"How..." Hanami's voice was a gravelly rasp, its focus shifting entirely to me. "There was no sign of activation!"
She sounded angry, while a little fearful, in my opinion. But this was to be considered, given that she was right. Only someone who was as attuned as Satoru Gojo, or perhaps the King of Curses as well, could pick up on my uniqueness.
That aside.
'Hahaha~, the strain isn't as bad with a condition as an anchor.'
The snapping of my fingers was effective in solving one problem. The cost was only a bit less; however, the strain was negligible when I activated teleportation with my new snapping condition.
"Now then," I dashed in to cover the distance. I was already down to 85% of my current mana pool; it felt like the empty space within a water bottle after you drink. The feeling was quite distinct, so it wasn't hard to gauge.
"Don't get cocky!"
Hanami punched out.
Our two fists collided in the middle of the shallow river flowing peacefully. The collision sent a sting up my arm, just proving how absurd special-grades were. Hanami was the most durable out of her little group, but still, it was absurd.
Next came a spin kick, threatening to crush my body beneath its wrath.
Twisting my body unnaturally, I avoided her, but the next attack came too quickly to be dodged. Forming an "X" with my arms, I took the brunt of her attack. My forearms felt like they'd been struck by a high-speed freight train. The pain sucked, but it was manageable.
Fortunately, the brother duo behind me wasn't slacking in the midst of my performance.
A clapping sound echoed as my body switched with "Black Flash" Itadori himself. His whole demeanor was enough for me to realize that he was in the zone. A smile formed on my face, being a part of this moment that I wanted... ah, fuck it.
"Do it, Itadori!"
"Full Power, Brother!"
A satisfying sound echoed as Itadori's fist landed. The iconic black sparks flashed for a brief instant, making my eyes almost tear up.
"Todo!"
"Of course!"
Todo swapped in, bringing Hanami near me. She was still too stunned to realize what was happening. A quick snap brought Yuji to my position; another black flash hitting. Yuji didn't even wait for the follow-up.
PA!
PA!
'That's four!' I swapped in with Yuji. A mana-enforced kick launching Hanami back further. If I was using a proper reinforcement spell, this kick would have been many times more lethal. My mana coating was primal, so the enhancement was negligible, but any difference helped.
"DIE!"
Hanami tore off the white wrap around her left arm. A signal that she wasn't playing around anymore.
A root the size of a subway car erupted from the dirt directly beneath us. The gnarled, blackened spear of high-density life-force began moving with a velocity that defied its massive mass. The air around the rising trunk screamed, displaced by the sheer force of the growth.
The three of us ran, with random intervals of snapping and claps echoing. All of our different heights made attacks that should have landed miss. Through our different frames, we made the impossible possible while we ganged up on this special-grade curse.
"Todo!"
I screamed.
Our positions were perfect.
Clap!
Todo swapped with Hanami, putting the special-grade in the perfect position for a pincer. The four of us formed a triangle; Hanami was originally the tip, with us serving as the two points and Todo in the middle.
"Yuji!"
"On it!"
The two of us punched out with perfect synchronization. Our fists landing at the same time on both sides of Hanami's waist.
"G-GUAH!"
Across from me, the black sparks resonated with Yuji, while my own mana coating served to bring out more of my power.
Snap!
I swapped Yuji out, then myself.
"D-Damn it all."
'Shit!'
Hanami was about to strike while the three of us were definitely not prepared.
'I need to form,'
My thoughts stopped.
Actually, the world seemed to stop.
The sound of something breaking like glass sang within this still world. All of our eyes looking towards the small dot in the sky that felt many magnitudes better because of the person.
"Gojo-sensei?!"
"About damn time, Satoru."
I sighed in relief seeing him break free from the veil. It reinvigorated me to hold out until he came over.
"Stand ready, you two! Just because he's out doesn't mean he'll come here first!"
"R-Right!"
"Yosh!"
Itadori and Todo were receptive to my orders once again. Thankfully, I didn't have a problematic duo with me or our survival chances would have been zero. Actually, my luck may have saved me hopefully, but relying on such a thing was stupid. Calling myself a proper magus would actually be an insult if I overly relied on such a variable.
"S-Satoru Gojo..." Hanami looked off somewhere, with a nod of her head following soon after.
'Mahito succeeded then?'
My mind felt it was perfect. Sure, it would be disastrous once Sukuna received their little gift, but as much as it would be right of me to stop it, I couldn't. Right now, no one would believe me if I started spitting out future knowledge. Also, a part of me... the magus inside of me wanted to see the mysteries of Ryomen Sukuna up close.
Everything until his clash with Satoru I wanted to keep the same. In exchange, though, the world's future direction would change.
'It'll be the least I can do for not changing anything.'
[Pfft. Spoken like a true magus pursuing their goals.]
'Humans adapt quickly, if you didn't know.'
[That, or you were more twisted in your head than you thought.]
I ignored the last part to focus on Hanami, who hadn't retreated yet. It was inevitable that she would,
'She's gone.'
Hanami left before Satoru could come. His presence alone scared her this time. He didn't even have to unleash Purple this time.