81 Culling Games V
"Hm... Kenjaku, huh. I've been hearing that name too many times." Arai said irritated. He sat in the middle of the street and next to him was the corpse of a sorcerer that had tried to kill him. The man was being hung upwards with clay branches bursting out of his body and orifices.
After torturing the man, it was easy to make him spill everything he knew about what was going on even without using his cursed technique.
"You've earned 5 points." Kogane said as it appeared behind him.
"He doesn't even deserve to be worth 3 points with how weak he was. Kogane, how many points do I have?"
"You have 95 points! Just 5 more and you'll be able to put up a new rule."
It had been about 13 days since the Culling Games had happened and yet he had only managed to get 80 more points than before. It was harder to find sorcerers in a rural area like Kagoshima, he regretted letting Eino live here far from Tokyo and should of chosen Kyoto or Osaka. These places were closer and were as peaceful as Kagoshima but his past self wanted to make sure Eino would never involve herself with sorcerers.
"No use crying over spilled milk." Arai said as he stood up and snapped his finger.
The clay that was hanging the dead sorcerer came to him and gathered into a ball to which he placed it in his clothes. Although he would love to put it in his ear so that it wouldn't weigh him down, the fact was that Arai was in unknown territory. Revealing a card like that would make people on guard of it, someone like the mastermind of the Culling Games, Kenjaku.
His eyes glanced to Kogane who followed him. He knew for a fact that it was monitoring him. Maybe even giving info off his abilities to this 'Kenjaku'. Revealing his Heavenly Pacts would make them know that he had revived. He couldn't risk something like that to be out in the public.
At least he can keep the danger sense. Though the better thing was that since he was keeping the restrictions on without using the actual effect of the Heavenly Pact. He was now filled with more cursed energy than ever.
Which brought him to one of his plans.
He needed to warn Itadori of the pact that he had seen. A pact that made so that Sukuna would be able to take control of the body for one minute was dangerous. He needed to warn them but inside the barrier, communications was not available.
To do that, he would need to be free to enter and leave this barrier and colony.
'I would prefer targeting civilians but Eino wouldn't agree to that. Although they are only worth 1 point, they are more in numbers. I would of been able to rack up all these points much faster.' Arai thought as he walked around waiting to sense another sorcerer near him.
"Hm?" His walk stopped as he glanced to the side.
There he stood still and waited until something was thrown out the window from a building landing right in front of him. The body of a man who wore casual clothes, he was either a sorcerer from the modern age or a civilian. Though that didn't matter since he was dead, the large wound in his neck made it evident.
Arai no longer paid him mind as he looked up to the broken window. There stood a figure looking directly at him. "Why throw him in front of me and not just place it there, this is why centuries old folks are annoying."
He sighed and saw the figure land in front of the body before grabbing it and throwing it away letting it crash into the building he just came from.
"So who are you supposed to be?" Arai asked as he analyzed his opponent.
"My name is Shirou Emiya. May I know yours?" The new sorcerer said as he walked to Arai.
"It's Eino Haibara."
The man had short auburn hair and golden-brown colored eyes. He wore a white traditional yukata with gold trimmings and a black shirt and pants underneath it. He could even be considered a model in the modern age with his looks.
'With that attire, it's easy to figure out that he's from the Heian period.' Arai thought. "I suppose you're not here to make an alliance."
"I'm the kind of person that likes being alone."
"A shame then, guess we need to kill each other."
Arai shaped his clay into a sword, positioning himself in his stance.
Emiya did the same as a second later, a flash of green light appeared in his hands with circuit like veins and manifested two short curved blades. One had a black tortoise shell pattern while the other had a white wave pattern.
'Manifestation? Must be his innate technique.' Arai thought. Even he could feel that the cursed tools in front of him was much better than his clay weapons. Although not special-grade, they were good. 'But he must be able to make something equivalent to it. I'll make sure to prepare myself for any hidden tricks this guy can make and he looks skilled. This is gonna take a while.'
"Don't tell me you're hesitating." Shiro said seeing Arai not moving.
"Just contemplating how I'll kill you."
"Is that so? I'd like to see that happen." Shiro jumped at Arai and slammed his twin blades down at Arai who blocked it.
Just with the first strike, Arai could see his blade shaking. Shiro and Arai traded blows but every time, nicks of the blade were coming off so he had to bring more and more clay to replace it. If the battle went on like this, it would go nowhere.
'Seems like he only focuses on blades, I think I've seen enough.' Arai thought before throwing away his sword changing it into needles and aiming them at Shiro.
Shiro dodged to the side as the needles pierced through the road they were at but before he could focus his attention to Arai, he received a backhand to the face launching him through a building.
"I was never really a sword guy, fighting with your hands is much better."
Arai snickered as he gazed at the building. Just then, he titled his head narrowly dodging a sword aimed at him.
'A different sword. Since he's only using swords, I'm guessing he can only make them and not another type of weapon. Still, it's a pretty good technique.' Arai analyzed as he saw another barrage of swords coming at him.
With his speed and danger sense, he easily dodged all swords without moving from his spot. But then, they started coming back and attacked him from all directions. Still, it was simply too easy for him, a sorcerer of this level posed almost no threat to him.
"Oh?" Arai whistled as he saw a giant sword manifest above him. It had to be over 20 meters in length and 4 meters wide from what Arai could see.
"RAAHHH!" Shiro shouted as he made the blade fall on Arai.
Seeing the gigantic about to hit him, Arai didn't move but gathered the clay he had on him to form a singular gauntlet. And just when the sword hit him, he raised his hand out with his palm and caught the blade. The weight was so much that it cracked the ground beneath him but he simply looked indifferent to it. His grip to the blade tightened making the blade crack.
This much was nothing compared to someone like Sukuna. No, it was insult to even compare the King of Curses to someone of this level. That was how strong of an impression Sukuna made, it was now embedded into Arai's mind now.
"Was that supposed to be your Maximum Technique or something?"
Arai said just as Shiro appeared behind him with his blades readied to to stab him. Just then, Arai crushed the giant sword above him with his hand and caught the blade aimed at his neck. Shiro tried again with the other sword but Arai smashed it with his free hand breaking it apart and proceeded to grab the arm holding the sword and slam it to his knee breaking it.
He heard Shiro grunt in pain and took his blade.
Arai was about to stab him but another sword blocked the path. Missing his face but hit his shoulder instead.
"Aghh!" The incarnated sorcerer tried to the pain in.
"You're pretty good for an old timer." Arai commented before launching a kick to his face sending him barreling to a wall.
Stuck to the wall and covered in his own blood, Shiro gritted his teeth as he struggled out of the wall. 'What the hell is up with this girl?! She's so much stronger than she looks and isn't even using her cursed technique much. This is bad. Am I really going to lose? No... I can win. With my domain, I'll win.'
Shiro struggled to walk but slowly his wounds were closing slowly making his posture more straight.
'Reverse Curse Technique? No, that's not it.' Arai thought as he looked closely to the wounds. 'He's stitching himself up with the swords instead of threads. That's useful but it won't recover the lost blood.'
"So, are you done messing around?"
"I am. It's time to finish this."
He joint his hands together making a handsign. He grinned as he looked at his opponent not making a move.
[Domain Expansion-]
What greeted him was a barren desert with monolithic black gears gyrating in the distance. It is a kingdom of rubble littered with thousands, perhaps a countless number, of swords anchored in the ground like grave markers in a wasteland, yet are well preserved. It is a world likened to a steel mill, filled with weapons, flames, and giant gears.
"Can't say I've ever seen a sight like this." Arai muttered as he looked around him.
[Unlimited Blade Works!]
Shiro summoned multiple swords around him. They all hung around as if ready to be launched at Arai.
"Now you'll die."
In an area cut off from the outside world, Kogane nor the mastermind of this games could look within the domain. Arai only chuckled before deploying his own countermeasure. He could now fully exert his full strength.
[Falling Blossom Emotion]
An anti-domain perfect for countering something like swords.
Although Arai would of loved to use his own domain expansion, he saw no need for it and the fact is that the shikigami known as Kogane was watching the outside world. If he deployed his own domain, than it would know. He did not need to risk exposing himself.
All he needed to do was to kill this man.
"Go ahead, attack." Arai said taunting the man.
Shiro clicked his tongue. "Sure, don't regret saying that.
Arai smiled as he saw more and more weapons appearing. "Don't worry, I won't."
That was when Shiro unleashed the barrage of swords at Arai. Countless swords, all being cursed tools, were launched at Arai who stood still with a small grin. All of them were broken just before hitting him. Even if the domain had a sure-hit effect, his anti-domain was great enough to completely destroy anything he threw at him.
'How is this even happening? I'm losing even inside my own domain! She's not even expanding hers, are sorcerers of the modern age really this strong?' Shiro thought in despair but then calmed himself down.
He could feel it at that moment, the indifference that the girl had towards him. Like seeing him as a bug, he didn't incarnate just for that to happen. No, what he wanted was to manifest a weapon capable of making him stand next to even the most powerful of sorcerers. Sorcerers like Sukuna. He knew what to do at that moment.
"No... this isn't over yet!" Shiro yelled as he stopped the barrage and clasped his hands together.
Arai who witnessed all of this now started visibly grinning. He could see and feel the amount of cursed energy being brought out. Energy comparable enough to that Flame Cursed Spirit he had fought.
"Hoh, now this is more like it." Arai commented but stopped smiling all of a sudden.
'No, this isn't time for me to mess around. I guess I've gotten too happy with being revived. Remember what you are doing this for, remember who you're doing this for, for all of my deceased friends, and daughter. Don't waver in your judgement, go forward without being tempted by momentary pleasure.'
Shaping out of his palms, a katana that was red like fire and expulsed an aura like magma came out. Even Arai could tell how dangerous this blade was. Though his eyes looked carefully at a pact that his opponent had made.
A pact that had put his life on the line. One that stated that he would die whether or not he would win this fight. A pact that made sure he would come out the loser.
All to make the-
[Maximum Technique: Tsumukari!]
"To make something like that, you can't have done it without sacrificing something. Are you really sacrificing 'that' for this simple victory?" Arai asked.
"It's all worth it. I've always wanted to make a blade strong enough to fight even the toughest of foes." Shiro said but beads of sweat dropped from his face.
His face was pale white, his hair was slowly turning grey and he could barely keep his eyes open. Arai could tell, this man was about to drop dead to the ground. Still, that blade was a masterpiece.
A magnum opus.
And he wanted it for himself.
He was a greedy man, after all.
"Hey, can we make a promise for this duel?"
"Depends on what it is." Shiro said as he was huffing and puffing.
"If I win, give the blade to me and if you win, I'll become your subordinate."
"My blades are only made to be temporary."
Arai shook his finger. "Not that blade, it's real. Manifested into reality as a permanent construct. I should know, I know someone who's whole deal is with that and I know someone who would of wielded that blade and use it to its full potential. I wish she could of seen this her." He finished with a trace of longing.
"Is that so?"
Shiro pondered. At the end of the day, there was nothing to lose with this deal. If he died, the sword will go to its rightful owner and if he won, then he'd gain a subordinate. He will die no matter what, but just the feeling of coming out victorious made more than enough for him to go for it.
"I accept." Shiro said as he placed himself into an Iai pose.
"Don't worry, I'll make good use of it." Arai said before reinforcing his arms with clay.
All happened in an instant. Their bodies dashed towards one another in a split of a second. Shiro with his sword in a sheath and Arai with his arm raised up high.
And just when they were at arms' reach, they both swung.
Arai threw in his punch and Shiro slashed horizontally.
In that moment, a flash of light landed down to the world. A light so blindly bright that it engulfed the entirety of the domain and as the light faded, the domain disappeared. Nowhere to be found. And in the middle of the event, there stood one man while the other was kneeling with his body down to the ground.
The man who stood alone looked down to his chest to see a slash made diagonally with blood leaking from his body. His gaze wandered to his hand which held the decapitated head of a man with bright red hair. His eyes lingered to the man head making him crack a small smile.
"A captivating slash, that's what that was. Be proud."
