章 61: Hanami
Running through the corridors of one temple amongst the many were three students.
Kamo Noritoshi, Inumaki Toge and Fushiguro Megumi.
Three young sorcerers each coming from a distinct clan inheriting their innate techniques.
But now these sorcerers would have to come face to face with a special-grade cursed spirit.
Noritoshi looked back to see the giant wave of wooden roots coming after them. He clicked his tongue as he saw the gap between them slowly but surely catching up to them.
"Are you alright, Inumaki." Megumi asked concerned about his senior.
"Salmon." Inumaki said grasping his sore throat.
"It's here!"
The three looked back to see a large cursed spirit dwarfing them in size and height. It's skin color was grey with black lines running across the body. With a face non like other, it had no distinct facial features with its teeth seeming to be separated from its face and branches for its eyes. Its left arm was covered by a white cloth.
Special Grade Cursed Spirit: Hanami
With roots formed into orbs, it began launching its attack against the students.
"Stop!"
With a shout, the orb that were attacking them and the cursed spirit stopped in their tracks. That opening gave Noritoshi his opportunity and he gathering his blood into a single point.
"Convergence, Piercing blood!"
A thick arrow of blood shot out of his hands at the speed of sound and hit the special grade in the head slightly grazing it.
'He managed to hurt it, so he was holding back against me!' Megumi thought.
"Hurry! That won't slow it down."
The three began running once again with the cursed spirit hot on their tail.
Noritoshi pondered over the situation they were trapped in. 'Inumaki stops it, we attack and start running. We repeat this until we get out of the veil and join the principal. But there's no telling when this balance will collapse, Inumaki's cursed speech isn't affecting it much and if it figures out a way to deal with it then we're done. There's also a possibility that the principal and teachers aren't coming here. I would of liked to join up with Miwa or Todo but...'
The three managed to reach outside where they stood their ground.
"Nue!" An maroon colored owl with a white skeletal mask on its face was formed from Megumi's shadow.
Sending it towards the special grade with Inumaki's cursed speech, this was their repeated form of action to slow down the special grade.
"St-"
The bird was pierced through its body by the cursed spirit hand spilling blood and falling to the ground in pain while clutching his throat was Inumaki.
'He hit his limit first?!' Noritoshi grimed at this but before he could think of another course of action, the cursed spirit appeared before him and slammed its fist to his face sending him rolling to the ground. Megumi caught him but found him unconscious.
'Damn it. He wasn't using strong words but it still destroyed his throat. This spirit is just that much stronger!'
No allies with him, left with his own devices, Megumi felt it in his gut that facing this cursed spirit spelt death. He knew what he had to do and brought his arms together. His eyes staring down his opponent as a new form of cursed energy was felt by the cursed spirit. An ominous superior one to its own.
"With this treasure, I summon-"
But right before his ritual could be done, a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.
"Don't bother Megumi."
Under his shocked gaze, Maki walked forward with a red and black three section staff connected by three rings each. A special grade cursed tool named 'Playful Cloud', its sole effect was to enhance the strikes dealt.
"I'll handle this." She said with a reassuring smile.
"Children... always so ignorant." The cursed spirit said as it unleashed a wave of roots towards her.
Maki with her cursed tool slammed it to the wave of roots breaking them apart and dashed to Hanami swung it to its side launching it towards the forest.
"You're the ignorant one for looking down on me." She mocked it and looked back to Megumi. "Bring the two back to Ieiri, I don't know if we can actually get out of this veil but try it. It's safer than facing this monster."
Megumi did as told and brought Inumaki on his back and summoned his demon dog to transport Noritoshi. "What about you?"
"I'll be buying a couple of minutes."
With Megumi heading somewhere safe, Maki redirected her attention to the cursed spirit. A chunk of its site was gone but was soon regenerated within seconds. "Fucking cockroach."
Hanami who was now on a river held its side and pondered. "That is a good weapon. Not only that but her strength seems almost inhuman not holding any cursed energy. What an odd sorcerer."
Maki landed on the opposite side of the river splashing water everywhere. "Well an odd sorcerer means a special one. And you kind of have to be special in this type of business."
"Special does not equate to be powerful."
"Kind of like special grade cursed spirits, right?" Maki mocked it but remained cautious.
'I say that but right now I don't have the slightest chance in victory. I'm nowhere near Toji's level of strength but dad made sure to enhance my heavenly pact and make me stronger than before. I just need to cause a ruckus and bring attention here. Hopefully someone can help me before the teachers and principals come inside the veil.'
Hanami seemed to sense Maki's hesitation and thought. 'It seems that this child is looking to buy time, it is also my goal since Mahito should be entering the formation made by Tengen. Though I would like to see Sukuna's vessel, beating this young girl will take some time off.'
Without any words, the two launched their own attacks at one another. Maki who held the greater physical prowess weaved through the branches while occasionally smashing through ones who came too close with her tri-staff.
But when she came too close, Hanami formed a ball of wood and floated in the air with it giving Maki no chance to hit her.
'Seems like its holding 'Playful Cloud' as dangerous not letting it get close to it at all.' Maki thought before she pulled the staff together and placed it on her back and took out these small metal rods adorned with red markings and sharp tips that looked no longer than 10 cm.
"Did you really think I haven't fought an enemy that can fly?!" She shouted with a crazed smile and threw them towards the cursed spirit.
The rods that were originally small expanded growing to a meter each. Even Hanami had to admit that she was surprised at this new weapon. The rods that were heading towards it were intercepted by the root created by the wooden ball. Though the ball broke apart after it attacked two of them. With two others heading towards its way, Hanami smashed the two with its arm pushing the two away.
But with its attention diverted, it finally noticed Maki gone from her original spot.
'Where did she go?' It thought as it tried to sense the cursed energy. Only to look back in a hurry and put its guard up. Above her was Maki with her tri-staff, swinging down with all her might cracking the cursed spirit head and launching it to the ground creating a small crater.
Collapsed on the ground, Hanami grabbed its head in pain and slowly poured cursed energy to heal its wounds.
"Always look at your blindspot." Maki said as she once again swung her tri-staff but this time Hanami managed to block the strike making it only be pushed back a bit with a chunk of its arm missing.
"It seems I have indeed underestimated." The cursed spirit said as it healed its arm before ripping out the cloth holding its left arm. The arm was black unlike the rest of the body and had white marks instead of black with a red rose at the shoulder.
"I will stop doing so as of now." With its full might finally unleashed, it slammed its arms to the ground and unleashed a tsunami of roots heading straight for Maki.
"You've got to kidding me." She gulped as the now wave of roots covered the sun. Knowing that running to the side was futile due to its wide range, going underground would just give the cursed spirit more openings on her and above was just suicidal, Maki grasped the tri-staff tightly and smiled.
"Whatever, let's do this."
She sprinted towards the wave of roots and slammed it with Playful Cloud. Maki kept repeating the process but soon found herself being push back. She kept destroying the wall of roots but it felt almost eternal, never ending. Maki found herself being pushed down and gritted her teeth and yelled utilizing all the strength she had to break it all apart. Until the wave collapsed, burying her under the roots.
Hanami who witnessed this sighed and turned away. 'He told us to not kill anyone, I may have gone too far and lost control of myself.'
Remembering the conversation it had with Mahito, he told her to let Hanami instincts out. Be true to itself.
To be free and not shackled by things like morality. To be unlike humanity.
'It seems I've gotten to where you directed me at Mahito.' Hanami thought to her comrade.
"And here I thought you said you would stop underestimating me."
A voice interrupted its thoughts, Hanami turned around only to be met by a staff striking its jaw in an uppercut motion. Maki emerged from the pile of roots with cuts all over her body with thorns stuck to her skin.
Maki didn't stop as she kept going, not slowing down the barrage of attacks being thrown.
'I can't muster my cursed technique!' Hanami thought as the wave of roots took an enormous amount of cursed energy.
As it was being torn apart, Hanami finally managed to gather its cursed energy and manipulated roots behind Maki and launched it at her but before it could reach her, Maki turned around and broke apart the roots.
"Didn't I say to always look at your blindspot, why the hell did you think I wouldn't take my own advice?!"
Maki didn't even let the cursed spirit a break as she cracked its head and ripped out its eye trees in the process. Visible cracks could be seen all over its body.
This time though it took time to heal within the small gap of time Maki took to break the roots. With its strength recovered, Hanami swung its fist forcing Maki to dodge. Through this, Maki found her opening and attacked again but before she could Maki found herself shocked at the scene before her.
The ground they were at that was supposed to be tattered due to their fight was now filled with beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. Deep inside, Maki could feel something wrong happening. She could feel herself relax and patient, it was like nothing mattered and she could sleep.
Peace and tranquility.
The hold she had over her weapon loosened as it dropped to the ground.
With nothing to protect herself, Maki was completely unguarded and Hanami didn't let this opportunity go as she punched Maki in the face spilling blood from her lips and restrained her with the roots.
"Argh!" Maki found herself slammed to the ground as the roots completely blocked her from moving any of her limbs.
"It seems that you are the one who underestimated." Hanami said as it walked over and leaned down to grab the tri-staff that fell. "I noticed this earlier... but you can't manifest cursed energy. Without any cursed tool, you are just a stronger human. Nothing threatening."
"Wanna bet." She smirked as her wrist slip letting one rod slip out and expand.
The rod grew in size and destroyed the restraints on her hands but in process pierced her left hand. She flinched in pain but still managed to grab Hanami by the head and slammed her face onto Hanami's.
"Gaahh!" Hanami groaned in pain.
The glasses on Maki's face broke apart. Normally an attack by her would not hurt any cursed spirit but her glasses were a cursed tool on their own. One that would be able to hurt it due to her overwhelming strength.
Hanami pulled itself back up and pulled back its fist intent to punch Maki but she smiled in victory.
"My job here is done, time to tag out."
At that moment two figures arrived from the sky, the figures pushed Hanami back and took Maki away. One looked overly bulky and was Todo, the other had pink hair and was Itadori.
"Can you do it, Itadori?" Todo asked holding Maki from danger.
"Yeah!"
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