Bab 25: End of a War and Start of a Brotherhood
"I-Impossible..." A figure loomed, the left side of his head and shoulder conspicuously absent. Opposite him stood a man clad in a frayed blue robe, sweat glistening on his muscular physique as his arm reformed and mended itself.
"Have I been defeated?" His right eye, radiant with gem-like shimmer and deep blue hues, registered a world it had never envisioned, a world where he was not invincible. It quivered, absorbing everything around, much like a child witnessing colors for the very first time. Some distance away, his left eye connected to an optical nerve lay untouched on the ground, though it was buried under heavy rubble.
The man in the blue robe sheathed his unusual dagger into a pocket within his attire, fixing his gaze on his fallen adversary. While he had already healed completely, his opponent wasn't so fortunate, presumably because a significant portion of his left brain had been disintegrated during their clash.
Drawing his robe around him, the man spoke, "The name's Yue Kai, but I'm sure you were aware. The Six Eyes, they say, are unbreakable anchors of destiny, meant for those with grand fates. Anyone else, a regular human possessing or facing them, would be overwhelmed by their power and meet a grim end by fate's hand. Now that I've bested one such as you, does destiny view me as a foe?"
He didn't wait for a reply. Cursed energy swirled around Yue Kai's clenched fist, warping the very space around it. Sparks of electric tension in the air hinted at an imminent storm. The world flashed black as cackling surged around their bodies.
With a fleeting sense of sympathy, Yue Kai positioned himself.
In a swift, ruthless motion, his fist collided with his adversary's chest, sending shockwaves that deformed his chest and shattered ribs.
Slammed into the temple's stone pillar, his opponent gasped, "Ugh!" Without stopping, he fell through another stone pillar and finally was smashed into a stone wall, causing his eye to roll in his head unconscious.
After seeing his opponent defeated, Yue Kai's knees gave out as he crashed to the ground. Tears began to swell and emotions from his childhood made him cry, "Fei-Fei..."
...
"Kai?" A timid voice asked Yue Kai. The voice rang in his head, the familiarity was unmistakable, yet not possible. But that didn't stop him from hoping.
Turning his head, the short girl with black hair and a black dress waved, shocking Yue Kai. He lunged faster than any of his fights today, instantly reaching his sister and crying while squeezing her in a hug, "Fei-Fei!! You survived! How?"
Another figure appeared inside the broken temple, frowning at seeing the unconscious man bleeding on the wall, "So, Kaneyori was alive this whole time... I don't know whether to laugh or cry. At least his heart stopped and the smell of death is covering his body. My heart can't handle a Gojo fight."
"Brother Gabimaru! You survived too?! What a blessed man I am! Please fill me in on what happened with both of you." Yue Kai brought Gabimaru into a group hug, causing Yue Fei to slightly blush when breathing in Gabimaru's musk.
But that didn't stop her from sniffing his clothes while they were huddled, remembering how he saved her life. Yue Kai didn't notice, and patted them both on the back, "It's so good to see you! You must be incredibly strong to survive a fight with two Empty Generals, brother. Even I had to tuck my tail between my legs!"
"Hahaha! Brother Kai is too humble. If it wasn't for your participation in drawing out their domains early, I could have never possessed the chance to kill them like I did."
Yue Kai backed away and had a look of surprise at Gabimaru's words. Then, he grabbed his waist and gave his a very tight hug and rejoiced, "My brother! This is my brother! Brother Gabimaru! Not only does he face strong opponents for his brothers, but he kills them with utter humility! I praise the spirits for blessing me with such a good brother I have found! Perhaps I should really make you my brother-in-law..."
"Kai..." Glaring at her brother, Yue Fei gave a death stare, causing Yue Kai to laugh, "Haha! Just joking, Fei-Fei."
"Now please tell me what happened..." Yue Kai made a serious face from his relaxed one, making both of them focus. They didn't want to wait, and told their own sides of the story, leaving out a few personal details in their confrontation.
...
Devil Transformation Contract: Yue Fei will transform into a perfect vessel for cursed energy, also becoming a devil of Gabimaru in perpetuity. Yue Fei will be able to unleash her devil powers against anyone except Gabimaru.
A piece of parchment floated in the air in front of Yue Kai, who read it with interest.
Yue Kai stepped back in awe, "I see, Brother Gabimaru saved Fei-Fei with a Contract? Well, you have my utmost gratitude. Not only that, but you killed two Empty Generals, I killed one, you have another one under your control as a subordinate, and the last one is a pacifist!? That means we have effectively cut a quarter of the Fujiwara's power off! Hahaha! They deserve it for messing with my Yue Clan for so long! Hahaha!"
Curious, Gabimaru asked, "Brother Kai, what makes the Fujiwara so strong. I'm only familiar with the Sugawara and am not familiar with human politics. Please forgive me for asking such questions as an ignorant cursed spirit."
Gabimaru bowed down, smirking, to which Yue Kai smiled and patted his shoulder, "Brother Gabimaru, it doesn't matter what race or gender you are, from now on we are related by blood no matter what others say. If others call you a cursed spirit, I am also a cursed spirit. If people call you a human, I am also a human. There won't be enough to repay you in this lifetime for your sacrifice."
"Hahaha! Since when did Brother Kai become so formal? We are brothers, not merchants. There is no need to pay me back, but I am still curious about the Fujiwara Clan nonetheless, in case they strike again. That Sugawara Kaneyori brat has been a thorn in my side for many years and I wonder if they are connected."
Yue Kai's eyes glistened, "Of course, please forgive me. The Sugawara slave is a member of the clan which is under some mind manipulation from the previous clan head, who is close friends with the Fujiwara clan head. That slave has been tasked with assisting the Five Empty Generals in destroying my Yue Clan and stealing our family's sacred heirloom. This Undead Heavens War has been going on for years, with this year being the concluding year."
"Hmm? So a limited-time raid mission? Sorry for the interruption, please continue."
"No problem, Brother Gabimaru, please don't hesitate to ask questions. As for the Fujiwara's power, it can be divided into four major areas: The Celestial Squad, the Five Empty Generals, the Royal Court, and Fujiwara Yoshifusa himself."
Yue Kai took a moment to pause and think before continuing, "Although Yoshifusa, the Royal Court, and the Generals are easy to explain, the Celestial Squad is not. It is also named the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad for the reason of it possessing the leadership positions of Sun, Moon, and Star leader. They are comprised of many Half-Immortal cultiva-... Jujutsu Sorcerers of the Special Grade."
Gabimaru jumped in and asked, "Is there a leader in the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad named Etsu with a shikigami technique?"
"Apologies Brother Gabimaru, but I've never heard of them. It's possible they are not that important or are not affiliated with them. Keep in mind he could be a foot soldier, called Stars inside the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad. The most important to pay attention to are the leaders and methods they use."
With a sigh, he replied, "It's alright. So how does the Celestial Squad function? It might help to know for the future."
"Of course. There is the Sun Leader, who is most public and acts like the representative rather than a fighter, and has many Stars under his control. The Moon Leader is the opposite, hiding in the shadows as a group of assassins with a few secret Stars operating inside my Tang's Royal Court. The Star Leader is a position which is closest to Yoshifusa, and are full of strong Stars who protect him."
Storing the left eye of Kaneyori in his shadow inventory, Gabimaru responded, "Okay, I think I get it. It's extroverts, introverts, and fighters divided up in a squad. Yoshifusa is the leader with insane strength. The Five Generals are basically done for, and the Royal Court is a political drama show. It doesn't sound too impossible to beat them."
"Hahahaha! I like your attitude Brother Gabimaru! You have made me laugh more today than any other day in my life! Hahaha! But make sure not to underestimate the Fujiwara, or else trouble is guaranteed."
Yue Kai closed his eyes and continued, "For now, let me make up the promise I made and show you about the true strength I posses-"
"Wait!"
Questioning Gabimaru, Yue Kai asked, "What is it brother? Is something wrong?" Gabimaru sniffed the air, his eyes dashed around the temple's rubble, "I can smell someone hiding in the area. It's subtle, but they are old and probably a man."
"No! It can't be!" Yue Kai's eyes widened, instantly turning his head back to Kaneyori's corpse, which was missing. Alarms were ringing in his head, as he asked, "Brother! Which direction is that smell coming from?!"
Gabimaru seemed to be catching up, his face turning pale, "Brother Kai, you don't mean to say... Oh shit! It's coming from the south! Go, quickly!"
"Thank you Brother Gabimaru! Take care of Fei-Fei!" Not wasting a single second, Yue Kai burst through the ceiling, heading south. Gabimaru just sighed, as Yue Fei shrugged her shoulders and sat down on the temple's stone floor. Understanding the gesture, Gabimaru joined her on the ground, feeling very tired from his fights today.
Although Gabimaru wanted to help, his cursed energy hadn't even recovered to 20% yet. Yue Fei's situation was even worse, so they decided to leave everything to Yue Kai, believing his strength was more than enough to handle anything, especially since he seemed to still be full of cursed energy, despite killing Sugawara no Kaneyori, a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer regarded as one of the strongest.
"We'll hear how he did later..." Saying this, Yue Fei closed her eyes and fell into a slumber.
...
From far away, a shadow was seen in the distance carrying a figure on their back. They were running away from the temple at a breakneck speed, dashing over the grasslands while the sun faded into the horizon.
Yue Kai had great vision and could quickly see that it was Kaneyori on the shadow's back. As Yue Kai sprinted at the speed of sound, he saw the shadow was the old man who was known for his tricks in Japan.
"Sugawara no Kiyotomo!"
Although it was many kilometers away from the temple, Yue Kai managed to almost catch Kiyotomo. This was because Kiyotomo's biggest weakness was speed, and Yue Kai's specialties were his physical attributes. Still, Yue Kai's eyebrows furrowed in rage as he forced a dark memory out from his body in the form of negative energy.
It exploded from everywhere, before condensing into a dense ball around his fist.
Yue Kai roared, "TAO: Yang Shui!"
A condensed ball of black liquid appeared in front of Kiyotomo's face, prompting him to throw Kaneyori's body a few meters away and dodge the attack by ducking.
While it did miss, just being near the fist caused a few cuts from the wind to appear on the old man's face.
However, despite being injured, the old man's face grinned like seeing an old friend, "Ha! The Yue brat has grown up!"
"I hope you aren't expecting me to go easy, especially after handling your filthy slave." Yue Kai's arms filled with more and more energy, seemingly like an endless well which drew water from an abyss.
Yue Kai took a unique battle stance, crouching low and opening his palms towards Kiyotomo.
The old man's face grew slightly serious after seeing the pose and sighed, "Looks like I have no reason to hold back..."
Kiyotomo's robe began to flow in the breeze, as he lifted his hand up, making Yue Kai instantly realize what was going to happen, sparking his mind to flood the area with cursed energy to defend him.
"...Domain Expansion." Just as Kiyotomo said this, Yue Kai reflexively had his up too, "Domain Expansion!"
Domains were the most supreme technique of any jujutsu user, but the loser of a domain clash would always end up dying. This is why it is important to constantly polish your domain, making sure to never lose in these fights.
Both of them knew this fact, polishing their domains to their utmost potential while still training. The result: two domains which forced each other into a standstill. Sparks clashed, but neither sorcerer let up.
However, even then, domains couldn't last forever, as a crack began to form along the surface of one.
Two spheres of absolute power were formed on opposite sides, clashing against each other, but the one cracking was Yue Kai's!
One was blue like the skies and the other was a gradient white.
While they hit each other, the blue one began to shrink and creak under pressure even more, Kiyotomo started to understand it was happening. Yue Kai even frowned, understanding that even a genius couldn't make a perfect domain expansion. Sweat ran down their faces, as they clenched their teeth and felt their heads ache in pain.
The old man, Kiyotomo, chuckled while sweat poured down his face, "Hahaha!!! Something wrong!!! Brat?!"
Understandably, Yue Kai was starting to think of methods to escape, understanding that even if he lost, the punishments wouldn't be too serious, considering he didn't imbue an innate technique inside his domain. Still, his eyes flashed around the grasslands, planning a route which would lead them away from the temple, keeping his enemy distracted from his sister and brother..
Kiyotomo noticed this, and began his own plan to trap Yue Kai. It also seemed that Yue Kai could read Kiyotomo's face and hear his thoughts.
Both seemed to understand each other well, waiting for the perfect moment as more cracks appeared along the surface of the blue sphere, as the white crushed it as time passed.
That was until something unexpected happened... The cold freezing feeling of fear.
Within a short, the smell of standing next to a mountain of corpses and blood assaulted both sorcerers, as a chime whistled in their ears. From not too far away, an unidentifiable figure folding his hands together into the hand sign of Enmaten In, Yama!
"Domain Expansion..."
The ground shook, but no barrier was created. In fact, the world itself changed shape, not caring to contain the technique being etched onto the world itself.
A Buddhist shrine with skulls rose from the ground. Death's stench permeated the air.
Both sorcerers turned their heads and stared, in awe of the masterpiece being painted. It was a beautiful domain, crafted to the definition of perfection.
"Malevolent Shrine."
...
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
ValentineSnacks
ValentineSnacks I took a couple weeks to plan out the end of the novel. Now I have it planned and half of it written.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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