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-CHAPTER 8-
-FUSHIGURO MEGUMI POV-
I had only a little cursed energy left. While the beam hadn't cost that much (only 10%of my total CE because I only really open the portal and let it all out so it's more like I'm transporting what's already there rather than creating something out of nothing, so it costs much less as a result), the constant uses of Shikigami, and Reinforcement had dwindled my CE by a lot, so much that I was basically running on fumes.
Though I probably had enough for another beam… but unfortunately it would take at least 3 seconds to charge it… where I'm vulnerable…so…
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
I know I was probably doing more damage to my hands this way but I didn't have much choice. I thought as I straightened out my broken fingers by punching them on a wall (one hand at a time) and then strengthening them with CE so I could at least use them – even with all the shaking and immense pain, even the slightest of movements made.
RCT was a pretty rare thing in the JJK world, and the amount of RCT users that can heal other people could be counted on one hand. And I only had access to Shoko… but by the time she would arrive here or I would arrive there, I would be long dead.
So my only choice was Round Deer. The only Shikigami in Ten Shadows that can heal someone else. Sure it might be a little different because of the changes but it should still have his healing properties.
"[Gama]" I performed the shadow graphic handsigns slowly and painfully and felt the frog's weight settle on my shoulders. I almost buckled under his weight but held strong. Gama was going to be vital in moving me around to keep me safe from Round Deer's attacks.
"Keep me moving and safe from attacks all right Gama?" I could understand the frog's agreement as well as his concern but I was too far into this to just give up now.
I performed the handsigns that would look like a deer's head. "[Round Deer]"
Like every time before, the shadows in front of me bulged as a tall blue furred deer like Shikigami with a pair of tall white pronged antlers on his head, two beady intelligent black eyes, some symbols on the side if its neck and a muscular body jumped out of the shadows charging straight at me.
"NEIGH!" The deer neighed as it tried to use its horns to impale me. But despite its impressive agility it was no match to Gama's speed.
Without even saying anything Gama moved me out of harm's way. As I began charging the dark sword beam, some pretty bizarre things happened…
One…
The deer quickly deducing that it was of no match to Gama's speed stopped, and its antlers glowed ominously.
"It's about to do something, be ready!" I told Gama, while holding my hand upward like holding an invisible sword, as the buildup of CE converged around my fists.
Two…
The deer stood still as the brightness around its head increased drastically, as if the sun had come out in the middle of the night.
While this should've made things harder for me, it wasn't because the portal I had opened was still in the shadows of my hands.
Three…
But while I would've loved to wait and see what it was going to do, I didn't have the time. Feeling the beam had charged I muttered. "Fuga (Open)!" and once again a 50 meter tall pillar of pure darkness escaped from the opening of my hands like a tall pillar-like sword, as I pulled it down with all my strength wanting to tame the Shikigami quickly.
The dark pillar fell, once again erasing everything in its wake. But just before it could fall down on the deer it released the energy- the positive energy –in its antlers… and something bizarre happened.
The deer's horns glowed brightly and golden colored energy escaped from it in waves, solidifying 2 meters around it. Creating a golden semi-sphere around the deer. ZOOOOM!
BANG!
The Positive Energy shaped itself like a shield around the deer, clashing against the pillar with a loud bang.
My eyes widened, but despite something unexpected happening I could not let go of this clash. Because if I did then it would mean that this was all for nothing.
Which I could not let happen!
I held the pillar of darkness for dear life, using all the strength left in me to pressure the shield into breaking but to no avail.
"AAAAAGHHH!" I yelled trying to conjure up strength but… I was just too beaten up and weak.
I guess this is the end huh? I thought as I felt the flesh around my hands melt from holding the pillar- I was resistant to this pillar energy but I wasn't strong enough yet to hold it for more than 5 seconds.
But I guess fate had planned more for me…
Before I had even noticed, Gama had slipped off from me after seeing what the deer was doing… and had used the shadows underneath it to manifest and wrap his tongue around it, using it to throw the Shikigami towards the falling tower of darkness...
Before I could even say a word, the shield around it was dispelled, the massive amounts of positive energy dispersing into thin air- so there is some condition attached to the use of that unbreakable shield, and the pillar of darkness collided with the panicking body of the blue furred Shikigami.
The deer was erased from existence before it could even let out a single sound.
-and just like that I stopped the beam, the flesh in my hands burning and almost melting from holding the pillar for as long as I had, and I dropped down to the ground no longer able to support myself with CE.
I breathed heavily, but smiled through the pain nonetheless because…
CLINK!
-I had just tamed the Shikigami that was my ticket out of certain death.
Honestly, I should be dead right now. I really didn't know how I wasn't. But I just chalked it all up to CE shenanigans.
"Thank you Gama." I smiled and muttered; grateful for the frog Shikigami's help and unsummoned him. Using the last fumes of my CE, despite the almost unusability of my hands, I performed the handsigns in the shape of a deer's head. "[Madoka]"
"Neigh!" the blue furred deer announced itself as she exited from underneath my shadow.
Honestly I just liked Madoka (the Japanese name) better than either of the English translations, to me it rolled off the tongue much better and was much faster to say.
I was almost knocked out from the energy cost of the deer, while she didn't cost much and I could normally very easily maintain her, I currently didn't have much- or any CE to do so.
Without even ordering the blue furred deer, she had understood why she had been summoned. Gently bowing her head towards me in a sad expression, she touched me with her nose.
!!! I forcefully took a deep breath in a shock as I felt life flow into my dying body. All the wounds and injuries I had suffered this whole night just healed in the blink of an eye. Even the flesh around my hands regrew albeit left some pretty obvious and horrible looking scars. My torn and broken muscles rebuild themselves stronger than before. The injuries on my head healed. The broken bones fixed themselves, harder and more durable.
It was as if a dead man had come back to life!
I stood back up, taking some deep breaths as I calmed myself down, and the first thing I did was… laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I must've looked like a madman standing there in the destroyed remains of the abandoned warehouse that was basically blown to the sky several times tonight.
Though I was probably a little crazy…
Not to mention that I was fully covered in blood- my own, but nobody else would think that when looking at the situation.
Finally I calmed down after taking that off my chest. I turned towards the blue furred deer Shikigami who was tilting her head curiously as she looked at me like an animal in a zoo.
I coughed in my fist in embarrassment, but patted the deer on her head, scratching under her chin with my other hand. "Thanks a lot Madoka. You know I'll be dead without you." The deer enjoyed the scratches for a little while longer before I had to unsummon her.
Her RCT shield- The Golden Sphere –was a very powerful nigh unbreakable shield, probably the only one who could break it were high ranked special grade sorcerers. The conditions for its activation and usage were that it would have to be charged for at least 7 seconds, and the caster- Madoka – would have to stand still while using it. Meaning that if she moves during the Dome is being used, the shield would be dispelled. That is what happened when Gama moved her. She was an excellent addition to my arsenal.
RING! RING! RING! RING!
The sound of sirens headed here reminded me that I had to get out of this place while I could, because while I had absolutely no doubt that Jujutsu people would somehow find out that I was here, I didn't want to get arrested for destruction of private property.
So using the small amount of CE I had regenerated in the few minutes after getting healed (memories of the Dead Void were very productive and efficient in regenerating CE), I erased all of the physical evidence that I could and used the shadow underneath me to fall down through the portal to the shadow world.
Leaving no trace of my presence for the authorities to find…
And as I left I could help but ask myself. How's that for building up confidence?
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[EDITED FOR SPELLING MISTAKES]
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A/N: Gama is the best boi. And a significantly different Round Deer acquired! Thank you to all the readers for your positive replies! Next chapter, a certain white haired Gojo Satoru appears!
Also Double Chapter this week! On Sunday though.
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