With a battle cry, Ivona charged forward, her katana glowing with cursed energy. She moved with incredible speed, aiming for Kakine's wings, hoping to disrupt his flight. Kakine, however, was ready. His wings flared out, blocking her strike with ease. The clash of energies sent shockwaves rippling through the air, the forest around them trembling under the force of their battle.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," Kakine remarked, effortlessly deflecting her attacks. "But you're out of your league."
Ivona gritted her teeth, refusing to back down. She spun around, aiming a series of rapid strikes at Kakine, each one more desperate than the last. But Kakine countered each blow with calculated precision, his movements fluid and almost lazy.
As the fight dragged on, Ivona could feel her strength waning. Her cursed energy was depleting, and she knew she couldn't keep this up much longer. But she couldn't afford to lose. Not here, not now. Not with so much at stake.
With a final, desperate scream, she poured all her remaining energy into one last attack, aiming straight for Kakine's heart. But before her blade could connect, Kakine's wings flared out, enveloping her in a cocoon of dark matter.
For a moment, everything went silent. The world seemed to hold its breath as Kakine's power surged, wrapping around Ivona like a living shadow. She struggled, but the barrier trapping her was unyielding, sapping her strength and binding her in place.
Kakine descended slowly, his eyes never leaving Ivona. "You weren't all that bad," he said, his tone almost respectful. "I got quite a bit of data from you." She glowered at him with hateful eyes, "but sadly, this is where you die".
Ivona gasped for breath, her vision blurring. "You... won't win," she managed to choke out. "Kurosaki... will stop you."
Kakine's expression hardened as he smirked mockingly. "We'll see about that."
Before he could finish her off, a blinding light pierced through the night, nearly blinding him. He reacted just in time, amplifying the protection of his wings and shielding both himself and Index, who had curled into him, tightly closing her own eyes.
When the light had died down, Kakine opened his eyes as fast as he could, not wanting to take his gaze off his opponent. His breath hitched as he took in the scene in front of him. Where he had been hovering over the ground, a large, deep crater had formed.
'How?' he thought, looking above him and seeing nothing. 'Where did an attack like that come from? Who was responsible for it?'
This was something on the level of Accelerator.
"Hehe…hehaHAHAHAH!"
Kakine looked down at his opponent. The deranged woman was laughing loud and hard, tears streaming down her face. "Finally! You're here!!" she moaned, a look of complete ecstasy on her face. It made Kakine grimace.
A sudden shiver went down Kakine's spine. He moved, fast as a flash. The same light attack fell down where he'd originally been, but this time Kakine was ready for it. He'd used his power. Creating new elements was easy with a power like his, as was replacing the space matter around him with his own unique matter, effectively creating an effect similar to teleportation.
Far enough from the attack, he was able to finally see where or who was releasing such powerful attacks. His eyes widened. He couldn't see it clearly, but he knew it was there. A giant creature with a deformed figure loomed above ground, close to the crazy shinobi.
Its form was visible enough that Kakine could tell it existed but not enough to discern its details. It stood tall and menacing, an embodiment of malevolent energy. The air around it seemed to distort, warping reality with its presence.
"They exorcise these spirits to protect ordinary people because ordinary people can't see Cursed Spirits since they don't have enough Cursed Energy to see them," Kakine recalled Gojo's explanation.
"So…" Kakine stared at it with a serious, murderous gleam in his eye, "this is a Cursed Spirit."
The creature let out a guttural roar that reverberated through the forest, shaking the trees and sending animals scurrying in terror. The air grew colder, and the oppressive aura of the Cursed Spirit weighed heavily on Kakine's shoulders. He could feel its malevolence, a dark force that sought to consume everything in its path.
Ivona's laughter continued, now more hysterical. "You're finished! Kurosaki has sent his greatest weapon to deal with you!" she screamed, her eyes wild with fanaticism. "No one can stand against the power of the Cursed Spirit; Dark Angelia!"
Kakine gritted his teeth as he dodged another attack. 'What the hell! This thing is relentless!!' he cursed to himself, narrowly avoiding what seemed to be its claws. Holding Index tight to his chest, he moved with lightning speed, determined to keep her safe.
"KILL HIM! KILL HIM!!" Ivona screeched, her voice piercing the night like a mad banshee. Arms spread wide, she stared at him with deranged eyes, a maniacal grin stretching across her face. Kakine narrowed his eyes in annoyance, 'There is no fucking way I'm dying because of some crazy bitch and her pet monster.'
Landing on the ground, he moved almost instantly as an invisible fist fell, creating a large crater where he had just been. 'Only those with cursed energy can see these things,' he thought to himself frantically, recalling the now-dead knight's words. 'But I'm not even from this world... I don't have Cursed Energy' Another slash of invisible claws made Kakine fly up into the air, narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal blow. 'So how the fuck am I supposed to fight something I can barely see, much less understand?'
His eyes widened in sudden realization. 'Those without cursed energy can't see it,' he thought, watching with sharp eyes as the outline of the creature became faintly visible through the distortion in the air. "But I can see it," he muttered aloud, "at least to some extent."
With narrowed eyes, Kakine studied the faint shape, his mind racing at lightning speed. What exactly was Cursed Energy?
From what he'd gathered from the knight, he could only come up with two plausible explanations for why he could partially see the cursed spirit attacking him under the orders of some old geezer and his bat-shit crazy fan.
One possibility was that he himself had cursed energy despite not realizing it. Maybe entering this world had caused him to obtain cursed energy somehow, or perhaps his own world had always contained cursed energy, and he just hadn't realized it. The thought of the latter option inexplicably pissed him off.
The other possibility was that his Dark Matter was connected to cursed energy in a way he wasn't yet aware of.
Running these theories through his mind, he felt frustration and determination clash within him. Calculating multiple equations and hypotheses while simultaneously dodging each attack from the giant, rampaging monster and keeping Index safe was more than just a hassle—it was a monumental challenge. But he didn't have much choice… and he needed to act fast!
Taking a deep breath, Kakine focused his mind. He began running multiple calculations, using his Dark Matter to breach through the creature's invisible form, trying to understand, to see the strange energy called cursed energy. He extended his power through his wings, like tendrils, weaving through the air, probing the space around the creature.
A met resistance, like a dense, invisible fog.
This was the cursed energy. He could feel its texture, its weight. It was unlike anything he'd encountered before, and yet, it responded to his Dark Matter.
No!
The realization hit him like a thunderbolt—his Dark Matter couldn't just interact with cursed energy, it could manipulate it! Whatever cursed energy was… it was the same as his Dark Matter!
With this realization, a wide, maddening grin spread across his face. The sensation was exhilarating, and the thrill of discovery surged through him. It startled Ivona as she watched on, her deranged confidence faltering for the first time.
"Now I see," he muttered, his voice dripping with arrogance. The creature—no, the cursed spirit—was now visible to him. It was no longer an intangible foe but a form he could understand and manipulate.
Hovering above the ground, his four wings of Dark Matter shimmering with an eerie glow, Kakine looked down at the mad woman and her monster with newfound confidence and clear madness in his eyes. The creature's grotesque form was fully outlined now, its monstrous limbs and gnashing teeth starkly visible against the night sky.
"I've got you now," he declared, his voice echoing with a sinister edge.
The cursed spirit roared, sensing the shift in power. It lunged at him with renewed fury, its claws slashing through the air with deadly intent.
Gojo's breath hitched as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. An unfamiliar tingling sensation crawled down his spine, a feeling he'd only ever experienced once in his life. It was an emotion he never thought he'd have to feel again, or at least not for a very long time.
Danger.
A surge of power hit him like a tidal wave, an immense, overwhelming force that made his senses flare. He'd never felt anyone wield so much cursed energy so quickly. It was a magnitude of power he could only attribute to himself or his exceptional student, Yuuta Okkotsuki, and even then, it was rare to witness such raw intensity without significant repercussions.
The empty space before him seemed to warp and shift, the air thickening with a palpable tension. His wide blue kaleidoscopic eyes, usually so calm and calculating, were now filled with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Something was behind this barrier, created by a strange energy he'd never encountered before. It wasn't just cursed energy—it was something foreign, something that made him feel uneasy.
Gojo's Six Eyes scanned the area meticulously, trying to penetrate the veil that obscured his vision. The barrier was expertly crafted, a blend of cursed energy and an unknown force that resisted his every attempt to break through. His fingers twitched with the urge to tear it down, to confront whatever was hiding behind it, but he knew he had to be cautious. This was unlike anything he'd faced before.
"Waiting won't do any good", he muttered to himself, "I'll have to get a little reckless".
Kakine watched with deadly eyes, studying the creature as it reared its head back, its jaws unlocking and widening to an unnatural degree. The thin slash of a mouth stretched open, revealing rows of jagged, gleaming teeth. As the creature prepared its attack, Kakine could see an ominous energy beginning to coalesce within its maw. Radiant light started to form, growing brighter and more intense with each passing second, casting eerie, dancing shadows around them.
'That's the attack!' Kakine grit his teeth as he watched closely, every muscle in his body tensing in preparation. 'That's the attack I couldn't see coming… but now I can.'
The light was mesmerizing, almost beautiful in its lethal brilliance. It swirled and gathered, seemingly drawn from the very fabric of the cursed energy that permeated the air. It was as if the creature was harnessing the ambient malevolence and condensing it into a single, focused beam of destruction. The energy pulsed and throbbed, its intensity increasing as it was forced into a single, devastating point of light.
Kakine could feel the raw power emanating from the creature, a palpable force that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. The air around them crackled with energy, vibrating with the impending release of the attack. It was like standing at the epicenter of a brewing storm, the tension building to an unbearable crescendo.
The radiant light grew blinding, illuminating the night with an otherworldly glow. Kakine's eyes narrowed, locking onto the creature's every movement. He could see the subtle shifts in its posture, the way its muscles tensed and rippled beneath its grotesque skin. He noted the minute adjustments as it aimed its deadly attack, aligning with precision to obliterate its target.
'It's focusing all its power into one straight shot,' he realized, his mind racing to calculate the trajectory and potential impact. He could feel the pressure mounting, a sensation akin to being in the presence of a supernova on the verge of exploding.
In the split second before the attack was unleashed, Kakine's body moved on instinct, honed by countless battles and near-death experiences. He harnessed his Dark Matter, manipulating the space around him to create a shield of impenetrable energy. He would not be caught off guard this time. The radiant beam of light surged forward, a blinding, searing lance of pure destruction aimed directly at him and Index.
The force of the attack was immense, the ground trembling beneath its might. Kakine's shield held firm, the Dark Matter absorbing and diffusing the energy, protecting him and Index from the deadly blast. The world around them seemed to blur and warp under the sheer power of the attack, the radiant light cutting through the night like a blade.
When the light finally began to fade, Kakine lowered his shield, his eyes blazing with determination. The ground where the attack had struck was scorched and smoking, a testament to the creature's devastating power. But Kakine was unscathed, his resolve unbroken.
He glared at the creature with renewed intensity. "Now I see," he muttered, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips. The creature had revealed its hand, and Kakine was ready. He could see the attack now, understand its mechanics. The advantage was his.
The first time Ivona was 'introduced' to Dark Angelia, she couldn't feel herself breathe. The creature loomed before her, its massive form nearly blocking out the sky. It was an abomination, both grotesque and angelic, an amalgamation of nightmare and reverence. Its body was large and disfigured, a twisted parody of a human figure. Six enormous, malformed wings jutted from its back. Though ragged and seemingly too fragile to support flight, they defied logic by lifting the creature effortlessly into the air, as if buoyed by an unseen force.
Where a mouth should have been, there was instead a thin, blood-red slash that stretched across its face, filled with jagged, sharp teeth that seemed to gnash in perpetual hunger. Its eyes were grotesquely stitched shut with thick red thread, an eerie semblance of deliberate mutilation. The absence of a nose only heightened its disturbing appearance, though its facial structure was unsettlingly similar to that of an ordinary human woman.
Ivona's gaze traveled down its form, noting the elongated, skeletal arms that hung from its shoulders, ending in fingers that were more like razor-sharp talons. She had seen those claws in action, effortlessly ripping through steel and concrete, leaving destruction in their wake.
Where its legs should have been, there was instead a serpentine lower body, covered in glistening, scale-like skin. It writhed and coiled with a horrifying grace, propelling the creature forward in a sinuous, almost hypnotic motion.
Yet, what truly set Dark Angelia apart from other curses was its origin. Unlike the naturally manifesting curses, born from the negative emotions and energies of ordinary people, this abomination was artificially created. It was the product of Kurosaki's dark genius, a testament to his mastery over the arcane and the forbidden.
Ivona recalled the moment she first learned of the creature's creation. She had been both horrified and awestruck. Kurosaki had delved into realms of power and knowledge that few could comprehend, let alone control. He had manipulated cursed energy with a precision and creativity that bordered on divine. Dark Angelia was not just a curse; it was a masterpiece, a living, breathing testament to Kurosaki's ambition and skill.
Standing before Dark Angelia, Ivona's heart raced with a mixture of fear and reverence. It was then and there that she decided Kurosaki was no mere mortal. To her, he was a god walking among men, a being of such profound power and vision that his creations defied natural laws. How else could one create such a creature so meticulously, with a form of energy none had ever witnessed before?
As she stood in the creature's looming shadow, Ivona felt her devotion to Kurosaki deepen. She was in the presence of true greatness, and she would follow him to the ends of the earth. His vision, his power, and his creations were beyond the realm of ordinary understanding. To Ivona, Kurosaki was the epitome of what it meant to transcend human limitations and touch the divine.
Ivona's mind spun in disbelief. Divine… what did she know about divinity? What did she know about God? Seeing what she was witnessing now, being a witness to the horrifying scene unfolding before her, made her realize that she didn't know anything about gods, except that they sure had a twisted sense of humor.
Her breath hitched as she felt the weight of reality pressing down on her, harder than ever. With a sickening thud, Dark Angelina's decapitated head landed right next to where she stood. It rolled a few inches, stopping mere feet from her. The grotesque features of the head, with its stitched-shut eyes and jagged teeth, seemed even more terrifying up close.
Ivona's legs felt like jelly, barely able to support her weight. With a shaky breath, she forced herself to look up, her eyes trailing the headless body of the cursed spirit. The once formidable creature, with its deformed wings and serpentine lower body, now stood eerily still, its life force extinguished. Slowly, almost gracefully, the massive form began to slump. The dark, twisted aura that had surrounded it started to dissipate, leaving a void of silence in its wake.
The ground trembled slightly as the headless body collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust and debris. Ivona's heart pounded in her chest, her thoughts racing. 'How?' How had this boy, this intruder, managed to destroy one of Kurosaki's greatest creations?
Her eyes darted to Kakine, who hovered above the ground, his wings of Dark Matter casting an imposing shadow. He looked down at the fallen creature with a cold, calculating expression. The energy around him crackled with raw power, a testament to the battle he had just fought and won.
Ivona's mind replayed the events leading up to this moment. She had seen Dark Angelina rip through the strongest shinobi, tear apart steel and cement with ease. The cursed spirit had been an unstoppable force, a testament to Kurosaki's unmatched power. And yet, here it was, defeated and lifeless at the hands of this strange boy and his equally strange abilities.
The deranged laughter that had filled her earlier now seemed hollow, a stark contrast to the grim reality before her. Ivona's confidence wavered, the faith she had placed in Kurosaki and his creations shaken to its core. The creature she had revered as divine, a manifestation of her god's will, lay dead and broken.
Kakine's eyes met hers, his gaze piercing and unrelenting. He seemed to read her thoughts, the fear and uncertainty that now plagued her. With a smirk, he descended slowly, his presence commanding and intimidating.
Kakine's voice cut through the heavy silence, dripping with arrogance. "What's with that face?" he taunted, his smirk widening. "And you're so quiet too."
Ivona quivered, her entire body trembling harder with each step the teenage boy took, his presence growing more menacing as he approached her. His eyes gleamed like flashlights, piercing through the darkness that surrounded them. One of his wings, crafted from his Dark Matter, shielded the little girl curled into his chest, giving her no space to witness the scene before her.
The ground seemed to vibrate with each of Kakine's steps, a palpable sense of dread filling the air. Ivona's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. Her mind raced, but she could find no escape from the overwhelming fear that gripped her.
"Weren't you the one ranting on and on about my death?" Kakine's voice was almost casual, as if he were discussing the weather. His face was shadowed in darkness, only his eyes visible, shining with a predatory gleam. He stopped mere inches away from her, towering over her like a dark, avenging angel.
Ivona's legs felt like they would give out at any moment. She tried to muster the courage to speak, to defend herself, but the words caught in her throat. The reality of her situation crashed down on her with brutal force. The creature she had believed invincible lay dead, and she was at the mercy of this boy whose power she had so gravely underestimated.
Kakine stared her down, his eyes never leaving her quivering form. "What's with the change in attitude?" he continued, his voice cold and mocking. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized her. "Don't tell me you're outta tricks?"
His words sliced through her like a knife. The confidence and bravado she had shown earlier had evaporated, leaving behind only fear and uncertainty. She had no more tricks, no more defenses. Her world had been turned upside down, and she stood there, exposed and vulnerable, in front of the very person she had vowed to destroy.
Tears gathered in the corners of Ivona's eyes, glistening under the moonlight. "P-ple-please," she whimpered pitifully, her voice barely audible, trembling with fear and desperation.
Kakine, however, was unfazed by her pleas. He raised his arm, his dark energy crackling ominously around it. He had nothing to gain by keeping her alive; killing her was the obvious choice. "Then it's lights out, bitch," he declared coldly, his eyes void of any mercy.
Just as he prepared to deliver the fatal blow, a second, softer whimper stopped him. This one didn't come from the deranged shinobi at his feet. Glancing down at his chest, he saw the small, fragile form of Index, curled into his chest with her face buried. A dampness on his shirt indicated that she had been crying for a while, though he hadn't noticed until now.
Kakine felt a pang of confusion. It was odd, considering how many people she had likely seen him kill up close back in the forest. Was she too traumatized to properly grasp the reality of the murders she had witnessed? Is that why she only just now started acting like a normal child would after witnessing such horrors?
No.
Kakine could vividly recall Index's facial expressions during his hunt of the Knights. There had been no indication of her being in a state of shock. In fact, she hadn't even registered the deaths as something abnormal. Her detachment had been unsettling, almost mechanical, as if the concept of death had no significant impact on her.
Now, though, she clutched onto his shirt tightly, her small body trembling against him. Though she was eerily quiet for a crying child, Kakine began to realize that she was, after all, just a child. A fragile, innocent child who had been thrust into a world of violence and death.
He glanced at Ivona, who was quivering, shaking as she stared up at him from the ground where she had fallen, as if he were some sort of devil. The sight of her fear would have usually excited him, putting more thrill in the thought of decapitating her just as he had done to her pet monster. But now…
…he couldn't stop focusing on the child clinging to him in desperation. For some inexplicable reason, he began to feel a sickening sensation in his gut. A feeling of disgust, not towards Ivona, but towards himself and the situation he had created.
'What a pain,' Kakine thought gloomily, feeling the weight of Index's tiny hands clutching his shirt. Slowly, he began to lower his arm, the dark energy around it dissipating into the night air.
"Hold it."
Kakine's eyes widened in surprise as the commanding voice rang out behind him. 'Who?'
"Step away from the woman," the smooth, confident voice continued, "and put the kid down."
Slowly turning his head, Kakine glanced at the man who had managed to sneak up on him. The newcomer was tall, lanky yet muscular, his physique concealed beneath a dark blue uniform that suggested authority and strength. His most striking feature, however, was his spiky white hair, an uncanny resemblance to another albino bastard Kakine despised. This man's presence exuded confidence, and his piercing blue eyes gleamed with an unsettling mix of curiosity and arrogance.
The stranger smirked arrogantly. "I'm not a very patient man," he said, his voice dripping with self-assurance. "But I am a curious one, so why don't we have a little chat… after you hand me the kid, that is."
Kakine narrowed his eyes, his grip on Index tightening protectively. He didn't trust this man, not with his smug demeanor and the way he seemed to radiate a dangerous level of confidence. The mere fact that he had managed to sneak up on Kakine was unsettling enough.
"And just who the hell are you?" Kakine demanded, his voice low and dangerous.
The man tilted his head slightly, his smirk widening. "The name's Gojo Satoru," he introduced himself, his tone almost casual. "Special grade sorcerer and currently very interested in you.