Weiss, taking the brunt of the explosion as glass shattered and car alarms blared, followed by a chorus of screams and the sounds of body parts impacting pavement.

He could feel metal fragments bouncing off of his spine as a cloud of ash billowed past them, his eyes widening as he felt-

Weiss tried to speak, but-

Yuji clamped a hand over her mouth, "Don't breathe!"

He quickly got to his feet, grabbing her before leaping to a nearby rooftop and out of the smog, crashing down as the building nearly caved from the strain.

Weiss stumbled back, grabbing her throat, gasping for air, "What was that!?"

Yuji was staring off the side of the roof, looking down as if he had seen a ghost.

The Schnee looked on, perplexed, soon walking forward to see-

She covered her mouth, "Oh my God-"

Down below, there were bodies everywhere, shredded apart from whatever fragmentation was added to Watts' victims, but-

They were the lucky ones, having died almost immediately after the blast, but the rest-

Innocents stumbled across the streets, coated in festering wounds as a familiar pattern crept along their skin, traveling through their veins, just like-

Just like what had happened to Adam Taurus when Yuji-

It was so much worse than before. Less than a minute had passed, but people were already visibly breaking down as cursed DNA dissolved them from inside out, their innards trickling out from every possible orifice.

Weiss soon couldn't look anymore, turning her attention back to the sorcerer, "Yuji, you-Ah!"

*BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

Sirens blared in the distance as explosions rang out across the city, but that wasn't what startled the heiress.

Weiss stopped as the rooftop began to tremble as bits and pieces of the tattered surface trembled and rose into the air on their own, with the vessel as the source, soon seeing the state he was in-

The vessel's teeth were exposed, jagged and sharp, his eyes a stark contrast, the lower pair half open, as if-

As if there was an unseen smile beneath them, but his upper eyes-

They were glowing yellow, spiraling inward, the center growing more narrow by the second with what looked like a flicker of red to spark out as darkened lightning, only for his head to lurch back as his pink hairs seemed to rise on their own.

The Schnee stepped back, putting a hand to her chest, "You...those people...you-you killed-"

The pressure dropped, and the rocks clattered against the rooftop, and all the while, Itadori refused to look anywhere but at what had happened, "Weiss."

"H-huh?"

As alarms blared, the sounds of Atlesian and Mistrali bullheads taking off across the skies roared out as spotlights scanned across the urban center, with a voice erupting out of a hovering airship stationed over the center of town-

"Warning: All citizens are to report to the nearest emergency shelter. The city of Mistral is under attack by unknown combatants, repeat-"

As a spotlight crossed over the sorcerer, he spoke in such a dull tone that it felt utterly forced, "Wait for your sister, tell her what happened, and get away from here."

Weiss panted in surprise, "What!? What about you!?"

Yuji stared down at bodies, their flesh coated in the symbols brought on by his family's blood, "I'm gonna find the guy who did this-"

"And I'm gonna rip his fucking head off."

The Schnee walked toward him, "I-I get that you're upset, but...please! Just think for one moment! You...your blood did this, right? Well...you helped me when I was-"

She tried to reach out for his arm, "You can help people who were hurt by-"

Yuji snarled, "Don't."

"W-what!?"

The sorcerer visibly shook in rage, his exposed torso bulging and contorting as if he were struggling to stay whole, "ARGH! Listen to what I said before I lose my fucking mind!"

The sorcerer stared at his scroll, the centers of his eyes flicking red for brief moments before pooling back to yellow.

Memories of Shibuya flooded Itadori's mind, remembering what Sukuna had done to so many innocents with his hands.

This was just the same, with Watts having used his blood to cause untold destruction, likely killing hundreds if not thousands for seemingly no reason.

All Yuji could feel was indescribable hate.

He glared at the directions, tapping a few buttons before smashing the device to bits, hurling the pieces off the roof, "I can't be everywhere at once, and if someone doesn't stop him, then this is just gonna keep happening. I won't let anyone use me to hurt anyone else ever again! I can't-"

Yuji took off running, "I WON'T!"

Weiss tried to catch him, "WAIT! AH!"

*BWOOSH

The rooftop nearly crumbled as the vessel launched across the city in a single leap.

...

Atop the Mountains of Mistral

Cinder held her hands out in reverence, watching as explosions rang out across the city, appearing as nothing more than bursts of light, followed by the gradual collapse of the capital's electric grid, with transformers and infrastructure bursting apart, courtesy of her scientific ally's meddling.

The manic woman cackled, "AHAHAHAHA! Now, this is beautiful, wouldn't you agree, Raven!? Have you ever seen such amazing fireworks in your entire life!?"

The Branwen watched in silence, her mouth agape, watching as plumes of ash rose across the city, "You fools-"

She raised a fist, swiping it over the horizon, "Do you have any idea how many Grimm this will draw!? The entire capital could be destroyed!"

Cinder raised a brow, "Oh? Have you suddenly grown a heart?"

"I'm not going to sit here and let you waste a precious source of income for my tribe. If one kingdom falls, the others will need to pick up the slack, and I have no interest in letting your insanity get in my way."

"Oh, you poor girl. You still don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

The half-maiden smiled in glee, "Soon, there won't be any kingdoms to speak of...I won't pretend to know the finer details, but my associates seem to have something in the works related to this-"

A shadow crossed her face as yellow flames erupted from her eyes, "Something that'll change the world forever, but I could care less about that...as long as I get what I want...so, are you going to come quietly, or do I need to turn this homicide into familicide? I can go either way."

Raven did the same, a spark of red intermingled with a sickly greenish-blue hue escaping from her remaining eye, "A show of force only works if you have what it takes to back it up, and from what I've seen, all you can do is rely on petty tricks and the work of others."

Her face contorted into disgust, "I'm disappointed, and as a mother, I can't help but wonder if yours would feel the same way, seeing you grow up so weak and pathetic."

Cinder growled, raising a detonator, "We'll see who comes out on top by the end of this...and with so much going on down below...I doubt anyone will notice a few more blasts coming from above, wouldn't you agree?"

*FLICK

*RRRRRRR

*BOOOOOOM

The ground around them buckled and shook, soon erupting in a massive detonation, breaking through layer after layer of dirt and stone, with the pair falling into the unknown.

Cinder laughed, leaping between falling boulders with grace, landing on one in a crouch as she withdrew a bow made of silver metal, pulling a trio of arrows out of a quiver along her hip. The fallen Huntress pulled back her drawstring-

Her eyes ignited as the tips of her projectiles did the same, "Show me what you're made of, you Vacuo trash!"

Raven hissed, her Maiden powers igniting, and as the arrows flew, a pillar of ice erupted from the cavernous walls, blocking the attack as the pathway shot downward, spiraling along the makeshift tunnel, with the chieftain landing, sliding along the surface with ease.

Cinder smirked, snapping a finger, "You think that'll save you?"

Flames erupted from the manic woman, coalescing in the air as glimmering weapons, glowing bright against their bleak surroundings, appearing as bows, axes, swords, and more.

With another snap, the bladed weapons launched, as did a series of fiery projectiles.

Raven's gleaming sword spun in her wrist, and with a diagonal slash from below, an axe deflected, crashing into a nearby rockface, her arms flashing into a blur as a barrage of attacks were met with precise motions.

*CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLACK-CLING

Sparks flew in every direction, but a sudden glow from above caught the Branwen's gaze, her singular eye-widening in surprise as Cinder gripped the sides of her dress, ripping back a false layer of cloth, revealing row after row of vibrant red crystals sewn into the material.

The half-Maiden ripped two fire dust crystals from their confines, smashing them together, swirling the superheated mass in her hands, raising them high as the atmosphere ignited, appearing as little more than a storm of fire in her grasp.

The cave walls buckled as rocks melted, breaking loose from their millennia-long confines, surrounding her in an ethereal layer of dust as the glare pierced the vale.

Cinder roared, her hands slamming down, "BURN IN HELL!"

*FWOOOOSH

Using her semblance, the manic woman launched a massive burst of fire, traveling straight down, engulfing the entire cavern in a soaring blaze.

Raven flicked a finger outward, forcing the surrounding stones to tremble as huge pillars shot out, blocking the approaching inferno, with trickles of fire breaching through before being sealed away, but the moment didn't last-

*BANG

Something massive impacted

*BANG-BANGBANG-BOOOOM

The makeshift shield broke as flaming boulders shot down from above, with Cinder riding atop one, surrounded by a demonic glow. The half-maiden jumped off, kicking the charred mass toward her opponent.

Raven lurched back, her boots dragging along the cavernous walls, and with a leap, she landed atop the blazing surface, feeling the soles of her shoes melting as she ran over, only to be met with an explosive lunge from Cinder, her bow shifting into a jagged pair of swords as she dove for her throat.

Time slowed, the serrated blades coming within inches of ending the Branwen's life-

Raven scoffed, her sword flashing into motion from the side, held diagonally across her chest as they collided, sending red flares in every direction.

*CLANG

Cinder leaned close, her face illuminated by the simmering glare of their superheated blades, "I'm going to enjoy taking everything from you."

Raven met her stare, utterly disinterested, "No, you won't."

Raven raised two fingers to her opponent's confusion.

"Cursed Technique: Boundless Crossing."

Her hand pointed downward.

*FWIP

*CRRRRR

Cinder's face folded inward as an unholy pressure crashed down from above, sending her careening down at incredible speeds, slamming onto the rocky floor of the tunnel system below with an audible tremor following suit.

The boulders impacted soon after at the same speed, smashing into her and the surrounding area with explosive impacts, sounding like cannon shots as the noise reverberated off the walls.

...

...

There was dust everywhere, permeating the limited atmosphere.

Raven snapped a finger, allowing a pillar of rock to rise in the center of the chamber, landing atop it as she stared down at the sight below, and soon after-

A glow erupted from below the debris as a bright orange light pierced through the cracks along the surface, expanding and growing in intensity before-

*BOOM

Cinder erupted from below, coated in scrapes, burns, and open wounds from the impact, the fall having shattered her aura immediately. She tried to take a step forward, only for her knee to crash back into the ground.

She tried to stand, only to fall onto all fours, with sweat and blood trickling down her face, "What-...What is this!?"

Raven huffed, swiping a dirty stain on her face with a finger, "You're hardly worth an explanation, but seeing the look of shock on your face will make it that much sweeter when I put you in your place."

"Have you ever wondered why your scroll or even a radio functions, or do you just exist and think things work because you want them to?"

Cinder tried to summon a flaming bow, but it soon crashed to the ground as sparks, "Shut it!"

"That's what I thought. To put it in words, you can understand. I'm simply latching on to a physical phenomenon and using it to my advantage with a bit of math here and there. Take the gravitational formula, and with a few modifications, I can change the properties of the world around me. I can make you several times heavier and even flip space on its head and 'fall' to my destination, using electromagnetic waves as a guide to make sure I don't get lost."

Raven looked down at her opponent, raising the gravity even higher, forcing Cinder's face into the dirt, "It wasn't easy, you know? Awakening this kind of power cost me my semblance and even my aura...but I'd argue that controlling gravity itself is more than a fair trade. Who knows what I'm really capable of now?"

...

...

Cinder lowered her head, letting her hands slink to her sides, "Gravity...was it?"

The bandit looked down, a sneer crossing her face, "You never stood a chance at winning. Right now, I can hardly control my technique, and it's made me quite a bit weaker than I once was...for now, but I can see the ceiling rising by the minute, and all the while, you and the rest of the insects that prattle about in the mud will wallow there until the day you dissapear. That is your fate."

"...Ceiling?"

Raven took a step off the platform, her hands gripping her sword as it aimed straight down, and as the wind billowed through her black hair, she spoke, "At least approach oblivion with dignity."

Cinder stared down at the muck, unable to move her body, inching her hands toward her torso bit by bit, and as her fingers coiled around a set of crystals, she couldn't help but scream-

"YOU CAN GO WITHOUT ME!"

*RRRRRRRRR

An arsenal of fire dust crystals exploded at once, swirling around the cavern floor as a geyser of flames erupted, only to be held down by the intense gravity surrounding the half-maiden.

Hot air shot upward, the sheer heat of it blistering Raven's skin on contact, forcing the chieftain to raise her arms, creating a series of stone platforms, leaping higher and higher, and as she slammed her sword into the wall, she rasped, "I-Wha-ACK-ACK-ACK!"

Raven coughed as smoke filled her lungs, her focus dwindling just enough to let Cinder shakily rise to her knees, planting a boot on the ground, a smirk crossing her dirtied face, "Your predictions are right as always, Watts...you colossal pain in the ass."

The Branwen covered her mouth, taking slow, steady breathes despite her circumstances, "You...you knew?"

"Knew is a strong word. I prefer educated guesses. Rolls of the tongue better when you're an honest, hardworking girl like myself just trying to find her little way in the world."

Cinder huffed, "You were so caught up on your own high that you seem to have forgotten that there's such a thing as gravity dust. I trained my semblance to counter that pathetic trick years ago. Weigh me down, I'll condense my flames and let the heat reach you instead...and in a confined space like this, it must be getting hard to breathe up there, isn't it?"

Raven hovered for a moment, her vision steering from side to side, with more and more black smoke coating the ceiling, growing closer to her as sweat trickled down her face, her hand trembling as Cursed Energy coursed through her.

*FLICK

As if she had teleported, the bandit reappeared beside the struggling half-maiden, the soles of her shoes sliding into place as she lunged, her blade crackling as lightning coated its metallic form.

Cinder tried to dodge, leaning to the side, but Raven was faster, impaling her through the stomach before-

Cinder dissipated again, the original reappearing where she had been before.

The manic woman couldn't move her limbs, but-

There was something she could do.

Her flames focused behind her, swirling and centralizing as a massive blast rang out, the force carrying her as Cinder all but tackled Raven to the ground, with every bit of additional weight crashing into the older woman's stomach as her knees dug into her flesh.

The gravity lightened as Raven gasped, allowing Cinder to raise a fist, coating it in solid rock, "GET A FEW FANCY TRICKS!"

Her left hand came crashing down, forming a small crater on impact as Raven leaned her head to the side, her red eye glaring up at her as the manic woman raised her right, "TRY AND TELL ME WHO BELONGS ON TOP!"

The ground trembled again as she missed, but Cinder learned from her mistakes, soon shooting the rock from her hand to clamp down around Raven's neck, using her left to clamp down onto the woman's face as an otherwordly glow billowed off of her, "I'M GOING TO TAKE WHAT'S MINE AND YOU'LL TURN NOTHING MORE THE DUST YOU STARTED FROM!"

As the spring maiden slowly traveled up Cinder's arm, her flames circled around them, burning through Raven's clothes, begging to melt her flesh, but without so much as a wince, the bandit flicked her fingers upward-

"How about you go for a ride instead?"

Gravity seemed to flip on the half Maiden.

Cinder screamed as she sailed off, with Raven flipping backward onto her feet, taking off in a running sprint, impacting the murderous woman in her stomach with a boot, sending her careening backfirst into a rockface, her eyes going wide as a strange buzz invaded her senses, but before the blur could even hope to settle-

Raven flicked her fingers once more, this time toward herself.

Cinder, once again, helplessly flew, using her powers, a pillar of ice appeared before her, with both the surface and her own bones crunching on impact, but as she gasped-

The gravitational effect cut off at once, but wh-

*SCHWICK

*BZZZT

The sound of shattering ice rang out as the pillar imploded, falling apart, revealing a glimmering red sword with electricity crackling along its surface, having cut clean through, impaling the young woman through her stomach and out the other side.

Cinder opened her mouth, "Y-y-ergh!"

Blood erupted like a geyser, vaporizing off the surface of the sword below.

Raven merely stared at her, "Like I said. You never had a chance of winning this encounter.

Cinder raised her hands, and with a burst of motion-

*TSSSSSS

She gripped the sides of Raven's sword with her bare hands, melting her own skin and muscle down to the bone.

The Branwen continued to stare, "What are you hoping to achieve here? To buy yourself a precious few more seconds until I pull out my sword and watch you bleed to death?"

The Fall Maiden lowered her head, allowing herself a smile, "...I have my reasons."

*CRUNCH

Cinder bit down, with steam erupting from her lips, she lurched back, lunging her head forward-

*PTUUUUUU

Superheated blood escaped from her mouth, boiling from the sheer heat of her semblance, shooting straight into Raven's eye, forcing the spring Maiden to scream, "GAH!"

She tried to pull back, but the Fall Maiden refused to budge, yelling with a now shattered false tooth in her mouth, "NOW!"

The sound of heavy footsteps racing across solid ground reverberated through the tunnels as metal collided with rock, and soon, a blur of grey crashed through the winding passageways, breaching into the open space-

Sparks crackled out as a young man landed, rushing toward the pair as Raven instinctively raised her technique, marking a field of intense gravity as rocks crumbled around them, with Cinder forcing herself to stay upright or be bisected by the bandit's sword.

Raven tried to pull her sword out in vain, gritting her teeth in anger; the chieftain blindly let go, slamming a boot against the hilt, driving the jagged edge further into Cinder's flesh as she crumpled.

Raven spun on her heels, raising a hand in the young man's direction, expanding the radius of her technique, "This is futile! No matter how many of you there are, none of you stand a chance of overcoming what I've become!"

Mercury continued to rush ahead, his eyes focused on the sinking ground, and just before reaching the threshold, he reached into his jacket, his fingers crossing over a black handle, withdrawing a short weapon with an odd shape-

It was an ancient-looking thing, appearing as though it were from some bygone era of simplistic tools of war, made of a glimmering silver, its two-pronged form hardly had any reach, looking more like a dagger than anything, but-

*FWIP

With a single slash-

Mercury cut through her unstoppable technique, the power of Heaven seemingly on his side, all condensed in a tiny little spear.

A vicious smirk crossed the killer's face, "Would you look at that?"

His arm moved like a whirlwind as he rushed at untold speeds, slashing through the bandit's barrier, a stunned look crossing her face as her technique destabilized.

Raven hissed, forcing all the remaining water vapor in their surroundings into a jagged blade of ice. Using only her senses, the chieftain swung for his head, but-

Mercury didn't try to dodge, allowing the weapon to slide between the gaps of his own. He skidded to a stop, twisting and pulling his arms to the side, bending the ice in an unnatural direction, and with a violent crack-

*BANG

Raven's sword fell apart.

The killer teen flipped his wrists, exploding through her nonexistent defense, and with a burst of gore, stabbed the Branwen straight through her chest, embedding the spear in place.

He smiled as Raven's blood splattered against the ground, "You shouldn't think too highly of yourself...makes you sloppy, ya know?"

He pulled the weapon out with a visceral pop, allowing Raven to stumble back, her hands covering the open wound, "Y-you- GR!"

Mercury sighed, taking slow steps forward, "I wouldn't bother trying at this point. You took one to the heart, and there ain't no coming back from that."

Cinder laughed, spitting out her own blood to the side, soon rising to her feet, "I must say...you two...did well...Mercury-"

She looked to one of the tunnels, whose occupant went completely unseen the entire time from her semblance, "Emerald...I'm truly proud of you."

The young girl smiled in glee, running out to help the woman to her feet while Mercury waved Cinder off, "Aw, come on, boss. Don't make a guy blush."

"I must concur. You each performed your roles splendidly."

The sounds of marching feet echoed out as modified Atlesian knights entered the chamber from the various tunnels.

Cinder coughed, smearing her hand red as she gazed at the stolen units, "So...now you decide to do something, Watts?"

"You seemed to manage fine on your own. I had faith in you from the start."

She chuckled, ignoring the blistering pain as she burned her wounds shut with her bare hands, "Good joke."

"I try."

"Then why are the hell are you here? Don't you have other things to concern yourself with?"

"Learn to work smarter, not harder. The target will arrive shortly, and I needed to ensure the final steps of my plan come to fruition."

His units moved in, forming a perimeter around the group.

Cinder raised a hand, her eye igniting, "What do you think you're doing?"

"To put it in your words. Ensuring you don't fuck this up."

"It's already over. Raven Branwen isn't going anywher-"

"She is faking her injuries to lure you in. Mercury missed her heart by exactly zero point three-five inches."

"WHAT?!"

Raven's expression faded, but Watts continued-

"You used what remained of your technique to fall sideways, didn't you? Not by much, but just enough to avoid lethal injury. You would've let them walk right up to you and turned them into nice little pancakes...clever, but not enough."

Cinder and Raven raised their hands, their Maiden powers igniting, but-

*HISSSS

Tiny slots along Watts' machines opened up, releasing noxious gas into the limited atmosphere, and with a gasp, their vision blurred, with each fighter stumbling to the ground before falling unconscious.

A pair of knights approached Cinder and Raven, pulling out a syringe filled with blue liquid and countless moving dots inside, soon injecting it into their necks, and with that, the machines picked up each of them and marched off into the darkness-

"All according to plan."

...

Over the streets of Mistral

Yuji leaped from building to building, passing entire streets at a time, watching the same gruesome scenes pan out below, with bodies lining the roadways in tattered pieces, with scattered survivors having fallen to the same fate as before, having died from exposure to his own blood.

The vessel's vision distorted as he moved ahead, with flickering images of a battered city overlaying reality, but a familiar figure appeared no matter where he looked, watching from the sidelines in random windows, atop buildings, ever pervasive, but-

"I must admit, I'm proud of you, Itadori."

Yuji winced, hearing a voice bounce around his head as Mahito made his presence known, with him almost never speaking, and when he did, it was always something the sorcerer had heard the Curse say, but this-

It felt different.

Mahito spoke as if he were right in his ear, no matter how far away he appeared, "This...Watts wrongs you, and your first instinct is to find him and end him...what happened to the boy who thought human lives were sacred, but Cursed ones like mine weren't?"

The disaster hummed, "I'd say you were more of a Curse than I thought, but maybe that isn't right...you aren't fully like us, and you really aren't all that human when it comes down to things. It's hard to say-"

As the vessel crashed down onto a street, he flicked his wrist downward, tearing the asphalt apart before slamming through the damaged concrete, finding himself in a tunnel system strewn with flickering lights and rusted metal pathways.

As Yuji walked, Mahito strolled beside him, raising a pale finger, "You say you hate to kill, but it's always your first instinct. That's a point for us Curses! I'm keeping score, by the way. I hope you don't mind~."

Itadori never responded, but that didn't stop the Curse, "Your very nature is poison to them, whether from the monster inside or the one you're becoming, I can't tell which is worse! Not that it matters. One of these days, whether from realizing you'll outlive all of them or from finally understanding that everyone you loved is dead, it'll happen. You'll crack and decide that killing those precious people of yours is a mercy compared to what Sukuna will do once he's free."

Mahito laughed, running ahead as he spun around in front of an armored door, waving his arms at his sides like a child pretending they were a plane, "That's the neat thing about perception! Something as ordinary as protecting your friends can be changed in so many ways! I had my fun with Junpei, but watching you rot in front of me has been so much more rewarding! I finally get why that King of Curses waited a thousand years to stir up trouble again!"

Yuji snapped a finger, shredding the doorway into scraps of metal, stepping over the threshold, and entering a downward staircase with old Atlesian symbols strewn over the walls.

Mahito tilted his head, "That shrine is such a neat trick. Maybe if you awakened it just a bit sooner, your teacher and bestie wouldn't have died? Food for thought for when I come back someday. I wonder what kind of face you'll have when I do?"

Itadori briefly leaned his head against a white metal wall, his skin pale, slamming a fist against the surface as it exploded inward, "Keep it together...just...just focus on this."

The sorcerer pushed ahead, entering a corridor of immaculately clean hallways, their surfaces reflecting his visage.

*BZZZZT

A series of metal shudders slammed down, leaving a singular path ahead open, illuminated by fluorescent lights.

A voice came over the speakers, "I hope you don't mind, but I made finding me a bit easier."

Yuji kept walking, his eyes deadlocked on the path ahead as Watts kept talking, "I warned the architects that they were building a glorified labyrinth, but did they listen? No, and I still remember the construction crews complaining about theory and method, and that's why I believe every man should practice what he preaches. You see, I've always done the things that lesser men would shrink away from. It's a funny story, really-"

Itadori flicked a wrist at one of the speakers, making it explode, only for another to take its place, "I once did these things for James Ironwood, the same one you know, actually. He'd put his hand on my shoulder and tell me that developing bioweapons and testing them on living people was for the greater good, but after we were caught and I got thrown under the proverbial bus, I was faced with a dilemma: do I stand trial and face life in prison, or do I go into hiding in squalor for the rest of my existence?"

A shudder slammed down in front of him as one of the lab doors opened up, "Slight detour... a bit of a shortcut, I assure you...but as I was saying, when faced with these circumstances, I couldn't help but spit at these options, and in your words, it felt like something a loser would do...so I continued, finding myself the funding and compatriots to keep this operation going, and thanks to that, we're finally so close to meeting, Yuji Itadori."

"I'm quite the fan, I assure you."

Yuji entered a lab, looking in through glass windows as Watts' victims lay in hospital beds on full display, most not even covered with a cloth as their burst eyes blankly stared up at the ceiling, but-

He paused at the last one before the exit, seeing a mop of blue hair, the sight knocking him out of his stupor as he approached, seeing a digital screen in front, "Neptune...Vasilias..."

Yuji gawked as the teen's chest slowly rose and fell "You-HANG ON!"

The glass shattered as he broke his way in, rushing to the boy's side. He grabbed Neptune's arm, raising it to see the same poison marks as the others.

Watts' voice echoed over the speakers, "I wouldn't bother. You're wasting both of our time with-

Yuji raised the limb, mumbling a "Sorry."

His teeth sank into Neptune's arm, making the unconscious teen wince in pain, but bit by bit, the darkened marks on his arm dispersed before-

*PTU

He spat out a glob of red, going back and doing the same again and again-

"Interest-"

Yuji flicked a wrist, exploding the camera and speaker facing him in one go.

After the poison had cleared, he put a hand on the teen's forehead, the limb growing white as he tried to heal him, and after a few seconds-

Neptune's eyes weakly opened, "W-wha? Who...who the hell are-"

Yuji raised a hand, "We don't got time for stories, just know I'm Sun's buddy, alright? Now, I know this is a big ask, but do you think you can walk outa here?"

"M-me?"

The blue-haired boy tried wriggling his feet but could hardly bend a toe, "I-I don't think so, but-"

He reached out, grabbing Yuji by his arm, "You...you can't leave me here, please, dude!"

Itadori stared at him, wanting nothing more than to find Watts and rip his head off.

He couldn't let that maniac go, but leaving Neptune was a bad option too-

...

...

Yuji dropped his head, "Alright...alright...You can come with, just...hang on till I can get you to a hospital, okay? I just gotta deal with this guy first."

"Y-yeah."

With a sigh, Yuji propped the weak teen up, picking him up and putting him down onto his feet, wrapping an arm over his shoulder for support as they made their way out."

...

Above ground

A shop door jingled as it opened, with a cheerful voice echoing out, "In here, friends!"

Qrow walked in behind her, followed by a veritable army of Huntsmen and Huntresses in various levels of training, looking around at the decrepit bookshelves with no owner in sight, "Penny, I get knowledge is power or whatever they say to get kids to read, but we have a job to do."

"I am aware of this!"

"Then what the hell are we doing here?"

Winter pushed past him, waving a finger at teams RWBY and most of PYRN with the addition of Sun standing behind the man, "I have half a mind to reprimand you for bringing them along."

Qrow raised his hands, "In my defense, we both know what these idiots do without someone watching them."

Yang crossed her arms, "I resent that, but...fair."

Yeah, no one could really deny that one.

Winter did not respond, begrudgingly turning to a certain android, "Fine...Penny, why exactly did you bring us here?"

The robot smiled, "Deductive reasoning."

She approached the counter, hovering over it before dropping, "This building was once a front for an Atlesian operation in Mistral, but after several incidents involving Menagerie, it was closed after negotiations failed to reach a compromise. The entrance was well hidden and, in all likelihood, has never been found."

Blake approached, putting her hands on the wooden surface, "Menagerie? What sort of-"

Qrow marched beside her, "Not the time, kid."

Winter raised a brow, "That information is highly sensitive, Penny. How did you get your hands on it?"

The android smiled, "I stole it."

"You what!?"

"I believed my friends were in danger, and as such, took direct action once my programs deduced that Arthur Watts was utilizing an abandoned research facility beneath the streets of Mistral. I will not apologize."

Ruby smiled, "I'm proud of you, Pen."

The ginger giggled, "Acknowledged and reciprocated."

Soon, Penny shifted her hands around beneath the counter, removing a false bottom from the drawer, revealing a disguised keypad, rapidly typing a few keys before the ground trembled, a nearby wall sliding to the side, revealing a darkened staircase heading down into the unknown.

Qrow marched in front of the entrance, taking an authoritative pose, "Alright, with Ozpin and Ironwood unresponsive, our forces are completely scattered, and there isn't enough time to wrangle an actual operation together, and the longer we let this lunatic do what he wants, the more people will die. Long and short of it? We're it. You're going to stay behind me and Specialist Schnee and do what you're told or not come at all, got it? We aren't putting up with bullshit today."

Winter nodded, "Arthur Watts has committed one of the most grave attacks on a civilian population in nearly a century. Do not take this lightly or I will personally ensure your careers end here."

There was silence from the students until Nora raised her hammer like a warlord, "Let's get this guy!"

Pyrrha gawked, "Nora, be serious!"

"I am being serious!"

Sun dropped a hand on the hammer-user's head, "She's cool. That's just her way of showing she's motivated."

Like that, the entire entourage took off, racing down the stairway.

...

...

Near the rear, Ruby couldn't help but watch her partner with concern, bumping Weiss on the arm with her hand, "Hey, are you alright?"

The Schnee shook her head, keeping her eyes forward, "I'm fine...just...-"

She looked down, "I've never seen him that angry before."

The hooded girl bit her cheek, "Maybe he's always dealing with that."

"Hm?"

"I dunno, after seeing what he went through, I just...I feel like I don't understand him anymore. Yuji is always so happy, but then he has those moments where...he kinda scares me, but more than anything-"

Ruby pouted, "I feel so dumb complaining about my problems to him."

Weiss nodded, "I know what you mean, but...in a way, it just made me appreciate him more."

"Really?"

"We-well, of course it did. It isn't easy to deal with a life like his and not let it affect you, but...he just keeps trying and...I admire that."

"You worried?"

"After today? Without a doubt."

Ruby dropped her head, "I never know what to do with adult stuff like this."

Weiss nodded, "I don't think the adults understand it themselves most of the time. It's just...do what you gotta do, right?"

"Awww, you're talking like him!"

"S-Shut up!"

Ruby nodded to herself in confirmation, "Okay...okay! I'll just have to try that much harder to help him with this stuff! Even if I don't know what I'm doing, it's better than just complaining!"

Weiss deadpanned, "At least you're motivated..."

...

...

The group eventually breached a sealed entrance with no enemy response to speak of, but with the doors sealing themselves in much the same way, they were led on a wild chase through the endless corridors, and eventually-

They found themselves in a massive chamber with random machines blipping about as monitors displayed chunks of information.

A red light flared, and they each withdrew their weapons as the ground began to rumble.

Qrow pointed his sword at the source of the noise, a seemingly benign wall, "I don't like this."

...

...

The sound stopped

*CRRRRR

The back wall rose, retracting into the ceiling, revealing a secret entrance into the surrounding tunnel systems as dozens upon dozens of Atlesian knights marched in formation, rifles raised and at the ready, but-

Instead of firing, they merely spread to the sides as two units marched forward, stepping some distance from the Huntsmen and Huntresses, carrying-

Winter squinted, "Hostages?"

The speakers glared, "I prefer the term 'assets.'"

The machines unceremoniously dropped the women to the ground, and after a moment-

Qrow's eyes widened, "Raven?"

Yang yelled, "M-Mom!?"

"Ah, it didn't quite cross my mind, but in its own way, this is a family reunion of sorts, isn't it?"

The blonde glared at a nearby camera, "Who the heck are you!?"

"Ah, me? I'm just a humble bystander buying precious moments until the main event arrives...and it should be in three-two-one-

A door slid open as Itadori rushed in, carrying a teen with blue hair on his back-

Ruby's expression lightened, "Yuji! You're-"

Sun yelled, running at the teen, "Holy shit! Neptune! You're alright! Dude, I've been looking everywhere for you! Here, lemme-"

Yuji ignored him as he tried to pry his friend free, his eyes facing forward, glaring down at the unconscious Branwen, "You..."

"Why the hell are you here!?"

Watts hummed, "Ah, my apologies. They had a bit of an incident on their way back; allow me to wake them."

The nearby knights reached down, their fingers pulling back to expose a syringe, injecting the Maidens with some concoction or other and soon-

Raven groaned in discomfort, raising a hand, dragging it along her face, "Where-"

Yang took a step forward, "Mom!"

The chieftain's expression dropped, "What-"

She looked around, seeing Cinder beside her, slowly rising to her feet, "What the fuck-"

A voice broke her stupor, "I said-"

*CRASH

A machine exploded as Itadori cleaved it in two, "Why the fuck are you here!?"

Her expression dropped as she raised her hands, "I-I don't-"

Watts laughed, "Isn't it obvious? My associates had a key role to play in all of this. I brought them here to put you and your friends down for good. Now-"

Yuji didn't think. He just acted.

One moment, he was standing still. The next, he dropped Neptune and took off running before the teen even hit the ground.

His hand mutated into a jagged claw, rushing toward the bandit, ignoring his surroundings, utterly driven by his own rage, he lunged, his hand mere inches from tearing her eye out before-

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If you two would be so kind-"

All at once, Raven and Cinder's bodies buckled, mechanically moving on their own, and in the blink of an eye, their hands raised toward the sorcerer, their eyes igniting as their Maiden powers blazed to life-

An ethereal haze of red and yellow crashed into him at once, doing no physical damage, but-

...

...

Itadori froze in his tracks, his nails stuck hovering just above Raven's skin, letting out a gasp, "What? You-HRG!"

He recoiled, stumbling backward, his hands grabbing at his shoulders as an unknown tension overcame him, and with a burst of pressure, those distinct tattoos emerged, crawling along his skin as inky blotches of darkness, his additional eyes opening up alongside, looking around in each and every direction.

The vessel weakly trembled, his hands wrapping around his throat, "I can't...can't-"

Pyrrha was the first to react, rushing ahead as Miló morphed into its javelin form, "STOP IT!"

She hurled the weapon at the Maidens, only for a plate of hardened plexiglass to shoot down from the ceiling between them, blocking the chamber as the doors leading into the room locked as well, cutting them off from the sorcerer and the outside in one fell swoop.

The Huntsmen and Huntresses attacked the barrier, firing shots and taking slashes at it, but nothing seemed to work until-

Winter looked over her shoulder, "PENNY!"

The android nodded, taking a runner's stance as her components fired to life, and with a burst of green energy, she charged into the barricade, making the entire room tremble.

Yuji tried to stand, but everything felt wrong, "W-what's happening?...I can't-"

"Ah..I suppose that...' grandfather' of yours didn't tell you about the Maidens, did he? Allow me to illuminate you as a final gift, young man...seeing that soon, you won't quite be yourself anymore."

"There exist in this world some beings beyond comprehension, living beyond their lifespan for one reason or another, whether through Salem's outright immortality, Ozpin, or should I say, Ozma's reincarnations, and last of all...Ryomen Sukuna, who, much like the latter, stole a body for himself and caused quite a bit of havoc for the world in the process, though I'm all but certain that Faunus you associate with has mentioned it, they can never stop talking about him for some reason."

"Ozma tried to fight him and lost, and once he returned from the dead, his only viable option was to break Sukuna's relationship with his host in the hopes of them turning the tables and regaining control, and so, to ensure it would work, he mixed his energy and even bits of his immortal soul with a few samples of Sukuna he had acquired over the years, dividing his power amongst a small group of women to be passed on from one era to the next in a gender he could never reincarnate into, thus ensuring, if he were to lose his way, someone could put a stop to his greatest foe, but you see...he never accounted for your existence, you poor boy."

Yuji shook as he stared at his reflection, "Wait...wait-wait-wait!...Host...control-"

No-

No-

NO!

He forced his head up, staring at the camera with pleading eyes, "PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU! DON'T DO THIS!"

Even as his friends reacted in shock, he swiped a hand, 'HE'LL KILL EVERYONE, PLEASE-PLEASE DON'T!"

Watts ignored him entirely, "You see, I never quite believed we had seen the end of him, that...Ryomen Sukuna. It seemed like such a strange way to end things, to just let an opponent who stood almost no chance of defeating you take such a victory without fighting back...unless-"

"He was waiting for something or rather-"

"Someone."

...

...

"I couldn't help but ask myself why you existed, why here? Why now? And then it dawned on me as I examined your DNA. You weren't born naturally. You're too perfect...no, you were made for a specific reason."

"You were made to be his new body, weren't you?"

"What we dealt with was nothing more than a splash of water that we ants mistook for an ocean, while the real thing was far greater than we could ever comprehend."

"Sealed inside of you is something that must never be touched."

"Almost all of his power is stuck inside of you, and with those faint traces of his energy, your body, a living prison cell, lets the Maiden power in, expanding the gap between your soul and his, weakening your defenses, allowing him to breathe for the first time in ages...ensuring his escape."

"Yuji Itadori-"

"The host of Ryomen Sukuna."

"I had to move worlds to get you here, even controlling two Maidens with nanomachines injected into their brainstems to ensure this could happen."

...

...

"For him to enter the stage, the curtain must rise."

Yuji could feel his mind slipping, forcing every bit of power into his left hand. He aimed at the Maidens, "DIS-DISMANTLE!"

*CLAP

A new voice echoed out, "Don't even think about it."

His right slapped it, sending the attack careening into the ceiling as a slash traveled all the way to the surface, with the moonlight creaking in from above as the lights began to flicker.

With glazed-over eyes, Itadori tried to look to his side-

Silence reigned supreme, even as Penny continued to slam into the barrier again and again, with a giant crack forming along the glassy surface. The others were unable to move-

With all parties present staring at him in both shock and horror-

As a mouth opened beneath the slit on the side of his face, giving a demented smile.

"What's wrong, brat?"

Tears bubbled to the surface as Yuji met his stare, "N-No-nononono-"

"You feel it, don't you? The gradual slipping away of your own consciousness...don't be scared-"

Sukuna cackled, "When you wake up, all your problems will be gone, done in by your own hands, and those friends of yours-"

...

...

"The bloodbath starts with them."

"He-heheheheheheheHAHA!"

Yuji stumbled to his feet, gripping the sides of his head, screaming in pain as he fell onto one of the consoles, slamming his face into it again and again and again, all the while, the laughter continued-

His bones snapped as they visibly shifted beneath his skin-

His form grew taller and more chiseled, rapidly aging in mere moments as his hair shot backward and soon-

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He raised a fist, punching down on the machine again and again, the laughter shifting toward his own mouth as he stumbled back, screaming toward the ceiling as his nails elongated and burned purple, "AHAHAHAHAHA!"

...

...

*CRASH

The glass shattered as Penny broke through, her swords clattering to the ground as she abandoned them entirely.

The android ran toward her friend, unable to experience or even comprehend the feeling of primordial terror that rooted everyone else in place.

Itadori's head dropped.

She ran toward him, "Yuji! Are you alright!? Friendship protocol dictates that I ensure your well-being!"

...

...

Yuji slowly raised his head, his vibrant red eyes scanning their surroundings-

He looked in her direction.

His gaze narrowed-

And a demented smile crossed his tattooed face-

He raised his fingers-

...

...

*FWIP

In less than a moment, Penny's foot hit the ground-

Before she was split in two, her pale face innocently smiling in confusion as electricity fizzed out of her shattered components, her voice escaping as distorted and broken "...Eh?"

Her pieces smashed against the floor, and all the while-

Sukuna just smiled.

...

I have been building to this moment since the moment I started this fic. Enjoy the cliffhanger, and I'll see you all next time; cheers.

Discord:

/4edf44FSSn