Chapter 16: Interrupted Fight

Sent hurtling across the gymnasium, Shin sported a deep cut from his right shoulder to his left waist. Rising to his feet, he grappled with intense pain, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist to endure it. Refusing to concede victory to Mahito, Shin stood tall with a smirk, masking the pain.

Shin smirked, "Lucky shot. You just missed your chance to kill me."

Mahito, maintaining a calm smile, retorted, "You're annoying."

In an instant, Shin closed the gap between him and Mahito, launching an uppercut to Mahito's jaw, causing him to stagger backward. Swift as ever, Shin dropped low and executed a rapid right kick, tripping Mahito off his feet. Seizing the opportunity, Shin grabbed Mahito's left leg, gathered strength, and spun around, gaining momentum. With a forceful release, Shin sent Mahito hurtling through the gym's glass windows.

In pursuit of the airborne Mahito, Shin poised himself for another strike from beneath, anticipating the moment before Mahito's descent. However, with remarkable agility, Mahito regained composure mid-air, morphing his body into a long, sharp form intended to puncture Shin. Reacting swiftly, Shin adjusted his footing, evading the attack with quick reflexes.

Regaining his composure, Shin faced Mahito, who now knelt over, regurgitating small, elongated objects that transformed into miniature figures. With a disgusting gesture, Mahito pointed at Shin and commanded the small figures to attack. As they rushed toward Shin, Mahito took the liberty to announce a small detail to him.

Mahito wore a wide, disgusting smile as he spoke, "These figures were originally children from the town over. I got bored of playing with adults, so I thought I could switch it up and try something new. Do you like it?"

Hearing the disturbing information, Shin remained still, preparing to strike each figure with enough force to instantly eliminate them. Despite the figures pleading for Shin to play with them or call out to their mothers, he showed no hesitation, swiftly killing each one while maintaining his focus on Mahito.

Shin displayed no signs of anger or regret. "Is that all? Just some kids? The title Special-Grade is not for you. If anything, I'd give you the grade of semi-grade 1."

Mahito offered no verbal response, but his smile remained. Shin, however, keenly observed the subtle twitches in Mahito's eyebrows and facial expressions. 'Good, he's getting angrier. If I keep antagonizing him, surely he'll snap. I need to force him to use everything so that he tires himself out.'

Focused on Mahito, Shin sensed a disturbance within the ground, prompting him to swiftly leap backward. Suddenly, spikes erupted from the ground with lethal force, a deadly attack that would have struck Shin had he not noticed and evaded the spot in time.

The spikes retracted back into the ground. 'Did he use the bottom of his feet to send out the spikes without making it obvious? Smart. My turn.'

Shin grabbed some pebbles from the ground and skillfully threw them at Mahito. One by one, the pebbles penetrated Mahito's body, inflicting pain without the ability to cause lasting harm due to Shin's lack of curse energy. Unfazed, Mahito swiftly charged at Shin, transforming both his arms and legs into blades. Shin, showing confidence in his close-quarters combat skills, didn't retreat but instead invited Mahito into his personal space.

Within Shin's personal space, Mahito wasted no time, launching a barrage of attacks from various directions. He mixed stabbing and cutting techniques, intending to overwhelm Shin. To Mahito's surprise, however, every attack was either evaded or skillfully parried. Shin's combination of skill and Heavenly Restriction thwarted Mahito's attempts, leaving him unsuccessful in his efforts to land a fatal blow.

With each unsuccessful strike, Shin retaliated with ten quick jabs to Mahito's face. Although Mahito's instant healing nullified the damage, it fueled his growing frustration. Mahito remained silent, but Shin could sense the mounting agitation through Mahito's increasingly erratic and desperate attacks. After enduring this for 20 minutes, Shin propelled Mahito backward with a powerful kick to the abdomen. Giving Mahito a smug look, Shin expressed his disdain with a thumbs-down gesture.

Mahito, finally losing his patience, snapped as he regurgitated everything within his stomach, commanding them all to kill Shin. Rushing towards the swarms of transfigured figures, Shin was met with their desperate pleas, cries for help, and screams for their parents. However, to Shin, they were nothing but curses that needed to be exterminated. With brutal efficiency, he ruthlessly attacked each one, using only his hands and feet.

Amidst the chaotic scramble, ensuring he avoided being surrounded or struck by both Mahito and the transfigured curses, the fight endured for an hour. The school grounds became a grisly scene, covered in corpses and stained with red dirt. Mahito displayed clear signs of exhaustion, having utilized all his transfigured soldiers, while Shin remained lively thanks to his endurance training.

As the battle reached its zenith, Shin couldn't help but wonder, 'Looks like he's getting close to his limit. Where the hell are Nanami and Yuji? They should—sniff this smell, it's just like that time at the cemetery!?'

Before Shin could identify the source of the sweet scent, he was struck from behind, causing him to fall. Turning around while still in a daze, Shin caught sight of a familiar figure. 'Fuck?! Who are you....'

Five hours later, Shin opened his eyes to find himself being carried back home by Gojo. As soon as Gojo realized Shin had awakened, he dropped him and continued walking. Shin, now on his feet, followed behind Gojo.

Shin moved his neck around, trying to get a sense of his surroundings. "Gojo, what happened? Where's Junpei? Did you encounter a patch-faced curse or anyone like me with no curse energy?"

Gojo, not bothering to look back, responded, "I found you knocked out, surrounded by students and teachers who were curious about why you were unconscious and if you were dead. The kid with the long one-sided bang is being interviewed by the principal. What's this about a patch-faced curse and a curse-less individual?"

Shin fell silent after receiving Gojo's answers but remained unsatisfied, particularly regarding the person who knocked him unconscious. 'This sucks. Who the hell was that person? I want a rematch. 2 vs 1 is bullshit. Wait, what about the bodies that covered the ground?'

Shin inquired, "What happened to all the bodies on the ground? Did we take care of that?"

Gojo replied, "Yeah, the retrieval team was shocked to find so many scattered about, and knowing it was done by one person was even more shocking to them, especially since that person is a student. Don't worry about the small details; just focus on getting yourself healed up."

Upon reaching home, Shin and Gojo separated, each going their separate way. Heading back to his room, Shin noticed Junpei emerging from the vacant room next to his. Spotting him, Shin was ecstatic to see Junpei safe.

Shin greeted him with a smile, "Junpei!"

Junpei, surprised, responded, "Wha- Oh, hey Shin. Glad to see you again."

Shin inquired, "What happened when I left?"

Junpei explained, "A monk came from outside the dark wall and told me to wait where I am. He was similar to me."

Shin's interest piqued, "A monk, similar to you. How so?"

Junpei explained, "Well, he had a Shikigami carrying him towards the direction you went. He also had a scar across his forehead. He looks like a nice guy."

Shin, adopting a stern tone, said, "Junpei."

Junpei, attentive, replied, "Yeah?"

Shin, with a serious expression, warned, "If you ever meet that monk again, get away from him, alright? He's not a good person."

Junpei, confused, questioned, "Huh, why do you say that—"

Shin, maintaining a serious demeanor, interrupted, "Junpei, trust me."

Junpei, nodding, said, "Alright, man, I won't."

Satisfied with Junpei's answer, Shin excused himself, entering his room to rest until the next morning. As dawn broke, Shin swiftly got ready before heading to the gym to initiate a new routine.

100 push-ups

100 sit-ups

100 squats

10KM run

'I wish I had my own personal training partner, like a living punching bag that's very durable, strong, and—wait, Principal Yaga.' After completing his morning exercise, Shin sought out Principal Yaga. Fortunately, he found the principal busy reading documents in his office at this early hour.

After three hours of begging and pleading, Shin managed to secure a condition to acquire his own personal training dummy. The requirement was to obtain three cursed energy cores before proceeding to the next step. However, the challenge lay in figuring out how and where sorcerers could obtain cursed energy cores. Seeking assistance, Shin turned to Principal Yaga, who provided a single hint: a doll's strength and quality are equivalent to a curse's grade.

Feeling a bit frustrated with Principal Yaga's approach, Shin thought, 'He's one of those types, telling me I need to think and solve the problem myself as an upstanding student using the resources available to me. Dude, just tell me the answer.' Nevertheless, Shin headed to the dining house, where he ate some breakfast while catching up with everyone. Before he could finish, Maki suggested that she and Shin spar for the entire day. Ecstatic at the invitation, Shin wasted no time and quickly ran to the field.

Upon meeting up, Shin and Maki wasted no time and engaged in a fierce sparring session, their intensity reflecting a goal to outdo each other. For the first five hours, Maki gained the upper hand, forcing Shin to desperately block her relentless attacks. Maki's proficiency in multiple styles pushed Shin into a corner. However, during this time, Shin started closely observing Maki's movements and style. He examined, interpreted, and broke down each of her attacks before finally adjusting them to fit his own style.

Maki quickly recognized Shin's fast-paced adaptation and decided to stop holding back. She went all out, swiftly developing new methods to keep Shin on the defensive. No longer concerned about potentially hurting him, Maki shifted her focus to incapacitating him. Breaking her rhythmic attack pattern, she introduced more unpredictability into her movements. Each time Shin anticipated a punch, she would kick; when he expected a strike from the left, she attacked from the right. Maki continually kept Shin on his toes, maintaining a relentless assault that varied in speed and direction.

In the midst of the intense spar, Shin found himself grappling with Maki's overwhelming strength and speed. 'What the hell is up with her?! She's way stronger than I thought she was. I can't tell what happens next, and her usual pattern of offense is mixing in with her defense. She's everywhere right now. I can't keep up.' Shin sensed Maki getting stronger and faster, slowly overwhelming him. 'Fuck! Why can't I win? What's up with her limitless stamina?!' As Shin felt his body approaching its limit, his voice became dry, and his breathing turned unstable and erratic. Out of desperation, Shin started backing up, hoping to regain his composure. However, Maki didn't give him a chance, following suit and targeting Shin's chest and stomach region to prevent him from resting.

As the sun began to set, Shin's body reached its breaking point. He gasped hoarsely, his mind growing numb, a result of insufficient oxygen to replenish his body and brain. 'Maki, you are one terrifying monster. I don't even think this is your limit; I feel like you can go higher. Higher than Him.' Collapsing to the ground, Shin gazed up at the night sky. Maki, clearly tired but grateful, walked over and thanked Shin for helping her reach a new milestone before playfully dropping a cold drink straight onto his face.

Sitting up and sipping on his drink, Shin couldn't help but marvel at how quickly someone like Maki could adapt. 'Her mindset is similar—no, she's better than me in that field. If given the chance to fight Toji, I believe she would have at least become equal to him in terms of combat intelligence, or maybe even more.'