Extinction

The sharp rasp of sword against stone resonated through the air.

Pulling the wrappings tight against his knuckles Atlas' eyes looked up at Geto.

The whetstone ran along the edge of the blade with smooth precision. The sword he used to carry and the one that he had given to Geto. It felt like so long ago…

Seeing Yuta sheathe his own blade and nod to Geto the two slowed down to the back of the pack to talk.

Gojo watched this happen as his fingers idly ran over the new scars that marred his arm. The tension in the air was gone. Nothing but a grave acceptance… they had made their choice.

Nodding his thanks to Toji Atlas said, "You not putting on any yourself?" Offering the remaining fabric to Toji.

"No reason, it doesn't help hold my bones in any way." His eyes set on a building in the distance that they all collectively walked towards.

They had run most of the way but feeling the stagnation of the energy inside they slowed down to better gather themselves, idly further preparing despite already having done it. Just something to occupy their minds. Nothing was happening just yet…

"Ready?" Atlas asked as he walked to the front of the group.

Smirking Gojo's infinity flared as he tore the blindfold off and threw it to the side. "As I'll ever be." He said filled with unmatched confidence.

Taking a breath Geto nodded as he walked up to Gojo's side. His gaze settled on Atlas' back for a moment as he straightened his. His eyes flared a crimson red and his irises bled pale light over his features as positive energy gathered in his core. His hand settled on his weakly stuttering heart as the shadow of a Serpent flowed over the entire road towards the building like an inviting carpet.

Looking down Yuta slid the new chain off his neck and put it in his pocket as he held the ring in his hand. Closing his eyes in silent thanks as he wore it on his finger his eyes opened to a hardened gaze as cursed energy flowed through him. The writhing form of Rika appeared behind him and let out a mournful whine as Yuta said. "Yes sir."

Cracking his neck Toji let a chain slowly slide out from the waist of his pants. The slow dull whoosh of the blade gaining momentum turned into a whistle as it blurred through the air. His gaze filled with steady confidence and uncharacteristic determination.

"Of course," Mizuki said as she let her cursed energy morph her body. The blinding moonlight white horns appeared from her forehead as her fingernails grew into claws and her giant wings emerged from her back.

And like a starting pistol, the blindfold hit the ground.

Darkness exploded from the ground in a shadowy storm crashing into the side of the building with shattering impact as his maw ripped through stone like a grinder.

Running up its back and leaping from its head Atlas flared with cursed energy as he felt everything around him his irises blazing a purple might as rubble rained down into the emptied auditorium.

Looking up without any shock the four primal fears met his gaze. The fifth gaze filled him with unimaginable rage though.

The black hair of someone he recognized once smooth and shining was sickly and frayed. What was Kenjaku doing in her body?!

Before the rubble even moved more than an inch the spirits exploded into action as the tall grey lady made countless hand signs and a lifeless grey filled the entire auditorium. The entire room was filled with hundreds of arms that grew out of themselves in an endless net.

Paralysis reached to grip him as he soared into her domain but her technique couldn't grasp him for even a moment as with a blaze of energy a dimensional rift ripped tore the air in front of him and started to suck in all the cursed energy they were gathering.

Mutation launched from the ground as the domain sprouted suddenly impacting the crack that appeared in his way howling in pain as it tore through his body ripping his cursed energy from him.

Hundreds of hands shrivelled as the life was sucked from them.

Feeling a surge of energy Atlas stopped the rift. Having pulled out all of the idle cursed energy that he accidentally left in this world apart from that which Kenjaku had already trapped in the barrier that was in the centre of the room.

The rift snapped shut as Mutation dropped to the floor glaring upwards at Atlas his legs loaded to spring as soon as he could yet he wasn't even able to push off the ground as a blade of Hollow Purple ripped through the air at waist height slicing the building completely as it started to shift and slide.

Forests of arms were severed and healing but the spirits who were focused on Atlas had to defend themselves. All but the grey lady managed to defend against the sudden attack.

Before Atlas had even started to fall from his leap the hollow purple fizzled out the new slice revealing Gojo who was readying another attack.

Mutation's eyes widened in shock as his thighs were suddenly cut in half halting the jump he had been about to do as Geto exploded through the collapsing wall.

Hands reached out from the forest slamming into the walls and roof of the suddenly devastated structure stopping it from collapsing completely as blue energy flared near the gr

ey lady pulling the falling rubble towards the spirits in a shower of debris.

Geto's cursed energy flared and started to swirl inside of his core, the energy becoming positive as his irises glared a deeper crimson.

Cursed Technique Reversal. Geto's Trump.

Absorbing the spirits not as separate entities but as one. Fusing with them, his body shifted and his skin suddenly grew the scales of Darkness, various features of his transforming as Darkness disappeared from the air and swirled into his core. His cursed energy soared as he became more cursed spirit than human and used the total pool of all the spirits he controlled making his energy soar to unfathomable heights.

But the positive energy ate away at his transforming body.

The misty shroud of Darkness flowed over his skin as he vanished just like Darkness did. Mutation however suddenly filled with various wounds as attacks hit him from every angle as the darkness bled out through the collapsing auditorium filling the spaces between the hundreds of arms.

Flaring with energy the gray lady activated her technique as strongly as she could on everyone present. The feeling of overwhelming helplessness and immobilization suddenly tightened their muscles but the blade of Toji ripped through the air and slammed into her chest.

His confident gaze emerged as he appeared behind her from the writhing darkness before he was once more swallowed by it.

The brief second that everyone was released let Yuta use his new Cursed Technique Reversal as suddenly her domain froze instead of being dispelled. Her technique became unusable as Yuta stood in the hole Gojo made with Rika shadowing behind him.

Finally reaching the peak of his leap Atlas started to come down, his eyes having stayed locked with Kenjaku the entire time who was staring at him with barely contained rage.

Atlas felt it, the rage, pure and unfiltered hatred that had one direction. Atlas ruined his plans. Years carefully laid out gone with one upstart tearing through them revelling things that shouldn't have existed.

Preparing the strongest dimensional blast that he could Atlas put his power into a single strike. While everyone else was fighting the spirits.

Then it happened, just like he thought it would. Separation used his technique. The shroud of cloth that surrounded him suddenly floated as if gravity was gone. The pink and purple skin flaked and peeled from his hand as it moved and his fingers spread as if he were grasping the entire room.

Yuta's reversed technique was separated from his body just as Mizuki was about to do her part of the plan aiming for separation with a massive beam of moonlight that she had been gathering the flaring attack froze for a moment as the grey lady 'looked' at her.

The maw that split her body opened wider as the teeth folded out of the way of a giant eye that glared at Mizuki.

A sudden feeling of inferiority overwhelmed her as she was the only one who wasn't able to do her part. It was the same in the previous fight, she had just gotten in the way. All these years she thought she had become stronger but she still couldn't compare. Not even to Yuta who was younger than her.

Seeing Kenjaku she remembered… she was just a failed experiment, she didn't have use. She had never become more, Atlas had saved her, and he had become more. She hadn't done anything. She was useless.

Losing her steam she felt her technique falter. She didn't deserve to have the chance she was given…

All eyes were on her… and she couldn't do anything with the cynical gazes. Her wings failed as she plummeted towards the ground.

Jumping from the shadows underneath her Toji caught her and glared towards the grey lady who stared back with her giant unblinking eye. And he felt it, the eye was trying to hold him.

But he was stronger.

Immobilization's Technique froze all that was in her innate domain even Gojo who tried to resist. Gojo and Yuta immediately worked to break out of it. Geto who was within Darkness was unaffected and Toji and Atlas were unaffected as the former saved Mizuki and Atlas finally let loose his attack as purple and blue energy tore through the air towards Kenjaku as Atlas started to fall.

The atmosphere shifted as Mutilation who had just hit the ground let out a guttural roar. His body healed in a single moment before Atlas' attack even started to move.

Suddenly in front of Kenjaku, the dimensional attack drilled into Mutation's chest. The cracks tore through his flesh, ripping him apart as he felt his arms start to blow apart. Wounds of blinding intensity glowing purple and blue as they shifted throughout his body.

The blinding light of the dimensional crack flashed through the room plunging everything into darkness for a single moment as it faded. The spots of blindness were blinked from their visions as Mutation who was still being torn apart internally by the attack had eyes open all over his body as his flesh tore apart and countless writhing strands of muscles moved and shifted out of his skin.

Getting ready to engage again Yuta drew his blade. Everything was happening so quickly since his technique was cancelled and as his eyes landed on Mutation he suddenly felt it. The overwhelming power that was cascading from the spirit's body.

Mutation itself was given form in a writhing form of muscle that resembled human shape and gore.

The air shifted as a wave of energy passed through it in a single moment and desperately he found himself fighting against it, his cursed energy battled as it hit his body barely overcoming whatever was happening.

But some were not so lucky, Toji who didn't have cursed energy and Mizuki who was unconscious were suddenly ripped apart as the team's support hadn't even had time to properly act, were suddenly covered in countless wounds that bled dramatically.

As Toji and Mizuki slammed into the ground unable to land properly Toji tried to get up.

His wounds were lesser as his body was stronger but he was still barely able to stand, his mind was blacking out as he felt pain sear his nerves in cold malice.

Darting in front of Gojo, Mutilation attacked as all the eyes over his shifting mass shifted towards Gojo and the wave of energy suddenly flared.

Feeling his infinity shake with resistance Gojo was about to curse towards the spirit but his infinity faltered as Separation removed it from his body suddenly filling Gojo with countless deadly wounds in a single moment from the combined strength of the two strongest spirits working against him.

Everything started to go wrong just as fast as it had started.

Finally landing on the ground Atlas turned his attention back to the spirits as he got ready to teleport short range despite his technique being unstable as he had no choice, he needed to do some short teleportation to get everyone out of danger.

He wouldn't let them die.

Getting to Toji and Mizuki's side Yuta tried to use his cursed technique reversal but it was still being blocked by separation as his eyes started to water. They were already losing people.

Seeing Mutilation turn to an area in the Darkness Separation once more waved his hand and Geto started to appear his face filled with rage as he was trying to attack Mutilation but it was faster as the countless eyes locked onto him and the sudden wave of power started to form.

Atlas teleported as space ripped pulling Gojo and Geto outside of the building that was crumbling from their entrance that had only been seconds ago.

Seeing Mutlation turn back to them Gojo despite being covered in wounds wound his fingers around each other as he glared towards the spirits Geto seeing what was happening gathered his own domain.

A moment to breathe, only a single chance to say something Atlas was about to speak but Geto was faster as he said to him. "Give us one chance and we can turn the tide again."

The time it took to say the sentence Separation had removed the dimensional energy from Mutation but it had taken time. He had to focus on it while hindering Yuta.

It was time for Atlas to trust them.

With Geto and Gojo speaking in tandem, their cursed energy suddenly started to mingle… the power that flowed from them merged into one thought as complete trust in each other let something Atlas never knew could happen start to take shape.

Darkness must have helped with this using his ancient knowledge.

""Domain Expansion: Unlimited Abyss""

The combined power of their techniques came together in a single barrier to form one 

domain. 

An endless and indescribable abyss spread instantly throughout the auditorium, hundreds of spirits' energy coiled around within the mind-numbing domain. Using his technique Atlas defended himself and his companions from the effects that tried to flood their minds and bodies. Staring ahead he saw that the spirits were safe as Separation was protecting them with his own technique.

Then 'something' started to happen, Separation was trying to do something again. However, now it was Atlas' turn to get in the way. Hindering Separation with his own dimensional energy, stopping him from blocking the domain and doing whatever it was he was planning.

Feeling Separation's technique hammer into his own Atlas felt his energy flare and lash out in response.

But it was stronger than Atlas was now, the overpowering energy ripping through Atlas' already wounded technique as it was forced aside despite the effort that Atlas put in, he tried to buy time. He did, but he had only bought a moment.

If only his technique was stronger, thoughts unwanted entering his mind-

The domain vanished just as fast as it had appeared along with the unwanted thoughts that plagued his mind. Atlas' energy clashed with Separation's again. The two of them stared at each other as Atlas' willpower 

flared, his determination was back. 

He had given them time for their domain to work. And the results were astonishing. 

Humiliation that had been trying to affect him had been turned into a shivering mess of grey dust that barely clung together. The rest of the spirits were covered in major wounds that flaked off in black flakes. Although they were healing, it gave them time. Much needed time.

As Gojo and Geto collapsed to their knees behind him Atlas was about to ask if they were okay but Yuta suddenly was beside them, his Reversed Cursed Technique healing Gojo's wounds in an instant dispelling Mutilations technique. Atlas forced Separation to stay locked in their own tug-of-war allowing Yuta to work once again.

But something felt wrong as Separation's hand shook from effort, his technique was wounded it shouldn't be costing the spirit that much energy. He already knew the spirits technique was stronger...

Gojo, Toji and Mizuki had been healed, they had regrouped.

Suddenly flaring, cursed energy cascaded out of Yuta as he became a pillar for the centre of the battle as the hindrance of Immobilization's innate domain vanished from their bodies.

Reaching forward as Gojo healed a sudden blast of Hollow Purple started to rip through the air towards Kenjaku who was kneeling at the edge of the ritual and doing something.

That's what it was… Separation was separating some of Atlas' cursed energy from his control and notice... and it was being absorbed by Kenjaku's barrier as their energies battled. Panicking Atlas drew back as he grabbed Yuta who was stepping forward to counter whatever would come next. Gojo's hollow Purple finally finished forming and was just about to launch out.

Although in utter dismay Geto watched as his best friend's irises lost their shine, some blank force appearing over them for a single moment as for a fraction of a second a domain overtook them and then vanished as fast as it had come.

Gojo was temporarily separated from the power of six eyes for that split second. Kenjaku no longer needed more energy.

No longer able to control Hollow Purple the attack that had already formed lost direction and exploded in all directions in a sudden blinding flash of uncontained power. Seeing that it had blown back towards them Atlas stepped before the group and shattered the dimensional plain before them blocking the cascading wave of destruction that had already blown away Gojo's arm.

Feeling the energy crash against the field he felt his knees buckle, the sudden strain after strain from defending against Separation with his wounded technique then trying to stop a wild and overflowing mass of uncontrolled energy.

But he did.

As the cracks healed they saw the spirits appear again from the settling dust.

They felt it before they saw it. Something greater than all of them was standing before them in the distance.

"I've never seen a primal fear be 'killed' before." A deep voice spoke through the dust.

Backing away Gojo's eyes flared with their light again as he gained his sight once more his face fell further into dismay as he saw what they were truly fighting against.

Flaring with energy Geto stepped forward and next to Atlas ready to fight again against whatever had appeared…

They all knew what it was though.

Speaking once more the voice was more steady, as its form that had already appeared started to take a stronger shape. "To do something like that is no dismissable feat… I am more than impressed by your, tenacity."

Slow pressure leaked out throughout the area as the hovering dust seemed to freeze in the air shadowing the silhouettes of 4 spirits.

A new form had appeared but the figure of the bug-eyed spirit was gone. Only a small shrivelled-looking thing in the grasp of the new spirit that just looked like a human silhouette.

"But I am beyond disappointed at you Humiliation for 'dying' to sorcerers, for one of the primal fears to be weakened to this extent makes me ashamed of your existence." The deep voice spoke mournfully, soft and dark like chocolate, yet it was only bitter.

Before the pitiful begging could even go past a stutter the Spirit spoke once more with endless regret. "You are a coward just like your creators are." A sudden surge of power rippled through what felt like everything as Humiliation was… erased.