The day had started like any other. The chilly wind of the morning could be felt through the fog that had descended during the night. People went on about doing their morning tasks. Himejima-san could be seen helping anyone who appeared to need assistance, even if they didn't ask for it; they appreciated it anyway. The sun shone, and it looked like any other day in the temple.
I was training my curse technique at the edges of the temple, isolated from everyone, when I felt it.
A layer of cursed energy seemed to pass over the temple in waves. It was something that Himejima-san had told me about, something that I used to do subconsciously.
Someone was announcing their presence with cursed energy.
And the amount of cursed energy was the highest I had felt until now.
Everyone gathered in the courtyard at the entrance of the temple. I saw Himejima-san standing at the front of the group, reminiscent of the day I arrived. I stood at the back of the group, not having any trouble seeing due to my height of 6' 6". I stood behind a pillar by the main doors of the temple, making sure to have a firm grip on my cloak.
A foreboding feeling could be felt oppressing all the people gathered. I noticed how sweat began to form on the brow of many of them; however, they remained steadfast. I looked apathetically at the entrance, where, beyond it, the sorcerer responsible for the commotion approached. I remained calm, after all, this amount of cursed energy didn't feel to be near my level. Even then…
Something felt off.
It wasn't long before the stillness and silence that had befallen the temple steps started to be heard from beyond the entrance.
Soon enough, a figure began to rise from the steps.
The first notable thing was his clothing, a tight-fitting kimono, with a black top and grey bottom. The kimono was sleeveless, giving a view of his well-muscled arms.
The second thing was his appearance. He was taller than most, probably 6' or a little taller. His head was shaven, with his side hair made into a knot. He looked older than Himejima, with some visible wrinkles beginning to form, yet his head remained without any gray hairs. He had a thin, pointy mustache and large sideburns.
He walked past the archway and into the courtyard, and as soon as he did so the waves of cursed energy that he gave off came to a halt. He stopped just a few feet from Himejima-san.
"Welcome, visitor. May we know your name and the purpose of your visit?" Himejima-san spoke with his calm voice, being respectful while on guard against the sudden intrusion upon the temple.
"My name is of no importance to the people of this temple, but you, the last survivor of the Himejima Clan, I will extend the courtesy of knowing my name." His tone was arrogant and condescending, and it showed on his face with the smirk that appeared on it. "My name is Hizashi, and I'm but a humble messenger of the Fujiwara clan here to deliver a message."
Humble messenger my ass, and it seemed that I wasn't the only one who thought that everyone around me had a disbelieving look.
"And what message is so important that you would announce your presence with such amounts of cursed energy?" Himejima-san's tone turned accusatory at the mention of cursed energy, calling him out on not being a messenger at all.
"You may not know, but around eight years ago, sorcerers of the Fujiwara clan and some of its branches started to disappear. At first, the clan didn't think much of it; it was assumed that they died like all other sorcerers: fighting curses." He began explaining, and I instantly knew what he came here to do, and especially who he was looking for. "But then a pattern began to appear; those disappearing had some relation to the previous one, be it a friend, a cousin, or a brother."
Some of the men around me began to shift slightly away from me. I made sure that my hood properly hid my face; it was obvious that it made me stand out more than everyone else, but it still hid my features from the others.
"Why else would they follow in the previous's footsteps? They weren't dying to random curses, but the same curse." his tone was that of a big secret being revealed, "and this became obvious when we started finding the bodies. Some in pieces, some split apart, sometimes in two, other times in many pieces, but always cleanly. A clean cut, or cuts, depending on the body, but clean, nonetheless. Through and through, almost as if there was no resistance," he stopped for a brief moment, "obviously the result of a Cursed technique, don't you think?"
I didn't know what Himejima-san was thinking, I couldn't see his expression, and I could not see him making any micro-movements; the only reason we could hear what that Hizashi fellow said was because he was talking loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ten tense seconds passed before Himejima-san finally answered, "If you're looking for a curse…" he paused, turning his head almost in my direction, "…then why have you come to this temple? There are no curses here."
"Well, you see, that's the twist." A wide grin spread across his face, as if unable to contain his excitement. "During the investigations, we came across some…refugees, survivors, all from different places, but all claiming the same thing…"
My body became tense. There was no doubt about it.
He was there for me.
If I was fast enough, I could kill him, just a quick Dismantle, and he would fall over without his head. From this distance, he would barely have any time to react, but I risked the chance of also hitting Himejima-san. I had never been precise with my Dismantle, opting for getting the highest power out of the least use of cursed energy.
"…of how a monster with a disfigured face, with four eyes and four arms…" Himejima tensed at the description "…came into their village and slaughtered them all, or more specifically, it sliced them apart, similarly to all the missing sorcerers, quite the coincidence, don't you think..."
One second, he was there. The next he wasn't.
"…Sukuna?"
The voice came from behind me. My mind stilled for less than a second before finally reacting. I tried to turn around, but a hand took hold of my cloak and ripped it apart.
Loud gasps resounded all around me, and everyone jumped away, some in surprise, many others in fright.
My body and face were revealed for everyone to see. For the first time, I locked eyes with everyone in the temple. The most predominant expression was fear, but I managed to glimpse some that looked enraged, possibly due to the news of my previous actions.
I had no time to ponder how they would act. Four muscled arms that twisted in an attempt to hit my attacker, only to connect with nothing but air.
"It became obvious that it wasn't a cursed spirit that killed those sorcerers. Oh no no no. If it had been a spirit, then how could it be seen by everyone in the towns it passed through? The answer, of course, was very simple." He appeared once more in front of Himejima as if he hadn't moved faster than I could comprehend.
One second.
He was gone again, my eyes barely kept track of him, only being able to see he came in my-
Two seconds.
I felt a touch in my stomach, and suddenly I couldn't move. I had become paralyzed, what the-
Two and a half seconds.
Something hit me. Hard. I was soaring through the air. I shot past the columns of the temple. I lost sight of said temple as it disappeared behind the trees as I fell down the mountain.
"IN FEWER WORDS, MY MESSAGE AND MISSION IS TO KILL YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW, RYOMENSUKUNA." Hizashi came barreling through the trees. Gritting my teeth, I sent a Dismantle with each of my hands. But he just disappeared- 'he's just moving faster,' I reminded myself.
I expanded my senses, looking for his cursed energy. I felt a source right beside me-
Before I could react, a knee hit me on my ribs, right between my shoulders, sending me crashing down. Trees broke apart as I smashed through them. My constantly reinforced body was a blessing in times like these.
Still, I felt that kick, I looked to see, and I could already see bruising forming. He probably reinforced it with cursed energy.
"Don't look away from your opponent!" My eyes barely widened when I was punched on the jaw, sending me crashing through four trees. "Is this the 'demon' that massacred all those towns? I'm disappointed."
As fast as I could, I jumped to my feet and rushed him. More Dismantles were sent his way as I closed the distance, and once again, he moved faster than I could follow, but this time, I saw a flicker of something when he moved.
The trees behind where he stood toppled down, cut into pieces, as a hand touched my shoulder, and I once more became paralyzed. Another hit, and I was sent crashing again. I felt the hit reverberate through my entire body. Even then, this time I managed to hear the sound of glass breaking when I was hit.
Was that his technique? Was his speed his natural speed, or the result of his technique?
The only one who knows is…him. He likes the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?
"Oof, you're being harder to kill than the last sorcerers that came after me," I spoke as I picked myself up, dusting my kimono pants. My shirt had been torn to shreds when I crashed into the forest.
He chuckled as he walked confidently towards me, his clothing barely had a hint of being a little wrinkled, "Well, that's simple, all those losers were at most a grade 2 sorcerer. Me?" He spread his arms wide, giving a hearty laugh, "While I'm an upper-grade 1 sorcerer! Just a step away from Special grade"
Not the information I was looking for, but useful nonetheless, although I doubted the claim of being close to special grade, Himejima-san had explained special grades were mountains apart from grade ones. Still, it was a good time to see where I ranked in terms of skill and strength; all my previous fights ended instantly.
I poured cursed energy into my legs and shot forward faster than before. His eyes widened in shock before he gained a feral grin and dashed towards me.
I sent my right knee towards his stomach, but he deflected it with his left one. he sent a fist towards my chest that I blocked with my two lower arms. He was open. I raised my two upper arms to deliver, fingers interlocked, ready to deliver an overhead blow, when a kick made contact with my chin, sending me two feet in the air.
Shakily landing, I shook my head to get rid of the dizziness. Damn it, I thought I had him in that one.
"Ha! You exclude such an insane amount of cursed energy, but it's obvious that you're overdependent on your curse technique and have no experience in hand-to-hand combat," the Fujiwara sorcerer laughed as he pressed his advantage.
He threw a right punch, and I deflected it with my right upper hand. I tried to throw a kidney punch with both of my left arms, but he used my deflection to spin and connect his earlier punch to my temple, instantly followed by a spinning kick to the same spot. "Come on, you can do better than that." I really wanted to wipe that smug look from his face.
I ignored the pounding on my head and took a stance before once more rushing him. I threw a left hook, and a left stomach shot at the same time. He evaded the hook and deflected the stomach punch; he used the deflection to throw his right elbow to my stomach. I caught his elbow with my upper right hand, twisting my body to hit his ribs with my lower right fist. He used his left arm to defend himself, but I still managed to graze him, and knowing my strength, it's not something that one can just ignore.
I'm proven right as I see him grimace, and a smirk forms on my face before it is wiped off as he goes slightly low and sweeps my feet, freeing his right arm to grab my head and slam it into the ground.
Ugh. My head was pounding I could feel the flow of my blood going through my head. I had the mother of all headaches, but it was worth it. Why? Cause I was learning. If there was something I was missing during my stay at the Buddhist temple, it was a sparring partner.
Himejima-san had sworn off any form of fighting, unless it was to save someone's life. This included sparring; he would teach the others fighting forms and correct them when needed, but he would never engage with any of them. And I never showed my form to anyone else, so I never got around to sparring with anyone.
This is what I have been missing to get past my current threshold. Already, I could feel my reaction getting better, my movements more fluid. I could feel how my cursed energy manipulation kept getting better. Thanks to my curse energy, I was intimately aware of the changes happening. It's true what they say.
There's no better time to improve oneself than in a battle to the death.
I quickly rolled to the left as Hizashi made a small crater with his fist.
"Oh?"
I didn't let up on my movements and sent a sweeping kick. He jumped over it. I quickly jumped to my feet and kicked him mid-air on his side, but he moved his arms to where I aimed and blocked the kick, but it still sent him flying through some trees and making a dirt cloud.
I cracked my knuckles before taking a stance.
"Yes. YES! This is what I was hoping for: a challenge before killing you." A blur came from the cloud, and Hizashi landed on his own stance. His expression had turned feral, a wide smile showing all teeth. We dashed towards each other once more, and in just a second, we were upon each other.
I sent an overhead strike with both my right arms. He crossed his arms above his head, cursed energy forming on them, and blocked my strike. He pushed up in an attempt to unbalance me, but I used the momentum to make a backflip and send a left kick. He leaned back, narrowly evading my kick.
As I landed, he activated his cursed technique, once more disappearing, but this time managed to see a flicker in the direction in which he moved. My lower left hand shot out, and I caught his wrist with it. His palm was open, about to touch my side. A flicker of surprise passed through his face, and before I could use cleave, I froze once more.
His other hand had shot up and touched me from my blind side.
He moved again. I felt something piercing my chest.
The sound of broken glass sounded, and I spat out blood from my mouth and nose.
I looked down at my chest and saw a gaping hole in it. I raised a hand towards it before my legs gave way, and I fell on my back.
My fucking heart was gone.
"I wish I could extend this fight, but your improvement rate is just insane." I saw Hizashi stand over my head, looking down on me. "I'm certain that if that happened, you would've killed me in the end."
He let out a sigh.
"Well, seeing as you'll be dead in just a few seconds, I'll take my leave, alright?" he turned around and began to walk away. "I'm sure everyone else already finished off the rest of the Temple, I'd better go to the rendezvous."
And with that, he was gone. Leaving me to bleed out.
Is this how I died in this life? At the age of 16, not even an adult by my standards, and all this started because people in this era are intolerable assholes who can't see past my appearance.
Not that I'm blameless. I killed them without mercy when they attacked after all, even killing those who didn't attack but still saw me in fright.
Blackness was beginning to fill my vision, and I couldn't do anything.
…Well, there was still something I could try...and if it didn't work-
At least my last three years were calm…
"Hizashi"
"Hizashi" rubbed his ribs slightly; the punch that had managed to graze him had rattled his ribs. If that had just been a graze, he shuddered to think what would've happened if he had been hit in full.
It didn't matter. There was nothing gained in thinking in 'what ifs'. Ryomen Sukuna was dead. He chuckled at the name. Ryomen. "Two-faced," and after seeing the bastard's face he agreed. He was sure that the name had been given to Sukuna by the survivors of his massacres, since there was no way someone with the last name Ryomen would be born like that…unless the gods had a morbid sense of humor. They had been lucky even to get a name, but thankfully, Sukuna had introduced himself to one of the survivors before killing almost everyone.
Once again, it didn't matter. The bastard was dead, and his "clanmates" were avenged.
He scoffed at the idea. Fuckers got what they deserved for not knowing how weak they were, and then going to pick a fight against someone that quite clearly outclassed them. Prideful idiots got what they deserved, but instead of moving on with their lives and forgetting about them, the clan has to save face and send them to kill the one responsible.
He wouldn't complain about the fight. It was good. It could've been even greater…but he couldn't let Sukuna keep getting better. He wasn't lying when he said Sukuna's improvement rate was insane. The bastard went from not being able to keep up with him to catching his wrist as he was using his 24-Step Technique.
He shook his head, not thinking about the slight shock (and fear) he felt when he saw his wrist caught in one of the bastard's hands. Luckily, he activated it again and managed to finish off the fucker by heavily coating his hand in cursed energy and ripping the freak's heart out.
Still, that sudden activation of his technique took out more of him than he expected.
'Whatever, I wonder if the Capt-' his thoughts halted as he felt an oppressive aura descend upon him, freezing him on the spot. 'It can't be-'
He began turning his head back to where he came from, and-
Sukuna was standing there. His back was straight, and both pairs of arms crossed over his chest and stomach. On his arms, there were strange markings that hadn't been there before: 8 black lines, four that went around his wrists, and another four around his biceps, and one dark circle on each of his shoulders.
But most surprisingly was his expression. Eyes filled with delirium, a crazed smile adorning his face. Yet an understanding that hadn't been there. Almost like…enlightenment.
Before he could even say or do anything, a loud boom came from behind Sukuna, followed by a large dust cloud overtaking their bodies. Without a clear sight, he couldn't use his Technique, still, he had to stay alert.
This was bad. This was beyond bad, the only way he could still be alive was if-
"HAHAHAHA! SURPRISED TO SEE ME?!" he flinched at the sudden laugh "YOU ALMOST GOT ME GOOD FUCKER! HAHAHA!" Sukuna's laugh sounded maniacal, as if suddenly everything was just a big joke.
"BUT AT THE LAST SECOND I UNDERSTOOD IT! I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD IT!" Sukuna's voice seemed to come from everywhere. There was still a lot of dust around him, but the wind, 'and where had that wind come from?', was beginning to calm down.
"Even then…" the sudden calmness almost startled him, but he remained alert, 'just a little more and the dust clears, this time I'll aim at his head.' "…for a brief moment, I was on the other side, but no Gods or Demons were waiting for me there…well, except for one…"
The dust was lowering, he began to see the trees appear, he looked for Sukuna, but-
"…the only God that was there…" his blood froze as Sukuna's voice came from right behind me.
He tried to turn around as fast as he could, but two hands took hold of his arms while a third one grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him.
He felt a hand press on his back.
"…was Me."
That was the last thing "Hizashi" heard.