JJK: Red Priest Pathway

Kyoto Sister School Goodwill Event, Day One: Team Battle: Spirit Bash Race.

A curse of the Second Rank was unleashed upon the enclosed territory of the school. The team that destroys it first wins! Additionally, curses of the Third Rank, as well as smaller curses, were released onto the area. If a winner is not determined by sunset, the team that has destroyed the most curses emerges victorious.

Furthermore, there are no other rules!

Surveying the well-kept streets and beautiful atmospheric houses of the Kyoto school campus, I couldn't help but wonder how the starting locations for both teams were chosen. However, the fact that Kyoto students started in the forest behind the school worked in our favor.

"You still have time to reconsider and let me have a good fight with the Kyoto kids while you banish curses and score points," I suggested, playfully twirling a wooden staff in my hands, adorned with numerous talismans at one end.

"Sure, you can attack another team but don't forget that you're all comrades bound by a common cause. Besides, the goal of this event is to discover yourselves and your teammates, as well as to improve teamwork. So, please, be cautious of injuries or, let alone, killing your comrades," Director Yaga repeated his morning monologue over the loudspeaker.

"Did you hear? You can organize a fight club during the second event," I remarked, cracking my neck.

"So, you mean while you'll be having fun, showing off your strength to everyone," Maki skeptically concluded, raising an eyebrow. "We have to banish curses?" she finished speaking with notes of boredom and displeasure.

"Did I say that?" I turned to Panda.

Have you ever seen Pandas do basic warm-up exercises? Well, I have.

"That's exactly what you meant," Panda replied without getting distracted.

"Salmon," Toge nodded, agreeing with his friend.

I wonder, were they always this combative, or did it result from six months of constant beatings on my part? Although, I think these guys had "issues" with their heads even before me, and after months of me smashing that same head into the ground, it only got worse.

"Well, it'll be amusing if, in the end, we lose on points or someone from Kyoto banishes a Second-Rank curse," I remarked with a slight chuckle.

"Who do you take us for?" Maki twirled her spear and continued, "You don't consider us comrades? Or do you see us as that unreliable in your eyes? Or maybe it's beyond your capability to fulfill your part of the plan? Or maybe..."

"Okay, okay, spare me the brain overload. I get that you're serious," Maki interrupted before the girl could come up with another hundred and fifty reproaches towards me.

"And so, guys, there's one minute left until the competition begins!" Gojo-sensei's voice echoed from the loudspeaker. "You know, there's a phrase by Pierre de Coubertin: 'The most important thing is not to win but to take part.' But this quote is often misused, for example, as a pretext to make someone participate in something. However, if participation is the most important, then one can find meaning in non-participation as well. Essentially, not trying what others try can also be considered valuable experience..."

Judging by the faces of my comrades, I immediately understood that we were all thinking the same thing: "I wonder if he wanted to say something motivational, and it turned out as usual? Or is he just Satoru Gojo?"

"So, what's the point of all this? Oh, unfortunately, time is up, so we'll continue some other time. And now... START!" With a roar from the loudspeaker, our hearts pounded faster in anticipation of the battle and, of course, victory.

"Well, I'm off, but I promise to come back!" I slightly bent my knees, tensing my shins, and held the staff horizontally to my body, so that the side with the talismans was behind my back, and the other was slightly tilted towards the sky.

Since the "Actor's Process" scale had stalled at ninety-eight percent and showed no signs of moving further, and the "Domain Expansion" resisted my attempts to "storm" it, a bright and very wise proverb came to my mind: "The smart one won't climb the mountain; the smart one will go around it." So, I sat, smoked, and came up with a new technique...

"Astamangala: Flight," I uttered the name of the Cursed Tool and the technique aloud, and a spiritual flame ignited in my soul, filling it instantly. Soon, waves of Cursed Energy rolled through my body, which I smoothly redirected into my right hand, already entering the staff.

In an instant, numerous talismans at the end of the staff ignited.

Astamangala is a Cursed Tool inherited by Sorcerers from the times before the Heian era. For a non-Sorcerer, it could pass as a regular broom, albeit with paper rods. The true purpose of this tool remains unknown to this day. However, modern Sorcerers use it as a simulator to control Cursed Energy. They let their energy flow along the entire staff and then fill the talismans so that they "stand at attention." A moment of lost concentration — everything goes out of control. Too much Cursed Energy — it starts leaking out of the talismans and dissipating. Too little, and the talismans hang as if lifeless.

However, thanks to the fact that my Cursed Energy possesses fire properties, a brilliant idea suddenly struck me.

Controlling Cursed Energy, I directed a large amount of it along the staff into the talismans.

[First Aspect: Compression].

After that, the flames coming out of the talismans compressed, thanks to the influence of one of the "Aspects," to such an extent that it was impossible to distinguish the contours of the talismans. Next, I allowed the entire raging firestorm to burst out of the talismans with incredible force, creating reactive thrust that allowed me to take off, pulling the staff, and me with it, into the sky.

Leaving a red trail behind, in a couple of seconds, I was already above the school's training ground.

Incredible? Yes, just freaking awesome!

It's one thing to move on your own two feet, even at supersonic speeds, and another to fly in the sky! It felt like I was a little child who took a stick and began to swing it from side to side, creating that very sound of cutting through the air. No, it was even better!

[First Aspect: Compression].

After flying for about five seconds, I had to use [Compression] again to sustain myself in flight. There were only two downsides: first, the technique could only be used in tandem with Astamangala, as I didn't possess such an advanced level of control over my fire at the moment; second, it was a cyclical challenge, meaning that every few seconds, I had to activate [Compression], giving me a brief window of three to four seconds to attack from the sky.

"Here you are," I said, feeling the combined Cursed Energy of the six Sorcerers, excitement reflected in my eyes.

***

Kyoto School's Starting Location. A few minutes earlier.

"And so, guys, there's one minute left until the competition begins!" Gojo Satoru's voice echoed from the loudspeaker. "You know, there's a phrase by Pierre de Coubertin, 'The most important thing is not to win but to take part.' But this quote is often misused, for example, as a pretext to make someone participate in something. However, if participation is the most important, then one can find meaning in non-participation as well. Essentially, not trying what others try can also be considered valuable experience..."

"I wonder, are all Special Grade Sorcerers so strange?" Kasumi Miwa turned to her comrades, listening to the peculiar speech of the strongest.

"So, why am I saying this? Oh, unfortunately, time is up, so we'll continue some other time. And now... START!"

"The eccentric rebel, idler, the most dangerous criminal, idiot, and cursed one," Momo counted all the Special Grade Sorcerers. 

"Yes, I think all Special Grade Sorcerers are 'so strange.'"

"Todo, I'm surprised you decided to follow us," a tall guy with black hair, gathered into two strands in front of his face, wrapped in a bandage-like fabric, spoke. If you ask the students of Kyoto School of Magic: "What is his distinctive feature?" everyone will answer without hesitation: "If you don't count that he rarely shows emotions, then probably the fact that Noritoshi keeps his eyes closed most of the time."

"Noritoshi, you're mistaken in something," replied the inheritor of the Kamo clan, a tall muscular youth. "I'm not following you; I'm baiting my opponent."

Noritoshi wore a pensive expression that instantly turned into one of concern.

"Scatter!" shouted the Kamo heir, simultaneously reinforcing his legs with Cursed Energy and leaping aside.

Perhaps due to Noritoshi's authority or maybe because their instincts sensed danger, all the students of the Kyoto School bolted in different directions. In the next moment, a red meteor descended from the sky. Well, "descended" might not be the right word; it crashed into the ground with such force that a tremor passed under the feet of the students, and their vision was obscured by a giant, fifteen-meter-high cloud of dust.

◊◊◊

Around me hung a cloud of dust, and Astamangala was half-buried in the ground, which cracked for dozens of meters around. Slightly releasing control over the Cursed Energy, I allowed it to burst outward, instantly dispersing all the dust in the vicinity.

"Well, hello there, kiddos," I said with a wide smile, surveying the Kyoto students with an assessing glance. "How about I make good on my words? I allow using that vacuum cleaner," I addressed Momo, who was flying on her broom a bit away from the others, pointing at Mechamaru.

"Yami Sukehiro, did you happen to mix up the Events?" Kamo's heir spoke in a calm tone, as if not expressing any complaint, simultaneously dusting off his clothes.

"Why does it matter when we start fighting? During the 'Exorcists' Race' or the 'Individual Matches' - the difference is small. Either I'll beat you, or Yuta will crush you."

Behind me, loud laughter, rhythmic as if someone was keeping time for a tango, was heard.

"I never doubted that you would understand me, Sukehiro Yami!"

Aoi Todo — the one I came for. Excluding me and Yuta, he is the strongest Sorcerer of the new generation. His tall and muscular body seems to radiate beastly strength and fury. The large scar running down the left side of his face is a symbol of his experience, which sets Todo apart from all the others. Thinking about it now, he and I are cut from the same cloth, as we both dedicated ourselves to the Sorcerer profession from childhood, and we both have already learned from life that if Sorcererism is just a profession for you, sooner or later, you will break.

"You're so confident that you decided to use your teammates as bait?"

Well, I was right when I bet that Todo wouldn't abandon his own, as this would be his best chance to encounter me on the battlefield.

"No," Todo put on a serious face. "I was confident in you. No, not like that. I knew that you would rush into the battle right away because that's exactly what I would have done!"

"Something like the joker of our team against the joker of yours?" I smiled understandingly.

"You hit the nail on the head!" Snapping his fingers, Todo grinned brightly.

BANG!

The surroundings were shattered by the deafening sound of a gunshot, echoing through the clearing where we stood and disappearing into the forest. I just had to tilt my head to the side to dodge the bullet fired from the revolver I was already familiar with.

"Next time, bring at least a sniper rifle," I addressed Mai, who was standing about ten meters away from me. "Although even that won't be enough for you, you can bring Miwa with you, so you won't feel so lonely shedding tears after a bitter and humiliating defeat from a clanless orphan."

Without waiting for a response, I burst from my spot, leaving a trail of scorched earth behind me. Reaching Zenin with lightning speed, I grabbed her wrist and, using the First Great Revelation from Kai Men Bajiquan, I knocked the air out of the girl's chest with a shoulder push. Immediately after that, without wasting a second, I threw Mai over my thigh. However, instead of letting her fall to the ground, I released her body in the middle of the technique, causing her to fly far to the side. Towards Miwa.

Suddenly, I felt a tingling in my brain, and in the same instant, I sharply fell to the ground, evading an energy beam that whistled over my head and burned several dozen trees behind me. Turning to the side, I dodged two arrows that now stuck out at the forearm's length from me.

"Nice coordination," I praised my opponents, looking up at the sky.

The Peak of the Seventh Sequence gave me a lot, but above all, the changes affected my body—now, even without Cursed Energy, I was as strong as a Third-Grade Sorcerer who strengthens their body with Cursed Energy. What will happen when I use Cursed Energy, which I have as a Peak Sorcerer of the First Grade?

I leaped from the ground towards the nearest surviving tree. The dry blade, cut off by Noritoshi's arrow, was still falling. Stepping on the trunk, I pushed off and jumped powerfully to another tree. Landing on a branch, I repeated the same, until I finally ended up at the highest point, from where I instantly pushed off again, investing all my strength, thereby destroying the tree under me.

The blade fell. Following it from the sky, next to Mechamaru, Nishimiya Momo fell.

"But that's not enough," I concluded my sentence, finding myself next to Kamo's heir.

First Significant Technique: Palm Flow.

The hand, now glowing red and radiating heat that distorted the air around it, descended vertically onto Noritoshi. However, in the last moment, the guy managed to put his bow in front of him and redirect the strike slightly to the side, which saved him. Unfortunately, or fortunately for someone else, the bow did not survive the direct impact of the edge of my palm, which could cut through boulders and metals as if they were butter.

So, Miwa is supporting Mai, who is recovering from her diaphragm hit. Momo is lying next to the Mechamaru doll, and her broom is tossed a bit further into the forest. Noritoshi Kamo is deprived of his ranged weapon. This means - I've completed everything that was required, saving the most delicious for last.

"How about this," I addressed all the students from Kyoto. "I will fight the strongest among you, and the rest can go perform their exorcist duties."

"What's in it for you?" Noritoshi asked me, holding the split bow so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"I find it an interesting fight, and you get an exciting competition," I shrugged, seeing nothing strange in it. Although I perfectly understood how strongly it could hit the pride of at least two people in this group.

"You planned this from the beginning, didn't you?" Kamo's heir turned to Todo.

"Huh? What?" Todo, as if waking up from a trance, was surprised when addressed. "If you're asking, 'Did I plan for you to be beaten like children?' then no, I didn't plan that."

Noritoshi just shook his head disappointedly.

"We have no choice," looking at the joyful comrade who was burning with anticipation, Noritoshi nodded. "We're leaving."

Although some of the guys wanted to object, as soon as they saw me and Todo, they decided to swallow their pride and follow their "leader."

They might not realize it now, but my main task was not to beat them up, thereby lowering their fighting spirit, but to divide them into pairs that would be useful for our team. Using [Provocation], I planted in Mai's mind that she needed to take Miwa with her, in Momo's mind that the girl needed to team up with Mechamaru, and in Noritoshi Kamo's subconscious that he would be looking for an interesting competition, meaning he would be on the lookout for either a Second-Grade curse or Inumaki Toge.

Again, all thanks to the Seventh Sequence Peak. After all, before, [Provocation] worked in a much more crude way, and it was much easier to resist it. And now, the power of my words has become much more impressive, although, in this regard, I am still not on par with Toge. Moreover, I cannot create a truly strong illusory desire or inclination in the victim's mind without certain conditions to be met, for example: a condition like the close contact between Miwa and Mai after the latter was injured.

"Well, here we are, just the two of us," Todo said with a smile across his face.

"Quite romantic, I agree."

"Kinji told me about you," Aoi shook his head from side to side. "You're not a fan of his tastes."

"He seems to love women too," I replied, scratching my brow, although I wasn't entirely sure myself.

"Don't worry, Takada says, 'All tastes are good, after all, it's love in the end!'"

"You know, I don't have time to follow idols," I said, seeing such a strong love for a "media persona" for the first time... He's indeed a strange Sorcerer.

"But you still know her," Todo grinned. "However, that won't save you from my fists," his mood changed abruptly, and his body instinctively assumed a fighting stance.

"Well, finally," I grinned, looking at the Cursed Energy that enveloped Todo like fire, and I prepared myself for the long-awaited battle. "So, shall we begin?"

"Of course," Todo nodded, then, with a mad smile, turned to me. "But first, I have only one question for you. What type of girl do you like?"