48 Chapter 48: Encore!
Ah, I'm dead.
A g a i n.
So this is the end? A pathetic end that befits me.
Why did I challenge Toji so recklessly?
Did I get too hot-headed? Why did I deserve to be forced into that situation?
Why did I get so angry?
Did I come to this fight just to prove myself?
Prove what? How weak and insignificant I am?
Haha.
How half-assed.
Everything you do is half-assed. You say you are going to put in the effort but you don't. You take one life like a hypocrite yet spare the other.
Why did you kill Issei but spare Saji?
Because I wanted the Boosted Gear and had no other choice?
No, you had other choices. You have a system in your hands giving you seemingly boundless potential and then you take Issei's life because you wanted more power? Why did you spare Saji then, grew a conscience?
You are simply a coward. A coward who just runs away and does nothing else. No, you are worse than that.
You are a Hypocrite.
Always, you keep preaching that "might is right" yet you keep making excuses. Was killing Issei wrong? Maybe. But why should you care?
You keep restraining and limiting yourself. You are only bound by imaginary chains you made yourself.
That's weak.
Assigning morality and reason to strength is for the weak.
I failed. I was weak, I was half-assed, I lacked conviction like a small child given a toy. Once a malformed bastard always a malformed bastard.
Haha, I wonder what higher entity decided to give some unworthy piece of garbage this system?
What did they expect from me I wonder? Did they expect me to be more resilient? Able to handle a simple insult and not throw myself to death?
Did they expect me to be a ruthless warlord uncaring about all except for strength?
Did they expect me to be a mastermind pulling a thousand strings behind the scenes and playing all sides?
Or were they just curious as to what an arrogant man-child would do with a system? Failing to be anything notable even with the tools dropped into his hands.
So this is my fate huh? Thrown into the void, given a system, and sent to DxD just to be watched as I fumbled about like a manchild before being put down like a dog.
I hope I was entertaining I guess.
'.....'
'Given?'
'Where does that assumption come from?'
I heard a voice whisper from the back of my head. How else would I have the system otherwise?
'So you were willing to accept the fact that you ended up as a dog on strings? Where did that pride go? Was that half-hearted as well?'
It was nothing more than the tantrum of a manchild.
'Stop acting like you accept this ending. Stop acting like you are a mere puppet bound by some strings?'
Well, what can I do? A system was given to me-
'Given? I don't see any strings on you.'
How did I have a system then? I was just the average Joe, this whole talk is just dead in the grave.
'Are you willing to the curtains close when you just stepped onto the stage? Was that all escaping the void worth? Where was that conviction that let you keep your mind?'
I felt the void encroach upon my soul, as if solidifying their claim over my mortal being. The moment I felt that touch once more my eyes widened and my mind immediately went back to my time in the void.
How I "received" the system. The endless flow of negative emotions behind it.
My eyes widened.
Why would the system be so late to be given to me? Why would only work after so much grief? Why would something just give me something like this? It didn't make sense.
It didn't make sense.
Negative emotions were all I had left in that void.
A void in between worlds.
Unbound by the mundane rules of earth.
Did I really choose a magician class? After all, a Jujutsu sorcerer could feasibly fit into any class.
My eyes widened even further as all the pieces fit in together neatly.
All Jujutsu users with innate cursed techniques unlock theirs before being able to even wield their cursed energy properly.
It all makes sense.
That's right.
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[Innate Cursed Technique: Gamer]
Passively tunes Akira's interaction with the reality around him and vice versa. Allowing him to treat reality itself as if it were a game.
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This "gamer system" wasn't given to me nor did it choose me. It is me, it is a fundamental part of myself. This was the cursed technique I unlocked in the void to get out of that hell.
I won't let it end this way.
Pumping all of my remaining cursed energy I used to enhance a singular aspect of my brain with the help of the pathways of my special eyes.
[Thought Acceleration Lv.1/100]
My thoughts ran like a motor, everything started to connect in this haze of death. The puzzle pieces scattered around my mind started connecting. All focus inside of him was sunk into this one task.
In real life, I only have around 10 seconds before my soul expires.
That's plenty.
[Cursed Energy Control(Adept)
~:~:~{o}~:~:~{o}~:~:~
As Toji was walking away from Akira's corpse something felt off.
'Unease.'
Something just didn't feel right even though he had won against the Gojo brat.
'Unease.'
His instincts were never wrong. What was happening?
"H e y" A mad tone lined with ice rang out on the empty burning street.
Toji's head spun around and his eyes widened as he took in the baffling sight in front of him.
" Oi oi oi are you for real?" Toji really could not believe the sight in front of him.
Standing before him was what should have been the corpse of Gojo Akira standing up, his body and clothes bloodied, his knees still torn and his right arm was still missing but he was still standing with violet cursed energy enveloping his entire torso.
"Indead, I am back from the grave. Rejoice, Akira stands before you in flesh and bone once more."
"Don't mess with me, even if you somehow discovered reversal technique you shouldn't be able to stand right now, you didn't have enough cursed energy to reinforce yourself let alone-"
His eyes widened in realization as Akira's maddened green eyes remained locked onto his. Before he regained his grin and readied his blade.
'That monster really managed to discover cursed technique reversal on his deathbed and make a binding vow at the same time.'
[Binding Vow: Revengance]
-In exchange for 10 years off of Gojo Akira's lifespan all of his stats are doubled for the next 10 minutes.
With him so close to death and so in tune with his negative emotions Akira's cursed energy was surging like a waterfall and his energy output was at insane levels thanks to the overflow and the cursed eyes he possessed.
Akira lazily raised his remaining arm and scratched his head helplessly.
"Wow, you really figured all that out from a glance? And here I am preparing an entire speech just for you. Well, it's still fine. Who am I preach to a dead man?" Akira's glowing green eyes sharpened as he took on a wolfish smile. In response, Toji lowered his body to a ready stance with the same predatory grin
"It's time to settle this, ENCORE ! "
In the next second Toji dashed toward Akira like a bullet at speeds that would have been untrackable to the previous Akira but now he responded with a similar speed using Dash and met him in the middle.
As he was about to grab the inverted spear of heaven from his cursed spirit Akira suddenly released a burst of cursed energy that killed the cursed spirit making Toji's weapons lost to time. In response, Toji slashed him again but he did not flinch.
There were no other cursed techniques in his mind, no spells, no undead.
He was going all in on Reverse Cursed Technique.
Bracing, Akira mustered all of the power in his body and slammed his fist onto Toji's face. Sending him flying.
'He is way stronger than before. Just what kind of vow did this monster make?'
Toji reoriented himself and skid across the ground before wiping the blood on the corner of his lips away. He narrowed his eyes as the wound on Akira's chest closed at a visible pace.
"Like what you see? Unfortunately, my RCT is a bit shoddy but it still does its job well enough." Saying that Akira shot toward Toji once more.
This time Toji ducked under his left straight and hit his midriff with two jabs before slashing his stomach open again.
But Akira had shifted the focus of his cursed technique reversal completely, in a second his right arm had formed again and hit Toji with an uppercut that sent him flying before being kicked aside with a spinning kick.
Just doubling his stats wouldn't be enough to match Toji, and neither would it even if he had abused cursed energy enhancement. So he just had to wear him down.
After all, only one of them could dance with death and come out alive.
With how much cursed energy was coursing through his body the very air around him was crackling with energy.
Jumping back at each other they clashed once more. Toji managed to block and most of Akira's blows but Akira just soaked up his hits and hit back in the gaps he left.
Toji grabbed him and threw him to the roof of a building before jumping after him and slamming down an axe kick on his solar plexus. But Akira still managed to grab his ankle and slammed him through the roof.
Why could he respond after every attack with any pain or even flinching?
'Lapse Technique: Unphased'
After touching upon the crux of cursed energy Akira discovered a way to amplify his abilities even further. Normally, you just run cursed energy through a technique like electricity through a machine and get the result. The more energy you pour in the more electricity and the stronger the result.
'But what if instead of increasing the fuel you reinforce the machine? The cursed techniques engraved within me are still a part of me so instead of reinforcing myself why don't I reinforce the techniques?'
By reinforcing the cursed technique pain killer with his cursed energy he can temporarily eliminate any bleeding and pain he experiences. After dispelling unphased he turned back to RCT to stay alive before jumping after Toji.
Jumping after him Akira briefly turned off RCT as he reinforced his leg with cursed energy before trying to stomp down on Toji before he rolled away and kicked Akira's face instead and threw him through the concrete wall into the building next door.
Akira reorientated himself before grabbing a piece of rebar and reinforcing it before throwing it like a javelin that Toji intercepted before charging him.
Leaning back Akira tried to dodge the punch Toji was about to throw but it was a feint as Toji instead swept his legs under him and slammed his elbow down on Akira's neck with a manic smile.
But instead of the crack noise that should have followed his elbow harmlessly passed through a wight instead.
He couldn't turn back in time to avoid Akira's enhanced foot slamming into his back. As Toji crashed through a window Akira's hand plunged into his own shadow and yanked a skeleton demon like a rabbit in the hat before launching it after Toji like a softball and forming several hand signs.
"Corpse Explosion!"
* BOOOOOOOOM!!!*
A/N: Hope this chapter was worth the wait!
What did you think about the chapter? Let me know in the comments, I love reading your comments and am always open to suggestions and input.
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