"Maki"
My eyes widened watching a 7-inch-long blade insert into the girl's abdomen so cleanly that even blood didn't have space to leak.
I had no idea how severe the wound was, but the scene alone brought a wave of despair onto me, which at first made me question whether struggling here was even worth it, would it be just easier to let the curse do as he pleased? I have died once, what once more?
But that thought was instantly vaporized seeing Maki's pained face, a line of blood leaking down from her mouth.
Next came anger, anger at the ridiculous situation I found myself in, anger at myself for being so weak, and anger at the curse spirits who just can't give me any break.
For God's sake, I just came here, got dragged into Gojo's domain, got my mind shattered, and ever since, I was just trying to survive, just give me a damn break already.
Eyes bloodshot, I poured more cursed energy into my fist and punched with all my power, with nothing but getting even with the volcano bastard on my mind.
Of course, Jogo saw the attack coming; he was ready for it, but just as he was about to move, a familiar feeling came over him.
Like a lightning bolt crashing down on him, his one big eye widened on its own, moving toward where he sensed the incoming dread.
'Sukuna!'
Someone was messing with Itadori Yuji, or else there was no way Sukuna's cursed energy would awaken so suddenly, he had to go now, he had the rest of Sukuna's fingers on him.
Unfortunately for Jogo, that momentary lapse of concentration was enough for me to drive my fist right at his skull with everything I had.
A shockwave tore through the station, followed by a bolt of black lightning, which I was quite familiar with.
Black lightning erupted out of my fist, distorting the very space, and the next second I felt a jolt of clarity inside my mind, and the special grade volcano head was airborne.
I gave everything in that punch of mine, poured all my accumulated anger, frustration, grievances and of course cursed energy, which was much higher now, mind you.
The result was Jogo getting launched at the wall of the station lobby, blasting into it, breaking the wall outright, and still going strong until his airborne body collided with another building outside the station.
Before I knew it, I was already moving toward the damn curse spirit, my eyes wandering toward Maki just for a second before snapping back at Jogo.
"The best way to help her is to take the special grade spirit away from here," the newfound clarity in my mind spoke, and my body obeyed.
I sprinted at my best speed toward Jogo, who felt his world spinning there for a second.
I was halfway, ready to deliver a flying kick onto the curse, but he moved first, moving out of the place just in time and rotating his body to land a haymaker punch at me.
My instincts after that Black Flash were on point, just like back when I fought those hundreds of curses, I moved just in time, shifting my body mid-air and catching his hand, using my velocity and weight to throw him away.
Both of us stood up just in time and were already rushing at each other.
My fist shot toward his face, he tilted his head slightly too easily, and my punch grazed past him, his counter came instantly, a straight strike aimed at my throat.
I barely brought my arm up in time, getting him by chance was one time, but the bastard was still better than me in almost everything, the only thing keeping me in the fight was the boost from Black Flash.
The impact still numbed my hand, though, he was both stronger and faster, and if the technique cooldown ended, then a lot more destructive, meaning I have to end this fight fast.
I stepped in again, closing the gap before he could reset, a low kick aimed at his knee, seeing Maki doing it like this earlier.
He blocked it with his shin, and pain shot up my leg immediately.
Idiot, no copying Maki.
His elbow came down toward my spine, I twisted, barely avoiding it, and drove my shoulder into his chest instead, the hit forced him half a step back.
My breathing was a mess; apparently, there was an entire method to breathing during a fight, has to be because mine was all over the place.
Seeing his momentary lapse in balance, I sent dozens punches his way, most thrown at random, only focused on making them fast, while only a few had real intent to hurt behind them.
Jogo weaved through them, his movements precise and minimal, every dodge felt like he was measuring me.
I genuinely wished to know how, isn't having one big eye worse than two, how is he measuring the depth of the attacks?
His own fist slipped through my guard and slammed into my ribs out of nowhere, I could have sworn I heard something crack.
I staggered, but didn't fall, just raw force pushed me through it all, because if I fell now, I was done for, not just me but even Maki.
I grabbed his arm before he could pull back and dragged him forward, throwing my head into his face.
"Don't get cocky..."
The impact rang through my skull, I didn't have to guess this time, I was certain it was cracked.
My vision split into two, then four, and then eight, haze clouded my eyes as the pain from the headbutt I just performed shot through me.
Okay, no imitating anime protagonists either, they might have nothing in their brains, but mine is full with my fragile ego.
But it seemed to have worked, he recoiled back hastily.
I followed immediately, driving a punch straight into his chest. I couldn't even focus on him properly, however my instincts and recently found sense of cursed energy were telling me exactly where he was, so I just focused on that, followed my gut feeling, and punched.
Cursed energy surged once again, I felt my fist connecting in time, and then for a split second everything aligned again.
Black lightning tore open the space once more, erupting a shockwave which almost cleared my haze.
The world distorted as the impact landed.
Jogo's body folded before being blasted backwards once again, this time much faster, tearing through the ground as he was sent flying across the street, carving a path of destruction through concrete and debris.
'Follow... follow, follow him, don't let go,' my mind resonated with only this mantra, hammering the point into every breath I fought for.
Every step burned, my body screamed at me to stop, but I pushed harder, already chasing him before he could recover.
The second Black Flash had cleared my mind enough to at least think straight, Jogo on the other hand felt like his mind was hammered by someone, his single eye looked bruised, and the volcano on his head emitted smoke of utter confusion at his current state.
And just as I was on him again, ready to start another round of violence, my mind snapped.
Not the bad kind, but the kind which reminded me that it had recovered.
No, it had recovered even before that, I just couldn't think in my anger.
It was my technique; Black Flash had recovered my technique.
I didn't even have to think before my body was already moving, gathering all the cursed energy into my hand, I pushed it down to the ground with force.
The second it hit, the ground burst open, a crack formed along the side of the smoothly built Shibuya street, and water came out like a natural disaster.
Jogo noticed it, of course, but that didn't prepare him for the next tsunami which erupted from beneath my feet, a wave of six-meter-tall water came crashing toward him and slammed into him with so much power that he couldn't even move in time.
xXx
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