Technique

The power radiating through the air was crushing, an overwhelming barrage of chaos and destruction.

Hollow purple could not be stopped, it tore through the dimensions as if they were paper splitting them faster than Atlas could force the attack to another. As he held the blast in his palm Atlas felt it, the shattering of each plane vibrate up his arm in bone-shattering waves of impact.

But it was breaking out of the prison he tried to contain it in.

Standing before Toji, arm outstretched he held the crackling purple orb in his hand. His eyes were a deep violet radiating with his cursed property that shattered space around him. Giant wings of broken glass broke from his back, the air distorting and warping as reality tried to right itself.

It was going to snap back, just like it did every time he tried to affect something greatly.

Gojo stood shocked, painted with the violet light of his attack as his mentor appeared before him out of nowhere and caught the attack meant to kill.

Atlas wasn't going to be able to stop the attack. He was going to die. Then something clicked, in that moment of desperation, Atlas felt like his mind was opened like he could finally see, feel, and hear the world around him. The twinkling of glass as dimensions broke started to become clearer.

He was starting to understand.

The world shattered at that moment as dust exploded out from where Atlas was standing, the breaking of reality flickering in the air as countless planes overlapped on each other.

Landing Gojo looked at the ruination that his clash with Atlas had caused. His high was over, he was starting to see things more clearly. Why was Atlas here?

As the dust settled Gojo met eyes with Atlas once more.

Standing there, the flesh of his arm rent and shattered, broken like glass. Shining with a lustre as purple energy from Atlas' property and Gojo's technique battled inside his body. The slow healing of positive energy flowed through his arm as he looked at Gojo.

"Atlas," Gojo said, he had just been thinking that as he was now he could beat Atlas, yet his strongest attack was caught and dispelled. He had reached greatness. He was the honoured one yet here before him was someone who he had always stood in the shadow of.

He wanted to be the strongest.

Feeling the determination to best Atlas he got into a fighting stance.

The high of power made way for the crashing wave of clarity. His power in enlightenment had become like a storming ocean settling into a crystal clear surface of untapped potential. He was ready to fight.

"Gojo," Atlas replied, acknowledging his student's stance, a fight was inevitable, and not just because he protected Toji.

He didn't know if he could win. He needed to find that feeling again.

Slamming his hands together Atlas projected his will onto this world, forming a small barrier that he flooded with his energy creating his pseudo-domain. The multiple images of who he was appearing around him, reflections from other planes invited into and given form in this one.

Seeing that they all had wounded right arms despite the healing that Atlas had done Gojo stood taller, he had hurt his mentor beyond normal flesh, and he would win.

"Toji, go. You will only get in the way, I won't be able to save you twice." Atlas said as he stared at Gojo.

Atlas knew what he was doing, he had let Riko die. Now he was protecting her killer, he was villainizing himself to the Higher-Ups and possibly ruining his relationship with Gojo and Geto. But he didn't care, as long as he killed Kenjaku he would move on with his life knowing he was able to keep people safe.

He couldn't have saved Riko without Kenjaku possibly doing something extreme, he knew how important it was for Riko to die for Kenjaku's plans. He had faced the consequences of forcing Kenjaku to adapt before, he would figure this out later.

Yet here he was stepping in to save Toji, sure the man dying wasn't really part of Kenjaku's plan. But he was still interfering… he couldn't stop himself, he wouldn't let his best friend die.

Sure he had planned this, but the action was different than thought. He was starting to see the scale of what was happening.

He needed to fix all this.

Seeing Gojo dash forward Atlas stepped back, letting the palm strike coming to his chest stay mere millimetres away from impacting him. Seeing the small red orb start to form in Gojo's palm forcing his shirt against his chest Atlas grabbed Gojo's wrist and held on tight as he forced his torso into another dimension.

With a shattering blow, the ground beneath them caved in and folded, stone rippling like water from the recoil that red made as the beam shot through Atlas' chest. Blowing a hole in the vision that was left behind.

Space, unlike mass, was linked between planes at a higher level, just like time. While distorted it was still there as it was on all planes. Feeling the attack blast into his chest although much weaker than it normally would be Atlas felt like he was punched in the gut, the wind knocked out of his chest.

Although his grip on Gojo's wrist only tightened.

Holding him the two avatars of his swung their blades at the boy's side. Aiming to slice him in half but Gojo stared dead at Atlas, holding his gaze.

Atlas was able to use positive energy to pull himself into another plane.

He was able to use his negative energy to force other planes on him.

Why couldn't Gojo do something similar? Why did the infinity around him have to just stop, sure it was the most useful. But against Atlas useful wasn't good enough.

Forcing red into the infinity around him Atlas felt it, before he could react he felt Gojo's palm that had started to pass through his chest solidify inside of him. No, the slight distortion of space around him as it was forced not to stop, but to push away. His infinity had become repulsive warping space just enough that he was able to barely interact with Atlas while on another plane.

It wasn't able to do anything like stop his attacks. Not quite, but it was able to give Gojo a second to react as his attacks were slowed.

As the blades were about to slice through him the slight hindrance of them coming down onto his body slowed them down just enough for him to jump into the air and twist out of their paths.

The motions broke Atlas' hold on his wrist as the infinity around him slightly force his grip to weaken as it became repulsive.

The shattering of space suddenly sounded as he was hit in the chest by Atlas with his other palm.

The force of dimensions cracking made Gojo gasp as his flesh was ripped.

Launching into the air Atlas backed away, watching as Gojo healed before he even started falling back down. Landing on his feet they both stood there, holding each other's gaze.

Something was clear, they could hurt each other. Normally no one could hit them, it made them unique. But that wasn't the case with them, their powers countered each other.

"I thought that I was the strongest!" Gojo said as he spread his hands to his side, his red aura crashing off his body forcing him to float in the air slightly. The stone cracked beneath his feet from the constant repulsive force keeping him in the air.

"I have always been behind you Atlas, but no, not today. You have grown stagnate, despite all the time away you come back to save a killer? A killer of my friend, she didn't ask to be born who she was." Gojo said, his voice lowering.

The high that came from his enlightenment had faded, he now knew what he felt, his eyes growing colder by the second. He hated this, this wasn't fair.

Standing there in silence Atlas didn't know what to say, he knew what he was doing was wrong in many eyes. Voicing something in a way that he was sure Gojo would get he spoke, "If Geto was labelled a curse user would you be able to kill him?" Atlas suddenly asked.

Eyes widening Gojo stopped, would he? No, he wouldn't, he would probably let him go time and time again because he was his best friend. Yes, he would do wrong, but could he bring himself to take the life of his best friend without having to… probably not.

"Toji is my best friend, he was the person I first actually sparred with, he was someone who made me feel at home. He is more like a brother to me in a Society that never accepted him and that wasn't fair. You will see Gojo, even if you kill me now you will see in the future that the Higher-Ups are fools. They will kill people because they fear who they could become." Atlas said, his voice dropping.

"I couldn't save her because there are things beyond both of us! There is darkness lurking in the background that will go to any length to get what it wants, I have lost enough to him already. I know you will not be able to understand. But one day you will." Atlas said. He wished he could talk about it without fear. But not out here.

If he told Gojo about Kenjaku he knew that things would change again, he had to wait for the right moment.

"Why do you think they sent me away for a year? They didn't like that they couldn't control me, so they gave me an ultimatum. Leave, or deny their orders and become a curse user." Atlas finished.

He could feel his brain starting to burn out, cancelling his pseudo-domain he watched Gojo cancel his repulsive infinity probably for the same reason.

Seeing that Gojo understood to an extent he got back into a fighting stance, seeing that Gojo did the same. He might understand, but still, Toji killed him and tried to kill his best friend and took Riko's life.

He couldn't just forgive Atlas, even if he understood to an extent. After all, he was strong as well… the strong could do what they wanted to protect those they cared about. He just wasn't strong enough before, but now he was.

"Friends make you foolish." Was all Gojo said as he dashed forward, the power radiating off him increasing tenfold.

Dodging each strike Atlas watched in utter amazement as he watched the flashing of blue surround Gojo's hands and feet just moments before they would make an impact.

He was using attraction in his infinity to try and pull Atlas into his attacks and make it possible to hit him through planes. It was shocking, to see how fast he was adapting to something so hard to counter.

He was amazing, he really was talented.

Finally fighting a fight that he didn't think he could win Atlas felt each blow passing him over and over again he felt the crushing weight of the impacts that did hit him. Although he hit back just as hard, each attack splitting flesh and shattering bone.

He needed to find that feeling again.

They both couldn't run out of energy, they could both do this forever.

An endless cycle of damage and healing. Shattering and tearing, blood and power.

It was brutal. A brawl shattered the space around them, sending cracks throughout the air.

With another attack, Atlas felt it impact his head, red suddenly forming in a fraction of a second. Ducking the blow passed over his head tearing through space with a mind-numbing blast, ripping the air that it passed and obliterating the stone pillar it impacted.

Slamming a hand upwards Gojo reacted faster, catching the strike in his palm and just as space split, forcing an opening in dimensions a bright blue glow shone out of the cracks.

Eyes widening Atlas looked at Gojo's cold calculating gaze as he felt Limitless Attraction shine through the cracks he had made with his attack. The timing had to be perfect, but it was. Gojo had managed to find the gap in planes that Atlas made and pull him through it with his technique.

As Atlas felt attraction grip his body he knew that for a single moment, he was pulled into his normal plane into the awaiting attack that Gojo had prepared. Ready for the single moment that he was able to draw Atlas into a close enough plane. It didn't even need to be the native one. No, he just needed to be close enough to it.

And limitless attraction had done that.

As the air crackled with a purple light Gojo held Atlas' gaze, he was willing to kill him in this moment. Willing to kill Atlas to get to Toji, rage and power flooded his mind. The purple attack started to tear at his flesh was shattering.

He felt it, each burning rip of his body.

Each mind-bending wave of agony passed through him.

Then he felt it, something on the edge of his mind again. Instinct.

---

Suddenly he was taken by darkness, a moment of still passing through his mind. A gasp of breath tearing into his should be ruined lungs.

His mind suddenly was in a place that he understood too well.

Hoshi's mind within his own.

Staring forth at the figure of Hoshi who was sitting on the chair he looked in shock at the boy. His wrists were scared and bleeding resting on his lap. The shackles that he had bound himself with for so long hung at the side of the chair with blood soaking the rusted iron.

Hoshi was free, in that moment he had freed himself.

"I understand, why Toji means so much to you. In doubt and trouble, you felt a kinship with him when you couldn't understand whether the society was for or against you. You felt at home with him, who was similar to who you were before you came here. Who's power you admired… I understand why you let someone innocent die, you fear Kenjaku and what he might do and change." Hoshi started to speak as he stood up and walked forward towards Atlas.

"You let me feel the wind on my skin again, to see sights I never imagined I could. You let me find my will to live again, to keep on trying. You let me experience food and friendship… you let me see why life is worth living. I admire you Atlas, I do. I really do, you took what I thought I was cursed with and turned it into something I was jealous of."

"I don't know who I am… I don't really, but you know who you are." Looking up at Atlas as if he were someone so confusing and distant Hoshi finished with, "Please kill me, so I don't hold you back anymore. Just like you promised. So you can save those you care about. Fix what you broke, don't let Geto ruin himself like you fear he will. Fix your mistakes."

"You said you wanted to keep on trying, we ate food, and we enjoyed the sights. You said you wanted to keep on trying. You've broken your chains… surely there is another way." Atlas said, shock taking him, why was he here right now?

He felt he had made many mistakes, not fighting Kenjaku sooner, not trying to find Hoshi sooner, even letting Riko die now… hell she wouldn't have even merged and things would have been fine probably. Gojo would have still enlightened, after all, he had already been 'killed'. He was scared… so he didn't think.

He was a fool.

"Fear makes us fools, it makes us act irrationally. Just try to fix your mistakes." Hoshi says. Taking out a knife from nowhere, it was his mind, he was in control of it. Putting it in Atlas' palm he smiled up at him, the taller version of his own body.

The more muscled frame, the cut hair, the earring. The eyes with meaning, a goal. The lack of scars… it was who he wanted to be. But Hoshi was happy to let Atlas keep the life that he made.

Taking the knife slowly Atlas thought desperately, was there a way to save Hoshi…

"I don't want to be saved Atlas… I want to be free." Hoshi responded with, a faint smile forming on his face.

"Alright." Was all Atlas could reply before plunging the knife into Hoshi's head. The action pieced the skull of the apparition of Hoshi within Atlas' mind, killing the last part of Hoshi that was left, his mind.

Feeling that he put no cursed energy into the attack Atlas looked at the body as it fell and the mindscape he was in started to fade, maybe. Just maybe Hoshi would be able to come back, and if he was he hoped that the one thing he had learned to keep would stay with him. His mind.

He could do this, he didn't know if it would work but he had a plan. He had felt it, his control over other dimensions. Moving something such a mind wouldn't be impossible. He had to do this, for Hoshi, for Riko.

Hoshi could save her. His technique had brought him here, surely he could bring someone back from death.

---

Suddenly being ripped from his mind Atlas stood before Gojo once again, not even a moment had passed, time had stopped within his mind. Feeling the power ripping through his body Atlas felt something else that he couldn't feel before.

A part of his mind that had been blocked by Hoshi and Kenjaku's technique that held him there.

But it wasn't blocked anymore.

Feeling it, Atlas felt something natural. Something he knew was his. Something he could put his cursed energy into.

As naturally as if he was walking Atlas activated his technique for the first time.

And space shattered around him. An explosion of imploding dimensions as they all condensed down onto his body, multiple planes of the fourth dimension merging into one plane on the third. Countless reflections of Atlas merged with his body as the power of Hollow Purple passed through him.

But Atlas had more control now, sending the attack away the power left his body in an instant as the shattering fixed itself, the air returning to normal as Atlas let out a small breath, he felt… unbreakable.

He felt like this was who he was meant to be, a part of him lost had returned to him.

Looking up at Gojo he held his hand out and suddenly, without warning or signal a giant gash of splitting dimensions tore a gash through his chest. The dimensions around Gojo shattered in an instant trapping him within a box of broken planes.

He didn't need to be close to effect planes anymore. He could feel them around him as naturally as he could see.

He could affect the third dimension at will using reflections of other planes.

Clapping his hands together multiple planes condensed down in an instant within his palm. A spinning ball of compressed reality, shattering the space around it as web-like cracks radiated from Atlas' body.

Jumping back Gojo got as close to one wall as he could before flicking his fingers and releasing another hollow purple, shattering the box in a single attack. The blast that tore through the air towards Atlas was undeniable in its strength.

Holding his own attack out Atlas sent it towards Gojo, splitting the reality of the third dimension down the middle, in a single moment the world seemed to go black and white as time froze before the plane that Atlas was on, the one that he could normally only bring other planes to or go to other planes from was truly affected.

Splitting Gojo's Hollow Purple was shattered like glass as a beam impacted the man's chest, blowing out a hole just below his head.

Removing his torso almost completely.

As the black-and-white world gained colour once again Atlas appeared behind Gojo. Pulling on his power once more.

Once more he pulled on another plane, sending the damage he dealt to Gojo to it as suddenly the man's chest appeared again.

Space folded like a mirror onto where he was before mending. His chest was once more intact.

No blood or damage was present.

Turning Gojo looked at Atlas in fear.

His eyes widened as Atlas stood tall over him. The power radiating from his body, he controlled the plane that he was standing on, everything about it he could break, shatter or mend. No longer was he limited to the effect that he could have on things. Reality could be changed before him using reflections from another plane.

Staring almost coldly down at Gojo Atlas disappeared with a deafening shatter as he didn't even will to go to another plane he just wanted to be at another point on the one he was on. He didn't step through anything, he just broke his way through reality to get to the point he wanted to be at.

Appearing before Gojo again he carried the body of Riko, who had died only half an hour prior.

Everything was unfolding so fast.

He really hoped that this would work. He would fix his mistake.

Getting to his knees before her Atlas put his hand on her chest and willed with as much might as he could. That the damage be removed, and it was, the wound to her head disappeared as her body completely recovered. But he couldn't bring her soul back...

Her spirit was something beyond Atlas' control.

But it wasn't beyond his.

Walking out from behind him, from the folding space of dimensions, a folding mass of flesh, glass and cursed energy appeared as Atlas allowed it to walk out from the plane it was trapped in.

Hoshi was neither spirit nor human. But something in-between. Something beyond even the third dimension. The spirit of Hoshi was saved as Hoshi used his own technique on himself. Keeping his mind because of his experience saving himself from Kenjaku.

Hoshi had called forth Atlas' soul when he had died, at the moment of Atlas' first death and brought it into his own body using a vow to increase his power to affect things through dimensions.

Watching Gojo looked on in shock at Atlas and the spirit behind him that resembled a mixture of folding mirrors and cursed energy. Breaking the silence Atlas asked. "Can you save her?"

=======

I am hoping that this chapter explains a lot more of Atlas' thinking in the last chapter and why he acted the way he did such as not saving Riko. I never planned on leaving her dead and was actually thinking of having Atlas stopping her from dying just outright but I don't think that he would have done that. He had already seen the effect that his actions have when he meddled in Kenjaku's plans before.

I think that his actions were realistic and his realization of the weight of his actions after fighting Gojo and talking to Hoshi made him change his way of thinking slightly. He is strong, yes. And while he will certainly win in a direct confrontation with Kenjaku he can't beat the mans cunning and tactics.

Kenjaku is still a real threat to Atlas and Atlas knows that, he would rather not force the man to make a move.

Also really long chapter! I am actually pretty proud of this one.

Stones maybe?