A city of soundless screams

  November 17th, 2018 Sendai colony

  “It’s a good thing no one’s around here. With players being able to leave barriers, who knows how many civilians would have died if they were still surrounding it.”

  “Salmon.”

  The two students found themselves walking desolate streets. Completely empty save for the occasional piece of trash that floated by in a breeze. When the culling game first began, there were countless spectators entranced by the erected barriers. Deciding to camp around it and observe the strange phenomenon. Not caring for or considering the danger such an action held. If such a gathering were to have been present when the rule that players could cross colony boundaries was added, the number of lives lost would have undoubtedly been in the tens of thousands.

  “You know, Inumaki, you really are amazing.”

  “Rice balls.”

  Both understanding this fact and recognizing that such a massacre had never occurred. The formerly timid boy couldn’t help but express his adoration for his friend. He who had almost single-handedly prevented such a tragedy. Sparing no time to take action despite his lost limb. After Shibuya, he, Todo, and Kusukabe had gone around the country to each of the colonies and managed to quarantine them from the public. Using Inumakis cursed speech to clear the areas, then designating them as closed off due to disease outbreaks, natural gas leaks, or some other bizarre occurrence to scare anyone off.

  They had only managed to finish their crowd control yesterday. Yuta had returned a few hours before them. Shortly after their arrival, a disarmed Hakari returned with a few new allies as well. It was quite a coincidence that we had all managed to arrive back with such a short time frame. Though Yuta preferred it that way. It filled him with joy to see everyone together again. That joy was short-lived however, as a few hours later a panicked Itadori returned carrying Maki. She was covered in frost burn and seemed half dead.

  Yuta felt my fists clench as he gritted my teeth at the memory. He should have been there. He promised Gojo Sensei he’d keep Itadori safe if something happened to him. He promised Itadori I’d stop him if Sukuna tried to hurt anyone. He should have known it was dangerous to leave them together. What kind of idiot is he? Now Itadori is sure to blame himself for everything that’s about to unfold, even though it’s his fa--

  Suddenly Yuta felt a hand on his shoulder, his friends hand. Forcibly dragging me out of my stupor. His eyes met Yutas, and they were brimming with concern that he was restricted in expressing.

  “Mustard leaf?”

  “I’m fine. I just should have been there when Sukuna came out.”

  “Fish Flakes.”

  Yuta tilted his head down as he finished speaking, too ashamed of his failures to meet his friend's gaze. At this Inumaki spoke encouragingly—well, as encouraging as you can be with 3 syllables at your disposal. It had taken months to learn, but Yuta had gradually realized his phrases were more like blueprints than actual answers. They directed the nature of what he wanted to say, and from there you had to interpret what he meant by his tone. It was a process that had quite a large margin of error, but by now he felt like he had a good grasp on it.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

  “Tuna.”

  Taking his hand off Yuta’s shoulder, Inumaki pointed forward and tried to direct my attention. Looking up from the ground, Yuta was met with an ethereal black wall a few dozen feet in front of him . It extended upwards into the sky with no end in sight. Yuta was so lost in thought he hadn't even realized the barrier was so close. It looked the exact same as it had when I first entered the colony a few days prior. Even though the rule that players could pass through them had been added. He had expected it to change in appearance somewhat, but that didn't seem to be the case.

  The rule of crossing barriers was decided to be one of the last rules they wanted to add to the game. By expanding one’s domain and overlapping it with the barrier allowed you to cross it. It was through this method that Hakari and Yuta had made it back to jujutsu high. By keeping the players confined to colonies they had hoped to limit the damage they could cause. If every colony had a few players whose technique could cause destruction on a scale similar to a special grade. Letting them run loose across Japan would be a nightmare. A nightmare that had become reality as of yesterday.

  Pushing aside thoughts about things he was powerless to stop, Yuta refocused back to the present and what was currently happening. Looking worriedly towards Inumaki before speaking.

  “You sure about this Inumaki? Going in will make you a player. We aren’t sure what Kenjakus plan is from here, so it might make you a target.”

  “Salmon.”

  His concern was met with steadfast assurance that all was well. Inumaki understood the risk, and Yuta had already talked it over with him after he declared with a “mustard lead” he would follow him in tracking Sukuna. Yuta was opposed to it at first, and in truth, still was to a lighter degree. Inumaki wasn't anywhere near as strong as him and hadn't declared himself a player yet—something that would soon change.

  The others had been concerned for Yuta going alone, something he was fine with. Nearly everyone was heavily injured at the time. All of them should be in the middle of receiving treatment from Shoko now. Out of everyone who was in a good enough state to come along, Inukami was the strongest. Well, Kusakabe was probably stronger. But he had left before Yuji returned, saying “I have something important to do." So despite his protests, Inumaki had tagged along.

  Looking back at him, Yuta let out a sigh of slight irritation born from his friend's stubborn refusal to let me do this alone. He should probably be grateful for their concern, but Yuta felt anything but that at the moment. Why couldn’t they understand why he should walk this road alone?

  With a shake of my head, Yuta stored such thoughts for later and signaled for Inumaki to follow him through. Hearing a “salmon” from behind him as he crossed the barrier.

  Going through it, Yuta felt... Absolutely nothing. He was expecting some light sensation across his body as he walked through, like taking a dip inside of a pool. Though nothing of the sort came. If he had closed his eyes and walked through it, he would have been none the wiser. He waited a moment before Inumaki followed through.

  "Hello, I'm Kogane.”

  “Don’t answer it, and you shouldn’t be teleported into the air.”

  Yuta reminded him of the unwritten rule that the soldiers had used to enter the colonies. After doing so he looked forward and began to once again follow the king of curses residuals. Sure enough, as Yuya began to walk, the sound of footsteps followed.

  As they walked the path Sukuna had taken, the only relief they had from the eerie silence was our own footsteps. Sendai was far from loud when Yuta was last there, but it was never like this. Before the echoes of fights and screams had permeated throughout the colony faintly. Creating a faint yet distinct melody that had been etched in his brain during his brief time there. Now there was nothing, absolute silence. This void deprived of noise was to such a degree that you could hear a pin drop. It was unnerving in a way different from that of the cacophony that he had previously associated with this place.

  Yuta looked back at Inumaki, he seemed unbothered by it, or at the very least he didn't show it. His face had his normal neutral expression. It relieved him to see Inumaki’s composure. If Uro, Ryu, or another stronger player showed up, Inumaki freezing up instead of running was the last thing he needed. Yuta reached up to his neck and grabbed his ring off of its necklace before sliding it on his finger. He wanted to be ready to bring Rika out and protect Inumaki at a moment's notice. They had lost enough people for one day.

  Ten minutes passed as they traversed the colony following Sukunas residuals. They took their time and advanced with caution, mindful of players who might attack us for points. Their caution was for not however as they had yet to see any signs of other players; most of them probably left the colony as soon as the rule was added. Which was both a relief and concern. Sukunas trail kept leading deeper and deeper into the heart of the city. Seemingly heading towards the stadium in the center.

  “Kogane, which colony is the player Megumi Fushigiro currently in?”

  “That player is not in any colony currently.”

  Appearing at his side, the game master responded to Yuta’s inquiry. They had already confirmed previously that Sukuna had left Sendai shortly after he had arrived. Still reassuring that there wasn't any chance we could run into that monster put him at ease.

  “Tuna.”

  Pointing forward, Inumaki directed Yuta's Attention towards a corpse in the middle of the road up ahead. Blood had soaked out and dried on the ground around it. Seemingly having been dead for quite some time. After getting within a few feet of it, Yuta was able to tell what the cause of death had been and perhaps more importantly, who the victim was. It was Ryu; their head had been cut cleanly into 3 precise sections. The slabs of flesh, skull, and brain matter had fallen close to his body .

  The sight probably should have brought Yuta relief knowing he wasn't a risk anymore. Ryus cursed technique allowed him to cause incredible destruction. If that were to be let loose in a populated area, it would be the worst-case scenario. His point total when he had given them to Yuta wasn't a multiple of five. Indicating he had already killed non sorcerers before. Thus the question was raised in Yuta’s head: if he was such a big risk to others, why had he let him live after he had given me his points?

  Yuta Okkotsu had intended to kill them prior to the point transfer rule being added; he had intended to kill countless more hostile sorcerers. When the culling games first began, he understood the only way to acquire the necessary amount of points would be to put an end to the lives of others. Something he had no qualms with. Still, the sight of this “threat” having been put down filled him with nothing but disdain for the killer.

  The source of these contradictory feelings lay in Yutas clash with the reincarnated sorcerer. Despite the man's lack of regard for the lives of others, Yuta had gained an understanding of the man over their brief conflict. Ryu was not inherently evil or a bad person; he just wanted a fight that could fulfill his desire. In search of that dream, he would do anything, the same way he would do anything to protect his friends and teacher. They, and perhaps a vast majority of people, were alike in that way.

  Still, Yuta wouldn’t forgive him because of that.

  “Inumaki, I’ll have Rika eat him so I can make use of his technique.”

  “Salmon.”

  Yuta extended his hand to his side. Shortly after he did so, his curse manifested. It’s large body floating a few feet off the ground. Wasting no time, Rika quickly reached down to pick up the corpse. Extending both of it’s arms high above it’s head, raising the body with them. It’s mouth quietly opened as the cadaver slid down into it. After the legs had slid into Rikas mouth, it bit down.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  It’s teeth made a clanging sound upon connecting with one another, which was quickly followed by the squishing of flesh being chewed. Bits of flesh fell onto the ground, making a wet squelching noise upon impact. Blood ran down Rikas face, teeth having been dyed a deep shade of crimson.

  Swallowing down Ryu’s lower extremities, Rika opened it’s mouth once more to fit the rest of him inside. In a series of two more equally grotesque displays, Rika had managed to devour the rest of his flesh. The only remembrance left of Ryu’s presence were pools of blood on the asphalt—both fresh and old ones—along with bits of flesh that Rika had lost while chewing. She had always been quite the messy eater, as far back as Yuta could remember.

  Always tossing aside utensils and using her hands to eat instead. Her shirt always got messy afterwards, and he would be forced to clean it up for her after she refused to. It never bothered him having to tidy up after her. The foolish grin she held as he did always melted his heart. Yuta felt a somber smile tug on my lips at the memory.

  “That’s enough, Rika. Thank you.”

  As quickly as the curse came, it vanished into thin air. Yuta turned to Inumaki and motioned for him to follow. They only managed about half a step before quite the unexpected voice was heard from our flank.

  “I see, having that shikigami eat a part of the sorcerer is the condition for your technique. I thought you were attempting to prevent me from healing my arm before, but you just wanted to copy my technique. I never took you for the greedy type, Okkotsu.”

  Turning around to look for the source of the voice, neither Yuta nor Inumaki could find them at first. An empty street being the only thing that greeted their eyes when they looked behind them. Inumaki was the first to see the one who spoke; Yuta was quick to follow.

  Tilting his head up Yuta was able to spot their observer, who was currently standing on the air about 15 feet above the ground. She had quite the unique appearance, to say the least. Both her eyes and hair were a light pink, the same shade of newly fallen cherry blossoms. In terms of clothing, she was severely lacking; that is to say, she was naked. While by definition nude, she obscured her body in choice locations with opaque sheets of air. She was someone Yuta had done battle with and prevailed over. Someone he had neglected to consider informing his comrades of, which would lead to Inumaki's next course of action.

  “Get away.”

  Having noticed her first Inuamki was quicker to take action Then Yuta. While he was surprised at having seen her once more, Inumaki took the opportunity to widen the distance between them. On edge at this stranger's complete comprehension of his friend's technique.

  At this two word command, the stranger merely tilted her head and let out a sigh. Beginning to walk down towards them, treating the air like a staircase.

  “I’m not here for a fight, I can’t beat you anyway, Okkotsu. I’m surprised you're willing to follow him cursed speech user. I presume he’s able to use your technique because he had his shikigami eat your missing limb.”

  By now she had reached the ground, landing with a thud. There was a scant ten feet between the two parties. A distance that began to close as she walked forward. Glancing over, Inumaki looked as pale as a sheet; Yuta couldn’t really blame him though. Running into an opponent your technique is completely ineffective on must be a nightmare. Yuta placed my hand on his shoulder and flashed him a smile to reassure him before turning to address her.

  “Hello, Uro. I’m surprised you’re still here since the rule’s been added.”

  Yuta was even more surprised that the arm Rika had bitten off was healed. Healing a severed limb with the reverse curse technique was quite the feat. Gojo and Shoko were the only ones who he thought could do it. Yuta knew Uro was strong, but still, being able to accomplish such a thing was astonishing. If they were to fight one on one without interruptions like last time..

  “I’m not particularly interested in what the world has become. Players may flock to other colonies now that the walls are dropped. At any rate, trying to search across the country for other participants in the culling game wouldn’t be very efficient. So I've decided to remain here.”

  “So you can kill more people.” His accusation came out sharp and jagged. Uro seemed unbothered and replied in a calm yet firm tone.

  “Yes, there’s a rule I need to have added. I almost had enough points to do so before I gave them to you. Do you have a problem with my intentions Okkotsu?”

  He very much did have a problem, but saying that wouldn’t get them anywhere. Besides, Inumaki was here, and she knew how to combat a cursed speech user. She was also aware of how his technique worked and most of its details. A battle would leave him drained and would only serve to waste valuable time.

  “The player who killed Ryu, do you know where he is currently?”

  While sidestepping her question, Yuta took the opportunity to propose one of his own. Uro raised her eyebrows at this. Pausing for a moment to consider her options before responding.

  "No, I don’t. Why do you want to find him?”

  “He took over the body of a friend. I intend to make him give it back.”

  “To think, such a tragedy could befall someone as ‘blessed’ as you.” Uro declared so mockingly before continuing on in a more serious manner.

  “Quit while you’re ahead, Okkotsu; I already told you as a repayment for sparing my life. You should leave this country and take everyone else you hold so dear to your ‘blessed’ heart. Neither you nor anyone else can defeat Ryomen. Now that players can cross boundaries, I’m sure Kenjakus found him. Ending his life to put an end to all this madness will be impossible so long as they are there together.”

  “Killing Kenjaku won’t end the culling game Uro.”

  Yuta found himself surprised at the grievances she had mentioned and voiced as much. Uro said it herself; she was fond of the culling game, so he didn't understand why she would want to end it. Nor why she thought killing Kenjaku would do so. She should know Kenjaku wasn't the game master and that ending his life in an attempt to stop the culling games would be pointless. In response, she merely waved it off and began to walk away.

  “I’m aware, Okkotsu. Whether you take my advice or not doesn't really matter. No matter how far you run, it probably won’t be far enough anyway. Spend whatever time’s left with the people you care about. You won’t be getting a second chance like I did, so don’t screw up your chance to say goodbye.”

  Yuta felt polarized by what she was saying. He never considered Uro to be the caring type. She always seemed to wear her emotions on her sleeve, predominantly angry ones. Never having answered his question about why she was so desperate for herself.

  Yuta assumed she never had anyone; it seemed he was being presumptuous now. Still, the most distracting part was how cryptic she was being. Talking about how nowhere would be safe, it was as if she knew about...

  “Uro, do you know about the merger?”

  Uro stopped and turned around to look at me once more. She looked—worried?

  "I can’t say.”

  “Kenjaku’s plan is to combine the non-sorcerers of Japan with Tengen. We call it the merger, you seem to know about. Yesterday Kenjaku was able to take Tengen, so he should be able to enact the merger soon. Did he tell you how he intends to start it or anything at all for that matter?”

  Gritting her teeth she replied in a measured but noticeable frustrated voice.

  "I, can’t, say.”

  “What’s that supposed to me—?”

  “Tuna.”

  Inumaki, who had remained silent since this encounter had begun. Decided to finally chime in and cut off an increasingly confused Yuta. Holding out his phone for Yuta to take, presumably having typed something on it. Looking over at it, Yuta decided to read it aloud for Uro’s benefit.

  “Incarnated sorcerer's made binding vows with Kenjaku in order to obtain new bodies. In certain cases, he may have asked for specific things with those binding vows in return. Like forbidding discussion about certain topics, for example.”

  “Kelp.”

  Having passed off his phone Inumaki took the chance to greet Uro. Waving his sole hand at her now that he was certain violence would not ensue. Yuta, for the first time since embarking on this mission, was grateful that his friend had come along. Having pieced together something he would never have thought of in a near instant. Inumaki was smarter than he looked. Handing Inumaki back his phone, Yuta looked back to Uro once more.

  “Is he right?”

  "...My father broke a binding vow. I would prefer the same not happen to me.”

  “I see... I’m grateful for your concern, but I’m afraid I won’t be running. I’ll kill Kenjaku and force Sukuna out of his stolen body. You’re welcome to assist us in preventing the merger if you want.”

  Taking her non-answer for the best one she was able to give under these circumstances. Yuta went ahead and asked if she would be willing to assist them in their plight. He was determined to shoulder as much of the coming burden onto himself as he could, but he wasn't so delusional to believe that he alone could bear it all. It was an unfortunate reality he had to accept. Having as powerful a sorcerer as Uro as an ally would prove indispensable.

  “What did you come here for anyway, Okkotsu?” Letting out a sigh, she dodged Yuta’s request for aid and posed an inquiry of her own.

  “We came looking for a player that entered the colony yesterday. We believe Sukuna and the player are connected in some way, so we were intending to follow his trail till we found them. Could you tell us what he did while he was in this colony?”

  “I will, but in exchange, there’s something I need you to tell me.”

  With a sigh Yuta managed to mutter out, “And what might that be?”

  “The name of Ryomen's vessel. Incarnated sorcerers seem to be entered under the player name of their vessel. It was my intention to add a rule disclosing such information, but if you would be so kind as to tell me there wouldn’t be a need.”

  Yuta looked at Inumaki before he went ahead and made the decision without involving him. he didn't see any problems with the deal, and thankfully neither did Inumaki. If his menu item answer was any indication.

  “His vessel’s name is Megumi Fushigiro.”

  “I see. As soon as Ryomen entered the colony, I went to hide. So I wasn't watching directly. But he was here for about half an hour; in that time he killed Ryu and another player who had entered the colony recently. I assume this is the player you were looking for. You should have known they had passed on since Kogane wouldn’t be able to find them. Yet you came anyway; I never took you for a fool, Okkotsu.”

  “There could be ways for players to leave the culling game that we’re unaware of. Or a possibility the player was able to change their name from their vessel to their original name somehow.”

  Yuta tilted his head down and made eye contact with the street as he listed off reasons for how Tsuobomi could have survived. They were flimsy at best, with nonsensical assumptions at worst. Against all logic Yuta had held onto a glimmer of hope, it was a fruitless and pointless endeavor when presented with the reality of the situation. Having wasted precious time going to Sendai to confirm something that was 99.9% likely to be the case.

  It was an effort Uro wouldn’t comment on or mock further. That foolish blind belief was something unique to those of a certain purity. Someone as blessed as him could never make the same mistake she had anyway. Perhaps that’s the reason why she was so irritated by him. Regardless, now that she knew the identity of the king of curses vessel. There was little stopping her from finding him, provided he was in a colony. She had been too afraid to see him before, something she refused to let persist any longer. There wasn't much point in fearing the inevitable, especially when she had so much left to tell that boy.

  "Kogane, which colony is Megumi Fushigiro in, and how can I get to that colony from here?”

  “Aomori. The colony is in that direction.” As it said so, the creature's head tilted itself north.

  Gathering cursed energy, Uro prepared herself to sore in that general direction. Looking back towards the blessed child, she felt compelled to give him a proper answer to his earlier question.

  "Sorry, but I won’t be helping you fight Ryomen. I’m not interested in committing suicide the long way around. It doesn't matter how many blessings you hold. For each and every one, Ryomen bears a curse of equal magnitude. Now then, if that’s all, I’m going to take my leave.”

  Without warning, Uro’s body sprung up into the sky. It was likely a similar process to the attack she performed on Yuta . In an instant, she was twenty feet overhead and was probably about to fly over to where Sukuna was. He was unsurprised by her refusal to aid their efforts, but it still was a disappointment nonetheless.

  A curiosity burned in Yuta to ask why exactly she was so adamant about finding Sukuna. She was from the Heian era, so the two had probably met while they were alive. Even if he asked, she likely wouldn’t tell him, and with Tsubomi's death having been confirmed, there wasn't a second to spare on such a trivial question. Gojo’s seal had to be removed immediately; by the time Inumaki and Yuta got back, Angel should have recovered enough to destroy the prison realm.

  Knowing all this, Yuta still decided to ask her one thing in parting. It was an itch that had been born at the beginning of their dialogue. Perhaps it was even more trivial than her reasons for finding Sukuna, and by that extension an equally greater waste of time. Still, Yuta knew better than most of the power names held. That was his curse after all.

  “Just one more thing, Uro. Why do you keep calling Sukuna Ryomen?”

  "...Because I won’t hate him.”

  Looking down on them, her eyes opened with surprise at the question. After a moment, she gave her answer in a somber tone. Taking off at high speeds in silence through the air.

  The answer she had given confused both of the sorcerers that were present. Neither one knew what her relationship had been with Sukuna. But neither one could imagine how you couldn’t hate that devil.

  Yuta was the first to act, informing Inumaki that they should head back now. He opted not to respond and just followed closely behind Yuta. Their steps being the only noise to pierce the emptiness of their surroundings. Yuta didn't understand how Uro could summon up some level of empathy for that monster. After all the blood he split in Shibuya and the countless lives he must have taken in the past.

  Biting down Yutas steps turned aggressive as he walked. Connecting with the ground strongly. Gaining speed and traction as he plowed ahead. Inumaki noticed this and did his best to keep pace, wanting to offer some form of assurance but the words both literally and figuratively did not come to him.

  Inside of Yuta Okkotsu lay a seed. One that had been planted weeks ago when he first heard of what had transpired at Shibuya, since then it had been left unnurtured. Due to this lack of care the seed had nearly died, nearly being the optimal word. Through watering that seed with blood, and giving it nutrients in the form of broken dreams. That seed began to bloom into a dark flower. A flower dark enough that most believed such a thing was impossible to dwell within him.

  Never again.

  “If anything happens to me, you need to take care of the current first and second year students, Yuta.”

  Each step Yuta Okkotsu took, the ground seemingly creaked. Caving into the weight placed upon it. A weight unnaturally large for a person of his size. A weight he was glad he could feel. Glad he could carry. Glad no one else carried.

  Not ever again. I won’t break any more promises, I won’t let them down again.

  “I will collect 400 points by myself”

  Yuta began to accelerate as he walked. It wasn't something he had intended to do, merely a byproduct of becoming lost in thought. As his speed grew so did the distance between him and his friend. A distance they both noticed grew, but only one had intentions of attempting to close it. As he tried, he found himself unable to close this gap. Leading to them to drift further apart as they departed from the colony.

  I’m sorry everyone. You all had to kill because I wasn't able to do it. I’ll keep my word this time. I'll bring Megumi back no matter what happens to me. I won’t let any of you suffer needlessly anymore.

  “I will kill Kenjaku myself.”

  It’s alright Gojo, you don’t have to bear it all alone anymore. Let’s be monsters together.