Chapter Text
Useless. Utterly Useless.
Those words repeated inside her head as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. Atsuya Kusakabe had jumped in front of her before she could make her binding vow. The bright, encompassing blast of Uzumaki was enough to knock Miwa backwards and onto her butt. She hadn’t had time to use Simple Domain. She hadn’t had time to swing her sword. And now Kusakabe was–
Alive. He was alive. That left Miwa nonplussed.
He had somehow managed to intercept and completely block Uzumaki. Even as Miwa sat behind Kusakabe, she was still trembling from the thought of almost being erased. She felt the cursed energy radiating from that move. Had Kusakabe not been there, who knows how things would have turned out.
“Miwa-san! Can you stand?!” Kusakabe shouted even as his eyes remained set on the two threats in front of him. Kenjaku and Ryomen Sukuna. Ryomen Sukuna was inhabiting Megumi Fushiguro’s body. The boy with the Ten Shadows Technique was perfect for fulfilling Kenjaku’s plan. Megumi was force-fed twelve fingers in Shibuya before he went on a rampage. Miwa’s terrified eyes were locked onto the boy’s familiar face now painted with a cruel smirk.
“Miwa-san! I said, ‘Can you stand’?!” Kusakabe shouted with more urgency than Miwa had ever heard. “Y-yes! Kusakabe-senpai! I can–”
“Then get back, damnit! Group up with the others!” Miwa looked behind her to see the other Kyoto students retreating. She didn’t blame them. She wanted to move as well. But that thing was holding her down with just a glance.
Sukuna let out a sharp laugh. “Hah! Are these seriously the sorcerers of today? Some technique-less man and a groveling girl who can’t pick up a sword?” His annoyed eyes turned to Kenjaku, who was caressing a cursed orb beside him. “Monk, is this the best the new age has to offer? If so, I will gladly butcher you instead.”
Kenjaku simply smiled as he looked ahead at Miwa. “It is sad, yes. To see the new age become so unbearably naive. It’s cute if you look at it in the right way.” The smile he gave Miwa sent shivers down her spine. Kenjaku swallowed the cursed orb in his hand with a squelching gulp. Sukuna’s face twisted. “And just what are you doing now?”
“I’m completing a necessary step. You want your fun, Sukuna?” Kenjaku wiped his hands on his kimono and turned his body fully to Sukuna. “You will indeed have it. Everyone will. The Golden Age of Jujutsu will begin with my command.” He side-eyed Kusakabe, then looked over his shoulder to the retreating Kyoto students. “We still do need preparations. You are not at full strength yet. Some stops by Jujutsu High will fix that.” He pointed directly at the fleeing students.
“They will be a nuisance, however. I need to save my energy for the ritual.” Kenjaku turned away from Miwa and Kusakabe.
“Consider this an appetizer." And with that Kenjaku continued at a steady pace away, walking past Sukuna. Sukuna ran his hands through his hair. “My technique hasn’t fully replenished from the fight with that Shikigami. Although, I am certain I won’t need it,” He raises two fingers out. “For insects like you.” Dismantle. Not just one. Dozens. Kusakabe managed to block most, but not all. Miwa saw how careless Sukuna was with that attack, yet it still almost overwhelmed Kusakabe.
“Shit!” Kusakabe cursed under his breath. “That attack from that monk was all I was hoping to have to deal with.” His eyes looked behind him to Miwa. “Miwa! Get the hell up and move! Your legs work, right!? Scram–”
Dismantle. Dismantle. Dismantle.
Sukuna was flicking his wrist as he casually strolled towards the two. “You know, you’d be able to concentrate better without that brat in the way. I know you’re weak, but I’d prefer to at least not have an eyesore while we fight?” Tears formed in Miwa’s eyes as she saw the damage Kusakabe had taken because of her, but she shook her head and finally found the courage to stand up. Her hand tightened around her sword. “I’m not running! You saved my life! I can help fight!”
“Did I say you could speak with your head held so high, woman?” Sukuna clasped his hands together in a wing symbol.
“Nue.”
The giant bird materialized into the air, its body radiating purple lightning. Kusakabe raised his sword to intercept Nue.
The Shikigami disappeared.
Dismantle.
The slash hit Kusakabe clean across the chest. Miwa saw the blood dripping from his mouth and immediately acted by darting ahead of Kusakabe and directly at Sukuna. “Miwa-san!! Don’t!!” Kusakabe shouted with terror she had never heard in his voice.
Thoughts of Kokichi raced through her mind. All the things she wished she could have told him. She would repay his efforts by stalling Sukuna long enough for the others to escape. “New Shadow Style!” she crouched right in front of Sukuna. He had been caught off guard, not expecting her to be so bold. “Batto Sword Drawing!!” Her sword darted out at speeds thought by Miwa to be impossible to dodge. I’ll cut him right here! Then turn and get Kusakabe to safety! Just one hit is all I–
Her sword broke. It shattered against Sukuna’s torso. He loomed over her with a derisive expression.
His hand palmed against her abdomen, the force of that alone being enough to knock the air out of Miwa.
“I will admit you caught me off guard with your scurrying. Still, you are terribly boring.”
Cleave.
CURSED ENERGY REINFORCMENT—
Miwa wasn’t quick enough to reinforce completely. Her body was slung backwards and past Kusakabe, tumbling uselessly across the dirt some yards behind him. Her lungs wouldn’t breathe. Pain stabbed her everywhere in her lower abdomen. She didn’t want to look. Seeing the carnage of her flayed skin would make her faint. And she couldn’t faint.
She rolled onto her stomach and failed to hold back a shriek as the dirt felt like needles against her loose skin and flaring wound. She looked to Kusakabe. He was actually fighting Sukuna. Sukuna’s dismantles were being blocked by him, though Miwa could tell he was focused. Miwa had never seen him this focused. Why did people have to push themselves to the brink for her sake?
“Kusa–” she choked on the pooling blood in her mouth. She was utterly useless. Kusakabe continued to block Sukuna’s attacks with all his effort. Sukuna was stumbling. One slash. Two slashes. Three. They were all from Kusakabe. Sukuna brought his hands together in an attempt to summon a Shikigami. Kusakabe raised his sword instantly and severed his hand cleanly. He smirked.
“I’m not letting you use your cheap tricks. I don’t feel like fighting more than I have to.” There was real terror behind those words. Sukuna nodded at him, his expression impressed. “I would say your tricks are annoying as well. Blocking all of my Dismantles is something I wouldn’t have expected from a thing like you.” He looked at Miwa, who was a couple yards away and currently bleeding out. “Definitely better than that–”
Kusakabe thrust his sword straight through Sukuna’s heart.
“Forgive me, Fushiguro. But I don’t have time to think of ways of saving you. I have to help the people next to me first.” He whispered as he lowered his head from Sukuna’s gaze. However, Sukuna let out a long sigh. “Ok, this is getting boring. To pull a cheap trick like that must mean you truly are desperate to win, so I’ll spare you the time of thinking you can.” Kusakabe watched in unparalleled horror as Sukuna’s hand regenerated in an instant. “Besides, I think my technique has fully replenished by now.” Kusakabe pulled his sword out and jumped back a couple feet.
DISMANTLE. The slashes were too fast and too great to track. Kusakabe’s torso and arms were shredded in an instant before he could use Simple Domain. His blood caused his sword to start to slip from his grasp. Miwa tried to crawl, dragging her body across the dirt as she did her best to push the pain to the back of her mind. She replaced the pain with the feeling of Kokichi’s hand. The feeling of Todo’s slap. The feeling of Momo’s pat. “KUSAKABE!!”
Kusakabe tightened his grip. Sukuna clasped his hands together. “It was incredibly interesting to fight you.” Rabbits erupted from under Kusakabe and flung him up into the air where he couldn’t get into a stance. Miwa’s eyes widened impossibly. Wait! WAIT! WAIT! NO! NO! NO!
Sukuna appeared right above Kusakabe, placing a hand to his chest. His eyes showed great respect for the Grade 1 Sorcerer. “However, you and all of these other brats,” Miwa slammed her hand on the ground to try and stand.
“Are useless sorcerers who have no right standing alongside me.”
CLEAVE.
Miwa saw blood. So much blood. There was a red mass that fell to the floor. It was motionless. It was disfigured. It looked like it had been scraped across a cheese grater. Its face was a macabre display of squirting blood and flayed skin. It was Kusakabe. That realization made the hand that was holding her up wobble and send her body back to the ground. “Kusa… kabe…?”
Sukuna landed right in front of Kusakabe’s corpse and walked with his back turned away from Miwa. “Tch. I’m not in the mood.” A great impact slammed a few feet in front of Miwa as dirt rose around the figure that had descended.
Yuki Tsukomo. Miwa was focused on Kusakabe.
“What? Come on, King of Curses. You wouldn’t turn your back on a hot lady now?” Yuki smiled. Miwa needed to help Kusakabe. Sukuna scoffed. “Get lost. You’ll have to wait your turn another day.” Before Yuki could act, a giant sigil appeared across the ground under all of them. Miwa felt a violating feeling fill her very soul. Her eyes didn’t leave Kusakabe.
Idle Transfiguration.
“About time.” Sukuna rolled his eyes and continued towards Kenjaku, who was standing before a portal. Kenjaku’s hand extended to show Yuki the Prison Realm in his palm. Miwa’s eyes were blurry from her sobbing, but she could make out the cube. So it’s true! Gojo was sealed?! That thought filled Miwa with more dread than she ever thought she could feel.
“Geto. You really are the worst, huh? And after all Satoru did for you.” Yuki’s hand was on her hip as she heckled with a grin. Kenjaku’s smirk widened and his half-lidded eyes bore directly into Miwa. She didn’t understand. “Apologies, Yuki. I would love to catch up, but it seems our time has run out.” He turned his back to them, but not without looking over his shoulder one last time. Sukuna was already walking ahead of him and disappeared into the portal.
“Raise your head, child.” Miwa’s neck struggled to lift her head. Her vision was blurrier, but she saw Kenjaku’s smile. She could feel his smile. “Don’t look so sad. Thank your friend for dying for you. You get a front row seat to the Golden Age of Jujutsu.” His voice was like water on a tiny ember. With that, he turned to walk through the closing portal.
“Let the Culling Games begin.”
After all of her efforts. After the people that sacrificed for her. After doing everything she could, Kasumi Miwa fainted, with her eyes fixed on another Sorcerer who wasted their efforts on her.