"Power does not corrupt; it reveals the true nature of its wielder"
(POV: Ryomen Sukuna)
My wish of removing my Upper Limit was more complex than I thought.
Because of that wish, my skill [Unshakeable Heart] was degraded into [Reinforced Heart].
I have tested it out, and all of its effects are worse than that of the original skill.
My thought process was broken as I was called out to go into the arena for the fight.
I walked into the arena, the cheers getting louder as I took my first step inside.
Opposite to me was standing the Unintentional Nuke, Nect Arine.
Nect Arine will be an important piece in the game, but I might end up attached to her as she reminds me of...someone.
Her hair dropped a little lower than her shoulders, shining in an orange light as they waved in the calm breeze.
She was standing with her hands on her waist and chin held up, as if every single cheer was for herself.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her exaggerated display of confidence. This girl, with her ridiculous amounts of mana, was practically a walking hazard zone.
Nect caught sight of me and her face lit up with an infuriatingly cheerful grin. "Hey, strongest! Ready to get fried by my awesomeness?" she called out, her voice dripping with playful arrogance. "Hey that rhymed!"
I smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Only if your awesomeness can manage to stay focused for more than five seconds," I retorted.
She stuck her tongue out at me, unaffected by my sarcasm. The crowd's excitement seemed to fuel her even more, as she pumped her fists into the air.
I could feel the intensity of her mana. Our energies collided, creating a visible tremor in the air as we got closer.
"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you have a cute face," I said, my tone half-teasing, half-serious.
Nect pouted playfully, though her eyes sparkled with determination. "Oh, don't worry. I won't be holding back either!"
"Both of our participants seem to be masters at smack talking...without further ado, the match shall..."
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.
"BEGIN"
As soon as the word was spoken, we both rushed towards each other.
I had refrained from using any slashing attacks in this Tournament as it might cause lethal injuries, hence I went in for a punch.
She, too, aimed a punch at my gut, but mine landed before her hand could reach me.
After all, her arms are quite small, therefore, I have more reach than her.
My fist connected with her gut, a thud that would have knocked down most opponents. But Nect merely stumbled back, a surprised yelp escaping her lips before she grinned.
Surprisingly, she was not hurt at all, not a single scratch, the ever-present grin not disappearing from her face.
This same punch had made many opponents get knocked out on the spot.
"Is that all you got?" She screamed as she ran closer, her voice carrying playful disappointment.
As if infected, my face mirrored her grin as I stood there, unmoving.
This time, her punch landed. It literally didn't move me a centimeter, instead, she is the one who fell because she lost her balance.
My current face was [-_-]
"How do you even manage that?" I said, walking backwards as she clumsily got up and ran at me again.
This time, I jumped into the air. Kicking her chest, I made her fall onto the ground, as I landed on top of her.
Aiming for her chest again, I punched, my hand coated with more Cursed Energy than the last.
The punch landed, a deafening THUD erupting from it. The cheers of the audience rang louder as they thought that I had won.
But looking below me, I saw that infuriating grin still present, there was zero damage on the girl as she tried to push herself up.
"Is that all you g–" I cut her off with another punch on the chest.
Followed by another, then another, until...
"MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA"
The punches didn't stop, Nect was groaning under me, but was taking almost zero damage.
My amused expression slowly morphed into one of irritation.
I jumped backwards, leaving her free to get up.
She did one long exhale before jumping to her feet, a little smirk present on her face.
Although, a little sweat slid down her cheek as she teased:
"I thought you'd be stronger, Sukuna."
I was almost sure that she could survive it, but still I decided to first try it on her arm.
She stood in the anime villain T-pose, overconfidence radiating from her.
I made a fist first, then put two fingers and a thumb out, creating a pistol shape with my hand.
Raising my hand straight towards the sky, I smirked even wider. The audience cheered, eager to see what happens next.
In a coarse yet clear voice, I said, "Dismantle."
Everyone heard the single word, I wanted them to. My hand shot downwards, creating a beautiful arc as it finally pointed towards the floor.
Nect, not anticipating the attack, could not move in time. The Dismantle hit her arm, blood oozing out from the wound.
But, the slash didn't cut her arm off, it created a wound, a wound that went not even to the bone.
"OW, THAT'S RUDE!" She screamed as she looked at the falling blood.
"You're the first creature to withstand Dismantle," I said, my voice carrying amusement as I sent more slashes towards her.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY CREATUR–AAHH," multiple slashes hit her body, creating wounds in a checkerboard pattern.
I ran towards her, imbuing my fist with Cursed Energy, I hit her chest, where the wounds were present.
From the wounds, my Cursed Energy could enter her body more easily, hence it did more damage than before.
She fell out of the arena, the commentator extremely hyped up as the audience freaked out and tore their vocal cords.
As I walked towards Nect, who was still lying on the floor, blood coloring her clothes red.
"You owe me cake." She said, her voice still playful.
I smiled as the medical team took her away.
It would not take too long to heal her, as the wounds were not too deep.
As I was about to walk away, I saw a phone fallen on the ground. Picking it up, it had no password lock, so I opened it up.
It's home screen was a picture of Nect grinning like usual. The background was a wooden wall.
I went to her contacts and added my number, while on my phone I added hers.
Originally I thought that she'd be a pain in the ass, which she most definitely be, but she'll be an enjoyable pain in the ass.
That sounded very wrong.
I meant that she'll be fun to be around.
I smiled as I walked back to the cafeteria, Nect's blood still on my clothes which I was too lazy to change.
Eva and Ryogaku had a match soon.
The spectators weren't leaving because of that.
I sat down on the chair, ordering some cold coffee. I pulled out my phone, messaging Nect's number.
"What kinda cake do you like?"
I put the phone down as a smile crept onto my face.
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Yay new chapter
This was supposed to be the last of the Tournament arc, but Nect...she got a whole chapter.
Bruh the views dropped 50% yesterday
What happened? :<
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please give POWER STONES so that there are more views :>