Hidden perfectly in the stealthy nearby, Madara watched the three sorcerers. His Sharingan took in every detail, analyzing their movements, their gear, even trying to decipher the subtle flows of their unique energy. They were completely unaware of his presence.
From their brief conversation as they descended the stairs, he'd already picked up useful bits of information.
The young woman with glasses was called Maki. The serious man in the suit was Nanami, likely in his thirties. And the fast, arrogant old man was Naobito.
They mentioned someone named Satoru Gojo being sealed, and it seemed Naobito had some dislike or rivalry related to this Gojo's family or clan. Interesting dynamics.
He watched them move towards their objective. Suddenly, Nanami and Maki tensed, spotting the whimpering creature hiding behind the pillar. Madara recognized it instantly.
'Hmm… one of the weaker spirits I saw rampaging outside earlier,' Madara recalled. He'd seen many creatures like it when Jogo first blasted him out of the station.
'If this one is down here, the stronger ones Jogo, Mahito, and maybe others are likely nearby as well. They must be proceeding with their plan.'
He watched Naobito move. 'That old man is surprisingly fast,' Madara noted, impressed despite himself.
'He closed the distance instantly, almost like teleportation. And that technique…' He observed Naobito using the strange photo frame ability.
'Interesting way to attack indirectly.'
The fight was over in seconds. 'Well, that was quick,' Madara thought, slightly disappointed. 'I hoped to see more of their capabilities.' He almost decided to move on, seeking more valuable targets.
But then, something unexpected happened. The defeated creature started to convulse, its form shifting and expanding violently.
'Oh? It wasn't finished after all,' Madara observed with renewed interest. 'So, these creatures can evolve, perhaps under certain conditions like extreme stress or anger? Fascinating.'
He watched as the small, pathetic curse transformed into something much larger and more powerful, like comparing a larva to a monstrous insect.
….
The newly emerged cursed spirit, no longer a weak womb, hovered menacingly in the air. Its appearance was drastically different more defined, more powerful, radiating intense cursed energy.
It raised a hand, index finger pointed upwards, and instantly, a massive torrent of water flooded the station platform, rising rapidly.
Maki reacted quickly, jamming the end of her polearm into a high section of the wall and using it to vault herself above the rising water, holding on for support.
Nanami braced himself, ready to withstand the deluge. Naobito, however, simply flickered, his body blurring for an instant as he effortlessly appeared on a dry spot, untouched by the flood his speed-based technique allowing him to avoid the attack entirely.
Having repositioned himself, Naobito started talking, seemingly to himself but loud enough for the others to hear, completely ignoring the immediate threat.
"Interesting technique," he mused, stroking his mustache. "You know, animation often runs at 24 frames per second..."
"My name is not 'cursed spirit'!" the creature interrupted angrily, glaring down at the old man from the air.
Naobito continued as if he hadn't heard, still rambling about frame rates and how his own technique worked by dividing seconds into 24 increments.
"...so if I predict your movements within one of those frames..." The explanation was clearly meant more to boast than to inform, and it clearly annoyed the cursed spirit.
"My name is Dagon!" the spirit roared, fury evident in its voice. "And there's Jogo! And Mahito! And Hanami! We all have names!"
"Yes, yes, very fascinating," Naobito mumbled dismissively, still focused on his own technique's superiority.
Suddenly, Nanami burst through the water towards Dagon, swinging his wrapped blade in a powerful overhead chop aimed right at the curse's head.
Dagon reacted quickly, blocking the blow with a thick, webbed hand. The impact still sent Dagon crashing down onto the watery floor with considerable force.
Before Dagon could fully recover, Maki leaped down from her perch, thrusting her spear-like weapon towards Dagon's neck.
Dagon twisted away, dodging the sharp point, and lashed out with a clawed hand, aiming a deadly counter-attack at Maki.
But just as the blow was about to land, Naobito flickered again.
He appeared beside Dagon, touched him briefly, and Dagon's movement instantly froze for a fraction of a second just long enough for Naobito to shove him forcefully towards Nanami.
Nanami was ready. Seeing Dagon stumbling his way, he swung his blade again, aiming for another powerful strike.
Dagon threw up both hands, conjuring a swirling shield of water just in time. Nanami's blade hit the water barrier, sliding off course but still forcing Dagon back.
Now, the three sorcerers stood in a loose triangle formation, surrounding Dagon, who maintained his defensive water shield.
"A shield of water?" Naobito questioned, a smirk on his face as he casually walked forward, the water parting around his feet due to his technique.
"Impressive defense. But can you maintain it while also launching strong attacks? You clearly have a massive amount of cursed energy. Surely you have more tricks than just flooding the place?"
Seeing Naobito advancing, Dagon tensed.
The three sorcerers didn't wait for an answer. They attacked simultaneously from all sides.
Nanami's powerful blows, Maki's piercing thrusts, and Naobito's impossibly fast strikes hammered against
Dagon's water shield, cracking and straining it. Overwhelmed, Dagon desperately shot upwards, trying to gain height and escape the coordinated assault.
He began to levitate again, preparing another attack from the air.
But before he could even stabilize himself, Naobito appeared above him in a blur, striking him hard and sending him crashing back down into the churning water below.
Dagon tried once more to rise, attempting to use his levitation, but Naobito was already there, delivering a lightning-fast punch straight to Dagon's face before the curse could even react.
Dagon was completely outmatched. Naobito's speed was unbelievable; punches and kicks rained down on him faster than he could even process, let alone defend against or counterattack.
His own techniques felt sluggish and useless against the blinding blur of the old sorcerer. Every attempt to create distance or launch an attack was instantly shut down.
He was being beaten down, overwhelmed, with no way to fight back effectively.
Panic started to set in. He realized that if this continued, he would be exorcised right here, right now.
There was only one option left, his ultimate technique, the ace up his sleeve he hadn't wanted to reveal so soon or in this situation. But it was either use it now, or die.
Taking a huge gamble amidst the flurry of blows, Dagon tried to bring his hands together, attempting to form the intricate hand sign required to activate his most powerful ability. It was his last chance, his final trump card: Domain Expansion.
But Naobito was too sharp. Seeing the shift in Dagon's cursed energy and the beginning of the hand sign, the old man reacted instantly.
With a vicious, precise strike, Naobito shattered Dagon's hands before the sign could be completed, stopping the activation cold.
For a horrifying second, Dagon felt despair his final hope was seemingly crushed.
However, in that split second after destroying Dagon's hands, Naobito paused his relentless assault, perhaps momentarily satisfied or preparing his next move.
That tiny pause was all Dagon needed. Ignoring the searing pain in his ruined hands, Dagon acted purely on instinct. Using the blood pouring from his injuries, he quickly smeared a complex symbol directly onto his own stomach.
As the symbol glowed faintly with cursed energy, the intent was undeniable. Written crudely but clearly in his own blood were the words:
Domain Expansion!
…..
A/N: So, I wanted to ask, do you guys like longer chapter with more details and info or Shorter chapter with less detailed and info.
Like this chapter was about 1900 words long and I shorten it to 1200 words, so this version is less detailing in fighting and info.
-shorter
-longer
(The content will be the same but in longer there is more details while in shorter it contains all but with less details)