Chapter 11 - A Malevolent Shrine (Part 9)

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

[Narration]

{Chat}

…

(First POV: Sloth)

I had taken the finger from ghost and bolted out of there while ordering Mahito. I didn't expect Akira to give chase so quickly.

By the time I got close to the exit, he was already behind me. Before I could blink, Omni was already in front of me with his hand on my shoulder.

"Akira, go back to the others; I'll take care of him," Omni said before we both appeared at the entrance of the shrine.

I couldn't react as a punch hit my face and blasted me through the door of the shrine and straight outside.

I rolled on the ground before stopping my momentum by digging my feet into the ground.

"You think you can take me?" I said as I wiped the dirt from my face, fully standing up.

"Huh? Of course, I can take you. After all, you're weak." Omni said it with a carefree smile on his face.

'I don't have the finger!' I frowned before my poker face came back in full force.

"You know, I'm not like the original Geto."

"Are you saying you'll beat me?"

"I'm saying you should think carefully about the next move you make, Gojo."

His eyes looked me up and down as if studying me. A scoff came from his mouth before he held his hand up in front of me.

"Wrong choice." My face turned apathetic as I said those words.

From behind me appeared the Lich. He stared Omni in the face until I snapped my fingers.

"Die."

Upon the simple domain going up and hitting Omni with that simple phrase, he collapsed.

Grasping at his heart, blood was leaking from his mouth. His eyes were wide as if he couldn't believe it.

"You see, that's the difference between me and you." I walked up to his collapsed body and taunted him. "While you used your heritage and unique bloodline, I planned, and I succeeded. I started from nothing and made my way here!"

As I saw him lying on the ground motionless, I realized there was no use in wasting words on people who weren't around to hear them.

I returned the Lich and my pink manta ray back to my storage before getting my worm curse out and having it eat me.

Upon it eating me, I returned it to my storage. I had figured out that, by Minecraft rules, my storage was counted as another dimension.

Using the worm, I had it move in my dimension to match the coordinates of where Souei was. There was a whisper feature that allowed people to talk privately in the chat.

Using that, I had Souei send me the coordinates. If you tried to say 'I am' and then think about your location, you would be able to get the coordinates of your location.

Pulling my worm curse's head out of the storage with its mouth open, I stepped out.

"Uzumaki," I said it right as Akira was trying to turn around.

He tripped himself as soon as he saw where I was aiming, causing my Uzumaki to fly off course and miss him.

"Souei, catch."

I had thrown Souei the sword of promised victory.

Souei caught the black blade and put his old sword in his inventory. As Akira stood up, a furious expression appeared on his face.

I don't think we can win a fight against Akira. Not any time soon, and with my goal right behind him, I just need to distract him.

"Idle transfiguration! Ahhh, I truly am a curse!" Mahito's voice sounded over all of us as we all turned to look at him.

I knew he had a health potion on him, as I told him to stack up on everything in case he lost.

Ghost, who had deactivated his new ability, turned it back on.

Mahito's body grew massively and began swelling. The grotesque faces, mouths, arms, and legs growing on his body disappeared in an instant.

His eyes appeared to be covered by a crown-like plate crudely attached to his lower jaw.

Not only his face, but Mahito's body's overall shape altered greatly with a much tougher and bulkier exterior.

He sported a thick tail and black tendrils that extended from his elbows and the back of his head, which could be used as weapons. Mahito's legs, as well as the area around his neck and forearms, were completely black.

I knew this wasn't a true transformation but was somewhat closer to a false one. He had never landed a black flash, so his true form would never be seen. His soul may be a bit different from the original Mahito as well.

"Wish me a belated happy birthday, Yuji," Mahito said with a new, deep voice.

Mahito quickly rushed Yuji, but before I could see any more, Akira suddenly disappeared.

I tried to turn around only to see Akira with the Soul Split Katana ready to take off my head with a ridiculously big smile on his face.

*CLASH*

Souei, with the sword of promised victory, had blocked the attack. I have no idea how he was able to match Akira in strength, even if it was only for a moment.

Quickly, Akira did a spin kick, which Souei blocked; however, the momentum was too much. I knew none of my curses could surprise Akira, so I had to time an Uzumaki in order to even scratch him.

Souei's body instantly crashed into me, and upon catching him, I realized Akira had disappeared. I turned my head toward Sceptix's body, only to see Akira standing over him with a small knife in hand.

'He's going to kill him!'

"Souei, stop him!" I said as Souei immediately bolted forward.

He wasn't going to make it! Akira had already pulled his hand back!

*CRUNCH*

{Akira Fushiguro has slain Sceptix Fushiguro.}

*BANG*

All three of us were blasted away by a large gust of wind. A bright light emanated from where Sceptix's body was.

{Sceptix Fushiguro has made the advancement: Post-Mortal}

Above Sceptix's body appeared a skull, and then the rest of the skeleton formed. As the skeleton finished forming, muscles and nerves grew on the bones. The flesh grew skin as the body grew eyes.

As Sceptix's new body finished forming, his eyes opened, and he touched the ground with the same clothes he had on death on his body.

Taking a stance I knew all too well, I felt time slow down. In the corner of my eye, I saw Mahito and Ghost stop fighting. Everyone must be watching this.

"With this treasure, I summon..."

…

(Third POV:)

*HOWL*

Three wolves and three frogs spawned on either side of Sceptix. As the wolves howled, it seemed as if everything had gotten dark.

As the wolves finished howling, a massive cocoon appeared behind Sceptix, being held back by a massive number of thin bindings.

"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent…"

"Sila Divine General Mahoraga!"

At the top of the cocoon, a large mouth cracked open instantly, as wide as it could.

The bindings holding the cocoon began releasing as four large wings attached to the creature slowly began shrinking.

The shikigami twitched and convulsed as its body fully formed.

A golden eight-handled wheel was above its head. Skin as pale white as can be, and four white wings on its face.

A tail-like appendage extending from the back of its head. The shikigami itself was a towering, muscular humanoid figure.

Sports black hakama bottoms and a white sash around its waist covering most of its lower body.

But Sceptix... was a vengeful asshole! The divine general grew even bigger as its muscles bulged.

Sceptix was pumping it full of his maximum output so that it would turn into a 'Great' variant of itself!

This would give it around a two-time status increase! And as the divine general began to walk forward, Sceptix only smiled.

"Give it your best shot!" Sceptix said as a massive fist barreled toward his body.

*Clap*

Right as Mahoraga's backhand was about to reach Sceptix, his position was suddenly traded with a large rock.

*BANG*

The rock shattered into pieces from the attack. Mahoraga turned its head toward Sceptix as it broke the rock.

"Why the fuck would you boogie woogie Sceptix out of the way?" Sloth spoke furiously. His delicate planning was ruined.

"Was I not supposed to do that?" Cursed said with confusion. It was as if they didn't tell him the plan (they definitely did).

Before Sloth could speak, his eyes widened as he saw what was behind Sceptix.

"Akira, get Ghost and come over here! We're getting out of here!" Omni said with blood leaking from his eyes. He had his hand on Sceptix's shoulder.

Akira quickly disappeared from his spot. Ghost was locked in combat with Mahito, but right as his leg was grabbed by Mahito's tail, Akira punched the curse in the face.

Grabbing Ghost, Akira ran toward Omni. He was too fast to stop.

Mahoraga was still taking its time walking toward Sceptix.

"How are you still alive?" Sloth asked as he couldn't believe someone would be able to take Lich's full-force simple domain at such a low grade.

"I'm the strongest, bitch."

As soon as those words left Omni's mouth, he, Akira, Sceptix, and Ghost were gone.

"Shit." Sloth cursed. "Everyone, get on the manta ray right now!"

Everyone had begun running toward the manta ray, but there was one problem.

When Sceptix had started the ritual to summon the divine general... he had forced Sloth to participate.

Mahoraga's head began to turn toward Sloth. The ever-present grin on its face looked much more disturbing.

The second everyone was on top of the large manta ray, they took off. The exit was around a hundred meters away. They could make it if...

"Look out!" Souei screamed as he held his sword above Sloth's head.

*CLASH*

*FWOSH*

The manta ray hit the ground as Mahoraga's sword of extermination clashed with Souei's sword of promised victory.

He was barely holding on. His knees were waning and his legs felt like jelly.

*Clap*

Mahoraga had traded places with a rock some tens of meters away.

They weren't going to make it like this. Everyone knew that fact.

Souei stepped off the nearly crushed manta ray with the black sword over his shoulder.

"You know we aren't going to make it like this..." Souei said with a sad smile on his face that the group couldn't see.

"Souei, don't tell me..." Sloth's eyes were wide. At this moment, he knew Souei was giving up. But not in a way that would be detrimental to everyone.

"Yeah, I'm going out fighting. It was fun. Getting sent to another world with abilities I never imagined and getting a wife! It was truly the most fun I ever had." Souei began walking away from the near-fully healed manta ray as he spoke.

"Souei, get your ass on this curse! We're getting out of here!"

"Nah, Smokes, we both know that I'm the only one strong enough to hold him back. If Sloth or Mahito go in there, they'd be killed immediately." Souei turned to the group with a bright and innocent smile.

Rolling his shoulders while turning toward Mahoraga, Souei's smile grew even more.

"Time to show this bitch who's house he's in! Because they don't call me Souei, where I'm from! They call me king, bitch!" Souei screamed as he bolted forward with all the speed his legs could muster.

Sloth cringed as the manta ray flew into the air. Getting everyone back on it, the curse instantly flew toward the exit.

'Good luck, Souei.' Sloth thought, but deep down he knew Souei stood no chance.