15 Exhaustion

Suddenly slamming his hands together Atlas forced power through the air around him, a deep breath pulling the power into his chest. The feeling of cursed energy around him intensifies with each moment. He felt it, time slowed, and he acted.

Shattering the space around him in a single moment he blocked countless attacks from all sides, spinning between the three students as he pulled them closer to him. Blocking the attacks aimed at them as arms came out of every shadow, every small location that was out of sight and slashed at them.

Each hand only tore into cracked space that split the flesh of the spirit causing a pained wail to echo down the the carriages.

Then darkness suddenly flooded the entire train, the lights turning off at once as the sound of screeching iron filled their ears as the train slid to a stop. Lights out, left in darkness. The only light came from Gojo's glowing eyes and the cracks between dimensions that still lingered around Atlas' moving form.

Slowly he walked to the edge of one of the carriages, he could feel the two spirits, they were simply, waiting.

Tilting his head he said slowly, "Stay on guard, they are just waiting for a chance to strike." His voice was a low concentrated hum. The chiming of bells sounded with his voice as the cracks slowly spread around his skin.

His cursed energy flowed out of him in spades. A crushing weight. This spirit was far too powerful for the principal to have picked it for a mission including first years, he had no doubt that at least the one making the train was a special grade spirit. The other was high first grade.

Drawing his katana in a flash Atlas swung behind him, slicing through the air as a limp hand rolled to the ground, the horrible talons of the limb scratching the floor on impact.

Ducking Geto put his hands over his head, the fear in his eyes evident. He only reacted when the hand hit the floor. He hadn't even been able to react to the speed the sword was drawn. Nor the speed of the spirit's attack.

Gojo was the only other person able to dodge the spirit's surprise attacks and that was only because he had six-eyes.

"I'm going to break us out of this domain. Don't hesitate to leave through the crack once I make it. Gojo, don't try to break the domain from the outside. Go straight to the assistant director and inform them of what is happening. Am I clear?" Atlas demanded as he held the boy's eyes.

As Gojo was about to complain he stopped, the look in Atlas' eyes was serious, deadly serious. Nodding his head he simply got ready, grabbing Ieiri so that he could pull her along behind him. Geto could make it through the crack on his own.

Pushing his cursed energy into his sword he swung it down, a vertical slice that folded space around it as if he was cutting down the centre of a mirror, shards formed on either side of the swing as he forced a gap between dimensions to open the domain. The light from the station flooded into the blackened train. "GO!"

As he yelled that Gojo leapt through carrying Ieiri quickly followed by Geto. As soon as they were through the gap he closed it, diverting his power back to the world around him just in time to shatter space in front of an oncoming attack. This one was different.

Turning around he felt himself slide back from the impact. A giant deformed humanoid crouched in the centre of the carriage. Small arms like that of a t-rex and fat rolls widened their midsection to unrealistic proportions. Its massive legs clearly what had dealt the damage, four of them planted on the ground firmly, a wide grinning face dripping blood from its naturally squashed head.

Slamming his energy into the air he blocked a giant clawed hand that swiped out from behind a seat. Going to cut it off but just having one of the giant legs of the other spirit kick the side of his sword redirecting the strike. A claw slammed into his back and a second leg hit him in the side as he was sent tumbling down the carriages. Sword clattering to the side.

The hand quickly pulled the weapon beneath a seat, a seat that it shouldn't fit under.

Some type of inventory-type spirit maybe? Was that how it hid its main body. Probably.

Taking a deep breath he looked up at the charging thick-legged spirit and swung his hand down sending a billowing gash of folding dimensional shards tearing through the train towards it. Splitting the domain as it cascaded through the air showing the station outside. The crashing wave hit the creature firmly in the chest leaving a massive gash in its wake.

The entire train started to shake horribly as the screeching of metal grinding against metal filled his ears as the domain collapsed forcing the train to slowly implode in on itself in a horrid mess.

He could do this easily, he just had to concentrate.

Feeling energy pulse to his right he ducked under the giant talons of the other spirit. Reaching his hand in front of him and catching the kick of the other one. The force made his bones ache and snap but his fist closed like a vice. His eyes screamed bloody murder as he stared at the spirit.

"Got you fucker." He stated as he slammed as much of his cursed energy into the creature as he could fracturing its entire body with dimensional splits. The shining cracks rending its flesh.

Letting go he jumped in the air, dodging the clawed hand as he swung down severing it once more with pure spacial cracks alone. He didn't need his bloody sword.

Seeing the arm recoil back under the seat he watched as the larger spirit started to heal as the cracks in the domain once more started to mend. He wouldn't have that.

Hitting the roof of the train at the height of his jump, his feet planted firmly against it as he was pointing at the floor, standing upside down. Shooting off the roof as hard as he could. Slamming into the floor of the train and pushing every piece of energy he could into the floor. The splitting domain shattered like glass as he tumbled out onto the tracks of the station.

The two spirits formed near him as the domain collapsed forcing them out into the real world.

Atlas' cursed energy exploded from his body. The cracking of space around him resonated in a radius a few centimetres from his skin.

Dashing forward he leapt into the air over the larger spirit, its arms too short to reach him as he landed hard on the floor behind it, the crashing of his feet into the tracks bending the metal. Turning around he shot a foot out slamming it into the smaller spirit, now that he could see its body.

It had giant arms that had already grown back, its body however was no larger than a baseball, its hands however were the size of a large desk. The giant fingers were easily over a meter long just by themselves. Now unrestrained by the inside of the train.

Slamming his foot into the small spirit he sent it soaring away as it crashed into a wall. The shattering of stone around it resonated with a boom throughout the station. With one foot off the ground, he continued the momentum the leg was carrying as he leapt into a barrel roll dodging the kick that swept past where he was just standing.

Landing on the ground he shot his fist out, slamming into the creature as he stood within its defence, its legs unable to attack him as he slammed punch after punch into the creature. The shattering of space echoed through the air in shattering impacts. Flashes of bright blue.

He needed to learn the black flash, that would be so cool. But for another time.

For now, he would simply shatter the gap between dimensions rending the flesh of the spirit. Each attack shook its body.

Jumping into the air once again he put his foot against the larger spirit's face before kicking off dodging the swipe of the claws that closed like scissors where he had just been standing. The clapping of the palms shaking the air as a boom sounded from the impact.

A wave of wind pushed past him as he landed on the floor only to see the large spirit charging at him, all four of its feet impacting the floor as he barreled towards him at blinding speeds like a freight train.

Taking a deep breath he pushed his body into another plane as the creature charged through where he was standing. Going back into his native plane just as the spirit past him.

Turning around he kicked it in the back hard enough to send it tumbling using its own momentum. The shattering of the floor where its face impacted shook the floor as it continued to tumble.

Not having any time to attack it once more he was ducking a swipe from the clawed spirit as he swung his own hand out slamming it into the other oncoming fist with a flash of impact, the spacial fractures splitting all its fingers from its palm.

Grabbing the spirit's wrist he pulled it close to him, the small body unable to stand its ground as he put his foot on it and with only a small amount of pressure crushed the spirit under his foot with the shattering of dimension splitting its flesh over and over again until it was drained of all its energy.

Leaving it there, as good as dead. All its cursed energy drained so that it could no longer hide in shadows or heal its body he turned around to look at the other larger spirit that stumbled to its feet. Turning around, its giant maw once grinning now a remorseful frown of fright.

"Don't worry, I have someone who will make good use of you two. Now, why don't I drain you too?" Atlas said, cracking his neck as he started to make his way forward.

He was already exhausted, but he could handle this much at least. It would have been easier if he could have just killed them.

---

Standing by the car the three first years heard the shattering of space from inside the train station, a giant glowing blue and purple crack forming in the air as suddenly a wave of cursed energy was felt. Atlas had escaped the domain.

The resounding sound of impacts soon was shaking the very ground they stood on, constant flashes of that purple and blue light lighting up the station like flashes of lighting.

Before there was suddenly silence…

It hadn't even taken that long.

Walking out of the station carrying the body of two bleeding and chopped-up spirits on the verge of being exorcised Atlas threw them on the floor in front of Geto.

"A gift from your senior… make sure that small fucker gives me my sword back." He stated as he watched Geto who looked at the spirits in shock. Only one of these could have easily probably killed all three of them. Maybe both of them would be required for Gojo… but not likely. But here they both were.

Torn to shreds and helpless. He was strong enough that he didn't have to kill them, he had fought harder to give Geto a head start and the boy saw that.

Looking back up at the blood running down Atlas' head he started to say something but Atlas cut him off with a kind smile as he said, "Before they recover, while they are weak enough that you can, would be good."

Nodding his head quickly he reached down a put his hand on both of them. It took some effort, yes they were both almost dead but they were still much stronger than him. But he was able to do it, soon compressing the cursed energy that made their bodies down into small balls. Standing up he opened his mouth and swallowed them both like large pills.

They tasted like vomit once more. The texture was like dry cotton that he had to choke down god he hated it… it sucked.

Seeing his face cringe Atlas tilted his head to the side a look of sympathy crossing his face.

"We'll figure out a way to fix that alright, the taste. May take a while but we will work on something okay. Trust me." Atlas said as he patted the boy on the shoulder.

Letting out a tired sigh he motioned to the car but stopped. His head turned and faced the distance as he said to the kids. "Get in the car. Assistant Director, take them back to the school. Now."

Staring at a corner Gojo simply got in the car quickly. Which was quickly followed by both Geto and Ieiri, clearly knowing what was best for them if even Gojo just did as he was told. His attitude had been terrible since Atlas made him listen. Because of all that happened today, Gojo's face was scrunched up in distaste. At himself.

"N-No I won't let you r-run off aga-" Furuta started to say before Atlas glared at them.

"Now." Was all he said, the heaviness of his tone enough to make the assistant gulp and get into the driver's seat. Soon the vehicle was pulling away. The squeal of its tires echoed in his ears.

"Come on out now, you don't need to hide any longer," Atlas said, reaching for his sword but remembering he forgot to get it back from Geto.

Damn it.

Grinning a man came out from around the corner, his blue hair a shade lighter than Toji's, his attire formal and proper and two swords hung from his right hip. The soft clicking of the wooden soles of his sandals against the concrete slowly rounding the corner.

Without saying anything he simply grabbed the base of his sword and slowly drew it, the hissing of the metal against the sheath deadly and sharp.

"I heard that you are Toji's friend? I wonder how he will feel seeing your corpse." The man said, his voice nasally and hoarse.

"I was actually just looking for a sword? You're not going to use both of them, are you? Be a gentleman and pass the other over." Atlas said, straightening himself as he flooded his body with even more cursed energy, feeling his iris' light up a dull purple.

God, he was getting tired. Too exhausted to make some witty comeback… he just wanted to get this over with. Fuck the Zenin family, he might go and kill them all with Toji, that sounded like a very good idea right now.