21 Prelude To Title
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
The radiant sun cast its brilliance high above the clouds, painting the world in its warm embrace.
Within an open glade nestled in the Frozen Forest of the Holy Land Of Swords, the entirety of the Sword God Dojo convened for a momentous event.
It was the duel for the prestigious title of [Sword Emperor].
To ascend to the esteemed rank of [Sword Emperor], two [Sword Kings] must engage in a duel, with the [Sword God] presiding as the witness.
The victor would be given the title [Sword Emperor], backed up by the Sword God himself.
To ensure fairness, the assembled crowd was tasked with eliminating any trace of bias, favoritism, or foul play from the Sword God's judgment.
...Not that any would argue with him, for their own good.
The contenders stood at a respectable distance from each other, surrounded by the snow-covered landscape and the expectant audience.
On one side was the Challenged Party.
[Black Wolf Sword King] Ghislaine Dedoldia. She stood resolute, Battle Aura flaring, awaiting the commencement of the duel.
Facing her, the Challenger...
[Delirious Sword King] Gojo Satoru.
A man who shattered conventions and exceeded expectations.
Satoru not only defeated the Sword God Gal Farion without a speck of Mana, establishing himself as one of the world's mightiest, but he defied expectations by achieving Sword King in a mere six months, from a measly Sword Beginner.
The previous Sword God reached Sword Saint at the age of 11 after lifelong training, but Satoru effortlessly surpassed this record in significantly less time, rewriting the known norms and redefining "Genius" and "Talent."
Known as [The Anomaly] among the 7 Great Powers - 6th in the list due to [Sword God's] defeat.
Its newest addition - Gojo Satoru, had become a household name in the Holy Land Of Swords, and while the rest of the world was slowly catching up to this revelation, he was undoubtedly destined to be etched into the annals of history.
But not only due to his outlandish accomplishments thus far, it was also due to his... Crass Nature, to put it mildly.
Which pretty much lived up to his lesser-known title as the [Delirious Sword King].
Speaking of... Why don't you take a look for yourself?
As he stood there clad in his dojo garments, with a dumb smirk on his face as he spread his arms to the crowd, his posture completely relaxed, "Cheer for me, everyone~!"
Of course, the crowd in response roared with honeyed words and touching remarks.
And undoubtedly, Satoru responded to every single one with glee:
"LIKE HELL WE WILL!" Some yelled out.
"GET HIM GHISLAINE!" A majority of the crowd took Satoru's request in the complete opposite direction.
"Don't be shy~" The ape teased
"FUCK YOU, GOJO! I HOPE YOU LOSE FOR THROWING ALL THAT ICE IN THE HOT SPRINGS!" One of those involved in the recent Gojo "Cold" Springs incident yelled out in indignation.
"OI! I WAS TRYING TO MAKE IT LUKEWARM! SHUT UP AND BE GRATEFUL I TRIED!" The ape retorted, his tone a mixture of fake rage and amusement.
"Good luck? Gojo nya!" Relna whispered hesitantly, not wanting to incur the wrath of her fellow Sword Saints by openly supporting the nightmare of the Dojo.
"Satoru! Fight fairly!" Alistair didn't seem to share in Relna's concern, as he cheered for Satoru in his own way, by telling him to fight fairly.
Waving off the well-intentioned advice with a smirk, Satoru removed his shades, revealing the rumored "Six Eyes."
The name and assumed capabilities were the extent of public knowledge.
Speculation ran rampant, suggesting a new variant of Demon/Magic Eyes.
However, those not blinded by muscle-headed assumptions knew better.
Satoru's lack of Mana rendered such possibilities impossible.
The "Six Eyes" were clearly something else.
Amidst the commotion and Satoru's leisurely preparation, Gal took control of the situation, "Everyone, quiet down. Let's get this over with," he commanded, casting a stern glance at the crowd, subduing the commotion.
Turning his attention to Satoru, who had just unsheathed the sword gifted to him upon his ascension to Sword King.
[Phantom Edge].
A Rapier, its steel as dark as the night, so delicately thin that discerning the blade required considerable effort. Yet, its sharp edge could pierce through all but the sturdiest defenses.
Known as one of Yulian's Cursed Swords, it stood as a masterpiece with few equals.
Truth be told, it is a weapon unfit for the Sword God Style, whose techniques heavily relied on wielding the blade with both hands.
Yet, Satoru made it work with just one.
...Somehow.
The enigma deepened when he experimented with dual-wielding, effortlessly hurling Longswords of Light with both hands in a display that befuddled the spectators.
[Delirious Sword King] for a reason.
Much to the relief of his fellow Sword God Dojo members, Satoru discarded the dual-wielding approach, deeming it inefficient for his general fighting style.
Gal fixed a stern gaze on Satoru, his words carrying an authoritative tone, "Gojo, this is a serious duel. No tricks. None of your "Infinity" antics or any other surprises. Any deviation, and I'll nullify the duel."
Satoru met Gal's stern scowl with a confident and amused smirk, his blue orbs locking onto Gal's gaze, "Don't worry, Sensei~! I'll beat Grease Line fair and square!" He offered a thumbs up with his left hand while brandishing Phantom Edge with his right.
Gal nodded, choosing to ignore Satoru's eccentric response as he prompted, "Ready?"
Ghislaine, the first to receive the question, flared her Battle Aura and assumed a focused stance. Her grip tightened on her katana, Flat Core, revealing not a hint of nervousness in her stoic expression, "Yes."
Meanwhile, Satoru meticulously coated his entire body with Cursed Energy, a practiced and new technique known as [Cursed Energy Battle Aura].
It was an unbelievable feat, mimicking Battle Aura - An instinctual ability for the residents of this world, exclusive to those with Mana.
Yet, Satoru, basically an alien, devoid of Mana's "natural intelligence" and system, performed the seemingly absurd task with finesse.
Satoru self-proclaimed consistent achiever of extraordinary feats, found this to be a matter-of-fact achievement rather than anything worthy of celebration.
Nevertheless, his Six Eyes played a pivotal role.
These eyes meticulously analyzed the gathering of Mana and the formation of [Battle Aura].
Months of being surrounded by some of the world's best Battle Aura users provided him with an invaluable sampling.
The Six Eyes further enabled him to manipulate his Cursed Energy, carefully crafting a replica of [Battle Aura's] effects.
Thus, [Cursed Energy Battle Aura] came to fruition - A superior form of Cursed Energy Reinforcement achievable only by someone possessing Satoru's unique combination of Cursed Energy reserves and Six Eyes.
Ah... How the stars align.
Satoru, his faux Battle Aura flared, responded to Gal's question as well, teasingly throwing a jab at both him and Ghislaine, "Chop Chop! I've got an appointment at the Tailor to celebrate my victory later!"
Everyone collectively deadpanned.
'You were the one who came here late...' Was the collective thought of the crowd.
Well, except Eris - Whose gaze was transfixed on the figures of Ghislaine and Satoru.
Her expression is complicated, a menacing scowl on her face as she prayed internally for her Mentor's victory over Satoru.
Yet...
She herself was uncertain of Ghislaine's chances of victory.
Much like the rest of the Sword God Practitioners, she was a firsthand witness to Satoru's absurd Talent and Genius.
His rapid-fire learning and growth eerily chilling.
His statement of, "Ah, now I get it." was still replaying in nightmares of some of the Sword Saints.
In a mere Three Months, Satoru went from being slapped around by Eris in Sword Spars. A complete novice to the Sword.
To him embarrassing her in a Sword Spar.
None of his actual skills, just pure Sword God.
It was frustrating beyond belief, it made her question how hard she worked and fell into the loop of comparing herself once again.
But beyond that, it was... Humbling.
Eris already knew that Satoru was [An existence beyond rationality] after his victory over Gal.
But she attributed it to his mysterious abilities.
She never expected... This.
She'd hoped that, eventually, she'd be able to beat Satoru alone.
Yet, the man was... Getting Stronger.
It was her humbling defeat at the hand of Satoru in pure Sword God that her internal thoughts of comparing Rudeus's amazing talent and achievements to Satoru's reached a certain stop and an unarguable conclusion.
Rudeus is talented and a great man, his talent has few equals, and eventually...
Together.
They will defeat the Dragon God Orsted.
But...
Comparing Rudeus Greyrat's Genius and Talent to Gojo Satoru's would be a complete insult to the Anomaly that is Gojo Satoru.
And this situation only reaffirmed her beliefs, Sword King and perhaps even Emperor in just Six Months.
Making every Sword User's life work seem like a funny joke.
Absurd.
That was everyone's thought, Eris not excluded.
"START!" Gal yelled out, signaling the start of the duel for the title of [Sword Emperor]
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Happy New Year My Furendos! (Early Or Late whenever ya read this)
This is a "Prelude" Chapter so to speak, it is canon and not THAT important.
So this is Arc 2's Start.
I need to connect the events of the timeskip ya get me?
How did he get his new title and stuff.
Anywho, the next Chapter is the Battle between Gojo and Ghislaine.
Following that, we will officially be leaving The Holy Land Of Swords for the next Arc of the story.
Something I'd like to clarify - Gojo won't be using a Sword in his general fighting style.
Whether you hoped for him to keep using a Sword or not, I just had to clarify that stuff.
Gojo's purpose of learning the Sword God Style was clarified in the earlier chapters by his own monologue so yeah, if you forgot go back and read that shiettttttttt.
Anyways! Most importantly! Did I portray Teen Gojo well in this chapter? I'd appreciate feedback on this on each chapter! As this is the most critical part of the fic! Woohoo! Feedback! Yes!
Have a nice day!
-Author Note End-
