Chapter 19. December 2017 (Part 2)

In the next moment, where I stood as if defying the force of gravity, the earth lifted into the air. Fiery teleportation. One of my fireballs was blocked by Panda. Nevertheless, after the explosion accompanied by a puff of smoke emanating from Panda's paws, I appeared in his place, in the flesh! Hovering in the air, I kicked Panda on the head as if deflecting a ball. Then, grabbing him by the shoulders, I shielded myself from Yuta's attack, who reacted much faster than I expected. Fiery teleportation.

And again, disappearing in one place, I reappeared in another, right in front of Toge. With a swift palm strike, I knocked the guy's jaw, then swung my leg to hit him in a roundabout way. However, I had to pause to dodge the spearhead that relentlessly moved, intersecting the trajectory of my strike. Maki... Only she could counterattack me like that. My brief hesitation was enough for the guys to recover and rush at me. Maki on the right with a spear at an advantage, Yuta on the left already raising his sword for a strike, Toge in front with the visible mark of the "Snake and Fangs" seal of the Inumaki clan on his tongue and both cheeks and behind me, I heard a furious roar.

Today marks the third time they managed to trap me in such a manner, and each time I used [Fiery Teleportation] to escape. However, this time they were much better prepared... or more precisely, Toge simply exploded all my Fireballs. Efficiently. In the future, I'll need to consider such outcomes and prepare special retreat plans. Well, for now... Now I'll just explode myself. Japanese people like that, don't they?

Even before my friends could catch up to me, I slightly bent my knees and clapped my hands, pointing my fingers towards the ground. Sealing techniques usually slow down a Sorcerer during the activation of a technique. However, there are cases when everything is diametrically opposite. In less than a thirtieth of a second, I created a fireball large enough to fill the distance from the tips of my fingers to the ground. For the guys, it seemed like I just clapped my hands, and then a flash followed, which they didn't even have time to squint at and a deafening explosion that threw them dozens of meters away.

"Stop blowing yourself up!" irritably shouted Maki, spitting out sand. "You're a Sorcerer, not a damn kamikaza."

"I'll keep doing it as long as you react like that," I smiled at the girl.

"Idiot!" Panda's furious cry came from the side, followed by a solid "side hit" directed at me.

I didn't bother dodging it and let Panda unleash his anger... After all, he's still a Panda.

Having smashed several trees into splinters, I landed gracefully and shook off the torn clothes from the debris.

"Hit Panda on the head! What if I lose my genius?! Do you even realize what a loss that would be?!" the burly guy complained, stomping in place.

"Chopped katsuobushi," Toge teased his friend.

"Who's talking," Maki chuckled. "You guys share one brain between the two of you."

"The muscle-headed one wants to measure 'IQ'?" Panda, adopting a boxing stance, began hopping from one foot to the other.

"Come on, attack!"

And it all started with anger towards me but ended as usual... Maybe that's why I love these bastards.

◊◊◊

"What's wrong, Yuta?" Panda addressed the concerned guy.

"Somehow, I've had a bad feeling since this morning," Yuta answered, looking uneasy.

"Hey, Sukehiro, did you hit him on the head by any chance?" Maki remarked.

"No, no! I got hit on the head," Panda protested.

"Oh really!"

"Come on, guys... Well, except for you, Sukehiro," the "perpetually tired" guy turned to me.

"Well, your Curse feeling is pretty crappy," I replied.

"Of course, it dulls when you're surrounded by twenty-four Special Grade Curses," Maki commented.

"Tuna," Toge nodded.

"Although, strong Sorcerers can sense danger, so talk to Satoru about it," I had nothing else to do but shrug, knowing where it was all heading.

"Why did it get dark?" Maki mumbled confusedly.

"Strange smell. Isn't that right, Panda?" Yuta asked the "plush" strongman.

"Maybe I was wrong," Panda replied, looking behind Yuta.

"What are you talking about?"

Turning around, Yuta saw what we and the others were staring at a gigantic Curse in the form of a pelican with four wings loomed over us; standing on its hind legs, it was about six and a half meters tall.

"I don't think they'll welcome you here," I addressed the man who jumped down from this Curse.

"I've never seen such a big Curse," Panda remarked, scratching his snout.

"That creature from the hospital was bigger," Maki shrugged, removing the cover from her spear.

"Suzuko," Toge lowered his collar.

"What a huge bird..." Yuta stared in amazement at the Curse.

Meanwhile, the pelican opened its enormous beak, and two girls and a guy emerged from it.

"And the place hasn't changed at all," the tall man with long black hair, partially tied behind his head, and wearing monk-like attire, glanced at us. "And as usual, I'm not welcome here."

"Wow! Geto-sama, are we really in Tokyo? This place looks more like a village," the blonde girl dressed in "Gyaru" style exclaimed.

"Nanako, that's rude," replied the black-haired girl in a modest school uniform.

"What do you mean?!" Nanako protested. "Mimiko, you think so too, right?"

"Can you guys calm down?" the unknown guy sighed wearily.

"Hm? Who are these people," the blonde ignored the guy and, noticing us, took out her phone to take pictures. "Look, Mimiko, a panda! Isn't it adorable?"

"Um, who are we? Who are you?" Panda took a short step back, finding himself behind my and Yuta's backs. "Yuta and Sukehiro don't like it when someone barges into their peaceful lives without asking."

"Konbu," Toge supported his friend, standing next to him.

"Just get out of here before 'Tyrant of Darkness' wakes up!" Maki shouted menacingly.

I gave her a skeptical look. Seriously? Tyrant of Darkness? Could there be a more cliché reference to my surname?

"So you're Sukehiro Yami," The black-haired man suddenly appeared behind us and embraced me and Yuta by the shoulders as if we were close friends. "And you're Okkotsu Yuta. Nice to meet you! I'm Goto Suguru, your senior."

"Huh? Nice to meet you," Yuta replied bewilderedly.

"Get your hand off my shoulder," I threw an annoyed look at yet another... enthusiast.

"Just as I heard," Suguru laughed. "Serious Sukehiro and innocent Yuta. You're so different, yet both radiate an incredible power. You know, there's a quote: 'With great power comes great responsibility,' but I prefer a slightly different wording: 'Great power must be used for a great purpose'! Don't you think so?"

"What is he talking about, Sukehiro?" Yuta turned to me, clearly seeking assistance.

"I'll explain it to you, young padawan!" Before I could even open my mouth, Suguru smiled and, hugging us tighter, continued. "Isn't our world full of contradictions? Sorcerers work in the shadows and dig in the mud to protect ordinary people... But isn't that stupid!!! In a normal world, the strong wouldn't adapt to the weak, because that's just absurd."

"Of course..." Yuta hesitantly responded.

"People, the greatest creation of the Lord, resist His will and evolution. Isn't that sinful? Yes, all of us are sinful, but what's more alarming is that with such a survival strategy, humanity will never ascend to a new level... It's more likely to choke on its own throat. That's why I'm asking for your help."

"With what?" Yuta stared at Suguru in surprise.

"I want to kill all non-Sorcerers. And create a world where only Sorcerers live," Suguru answered with deadly calmness.

"Stop planting your insane nonsense in the heads of my students," Satoru's voice sounded behind us. "Only I can do that."

"Satoruuuu!" Suguru lit up with joy. "Long time no see."

"Step away from these kids, Suguru," Satoru didn't share his enthusiasm. "Especially when something is already flexing its fists."

Just behind Satoru stood Director Yaga, scowling irritably.

"I heard that the first years this year were outstanding..." Suguru continued to hug us with Yuta, ignoring Satoru. "So, you're the one responsible for them. A Special Grade Sorcerer, another Special Grade Sorcerer, a Cursed Corpse mutant, 'The Future of the Inumaki Clan,' and... 'Error of the Zenin Clan.'"

"Watch your language, bastard," Maki's face distorted in anger.

"Monkeys like you are not needed in my world," Suguru replied disdainfully.

"Quite hypocritical of you," I spoke, addressing the monk.

"What do you mean?" Suguru asked in surprise.

"Aren't you the same Special Grade Sorcerer who was defeated by a monkey?" I feigned contemplation, then clapped my hands together. "Right, you didn't just lose; that monkey trampled on your pride and shattered your ego..."

Before I could finish, I crashed into the nearest building, demolishing its facade. [Provocation] worked even better than I expected.

Suguru Geto, I expected more from you... Jumping out of the ruins, I cracked my neck.