Courting Death 101

After the shenanigans with the darkness curse, repairing and construction works began in the compound. Almost 40% of the compound had been obliterated in the fight, which led to some sadness among the inhabitants of the Flame School and some resentment for the curse that had invaded right on the night of the festival.

Shuichi shook his head as he sat around in his room.

He looked at his system panel again and smiled with satisfaction. The trip to Hokkaido had been wrought with many benefits it seems.

But by far the best thing on this trip is information...

He looked at Records of Tenjin around his neck, peering into the vast arrays of information stored within.

The one look at the Thousand Faced Tower which almost resulted in his annihilation gave him more benefits than it did damage. It could be said that it was a calculated risk, but one that he wouldn't even take again.

Probably the Blessed Torri Gate can be observed. The Thousand Faced Tower is too volatile... though I guess all sacred treasures contain some sort of risk with them. Shuichi shook his head and started with the tool making process.

Although most of the compound was destroyed, there was no reason to delay the tool making festival. The tower effigy was perfectly fine without a hint of damage and the cursed energy bubbled inside it incessantly.

Shuichi took all of the ritual materials that were provided to him and laid them out on the table before him.

The ritual of the Great Harae bore many different materials that could be said to be 'blessed.' Each of these materials proved to be excellent pieces of work materials when utilized in the process of cursed tool creation, bearing results twice as strong than usual.

Shaking his head and clearing out all other thoughts about the attack that had commenced some hours prior, he focused on his work, a smile gracing his face as he did so.

~~~

~~~

Homura looked on at the destruction caused by the curse, his eyes a mixture of annoyance and rage.

Gabimaru stood behind him, observing him quietly.

He adorned glasses on his face, enhancing his scholary air further.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

Homura shook his head.

"Nothing."

The air went silent for a moment before Homura spoke.

"The Great Harae has always brought a time of danger for the sacred treasures, but never has any curse invaded the compound." He said. "The compound was almost completely destroyed by a curse which was still heavily suppressed by the thousands of seal barriers, and even after that, it was suppressed by that brat, Zenin Shuichi's erected barrier.

"However, it still wasn't enough to defeat it without consequence." He droned. He touched his chest, remembering the wounds that he had suffered in the battle which were promptly healed by Shuichi.

"The world is changing..." He said.

Gabimaru looked on without blinking.

"Maybe." He said after some contemplation.

Homura chuckled at his dry response.

"How's the research coming along? Any luck in pinpointing the source of the disturbance?" Homura asked.

Gabimaru shook his head behind him and spoke.

"Both the Thousand Faced Tower and the Blessed Torii Gate have been under extensive use for the Great Harae. Fate is an illusive lady, it isn't easy to detect changes without utilizing the full power of the treasures and disrupting the ritual."

"The Bone Sea?"

"It remains hardly operational still." He continued with a slight pause. "The Onmyōdō School hasn't used it since 1940. It has grown too corrupted."

Homura shook his head and sighed, an inexplicable emotion surging within his heart.

"Things used to be somewhat manageable back in my prime. Now, I can't even recognize this world anymore." His tone held a hint of nostalgia, as if reminiscing about a time long passed.

Gabimaru looked at him in confusion for a second, unsure if he should speak.

"But... you're still in your prime though..." He said.

Homura turned back with a small scowl on his face.

"Youmgsters these days... can't even let an old man find his excuses." He shook his head and began to walk further into the pagoda.

"Excuses?" Gabimaru tilted his head, then, his eyes widened slightly.

"Wait. You're not thinking of retiring are you?" He asked in some disbelief.

Homura chortled.

"Haha. I suppose the thought did cross my mind momentarily." He shrugged. In his mind, vistas surged unbidden, taking the form of various sorcerers of the younger age.

He burst out into a full blown laughter.

"The world belongs to the youngsters now! Oldies like me have no right to interfere anymore! Hahahahaha!" Having said that, he dashed further into the pagoda, prompting Gabimaru to quickly follow behind.

~~~

Edward Horrowitz walked along with Aryan, overlooking the entire compound and the destruction the previous battle had caused.

The metal beams in the architecture has all but melted, overcame by the tremendous heat generated by Abenanka's flames and Edward's 'holy baptism.' The wood has been burned into black powder and the stones were all but crushed into dust.

"It's all pretty bad huh?" Edward spoke.

Aryan nodded to the side.

"The curse we encountered was undoubtedly a special grade." He said.

Hearing his words, Edward puffed out his chest and placed his hand on it. "Of course! How could anything less than a special grade possibly survive my Baptism!" He exclaimed, spreading out his other arm as if proclaiming to the Heavens.

Aryan smiled at his antics.

"Have you finished with your tool making process?" Aryan asked.

Edward turned to him. "No? The fight was pretty bad so I came quickly." He said. "You?"

Aryan smiled cheekily. "I was making a weapon at the time the curse broke into the compound. I was so focused I only noticed the ensuing destruction after I completed the task." He chuckled.

Hearing his words, Edward froze for a second.

"Heh. I hadn't even started making a cursed tool at that time! If I had, I also would've been engrossed in my work!"

Aryan shook his head and kept walking. Edward followed along, looking at all the destruction caused as they did so.

Edward's eyes took on a rare regretful expression, appearing somewhat melancholic.

"Are you upset that the curse wrecked havoc?" Aryan inquired.

Edward stayed silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"The curse was able to do so much damage even with me present." He droned.

Aryan chuckled. "Why do you think you would've been able to stop him?"

"I never did think so." Edward sighed. "I know so."

Then, he smiled and laughed heartily.

Aryan narrowed his eyes somewhat but ultimately decided to stay silent at his strange change in emotions.

"Should we help out in cleaning up?" Aryan said suddenly.

Edward stopped for a second before he gave a compassionate smile.

"Of course! As a kind person, its only fair for me to do so!"

~~~

Shuichi sat in front of his workbench, working away at a small bead like object in front of him.

It won't suffice with the current amount of information... Swear flowed down from his temples as he worked. Although he was purely using the energy from the Thousand Faced Tower effigy, it stood to reason that his cursed technique, the Hundred Armament Refining would exhaust him to some degree after taking such a heavy toll as using the Sudarshanchakra.

The chakra took 90% of his total cursed energy for the day, meaning it couldn't be recovered for the entire day no matter how much energy be absorbed, not that he could because of the Thousand Faced Tower.

That didn't mean his overall total reserves couldn't be increased. As a matter of fact, they has increased to an entirely new level after they finished taking care of the darkness curse.

But all that wasn't important at the moment. The important thing was the fact that the chakra takes it's toll both on the energy as well as the techniques of the user.

Come to think of it, maybe I should've taken a small break...

Shuichi had started working immediately after the shenanigans ended with the curse, solely because he had left his work in the middle of the process because of the ensuing chaos up above. If it was something he was making for the Flame School, he wouldn't bother with such intricacies, but it was something he was making for his own personal use; so he figured he should put some more effort into it.

However, it seemed that not only was he too hasty in his approach, the information he had collected from the different cursed tools and the working of the Thousand Faced Tower was still not enough.

Thinking for a bit, Shuichi looked towards the torii Gate that separated the room from the hallway outside. And then, a wisp of a suicidal thought blossomed in his mind.

Perhaps... Just then, he slapped his head. No! Do not even think of that!

Shuichi was plenty aware of his own limits. Self awareness was one of his qualities if he did say so himself.

But... just a tiny look wouldn't be too troublesome right? He thought. I have plenty of safety mechanisms. The Shogun's funeral Bell and the barrier I have erected as well, if that's not enough, I can modify the air around me to aid in spiritual protection...

...Maybe he wasn't as self aware as he wished.

Shuichi racked his head for a while, unsure whether to act upon his momentary impulse. Intrusive thoughts were indeed deadly to follow through with, but this particular one offered good returns for his strength.

Just one look wouldn't hurt too much right? It would seem Shuichi was also a master at "Courting Death."

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Shuichi looked at the Torii Gate with resolute eyes.

Then, he sat down onto the ground and erected a simple domain, with the sole rule that all spiritual interference inside would be prohibited. Of course, that wasn't a full proof wall of protection.

With that, Shuichi took out of the Shogun's funeral Bell and adorned it on his robes with a small and thin rope. After that, he activated the cursed technique Hundred Armament Refining.

Shaaaaaa!

The air inside the room seemed to grow cooler and restless as the temperature instantly plummeted.

The entire room seemed to be enveloped with a thick air of malevolence and curse, with a thick blue colour suffusing out into the surroundings and permeating the ambience in an eerie hue.

The air wrapped around Shuichi's body, covering him like a bubble and spinning around like a whirlpool, ready to shield him at any time.

And lastly, he activated the Records of Tenjin, activating the brand new function of mental protection.

He opened his eyes, appearing incredibly focused and almost ancient.

Then, his gaze travelled through the air to land onto the Torii Gate.

And with a thought, he peered into the Gate.

~~~

A/N: A very late chapter. Hope to get back to somewhat regular updates soon.

If all goes well, I might upload every other day, alternating between the two fanfics.

Throw some stones.

Cheers~~