JJK X FATE: Chapter 57/58

Chapter 57: Action Director

"The treatment isn't over yet, don't move."

In the now-ruined training ground, Ieiri Shoko was pressing down on Satoru's white cat-like head, treating him.

Satoru's physique was truly formidable. He had regained consciousness in just over ten minutes.

Of course, Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique played a role in that as well.

"Speaking of which, Eichi."

"Hmm?"

Eichi, who had been admiring a group photo of the team with Satoru, turned to look.

"Can your external technique, Heroic Spirit Summoning, summon anything?"

He'd already had a guess when he saw Artoria, but when Medea appeared, that guess had been confirmed.

Standing nearby, Suguru looked thoughtful upon hearing the question.

According to Eichi, as long as he gathered enough fantasies about a Heroic Spirit, he could summon them.

Wouldn't that mean if Eichi designed an invincible Heroic Spirit and summoned it, he'd instantly become invincible?

If that was true, it would be incredibly unfair.

"No. For me to summon a Heroic Spirit, they must first be sufficiently reasonable."

That reasonableness was judged by the Holy Grail. Eichi had tried tacking on extra settings before, but the fantasies generated by those settings weren't absorbed by the Grail.

"Also, fantasies about Heroic Spirits aren't easy to gather. Haven't you noticed that after all these years, I've only managed to summon Ria?"

In another decade or so, that might change. With the rise of computers and smartphones, the internet would allow fantasies to spread far more widely.

"As for Caster Medea, I can only perform an incomplete manifestation right now, and her presence duration is extremely short."

Recalling how quickly Medea disappeared earlier, Suguru nodded in understanding.

"Even so, it's still broken."

Seven Special Grade-level Heroic Spirits, plus Mahoraga and Chimera.

No, he had to have faith in himself.

"Hmph."

Suguru took a deep breath.

First, a small goal—absorb the sixteen Special Grade Cursed Spirits recorded by Jujutsu Headquarters.

Then, he'd find the ones not yet documented.

A long-lost sense of urgency to become stronger welled up inside him.

"How do you feel, Gojo-kun?"

Yaga, who had just returned from inspecting the state of the training field, walked over.

The condition of the training ground was just as expected. After being devastated by black holes, lightning, storms, and floods, it no longer resembled a proper training space.

The training field had been obliterated by only the second day of school.

Yaga felt a headache forming.

That's enough for today.

He had originally planned to observe Suguru and Artoria's strength, but now he dropped that idea.

One was already recognized as Special Grade, and the other could summon Special Grade Cursed Spirits. It was obvious without seeing them fight.

"Totally fine."

Looking at Satoru now, no one would guess he'd just been knocked unconscious.

"Oh right, didn't you want to see everyone else's strength too? Who wants to go next?"

Satoru clapped his right fist into his left palm.

"No, I'm a non-combatant."

Shoko, catching his gaze, immediately formed an X with her arms across her chest.

"Boring."

He'd wanted to see what this new classmate could do.

"No, I mean…"

"Yaga-sensei, let's leave now. Otherwise, you'll get caught in it."

"Wait—"

Yaga, who was about to say there was no need for another match, was promptly pushed out of the training area by Eichi.

"Then we're off. Have fun, Suguru and Saber."

Satoru waved as he turned to leave.

"Then, please take care of me."

With a flash of light, Artoria's black Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform transformed into her blue and white armor. The invisible sword, concealed by Invisible Air, pointed at Suguru.

"No, I should be the one saying that. Please take care of me."

Suguru smiled as a dark void flickered behind him.

Once Eichi and the others had returned to the ancient tower, the battle officially began.

Artoria charged in.

Suguru, fully prepared, immediately summoned a Rainbow Dragon to intercept her.

Facing the incoming strike, Artoria's figure flickered as she dodged repeatedly.

Suguru waved his hand, summoning a giant white worm Cursed Spirit to bite down on her.

Mana Burst.

Artoria exploded upward with a burst of mana, bypassing the worm Cursed Spirit entirely.

As she flew past, she caught sight of the writhing dark space beneath Suguru's feet.

What is that?

Her instincts flared in alarm.

She immediately abandoned her attack plan and raised her Holy Sword to defend.

A massive bloated cyclops burst up from the ground the next moment.

Its colossal fist slammed into Artoria's blade midair, sending her flying.

Suguru leapt up, but instead of pursuing her directly, he mounted a pelican Cursed Spirit and soared into the sky.

While confident in his close-combat abilities, charging in recklessly against a master swordswoman like Artoria wasn't smart.

Her real combat experience might be limited, but this wasn't anime. It was reality.

He needed to observe more first.

Just as Artoria regained her stance, the Rainbow Dragon swooped again.

Artoria twisted her body, narrowly evading the strike. As they crossed paths, her Holy Sword pierced into the Rainbow Dragon's body.

Skreee—

A deep gash opened along its scales.

"Hey, hey, that's the Rainbow Dragon with the highest durability!"

Suguru's expression grew serious as he gained a clearer understanding of Excalibur's destructive power.

"In that case."

The dark space behind him opened, and countless squid Cursed Spirits poured out.

A moment later, they shot toward Artoria like bullets.

Suguru's arsenal didn't allow him to launch Noble Phantasms like Gate of Babylon, but it didn't matter—mature Cursed Spirits launched themselves.

Artoria's eyes narrowed. Her sword danced, cutting down every approaching Cursed Spirit.

In the sky, Suguru crossed his arms with a wild grin. More spatial rifts opened behind him, spewing out even more Cursed Spirits.

Faced with the overwhelming numbers, Artoria switched tactics. She used high-speed movement to evade most, only slashing the ones she absolutely couldn't avoid.

She looked at Suguru with a serious expression.

In that moment, his figure overlapped with a certain despised individual.

Roar—!

The Rainbow Dragon opened its jaws wide, aiming to devour her whole.

Artoria swung her sword, halting the fangs mid-bite. But the Rainbow Dragon's massive force still pushed her across the ground.

Suguru, still airborne, guided the pelican in pursuit.

Artoria kicked the Rainbow Dragon's snout. As it recoiled in pain, she slipped free of its grip.

She landed cleanly on the field. Suguru hovered above.

Once again, one on the ground, one in the sky, they faced off.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 58: Cursed Spirit Manipulation is My Talent, Close Combat is My Hobby

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Boom.

The battle continued in the arena. If the fight between Satoru and Eichi made the training ground feel like it had been hit by a natural disaster...

Then the clash between Suguru and Artoria had turned it into an actual battlefield.

At this moment, Artoria felt as though she had returned to the war-torn years of her past.

Arrows rained down from above in dense waves. On the ground, enemies surged forward right after the volleys.

Enemies were everywhere. Danger lurked from every direction.

But for Artoria, who had endured countless wars, this was nothing new.

She had fought through battlefields far more chaotic and brutal than this.

Seeing how easily Artoria handled his attacks, Suguru had no choice but to intensify the pressure.

A spider-shaped Cursed Spirit emerged.

Its countless eyes and revolting fur made anyone feel sick just by looking at it.

Hiss, hiss.

The spider's abdomen shot out threads of silk.

As soon as the silk left its body, it burst into sprawling webs.

While none of the webs managed to directly trap Artoria, they gradually limited her movement.

A massive worm-type Cursed Spirit burrowed into the ground and began launching attacks from below, attempting to swallow her whole.

The Rainbow Dragon also seized every opportunity to strike.

Soon, several flying Cursed Spirits joined the battlefield.

Even in the face of this onslaught, Artoria remained composed. Relying on her sharp perception and refined intuition, she weaved through the chaotic version of the Cursed Spirit version of Gate of Babylon, repeatedly counterattacking during the gaps in their coordination.

With one clean slash, she dealt a severe blow to the worm Cursed Spirit.

But new Cursed Spirits kept joining the fray.

While fighting, Artoria also thought about how to close the distance to Suguru in the air.

Over a dozen insect-type Cursed Spirits, glowing a bright crimson, approached her under the cover of others.

Brilliant red light radiated from their bodies.

An explosive blast instantly engulfed Artoria.

"Did I get her?"

Suguru stared at the smoke cloud from the explosion.

Suddenly, a figure shot upward from the ground.

It was Artoria, using Mana Burst.

The classic rule still applied: no one dies in smoke.

"Seriously? That explosion had already surpassed a full-power Grade 2 Cursed Spirit attack. It was almost at Grade 1. Why isn't she hurt?"

Then a detail flashed in Suguru's mind.

"Magic Resistance!"

He understood instantly.

Magic Resistance was an ability that nullifies magical attacks. The higher the rank, the stronger the resistance.

Artoria's Magic Resistance was so high that most modern mages couldn't even scratch her. She could even withstand a Command Spell.

In this world, her Magic Resistance was strong enough to nullify most attacks from Grade 1 sorcerers.

Under Suguru's command, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit emerged from the Cursed Spirit space. As long as it could stall Artoria, the flying Cursed Spirits would force her back to the ground.

But Artoria's combat experience ran deep.

As the Cursed Spirit suddenly appeared in her path, she shifted the tip of her sword slightly and began spinning in midair using Mana Burst.

Her spinning body resembled a jet fighter, swerving past the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's block.

Suguru had the pelican Cursed Spirit try to dodge.

But it was too late.

Artoria had already predicted Suguru's potential escape route and set her sights accordingly.

"Nowhere to run."

Suguru leapt back, using the pelican as a shield.

Then, a snake-type Cursed Spirit emerged and regurgitated his weapon, Playful Cloud.

Ever since obtaining Playful Cloud, Suguru had been searching for a storage-type Cursed Spirit to make carrying it more convenient.

Eventually, he found a snake-shaped Cursed Spirit with a unique ability related to swallowing.

As snakes in nature can devour prey many times their size, this Cursed Spirit was similarly capable of swallowing and storing objects.

Since then, Suguru had kept Playful Cloud inside its belly.

Artoria cleaved the pelican in two with a single strike.

Then, she raised her sword behind her and burst forward again.

Suguru also prepared for a direct confrontation.

Artoria swung her Holy Sword, and Suguru met the strike head-on with Playful Cloud.

Clang.

Boom.

Suguru was sent crashing into the ground by Artoria's blow.

Behind her, a few of the flying Cursed Spirits caught up while she paused.

First to arrive, Rainbow Dragon.

Artoria held its upper jaw with her sword and stomped on its lower jaw with her armored boot.

Though she stopped the bite, Rainbow Dragon still pushed her downward.

Before she hit the ground, Artoria punched Rainbow Dragon in the head with her gauntleted right hand.

The beast wailed in pain, and Artoria used the moment to free herself from its grip.

She landed. More Cursed Spirits surged toward her.

But without Suguru's command, their disorganized attacks were meaningless.

Hmm?

Artoria sensed danger behind her.

She stabbed her sword backward.

Suguru's ambush was blocked.

The two backed off and reset their positions.

Artoria's gaze flicked toward the crater where Suguru had landed earlier, spotting a ball-of-flesh Cursed Spirit lying limp at the impact point.

So that's how he survived the fall. He had used a Cursed Spirit as a cushion to absorb the impact.

At the same time, Suguru scanned the battlefield.

Every Cursed Spirit bore wounds.

Even Rainbow Dragon had an unhealed scar on its head.

Suguru waved his hand and dismissed all of them.

He knew Artoria was holding back. This was, after all, just a sparring match.

There was no need to go all out.

He tightened his grip on Playful Cloud and charged at her again.

Clang. Clang.

Suguru and Artoria clashed violently.

The three-section staff deflected by the Holy Sword, and the Sword Qi avoided by Suguru, left trails of damage across the battlefield.

At this moment, Suguru found himself facing the same issue that Diarmuid once had.

Artoria's Invisible Air made it difficult to judge the range of her attacks.

Even knowing Excalibur's length in theory, it was nearly impossible to determine its true reach in the midst of such a high-speed exchange.

In this kind of battle, even a single centimeter miscalculation could cost him.

Failing to block the Holy Sword would mean injury or even defeat.

(To be continued.)