Chapter 9: Survival
"Rin, stay calm. Don't panic. We need each other to survive," Akira said, his voice steady as he strengthened his Simple Domain.
"I'm not panicking, I'm just—" Rin started, but suddenly the cursed spirit teleported near them, interrupting her.
Nuribotoke launched a huge wave of the ink sea towards them, the dark liquid surging with malevolent intent.
Rin reacted quickly, her instincts honed and unleashed a blast of freezing energy, solidifying the ink wave into a massive block of ice. However, the strain forced her to close her Simple Domain, leaving them vulnerable.
Akira moved in front of Rin, his blade ready. "We need to end this quickly," he said, his eyes never leaving the cursed spirit.
Nuribotoke loomed over them, its oily skin gleaming ominously. It extended its arms, summoning more inky constructs from the ground, each one writhing and pulsating with cursed energy. As the spirit launched its attack, the sure-hit nature of the domain caused a tendril of ink to appear instantly in front of Rin, piercing through her body.
She gritted her teeth, forming a protective layer of ice on her skin in an attempt to mitigate the damage while desperately trying to reopen her Simple Domain.
Akira, reacting with lightning speed, appeared in front of the cursed spirit, his sword charged with cursed energy. With a powerful slash, he struck at Nuribotoke. The spirit tried to flee by teleporting away, but it was too late. It lost a hand in the process, the severed limb falling into the inky sea below.
Teleporting away, Nuribotoke began healing its lost hand, dark energy swirling around the stump. It formed a hand sign, and the island began to shake. The seas of ink started to gather, forming two massive tsunamis that rose ominously, aiming directly at Akira and Rin.
Rin looked at the looming waves and sighed. "Akira, if we survive this, I will kiss you for real."
"…"
"Do you know that I hate you, right? Why do you think kissing me will make me happy? It will just make me disgusted," Akira replied nonchalantly, his focus never wavering from the oncoming threat.
Rin replied with a playful tone, "I just wanted to motivate you, Akira." Her smirk softened into a reassuring smile.
The tsunamis surged forward, their sheer size and power threatening to overwhelm everything in their path. Akira tightened his grip on his sword, his eyes narrowing as he calculated their next move.
"Akira, listen carefully," Rin said with a confident tone, her voice cutting through the chaos. "I'm going to close my Simple Domain, and I guarantee you that I'll freeze the cursed spirit."
"But because of the sure hit of the domain, the tsunami will instantly hit me. You need to promise me that you'll take it down in one shot. I'm risking my life here for you—something I've never done before. This might be the first and the last time, so lock in please."
Akira glanced at Rin with a meaningful look, seeing the determination in her eyes. He nodded firmly. "I promise, Rin. I won't let you down."
Rin now gambling as she was going to try and use something that she didn't try before because of her paranoid nature. She knew the risks, but the situation demanded everything she had.
"I'm going to die if I don't try anyway," Rin muttered to herself, closing her Simple Domain.
With a deep breath, she channeled every ounce of her cursed energy into her technique.
"Maximum Output: Frost Calm!" Rin shouted, her voice echoing through the oppressive darkness.
The air around her grew frigid, an icy mist swirling and expanding rapidly. This was uncharted territory for her, but she had no other choice. The freezing mist spread outward, covering a much larger area than ever before. The inky sea around them began to crystallize, freezing solid as the cold took hold.
Nuribotoke, caught in the expanding frost, found its movements slowing dramatically. Its oily skin began to crack and shatter under the intense cold. The cursed spirit's writhing constructs of darkness froze mid-motion, becoming brittle and fragile.
Akira was shocked by Rin's insane attack but only for a second. He wasted no time, seizing the opportunity to strike. As he walked through the icy terrain, his luck turned sour when the cursed spirit broke free, forming a sharp ink spear. With his Simple Domain inactive, the spear instantly hit Akira, piercing through his left arm.
Ignoring the pain, Akira continued his way, jumping on top of the cursed spirit as it created an ink shield for protection. He realized he might not be able to one-shot the spirit and glanced at Rin. She had been hit by the tsunamis and was starting to drown, her skin burning from the ink.
"I need to one-shot it no matter what," Akira thought to himself, recalling everyone he cared about. Summoning his resolve, he shouted, "New Shadow Style: Final Judgment!"
Black sparks formed around his blade as he pierced through the ink shield with ease, cutting the spirit's head off instantly with his attack. Fortune favored him as he landed a Black Flash, amplifying his strike.
The cursed spirit's body shuddered, then disintegrated into black mist, its oppressive presence fading away. The Domain Expansion collapsed, leaving Akira and Rin in the aftermath of their fierce battle.
Akira, clutching his wounded arm, rushed to Rin's side, his face a mixture of concern and frustration. "Rin, are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with urgency and worry.
Rin coughed up the black ink, her expression one of exasperation. "Why did it take you so long?" she demanded, her tone a mix of irritation and relief.
"..."
Akira's face tightened, but he stayed silent for a moment, processing her words. "Can't you be grateful for one time?" he finally said, his voice tinged with annoyance.
Rin, ever the drama queen, moaned dramatically, clutching at her side. "Hold me fast, I'm dying," she whimpered, her performance so over-the-top it was almost comical.
"…"
Akira rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed. "I'm the one who needs more care," he retorted, his voice rising in frustration. "I could lose my hand, you Bitch."
Rin's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, you can swear?" she exclaimed, her disbelief evident. She stood up, brushing herself off as if nothing had happened, completely unfazed. "I've never heard you curse before, Akira. I didn't think you had it in you."
Akira glared at her, his patience clearly wearing thin. "You drive me to it," he muttered, shaking his head. "You're unbelievable."
Rin laughed, a bright, almost musical sound that seemed to cut through the tension of the moment. Her eyes gleamed with a mixture of excitement and arrogance. "So that's Domain Expansion, huh? Truly the peak of jujutsu. I can't wait to reach that state," she said aloud, her voice dripping with self-assuredness and a smirk tugging at her lips.
"Keep dreaming," Akira retorted with a mocking tone, rolling his eyes at her arrogance. "It's not as easy as you think. You'll need more than just ambition to master a Domain Expansion."
Rin tilted her head slightly, her smirk growing wider. "Oh, I know it's not easy," she replied, her voice taking on a more confident note. "But I'm not just anyone, Akira. I got that Dawg in me."
"Huh? What?" Akira asked, clearly puzzled by Rin's statement.
Ignoring his confusion, Rin patted his back reassuringly. "Stand proud, Akira! You managed to land a Black Flash! Is this your first time or what?"
Akira took a moment to absorb the gravity of Rin's words. "So that was a Black Flash, huh... I thought it was just a myth. I've never seen someone land one before," he admitted, the realization of his achievement sinking in.
Black Flash, a rare phenomenon in jujutsu sorcery, is a distortion in space that occurs when cursed energy is applied within 0.000001 seconds of a physical hit. It magnifies the destructive power of the strike exponentially, showcasing the utmost mastery of cursed techniques.
Unleashing Black Flash requires not just skill, but incredible concentration and mastery of cursed energy, No jujutsu sorcerer can summon it at will; it's a testament to one's combat potential and understanding of cursed techniques.
According to Aoi Todo, grasping the essence of cursed energy to this extent is like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Ah, but hey, at least you can actually become stronger now, even if you're going to bee stuck at grade 1 sorcerer eitherway," Rin said mockingly, her tone teasing yet encouraging, reminding him of the harsh reality of his current status.
Rin's teasing tone cut through the solemnity of the moment, eliciting a chuckle from Akira despite his injuries. He glanced over at her, a wry smile playing on his lips.
"Yeah, yeah," he replied, his voice tinged with amusement. "At least I can still manage to impress you sometimes, even if I'm stuck in the lower ranks.
Rin smirked, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Impress me more and maybe I will tell you something interesting"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone