Ten Shadows in the Heian Era

In a barren land of nothing but damp earth and endless rain, two Sorcerers and one Curse stand against each other.

It's pretty cinematic. I really wish I had a camera. I need to invent one already.

As a Shikigami user myself, I am naturally aware that the greatest advantage of outnumbering your foe is the ability to apply constant pressure, such that they do not have any time to think or counter.

With that in mind, I quickly speak up, before Michizane can take the initiative. 

"Sukuna, we should attack together. You go- eh?" I cuts himself off in surprise when I turn to the side and notice that Sukuna is not standing next to me. 

Facing forward again, I see him already halfway to Michizane, his rampaging Cursed Energy expressing his excitement.

"Oi! Don't run off alone, Asshole!" I yell as I move to keep up, only to pause as I realise that he's actually providing me a perfect opportunity to get my Shikigami out.

I think too much? I think sardonically to myself, realising what he meant now. Or at least, I think I do. I could just be thinking too deeply about it, which would be pretty ironic.

But I like to think I am right about what he meant.

We don't need to discuss our plans. Talking is a waste of time. Just act and have faith.

...It really doesn't sound like something he'd say.

But maybe it is something he thought.

Whatever, he's buying me time regardless of his intentions, so I'd better not waste it.

First things first, I close my eyes and suddenly my perception is split in two. From one eye I see through that of Divine Dog, while through the other eye I see from Nue.

I click my tongue when I realise that Divine Dog lost that Shinobi, but don't hesitate to dispel it. At the same time, Nue has taken the survivors far enough away that they aren't in any danger, so I have it drop them off safely and dispel as well.

Now I have four open slots. Five if I need to push it.

First, "Nue," I intone. I need to know how Nue's ability to manipulate lightning reacts to Michizane's own similar capability. Being able to restrict a stronger opponent's avenues for attack is naturally a good idea. Plus, distraction in battle can be fatal, and people can easily get distracted when they face an ability that matches their own.

Though, that last bit does assume that Michizane's thought process is still anything like a humans now that he's become a Curse.

"Divine Dog: Totality. Rabbit Escape. Reflective Tortoise."

My Cursed Energy overflows as thousands of cute little rabbits pour out of my shadow, multiplying exponentially as they spread. The sound of thousands of tiny bodies splashing against the slowly flooding earth joins the cacophony of noise, making me realise just how bad the weather actually is.

I assume the weather has something to do with Michizane's technique, but the thing I'm focused on right now is how the heavy rain not only limits vision somewhat, but it also almost completely eliminates hearing, reducing our natural senses. Meanwhile, Michizane has the Six Eyes, so his already present advantage over us in the department of awareness is only exacerbated.

Such a troublesome opponent, this really is fun.

I know Sukuna says I think too much, but I respectfully disagree. I think he just doesn't think enough. Fighting is a lot more fun like this. He's such a brute.

I keep Reflective Tortoise in my shadow for now, but I send Divine Dog to go help Sukuna, who seems to be doing okay.

Watching the ongoing fight for a moment, two things become clear immediately. First, Sukuna's technique can cut through the barrier that stopped my kick, or that barrier is limited in how often it can be used, but that doesn't seem as likely.

Second, Michizane has a lot of versatility, and I still can't feel if his Cursed Energy has gone down at all, so at this point I might as well just assume that he either regenerates Cursed Energy too fast to ever run out, or his well is somehow limitless.

His output is only slightly above my own though, and that's really what matters here, since it's not like any of us will be running out of Cursed Energy anyway.

Also, Michizane seems weirdly incompetent in hand to hand. 

I watch as Sukuna throws another two punch combo, not sensing but just knowing that his Cursed Technique is following his every action. Michizane shows his preferences by avoiding any kind of physical retaliation.

Instead, he makes some distance by leaping backwards, though it almost seems as though he is being pulled backwards. At the same time, he gestures his free hand upwards and a pillar of earth shoots up form between them, following the gesture.

Sukuna dodges up, using the rising pillar as a foothold to launch himself at Michizane, but at the same time, Michizane swings the hand holding his Cursed Tool down and a lightning bolt follows, slamming right into Sukuna and sending him crashing down.

I'm not idle while I watch, as I have a bunch of rabbits climb on top of Nue, who then picks me up in its talons and flies into the air.

Divine Dog reaches the two right before Michizane can strike Sukuna with another bolt while he's still stunned from the last, and drags him out of the way before dropping him, spinning on its heel and launching itself at Michizane.

Once more, an invisible barrier blocks my Shikigami, and I start to get the feeling that the barrier is actually the air itself. It would fit the theme, what with the rain and earth. Wind would make sense. It is all part of nature after all. He's like The Avatar.

Though, it's strange that he seems to be using that Cursed Tool to control the lightning instead of his technique. It's either a limitation of the technique or a Tool for enhancement.

However, as if to spit on my assumption of his technique being focused on the elements of nature, an entire tree suddenly sprouts from the ground right beneath my Shikigami, attempting to spear through it.

In hindsight, what he did to decay everything into ash is certainly not a typical elemental technique, and this is likely either the Reverse of that technique, or the Lapse, if the previous move was already the Reverse, which actually seems more likely to me.

Regardless, the attack is too slow, so I am able to dispel the Shikigami, leaving the tree to only pierce a pool of ink-like liquid shadow.

At the same time, flying above the battlefield on Nue's back, I decide to try out a trick I've had in mind since my first fight with Sukuna and forcefully spread my shadow out behind me, something that taxes my Cursed Energy and that I can only do over so much distance.

From my back, Reflective Tortoise's shell materialises, and immediately starts reflecting all the light being generated by the constant lightning dancing about the thunderclouds right onto my back.

I would have normally just positioned myself to have the sun behind me, but there is no sight of the sun from under these clouds, so Reflective Tortoise will have to do.

Without any further effort on my part, my shadow extends forward above Michizane. Naturally, there are enough other sources of light to dissipate it, which is why I then have hundreds of my little rabbits pour out of my shadow and into the air.

They then form a daisy chain. A rabbit climbs out of my shadow and uses its own body to shield my shadow from the ambient light, allowing it to extend just a bit further, from which comes another rabbit, so on and so forth.

Even more Shikigami need to pour from my shadow as the effects of gravity take place, but in a matter of moments, I have, for at least the space between Michizane and I, replaced the rain of water with a rain of rabbits.

Open fields are a weakness of mine, since they lack shadows, so naturally I have already come up with a way to counter that weakness by generating my own battlefield advantage on command.

A wonderful thing about shadows is that they are the absence of light. Which means, in a round about way, shadows travel as fast as light itself, and, more importantly, my entire shadow counts as one thing.

What that means is that there is no delay summoning my Shikigami from my shadow, no matter how far away my shadow has stretched. As is proven a moment later when at the end of the chain of rabbits, a different Shikigami comes out.

"Max Elephant."

With my intonation, a great pink elephant, more of a mammoth really, with large curved tusks and yellow markings, manifests in the air above Michizane's head, its feet all held together as its massive weight brings it down on the Cursed Spirit.

Max Elephant's ability is water generation, but it is also capable of storing an incredible amount of water inside of itself, making an already very heavy animal even heavier. That thing probably weighs over fifty Toyota Corollas- I mean, tonnes. Over fifty tonnes.

The giant Shikigami starts to fall, rapidly gaining speed, and Michizane seems to panic for only a moment before waving his hands upwards, causing not only the fresh tree to grow an enormous canopy, but also for pillars of earth to rise up to catch my Shikigami. I assume that he also makes barriers of air, but I obviously can't see that, and there's too much going on for me to be able to sense something so minute.

That said, I feel myself smirk, unconcerned.

It's like the man said. Just fight. There's no need for discussion.

Distracted by my offence, Michizane notices Sukuna's approach too late and barely manages to twist enough to avoid losing his head, but Michizane is not unscathed as a great gash opens up from his collar to his stomach.

Michizane moves to retaliate a second later, which is when Max Elephant crashes into his defences, shattering the earth and wood but failing to reach Michizane.

"Kon." That is, until Kon's massive maw erupts from the ground below him.

Michizane leaps up to avoid Kon's bite, but as he does, Sukuna cuts the barrier holding Max Elephant up, causing the Shikigami to come crashing down on his back.

I immediately dispel Kon after summoning him, causing Max Elephant to crash through the shadow left behind, splashing it everywhere. A moment later, it hits the ground with such force that the earth turns into a wave from the point of impact, cracking and shaking a significant chunk of land while blasting the sky clear of rain for just one moment.

"ENOUGH!!!" Michizane screams from beneath the cloud of dust as a green sphere of Cursed Energy expands from him, except instead of rotting anything, the effect is much more fundamental as time itself turns backwards for everything within the sphere.

The previous devastation caused by Max Elephant's fall plays back in reverse, my Shikigami rising up into the air, Sukuna running backwards and all of Michizane's defences rebuilding.

Seeing that happening, I have Nue charge a bolt of lightning and send it down below, but Michizane, the only one within the sphere not moving backwards in time, notices. 

With a wave of his Cursed Tool, Nue's attack is sent off course, sailing through the air until it runs out of energy.

The sphere eventually stops expanding and time returns to its usual function, but Michizane does not wait.

Briefly, he lets go of his Cursed Tool to slap his palms together, and when he pulls them apart, there is a line of script written in the air out of pure Cursed Energy.

His arms swing wide apart and the spell activates, causing a shimmering spherical barrier of Cursed Energy to form around his body, and he quickly catches his Cursed Tool right after.

Once again, Max Elephant comes crashing down, but this time Michizane ignores it entirely in favour of turning his attention to Sukuna, who, instead of throwing another Dismantle like before, has dropped low and placed a palm on the ground to Cleave the floor.

Michizane's footing is only disrupted for an instant before he simply rises up, ignoring the floor entirely as he stands on the air instead.

Acting quickly, I dispel Max Elephant and Reflective Tortoise and direct the swarm of Escape Rabbit, that at this point has pretty much carpeted the entire battlefield, to rise up around Michizane.

For a second, Michizane's form disappears under the swarm, but it doesn't last as an uncountable number of thread-thin chains of lightning descend the heavens, jumping between drops of rain until they reach Michizane's position, where they pierce through thousands of my rabbits' heads in an instant.

Lightning travels at one third the speed of light, so I couldn't have dispelled them if I wanted to, but luckily for me, it's Escape Rabbit. Being expendable is literally its entire purpose, and even as the shadows that made up their form starts to collapse around Michizane, I already have more rabbits on their way back.

Michizane abruptly shoots into the air, and a moment later the reborn tree next to him starts to fall as Sukuna's slash cuts through it.

Stepping forward on Nue's back, I fall forward until I am pointing down before kicking off of my Shikigami, feeling the very sky itself pushing against me as I rush down at Michizane's back.

He yells something up at me, but the rain combined with the roaring winds in my ears means I don't hear him. However, I do see as his free hand rapidly blurs through the air, blue lines being left in its wake as he writes out an entire spell in less than a second.

The next instant, the entire space between us lights up red as a wave of pure heat washes over me, hot enough to burn away my skin, forcing me to use Reverse Cursed Techniques just to keep my eyes from melting.

Inwardly, I can't help but be curious about how he is able to make Jujutsu spells combat applicable. If I'd tried to do that, the fire would either be weak or the spell would get overloaded and disperse into nothing. I have no idea how he is able to do it.

Regardless, I spear through the fire even as it burns me, and time seems to slow down when I reach Michizane.

As if the sky itself it trying to protect him, Michizane is pulled to the side, avoiding me, and I feel my instincts scream danger at me even as I only barely notice the faintest traces of Cursed Energy in the air ahead of me.

But despite what Michizane might have thought, I wasn't trying to punch him in the first place, so I simply let out a blast of Cursed Energy that propels me just a bit further away from Michizane and out of the path of what I assume was a blade of hardened air.

As I pass him, I look him in the eyes with a smirk on my lips as I close both of my hands most of the way into fists, leaving a small gap that I point at Michizane.

"Great Serpent," I intone, and from one of my fists comes my Shikigami, bursting forth with incredible speed, having the fastest summoning speed of all my Shikigami, even faster than Kon, who is basically instant.

The Shikigami is an incredibly large white snake, with a yellow underbelly and black markings running down its entire length, and Michizane isn't fast enough to avoid the snake from wrapping around his body and holding him still.

"Divine Dog," I intone again from further below as I continue to fall, and my first Shikigami bursts forth from my other hand, its claws swinging for Michizane's head.

The air hardens to stop the blow, but almost as soon as it does, it shatters. So quickly that Divine Dog hardly even slows down, and the way that a large gash opens up on Great Serpent tells me that Sukuna is the reason the barrier didn't hold.

However, Michizane acts quickly, and using the wound on Great Snake, manages to rip an arm free, tearing right through my Shikigami's flesh.

Unluckily for me, that arm is the one holding the Cursed Tool, and he uses the movement of freeing the arm to summon another bolt of lightning down that slams into Divine Dog and sends it crashing into the ground where it dispels itself, too damaged to continue existing for now.

The very next moment however, I feel a hand grab my shoulder before Sukuna uses me to pull himself up and then uses me again as a foothold to kick off of, launching me faster at the ground and himself up at Michizane.

I'm not even remotely surprised by my friend's callousness, so I don't lose focus enough to miss as Sukuna leaps over Michizane, grabbing hold of the Vengeful Curse's unrestrained forearm and leveraging himself around to kick Michizane in the back in a move I find familiar.

A laugh bubbles up and out of my throat as I see Michizane falling towards me even faster than I am, Cursed blood trailing behind him as his arm is completely missing, the Cursed Tool now held firmly in Sukuna's hands.

Great Serpent dispels in that moment, the damage it took from Sukuna being too much to remain, but I ignore that in favour of pulling on Max Elephant's shadow but not summoning it. It's easier than I thought it would be.

Instead, I simply try to make use of its technique and clap my hands together, pointed at Michizane. In my mind, I picture my classmate, Kamo no Sabishī, and I summon forth as much water as I can between my palms, rapidly condensing it until I feel like I can't anymore.

A second later. "Piercing Blood," I call out the name of the technique I am copying, as the added ritual will help it work, even if I'm not actually using blood. Still, it's an easy thing for me to visualise, being someone who has seen water cutters of the future.

With incredible speed, a beam of crystal clear water launches from my hands and straight at Michizane, with Sukuna also 'coincidentally' being in the line of fire too.

At the same time, I have all of my rabbits on the ground rush together below me, climbing on top of each other like something out of a zombie movie as they form a tower right below me.

Michizane twists out of the way of my attack, but not enough to be unscathed as he loses the arm he wasn't even finished regenerating yet.

A second later and I crash into the tower of fluff, immediately diving into my shadow when I do.

I flinch at the disorienting feeling of deafening noise abruptly transitioning into the dull silence of my shadow, but I keep my focus.

Instead of looking up at the light of the Material World, I instead turn my focus to my shadow and what lies around it.

I have previously described shadows seeming like pillars between the Material World and the Shadow Realm, and that holds true. The reason that my Black Butterfly Technique runs through the Shadow Dimension in the first place is because it is impossible to jump from metaphorical pillar to metaphorical pillar.

Because the space between them is not space. As far as I can tell, it's some kind of Void, a nothing that exists between dimensions that tears everything it touches to shreds. 

Every shadow has a sort of membrane around it that prevents this Void from destroying them, and this membrane also prevents anything else from getting in, though it is only difficult to pass the membrane from the Void, not the other way around.

There is no such defence against the Shadow Dimension, hence why my Technique goes through it.

However, that made me think. If nothing can enter through the membrane, then what happens when two shadows overlap? That is something that happens in the material world after all.

Well, it turns out that space is really more of a guideline here than an exact rule, so two shadow pillars are capable of existing in the same space without overlapping somehow.

However, when two shadows overlap in the Material World, the 'pillars' representing them do come into contact, and something else I've noticed, is that when there is no Void between two pillars, the membrane weakens dramatically.

With my plan in mind, I spin around in my own shadow until my training boulders are all in sight, and then I gesture forwards and will my shadow to act like a blender, something that is pretty easy to visualise when being in here already feels like I'm underwater.

In mere seconds, the pile of rocks has been turned into dust that is then compressed into a single, massive ball. 

I feel my rabbits rapidly dwindling in number and realise I'm running out of time, causing me to hastily rush over to the massive ball of rock and quickly write out a script on its surface, hardening it into one single mass.

With that done, I look out around my shadow. It is incredibly difficult to see anything through the Void, but Michizane's shadow is close enough that I am barely able to make it out.

"Kon," I intone, summoning my Shikigami in the real world and closing one eye to watch from one of Kon's.

As Kon leaps at Michizane, it keeps its tail firmly pointed at where it came from, a message to Sukuna.

A wall of earth rises in front of Kon from which a dozen branches sprout, growing exponentially from one another until a massive wall of wood and earth stands to block Kon's claws.

It doesn't hold Kon for long however as I hear through my Shikigami Sukuna say a single word.

"Cleave."

By his will, the ground beneath Michizane and Kon shatters into a thousand pieces, the barrier following suit and collapsing into debris.

Michizane spins around to face Sukuna just in time to receive a bolt of lightning to the face, sent from his own Cursed Tool, now in Sukuna's hand.

The attack sends Michizane flying right in my direction and I keep an eye on his approaching shadow from the Void.

The very moment it makes contact with my own, I kick the boulder with all of my strength and send it hurtling for the edge of my shadow, willing the currents to carry it even faster.

The boulder hits my shadow's membrane and passes without issue, smashing into Michizane's and catching for just a second before passing through.

A small chunk of the boulder doesn't make it in time before Michizane's shadow passes and is instantly vaporised by the Void, but enough of it got in to matter.

Moving quickly, I dispel Kon and launch myself out of my shadow with my hand already in the sign to resummon that same Shikigami.

The heavy rain hits me like a weighted blanket, the overbearing noise that I'd already forgotten about seeming like a physical force that makes me flinch again.

However, I do not hesitate to take sight of Michizane, my eyes landing on him right as he crashes into the layer of rabbits covering the ground, sending up splashes of inky shadows as he digs a trench into the earth, flipping back to his feet.

However, he is already in my sight.

"Ice Bear," Intone right before I summon Kon once more.

The instant Ice Bear manifests, I pour an obscene amount of Cursed Energy into it and flash freeze everything for kilometres all around, locking Michizane's feet right as Kon bursts into being underneath him.

Holding his arms out wide, Michizane stops Kon's jaw from closing with a pair of invisible barriers, however that only lasts a second before his arms are removed, courtesy of Sukuna, who is charging forward right behind me.

Kon's mouth snaps shut, but it only manages to take Michizane's feet as the air once more pulls him to safety, but this time not fast enough to be completely unscathed.

Michizane's massive amount of Cursed Energy allows him to heal the wounds incredibly quickly, but by the time he has turned to face the approach of Sukuna and I, I am already upon him.

With the boulder in his shadow, he is visibly weighed down, and I am much faster, which is why I have no trouble sliding on the already wet ice and landing a solid right hook on his face as I pass him, the feeling of his face breaking against my knuckles being incredibly satisfying after however long this fight has been going.

A hundred tiny little blades of shadow grow out of my bare feet and dig into the ground to halt my momentum and I spin around just as Sukuna lands a solid kick on Michizane's chest, sending the Curse flying at me with a scream.

From behind me, Kon meets Michizane's flight, my Shikigami's massive paws crashing down on him, crushing him against the earth not two steps away from me, causing a spiderweb of cracks in the ice.

I like the sound ice makes when it cracks, I randomly decide as I stare down at Michizane, held down as he is by my Shikigami.

For some reason, I hesitate.

Not out of concern or anything, actually, the reason is fairly obvious.

I just enjoyed the sight.

Seeing Michizane lying there, his Vengeful Spirit staring hatefully up at me while my Shikigami crushes his chest. It felt like an important moment. I wanted to drag it out.

Foolish, on my part, but I don't regret it.

"Maximum: Renewal."

The moment Michizane started speaking, I felt a slash leave Sukuna's hand, headed for his head. However, it never lands.

The very instant Michizane finishes the final syllable of his Technique, everything changes, like something from photoshop.

All of my Shikigami disappear, dispelled so quickly there isn't even the usual evidence of their disappearance in the form of the shadow that made up their being collapsing.

At the same time, one second I am looking at Michizane being held down by Kon, pressed against cracked ice and being pelted by endless rain.

The next, Kon is gone, Michizane is standing upright, unharmed, and the area about one hundred metres in diameter around us is suddenly full of lush grass, as if...

As if the 'natural state' of the world has been renewed.

"Ha, that's bullshit," I mutter with a smile, staring Michizane right in the eye and not hesitating in the slightest to bring both of my hands together, as if in prayer, except that my middle and ring fingers are curled against each other. 

"Domain Expansion-"

The barrier of Cursed Energy if formed in less than a second, far enough to even include Sukuna, and it immediately closes around us all under Michizane's wide eyes.

However, when I look around at my forming Domain, I just can't accept it. It feels wrong, and I have no idea why, but it makes me somewhat uncomfortable. Which is why..

"Nah." I pull my hands apart and break the Domain before it can even finish forming, feeling a hefty chunk of my Cursed Energy disperse into nothing, completely wasted.

I don't care though. I'm not going to do something I don't want to do, and I don't want to use my Domain while it feels incomplete.

Michizane's distraction at my wasteful action costs him as he barely manages to pull himself back into the air to avoid Sukuna's slash, though everything below his ribs still explodes into a paste of blood.

I also have to leap to the side to avoid that attack from killing me as well, but I don't bother complaining beyond just clicking my tongue as I follow Sukuna up into the air after Michizane.

My Technique is burnt out right now, and my head is pounding at me, not at all happy with what I just pulled, but I ignore all of that and simply condense some Cursed Energy beneath my feet, just like Sukuna is doing, to continue the fight.

However, it seems that Michizane really has had enough, as right before Sukuna can reach him, he brings his own hands together, only the tips of his fingers touching each other.

Unnoticed by Michizane, Sukuna and I both grin at his action and bring our own hands together, clasping them with fingers interlocked.

"Hollow Wicker Basket."

"Hollow Wicker Basket."

"Domain Expansion: Heavenly Order of Natural Progression."

I blink and I am on the ground again.

Information floods my mind as the rules of the Domain are explained to me. All of my 'progress' has been reset. For the duration of the Domain, any memory involving any technique or advancement of skill is temporarily sealed away.

From the moment of the Domain's activation, I am as experienced with Cursed Energy as I was when I was six and first learned of its existence. I don't even know what I've lost, what I am capable of. I can barely even move the Cursed Energy in my body, I only know that it exists.

Turning to my side, I see Sukuna in the same boat, glancing around in confusion.

I still remember Hollow Wicker Basket, or at least, I remember what its purpose is, even if I can't remember quite how to activate it.

Why didn't it work? How did Michizane's Domain hit us?

These questions last only until I actually look around us and notice one small, but very, very important fact.

"There's no barrier," I whisper in shock.

Michizane's Domain. It isn't constrained to a barrier. It's just painted onto the world itself.

Hollow Wicker Basket functions by neutralising the barrier of a Domain in order to remove the sure-hit effect.

So what the fuck am I supposed to do against a Domain without a barrier?

I have no time to answer that as the earth abruptly splits open beneath Sukuna and I, and I'm forced to leap to safety to avoid being swallowed.

Luckily, my body is still incredibly tough even without Cursed Energy, though I am quickly getting back into the hang of Reinforcement. My mind can forget, but my body knows what to do.

Heh. A snort leaves me as I have a thought.

"I guess you can have this one, Sukuna. Now really isn't the time to think too much."

Saying so, I immediately disregard my thoughts and just move on instinct alone, trusting my body to remember how to act.

I glance over at Sukuna just as his expression morphs into a triumphant smirk and he waves Michizane's Cursed Tool forward, sending a bolt of lightning crashing down on the Curse.

"I hate you." Michizane states. "You cannot replace me."

The bolt is blocked by a barrier of wind, but Michizane clearly seems unnerved by how quickly Sukuna relearned how to use his Cursed Tool and he waves a hand forward, causing an entire mountain to rise from the earth in front of Sukuna.

With his freshly lacking mastery over his own Technique, Sukuna is unable to Cleave through the mountain, but instinct alone is enough to push his Reinforcement hard enough for him to leap halfway up the mountain in one bound, kicking off of the freshly risen earth to clear the rest.

However, Michizane meets him in the sky, his face twisted into a rictus of snarling rage as, for the first time in the fight, Michizane takes the initiative to throw a punch.

Sukuna smirks, understandably confident in himself even under the effects of Michizane's Domain.

However, right before their fists clash, sparks of black lightning dance across Michizane's fist and the scent of ozone floods my nose.

"Black Flash!"

Sukuna's entire output of Cursed Energy reacts to the imminent danger and concentrates every ounce of energy over his vitals before he can even formulate a single thought.

An instant later, the world shudders as space itself cracks open, iridescent lights blinding me as both of my ears pop, blood trickling down.

The moment the explosion of force finishes, Sukuna's body shoots down from the sky, moving faster than a bullet and seemingly missing half of his mass.

Shit.

Done with Sukuna, Michizane then turns to me, his Cursed Energy only growing more and more dense as the bliss of a successful Black Flash floods his mind.

I can't even react as, between one moment and the next, before I can come up with any kind of plan, he is simply standing right in front of me, palm raised and pointed my way.

I try to summon a Shikigami, but my Technique doesn't answer my call, whether that's because of it being burnt out or because of Michizane's Domain I don't know.

What I do know is that my body abruptly freezes in place, the air around me seemingly turning solid, making me feel incredibly claustrophobic as my entire body is pressured from all sides.

"I hate you," Michizane repeats, staring blankly at me as I vibrate in place, struggling with all my might to just move but failing completely. 

I can't die yet. I think to myself. It would be way too embarrassing to see Izanami-sama after speaking so confidently before.

"I hate you. I hate you so much it burns," Michizane continues, and I continue to ignore him. "I Hate. So much hate."

I stop struggling physically, recognising its uselessness and focus on my mind, trying to think of anything that can get me out of this situation, and mostly coming up blank.

"Die knowing that you failed to reach my heights."

Die? I repeat to myself in my mind, looking up to see Michizane pointing a single finger at my forehead.

Abruptly and completely randomly, my mind pictures the face of my purple-haired, historical delinquent classmate Takiyasha, and as if a revelation from the heavens, the answer comes to me.

Michizane's Domain is interesting, because it only seals away practical experience. Not theoretical. Which is why I am able to recall the fact that Curse Techniques can get disrupted by Reverse Cursed Energy.

I can't exactly remember how to use Reverse Cursed Energy, but my very soul knows that I can do it, so I simply stop thinking about the how and the why.

I just act.

Cursed Energy builds up on the tip of Michizane's finger, a penetrative attack coming into being ready to tear through my skull.

However, right before he releases it, under the ever growing pressure of my beating heart in the face of incoming death, something just... Clicks.

My Reinforcement inverses and Positive Energy pours out of my skin, coating my body in an aura of white fire and destabilising Michizane's hold on me enough for me to barely lean to the side as his attack is let loose.

I feel it tear through the side of my head, taking an ear with it, but I ignore it all and move as fast as my impressive physique allows me to, continuing my lean until my hand touches the floor, where it then sinks down to the wrist.

I feel cold hard wood settle in my palm and my grin grows so wide it almost hurts as I pour Cursed Energy into the sword as I draw it, leaving the sheathe in my shadow as I swing a rising slash so fast that every muscle in my arm tears from the action, spurting blood everywhere.

However it is worth it to see the transformed blade dig into Michizane's lower rib, cutting straight through a barrier of air as if it wasn't there, and then keeps rising until it exits from his opposite shoulder.

I don't stop there, and with Michizane still reeling, I take half a step back, poise the blade, and thrust, straight through his skull and out the other side.

Michizane jolts and freezes, but a second later, he begins to fall. I don't move the blade, but it is so destructive that it simply slides through the top of Michizane's head like nothing when he collapses to the side, landing on his back.

I wait a beat until I feel the Domain collapse, all my memories of how to use Cursed Energy rushing back to me, making me take a step back to avoid falling over.

Finally, a deep, ragged breath leaves me as I allow myself to fall on my ass anyway, completely exhausted, more than I have ever been. Even dying isn't as exhausting as this.

That ridiculous thought make me chuckle, and a moment later my attention is brought to the new mountain as Sukuna explodes out of it, able to heal himself now that he remembers how.

He takes one look over at me and Michizane's corpse before he too, falls back on his ass.

That just makes my chuckle turn into a full blown laugh and I fall backwards onto the wet, muddy earth, my arms spread wide and my chest heaving with exhaustion as I just laugh.

That was so fun! I squeal to myself simply because I'm breathing too hard to shout it out loud for all the world to hear.

I really thought I was going to die for a second there. I didn't expect him to be able to fuck with time.

And what the fuck is up with his Domain? What's a Maximum Technique? Questions for Kamo-Sensei, I guess.

However, as my euphoria starts to die down, I notice something odd.

Normally, when a Curse is exercised, it disperses into nothing.

So why, I think as I glance to my side, my brows furrowed, Can I still feel his Cursed Energy?

As if to answer my own thoughts, the Cursed Energy that made up Michizane's body starts coalescing together, compressing and compressing as the aura that once covered thousands of metres all concentrates under his skin.

You have got to be fucking with me, I think to myself. What is this, Dark Souls?

Scrambling to my feet, I grip Takiyasha's sword and lunge forward, intending to dice the fucker up until there's nothing left, however I am blasted back by an incredible force, unlike anything he showed himself capable of before, sending me hurtling through the air until I manage to dig a furrow into the earth to slow myself down.

Looking up I realise that he must have knocked me half a kilometre away with that one hit and I start rushing back forward, feeling both incredibly annoyed and also incredibly happy.

I really might end up dying, but man if this isn't an exciting way to go down.

Michizane's form quickly becomes concealed as a strange, golden energy that I can't even identify starts to cocoon around him, seemingly being pulled out of thin air in thin wispy strips for as far as the eye can see.

I have no idea what the energy is, but it feels powerful. Dense.

In my mind, I would stop him before he can finish his transformation, or whatever the hell is happening right now, but unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, this isn't like an anime battle. The transformation is over before I can even cross half the distance.

The cocoon of golden energy that formed around him fades away into a pure white before exploding outwards in a burst of wind, pushing me to a stop and flattening all the grass around us.

With that, Michizane's form is once more revealed to me.

Other than being in pristine condition, nothing much looks different. His skin is smoother, his body looks stronger, but the change isn't massive.

The only obvious physical difference, is the large golden ring sticking out of his mid-back, its diameter extending past his shoulders and over his head while evenly spaced along the ring is eight gold drums sparking with electricity.

Whatever just happened, I can tell it's important. I know it in my bones. My Soul is resonating as if to tell me I have just witnessed something incredible.

I am inclined to believe that feeling as the heavy weight of Michizane's presence presses down on me. It feels nothing like before, not needlessly malicious, not full of hate, and far, far stronger.

If anything, it feels somewhat... Noble?

Sukuna moving gets my attention as he sends a slash at Michizane, but the new man simply waves his hand and the slash disperses into nothing.

"This fight is over," Michizane states, soundly oddly serene. "I no longer have any desire to hurt you."

"Eh?" I voice my confusion without really meaning to, making Michizane's attention fall on me.

Much to my surprise, his expression is not hateful as it was mere moments ago. Instead, he actually smiles at me, even if it seems somewhat wistful.

"That was an impressive blow you struck," he compliments, confusing the hell out of me. "And I thank you for it. Facing death so directly while also being in a heightened state of awareness thanks to Black Flash, I have managed to overcome the final hurdle of evolution."

Now I'm really starting to get lost.

Michizane spreads his arms wide, as if presenting something great, and when he speaks again, his words feel so intense, as if they are somehow more real than anything I have ever said or heard.

"Congratulations, for you have bore witness to my apotheosis. Henceforth, I am Tenman Daijizai Tenjin."

Apotheosis? Is he saying that he just ascended to godhood?

That's so fucking cool!!!

"Congratulations! Tenjin-sama!" I call out with a wide smile on my face, clapping and inordinately happy to have witnessed such a monumental event.

"Thank you," Michizane responds with a small but grateful smile, his voice back to sounding normal.

"So, what now?" I ask, and his smile turns into a thin line.

"Now, I will head to the capital. My rage has not abated, I am simply able to think clearly once more. It is not you who is deserving of my Divine wrath, it is those scheming neophytes who call themselves Noble."

"Wait, you're just going to leave?" I ask, a little bit disappointed.

"Yes," Michizane answers as he floats higher into the air, giving me and Sukuna one last smile. "Stand proud. For among the world of Onmyōdō, the two of you now stand as The Strongest."

With those parting words, he doesn't wait for a response before simply turning into a lightning bolt and disappearing over the horizon, taking the storm clouds with him, and it's really weird seeing clouds move that fast.

...Talk about an anti-climax.

"The fuck?" Sukuna's voice has me turn my attention to him to see him wearing an incredibly pissed off expression as he stares into the distance where Michizane, or rather, Tenjin, disappeared to.

Right. He's probably not as happy about this situation as I am. In fact, that's easily an understatement. He's pissed the fuck off that Tenjin would leave the fight unfinished.

As a man who only cares about immediate gratification, an anticlimactic end like this must be akin to swallowing acid to him.

Technically we did win. We beat Sugawara no Michizane. Anything to do with Tenman Daijizai Tenjin has nothing to do with us.

Somehow, I don't think Sukuna is going to see it that way.

I cough into my fist to bring Sukuna's attention my way, and then I tilt my head back enough to look down at him and give my biggest, most mocking smile.

"Heh."

A yelp leaves my throat as I dive forward to avoid a slash, and I break out into joyous laughter as I run as hard as I can away from a very angry Sukuna. He'll feel better once he's had some time to vent.

But even as we play around, well, I'm playing at least, there is only one thing resonating through my mind.

So, Apotheosis is possible, then?

Maybe I won't miss out on so much history after all.

///

Takamagahara 

///

Inside of an impossible grand palace, larger even than entire mortal nations with walls that continue to rise with no heaven to pierce, lavish decorations worth more than entire noble families covering every surface, there is a throne room.

To call it a simple room would be an understatement, as it is by itself larger than any mortal's palace. Grand pillars of white and gold hold the ceiling up and form a path from the entrance to the throne itself.

Further decorating this path is a carpet shaded a beautiful red and decorated with golden designs so intricate and captivating that should any human see it they would be in such awe that their breath would leave them until they died on their feet.

There are no lights or candles to illuminate the room, but such is not necessary when the very room itself is illuminating. Not a single shadow can be seen as light shines seemingly from nothing.

At the end of the room, that carpet rises as it climbs a set of stairs, framing a path that only one being should ever walk until finally, it reaches the throne.

An incredibly ornate seat of power. Its base is composed of pure gold with beautiful, stylistic designs engraved into the metal and a white cloth as pure as snow covering the seat and rising up the centre of the throne's back.

Seated there is a woman of peerless beauty. Such that no words from mortal minds could possibly come close to accurately describing her. If her palace is of such beauty that a mortal man would stare at it until his death, then she herself is so beautiful that that same man would simply be incapable of looking at her in the first place. It would simply be impossible for them to gaze upon her.

But if they were to do so, they would see a mature woman, with glossy, straight black hair that falls down to her lower back. A portion of her hair is tied up in a bun atop her head with multiple intricate golden ornaments of such wealth that each could be used to buy Empires.

Her body is covered by multiple layers of silk smooth kimono. The base colour is white, while the secondary colours are every shade of orange, from the brightest yellow to the deepest red.

Her clothes look themselves like the radiance of the sun, glowing without glowing, just being bright without any kind of glare that would make you squint.

However, for all the beauty of her attire and accessories, none of it could compare to the simple beauty of her face.

Her features are perfectly symmetrical, with not a single hair out of place, skin so smooth as if pores do not exist and lips that shine entrancingly.

Yet what stands out the most is her eyes. Each iris having seemingly been replaced by twin suns, fire dancing across her gaze that brings a the warmth of the sun to all it sees.

Any with the great fortune of being in this woman's Divine and Noble presence would know who she is without a shred of doubt.

For she is Amaterasu-Ōmikami, The Great Goddess of The Sun and The True Ruler of The Heavens.

And right now, her attention is entirely devoted to a floating mirror in her lap, the Legendary Yata no Kagami, her most Divine Treasure.

Reflected in the surface of the mirror is the sight of the Imperial Palace of the lands which belongs to her.

A small frown pulls at her lips as she witnesses the dark clouds that have blanketed over almost the entirety of her realm as lightning bolt after lightning bolt rains Divine Punishment upon the mortals below.

So deep in her focus was she, that she did not notice the approach of another until the giant doors marking the entrance to her throne room abruptly slam open with a bang!

Amaterasu's noble aura immediately shatters as she jumps in her seat, startled, and brings a dainty hand to her chest as she glares at the unrepentant entrant, though there is no heat behind her glare.

Well, no heat that could be called harmful.

"Inari," she says, her voice so melodic and serene it would fill sirens with so much shame they would end their own lives. "Will you ever learn the value of knocking?"

Inari-Ōkami, Goddess of Foxes, Rice and Fertility, among many other tenants, does not allow her sly grin to falter, the expression marking her connection to foxes even clearer than the pair of silver fox ears sticking out of her head and the thick, fluffy tail swishing behind her.

She, like Amaterasu, is a beauty that mortals simply cannot compare to, cannot even imagine with their limited minds. But unlike Amaterasu, her hair is pure white, even purer than clouds and the fur of her ears and tail seem even fluffier than clouds too.

Her attire is far less complex than that of Amaterasu's, wearing less layers with less colours, focusing primarily on white with accents of red and gold.

Her lips are curled into a fox-like grin as she responds to Amaterasu, and her eyes almost curve upwards with her grin, the pearl-like orbs shining like diamonds.

"Only when you stop making such cute reactions~," Inari says as she walks up the stairs to Amaterasu's throne and hops onto one arm, leaning against the highest authority in the realm with an impressive disregard for potential consequences. "Then I'll just start sneakin' in and going 'boo'~."

Amaterasu continue to glare at Inari for a moment before simply letting out a huff and turning her attention back to the mirror, far too used to the disrespect and informality to comment on it. It's not like she really minds if it's Inari anyway.

"Oooh~, looks like you beat me to it~," Inari says, peaking over Amaterasu's shoulder. "I was just coming to tell you about a new God being born. It's not every millennia we get to see an Apotheosis~. When was the last one? Was it Yahata? Or I suppose they're calling him Hachiman now?" Inari lets out a long suffering sigh before leaning further into Amaterasu. "Humans are so allergic to consistency. It's only been six centuries and they're already calling him something else, poor guy~."

"Inari." Amaterasu's voice is soft but full of millennia of exasperation.

"Yeah yeah," Inari waves her hand in front of her face as if to dismiss Amaterasu's words. "There's no one else here, lemme relax a little~. Being all stuffy and Divine suuuuucks~." Inari winks at Amaterasu and gives her a quick peck on the cheek, making the Sun Goddess blush slightly and huff at her.

"So anyway," Inari continues. "What are you gonna do about that guy? Tenman Daijizai Tenjin he called himself? My~ what a lofty title~. Surely you aren't planning to allow him to continue killing the rulers of the Human Realm? It's been a while since you've descended~."

Amaterasu lets out a sigh that immediately has Inari zeroing in on her, her eyes squinting full of suspicion that is answered by Amaterasu's following words.

"I do not intend to do anything."

Sensing the shift in tone, Inari straightens up, though she doesn't get up off the throne's arm.

"Why?" She asks, no hint of her usual playfulness in her tone. "His actions are a direct insult to you, however inconsequential. It will make you look weak if you simply allow it."

"I know that," Amaterasu doesn't quite snap, but it's a close thing, which makes Inari's expression soften.

"What's going on, Ama," Inari asks, her concern only growing when instead of answering, Amaterasu brings a hand up to rub at her eye.

The images in the Yata no Kagami fade away as the mirror floats out of Amaterasu's lap and retakes its usual place behind her.

Silence reigns for a while, and Inari doesn't interrupt it, patiently waiting.

Eventually, Amaterasu lets out another sigh.

"I have received some concerning messages from the Egyptian Pantheon and the Norse. Apparently, sovereign realms are being invaded and sacred treasures, as well as powerful souls are being stolen away."

"What?" Inari fails to suppress her harsh, whispered response. "Is someone trying to start a war?! Or is it an independent faction?"

"Worse on both counts," Amaterasu responds, her voice tired, but Inari would be a fool to not recognise the rage hidden behind her eyes or how the entire palace heats up in response to it's ruler's feelings. "It's Him."

Such simple words, spat out as if a Curse, yet they suck the breath out of Inari's throat as she practically recoils at the information. Amaterasu doesn't wait for her friend to gather together a response before continuing.

"His war with His son is growing more intense, and so He is expanding on his little project. Lord Odin informs me that the soul of the King of Arcadia, Lycaon, who was once Cursed by King Zeus, has been taken, and that there was even an attempt on Mjölnir recently. He's getting bolder."

With her words, Inari now understands Amaterasu's wrath and she feels her own temper rising, but she tempers it to keep from saying anything foolish.

"Is there anything we can do?" She asks instead, but Amaterasu shakes her head in denial.

"We can only prepare. In the case that his foolish arrogance does bring about a war, we need every advantage we can get. That is why I am not going to act against Tenjin. We need all the help we can get, and he is a decently powerful God now. Let him vent his anger now so that he may add to our Pantheon in case of war."

"I see," Inari says, the calm of her voice not hiding the freezing anger behind her eyes. "My apologies for questioning you."

"It is fine," Amaterasu dismisses. "On somewhat brighter news, Lord Odin and Pharaoh Amun-Ra have tentatively agreed to a defensive pact, should His actions go too far, and we all know that the Olympians would leap at the chance to war against Him."

"That is indeed good news," Inari states. "But even so..."

She doesn't finish her sentence, and she doesn't need to, for Amaterasu has the same thought.

Even if we all join together, can we even achieve victory? At what cost?

He is not just some God, after all. He is the single most powerful being in the universe, only falling short of those two Anomalies, and even that is debatable.

"In that case, I shall keep an eye out for any intruders to the Realm. I refuse to allow any of our Pantheon's Treasures or Great Souls to be reduced to those 'Sacred Treasures' for him to hand out to random mortals as if they are mochi."

"Thank you," Amaterasu says with a slight dip of her head.

"Don't worry about it~," Inari responds, waving away the thanks with her foxy grin returned as she forcefully pushes away the serious atmosphere. "Now that that's out of the way, I wondering about something~. What were you doing before little Tenjin started throwing his tantrum~?"

"I do not know what you mean," Amaterasu responds a little bit too quickly, causing Inari's fox-like grin to only grow wider, which in turn makes a faint blush grown on Amaterasu's perfectly stoic face.

"Well you see~," Inari begins, staring right into Amaterasu's eyes as she does. "Not to brag, but I am the one who keeps track of the Mortal Realm for you~. I am always the first to know about anything happening down there~. So, isn't it a bit strange that you were already observing Tenjin before I even got here~? I did come as fast as I could you know~?"

"It was just a coincidence," Amaterasu lies, poorly. Inari sees through it immediately, as she always does when Amaterasu tries to hide something from her. "Besides, he is not being subtle. Is it really so shocking that I would notice such a commotion?"

"Hm~ hm~ I suppose~," Inari says, unconvinced and enjoying making Amaterasu squirm. "It couldn't be that you just happened to witness his Apotheosis while you were spying on your new favourite mortal~?"

"What!?" The effect of her words are immediate as Amaterasu flinches minutely and looks away, her flush growing just a bit larger. "I have no idea what you are referring to!"

"Hm~ hm~, come on~, there's no need to deny it~, he's totally your type~," Inari continues her teasing, loving the view as Amaterasu's skin gradually grows more and more red.

"I do not have a type!" Amaterasu exclaims, aghast at the accusation.

Inari's cheshire smile doesn't falter at all under her superior's glare as she brings up a hand and starts pulling up fingers as she lists off, "Respectful but independent, check. Nauseatingly sincere, check. A completely absurd way of thinking, check. The shameless confidence to act upon that absurd process of thought, check. Full of nothing but praise for your own beauty, check. Just face it Ama, he plucks all your strings~. By Yomi, even I can't help but find him cute~, maybe I'll pay him a visit~?"

Amaterasu's steadily growing blush transitions into an outraged glare when Inari finishes with her diatribe.

"I do not. Have a type," Amaterasu repeats in a voice that would convince absolutely no one.

But Inari figured she'd get a response like that, so she prepares her Ultra Mega One-Hit K.O. Critical Strike and utters a single word.

"Uzume~."

Amaterasu's blush immediately goes atomic, and Inari quickly decides to make a valiant retreat while Amaterasu is still stunned.

As soon as she is outside of the throne room's doors, Inari wills herself to be elsewhere and appears in her own bedroom, immediately bursting into a fit of giggles while jumping on and then rolling on her bed.

After having a good laugh at Amaterasu's expense, she lets out a satisfied sigh, happy that she managed to take Amaterasu's mind off of the stress she's been under recently, even if only for a moment.

Alas, her good mood cannot last forever and her mind inevitably drifts back to what she's learnt today.

As it does, her eyes turn cold as she glares up at the ceiling. Her personal palace shudders as she relaxes her self-control slightly, causing her wrath to start tearing apart her palace.

She doesn't care though. Anything broken can be repaired, and with no other being existing in her realm, she has no need to restrain herself.

Staring at the ceiling of her room, now covered in a spiderweb of cracks, Inari mutters a single word with such hatred, as if it is a curse that merely saying aloud burns her tongue.

"Yahweh."

///

A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

I had a lot more fun writing this chapter, idk if you can tell or not by the 10k length lmao.

I got really into it, and there isn't really a solid point in the middle I can use to split it in half to get 2 chaps out of one, but oh well.

Let me know what you thought of the fight! I kinda baited you a lil with the climax lmao, hope that didn't feel cheap.

But I had 2 reasons. One is that irl Michizane was deified as Tenjin-sama after his death, cuz he supposedly became an onryo, aka evil spirit, and caused plague and famine and struck the imperial palace with continuous lightning, killing heirs to the throne and a bunch of nobles. So I wanted to keep some of that real history, just twisted a little to fit the second.

But the main reason was that this chapter was officially the introduction to the bullshit scaling that is DxD lmao.

Also, what did you think of my depictions Amaterasu and Inari? I couldn't fine any good anime/general media representations of the two, so I just made it up. Also, look up Uzume if you don't get that bit at the end.

Also also, on the subject of people talking 'properly' like with haths and thous and stuff, I would do that, but I have no idea how nobles spoke in ancient japan and how to then translate that into modern english, so I'm just going to keep the speech like this. That said, when he gets to an english speaking place, I'll prolly start doing some olde english.

Also also also, I know none of you are likely to care, but I really like the title for this chap. I know it's simple, but it's got layers and if you know me, you know I love layers in my literature. Cuz who is The Strongest? Narauko and Sukuna are officially the strongest humans in the realm, but can they really hold that title proudly when it was given to them by a being who is now so much more powerful than them?

And there's also the connection between Amaterasu being the strongest Kami, who then talks about the strongest god. God that's fucking quad use out of that title I'm so fuckin hyped. :D

Also, 6 chaps ahead on Kevin the Bored at the money site :P