章 12: Chapter 12
I had already crushed half of what must have been thousands of Sorcerers, yet the rest of the Coalition surged forward like an unending tide. 'Just when you think you've squashed one cockroach, another two take its place.'
I wasn't worried about their numbers. Apart from a few hundred, the rest were pitifully weak. 'This was clearly done in a rush.'
With a sigh, I grabbed two Sorcerers by their heads and smashed their skulls together, the sharp crack of bone reverberating in the air. Their lifeless bodies slumped, and I hurled them at an oncoming Sorcerer armed with a crude Cursed Tool. He stumbled as the corpses struck him, collapsing to the ground.
"Moron." I muttered, blitzing forward.
Before he could react, I stomped on his chest, shattering his ribs and crushing his heart. A flicker of cursed energy surged toward me from my right clumsy and ill aimed. I swatted it away with a flick of my wrist, redirecting it into another Sorcerer. He crumpled to the ground, his body smoking where the energy hit.
'For Sorcerers who are supposed to be wearing me down, they sure are shit at it.'
I rolled my eyes, tilting my head only to freeze. My body locked in place. 'Again?'
A tingle erupted in my chest as a katana pierced my back and struck through my heart. My control returned just as I felt the weapon twist. Sighing, I turned my head to see a trembling Sorcerer struggling to pull the blade free.
A grin spread across my face. "You fucked up."
Grabbing the part of the blade protruding from my chest, I yanked it free. Blood spattered the ground as I healed the wound in an instant. The Sorcerer stumbled backward, terror etched into his face.
I lunged, clenching my fist as veins surfaced, glowing with a reddish purple hue. "Tremor"
My fist connected with his chest and a shockwave exploded outward, the force obliterating his torso and ripping through the Sorcerers behind him. The air was filled with screams and the dull thud of bodies hitting the ground. 'Another fifty or so gone.'
I let the katana clatter to the ground, my focus shifting to the next wave. A naginata swung toward me, its curved blade crackling with cursed energy. Raising my hand I caught it mid strike the sheer force splitting the earth beneath me.
With a twist of my arm I wrenched the weapon free and swung it, flinging its wielder into the mass of approaching enemies. The weapon arced through the air, a streak of silver cutting into the crowd.
'Annoying.'
I wasn't worried about their numbers or even their strategy. What worried me was something deeper, something stirring inside. My seals. I could feel them slipping, the whispers clawing at the edges of my mind. 'I need a drink.'
"Sasaki Souta!"
The shout cut through the chaos, drawing my attention.
A massive figure wobbled toward me, the ground trembling under their bulk. They clutched a naginata, its blade shaped like the maw of a dragon. The sheer absurdity of their appearance made me raise an eyebrow.
"My name is—"
"Slash"
The word barely left my lips before their head disconnected from their shoulders, rolling across the battlefield. Blood sprayed in an arc as their lifeless body toppled with a thunderous thud.
'Fat ass.'
I turned away, but something stopped me. My body froze again.
The sound of digging reached my ears—a deep, rhythmic rumble. 'What the—'
Before I could do anything massive vines erupted from the ground around me, their thorny tendrils thicker than my torso. They coiled and twisted encircling me like serpents.
~Scene Change / POV Change~
"Cursed Technique: Black Death."
Sorcerers fell like dominos as an inky black arrow shot through the air, piercing their chests. The arrow tore through the vines encircling the Eastern Bandit Leader, continuing its path to skewer more unprepared Sorcerers.
"My~ Haruto-chan, that might've been a little too much!~"
The playful voice carried over the battlefield, but the Sorcerers were far from reassured. They froze in place, their faces pale as they realized who was responsible for the chaos, the vines and the deadly arrows. Hundreds of their allies lay dead, their chests punctured by the same black shafts.
All eyes turned to a group of four figures.
The first was a woman with long green hair and piercing yellow eyes. Her dark green cloak billowed slightly in the breeze, vines pooling around her feet like a second skin.
Beside her stood a man with silver hair that gleamed under the sunlight, his bright blue eyes sparkling with childlike joy. He was dressed simply, his white kimono and hakama pristine, as though untouched by the bloodshed around him.
"Focus." came a sharp voice, cutting through the tension.
At the center of the group stood a man with light brown hair, his steady gaze a contrast to the chaos. He wore a white and black kimono and hakama, his posture unyielding, like a judge ready to pass sentence.
Fear rippled through the Sorcerers as most recognized the group standing before them. Whispers passed from one Sorcerer to another, their voices laced with panic.
"The Poisonous Blossom… The Blood Thread… and with that technique from before… The Silent Archer must be here."
An aged voice broke the murmurs, drawing the attention of a young Sorcerer, no older than fifteen. "W-who is that man in front of them?" he asked nervously.
The old man coughed, his wrinkled hands trembling slightly as he spoke.
"The man you see… is Mikazuki Raito, The Iron Judge. The third strongest Sorcerer in the land of Yamato."
The young Sorcerer stuttered, his voice caught in his throat. The old man snorted, shaking his head as his wary eyes stayed locked on the group.
"Brat, do you even know who Sasaki Souta killed two years ago?"
The boy nodded hesitantly, prompting the old man to continue.
"The man Souta killed was part of a 'group' called The Auspicious Twelve. Each of them bears a rank and a moniker, bestowed by the one at the top. The one Sasaki killed was ranked ninth."
He raised a gnarled finger, pointing toward the green haired woman.
"Seventh, Takanami—The Poisonous Blossom. Known for her mastery of plant based Cursed Techniques."
His finger shifted to the silver-haired man.
"Fifth, Tsukishiro—The Blood Thread. If you value your life, stay away from him. Never let him see your torso."
He gestured toward a shadow not far from the group, barely visible but undeniably present.
"Sixth, The Silent Archer. Little is known about him, except that he's one of the fastest."
Finally, the old man turned to Mikazuki Raito, his voice gaining a note of respect.
"And third, Mikazuki Raito—The Iron Judge. A man who has wiped out countless people he deemed 'Guilty' or 'Wrong.'"
The young Sorcerer swallowed hard, his fear almost palpable.
"My advice to you, kid?" The old man's gaze didn't waver. "Stay the hell away from him."
~Sasaki POV~
'Guess I should've believed those rumours.'
The thick vines tightened around my body as I shifted slightly, my focus briefly flickering to the giant hole in my chest. 'Tickles.' I thought dryly before prioritizing the more immediate problem of not dying.
Still, I couldn't help but scoff internally. 'Didn't think Sorcerers of this so-called "Strength" would actually band together.'
Deciding I'd heard enough of the surrounding chatter, I flexed my body channelling Cursed Energy to enhance my strength. The vines snapped like brittle twigs, useless against me.
"Woah~ That was hot~"
My gaze shifted to the source of the voice. A white haired man with a wide unsettling smile was watching me his blue eyes brimming with… something I didn't care to name. Healing the hole in my chest with practiced ease, I cracked my neck and met his gaze.
'Why do I keep attracting these types of people?'
Rolling my eyes, I took note of the man hugging himself clearly enjoying the show. Ignoring his theatrics I focused on the densest source of Cursed Energy nearby a man standing calmly at the centre of the group.
"Heard they call you the Iron Judge." I said, voice sharp and dry. "What a fucking stupid name."
The brown haired man didn't react, but his gaze flicked to the flamboyant weirdo who smiled even wider. The white haired man raised a single hand to the sky, flexing his fingers as though pulling on invisible threads.
Then with a snap of his fingers, shimmering threads of Cursed Energy erupted from his fingertips, forming an intricate web that expanded over the battlefield. It engulfed the entire Coalition Army while sparing the Sugawara Clan Compound.
"Domain Expansion." he announced, his voice filled with gleeful joy.
"King's Web of Mortality."
I tensed as the sky and land became veiled in a glimmering web of threads but for a moment, nothing seemed to hap-
"Silk of the Shattered Dominion."
Screams erupted. My head snapped toward the source as multicolored threads coiled around the necks of Sorcerers. The threads twisted with an audible snap, some Sorcerers' heads popping off like dolls' heads torn by a careless child.
The slaughter didn't take long. Within moments, the thousands that made up the Coalition Army were nothing more than lifeless bodies on the bloodied ground. Only the four Sorcerers from the Auspicious Twelve and I remained standing.
"My~ That takes so much out of me~" the white-haired man said, deactivating his Domain Expansion with an exaggerated sigh.
I raised an eyebrow. 'Why didn't he use that Domain to kill me too?'
My thoughts were interrupted by the sensation of something brushing past me. Instinctively, I shifted, avoiding the attack by a hair. My hand shot out, grabbing hold of seemingly nothing. The force I exerted caused the invisible construct to shatter with a satisfying crunch.
'Must be the one hiding in the shadows.' I mused, glancing toward the back of their group.
"Sasaki Souta."
The voice of Mikazuki Raito cut through the silence like a blade. I casually dropped my hands to my side while tensing my legs as he stepped forward, arms crossed and gaze unyielding.
"You are to be put to death for the murder of the three thousand Sorcerers gathered, for the massacre of the clans you destroyed and for aiding in the birth of a child who will change the fate of every Sorcerer."
I scoffed. "I didn't kill three thousand. Maybe a thousand, at most. Your pretty boy killed the rest."
Mikazuki tilted his head back, his gaze lifting to the sun. His voice was soft but carried an edge of finality.
"They wouldn't have had to die. They would still be alive if you weren't here."
He clasped his hands together, a low chant rumbling in the air. I felt a bead of sweat slide down the back of my neck as the weight of his presence pressed down on me like an iron cage.
"For your sins, there will be no forgiveness."
His voice grew heavy, and the very air seemed to quake under his authority.
"Domain Expansion."
The world twisted around us, and as our eyes met, his final words echoed with an undeniable power.
"Judgment's Mirror."
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