In the ANHS Colony, a nightmare arose. Three White Room Students walked the campus, their intentions and presence hidden, and a Special Grade Curse formed from the negative emotions of the educational system roamed, slaughtering students left and right. Corpses lay strewn across the campus. Unfortunate souls who were discovered by Sorcerers. Horikita Suzune's plan had done well to reduce casualties, but it could only do so much.
Ichinose Honami sat there panting in exhaustion as she held out her hands towards a student, and she touched his forehead. The student's groans turned into faint whimpers as she gritted her teeth in pain.
She wiped the sweat off her forehead as the student's wounds appeared on her own body, and the wounds began bleeding as she let out a breath and said, "You're going to be okay. I promise."
Ichinose Honami was selected to be a Newly Awakened Sorcerer by Kenjaku. Her Cursed Technique was Damage Transferal. It was an ability that allowed her to transfer damage between herself and a target upon physical contact.
Ichinose's wounds began to heal as she sweated, thinking, 'Any more of this and I'll run out of energy.'
Her refusal to curse other people led her to an understanding of the Reverse Cursed Technique, which allowed her to heal her own body after taking on another's injuries.
She took a breath as another student nearby groaned, and Ichinose thought, 'I've already healed 20 people. How much longer will this keep going?'
She cried a few tears, thinking, 'So many people have died already.'
Name: Ichinose Honami
Rules Added: 0
Points: 0
Current Colony: ANHS Colony
Cursed Technique: Damage Transferal
Ryuen walked up, asking, "Yo, Ichinose. Is that dumb Gorilla up and ready to fight again? Amasawa's putting in work to protect the infirmary, but she ain't gonna last much longer without help."
Ichinose looked to Ryuen, her face pale from exhaustion as she said, "Hosen-kun just needs a few minutes to wake up."
She said this as she collapsed on the spot, her eyelids drooping as she fell unconscious, and Ryuen shouted, "Hey! Hey! Don't fuck with me! You're our only medic!"
Ryuen clicked his tongue, shouting, "Everyone who can move, get the fuck out."
Several students with minor injuries began running out of the back as Ryuen shouted, "Split up like Suzune said, or all of you will die in one fell swoop."
Ryuen said this as he made a hand sign and chanted, "Conceal", and rushed out of the building with the crowd disappearing from sight.
A sorcerer nearby then shouts, "Oh! Oh! Oh! They're scattering!" as he rushes towards Nishino Takeko, as something stabbed into the sorcerer, and he spat out blood and fell to the floor.
Kogane appeared and announced, "You have gained 5 points"
Noshino looked at the spot and said, "Um... thank you, Ryuen" before rushing off.
Ryuen sighed, undoing his invisibility as he took a breath, thinking, 'Damn it! Fucking dumbass bullshit. Not even allowed to breathe while I'm invisible.'
Ryuen Kakeru's Cursed Technique is Absolute Concealment. It makes everything within a five-meter radius of him completely undetectable, but he can only keep it active as long as he holds his breath. Due to having zero training, he is not proficient in using his technique. Due to this, he is forced to use a hand sign and chant before turning undetectable.
Name: Ryuen Kakeru
Rules Added: 0
Points: 20
Current Colony: ANHS Colony
Cursed Technique: Absolute Concealment
Ryuen took a deep breath before making a hand sign and chanting, "Conceal" as he turned undetectable again, thinking, 'I should be able to protect at least a few of these idiots.'
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Suzune sat there, horrified as Sudo stood in front of her, a cross-slashing wound across his abdomen as he fell to one knee, and Suzune shouted, "I told you to run. I told you to run. Why didn't you run?" as she cried into his back and the Curse approached them. In the Curse's right hand were pen-like fingers, and in place of a left arm, there was a sharp blade shaped like a huge ruler. It was wearing an academic robe with a graduation cap, and its face was chalk white.
Sudo smiled back at her, with blood dripping from his mouth as he said, "I'm not going to leave you behind. Not ever."
Suddenly, they heard a voice chant, "Manifest", as a rain of spikes hit the area in front of Sudo, and the Curse jumped back.
Kiyotaka landed in that spot as he chanted, "Manifest", creating a slab of stone that flew at the Curse, sending it flying back.
They both looked to him, thinking, 'He's a Sorcerer.'
Kiyotaka smiled and said, "You did a good job surviving until now. That plan to spread to students evenly was good too. Well done, Suzune."
Sudo looked at him in shock, asking, "Ay... anokoji?"
Suzune also looked shocked, asking, "Is that really you, Kiyotaka?"
Kiyotaka looked to them and nodded, saying, "Yeah, it's me."
They noticed the scar across his nose bridge as they grimaced, thinking, 'Even he's having trouble.'
Kiyotaka walked over to Sudo, saying, "Let me see the injuries."
Sudo shook his head, saying, "No. The Curse, or whatever that is still out there. It's got one of those Shikigami, like everyone else, so you haven't killed it yet, or you'd have been given points. Kill it first."
Kiyotaka's eyes widened, thinking, 'So Curses can be Players too.'
Kiyotaka put his hand on Sudo's chest as RCT began outputting from his hand and into Sudo as he began to heal.
Being able to output the Reverse Cursed Technique is a complex skill. However, after experiencing it being used by his body in Shibuya via Sukuna and having it used on him by Yuta Okkotsu, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka remembered the feeling and understood what it meant to feel like for the healer and the healed, and so gained an understanding of the mechanisms of the technique. It didn't even take him a single day to learn how to use it himself.
Suzune looked shocked and said, "After you kill it, head to the infirmary. There are injured people there, and they need healing. Also... I think Amasawa-san and Hosen are having trouble defending that place."
Kiyotaka nodded, saying, "Got it," as he noticed the Curse walking towards them, unharmed.
The Curse looked at Kiyotaka and said, "They are... inefficient! They have not learned enough. Must be graded! Must be evaluated."
Kiyotaka then asked, "Kogane. Give me the information on this player."
"Searching... searching... searching..."
Kogane said this before revealing;
Name: Gakurei
Rules Added: 0
Points: 88
Current Colony: ANHS Colony
"So you're the one in third place. A cursed spirit based on the educational system, huh?"
Kiyotaka said this and got into a stance, saying, "Sudo, get Suzune clear of this area."
Sudo nodded as he picked up Suzune and began running off as she shouted, "Don't die, Kiyotaka!"
"Got it."
Kiyotaka said this as he got into a stance blocking an attack from Gakurei, as Kiyotaka's arms were marked in red with an A+ (100 Points).
Gakurei inspected him and said, "Proper form. A+. 100 points."
Kiyotaka looked surprised as he felt his body gain massive strength and thought, 'Wait... is this Curse's technique...'
Gakurei's Cursed Technique is Grading. It enforces strict conditions based on efficiency. It will mark its opponent's Cursed Energy, and then Grading will activate whenever Gakurei attacks an opponent and does not require physical contact to activate. It will assign a grade and a score out of 100 for every action performed by its opponent based on the efficiency of how it is performed. This involves anything that can be graded, including Cursed Energy manipulation. The effects and stipulations of its technique are as follows;
Getting anything an Expulsion (0 -25) is an exceptionally rare circumstance, but it will give Gakurei the ability to kill its opponent in a single blow.
Getting an F (26-49) will give Gakurei the ability to bypass its opponent's Cursed Energy Reinforcement and Defensive Techniques as if they didn't exist.
Getting a D (50-59) will result in a moderate suppression of the target's Cursed Energy Output and efficiency for their next move.
Getting a C (70-79) will have no result, and the battle will simply continue as normal.
Getting a B (80-89) will result in a moderate increase in the target's Cursed Energy Output and efficiency for their next move.
Getting an A (90-99) will result in a significant suppression of the target's Cursed Energy Output and efficiency for their next move.
Getting an A+ (100) will work against Gakurei and give its opponent a huge increase to their Output and Efficiency for their next move.
The higher the grade the opponent receives, the more strict Gakurei will become in its next grading. This can apply across multiple opponents, meaning it willadjust it's grading based on the last grade it made. Which opponents it graded previously does not matter. Only the grade itself.
Kiyotaka frowned and thought, 'This Cursed Spirit embodies values from the White Room. Likely... the biggest contributors for it's growth into such a strong Curse was the White Room. Maybe the resentment from Advanced Nuturing High School's students also played a smaller part. I can imagine it was already quite strong before the creation of the White Room or Advanced Nuturing High School as well.'
"Expression unacceptable. Expressing emotion is not efficient."
Gakurei said this as it slashed the air with its right hand, and Kiyotaka felt his body become sluggish as a new marking appeared on him. It was a D (55).
Gakurei then lunged at him as Kiyotaka jumped back, thinking, 'It's done something to my output and efficiency. I can't make contact with it.'
Had he blocked the attack, Kiyotaka would have taken critical damage. He did not know the complex system that Gakurei operated on. It was a system he would have to carefully analyse and dissect.
"Gakurei. Shall we fight?"
Kiyotaka asked this, trying to trigger Rule 10 so that upon killing it, he could retrieve its points, but Gakurei responded with, "Not fighting. Grading. Evaluating."
Kiyotaka sighed and thought, 'It doesn't see its act of killing as [fighting]. I'll have to give up on those 88 points in its possession and settle for the 5 points I'll gain for killing it.'
"More ineeffficent emotion!"
Gakurei yelled this in fury as it slashed the air with its right hand, and the mark on Kiyotaka changed from D (55) to D (50)
Kiyotaka looked at the Curse, thinking, 'My output and efficiency dropped even more. Does it want me to be a completely blank slate? Is that perceived as emotionally efficient? Getting less than a 50 would give me more information, but it's not worth the risk.'
Kiyotaka quieted his emotions, his eyes focused, and he thought, 'No more being on the defensive. I'll kill it.'
Kiyotaka rushed forward as Gakurei swung its ruler arm as it extended. Kiyotaka ducked under it as it swung above him and cleaved off part of a building.
Kiyotaka rushed in, slamming his fists into the Curse repeatedly as it clawed at Kiyotaka, who jumped back.
Gakurei looked to Kiyotaka seriously and said, slashing the air with its right hand as it said, "Very efficient. New standard set."
Kiyotaka's marking shifted back to an A+ (100) as he felt his body go back to normal and then gain strength.
Gakurei brandished its ruler arm as Kiyotaka took a stance and chanted, "Flowing Mass Fists", as liquid mass appeared on his fists and he rushed in as Gakurei slashed at the air with its right hand and ink flew towards Kiyotaka as he dodged it, as a small lizard was hit by the ink.
Gakurei then shouted, "Was caught in an attack. Student 2 is too inefficient! Expulsion!"
A marking of Expulsion (0) appeared on the lizard, and Gakurei rushed past Kiyotaka, ignoring him as it killed the lizard in one attack, making Kiyotaka think, 'Even wildlife?'
Kiyotaka jumped off the air, dodging Gakurei's attacks of ink and the ruler as he appeared next to it and slammed his fist into its side. Despite being amped from the A+ grade and Flowing Mass Fist, the attack only made it spit out a little blood.
Gakurei instantly detached its ruler arm as the ruler span around its body and extended, and Kiyotaka jumped up, thinking, 'It certainly is strong. Its durability is on another level than Mahito's from back then. Its striking force is also greater. It's Cursed Energy isn't as high, though. I guess the resentment of the students of Japan is pretty strong.'
He thought this jokingly in his own mind as he thought, 'It is problematic, though,' as he felt the marking from Grading disappear along with the additional strength it gave him.
He looked at his other hand, thinking, 'I've still got one more use and 1 minute cooldown before I can reset Flowing Mass Fists.'
The Ruler was swung at Kiyotaka, who punched it with his left hand, knocking it back down as Gakurei shouted, "Perfect efficiency! New standard set!" and swung its right arm, but the marking on Kiyotaka didn't change. Another moment of perfect efficiency.
The solidified liquid mass on Kiyotaka's left hand crumbled away, and Kiyotaka thought, 'Well. I guess I can give that a try. Now that I've gotten another A+, this should hit harder than normal, too.'
Kiyo jumped back to avoid another slash as he landed on top of a building and made a hand sign, chanting, "Friction Of The Heavens. Blood Of Light Itself. Ignition Of All Things. Maximum Technique: Plasma!"
Kiyotaka unleashed a ball of plasma as it hit Gakurei, giving it severe burns as it coughed in pain, spitting out blue blood as Kiyotaka thought, 'My maximum Technique damaged it very severely. It's probably only got half a tank of Cursed Energy left' as the grade on Kiyotaka faded away.
Gakurei recovered from its injuries and swung its right arm as a new grade appeared on Kiyotaka. It was an A (99).
Kiyotaka looked at it, confused, thinking, 'Hm? I felt that my action was very efficient. Is it becoming more strict?'
Gakurei jumped towards Kiyotaka, who chanted, "Shift", bringing out the Fluid staff as he used it to block the swing of Gakurei's ruler, as Kiyotaka thought, 'It's not grading my block immediately like before? I see. It can only grade with its right hand. The ruler arm is a tool meant for offence that allows the Curse to measure its opponents' efficiency, and the right hand of pens is what it uses to grade them.'
Gakurei then marked the block a second later by swinging its right arm as it said, "Good efficiency. A. 98!"
Kiyotaka looked to the Curse, thinking, 'It's getting more and more strict. How annoying. Most sorcerers would already be down to a 60 by now. Thankfully, I'm not most sorcerers.'
Kiyotaka looked at his hands and thought, 'What would happen if I injected Reverse Cursed Technique into a Curse?'
Kiyotaka rushed in, dodging through the ruler swings that cut apart buildings, and the ink sprays as he got behind Gakurei and pressed his hands onto its face using Reverse Cursed Technique Output as the Curse swung its right arm, grading the movement and saying, "Perfect. A+. 100. Student has surpassed the system. System... system... system fail...ure" as it exploded from the injection of Reverse Cursed Technique, splattering Kiyotaka with blue blood.
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'Now I know to just use Reverse Cursed Technique Output on Cursed Spirits from now on.'
Kogane appeared and announced, "You have earned 5 points."
Kiyotaka took a breath and thought, 'Suzune asked me to head to the infirmary, right? Time to head over there.'
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Far off to the side of the campus, a woman hidden in the shadow of a building smiled, saying, "Oh? That explosion was quite massive. Someone strong is here. Very strong."
She got up and asked, "Kogane. Who died just now?"
Kogane appeared and announced, "Gakurei has died."
She sighed, saying, "Aw, that's boring. I wanted to fight him. After all, even if he was a curse, he was awfully cold. Exactly my type in a man. I wonder if the guy who killed him is the same."
She then asked, "Kogane. Who killed him? Bring up the guy's information."
"Searching... searching... searching..."
Kogane said this before pulling up Kiyotaka's information;
Name: Ayanokoji Kiyotaka
Rules Added: 0
Points: 5
Current Colony: ANHS Colony
She smield and said, "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, huh? I wonder. Are you my type of man?"
She looked towards the school and said, "Let's go have some fun with those cute little students in the infirmary. I wonder how many points I'll be able to gather from them."
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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