70 Unexpected Strength

The ground rippled with a shattering impact. A wave of earth folded through the air as the ground was blown open by the impact as if a bomb had detonated opening a crater that scared the landscape.

"I'll give you this. You're tough." He said as he smirked towards the prone figure that he had just sent catapulting. "I never expected you to be able to withstand an attack like that without showing any damage. I don't know, if you stand up again I might have to try. Let's hope that you stay down though… a dog should know when to stop barking." The arrogance in the voice dripped from a tone barely concealing rage.

Pushing himself to his feet the Cursed Spirit glared up at Gojo who looked down on him. His eyes blazed with such intensity that space twisted around him. The bright blue glow was a beacon of authority that stretched shadows. The crater that he stared down into, one of his own creations illuminated by his brilliance.

"Curse you Satoru Gojo!" The spirit yelled as he leapt from the ground, his face morphed in both rage and bliss. Shattering stone to powder as he soared into the sky. His right hand coming back to the space around him twisted ready to deliver a blow that would level mountains.

But he wasn't even able to swing his hand.

Purple light flared, a flash of destructive brilliance severing the arm of the spirit that had been winding up an attack.

Watching the spirits eyes widen as his smirk spread Gojo said, "Tell me if you have friends before my patience runs out you masochistic piece of shit." His tone biting as he waved his hand and Red and Blue formed at the same time. Red above him and Blue below pulling him into the floor with enough force that he was buried within the crumbling stone.

Listening to the cackling laughter Gojo couldn't help but feel himself tense up. This fight had been tough sure, he had to think about his actions and plan his attacks but apart from that it wasn't hard at all.

Something was wrong, the way the spirit was acting wasn't sitting with him right.

"If death wasn't so close, so determined to get your friend then I would have my fun tearing you to shreds myself." The voice spoke from stone as once more the spirit stood up. Its arm was already healed as the stone rolled off its shoulder. Despite the immense gravity from blue and red that made its feet sink into solid rock it stood as if it were not there.

"But I can barely contain myself, to have something so… divine before me!" Its voice rose in sick glee as it looked up at the figure of Gojo. Its yellow eyes blazed as it smiled, a long forked tongue coming from its mouth and licking its lips.

Getting chills from how creepy the spirit was acting Gojo pointed forward ready to flick his fingers and obliterate the spirit but his attention was ripped elsewhere.

Turning his head even from the distance into the mountains that the fight had taken him he could see another spirit. His students around it fighting something that he knew they couldn't beat. Getting ready to teleport he was just about to warp through space but a hand caught him and threw him into the ground.

Although his infinity stopped he felt the space around him start to break apart. Space itself is being mutilated by the power of the spirit.

He couldn't teleport with the instability that was created.

Feeling the impact shake his body despite infinity stopping it the ground rippled out from around him as if he were a stone thrown into a pond. The power of the blow knocked the wind out of his lungs as he moved faster than he could on his own.

The spirit had moved faster than he thought it could.

It had mutilated space… a concept.

Hearing the sound of the spirit landing before him the figure in the dust spoke. "Oh I can't let you leave Satoru, not when you have been giving me such, enjoyment!"

---

As the grey claw closed around the figure of the female spirit Maki started to yell something but stopped as she felt a wave of cursed energy pass around them. The power that was forced into the air itself seemed to drive reality itself to pause.

And the claw of Rika stopped.

With his mouth frozen open mid-yell Toge tried to force his voice to come out but no matter what he did he felt that he couldn't.

As one of her spindly arms slowly came forward reaching towards Toge's face a sudden burst of energy shook the air as Yuta appeared once more in the hall, his katana arching down in a blow that severed the arm at the elbow.

Watching the limb fall to the ground they all felt their bodies come back under their control as Toge was able to finally yell. His voice ripped through the air as cursed energy gave his words authority.

"Blast Away!"

With the wave of energy that blasted from his mouth, the spirit was lifted from the ground and sent launching down the hallway. Their hands grabbed onto the walls and ceiling to slow them down as giant groves were caved into the floor. The walls and ceiling of the hall were torn off completely.

Dashing forward Maki caught Toge who's eyes rolled back in his head as he fought to stay conscious.

Getting between them and the direction the spirit went Panda got into a fighting stance as he said, "One command almost knocked Toge out. Be careful Yuta…" His voice mellow as he thought about what he could do.

They didn't have enough information about the target other than they could freeze them in place.

It felt disgusting, as if he wasn't in control of his own body, at the mercy of others. Like his will had been taken away.

"If you get frozen again focus on forcing your cursed energy to break you out of the control. That is the only way I think that works…" Yuta said, hearing the sound of Maki's grip tightening as he spoke. She was effectively useless in this fight.

Seeing the spirit come to a grinding stop as its back straightened and its long hair fell once more over its face like a curtain that flowed seamlessly into the dress, his eyes going to the severed hand that grew back.

Feeling Rika come up behind him a soft whine emerging from it as it spoke. "Yuutaaaaaaaa." Guilt clawed through its voice as if it had done something unforgivable.

"Don't worry Rika, I am okay." His eyes stayed locked onto the spirit that slowly started to approach them again, drifting over the shattered floorboard as if it were a ghost.

"Maki, protect Toge, Panda, wait for an opening and attack it when you can. I'll draw its attention." Yuta planned as he dashed forward swinging his blade up into a strike as he crouched down low.

As multiple hands came to block the blade Yuta let go of it as his arms weakened. Feeling that same feeling as if control of his body was leaving him. That paralyzing feeling of immobilization sent shivers down his spine.

But he fought through it.

Twisting his legs swept around impacting the side of the creature's dress. The crunch of something breaking sounded through the hall followed by a dull screech of pain that wailed like a siren through the school.

As feeling returned to his arms he put his hands against the ground as he continued the momentum of his sweep throwing himself to the side and onto his feet as he caught the falling Katana and was immediately swinging once more at the creature's torso.

The hands that had been blocking the path dropped down as it started to fall over. Feeling the strike land the wet feeling of cutting flesh resonating up the blade and into his hands, he got ready to attack again.

The hand of Rika tore down from above, impacting the head of the spirit as she bent over from the slice. The impact threw her onto the floor and Panda fell through the ceiling. His large body transformed into Gorilla as it started to hammer blow after blow into the fallen spirit.

Feeling a chill Yuta listened to instinct and bent back as far as he could. 5 hands that had been about to grab him all over passed through empty air as he started to swing his blade.

But Panda and Rika were not so quick. 2 hands grabbed Gorilla as he froze and 3 snapping closed on Rika as despite her struggle she could barely move. Straining against whatever power was forcing her to stay still.

Dashing forward Yuta leapt over and between the arms swinging his blade towards the arms that were holding Rika to free her but for a single moment he felt his limps go numb.

And a moment was all that was needed.

Feeling the hands grab all over him, one on each limb and the other on the back of his head as the limbs bent and broke in unnatural ways to turn and grasp him he felt a chill pass through his flesh. The restrictive grasp of the spirit took all power from his muscles as he was immobilized completely.

He felt trapped.

A rat stuck in a cage.

Lured in and paralyzed.

All the wounds that he had inflicted healed without a trace in a single moment, faster than any healing he had seen before.

He wouldn't settle for this. He couldn't, he was stronger than this. He was one of the strongest. Atlas and Gojo had done what they could to give him another chance, the ability to save instead of hurt.

He couldn't control his body, but he still could control his cursed energy.

As he watched the hair part as the dress split down the middle, a giant maw of teeth and gums opening down the centre of the torso from the forehead to the waist slowly closing in on him he felt his cursed energy flare.

Pushing reverse cursed technique into his cursed technique he felt it activate. He felt it, that flare that he normally did, the ability to take someone's technique for himself if conditions were met, but he ignored it, that couldn't help him.

As the maw closed in on himself he felt his cursed technique reverse using positive energy. And he forced it out of his body and into the spirit.

Cut.

He cut her connection to her cursed technique. Feeling suddenly returning to his body he ripped himself from her grasp and swung his sword forward he plunged it into the giant mouth that tried to bite down on him. The hands of Rika suddenly wrapped around the spirit's body and tore her away from Yuta throwing her out into the yard with brute strength.

Feeling his blood run through his veins like ice he felt his body chill.

He had never tried that before… but at the moment it felt right.

Feeling power surge through his body he took the ring that hung around his neck and snapping the chain he stared at the figure of the spirit as he started to stand.

"Yuttaaaaaa." The soft whine of Rika caressed his ears.

Nodding he responded. "I know Rika. Panda, go help Maki and Toge. I'll take the spirit myself."

Feeling the cool metal press against his finger he took a step forward. His power flared as he controlled his cursed energy to pinpoint perfection. Every single ounce of the power that he had effectively flowed through his body and mind.

Positive energy enveloped his fists and sword as he got into a battle stance. Ready to start the second round.

Watching her stand he saw her mouth once more open, the dress splitting as the hair parted to show her body. Grey flesh warped and stretched as hundreds of other arms grew out of her body from every part of the available flesh. Hair twisting and wrapping into limbs of its own.

Eyes opened up all over her shoulders as they locked onto Yuta and Rika.

Using his technique he felt the power surge in his throat and mouth as tattoos appeared on his cheeks. Yelling forward he screamed his authority onto the world. "Stop!"

Seeing her body go rigid he dashed forward taking the opening he made to cleave through tens of her arms severing limbs in a burning strike that left her cursed flesh sizzling from the positive energy.

Switching back to his cursed technique reversal he stopped her from using her technique once more as she started to move again. The hundreds of hands descended towards him to grab him but a swipe from Rika forced them all back as she got behind Yuta and acted as his guard.

Plunging the sword down he pierced it into her 'head' or at least where he thought it should be through the hundreds of arms and feeling the positive energy in his core flare he forced it into her body. Trying to tear her apart and kill her with this blow.

But nothing happened, his energy froze, and for a moment he didn't know what was happening. But then he felt her. Her technique was battling his, it was fighting back?

That shouldn't be possible, should it?

But it was… her technique to immobilize and restrict, to trap. Trapping his reversed technique to cut and cancel.

The spirit was resisting his positive energy.

Backing away he carved through arms as he kept her technique battling his, if he stopped then she would freeze him. He couldn't stop.

But he could fight.

So he did, blocking and slashing him and Rika carved through hundreds of hands that just grew back over and over. Each severed limb gave way to two more as she healed faster than they could rip and tear.

He was growing tired, every slash was weaker. He thought that he would be able to win with this new trump but she had countered it immediately, adapting to his fighting style to trap him in combat.

As another hand descended towards his face he felt the fingers brush against his skin and for a single moment, fear gripped him like her icy hand.

Before the wrist was severed, a shaking impact blew the body of the spirit back as a foot slammed her square in the chest right in the massive mouth.

The cracking of teeth that the blow landed on snapped Yuta back to the present as he turned to someone who looked like a super buff Megumi stood beside him. His face bored as he pulled in a chain that had a dagger hanging from the end.

This person had zero cursed energy.

"I heard that you lot needed some help… enough that the prick got my son to call me." The man said with an unamused face. "Don't stare at me, it's standing up. You better still fight like you did because I'll say, I'm impressed." The figure finished as he motioned at the fallen spirit that slowly dragged itself back to its feet. The teeth that were broken fell away in black flakes as new ones grew through the sickly gums.

Cracking his neck the man stepped forward as the blade started to twirl as he spun it around his hand. The hissing of the steel cutting air as it moved faster and faster spinning around on the end of his chain.

Turning back to the spirit Yuta got ready to fight again, if he dropped his cursed technique reversal then the spirit would freeze this man. He couldn't resist without cursed energy.

A sudden boom echoed through the air as the sound barrier was broken, the dagger on the chain soaring through the air like a bullet as it launched forward with a twist of the man's body.

The blade impaled the spirit's chest in a wet crunch.

The attack signalled the third round of battle.