Chapter 257: Flank
Ryuji's gaze flicked from the panicked students to the cursed spirit, his expression calm despite the tense situation. He stepped forward, but before he could act, Yumiko's voice broke the silence.
"Ryuji, why don't you let us handle this one?" she said boldly, stepping forward. Her eyes blazed with determination. "We've been training for this. Let's see how far we've come."
Ryuji paused, glancing at Yumiko. Her unwavering expression caught his attention, and he couldn't help but smirk. "Alright," he said after a moment, leaning back slightly. "But if it gets out of hand, I'll step in."
He looked at the cursed spirit, who remained rooted in place, its warped clock face spinning erratically. Deciding that the hallway was too confined for the fight ahead, Ryuji grinned.
"Let's set the battlefield somewhere more appropriate."
Clasping his hands together, his cursed energy surged, rippling through the air.
"Domain Expansion: Horizon of the Captivating Skandha."
The oppressive atmosphere of the school hallway evaporated instantly, replaced by the tranquil serenity of a beach. Warm sunlight spilled over the scene, golden sands stretching endlessly under a vibrant blue sky. Gentle waves lapped at the shore, the sound soothing yet surreal given the circumstances.
The girls stared, their eyes wide with wonder.
"This is… beautiful," Yukino murmured, unable to hide her amazement. The stark contrast between the idyllic surroundings and the impending battle momentarily left them speechless.
The cursed spirit, however, was anything but calm. It recoiled, its jerky movements betraying unease as it surveyed its new environment. The beach's openness, far removed from the suffocating confines of a school hallway, was clearly disorienting for the creature.
Sneering, the cursed spirit shook its misshapen head. "No matter. I am born of the fear of exams. As students, they're at a disadvantage against me. Their anxiety, their dread—it's my power!"
Ryuji smirked, effortlessly summoning a cursed construct in the shape of a lounge chair. He sat down, crossing his legs as if settling in to watch a show. "All yours," he said lazily, gesturing toward the cursed spirit.
The group immediately split into two. Hana, Saki, and Arisu moved to Ryuji's side, clearly content to spectate rather than participate.
The main fighters—Yukino, Yumiko, Mai, and Miko—stepped forward, forming a loose line between the cursed spirit and the rest of the group.
Behind them, Eriri and Utaha stood ready to provide support. Utaha had honed her ability with her Cursed Script to a level where she could write on any surface, even in mid-air, the cursed energy swirling at her fingertips.
With her drawing pad in hand, Eriri prepared to deploy her Ink Incarnation, channeling her cursed energy into her artistic creations.
The cursed spirit acted first. It released a guttural roar that reverberated across the domain. Raising its ink-stained hand, it summoned a swarm of constructs. Animated exam papers emerged from the void, their chaotic scrawls of equations and notes morphing into tangible shapes. The constructs twisted and writhed, their jagged edges glinting under the golden sun as they surged forward with hostile intent.
Unfazed, Yukino stepped forward. Her icy calm matched her technique. "Ice Convergence: Frost." Frost emanated from her outstretched hand, surging across the battlefield. The frost raced toward the constructs, freezing them mid-air in an instant. They hung suspended like crystalline sculptures, glinting beautifully in the domain's sunlight.
"Nice work, Yukino!" Utaha called out, her voice confident as she stepped into action. Cursed energy swirled at her fingertips as she wrote in the air. "The frozen constructs dissolve into water, and the special-grade cursed spirit loses part of its cursed energy in return."
As she completed the inscription, the words shimmered, then dissolved into thin air. The frozen constructs began to shimmer and melt, turning into harmless pools of water. At the same time, the cursed spirit let out an agonized shriek, its form flickering as a portion of its cursed energy vanished.
Utaha coughed violently, a trickle of blood escaping her lips. a clear sign of the backlash from using her ability at such a high level. Yet, she wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, a smug grin creeping onto her face. "Worth it," she muttered.
The cursed spirit recoiled, its grotesque features twisting in frustration. "These damn humans…!" it growled. "I was just born. Losing my cursed energy so early is a disaster!"
The spirit's glowing eyes darted around the battlefield, filled with resentment and desperation. "If only I wasn't trapped here… In my own domain, 'Infinite Test Chambers,' I would have overwhelmed these wretched humans with ease."
But here, within Ryuji's domain, it was utterly powerless to expand its own.
Furious, the cursed spirit summoned its Grading Scythe. The blade, grotesquely shaped like a massive red pen, radiated cursed energy. Its surface shimmered as it charged forward, aiming directly at Utaha, who stood ready to retaliate.
But the spirit failed to notice one of its assailants had seemingly vanished since the fight began—Mai. Utilizing her technique, she had erased her presence entirely, blending seamlessly into the surroundings. The spirit's focus on the others left it wide open as Mai materialized behind it.
Without hesitation, Mai delivered a precise barrage of punches to its back, each strike resonating with the sharp impact of cursed energy. The cursed spirit howled in rage, flailing its scythe wildly in every direction. Mai gracefully retreated before it could land a counterattack.
Not wanting to be outdone, Eriri was already hard at work. Her pencil flew across her drawing pad with feverish speed, every stroke infused with cursed energy. She tore the page free with a flourish, her voice ringing out. "Manifest!"
The paper exploded with light, and from it emerged a massive knight—a caricature of heroism, clad in exaggerated armor and wielding an oversized sword. The knight stormed toward the cursed spirit, forcing it to retreat several steps.
The spirit swung its Grading Scythe, meeting the knight head-on. The blade's cursed energy clashed against the knight's sword, sending shockwaves across the golden sands. Eriri clenched her fists tightly, pouring more energy into sustaining her creation. The knight stood firm, locking the spirit in combat.
This opening was all Yumiko needed. Her cursed energy flared as she raised her hand, flames roaring to life. With a determined shout, she hurled streams of fire toward the cursed spirit, the intense heat scorching its upper body.
"Don't give it time to recover!" Yumiko commanded, her voice sharp and authoritative.
Yukino followed her lead, frost creeping along the ground toward the spirit. The icy tendrils wrapped around its lower body, freezing it in place. The cursed spirit screamed in agony, its movements growing erratic as the combination of fire and frost wreaked havoc on its form.
It was an incredible sight, the cursed spirit's upper body engulfed in flames, while its lower half was encased in shimmering ice. The contrast was as striking as it was devastating.
Miko, standing off to the side, had been observing the battle with her sharp Yin-Yang Eyes. Now, seeing an opening, her eyes gleamed. She darted forward, her movements quick and precise. Flanking the cursed spirit, she unleashed a flurry of strikes aimed at its legs. Each blow landed with a resounding thud, causing the spirit to stagger and lose balance.
Sensing the moment of vulnerability, Utaha stepped forward once more. Her cursed energy flickered faintly as she raised her hand, her movements deliberate despite the strain on her body. "Curse Script: Collapse."
The sand beneath the cursed spirit's feet began to shift violently. The ground gave way, forming a sinkhole that swallowed its lower half. Immobilized and unable to free itself, the cursef spirit flailed wildly, its glowing eyes flickering with desperation.
---
Ryuji, watching his girls overwhelm the cursed spirit, couldn't help but think how easy life was going to get.
After this, he planned to overthrow the current Jujutsu High Association with Gojo, install his own people, and take full control of that rotten organization to set things right. As for whatever Kenjaku and Sukuna might be planning, he would play their game and show them true power when the time came. But for now, he would enjoy life as it came.
(The End)
Junkdog's Note:
So guys, a little confession: you might've noticed the chapters being smaller than before or the writing style not flowing like it used to, right?
Yeah, that was me. Originally, the author of this stopped around chapter 235 (IMG)
Which is around here: (IMG)
And this was how he ended the book: (IMG)
Shocking, right? I even thought he was taking a hiatus at first, but then I saw the "Completed" sign. I mean, there are so many things he didn't tie up the Nakano sisters, Makoto, Maki and Mai, Sukuna, Kenjaku, Uraume, and lots more, even in the JJK plot alone. I was pissed and took it upon myself to at least tie up some of the important stuff and give it a good ending.
I finished wrapping up Maki and Mai's part, even if it was done a bit mediocrely.
But damn, writing a book isn't easy. I spend over 2–3 hours thinking and drafting how the chapter should go at times. Afterward, I refine it using various writing AIs since I'm no writer. I didn't want to generate plotlines because no matter what, it'll still lose that human touch but I guess that's just hypocritical because I use AI to refine the drafts i made at the end of the day, lol.
Without yapping for too long, the purpose of me saying all this is that I'm a college student and damn, it isn't easy or maybe it's just skill issues, lol. I'm also studying really hard to get a scholarship to further my education after I graduate, plus I'm working on translations for other books. I really don't have the time to write stuff every day since it takes a lot of inspiration and dedication, kudos to all authors, to be fair.
So here's me just apologizing for not being able to see this through to the end and dropping an abrupt ending.
Sorry for disappointing you guys, and thank you for all your support so far, it's really, really appreciated.
And please do check out my new book:
DxD: Building A Demon Clan From Scratch.
You can just check my profile. I'll really appreciate your support once more on my new project, Thank you very much.
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