Welcome back to another edition.
I want to wish MegaDumbo, one of the beta readers, a happy birthday, so show him some love.
Let's get into this.
BetaReaders: BFTyrant, Chris, Daki, Rockmean, Luxutor, ReallyRey, Hackerman27, Chepatard, Jasonzzldude, Tupjunk, and Megadumbo.
...
Atlesian Codex: Magnetic-Rounds
Using advanced physics research, which was once thought to be entirely in the theoretical world of quantum mechanics, military scientists achieved a breakthrough.
Using light from burning artificially condensed dust crystals to manipulate the spin of electrons on a large scale, Atlas has managed to overcome the energy-drain paradox of using laser-based weaponry, albeit at a limited scale and at great cost to their coffers.
The only successful designs worked when built on a large scale. Hand-held weapons lacked the capacity to achieve sufficient energy discharge.
It took General James Ironwood little more than a second to have them placed on his air fleet.
...
Everything moved at a snail's pace.
Yuji blinked, his eyes watching as reddish-black clouds of steam hissed by, traveling upward toward the sky, the smell of charred flesh wafting into his senses.
Someone was saying something from somewhere deep in his head, but he couldn't make out what it was.
The vessel tried to twitch a finger, soon realizing his left arm was completely gone along with most of his ribs, his lungs stretching out of his torso with each breath, retracting as he exhaled, ignorant of whatever pain he should be feeling.
He glanced over his shoulder, his stare finding Blake on a rooftop a ways below him, but a light dragged his focus behind, seeing a still-smoldering hole burned through a skyscraper, easily the size of a small car. The raw innards melted into glowing magma, and then-
He saw it-
The sorcerer caught a flash of movement, the slumping of a charred corpse, a young woman with a dog's tail, having been in the wrong place at the wrong time, the right side of her body utterly obliterated, the sounds of more terrified screams coming out of the structure-
Itadori struggled to make sense of anything, but-
*FWOOOOSH
Another volley fired, the atmosphere growing a vibrant red as an inferno of lasers soared through the air.
Escape would've been easy.
Piercing blood wasn't an option without two hands. Shrine, on the other hand?
Yuji could use cleave, bisect the attacks so they couldn't so much as graze him, but...those people would-
The thought didn't so much as enter the teen's head.
...
...
Time surged back into place as Itadori pushed his bloody stump of an arm out, the red droplets simmering and converging on the surface-
Eso's voice broke through, a mouth appearing on the side of his brother's face, "I know what you're planning! DON'T! YOU CAN'T CONTROL IT! YOUR HEART WON'T BE ABLE TO-"
The heat started to melt the vessel's skin before they even made contact, practically on top of him in less than a second-
With a ferocious yell and a burst of Cursed Energy, a torrent of blood exploded out of the vessel's arm, forming a wave of convulsing flesh, shooting upward and outward in all directions, "Meteorite!"
The visceral fluid scabbed and hardened, forming a wall of organic metal using Itadori's own body as fuel!
Before the barrage could land, the vessel felt a pulse emanate from his chest, a surge of red bile shooting from his throat, and then-
It happened all at once.
*BWOOOOOOSH
Magnetic energy collided with reinforced flesh, burning like a miniature sun over the streets of Mistral, illuminating the darkness as the sorcerer was pushed back.
Yuji slammed back-first into glass and rebar, feeling every bit of agony as an extension of himself boiled away, needing to replace and remake every lost inch, but-
*BUMP-BUMP
Itadori gasped in pain, his breaths coming in like he was inhaling glass, his vision clouding, forcing him to grit his teeth and dig in, "Just...hold i...it!"
Kechizu started screaming in his head, "Oy, idiot! You're giving yourself a heart attack! Do you know how much gunk is in your blood right now!? What did Choso call it!?"
Eso responded, "He's giving himself thrombosis!"
Dark spots filled Yuji's eyes, his skin rapidly paling, "I'm...f-fine!"
*CRACK
Kechizu's mouth appeared beside his bleeding torso, "Let us help! I can clear this-"
"No!"
The footing beneath Itadori caved, with him briefly falling before seemingly snapping awake, kicking his shoes against the concrete, digging deeper, "If I...lose any focus-"
He glanced back at the building, "They die."
His green sibling screamed, "SO!? YOU DON'T KNOW THEM!"
"Why-...why does...that-"
*BLEH
A splatter of red burst from his mouth, coating the shield as the vessel panted, "ma...matter?"
The barrage seemed to stop for a moment, a chunk of burned flesh breaking off and falling, letting the sorcerer see the airships charging up again in the distance.
Eso's mouth moved, "Yuji, I can understand caring for your friends, but these people!... One announcement! One message that you're their enemy, and they won't even think about what you did for them in the past! THERE'S NOTHING TO GAIN HERE!"
Itadori winced, his right arm grabbing at his chest, hardly able to stand, "Stop...thinking-"
*BOOM
His fist tightened, and he lashed out, a single blow blasting a chunk of the building clean off, "LIKE YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!"
...
...
Eso mumbled, "Yuji...whether you like it or not, we ARE Curses!"
"That's not what I'm talking about!"
His fist tightened, and he punched the structure again and again, each blow blasting off more debris to the streets below, the glow in the distance becoming even brighter-
Itadori snarled, glaring across the skyline at them, "Every...every single sorcerer is like that, and I'm so tired of it! Even if they're all gone, even if I'm the last one left...I'M TIRED OF IT!"
"They're selfish-"
"They're greedy-"
"They're almost all terrible people, born with power, rotten from the start, praised for just existing-"
"They couldn't care less if regular people live or die, and trust me, I get it-"
"I get that some people can't be reasoned with-"
"I get that some people are awful and need to die-"
"But-"
...
...
He struggled to move but forced his body to do so regardless, gesturing to the building behind him, "You don't know these people...so stop assuming the worst of 'em, just so you can live with letting them die."
*BUMP-BUMP
A pulse of pain billowed from his chest, nearly taking the vessel out then and there, but through sheer willpower, Yuji Itadori stood back up.
The sorcerer swiped a hand over his lip, smearing his hand red, his eyes glowing yellow, spiraling more and more by the second, "'Cause I won't."
Another volley blasted off.
...
...
Inside their mental space
Eso could only watch as his brother took on another onslaught, his pulse getting weaker by the second.
The older sibling put his elbows on the picnic table, leaning his forehead against his knuckles, "I don't understand...even with all of his memories right in front of me, it makes no sense! Humans don't care about anyone or anything outside of their immediate surroundings! They're no better than Curses! So why!? Why do this!?"
Kechizu bobbed around in his seat, "I'd do the same if it was for you guys."
"But it isn't! This isn't for family! This isn't for anyone he knows! There are no ties here, no bonds! NOTHING!"
"Eso, you gotta get that he's just not like us."
"Of course, he's like us! Yuji is our-"
"Little brother, yeah...but he was raised a human and we-"
The green creature looked down at his lanky arms, "We weren't...so we might just think different than he does about this sort of thing."
The pink-eyed man hissed, "Human or Curse, it doesn't matter! He should want to live!"
"Yuji's not like us...or anyone we'd know-"
"What are you talking about?"
Kechizu's giant mouth opened and closed, but he was silent for a few seconds, "...For a while, I wanted to know what made him different than us...or...Maybe I wanted to know why Kenjaku wanted him...and not me. So, I kept digging through his head when I could, and-"
"You-
"Lemme finish-"
The green being slowly inhaled, "I think it's his grandfather, Wasuke, a regular old man with no connections to any of this weirdness...he built our little brother up to be a normal person, regardless of how strong his genes made him, but Yuji got pushed into being a sorcerer, and deep down, he's just a kid trying to do right in a messed up world, and nothing he does works because he's not like either side."
"Sorcerers don't help people; they help themselves, and Curses do the same thing...and if you try to break that rule, look what happened to that Nanami guy. Yuji practically worships him for dying the way he did. He tries to save everyone, and it keeps blowing up in his face and almost destroying his mind, but he doesn't stop doing it-"
He felt as Itadori's heart rate continued to erratically change with each beat, "It's like an endless game of getting shattered and pulling the pieces together with nothing but willpower because that mindset is all you know, and each and every time-"
"He comes back stronger."
Eso lowered his hands, "Stronger?"
"Think about it. Yuji's been a sorcerer for less than a year, and he's so much more than any of his big brothers could ever be. He has two techniques, reversed cursed technique, and even has his own domain! He's just held back by those beliefs of his-"
Eso slowly crossed his arms, "I can see that, but why? What could that disgusting scientist have wanted out of him in the end?"
Kechizu leaned into the table, "I've got no clue, but at the least, I think Yuji is Kenjaku's greatest success because he's a failure."
...
...
"What are you-"
*Bump-BumpBumpBumpBumpBump-Bu-
Both of them froze-
Kechizu mumbled, "His heart just stopped."
Eso all but leaped out of his seat, "WE NEED TO-"
*SQUELCH
They could only wince as a horrible crunching sound echoed down into their shared space-
Itadori had used his remaining hand and, without hesitating-
*CRUNCH
Punched through his own chest, grabbing his own heart and with perfect muscle control-
Squeezed.
*Bump...Bump...Bump...
It was sloppy and uneven, but the sorcerer was manually forcing his body to keep working!
The onslaught of lasers continued for a few seconds more, the heat boiling away at the vessel's continuously replenishing blood, drifting away as black smoke, and soon, it ended once more, but this time-
*CRRRRRR
The wall of blood cracked and gave way, with solid chunks giving way to a stream of red, splattering downward until nothing was left, leaving the teen standing there with his nonexistent arm held out-
Yuji swayed, unable to keep himself whole. The sorcerer lost his balance and fell forward, passing several stories as he went, crashing face-first into the pavement.
...
...
It started to rain.
The response was almost immediate, with armored bullheads flying across the sky and military patrol vehicles rumbling out from the sidestreets, a veritable army of Atlesian troops exiting, swarming around the boy in moments, firearms at the ready.
Blake could do nothing but duck down, out of their line of fire, and floodlights soon lit up the streets.
The soldiers marched across the blood-soaked ground, each making their own noises of disgust as one barked orders, "The General wants him captured alive and contained for study! We need to get something out of him to justify what happened here, so make it quick!"
They slowly moved in, watching for any sign of movement from the boy, but nothing happened.
...
...
Inside their mental space, Eso's face was shadowed, rewatching Itadori's life over and over in the blink of an eye, "I don't get it."
The soldiers got closer, one pulling out an electric rod and jabbing it against the sorcerer's exposed torso, sending a shockwave through him-
Up above, the people the vessel had just protected did little more than watch from the windows-
Eso could only hiss, "I don't get it."
...
...
The pink-eyed man growled, "I'll never understand why you value them for as long as I live."
...
...
"But-"
...
...
A commander marched ahead, pulling out a pair of reinforced restraints, and as he reached down-
Lightning struck across the sky, a flash of light illuminating a rising shadow over the man's head, but before he could turn around-
*CRUH!
A massive tan hand wrapped around his helmet as dozens of surprised shouts echoed out around them-
As the half-curse loomed overhead and his monstrously green companion pulled himself out of the teen's pools of blood-
Eso snarled, "I'll do what I can."
*SQUELCH
The man squeezed so hard that metal and glass shattered, and a mix of red ooze and bone exploded outward, the commander's corpse slumping to the ground as bullets and screams started flying.
...
...
Off in the distance, General Ironwood observed the feed, his stare narrowing, "It seems we found our missing two...like maggots drawn to a rotting corpse...looking for a free meal."
He growled, hearing shouts over the intercom-
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE THINGS!?
"FUCKING KILL THEM!"
"IS THAT A GODAMN MOUTH ON HIS BACK!?"
The commander tapped his earpiece, "This is General Ironwood. We only need the boy. Kill the others. You have your orders."
...
...
Vehicle-mounted machine guns and small arms fire opened up, brightening the nighttime as dust of all shapes and sizes flew, crashing into exposed flesh.
Eso and Kechizu just stood there, letting each and every round impact them, each new wound bubbling away into nothingness, staring down at Itadori, watching as he struggled to try and stand once more, a conversation happening between the three seemingly without words and before long-
Yuji slumped over, unconscious and unmoving, the only sign of life being a forced rise and fall of his chest.
One by one, magazines would run dry, and as the men scrambled to reload, others realized the futility in what they were doing as some made desperate calls for heavier ordinance-
Eso's voice echoed out over the falling rain, colder than ice, "Even now, he's trying to do something. Even with his body in tatters all he can think about is other people."
"My little brother never asked for this...again and again, he tried to help you people, even when he had nothing to do with your nonsense...and this is what you do to him?"
The thin layer of cloth over the half-curse's chest boiled away, revealing a giant pair of eyes on his back, eternally stuck in a manic expression, moving between each soldier present as blood poured down like tears.
Eso didn't so much as move, "Yuji has a simple rule. Leave people be and let them live their lives so long as they don't hurt anyone else...only kill when necessary, and try to spare those he believes can change for the better."
The falling blood began to circle, spreading out like a spiderweb, defying gravity as two sets of visceral wings fluttered behind him, "Regardless of what he was forced to do, you tried to kill a child today. If it weren't for him, thousands of your own people would be dead because that's just the kind of person my brother is. He sees significance where no one else can."
...
...
"But, from how I see it-"
Thunder boomed, and lightning struck as the giant of a man glanced over his shoulder, his eyes appearing like pools of black with glimmering pink gems.
He growled, "Ugly souls like yours have no worth."
*Twitch-Twitch
...
...
*BWOOOOSH
Solid pillars of blood erupted from Eso's wings, exploding out in every direction, twisting and bending with untold perfection, the jagged ends impaling each and every soldier, one after another, piercing through armor and aura like they didn't exist, carrying them off into the air as more victims were dragged with them!
A trio of bullheads moved into position, their armaments shifting from machine guns to deployed rocket launchers, but as they took aim-
*CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK
Despite his stature, Kechizu rushed across the pavement, each and every impact of his bare feet on the pavement breaking through, and with an explosive leap, the green creature hopped along his brother's tunnels of blood, taking a massive jump, crashing right on top of one of the flying death machines.
The half-curse lurched back before-
*CRASH
Kechizu slammed his torso through the front window, his giant mouth vomiting a toxic mixture into the cabin, melting everyone inside as the bullhead spun out of control-
*FWIP-FWIP-FWIPFWIPFWIP-BOOOOOM
The bullhead crashed into one of its compatriots as the green creature hurled a bloody tendril from his wrist around the final one's wing, dragging it down with them as a colossal explosion rang out.
The falling sparks danced along the already rotting skin of those unlucky enough to be caught in Eso's snare, with tattoo-like symbols coating their skin as they decayed in moments.
Eso stood there, hands held out, briefly getting blinded as a pair of headlights blipped on, an engine roaring to life as an APC barreled straight toward him.
He didn't stop it with Wing King.
The giant of a man raised a leg and, with a vicious kick-
*BOOOOOM
His foot impacted the engine block, sending the giant hunk of steel flying loose as the vehicle crashed into a nearby building, the massive weight turning whoever survived into a paste.
Kechizu erupted from the wreckage, grabbing one of the survivors by the neck, hurling him inside the giant mouth on his stomach, and as the teeth crunched down, his palms slammed together, firing a piercing blood like a razor-thin blast, bisecting an entire squad as they tried to flee!
This sort of thing would have never been possible with how weak they were in their past lives, but right now, with both brothers using Itadori's Cursed Energy reserves-
The sky was the limit.
Off in the distance, the airships began to glow once more, and amidst the chaos and gunfire, one by one, helmet intercoms blipped online, with the foot soldiers suddenly thrown into a panic, throwing down their arms and running as far as they could.
Eso stared at the glaring light as dozens appeared at once, "You know what to do."
Kechizu spat a skeletonized corpse from his giant mouth, raising his lanky arms high, "Yeah!"
The green creature held his hands out, a stream of blood leaking from every opening on his body, growing faster and more violent by the second.
His pinky and pointer fingers rose while his ring and index dropped, the latter connecting with his thumbs, a flickering image of a blooming white lotus appearing in a haze of Cursed Energy.
The mouth on his dead human head began to spasm, words billowing out of its hollow, toothless lips.
"Submerge beneath mire."
"Stagnation."
"Rebirth in White."
A pool of blood rapidly expanded around the half-curse's form, swirling about like a whirlpool-
His body trembled as though a raging storm blasted around inside of him, threatening to give way at any moment, and only then-
Kechizu lurched back, his giant mouth opening wide, "Maximum Technique: Bottomless Swamp!"
A trickle turned into a flow and a flow into a raging river, a colossal blast of blood erupting out of him, quickly forming a veritable lake in the heart of Mistral-
Itadori disappeared beneath the muck, dragged away by a tendril, his brothers rising with the waves, watching as the surrounding structures began to decay and rot.
The sky lit up as another volley fired.
...
...
Bottomless Swamp: a maximum technique Kechizu had designed during his life but lacked the Cursed Energy to effectively use on an opponent, using his unnatural biology to rapidly produce and excrete his toxic blood, turning an area around him into a hunting ground, one suited for his frog-like appearance.
Under optimal circumstances, his target would quickly be immobilized, struggling to swim, let alone move as poison seeped into their skin, only for the monstrosity to attack from below, dragging them to unknown depths, never to be seen again.
But here-
...
...
Eso and Kechizu pushed and pulled, their arms shooting out to the sky as massive spouts of blood sailed over the city, forming flying tidal waves, crashing into the lasers straight on, but-
They didn't harden.
The beams pierced straight through, sending bloody steam in every direction, impacting the brothers as a colossal explosion rang out, a cloud of toxic haze shooting into the surrounding atmosphere as Blake quickly shoved a cloth into her face.
Before the mist could even clear-
*FWOOOOOOSH
The waves didn't stop, surging ahead and crashing into two Atlesian airships. The fluid quickly hardened, taking over the ship and wrapping around the military craft like a snare!
Ironwood could only watch as the tendrils coalesced, forming giant fingers, their sheer grip bending solid steel, "WHAT!?
The General's screens blipped, zooming in to the ground and down below. The waters rose once and more, and the brothers reappeared, their original bodies nothing more than a creation of the technique itself!
The blood finished forming, with two giant arms stretching from the ground, a pair of hands clenched around the building-sized vehicles like nothing!
Eso and Kechizu held out their arms, straining to even move the constructs, mouths open wide, shouting, their palms crashing together, and-
*BOOOOOOOOOOM
The hands came together, and the airships collided, sending a firey explosion across the night sky as metal and bodies rained down over the capital itself!
Ironwood could only stand and gawk, watching as years of labor and capital burned away in the blink of an eye, the giant hands crunching the metal together, raising high before-
His eyes shot open.
He could only yell, "EVASIVE MANEUVERS! TELL THE FLEET TO DISPERSE BEFORE THEY-"
A shadow loomed.
Thousands of tons of electrified metal soared over the skies of Mistral, the capital ship veering to the side, the massive projectile catching it by the wing, impacting one of the ships behind it dead-on, sending the aircraft to an explosive demise as it collided with the mountain, embedding into the surface.
Ironwood's ship spun out of control, crash-landing onto the streets below as the formation scattered, with each airship flying off in every direction, giving the cursed siblings a reprieve.
...
...
Eso and Kechizu trembled, their arms still outstretched, the former panting, "Don't...let-"
The younger yelled back, "I know!"
"Slowly...slowly-"
Gradually, the giant limbs receded back into liquid, with the pair pulling the liquid back into themselves, the lake vanishing from sight, their little brother lying at their feet.
Everything around them was destroyed, the city was in ruins, but-
Kechizu slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted, "Did...did we do it?"
Eso dropped a hand on his head, "For now, but they'll be back and in force...we need to get our brother somewhere safe."
The green monstrosity began to fall apart, slithering back into Itadori, "You deal with that...I wanna go to bed."
Eso gave the tiniest of smiles, "You did good today."
"Ya think?"
"We kept deaths limited to the ones who deserved it, so we didn't abuse our little brother's power."
The tan man flexed his muscles, strutting his stuff as he put a hand in front of his face, fingers spread out, "I'd call it a win for the beautiful."
Kechizu grumbled, nothing more than a mouth slithering over the ground, "Yeah-yeah...fuckin' hate human emotions...why did we have to grow a conscience?"
As Kechizu disappeared, Eso could only shrug, "I think it's poetic."
...
...
Soon, the giant yelled upward, "You're still up there, right? Blake, was it?"
Slowly but surely, a pale pair of hands rose, with the Faunus staring down like a spooked cat, "Y-yeah...I'm...here. You're...Eso, right?"
He flexed more, "The one and only. Need help getting down, young lady?"
"Nah...I got it, just...-"
She suppressed a horrified gag, "Give me a sec before I-"
*HURRRR
After emptying the contents of her stomach, Blake shot a grapple up above with Gambol Shroud, using it to lower herself to the ground, a cloth shoved over her face-
Eso put a hand on his hip, "You didn't touch our blood, did you?"
She shook her head, "Cat Faunus...I can smell better than most people-"
"Ah...metal?"
"Yeah...right in the nose."
"Hm...ah...I wouldn't know, with the whole blood powers and-"
Eso looked around awkwardly, "Sorry, I've never really spoken to anyone outside of my family before. I...don't quite know what to do here."
Blake gestured to their destroyed surroundings, "You do all this, but you can't make conversation?"
The giant man fidgeted, "I can...it just...takes me a while."
Her shoulders dropped, trying not to gag at the sheer number of bodies strewn around, "You really are Yuji's brother, aren't you?... Whatever, it...it's fine, this isn't the time or place to make small talk anyways, but more importantly-"
The raven-haired teen approached the unconscious vessel, crouching down to look over his pulsating wounds, "Is he gonna be alright? I know he can fix himself, but this looks pretty bad."
Eso crossed his arms, "My brother's been through worse. He'll be fine. What matters is you getting him out of town-"
"Me? I mean...I know a few ways out, but why don't you or Kechizu stick around to help?"
"He can't heal himself while we're out and about. Not in the way he needs it."
"Wait...really?"
The half-curse crouched beside her, poking his sibling's head, "Cursed Techniques are stored in the right frontal cortex of the brain, and for Kechizu and myself to appear, it requires Yuji to use Blood Manipulation. It's easy to heal flesh wounds with it, but replacing bone and such demands he use the reverse cursed technique, and only monsters like that teacher of his could use both at the same time. He'll fix himself up once he's awake, but the longer I stay out the more energy I use up."
...
...
Blake slightly smiled, "Heh."
Eso tilted his head, "What?"
"Nothing, just...you're way better at explaining things than he is."
The half-curse bit his cheek, "It's not that he doesn't understand these things...my brother just doesn't like talking about them...he has his reasons...now, come on. You need to get moving."
The Faunus slowly grabbed hold of the teen, wrapping an arm around his torso, steering clear of touching any of his wounds.
Blake grimaced, "Think you can do something about the...you know-"
Eso nodded, slowly dissolving and moving back from whence he came, "I'll stop him from bleeding on you. Though, you should learn that there's beauty in everything, even the gross."
Her cat ears twitched, "O-Okay?...Thanks, I guess?"
Blake couldn't help but question her life choices as she shambled down a familiar alleyway, away from the carnage.
...
Back at Haven
Ozpin sat on his cot, one hand on his stomach, the other holding onto the relic, staring down at his reflection.
All this time-
Ryomen Sukuna was right here-
And he never saw it-
Or maybe-
He just didn't want to see it.
...
...
Ozma had lived for a very very long time. He had seen everything.
He loved-
He lost-
He saw civilizations rise-
And fall-
He was there from beginning to end, with a purpose instilled by the gods themselves, but new factors kept complicating things, forcing him to take a larger role with each incarnation.
Eventually, he did play god, dabbling in things he shouldn't have-
Humanity needed stronger warriors to fight off the Grimm, and he thought mixing them with animals would do the trick, give them an edge-
What did he call it back then?
Humans with a little spice added in?
Look how that went.
And now, once more, because of one of his 'solutions,' more suffering came from it.
...
...
The immortal sighed, "All these lives spent trying to stop the world from falling apart...it made me forget the value of you dedicating your one and only existence to helping me achieve this...and knowing you're trapped in that abyssal place fills me with more sadness than you can understand."
"I'm sorry, Qrow."
"You deserved the chance to see your nieces grow up, to pass the torch to a new generation. I know how proud of them you were, so you have my word that I'll do whatever it takes to make sure they're safe, even if it costs me everything...but just know, for the first time in a long while-"
He raised the relic high, "I have my own reasons for doing this, too."
...
...
"But, you already know that don't you-"
"Jinn?"
*Bump
The relic suddenly lit up, releasing a pulse of energy, the surrounding area turning blue as medical machines stopped beeping, time coming to a complete standstill.
Ozpin stared down, but-
The bed creaked as a figure leaned against his back, a feminine voice billowing out like an ocean breeze-
"Back for more...Ozma?~"
A long blue arm stretched out, checking a nonexistent watch, "Has it really been a hundred years already? You know, these encounters of ours bounce from one to the next, but you?...Hmmmm, you need to get here the hard way, watching...waiting...marching through the muck you call life over and over, asking me the same questions without an end in sigh-"
"How do I kill Ryomen Sukuna without bringing harm to Yuji Itadori?"
"Oh my...you are serious, aren't you?"
Slowly, the entity levitated, laying down as if she were on an elegant divan, floating around the immortal, smiling down at him as they came face to face.
Jinn was an odd entity, one even Ozma struggled to understand the workings of, an artificial construct of Cursed Energy. Her 'form' appeared as a beautiful woman with aquamarine skin and dark blue eyes and hair, adorned in fine golden jewelry, but it was all a farce-
Her core was the very relic in the Headmaster's hands, everything else a mirage. There was no body to speak of, and how she existed at all remained a mystery outside of the gods making her, like an inanimate object was somehow given life. Though, Ozma never dared to waste a precious question on such a personal curiosity.
Ozpin stared up at the entity, "I never tread lightly around such things."
Jinn smiled down at him, "I'm more than aware of that. I'm just surprised. It's always...Salem this...Salem that...but here you are, asking about someone else...even giving out his title, how cute."
"...I wasn't aware it was a title."
"Don't feel too bad. Only a few ever knew his true name. I could tell you if you'd like~"
She came closer, "It would be a much better use of that question."
The immortal remained firm, "You know what I asked of you."
Jinn pouted, putting a palm to her face, "I can't give you an answer."
"We both know you can."
"It won't be a satisfying one."
"I want to hear it regardless."
She giggled, throwing a hand in the air, "I don't know why I bother trying to bait you...it's been ages since I last got you to waste an inquiry."
Soon, the laughter died down, but her smile remained, "How can you kill Ryomen Sukuna without harming Yuji Itadori?... Hypothetically, it's entirely possible under the right circumstances, but realistically? No, you can't. There are quite a few factors at play preventing this, dear Ozma."
She snapped a finger, and reality itself seemed to shift, their surroundings warping as time and space itself distorted, the medical room of Haven breaking apart, reforming as-
...
...
They found themselves inside what could only be an ancient temple, lit up by torchlight and candles-
Ozma looked around, perplexed, "Where are-"
"I'll give you one chance to explain yourself."
"Why are you here?"
...
...
"Kenjaku."
The immortal turned, his very skin going cold-
Before him, stood a man with dark black hair wrapped up behind his head with a loose ponytail, leaving the center almost completely bald, wearing a dark kimono and wooden sandals, hands crossed behind his back, a ceaseless smile that made his bones shudder in place, but what drew the immortal's attention most-
Were the stitches across his forehead.
The ancient sorcerer remained utterly still, more like a doll than any kind of living being, "Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"
...
...
"Sukuna."
Up above, atop a set of stairs, resting in what was once a shrine, still adorned in its padding and finery, sat a giant of a man, his legs crossed, one hand over his knee, wearing a loose-fitting cloak and baggy white pants, staring down at the intruder, his appearance nothing short of nightmarish-
Four eyes-
Four arms-
A giant mouth strewn across his stomach-
A horrid chunk of bone sticking out of the side of his face.
Ozma stopped in his tracks, his eyes transfixed on that man, not from the overwhelming presence he emitted but-
"That...that hair...and the skin, he-...Yuji-"
Jinn appeared next to him, floating in the air, her palms against her chin, and with the snap of a finger, with time slowing to a crawl, allowing them to speak, "They do look quite alike, don't they? I suppose it's a given, but don't bother asking. You'll find out soon enough~."
The blue construct floated toward Kenjaku, trailing the stitches on his head with a finger, "And here's his mommy, but they don't look quite so similar yet, do the-"
Her blue eyes met the ancient sorcerer's unmoving, pitch-black stare, and all too quickly, she pulled away, moving back toward the Headmaster.
Ozpin looked to the ground, his feet firmly planted, raising an arm, waving it around, but no party present seemed to react, "They can't see me..."
"Of course not. I'm good, but even I abide by the rules of reality, dear Ozma. Time is linear, and it only moves in one direction...forward."
"Time...then-"
He spun around, taking in the wooden structure surrounding them, "This is-"
Jinn smiled more, "A very distant past. The strongest age of sorcery in human history-"
She lazily beckoned a hand, "Welcome to the Heian Era, my dear."
"...No, no, that can't be...You just said traveling backward in time was impossible! This has to be some kind of mirage or-"
"Nothing of the sort, I assure you."
"That makes no sense! You've never done this before, and there's no need to! You know everything! Everything that was or ever will be is stored in you!"
"You never asked how I do what I do. You know that, right? Vague assumptions are always enough for you... until they aren't...and that's why we're here...because I can't bother to find the words to explain the world of no's between you and that question you threw my way."
The construct laughed, "Consider this a freebie between old business partners...I don't actually know anything, Ozma. My technique doesn't work that way... a soul can only store so much information, and it would literally be my end if I knew every bit of information that was out there."
Jinn slowly stretched out, "I'm limited by a vow imposed on me by the gods to ensure I don't break from overload. I can only look for what is asked of me, and even then, it doesn't magically appear in my head. My technique, call it 'Cartographer,' guides me to what I'm looking for-"
"Time flows in one direction, but the Cursed Realm is infinite, both parallel and perpendicular to what you call reality. I can access it at will, use it as a highway, and follow it to my destination...and now, we're here...able to watch, but not interact."
She leaned closer, "Any questions?"
...
...
Jinn shrugged, bringing her fingers together, "Let's continue."
*Snap
A figure emerged from beside the King of Curses, their ethereal white hair shimmering with ice as they threw out a hand, the motion flowing through their blank kimono, "You dare to think Sukuna-sama would waste his idle thoughts on a wretch like you!? Know your place!"
Kenjaku smiled indifferently, his eyes closing slightly, "As belligerent as ever, aren't we, Uraume? Have you developed that technique of yours more since our last encounter?"
The air chilled as ice formed along the walls, extinguishing each torch one by one, "Enough to handle the scraps my Lord doesn't deem worthy of his time...vile rats much like yourse-"
A giant hand dropped onto her head, "That's enough."
Uraume shuddered, "My lord?"
Sukuna stared ahead at the stitched-up man, "I won't fight your battles for you, and he's one you don't want to leave a good impression on. Isn't that right, you disgusting abomination?"
Kenjaku stuck out his tongue, raising his hands like a child, "Right as always~...show me enough of your potential, and-"
A shadow crossed the madman's face, his smile twisting into something grotesque, "I just might take it for myself."
The white-haired sorcerer snarled in contempt.
It quickly turned into a graceful bow to the Fallen One, "Though, I would never dare do such a thing to a man of your standing...I have far too much respect to try such a-"
Sukuna huffed, "Every moment you live is a testament to my patience, and you're wasting precious seconds on these semantics. Get on with it."
...
...
"Ah."
Kenjaku's head rose, their corrupted stares meeting, tilting his head ever-so-slightly, "You're bored, aren't you? If this were the monster I met a brief few years ago, you would've cut me down the moment I lowered my head, and why wouldn't you? So many foes, so many possibilities, it seemed like a never-ending challenge, but that's come to an end, hasn't it?"
The Fallen One blankly watched him, "You think I care for a brief lull like this? These things are cyclical. I've planted the seeds for my next challenge to rise from the ashes of the last. Whether it be some dead sorcerer's child, an unknown upstart, or a Cursed Spirit seeking to prove itself, I will always have something to look forward to, and if not them-"
The eyes on the mutated part of his face seemed to flicker, spiraling inward as they glowed red, "I can make do with regular humans until it starts up once more."
Kenjaku remained indifferent, "That plan of yours is certainly well-thought-out, like a farmer tending to his crops, and in due time, he'll reap the reward...it can go on for as long as you live...and if you don't mind diminishing returns, I hardly see fault...although-"
The ancient sorcerer passively smiled, "I never took you for one to die of old age."
Sukuna hummed, "I hardly pay it any mind. From the moment you snuff the life from another being, it guarantees the same will happen to you...some day or other. I don't fear death, nor will I crawl away from it like you. If someone worth my best effort rises up, then who am I to deny an end like that?"
"And what will you do if that person fails to appear? Or rather...what if they aren't worth your time?"
Kenjaku held his stolen arms wide, his kimono flowing with the motion, "Time is no man's friend, dear Sukuna. Let's say you do live to a decrepit age. Even a person of your standing will eventually lose their strength, and foes who wouldn't stand a chance against you at your prime become a challenge, and it only gets worse the longer it goes on."
"Your reinforced limbs will break, your refinement dwindling as your mind recedes, your domain, once unstoppable, shattering like cheap pottery against the land you once brought such havoc on..."
He stepped forward, "Can you truly look yourself in the eye and say an opponent who can defeat you like that is worthy of your time in the here and now?"
...
...
Kenjaku smiled, "What if I can offer you a proper rival? One who can offer more than anyone in this era could have hoped for?"
Sukuna hummed, his focus becoming clear, "And what makes you so certain such a person can even exist?"
"Because I've lived through it. This era isn't my first, and it certainly won't be my last. As long as humanity exists, there will always be an exon to rise above the masses, but what matters is the context, not the person in question-"
He weighed his hands like a scale, "Some periods are strong, and others are weak...the strongest of one moment may be fodder in the next. It's all a game of chance. Like a tide, it pushes and pulls. You may live to see the start of the next era, but who's to say it will be worth waiting for? And again, you'll only see the one, so why place your eggs in one basket, not knowing what's to come when I can guarantee returns?"
The Fallen One reclined, "You aren't foolish enough to come here asking for control of my body...no, you have something else in mind."
"That I do."
"is that so? Here I thought, 'time is no man's friend.'"
"Well, you see-"
Kenjaku put a hand on top of his skull, pulling his scalp back, the long stitches across his forehead stretching out, exposing his brain to the world, the mouth on it opening and closing as his lips moved in tandem-
"I'm not always a man."
...
...
A savage grin grew across Sukuna's face, "Speak your terms."
Kenjaku slowly lowered his head back into place, "Oh, nothing serious...just a few guarantees. I think we both know I tend to dabble in things others find...problematic."
"You want protection? You? The being I've seen slaughter sorcerer and Curse alike for getting in the way of his research?"
"A foe worthy of you would crush me like an ant, and I don't have the luxury of death, not while there's still work to do-"
Kenjaku sweetly smiled, "I'm looking toward the future."
Sukuna waved him off, "I don't care for the specifics. I need guarantees that you'll live up to your end of our bargain. Anything else is up to your discretion."
"If it's a show of loyalty you want, then-"
The body-stealer put a hand over his heart, "I, Kenjaku, hereby swear on the threat of death that I will bring about Ryomen Sukuna's return as soon as possible once the chance arises for him to face his greatest challenge yet, and in exchange, he will provide me protection whenever until said fight has begun, with the caveat that so long as I live, the Cursed Objects containing his soul cannot be destroyed."
...
...
The King of Curses huffed, "And how exactly do you plan to do this?"
Kenjaku smiled more, "Normally, I could simply separate the soul from the body and lock it within a container, rendering it a Cursed Object that I can later put in a vessel, for them to assume control of, but yours is...much more potent. We'll need to use multiple pieces in multiple objects."
The ancient sorcerer stared at the man's four giant arms, "Those fingers of yours would do nicely. I'll even preserve them in wax if you'd like. Then, you would do what you're doing now. Patiently wait."
Sukuna shrugged, "Such a thing is child's play. I agree to your terms."
"Then, you won't mind if I use that body of yours for-"
The King of Curses stared off in the distance, "Feel free. I won't be needing it."
"Rest assured, I won't possess it. If I heal your hands, then the vow will be revoked. On the other... 'hand,'... I can't be walking around with stumps for limbs, now, can I?"
"Do as you please."
Another shadow crossed the Kenjaku's stolen face, "Oh, I plan to."
...
...
The ancient sorcerer suddenly clapped, "Now then! With that matter settled, would you like any time to settle your affairs? This temple did belong to your mothe-"
Sukuna stared without any trace of emotion, "We do this today."
Kenjaku bowed his head, "...By all means, I can be ready by midnight."
...
...
Once more, time slowed to a crawl-
Ozpin could only stare at the scene before him, his fists slowly clenching as they shook, "What sort of beasts can talk so callously about life?"
Jinn shrugged, "Ideals are a strong thing, Ozma. Even the dullest of people dream of grandeur at some point or another, but they all run into that inevitable wall of time. You might not understand it because of the nature of your existence, but age is a Curse in its own right."
The blue construct wagged a finger at the trio, "It's as they said: the body may wither, and the mind may decay, but those driving beliefs burn bright in your soul until the very end, and instead of looking back at past deeds with pride, they focus on what they could have done. It's human nature at its finest."
She smiled down at him, "From apes crawling on the jungle floor to advanced societies manipulating everything around them, they always want more, and they hate that it has to come to an end."
"You asked me if you could defeat Ryomen Sukuna without harming Yuji Itadori, and the simple answer is you can't."
She flipped about in the air, hovering upside down, "By the terms set out before you, Sukuna's soul is sealed with his fingers, which mostly rest within that boy's body. He's anchored in and will never leave unless he chooses to, but that will only come from mutual consent or influence from an outside party, and I assure you, Yuji Itadori would never let such a thing occur-"
Ozpin shook his head, "I don't need to separate them. I only need to kill one while sparing the other!"
"For Sukuna to die, his vessel must perish and drag his soul to the afterlife. There is no way around this."
"I could use the relic of creation, make a body that could host him, then-"
"Two things: One, a body with no soul would just end with Sukuna in control of it, and two...we both know general commands to that relic more often than not end in disaster...and Yuji Itadori was made under very specific circumstances, ones that can't so easily be replicated."
Jinn huffed, closing her eyes, "I don't know why you bothered asking in the first place, Ozma. This is the King of Curses, the Fallen One, the Strongest Sorcerer to have ever lived. You might as well be fighting the devil himself...and without a hint of Cursed Energy, I might add. You'll die without having made a difference, just to wake up and see the consequences for yourself."
...
...
The immortal hissed, "Then...I could use the relic-"
"On myself."
The construct's eyes opened slightly, "You certainly could, but there would be-"
"Consequences...I know...but if I can reach his level, I could-"
"That would demand a great sacrifice. Probably more than even you're willing to offer."
"But...I would stand a chance."
...
...
Jinn reluctantly nodded, "Your chances of winning would still be near zero, even under optimal circumstances, but...there are things you can do to bolster yourself...ask the right questions, and you just might-"
*Bump-Bump
A pulse of darkness rang out, their surroundings becoming pitch black.
Ozpin grimaced, "I'm growing tired of your tricks. You'll get your questions when you-"
The construct shook her head, "No, it...it wasn't m-"
"My-my~"
The pair paused, their trembling stares shifting to the side as a pair of hands gently caressed the blue entity's long curls of hair-
An ancient sorcerer smiled, a low white light reflecting off his scalp, his stitches on full display, "What a fascinating specimen you are."
...
...
Ozpin went pale, "Y-you-"
Jinn recoiled but was unable to move, "That's...you shouldn't be able to-"
Kenjaku hummed indifferently, "Using the Cursed Realm to eavesdrop, are we? I must say, you're playing a very dangerous game, after all-"
A tiny laugh escaped his lips, "Who knows what's waiting out there? Especially when you're somewhere you shouldn't be..."
Jinn nodded, "Y-you're right...we'll be...we'll be going on our-"
"Such remarkable craftsmanship..."
She shivered, "...Pardon?"
"I must admit, I've never seen such seamless work. I'd love to meet whoever made you, but that can wait...I have other things in mind."
Ozpin flashed his cane, the tip glowing green, but before he could use it-
Kenjaku didn't so much as look at him, "And what do you think you'll achieve with that?"
The immortal hissed, "I've done more than my share."
A chill emanated from the body stealer, "Against your own kind, maybe...but energy without meaning behind it is nothing more than a waste. Like a stagnant body of water, you'll never grow, only recede into nothing. That is reality without passion, and that is the crux of your existence."
His scalp moved on its own as something crawled beneath the surface, "I suggest you drop it before I lose what little interest I have in you two."
Ozpin extinguished his staff, standing there enraged and utterly helpless.
The pressure soon dropped, and Kenjaku met both of their gazes, "A Cursed Corpse and a man without Cursed Energy, outsiders who don't belong in this era...and if you're here, watching and observing...then this moment had an impact on history, like a rock against a pond, with splashing waves reverberating in all directions."
He slowly released his hold, a content smile crossing his face, "It must mean I'm following the right path...wouldn't you agree?"
...
...
*CRACK
The second she was released, Jinn snapped her fingers together, sending her and Ozma far away, back from where they came, leaving Kenjaku alone in the dark.
The ancient sorcerer tapped his chin in thought, "Yuji Itadori, hm? Calm and compassionate...Tiger and staff.."
Kenjaku looked up at the inky darkness above, "Patient...kind...supportive...and brave...such an odd name...and tied to Sukuna no less?"
He turned around, walking off into the void, hands clasped behind his back, "If that's the case, who am I to argue? And besides, I quite like the sound of it."
The body stealer gently hummed, "My little Yuji."
"I can't wait to meet you."
...
In the present.
Given the sheer chaos of the past few hours, security around the borders of Mistral was unsurprisingly a complete mess, and even with mass Atlesian patrols from the land and air, it wasn't difficult for two people to slip between the gaps unnoticed.
That was the nature of this kingdom: a restrictive government with severe enforcement of their draconian laws and a population that found ways to avoid the more annoying aspects of daily life.
All Blake needed to do was slip underground, pick the right tunnels, and make her way to a seemingly desolate cabin in the wilderness, entering a furnished basement through an outside entrance.
The quiet girl bit her cheek as she checked Itadori's pulse, with the vessel laid out over a rickety old bed covered in various blankets, "I know it's not much, but...we should be safe down here."
A mouth opened on the side of the vessel's face, with Eso's voice echoing out, "Are you sure?"
"There's plenty of abandoned houses across Remnant. Failed settlements and whatever else. No one will pay any mind to a rickety old place like this."
"That's...good. You are...a good friend."
"...Yeah, sure."
Eso was not a conversationalist.
...
...
Blake rubbed her arm, "I still feel like I should bandage him up or something."
Eso sounded indifferent, "He'll be fine. The reverse cursed technique is more than enough to fix whatever's happened to him."
"Hmph...you make it sound so special."
"Because it is."
"Really? Yuji never really makes a big deal out of the things he does, so it's hard to tell."
"Think of it like this. Most sorcerers never achieve more than a middling use of their technique, let alone hope for a maximum technique like you saw us use earlier. The next level are domain expansions and the reverse cursed technique, things that normally take years if not decades to acquire-"
Eso seemed upset, "Yuji did it in months."
Blake frowned, her breath coming off as fog, "You don't like that he's this strong, do you?"
"It's...a complicated situation."
She nodded, slowly standing, gathering wood from a pile of logs, "It doesn't have to be. I get not wanting to see someone young go through the same things you did."
"It's the sad reality of his existence. For a long time, I was jealous of him, being Kenjaku's star child. I don't know why. I hate my father more than words can imagine, but maybe...deep down, I thought...if I was wanted, then things could have been different."
Eso's eye appeared, staring at his sibling with regret, "Our one-hundred-and-fifty years were all but a few days to Yuji."
Blake tossed a few logs into a fireplace, "You made a bad mistake."
"I tried to kill my own brother."
"Yeah, you did...just like I killed the people who used to own this house."
...
...
The Faunus pulled out a lighter, igniting a piece of paper before tossing it onto the wood, igniting the stack in a slow burn, the flame reflecting in her yellow eyes, "It was a long time ago, just me and Adam, this...old friend of mine... The White Fang dropped us off on the coast and told us to make our way to Mistral-"
She grimaced, "We bit off more than we could chew, and after a few days of walking in circles, we were fucking exhausted. Adam saw a house with lights on...and, figuring it was a human family, he charged through the front door. I heard a scuffle, ran in with my gun drawn, and-"
...
...
Blake stared up at the ceiling, "Adam and this old man...a dad...were fighting on the ground, his wife and kids were huddled in the corner, and I didn't think I just...shot him in the head. The family screamed, so...I shot them too."
"Adam just told me I did good. We ransacked the upstairs, set it on fire to destroy any evidence, and spent a night down here in this basement...even brought a few toys down here with us."
Her hands shook, "My whole life, I thought humans hated us for existing, so I hated them too, and why wouldn't I? I just wanted to be an author, and I couldn't do that because I wasn't born right."
"But then, after what I did set in, it just sort of hit me all at once. These people weren't part of that feud. They just wanted to live, just like I did...and I killed them...and maybe they would've helped us if we just asked, maybe not...but I need to live with that in my conscience, and it's-"
"You have to live with it and try to do better, not for yourself but for the people you hurt! That's...that's all you can do! It-"
Blake gasped, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes, "I'm sorry, it's just...really hard to talk about."
...
...
*SPLAT
There was a sound of rushing blood splashing against the floor.
Blake shot up, whirling around, "Oh God, Yuji! Are you-"
There was a green hand in her face, holding a box of colorful bricks.
Kechizu tilted his head, "Will you play blocks with me?"
The question was so bizarre that it made her tears stop in their tracks.
Blake stared at the half-curse, "What?"
...
...
Minutes later
The cat Faunus sat on the floor beside a green monstrosity, absent-mindedly connecting objects together.
Was this their way of showing empathy? It was all so confusing.
Blake didn't look at what she was making, "I don't understand you two."
Kechizu's giant mouth hung open, "Eh? Why's that?"
"One second you're terrifying, and the next, you're mature, and after that...you're like big children. I just...don't know what to do with it."
"We don't either kitty-cat."
"You don't?"
"We're the living version of mixin' water and oil, ya know? It's a whole lotta question marks and not a lotta answers."
Kechizu kicked his legs around, "Sometimes, I really wanna talk to people and make friends, and other times, I wanna kill 'em...not you though, at first I thought about eatin' you, but then I realized you were kinda cool for sticking up for my brother, so-"
He smiled, "We're cool!"
Kechizu soon leaned over, holding out his creation, "Does this look like a rocket ship?"
Blake sputtered, "Y...yeah, sure it does."
He happily clapped, "Yay-yay! I've never gotten to do fun stuff like this before!"
"Guess I should feel honored to be part of it..."
"What's there to be honored about?"
He raised his toy, flying it around, "We're just havin' fun, right?"
"I don't think this is the right time for that sort of thing."
"Bah, that's boring talk...I think everyone's problems happen 'cause they're always upset about what they don't have instead of appreciating what they got."
"It's a lot more complicated than that."
"Does it have to be?"
"That's just life, Kechizu."
"Mmmm, nah...you just focus too much on the stuff you don't understand, is all."
He made sound effects, "Pchoo-pchoo!... Look and my family, we don't really belong anywhere if you think about it. Most humans will never accept us because we're freaks, and Curses think the same thing...not just the ones that talk, but even the dumb ones that can't think so good attack us on sight."
Kechizu reached out one of his elongated arms, dropping it onto Yuji's leg and giving it a few taps, "The only people I ever felt safe with are my brothers, so I stick with 'em...what else could a guy like me need?"
Blake's eyes dropped a bit, "I don't think you mean that."
"Huh? Why would ya say that?"
She shrugged, giving a tiny smile, "Well...you came out here to cheer me up, right?"
"I just thought you'd be fun to talk to, is all."
Blake started assembling something, "That's called empathy, little guy. You see someone going through something like you did and understand what it's like, so you try to help."
"We're playin' blocks, dummy...and I ain't little. I eat people."
"I think it's more than that. You might be part Curse, but you're also a person-"
"I dunno."
...
...
Kechizu slumped forward, "There's a lotta things I don't understand...people confuse me...Curses confuse me...I confuse me, but-"
The green creature sighed, "I know I care about my brothers, and whether or not it's because some cursed instinct or human nature doesn't change the way I feel...I go with what I understand, so...I'm gonna take care of my brother and stack some blocks."
Blake watched him, "You feel lost without him, don't you?... Choso?
"...Yeah."
"Ever since I lost Adam, even before he died...I felt the same way. It's like my sense of direction was just...gone and I suddenly had to figure things out for myself...but most of all-,"
Despite his appearance, Kechizu looked truly sad, "You just miss having them around."
"...Yeah, even after everything he did...I still miss that sweet boy I met as a little girl."
"I just wanna know what happened to him."
Blake nodded, raising something above the half-curse's head. He grumbled in confusion as she put a fake set of blocky cat ears on him, holding up a tiny mirror, "See? We're not so different."
...
...
Kechizu smiled, "I ate a cat once."
"WHY DO YOU TELL ME THESE THINGS!?"
...
*CRRRRR
A piece of flaming wreckage creaked, giving way as structures collapsed, and with a gasp, Ironwood woke up in a world of fire and smoke as alarms blared around him, a tightness around his chest and a burning heat across his body-
He looked down, realizing he was still strapped into his seat as gravity tried to pull him down, raising an arm, only to realize his clothes and skin had singed away, revealing bionic metal beneath the surface from his fingertips to half of his face.
The General studied his surroundings, seeing nothing but his own dead soldiers on all sides, and down below, the front window revealed a sprawling street hundreds of feet down.
He tried to move, and the entire craft lurched with an audible creak, a synthetic voice ringing out from the surrounding speakers-
"Warning: Catastrophic structural damage to sectors A-G. Abandonment protocol recommended."
Ironwood waved a metallic hand, his digital components glowing, a cracked screen lit up, showing footage of the airship careening over the skies of Mistral, slamming into one of the highrises, held aloft by a wrapping of wire and metal it tore from the structure.
The mechanical man hissed, "What a waste of good resources... Computer, update me on the current status of the fleet."
"As it currently stands, three Atlesian-airship level vessels are entirely destroyed alongside twenty-three percent of our small-craft and armored vehicles. Requests for more have already been logged by the chain of command."
"Requests logged...but no rescue efforts? Explain."
"Fears of biological contamination have rendered rescue and recovery efforts impossible for the time being."
"His blood...send out two alerts, one for my status and the next as a general order: our soldiers are to await the arrival of contamination units and avoid exposure at all costs. Next-"
Ironwood reached into his tattered jacket, pulled out his revolver, and idly checked its rounds. "Primary objective: gather as many samples as possible for future study. Secondary objectives: attempt to prevent the fluids from entering the local ecosystem. We have no idea if this will cause an outbreak...Prepare quarantine procedures for the Mistrali capital in the meantime."
"Understood. Your logs have been filed and reported. If you wish to depart this vessel, I must inform you that multiple escape craft and emergency exits have been compromised."
He stared straight down at the front panel, "I'll make my own way out."
"Might I suggest an alternative? Atlesian hulls have an average density of-"
Ironwood scoffed, grabbing onto his metal frame with his normal hand, his flesh warping as it absorbed and morphed into the material, becoming sleek and reflective, his entire body an organic metal-
He crouched, "I'm more than aware."
*BOOOOM
He launched off his seat, and with a single kick, the front of the ship buckled, blasting off to the streets below as he plummeted with it, crashing to the pavement with an audible thud.
*Creak-Creak-Creak
The leader huffed, ignoring the creaking sounds of the airship coming loose, strolling off down the road as an explosion rang out behind him, engulfing the entire street in flame as he walked out completely unscathed, the liquid metal receding soon after.
He tapped his communicator, "I don't care who or what's available. Get me transport."
...
Ironwood's Semblance: Super-Heavy
When exposed to any amount of metallic material, the General's skin can mimic its properties, becoming a sort of organic steel, which has only grown more potent after years of testing, grafting entire limbs of compatible metals to himself. He cannot retain the form for long periods without extreme strain. Still, when used in bursts, his defense becomes nearly uncrackable, with foes needing to reach an unbelievable amount of force to achieve any noticeable damage.
...
That's it for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter; cheers.
Discord:
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