Shrouds

The fog waned as it grew thinner, the border of cursed energy that cascaded out of the rift in another courtyard slowing to a trickle that coated the ground in a thick layer of cursed energy.

Seeing the moon flare with brightness Mizuki's eyes lit up like orbs of silver. A blinding white light glared from her body as her hair shone as if it were made from strands of woven light. The flowing silver locks danced on the waves of her cursed energy.

Fresh and ready for battle she grinned, her sharp cat-like canines catching the light. Her white nails gleamed as the light refracted along them.

"Bang!" She yelled as her hair flared out behind her. A blast of sliver light shooting from her finger and piercing right through the centre of the spirit's 'head' burning a hole to the other side the width of her finger.

Watching closely Toji and Yuta saw that the hole wasn't healing, the edges of it burned a silver light in the moon.

Screeching the creature slapped its hands over its head shielding it from further attacks but as its hands covered the wound its screeching stopped.

Crouching down Toji got ready to jump into action at whatever counterattack it was willing to throw but the creature's apparent confusion made him pause, his eyes narrowing as he saw its hands pulling away from its head. "I thought you said that it couldn't heal itself?"

"I said I might be able to help with that." Mizuki clarified as she straightened her back and flicked her hair over her shoulder. The silver orbs that were her eyes were cut in half as a pitch-black pupil opened in the centre of them. Wings grew from her shoulders, their solid form like angel wings. Her wingspan was almost triple her height.

"As long as the wounds I inflict stay in the moonlight the spirit won't be able to heal them." She says with a smile as she waves her hand and the light around them flares brighter as it seems to come from all directions.

Nodding Yuta got ready to engage once more, Toji letting out a sigh and joining in as he got ready to launch forward.

Smiling she dashed forward, her wings behind her blocking the view of almost everything in a blinding flash of light she flapped them once the wind forced her into the air as she leapt over the spirit that was ready to block her.

Not the men behind her.

Slamming into the spirit Toji grabbed one of her many wrists and yanked her off balance for Rika to grab onto as many arms as she could. Yuta sliced off the ones that were not grasped as she tried to block the incoming attacks of Mizuki that landed behind her.

Slashing the spirits back with her claws Mizuki cleaved giant gashes through the spirit's flesh, the burning silver cuts flaring as Mizuki spread her wings causing the moonlight she emitted to flare and burn the wounds.

Screeching loudly the sudden feeling of being helplessly imprisoned suddenly overtook them. Feeling his muscles freeze Yuta cursed as he immediately started to break out of it, it was only for a second before he could move again but the spirit was already covering its wounds with its arms.

Feeling her body no longer under her control Mizuki's eyes widened as she fought against it, her cursed energy battling through the feeling as she flooded her body with it trying to overpower the technique but it held strong on her, like a vice-like grip.

As the arms covered the wounds a sudden explosion of purple blood rippled through the air. The hands of Toji emerged from the creature's back as it was pulled forward.

Watching the spirit screech in shock as it turned its head to see Toji plunging its hands through its chest and out its back, it froze for a moment. Its technique should have worked even just for a moment.

Moving again Yuta cleaved half of its arms clean off as he cut to the right of Toji, severing flesh and muscle in one smooth strike that flowed into another.

Pulling its focus back it tried to start growing its arms back which would have happened straight away if it were not for Toji moving the shocked spirit into Mizuki's wing where her feathers burnt at its flesh searing it closed with moonlight.

Finally breaking free Mizuki felt her body move again. It had taken her a full 2 seconds. 2 seconds she could have been killed in.

Yuta had extraordinary cursed energy control and such an impressive amount he could easily break free.

And Toji's body was far stronger than any technique that could hold him. As to why he wasn't even frozen for a second, only pausing so the spirit would turn its head to face Mizuki.

Hearing the sizzling flesh she brought her claws forward and plunged them into the holes that Toji had made by impaling the spirit with his arms. Her claws tore flesh and forced the holes to stay open as the moonlight burnt the wounds.

Getting ready to attack again Yuta felt something wrong, his eyes widening as he dashed past the spirit grabbed Mizuki around the waist and pulled her away from the spirit that suddenly started to bubble and inflate.

Tumours emerged from all over its body as bones grew like bars all over its flesh forcing it apart, the bones formed bars of a prison window. Hundreds of small windows that looked into the core of the creature. Hundreds of small hands writhing around inside unable to escape.

Trapped within itself unable to influence the outside world… the loss of self. The loss of Autonomy.

They all understood it, the feeling of being unable to do things by yourself, being helplessly at the whims of those who looked after you only doing so out of kindness but you lived on their whim. Helpless, weak, afraid.

And the fear gripped their hearts.

Finishing morphing the spirit stood taller, its body no shorter than 4 meters, its towering form long and uncanny. The maw that split from its forehead to its waist opened wider as the teeth formed bars trapping the hundreds of hands inside it.

Only two remaining on the outside, two normal human arms, the human figure just… too long.

Disturbingly accurate to a stretched humanoid yet unsettlingly uncanny. The spirit no longer had any features, no hair or dress, just blank smooth flesh and the giant maw that opened on its front and back.

Crouching down and getting ready to fight once more Mizuki took a deep breath, her heart hammering in her chest. She was strong, but she was too slow at escaping its technique.

Watching in shock Yuta's eyes widened as he watched its cursed energy come together, multiplying within the cage of its chest. And positive energy emerged coating its flesh as it reversed its technique, it wasn't hindering itself. It was enhancing itself…

How could a spirit do that?

"Autonomy, we are done here." A voice squeaked from behind them all. Turning they saw another spirit, its body was small and meek and its eyes peered out from under oily, messy blonde hair. Each eye was slightly too large, bulging out of the sockets they sat uncomfortably tight in. "They can't beat you anyway." It said, its voice mournful.

The sound of it scratching through the air as it hit their ears. Their entire bodies felt heavier as it suddenly got… strange to move. As if they were too conscious of how they fought. Hell Mizuki couldn't even get out of the technique properly? She was holding them back, there was no way they could win.

Pausing Yuta narrowed his eyes as Rika whined from behind him. The thoughts he was having snapped away as he glared towards the figure of the spirit.

Matching eyes with it he felt… watched.

"We must leave." It spoke again, its eyes going back to the other spirit as its voice grew desperate.

Stepping forward Toji let the blade hang at his side as he started to swing it back and forth, ready to spin it if needed. "What makes you think I'll let you leave?"

"Can you really win this fight? There are two of us…" It said cautiously, its eyes narrowing as it glared at Toji, the confidence he gave off seemingly even more prevalent now.

Shrugging Toji grinned as he started to spin the blade. "Maybe, guess we'll see."

---

Dashing forward the spirit swung a fist at the side of Gojo, the attack tearing through space as it split the air, wounding space itself as the attack slammed into Gojo's side.

Flesh tore beneath the punch.

But the counter was devastating. 

When the fist made contact with Gojo an explosion of energy from the impact shattered flesh and dissolved bone. The attacking arm disappeared in that same moment.

Backing away the spirit was about to heal, the flesh bubbling and shifting as a new limb was about to form but it didn't matter. Gojo was already in front of it raining three blows into its chest before it started to defend.

Each attack left gaping craters behind with blasting impacts that resonated through the spirit shattering bone and cracking earth beneath their feet.

Blocking a fist coming to his right Gojo felt the other arm explode but his own flesh tore, the attacks were making their way through infinity even with his purple surrounding him. It was something more than just a punch, or it wouldn't work.

Grinning he rained more blows down, each one blasting flesh aside into festering wounds that perpetrated the front of the spirit.

Feeling another swing coming he saw that the first fist had already healed he reached out and grabbed the hand pushing purple up the arm and despite his own hand splitting and the flesh tearing the spirit's arm exploded once more as Gojo pulled a foot back and used the time he made to slam an attack into the spirits knee driving it to its knees as one of its legs folded backwards before exploding.

His other leg came up and slammed into the spirit's face. The head disappeared in a flash of purple light as Gojo's leg passed through the space as if it was unobstructed before his leg straightened and he brought his heel down on the collapsing spirits back.

Backing away Gojo spun another kick into the side of the creature but an arm came up and blocked the blow.

Although it did nothing.

Like a hot wire through foam, the arm vanished before the kick as if it didn't exist.

And the head that hadn't even grown back properly disappeared once more as the angle of the kick was changed to cleave it off.

Pulling forward Gojo punched the spirit in the chest again as the wounds were already healing. Flesh vanished with each punch as hollow purple stabilized and became what it was meant to be, the destroyer of matter.

Each attack passed through the spirit as flesh was erased, each attack that was about to hit him disappearing before it could even make contact with him.

Black flakes drifted from Gojo as the air was removed and the ground that he tried to walk on vanished leaving him floating in the air surrounded by a drifting purple aura, his mouth moved but no sound came from it. No air remaining for him to speak from.

Bleeding from wounds that were now only slowly healing the spirit looked up with a head that just finished coming back. Barely moving as it shook, each attack had erased more than just flesh but the cursed energy in that part of his body too.

He was surprised that the spirit could even come back with its head being removed.

"You are strong Gojo Satoru, a worthy opponent to be my first fight." The spirit spoke, its lips twisting in glee as it saw that rage emerge on Gojo's face.

Six Eyes made reading lips easy, he could see the sound waves after all. He didn't hear the words, but he could see what was said, and it enraged him. Like a burning fire in his soul, his friend, his best friend Geto who died wasn't even seen as a fight?

"How long will you last with your wounds? You may kill me but you will die as well!" The spirit started to cackle.

Snapping his fingers Gojo erased the space the spirit was in the cackling laughter that echoed through the mountains silencing as if someone had flicked a switch.

Watching the orb of purple Gojo narrowed his eyes. Cursed energy still was alive within it. He couldn't maintain it any longer though.

As the purple orb vanished and the aura around him dissipated Gojo backed away a step as he took a deep breath. The wounds over his body suddenly started to bleed as he glared at them then back up at the traces of energy that were… no… they weren't left behind.

They weren't in this space.

It was remnants, just like the ones that Atlas left behind but it was different... not moved, but removed.

A trace of the spirit had been severed from this plane…

How was it able to do that? That shouldn't be possible... Narrowing his eyes he turned towards the school and started flying there. He didn't have time to deal with this he needed to help his students.

Toji, Yuta and Mizuki were facing down two spirits and Atlas and Geto had just emerged.

He needed to get there fast and help out.

In the spot, Gojo left behind a sudden spark appeared as the spirit's energy came back to this plane, its body bleeding and bruised and its eyes were bloodshot. If it wasn't for getting help he would have died… he almost died, him. Mutilation. The greatest fighter out of the primal curses had been bested by a sorcerer?

Even if he had gone all out he still might have lost... He refused to believe it.

He refused.

"Calm yourself, you may have your revenge soon." A voice spoke from behind him.

Forcing himself to take deep breaths he turned and threatened the other spirit as he growled. "You will not speak to me as if I am lesser!"

"You cannot fight me right now and you know it. Wait until you recover and your rage settles, we learned a lot from today…" The other spirit said as it looked towards the school. It would need to save the others to… and before Atlas got his technique under control although it was happening faster than he liked.