Ataraxia 平静 | Gojo Satoru

-'๑'-𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐-'๑'-

Yuji smashed his hand into the bed of the shallow river, creating a violent splash of water that hid his body. He followed up by throwing two large stones that the curse—Hanami—allowed to simply bounce off its body. The distraction was enough for me to cut through, slicing at its chest from below and managing a scarce dent before it backed away in a flurry of thorns.

It was fine—as long as my Stardust went through, the attack was impactful enough. I quickly realized as the fight went on, that the chances of me bursting through its unfaltering defenses to deal a killing blow were too slim, therefore counting on my technique's hindering poison was a safer option.

Instantly, Hanami summoned giant spiked roots that shot into the sky, Yuji and I barely dodging as we perched on top of them.

"It's sacrificing power and speed in exchange for these attacks!" Aoi Todo called to us, unleashing a set of powerful punches before climbing one of the pillars. "We need to tire it out!"

Hanami suddenly appeared from within the roots and fired two bolts that I closely evaded, summoning my chained blades.

"Get down!" I yelled to the fighting duo before I infused myself with my shadows, feeling the hum in my blood as I plunged to the ground in a dance of slices and ripples of smoke. The massive pillar collapsed in my wake in burning ribbons, causing the curse to snarl.

"I'll teach you to cherish the ground you walk on." Its voice came out distorted but clear this time, as it slammed the ground.

"So you can speak," Todo taunted with a wild grin. "Brother! I've memorized its attack patterns, don't think and just follow my lead!"

Yuji jerked his head in his direction and shot up with great speed, evading another one of those crimson buds. They rushed Hanami together, but before I could warn him, Aoi's foot got caught by a root sprouting from the ground.

"Todo!" Yuji screamed as I dashed forward creating a shadow barrier.

"Guys, stay back!" I tried.

The growing roots whipped the large male into the air, sending him crashing into the freshly sprouted pile of wooden spikes. Yuji tried to help his friend but instantly got caught off by the curse.

"Yuji, watch out!" I yelled at the distracted boy, but right before he got struck, Aoi clapped his hands, instantly switching places with the curse as it got impaled by its own attack. Yuji's punch hit the other instead, sending him into a hearty laughter.

I recognized the Cursed Technique from the former Exchange Events. It allowed him to switch the positions of anything with cursed energy within his range with a clap of his hands. He could change himself out with the location of another person or switch two different parties other than himself as well. I didn't waste time as I phased through the maze of sprouting roots, sending a blast of dark energy where the curse was immobilized.

Unsurprisingly, it wrapped itself in a wooden sphere, dodging the attack and dashing away-yet the corrosive touch of my shadow burnt it to ash, right as Yuji came crashing down, his fist enchanted with black lightning. He hit the curse with an uppercut to the body, a kick to the head, and a chop to the back, sending it hurtling to the ground.

My eyes widened at the sudden display of power. Yuji had just used Black Flash. The phenomenon required incredible concentration, and no jujutsu sorcerer was capable of using it at will, not even Gojo Satoru himself. It did not occur randomly and required immense skill and combat potential to pull off.

"Bring the vessel alive." The other curses' words resonated, as I watched Yuji strike again, and again, and again. That single rush tied Kento Nanami's record of four consecutive Black Flash strikes. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Regardless of how you got it right the first time, whether it was skill, or simply luck, it causes the user to enter a state where manipulating your cursed energy becomes something as simple and natural as breathing. It can result in a feeling of omnipotence, as if everything revolves around you. This leads to a greatly increased performance in combat, allowing the user to operate at 120% of their maximum potential." Nanami's words echoed through me, as I watched the curse push itself off the ground, its energy clearly depleted.

Yuji's eyes were different-focused and blazing, his breathing even, barely recognizable from his usual aura. Whatever had happened between him and the first-grade sorcerer had gotten him to unlock a new level to his immense potential.

"Fine," Hanami hissed, removing the sash on its left shoulder and revealing a large, red flower. It took out a heavy inhale, sucking the life out of the forest plants around, the flower on its shoulder blooming with cursed energy as the surroundings turned barren.

I couldn't speak fast enough, not as the curse plunged on a wooden tendril at lightning speed, sending a trail of cursed buds at Yuji. Before the attack collided, Todo clapped his hands again, switching places with the pink-haired boy and took the full impact-without blocking it with cursed energy.

I watched in horror as the male collapsed to the ground, Yuji kneeling down to his side in worry. The curse's voice rang through the clearing, on top of the elevated pillar. "Ohanabatake."

A field of flowers emerged around the duo, stark against the new darkness, causing them to halt, entranced in some kind of spell. My legs moved on their own accord, hopping into bolts of shadow as Hanami summoned a behemoth crimson flower, sending a rain of cursed buds coming to the ground. I managed to raise a thick shadowed barrier just as the barrage of thorns ran down in a pandemonium of blasts, causing it to ripple as I fought to keep my footing in front of the two boys.

"Yue-sensei. . ." Yuji's weak voice called from behind, telling me they were finally out of the Flower Field's spell. I didn't get to answer him as my shield began to crack, allowing fleeting buds to hit the ground, some slicing into my clothes and skin. I gritted my teeth as I positioned myself lower, protecting the two with my own body.

"Yue-senpai!" Todo tugged at my now torn sleeve. "They feed on your cursed energy," he rasped, looking down at the wounds in my abdomen, "The more techniques you use, the deeper the roots will extend into your body-"

He got caught off as another barrage of cursed buds came raining down, this time Yuji helping his limping friend to safety as I flew skyward, dual blades now in my grasp.

"Agh!" I grunted as the excruciating pain coursed through me, dark-purple bruises already forming on my arms, legs, and upper body as the buds bloomed. I focused some of my cursed energy into steeling myself, sending yet another wave of pain down my spine.

"They feed on your cursed energy."

I dodged a flying wooden bolt as I kept treading upwards with Shadow Stepping, evading and repelling incoming attacks. They were tangibly weaker than before, the curse clearly growing tired from all the used energy, along with the bleeding slices by my Dark Arsenal.

"Yue-sensei! Watch out!" Yuji's voice came dimmed out from below, and I flashed past the next set of bolts, now larger and faster, finally gaining my footing on the huge flying sphere.

"If you're not coming to me," I sneered, gripping my blades, "I'll come to you," I dashed into close range combat, landing swift superficial blows as it grunted and sent thorns flying. I cut through them all, feeling as if my body was reacting on its own despite the pain, my mind clear as ever.

We fought relentlessly, attacking and evading at a fantastic speed atop the floating sphere, the rough, wild wind swooshing and singing as steel and bark clashed. Hanami sent a tangle of roots erupting from the floor, before slicing ahead with a sharp vine.

"Got you!" It said, but instantly faltered as I landed back to the ground into a full split, hitting upwards with both blades-and slicing clean through its left arm.