Chapter Text
The situation inside the Sendai city barrier has reached an intense peak far surpassing the one in Tokyo, and is developing at a swift, aggressive pace.
Dhruv Lakdawala owns 91 points. Second incarnation. An old man who achieved sole control over the archipelago during the civil war of wa. He has two types of self-sufficient shikigami and can use their tracks as a domain.
Ishigori Ryu owns 77 points. Boasts the highest cursed energy output among the players. Can shoot cursed energy like a cannon.
Uro Takako owns 70 points. Former captain of the jitsu-getsu-sei-shintai unit who reports directly to the assasination team of the Fujiwara clan. Her cursed technique allows her to manipulate the sky.
Kurourushi owns 54 points. A cockroach cursed spirit released from Kenjaku’s cursed spirit manipulation. [Special grade] has already been registered. Dormant until introductory conditions disappear.
With no alliances, their four equally-matched abilities form a complicated relationship where they’ve reached a four-way deadlock. However, one side has crumbled.
Okkotsu Yuta owns 35 points. After the night parade of a hundred demons, he regained his [Special Grade] status in three months. In this modern era, he is second only to Satoru Gojo. Simply put, a prodigy.
There is a fifth, however he is yet to fully awaken.
“A player has added a rule to the culling game!”
The small bug-like shikigami manifested beside Natsuki Subaru’s head, jolting him upright. Blinking three times, his ears slowly honed into what it was saying.
“Rule 10! Players can now give any amount of points they want to another player!”
A new rule had been added to the culling games, though Subaru did not understand the purpose of such.
The ability to give another player points– though useful, it didn’t seem like a logical one to add. It would have been better to add a rule that allowed people to withdraw from the games, or transfer between colonies.
However, Subaru instantly noticed that the rule itself did not come without merit.
“So… a rule that helps pacifists, or just people that don’t want to commit murder.”
Subaru himself was one of these people, so he instantly realized the actual purpose behind the adding of this rule.
Giving another player points would directly reset the timer imposed by the eighth and final rule, without the cost of ending another player's life. The choice was logical, but also flawed.
“Not like people will just willingly give out points though. As much as I hate it, this whole thing is a ‘survival of the fittest’ type deal.”
Looking around the underbridge, Subaru let out a long sigh. A small river was laid out right below his small “campsite”, with multiple different fish jumping in and out.
“Camping out here really wasn’t the best decision. But if I went out to one of those shelters or whatever, nothing good would happen.”
The reason as to why Natsuki Subaru had decided on such a remote place to camp out was not because he necessarily enjoyed the outdoors. In fact, he was quite the opposite. But for reasons unbeknownst to him, no matter where he went or how hard he tried to avoid them–
“You weirdos just keep popping up like flies. Am I releasing some kind of pheromones, or what?”
Turning his head, Subaru came face to face with a hulking cursed spirit, its sickly green-and-turquoise form writhing with unnatural motion. With multiple hulking arm-like appendages, it was likely one of the stronger ones Subaru has encountered during his time in the culling games.
Subaru had not spent that long as a sorcerer, but he was able to manipulate cursed energy to a decently high degree. Though it was nowhere near the likes of Satoru Gojo or even Yuji Itadori, he was able to deal with most low-level cursed spirits.
But what made Subaru’s cursed energy different from others was not because of how much he had, or to what degree he was able to manipulate it. Instead, it was the innate effect brought on by the cursed energy itself.
“Free weight training… gym membership… included!”
Letting out a distorted wail, two of its arms spread out towards Subaru.
Due to his inexperience as a sorcerer and the considerable strength the cursed spirit likely possessed, Subaru failed to react in time in order to dodge the attack. However, that did not leave him completely defenseless.
“Hk–!”
Bracing both of his arms in front of him, Subaru imbued his body with cursed energy– a sensation he had gotten familiar with over time, but still a very strange one.
Once the muscular hands collided with his forearms, they grasped onto him and flung Subaru sideways, sending him crashing into the wall.
His ribs blared with pain as they slammed against the wall, and his vision swam before snapping back into focus. The curse aimed to attack again, but Subaru deflected it with a cursed energy infused blow, knocking it back.
“Man that hurts! When characters get attacked in manga or anime, they always shrug it off though. Real life sucks.”
He was unable to fully negate the damage from the cursed spirits attack, even with cursed energy reinforcement. Ribs aching and breath laboured, Subaru wiped away the drool that had traced itself down the corner of his mouth, and came to a decision.
Subaru jumped backwards into the bank below. Though he could have likely put up a fight if he wished to do so, fighting an enemy that seemed way out of his league was not something Subaru was willing to do. He valued his own life, after all.
Breaking into a run, he made his way down the bank and towards an adjacent bridge, the cursed spirit following closely behind.
“You’re so persistent!”
Cursing his own bad luck, Subaru looked back to check how close the cursed spirit was to him. About ten meters, and gaining on him slowly. Subaru could not guarantee that he could outpace the spirit, given that it had already torn off its injured arm.
The injured arm swam in the river as it had been cast aside, smoking as Subaru’s purplish-black cursed energy ate away at it. Watching this, he felt himself reinvigorated– though he didn’t exactly know why.
“The fee is… 90,000 yen!!”
“That’s a total scam!? No wonder people are terrified of you!”
Jumping up and grabbing onto the railing of the bridge above, he quickly pulled himself onto the concrete pathing. An immediate crash boomed underneath him as the curse smashed into the wall, causing Subaru to stumble and nearly lose his balance.
The bridge cracked under the impact, and a hand stretched outward. The cursed spirit pulled itself up, closing the distance.
“You’re gonna make me fight, aren’t you? Not that I don’t want to beat up a scamming gym clerk though, but it doesn’t really give off the same feel.”
He turned around and narrowed his eyes. Subaru was not all that physically capable, instead relying on the effects brought on by his cursed energy in order to exorcise cursed spirits.
That was not to say he was completely incapable of fighting, however. To put it simply, he did not want to unnecessarily risk his own life. Subaru was not fond of the thought of dying, to say the least.
But, the unique effect of his cursed energy was not the only thing he was able to use.
Extending his hand outward, he felt the tug of something pulling deep within his soul. Swallowing hard, he let the shadows flow outward, coalescing into three purplish hands, shimmering like mist in the air.
“I’ll be borrowing your power for just a little bit…”
A whisper echoed through his mind. Though it was brief, three words that reverberated an otherworldly sense of attachment shot through his body like electricity.
“Satella.”