NOVEL NEXT Chapter 91: Yuji Itadori
[Author Note]
Disc: HrPrTeam
I like Yuji, trust.
...
Kashimo is a farming bum who isn't in the top 10.
Kusakabe has better feats.
__________
8 Years Ago: Yuji Itadori
Opening my eyes, I wake up to see a dark grey ceiling.
To my left, I see a small window at the top of the wall.
Where am I? A basement?
Turning to my right, my eyes widened as I saw bars covering the entire side, similar to a cage.
Then, I noticed that I was on a thin bed without a pillow instead of lying on the hard floor.
What kind of place is this?
While sitting up, I try to process my thoughts to understand how I ended up in this place.
I ponder for a moment. "Hmm."
What happened before this?
...
My memories hit me.
Tears start streaming down my face when I realize what happened before now.
I started to breathe rapidly, and my eyes widened. "*Inhale* *Exhale* *Inhale* *Exhale* GRANDPA!"
Nononono that couldn't have happened.
We were eating dinner, and then...
A woman with white hair.
Blood.
Ice.
...
Grandpa.
...
*step*
*step*
*step*
I hear footsteps slowly coming closer.
My heart races as I start to panic.
I need to get out of here! But how?
I'm unable to get through the metal, and the window is too tall.
Think, there has to be something!
*step*
The woman who killed Grandpa walks around the corner and just stares.
I didn't know how much time passed, but it felt like an eternity.
She sighs. "The vessel is loud."
I speak, albeit barely. "W-Why am I here, and why did you kill Grandpa!?"
However, she ignores me, instead walking towards a metal table with a bunch of random disgusting objects.
She puts a finger on her chin and talks to herself. "Hmm, he'll need to be ready early so we can speed up the culling games, so upping his tolerance and unlocking cursed energy comes first...Ah, this one will work."
The lady picks up a strange, dry black thing that looks like a large rasin and starts walking towards the cage.
Instinctively, I scoot backward but find my back against a wall.
*creek*
She opens the door, but I don't even think about running since she could kill me any time she wants.
*step*
*step*
*step*
She stops a foot away from me.
Tears start welling as she reaches down.
*grab*
She grabs my hair to lift my face.
I look her in the eyes with a horrified expression. "Why?"
She still ignores me.
Raising the object in front of me, she speaks. "Time to begin."
*Mph*
*gulp*
She shoves the object into my mouth and keeps pushing until I swallow it.
It tastes horrible.
*cough* *cough*
The lady steps back, and I can breathe again.
As I look confused, I feel something.
*bud um*
I feel my heartbeat.
Tears pour down my face. "AHHHHH!"
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
My entire body feels...
*bleh*
I throw up, but the object doesn't come out.
The lady speaks. "How unsightly. To think you are going to be his vessel."
Looking up, she stares down at me with a disgusted look on her face.
The next second, her disgust turned into a smile.
...
"This will take a while."
...
Mom, anyone.
Help me.
Present: Tokyo No. 1 Colony
"Kill me."
Choso froze as a dead-eyed Yuji stared at him with no emotion.
In this timeline, Yuji never had a speech from his grandpa. After being trapped, forced to be a vessel, and committing genocide on an entire colony, Yuji had no will to live.
He became everything Uraume, Kenjaku, and Sukuna wanted.
A tool.
A thing.
...
A vessel.
...
Uraume ensured that his only purpose in life was to become a vessel for Ryomen Sukuna.
...
As Yuji spoke those words, Naohiro and Choso went silent.
No one, not even Naohiro, was expecting the former protagonist to lose his will to live.
Choso looked heartbroken. "Yuji..."
Yuji's face was dead. "I don't care anymore."
That caused Choso's hold on Yuji to tighten.
Naohiro walked over to Uraume.
*grab*
He spoke as he grabbed her hair and pulled her up. "What did you do to him."
Uraume, with a bloodied face, looked into his eyes. "*Pftwo*"
She attempted to spit in his face, but he moved out of the way.
*bam*
He slammed her face against the concrete.
Naohiro stood up. "Choso, do whatever you like. She doesn't look like talking, so I'm going to meet up with everyone."
Choso kept silent as he glanced toward Uraume, Yuji unmoving but awake.
Kogane spoke. However, it wasn't his normal voice. "You've grown up so well, Yuji."
A sliver of life appeared in his eyes.
...
"Mom?"
...
The voice continued. "Don't worry, my child, you are almost done."
Naohiro narrowed his eyes. "Are you done hiding, Kenjaku?"
The Kogane, controlled by Kenjaku, spoke. "You want to know something, Naohiro? I am done. I've performed countless experiments, found the being that defies the world's rules, and created the ultimate sorcerer battle royale. The strongest sorcerers all throughout history have died, and now, I'm going to finish everything."
*whoosh*
Gojo appeared out of nowhere, holding Hakari and Maki.
*boof*
He dropped them on the floor.
Gojo started stretching, ignoring the two's complaints. "Is it the final boss time?"
Maki and Hakari sweatdropped and thought to themselves. 'He just fought Sukuna...'
Naohiro raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, just gotta let the man finish his anime antagonist monologue. The dude likes to yap."
*step*
Gojo and Naohiro both noticed that someone entered the barrier to the Tokyo No. 1 colony.
Naohiro spoke up before Gojo teleported. "Wait, if he dies, the merger is going to start."
Gojo pondered for a moment. "That Tengen thing you talked about?"
Naohiro crossed his arms. "I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it will be a problem. Hey, your brain all right?"
Gojo smiled as he cracked his neck. "Yeah, I'd rather not do it, but had I not refreshed my technique in time, that fire arrow could've been even worse."
Naohiro groaned as he noticed something. "*UGH* I thought it was Kenjaku who entered the barrier. Not this dude."
*BTZ*
Lightning comes out of nowhere.
*BOOM*
It strikes Naohiro.
The smoke clears to see a thin trail of blood coming down the side of his head.
'clink'
Naohiro smiled. "So, you must be the farmer."
A man with a staff appears with a wide smile. "So, you must be Naohiro Zenin."
Instead of entertaining the idea of a fight, Naohiro turned to Maki.
He gave her a closed-eye smile. "Maki. Sword."
Without missing a beat, she threw her split-soul katana toward Naohiro.
*grab*
Gojo yawned as Naohiro pointed it at Kashimo.
*BTZ*
Kashimo screamed as he gets covered in electricity. "[MYTHICAL BEAST AMBER]!"
He jumped toward Naohiro.
*slice*
Kashimo spoke. "Eh?"
He got cut in half.
...
Kogane spoke. "You've earned 75 Points! Now that all the incarnated sorcerers awakened for the Culling Games are dead, the merger will commence!"
Everyone's eyes widened as it wasn't started on the death of Kenjaku.
He knew that Kashimo would get himself killed.
He knew that the Culling Game incarnated sorcerers were going to get killed.
He knew that Sukuna would lose.
Now, the merger was going to start because Kashimo couldn't stay in the fields.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark, or rather, a barrier was formed.
*poof*
Choso was surprised as Yuji teleported out of his arms.
Hakari was the first one to speak up. "*sigh* I'll get ready then. [Domain Expansion: Idle Death Gamble]."
Naohiro mumbled. "*mumble* and they call me the domain merchant."
Contrary to expectations, Hakari's domain fizzled out as soon as it was formed.
It was then that everyone realized, that they weren't in a normal barrier.
...
...
...
It was a domain expansion.