Harmony and curse

Shibuya

12:15 AM

The Sorcerer Killer walked slowly through the ruined streets of the district, unbothered and indifferent. His face was a blank canvas—any trace of emotion was nonexistent. All sense of rationality had been stripped away when his body was brought back to life without his soul. The only feeling—if it could even be called that—was the satisfaction of the hunt. Chasing strong opponents and making them tremble in fear calmed him. It was almost intoxicating.

His steps echoed through the streets with deliberate slowness, spreading the sound of a somber symphony—a sound that whispered in your ear that the reaper was coming for you. Death was certain, though not swift. This reaper took its time, savoring the despair of its prey.

The arrival of that girl barely mattered to the Sorcerer Killer. He had no interest in her. If she got in his way, he would kill her. If she ran, he would ignore her. Once he finished with his current prey, he would seek the next strongest being nearby. If that turned out to be the girl, he would do what came naturally.

Hunt.

His steps halted as he reached the side of a large restaurant. His head turned slowly, his indifferent eyes locking on the shattered door.

Toji’s incredibly enhanced senses allowed him to take in every piece of information around him—sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste—all heightened to the extreme, granting the Sorcerer Killer a near-perfect body.

After eliminating the horde of rabbits for the third time, Toji resumed his pursuit. Though the sorcerers had managed to put significant distance between themselves and him, all Toji needed was his hearing to track their footsteps and his sense of smell to follow the trail of blood lingering in the air.

His prey was gravely wounded. There was no need to rush. They were likely trying to hide, thinking he would overlook them. A grave mistake.

The Sorcerer Killer turned his body calmly to face the door. With another relaxed step, he entered the building. Surrounded by the darkness of the condominium, he turned his head side to side, waiting for the slightest shift in the environment.

He continued through the restaurant, weaving between neatly spaced tables, each laden with unfinished meals.

The civilians had been caught in a conflict they weren’t part of. A neighborhood once filled with joy, celebrating Halloween, had become a warzone of indescribable horrors, where the few remaining civilians prayed for it all to end.

None of this mattered to Toji, of course.

As he approached the kitchen area, he abruptly stopped, noticing the subtle sensation of wind brushing against his skin. Could it have been a draft from outside passing through the windows? No. His finely tuned senses told him the wind was coming from the kitchen.

Seconds passed, and Toji noticed another subtle change in the atmosphere—a peculiar smell. It seemed to be…

CLANK

Toji’s senses refocused on the noise behind him. With great skill and speed, he grabbed a nearby table and hurled it just a split second after hearing the sound of a body colliding with plates, shattering them.

The table slammed against the wall, taking with it the body of a giant frog that dissolved seconds later.

CLANK

Another sound to his right. More shattered plates. Toji did the exact same thing as before, with the same result: another frog smashed against the wall.

CLANK

Once again, the same noise behind him. This time, the Sorcerer Killer didn’t react. He chose not to attack to understand what his enemy was planning.

The frog sat on a table, staring at the Sorcerer Killer. Despite Toji’s unchanging expression, the frog seemed to recognize his confusion. It responded with a croak, then began hopping between tables, breaking all the plates nearby.

CLANK

Another frog appeared on his right, doing the same as the first.

CLANK

Another emerged from the shadows, repeating the process.

CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, CLANK.

The entire restaurant echoed with the deafening sound of countless broken plates. The noise prevented Toji from determining if his prey was nearby.

Having lost his patience, Toji decided to escalate. If he couldn’t find his prey, he would simply flush them out by force. He would destroy the entire building from the outside.

The Sorcerer Killer was about to exit the restaurant when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw four objects being thrown into the air. He looked up and quickly identified them.

Sacks of flour.

—Nue! —

The shadow sorcerer finally revealed himself, emerging from one of the kitchen’s gas vents and forming the corresponding hand seal. Blood poured from his nose, a result of the immense strain on his brain from summoning so many shikigami.

The owl materialized from the shadows and flew rapidly toward its target. Using the electricity in its wings, it tore open the sacks of flour. The powder began to fall, but before it hit the ground, the bird flapped its wings with all its might.

The flour dispersed throughout the building, blocking much of the Sorcerer Killer’s vision. Unfazed, Toji grabbed another table to hurl at the owl, but it dodged by smashing through a window and flying outside.

Now with his vision obscured and the sound of shattering plates deafening him, the Sorcerer Killer, for the first time in the battle, was caught off guard. He felt a slight discomfort in his torso. Looking down, he saw a giant snake biting into his abdomen and arms.

The snake emerged from the mouth of a fourth frog. With tremendous strength, it began thrashing Toji against every wall in the restaurant. However, for Toji, this wasn’t a significant problem. A bit of force was all it took for the snake’s skull to explode.

The mercenary remained suspended in mid-air, adjusting his body to land gracefully on the ground. But before his feet could touch the marble floor, he was met with a shadowy chimera ready to deliver a powerful side kick that sent him flying toward the kitchen.

The assassin blocked with both arms, sliding across the floor.

Megumi didn’t waste this opportunity. Gathering all the strength he had left, he charged in. A brief hand-to-hand skirmish ensued. The sorcerer did everything he could to land a hit, while the assassin calmly blocked every attack.

Attempting a leg sweep, the mercenary interrupted Megumi’s strike with a simple knee to the face. The sorcerer cried out in pain and staggered backward a few steps.

Toji lunged with his metal pole, aiming for the final blow, but was intercepted by three giant frogs. Their tongues lashed out at his arm and legs, pinning him. The mercenary exerted his strength to pull the shikigami closer and free himself, but to his surprise, his power had weakened. His senses were slightly disoriented, and his eyes began to sting.

A few moments later, his head started pounding, and his lungs and nasal passages burned. Toji’s eyes widened in realization. This was what he had smelled earlier in the kitchen. His irrational state hadn’t allowed him to identify it then, but now he understood it was affecting him.

—Looks like it’s taking effect, — Megumi said with difficulty. From his pocket, he pulled out a pair of masks, putting one over his face and tying it tightly. He allowed himself a small gulp of air.

All this time, the sorcerer had been holding his breath.

For the first time in the battle, Megumi allowed himself a sliver of hope. His plan was going perfectly.

Flashback

—What the hell are you doing, Fushiguro?! — Maki whispered angrily, panicking.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, Fushiguro sprinted toward the cleaning supplies room and started grabbing every gallon of bleach he could find.

—I need to gather as much chlorine as possible, — he said while pulling out more bottles.

—Fushiguro, could you explain what the hell you’re planning? — Before she could continue her scolding, the sorcerer tossed several gallons of bleach into Maki’s arms, forcing her to catch them with a surprised expression.

—Follow me, — Fushiguro said, rushing past her toward the kitchen.

Maki clicked her tongue in irritation but followed close behind.

Megumi reached the boilers, grabbed all the gallons, uncapped them, and poured their contents into the large pots.

Maki mimicked his actions.

—Fushiguro, — she growled impatiently.

—We’re going to weaken him. — Fushiguro continued pouring the liquid into the large vat. When they were done, the shadow sorcerer cranked the boiler to its maximum temperature.

—Bleach has a chlorine concentration of 2% to 15% per liter. Specifically, these gallons have 10% chlorine. Considering that—and assuming the label isn’t lying—we should have about five liters of pure chlorine. If we heat it to its boiling point, all that chlorine gas will be released into the restaurant and concentrate here, — Megumi explained seriously, looking at his companion.

—In Japanese, please, — Maki replied with a bored expression.

Megumi let out a defeated sigh. —I’m going to poison him. It’s likely he’ll notice once the gas starts seeping out of the kitchen. I’ll have to distract him long enough for the gas to take effect. I’ll hold my breath for as long as I can while it happens. After that, it’s up to you, Maki-san. — Megumi climbed down from the boilers and approached some pipes along the wall, breaking them with a powerful strike.

—Before you leave the building, don’t forget to toss the sacks of flour when my frogs appear. Once that happens, wait for the sig—OW! —

"Yes, yes, I know. Don’t think I’m so stupid that I’d forget something you just told me a few seconds ago," she replied with disdain as she hopped down from the boiler.

In the distance, the echo of footsteps, moving slowly towards them, resonated throughout the street. It was like the ticking of a clock marking the arrival of the inevitable.

It was almost time.

Maki approached the kitchen exit. As she passed by Fushiguro, she stopped and gave him a light tap on the shoulder.

“That gas will affect you too if you breathe it in. Act fast," she said seriously. Then she turned to look at him, her face a mixture of concern and determination. "A lot of people have died today. So if you die... I’ll kill you,” she finished with a small joke and a slight smile.

Fushiguro’s eyes widened when he heard those words.

"Itadori, be very careful down there. Remember, if you die..."

"You'll kill me, right? Haha, don't worry. Mechamaru is with me, remember? I'll be fine, I promise."

“Don’t worry, Maki-san. I’ll make it out of this.”

Maki let out a small laugh.
“Don’t be such an arrogant little brat.”

The sorceress continued on her way, leaving Fushiguro behind. Before disappearing completely from the kitchen, she called out one last word over her shoulder:
“Good luck.”

Fushiguro regained his serious posture and began performing hand seals. Shikigami after shikigami emerged with each movement, as blood poured from his nose due to the strain. When he finished his last invocation, he took a deep breath and hid inside one of the gas extractors.

Now That had been his last invocation. He had barely any cursed energy left to fight hand-to-hand. If this plan failed, he would have no choice but to resort to that final invocation.

With a grunt of effort, Fushiguro kicked Toji hard in the stomach. The frogs holding Toji threw him against another wall with great force.

“Even though he’s weakened, he’s still standing. His body must be incredibly resilient. Maybe he noticed the vapor... Perhaps he’s holding his breath too.”

Fushiguro sprinted towards Toji. The mercenary reacted instantly, charging towards him as well.

Despite the chlorine gas weakening him, the fight was still clearly in favor of Toji. His brute strength and endurance were superior. Megumi was doing all he could, but every hit he landed seemed to have no effect. Meanwhile, Toji countered with twice the force.

A knee to the face caused Megumi to stagger backward. Without hesitation, Toji advanced, ready to finish him off, but three giant frogs once again held Toji’s arms and legs.

Fushiguro spat blood onto the floor, wiping his face as he tried to recover some air.
“Damn it. This isn’t working... and I’m running out of oxygen. Even with the mask on, it’ll be useless once the air is filled with chlorine vapor.”

He grabbed a couple of chairs, infused them with cursed energy, and hurled them at Toji with force.

The mercenary, fed up with the constant interference from the frogs, jumped with immense strength, evading the chair strikes and sending the frogs flying into the air. As he spun on his axis, he created a whirlwind of dust and vapor around him.

Fushiguro covered his eyes with one hand and reached into his pocket with the other, searching for something.

Seconds later, Toji used centrifugal force to slam the frogs back to the ground with such force that the tiles shattered, and a small tremor shook the building.

Toji landed nimbly, raised his arm, and launched the sharp metal bar he was holding directly at Fushiguro, who was still shielding his eyes.

Fushiguro had no time to react. But just before the bar could strike, one of his frogs wrapped its tongue around him and pulled him out through a broken window just in time.

The sorcerer assassin observed the broken window where Fushiguro had escaped, raising a hand to cover his mouth. The flour smoke still filled the restaurant and clouded his vision, even more so than the summoning spell had.

There was something about that sorcerer that triggered an odd instinct within him. However, the flour smoke, combined with the poisoning and the mask hiding the sorcerer’s face, prevented him from identifying what that new feeling was. That was why he hadn’t attacked with full force.

Unable to pinpoint what was unsettling him, he simply decided to do what came naturally.

Keep hunting.

The mercenary flexed his legs, ready to pounce once more.

Before he could make his first move, Toji’s eyes widened in surprise. An object had entered through the broken window. The light it emitted allowed him to spot it through the dense cloud of dust.

A lighter.

The sorcerer assassin was unable to react in time to escape the building.

BOOM!