Undead Heavens Part 3

Standing in front of Gabimaru were three men. One was his ally in a tattered robe and the other were Empty Generals of the Fujiwara Clan. One of the generals was bald and the second had tattoos around his mouth.

"So, I just need to beat these guys up? Good thing I waited for you to cast their domains." Gabimaru's grin widened, and the glint in his black eyes shone even more mischievously. He stretched his legs and continued, "Alright, you two, I promise I'll make this quick."

General Aki and Inumaki looked at each other, a shared look of skepticism. Inumaki whispered, "Danger. First Grade. Domains? Rare to possess them."

General Inumaki received a nod from Aki, "Yes, General Inumaki. It is a rare occurrence, but be ready for it. Even if it's possible, keep in mind that our teamwork and techniques combined can defeat a small squad of Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers easily."

Gabimaru approached with a nonchalant air, "Are you two done talking? I'm starting to feel left out. And who said I needed a domain for you trash?" With each step, the air itself seemed to become creepy around him. Dark green footprints were being left in the dirt as he walked. It was clear that despite his playful demeanor, he was far from ordinary.

Yue Kai intervened, gripping his tattered robe tighter, "Should I step in, brother? I'm here to assist."

In response, Gabimaru shook his head answering, "Nah, don't worry. You should probably step back, though. Like I said, no problem without their fancy domains. You've already triggered the agro earlier, now it's my time to steal the loot, get it?"

None of them understood what he was talking about, so they entered battle positions instead.

General Aki gritted his teeth and gestured for Inumaki to move to one side. They decided to attack from two angles simultaneously.

As they lunged, Gabimaru stood still, almost as if waiting for them. Aki clenched his fist and swung at Gabimaru's chest without hesitation. Barely able to see anything, all Gabimaru did was raise his arms and block the massive force slamming into him.

He was launched backwards, dust rising in his wake. The generals exchanged smug grins, perhaps believing they had misjudged Gabimaru's capabilities. They even chuckled a bit at their seriousness.

But Gabimaru didn't seem to be worried, as he smiled and ran cursed energy through his arms to heal himself. His bones which were broken began to straighten to its original form. "Cursed spirit?" The bald General Aki muttered quietly to himself. General Inumaki just nodded his head to his partner.

It caused Gabimaru to perk his ears up and smile.

Then, he asked in a provoking tone, "Did you skip breakfast? That punch was weak. It barely scratched my itch, as the average cultivator would say. Oh wait! Maybe I shouldn't be asking a mute person questions. Plus, how would you even eat breakfast with those ugly marks covering your tongue?"

General Inumaki, not one to be belittled, surged forward, focusing his energy into a powerful strike aimed directly at Gabimaru's heart. Caught off guard by the swift attack, Gabimaru internally noted that his provocation shouldn't have gone too far.

In an instant, Inumaki was already in front of Gabimaru, sending his fist into his body. The sheer force of the blow sent him crashing into the ground, leaving behind a sizable dent in the ground and him.

Gabimaru barely saw how fast it happened, thinking that he needed to improve his physical body more. The pain was immense, as he flew back into the dirt creating a small crater.

Even still, Gabimaru stood up again. This time was different than before though, as a string in front of Gabimaru's eyes had formed. It caused him to laugh, "Hahahahaha! You stupid idiot, you shouldn't have touched me..."

The string of someone nearby who had just become his Follower! The silver spark had formed, with one hundred foreign spots surrounding the spark.

"I used one thousand Faith Orders! Now! Attack the bald bastard!" Gabimaru yelled to General Inumaki, who froze still.

In his head, his entire life was flashing before his eyes, from his first cursed technique being deployed to his constipation by unhealthy eating. Everything went through his head 1000 times instantly, until his brain itself felt hardwired by a hacker using a verbal command.

Each Order placed stress on him, forcing him to comply, but the influence was still only temporarily. One second of being a Follow for ten Orders would be forced on his rebellious mind, even if he tried his best to refuse it. Even if General Inumaki's soul refused it, Orders must be followed. The problem was his special grade willpower which sucked ten Orders per second.

Even still, this allowed Gabimaru to control a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer. This was the power of Gabimaru's cult at level 3. No one could refuse, albeit temporary. It was the main reason he was confident in fighting these monsters after losing their domains.

General Inumaki turned to his partner and lunged forward, punching his face. General Aki barely had time to register what was happening before Inumaki's fist met his jaw with brutal force. The bald general was thrown off his feet, crashing into a nearby structure.

The sudden reversal left everyone astounded. Yue Kai's eyes widened, watching the scene with an unsettling mix of intrigue and horror, before remembering that his sister was probably in danger. This made him decide to leave the battle, now trusting Gabimaru could handle this with his battle.

Still, all the Orders placed had almost run out, due to General Inumaki's psyche heavily resisting the urge to fight his friend. This slowed down his punches, until Gabimaru added another 1000 Faith Orders, acting like a rich young master with a blank check from the Emperor.

General Aki, disoriented and in pain, tried to regain his footing. "Inumaki! What in the world are you doing?" he shouted, spitting out a mixture of blood and dust.

But Inumaki was in a daze, his expression blank and detached. The weight of Gabimaru's Faith Orders bore down on him, turning him into a puppet with strings tightly controlled. Each second released an Order's worth of control away; however each attack consumed Orders much faster. Each second was bringing him closer to sanity, but Gabimaru knew he needed to still be a slave to the cult for victory.

Gabimaru, pleased with the momentary control he had over Inumaki, let out a triumphant laugh. "You see, my dear generals, power isn't only about brute strength. It's about the ability to control, manipulate, and bend others to your will while still being handsome. That's what makes me strong!"

With that, Gabimaru added three thousand Faith Orders using 30,000 Faith. Not only that, but he kept on adding more each second.

General Aki, recovering from Inumaki's assault, understood the direness of the situation. He quickly channeled his own energy, creating a barrier between him and the manipulated Inumaki. "Snap out of it, Inumaki!" he cried out.

But the constant barrage of Faith Orders was overwhelming. Gabimaru increased the output of control by increasing the amount of Faith inputted. In a couple seconds, Gabimaru spent hundreds of Orders while smiling at the scenes of the two fighting.

Inumaki, trapped in a web of conflicting emotions and forced actions, let out a guttural scream, expressing the inner turmoil he was facing. The massive number of Orders were starting to drive him to insanity, causing his scream to sound inhuman. With his Cursed Speech, it just made everyone's ears tingle uncomfortably.

Gabimaru shifted his stance, a sly smile dancing on his lips. "Oh yeah, I was lying earlier." he teased, bringing his palms together with a flourish.

The ground beneath them trembled as Gabimaru's shadow pulsated, black tendrils snaking outwards. "Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden," he intoned, his voice dripping with power.

The world darkened, a vast orb of inky blackness encasing both Empty Generals and Gabimaru, whose manic grin pierced through the darkness. In no time, the sphere was filled with surging, shadowy currents.

General Aki's eyes widened in surprise. "Shit!" he cursed, just in time to parry a strike from his ally.

Summoning his shikigami, Gabimaru declared, "Nue... Divine Dog Totality... Combine."

From the depths of the shadowy realm emerged the Merged Beast: Tonora, a majestic wolf adorned with the wings of an owl. Threads of violet electricity weaved through the air, converging on its determined gaze fixated on General Aki.

Gabimaru jabbed a finger at the general. "Inumaki, make sure that bald bastard stays put!"

Without hesitation, Inumaki lunged at Aki, his fist connecting solidly. "Don't move," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for dissent.

As if bound by invisible chains, Aki was rooted to the spot. Gabimaru wasted no time. With a fierce command, he unleashed Tonora, which lunged with ferocity, teeth sinking into Aki's ankle. It was only a brief moment before Aki mustered the strength to break free.

With a swift motion, Aki summoned his cursed energy around his fist, obliterating Tonora in a single blow. The aftermath revealed that Totality and Nue, although separated, were still intact, momentarily incapacitated within the Ten Shadows. This was the benefit of merging shadows; they wouldn't die permanently while merged, but they were slightly uncoordinated without proper practice.

Yet, Gabimaru's objective was achieved. From the swirling shadows, a perfect doppelganger materialized, charging fearlessly at Aki.

Genearl Aki didn't wait and slowed the perception of the world around him. Then, he waited for the perfect moment, and slapped Gabimaru's face, causing it to explode into black liquid.

"I call this Shadow Clone Jutsu." Gabimaru emerged from behind the fake and send a punch, to which Aki tried to dodge but felt trouble moving due to his injury. The scene of General Inumaki going under Gabimaru's control flashed in the bald general's eyes. The fist approached his face and his ankle was severely injured.

Still, he fell to the ground and avoided being touched, saving him from Gabimaru's Faith Mark. But this didn't stop Gabimaru, as he crouched low and dashed at Aki, managing to touch his arm.

With that, Gabimaru forced 1000 Faith Orders into Aki to be sure of his control. Then, he gave a command using another 3000 Faith Orders to guarantee victory, "Both of you must kill yourselves."

Upon his command, a vacant look took over the Generals' eyes, yet vestiges of resistance lingered. Drawing blades from their sides, their resolve wavered, hands trembling. The rapidly depleting Faith Orders signaled the mental tug-of-war within them. Gabimaru could only watch and reinforce his control, investing 2000 more Orders with each passing moment.

As the toll climbed to 8000 Orders, any semblance of resistance vanished from the Generals. With haunting emptiness, they drew the blades across their necks, slitting their throats. Gabimaru observed with a dark satisfaction, his experiment yielding the outcome he had anticipated.

Gabimaru smiled in glee with the battle. This confirmed that Yama's Cult was strong enough to deal with Special Grade enemies, despite not being that rank himself. The unfortunate cost: 187000 Faith.

"Haha! I really am growing quickly. Gojo who? Haha!"

But his satisfaction was short-lived. The memory of a lurking necromancer resurfaced, prompting Gabimaru to ensure the Generals were beyond resurrection by severing crucial points. So, he made sure the neck and ankles were cut so they couldn't become jiangshi.

Thus, the fight showdown between two strong Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers and one elite First Grade Cursed Spirit ended, with the cursed spirit winning. Of course he was being frugal and showy to impress his sponsor. Still, just under 190000 Faith for two kills was a pretty cheap expense, even if they were sneak attacked by a domain without any way of defending themselves.

Nevertheless, victory bore its own weight. Gabimaru deactivated his domain, feeling the full brunt of his exhaustion. With his energy reserves almost depleted, vulnerability crept in.

His cursed energy had about 5% of a full tank left and his physical strength was gone from the strain he went through. Thus, Gabimaru swiftly employed a teleportation ritual, anchored to a distant sacrifice in Japan.

"Damn, I need a one hour break! I took care of my side, now it's up to you." Gabimaru said, wiping sweat from his face.

Looking in the distance at a turquoise spark, Gabimaru hoped the situation would go well, for him mostly.

...