ᴜᴋɪʏᴏ
𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧
..
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ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇɪᴀɴ ᴇʀᴀ..
“Sister, there is another curse the locals are screaming about. He’s been burning a few villages, and the casualties have been so horrifying, it’s starting to alert the Gojō Clan.” A soft and blunt tone slightly echoed throughout an empty castle. Ryojin stood, arms folded and eyes shut, mirroring the cursed spirit seated on the throne beside him.
“Is that so?” The reply was a whisper, a hint of disinterest lingering. She couldn’t fathom a reason to care; the sorcerers are always quick to exorcise a threat. The woman, the curse, opened one of her closed eyes to gaze at her brother.
He hums in response, “He seems to be making a name for himself. I would like to meet him.” His proposal caused Akuryo to tilt her head a bit. For what?
She sighed and waved him off, “For what, Ryo? Those puny sorcerers will get rid of him by the end of the today.”
“That’s the thing, sister, they’re scared of him! He’s killed every last one that’s tried to exorcise him!” Both of his eyes widened as a bright, deranged smile began forming on his face. He laughed maniacally; he was excited. And it just hit Akuryo that she couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him this happy. Now, her interest is piqued.
He goes on, “I’d like to fight him. Do you think he’s stronger than me?” His tone was smug as if he already knew the answer.
She stays silent for a moment, stronger than him? Akuryo’s cursed energy was insurmountable, and to be entirely fair, she was so humble about it. The spirit was callous, responsible for the death of a quarter of the world’s population. She went global- outside of Japan entirely.
She was a force to be reckoned with, and she couldn’t be stopped. She refused. And her brother, Ryojin, became a curse user all too quickly.
The many sorcerers, from the Kamo Clan, the Zenin, the Inumaki, Fujiwara- hell, she even managed to get the Gojō clan to realize she was a severe threat to their survival; it was almost pitiful how they all failed to exorcise her.
It was as if they weren’t the strongest sorcerers of their time. They couldn’t touch her, and she barely had to use her cursed techniques. Akuryo kept this in mind as she contemplated Ryo’s question. While he belonged to no clan, his cursed energy was almost on the same level as hers. Almost.
She had half a mind to kill him for it, but she refused to lose the only person who cared about her; that human part of her had never left.
“No,” She replied earnestly and huffed out a breath before she began again, “However, I’d like to find out. Shall we?”
Ryo tried. He did, but he noticed he managed to get Akuryo interested. Despite his efforts, he couldn’t suppress the chilling laughter that erupted as soon as his sister spoke. The sound echoed through the vacant castle, startling nearby crows. A real challenge, he prayed to himself it would be. And a real challenge it will be.
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They strolled, following the sound of screams that grew louder the closer they got. She began to sense his potent, overwhelming energy, and for the first time in decades, a faint smile adorned her beautiful ebony features. She wasn’t one to hand out praise so quickly, but even she couldn’t deny how formidable his entire aura was.
She could tell he wasn’t stronger than her. He had the potential to surpass her power if one day she happened to die; she could also make out that much. The thought of it made her shiver in anticipation. Who is this curse? Who was the spirit that could invoke such a reaction from her, of all beings? She wanted to know desperately.
There was a hint of something else underlying his intense energy, making her heart beat faster. If she was confused, she made no show of it. She didn’t know what this feeling was, and if there was one thing she hated, it was not knowing.
She spotted a nearby castle, its presence evoking a sense of petrifying dread. She stopped abruptly, her brother following suit once he realized why. Someone else is here.
Out of nowhere, a freezing mist makes its way toward the both of them. Akuryo blocks it with her hand before it has the chance to reach her vicinity, the ice that formed shortly after shattering completely. Oh?
“Show yourself, curse user,” Ryo spoke for his sister, his tone utterly tranquil with a subtle pinch of annoyance. He didn’t appreciate attacks from afar.
There was no response, only the same attack coming quickly than the one before. This time, it was Ryo who blocked it effortlessly. He steps forward, closing his eyes when he stops. He breathes in, taking in the scent of the destroyed village. The minute his eyes open, medium-sized balls of hot melting lava and fireballs from his relaxed hand race in every direction, setting large fires on everything they touch.
“You hit someone,” Akuryo whispered to her brother. Her ears tingled as they quickly picked up on footsteps hurriedly rushing away from them.
Ryo clutched his sister’s hand, and with a swift step, they were directly in front of the castle. The gate loomed large, crafted from pure bone and metal—human bones, to be precise. Akuryo found herself internally commending his design style; the bones’ patterns were intricate and captivating.
She was in awe, but she didn’t know she was. She was familiar only with feelings of rage and indifference, requiring significant effort to provoke even the slightest hint of upset from her. She was evermore eager to meet this curse.
With a mere wave of her hand, the gate fractures into pieces, the sheer force of the action causing the wind to whip her hair back.
A path of dried blood and scattered bones led to the castle door. As Akuryo approached the towering entrance, a deep, authoritative voice called out before she could make contact,
“I will kill you,” His voice, she thought. It’s so.. sinister, arrogant, mildly flirtatious? It demanded attention, and it definitely had hers. Her cheeks would’ve been red had her skin been light enough. What the hell is happening to her?
“Do you promise?” She replies, her tone low and light, but even he could tell she was amused rather than scared. Sukuna had never faced a challenge, never encountered a curse that aroused anticipation within him. Sensing her energy before Uraume rushed at him with the upper side of their arm severely burned, he found himself undeniably intrigued—deeply so...
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a/n: let’s assume uraume wasn’t that good in reversed cursed technique in this era so she couldn’t heal herself that fast :)
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