72 Shibuya VII
"Damn it all!" Maki shouted in anger as she smashed the pillar next to her cracking it. "We abandoned Nanami and left him to die!"
They were walking to where Shoko and Principal Yaga was to heal up but Maki wanted to vent out her frustration. Mai stayed silent as she listened to her sister. What they did was abandon their ally while having no real way to pay back.
They knew the real reason why Nanami told them to go. They knew he was aware of his death and sacrifice. And they also knew that there was no backup to get, everyone was busy with their own fights. There was no one free now, no one to help them.
"What do we do now?" Mai said unsure as to what she should do.
She had always followed what Maki did, but now they were both lost. No one knew where to go and no one knew what to do. Everyone was panicking because of the sealing of Gojo and were busy trying to unseal him.
Mai felt so useless in this situation, she had no real power to achieve anything. Compared to everyone, she felt like all her efforts were for naught. The only remotely impressive thing she had done was using the capsules holding the simple domain. Other than that, what had she actually achieved? Her weapons were ineffective and her output was horrible.
'What should we do, dad?' Mai thought as she held onto her gun tightly.
That was when an explosion happened gaining the twins attention. They saw a mushroom cloud rising to the sky leaving a chunk of Shibuya scorched with fire.
"The hell." Maki muttered as she witnessed it.
"It might as well be. We need to get out of here." Mai said as she grabbed her sister and walked to Shoko.
Right now there was no safe place. Even if they went out there, the only thing that will happen is getting burnt into a crisp like the buildings. The best course of option is to get to a safe haven and that was to Shoko where they could get healed.
But before they could run away, they saw a figure closing in on them. They ran and jumped on the buildings and was closing the gap between them.
"Who is that?" Maki asked as she tried to figure out who it was.
Mai looked at the figure and used her monocle to zoom in on the target. Her eyes locked to the man but Mai shook as she realized who it was.
"We need to run Maki!" She yelled before running in the opposite direction.
"What? Who is it?"
Mai turned back to her sister with fear evident on her face.
"It's Sukuna!"
Maki who heard this was shocked and started running with her sister.
"How the hell did Sukuna take over Itadori's body?! I thought he had full control of him."
"I don't know but getting away from him is the best thing we can do." Mai said but as she looked back, she saw Sukuna on top of a building looking down at her.
"So it's them, huh."
Sukuna muttered as he saw the two girls running. He distinctively remembered that these two stated that their father was Arai when he was inside of Itadori's mind. His smile widened unnaturally as he prepared to kill them with his slashes.
Bursting through the rubble, Arai ripped through the air at high speed and threw a fist at him. Clashing and making an explosion blow off the roof of the building.
"Is that-"
"Arai!"
The twins exclaimed in surprise and happiness. Arai jumped out of the smoke and dived right at them.
"Get over here now!"
He screamed as he reached out his arm to them. The twins didn't ask any questions knowing that their situation didn't give them enough time. They ran towards him and reached their hands out.
Arai needed to keep them safe from Sukuna so he had hoped that they would be hidden or be at a safe location but now that Sukuna had found them, the best course of action would be his Heavenly Pact. Specifically, the pact that allowed him to store objects and living creatures inside his ear. There they would be safe until he was finished with Sukuna.
At least that was what he had hoped.
Arai's danger sense flared, he quickly turned to its origin and found Sukuna pointed a finger at him.
[Cleave!]
Immediately, Arai brought out the clay from his ears and formed a shield. Unfortunately for him, the shield had come too late and was incomplete before Sukuna launched his attack. The attack cut through the shield and sliced Arai's arm.
Arai held the open wound and tried to use reverse cursed technique but Sukuna jumped at them.
"Tch! Get out of my way!" Arai yelled as he brought out a tornado engulfing the entire area.
"Dad!" Mai screamed out but a hand covered her mouth and pulled her. Maki said nothing as she dragged her sister out of the tornado's range. But deep inside she felt powerless, letting her mentor and father do everything to protect them. It was infuriating knowing how weak she was, she had done nothing in Shibuya.
'Endure it, just think about getting out of here.' Maki thought.
Sukuna gritted his teeth as he was being pushed up by the wind. He was losing his balance from the tornado but he still stayed calm.
'Not only does this tornado block me from reaching them but it also makes it hard to find where they are. For a sorcerer of this day and age, it isn't bad.'
Sukuna brought his arms and clung them to his back and then unleashed his technique everywhere. The slashes cut apart the tornado until it disappeared giving himself the balance he had. His body was repelled as an energy cannon hit him in the arm. The attack though had little to no effect as he batted it away making it explode in a nearby building.
"That all." Sukuna said as he landed on the ground while rubbing his hand that was a little scratched.
"How about you pay attention to me instead of looking elsewhere?"
He shrugged not caring. "Because you're not that important nor impressive. If I had to say... you'd be able to match me with 12 to 13 fingers. But that's all, anymore than that and it's easy. Though I guess you are right, I've got better fish to cook."
"Do you really think you'll be able to get out of here." Arai gnashed his teeth in anger.
"It's not like I intend to."
Arai widened his eyes hearing this. 'Sukuna's goal isn't to take over the kid's body?' Arai thought confused.
"Whoops, heheh. Talked too much, it's time to put you in your place."
Alas he would not get the chance to think about it anymore as Sukuna put his attention back to the fight.
"■ Open!"
Arai knowing what was about to happen gathered his clay and prepared himself. He was not going to make the mistake of using the wind to combat him and solely depend on clay.
The fire arrow was formed and Arai could see it pointing it towards him. He was nervous as its firepower was able to destroy his clay previously. Although it was empowered by his own tornados, it also was far away from himself. Plus he was also hiding in the rubble.
Now though, it would be head on.
He prepared himself and covered his body in clay.
Sukuna though did not shoot and stayed still.
Arai had made one mistake, that mistake was assuming that the arrow was for him. Predicting a chaotic and evil man like Sukuna was not something so easily done. He would pay the price for that.
Arai could feel it then, his danger sense told him something. Told him that the arrow was no longer aimed at him. His eyes widened as he realized what Sukuna was about to do. He was not aiming for Arai, but to the twins.
"Sukuna!" Arai yelled immediately dismissing the clay around him.
"Too bad for you sorcerer!" Sukuna yelled as he released the arrow to where Maki and Mai were.
The fire arrow was shot barreling itself to its destination but Arai was still there and quickly formed a plan. He manipulated the clay he had and intercepted the arrow with it. Covering it with his own clay.
He could see his clay forming an orb covering the arrow. Slowly he felt his hold of the clay being put to the challenge as the explosion was formed inside. Arai then slowly expanded the clay letting the heat have more space to cover so that it didn't destroy the orb.
"Shit!" Arai blurted out as he realized Sukuna was long gone.
He had purposefully released the arrow slowly so that Arai would take care of it and he would be free to go.
"Noo!!" Arai was stuck with the nuke in his hand and he couldn't go to help.
But an idea was formed in his mind, he used his cursed energy to wrap around the orb and use the wind to form a tornado. The tornado then pulled the orb up to the sky where no one was. It would cause damage but not as much.
*BOOM!*
The arrow exploded creating a brilliant light to shine upon Shibuya but Arai did not have time to look at it. He formed the wind and shot like a bullet at where Sukuna was.
"Sukuna!! Come face me!!" Arai yelled.
His speed was far greater than Sukuna and he was catching up. With the wind in his hands, he shot out bullet like projectiles at Sukuna but he simply dodged without a care. No, all his focus was on finding Arai's daughters.
"Found you~." Sukuna muttered as his gaze landed on the two girls running away.
Arai followed his gaze and found the twins there as well. "Maki!! Mai!! Get out of there!" He shouted and gained their attention. They soon realized Sukuna charging at them and ran even faster. That was when Sukuna raised his hand and pointed at them. Arai could feel the amount of curse energy imbedded in that single move.
He charged at Sukuna at full speed and created a spear out of clay and threw at Sukuna.
"Too late." Sukuna said as he turned to Arai with a victorious and malevolent smile.
It felt like time stopped for Arai, he could feel every movement of the slash. He could feel where it was heading, but he could not stop it. It was too fast, with every movement he made, the slash already made 2. His speed was too slow.
Far too slow.
All the while, he could see Sukuna standing still smiling with his hands in his pockets.
But he couldn't afford to pay him attention, Arai could see his daughters practically motionless. Unable to do anything, unable to change anything. He was too slow to change their fate.
Although it felt like an eternity in Arai's mind, it all happened in the blink of an eye in reality.
The reality being the death of a sorcerer.
There on the ground was Maki with her body split in half diagonally on top of her sister Mai. Her lifeless body remained motionless and her lower half bleed on the floor. Her eyes losing its color.
Mai was severely injured as her stomach was cut open. She was unconscious from the blow and remained still.
Arai landed on the ground and rushed to check on them. He felt it at that moment when he checked their pulse, he couldn't help but freeze up.
Maki was dead.
"I'm sorry." Arai said as he held her unmoving hand.
He had been far too slow.
Had he been faster...
No, had he been strong enough to hold Sukuna back.
They wouldn't have had to die.
Arai felt like a failure of a father. He trained them to be strong yet he was blinded by their potential. Their potential was vast, but that didn't mean that they were living up to that potential. Maki had the ability to become the second Toji, but she wasn't one now. Mai had the ability to create anything, but that didn't mean she could right now.
Had he been more cautious, he could of kept them safe.
The memories of more than half a decade with them flowed through his mind. All the happy memories, the sad ones, the angry ones. Even the simplest routine of making breakfast together, they all flowed through his mind. They all made him feel one thing.
Anger.
A full unbridled and seething anger deep within him.
[Ice Formation: Dead Calm!]
Ice came out of nowhere covering the entire area. Covering buildings with frost and freezing the air.
"I'm sorry Lord Sukuna for coming so late." Uraume landed next to Sukuna and kneeled down.
"You are excused." Sukuna dismissed with a wave of his hand.
"Hm?" Just then Sukuna sensed something. Something that piqued his intrigue, his curiosity.
"Hehe! So the kid did something special." He muttered as he rubbed his chin. He looked next to him to see Uraume. "Make sure the preparations are done."
"Of course, they will be ready at your arrival."
"Good, I've got something to deal with now." Sukuna said before he turned his attention elsewhere. "Oh and do please take care of the mess here. I'll leave it to you."
"It will be done."
Inside the entrapped ice, Arai formed a shield of clay and held the dead the corpse of Maki in his hands in silence. A figure crawled out its way out of his ear and stood silently in front of him until he finally spoke.
"Can you take them to Shoko, Malenia?" He asked calmly.
Malenia bowed to him and held the twins carefully. "Of course, Isao but shouldn't you send someone else? I can help."
"Your technique is useless against Sukuna due to his resistance to poison. I'm sorry, but you can't help."
"What are you going to do?" Malenia asked as she turned around not daring to look at Arai.
"Me? I'm going to be right back after killing Sukuna." Arai said with full of rage inside him. Red veins protruded from his eyes and he gripped his fist so hard that it bled. His body burst with wind as the ice that sealed them broke. His eyes angrily glared at Uraume who looked down from a pillar of ice. Arai looked back to Malenia who averted and looked below his gaze.
"Go, before I accidentally kill you."
Uraume who saw Malenia go did nothing. His task was not to kill them, but stop Arai from coming to Sukuna and he is taking this task very seriously. His devotion will not waver and he will do his task down to the letter.
"You cannot pass, leave or-"
His words were cut off as Arai lifted himself to be in equal height to him. "Shut up, you ambiguous fuck. I don't have time to talk to you, after all I'll be decapitating that fucker you call a master."
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{AN: I'm ready for the hate. Throw it all at me.}
