Ryougi Shiki Vs Asagami Fujino (1)

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It had been a while since Shiki had felt this way.

The last time she experienced such a mix of anticipation and apprehension was when she faced off against Gojo, beaten black and blue during her first enrollment at Jujutsu High.

"Tell me your name," the woman in front of Shiki asked her. Her previously red, crimson eyes turned back to normal, so Shiki also did the same.

"Ryougi Shiki."

"I see... Ryougi Shiki, huh..." She repeated her name slowly, a line of blood trailing down from her mouth.

"Fujino Asagami," the woman introduced herself.

Bending down, Fujino lifted her skirt, attempting to retrieve something wrapped around her leg. After some time, Shiki saw Fujino gripping a short blade in her hand.

Fujino also took out a chain from her arm, which had been hanging there under her clothes. She attached the short blade to the chain, essentially transforming it into a melee and ranged weapon.

"Shall we continue then?"

Gripping her sword tightly, Shiki refocused her eyes. Her void black eyes shifted into her usual blue as the "lines" became clear once again. She readied her stance before quickly dashing forward.

In response, Fujino initiated her attack. She hurled her weapon towards Shiki, the blade slicing through the air like an arrow, while Fujino maintained her grip on the chain.

Shiki effortlessly evaded the projectile weapon by tilting her head slightly, allowing it to pass by. Observing the rattling chain still dangling beside her, Shiki made a quick decision to grab the chain, she intended to reel Fujino towards her.

However, before Shiki could reel her in, Fujino's right eye began to glow with the same intense red color as before. Sensing danger, Shiki quickly realized that the projectile that had missed her was changing direction, now aimed at her exposed back.

With no other choice, she released the chain from her hand and leaped to the side, narrowly evading the attack.

Shiki observed the weapon in Fujino's hand. It seemed that she must have wrapped the chain around her body. If Fujino lost her grip on her weapon, then she would be vulnerable. That's what Shiki deduced. She needed to know the effective length of Fujino's chain so she could plan her attack accordingly.

Now the only problem is Fujino eye's ability. She knew for a fact that her eyes had something to do with how her earlier attack suddenly changed direction at an impossible angle. While fighting Fujino, she also needed to watch out for attacks that could come from any possible direction.

"What a headache," Shiki thought.

With no more words to be exchanged, the two girls clashed once again. Shiki needed to ascertain the maximum length of Fujino's chain.

As the intense clash between Shiki and Fujino continued, Shiki found herself unable to close the distance between them. Effectively keeping Shiki at bay with each swing and thrust.

With this observation in mind, Shiki tried to bait fujino by intentionally staggered backward, a deliberate tactic to attract Fujino's attention and provoke her reaction.

Sure enough, Fujino seized the opportunity. With a swift motion, she extended her chain-blade, the metallic links slicing through the air, aiming to exploit Shiki's supposed vulnerability.

But then, something unexpected happened. As Fujino's chain-blade extended, Shiki's instincts screamed danger. In a split-second reaction, she forcefully regained her footing and leaped backward, narrowly evading the deadly arc of Fujino's weapon.

To Shiki's shock, however, the chain seemed to stretch impossibly far, defying any conventional limitations, almost as if it had no maximum length. Even as she retreated in a weaving motion, attempting to evade its reach, the chain followed close behind.

"Shit, now what?" Shiki muttered under her breath. realizing she needed a new strategy.

Halting her steps, Shiki braced herself and deftly deflected the projectile that pursued her with a resounding clang.

Clang!

With measuring the length of her chain now out of the question, Shiki needed to at least understand Fujino's eye ability.

She had three assumptions about what Fujino's ability actually was.

First, she speculated that it could be a form of telekinesis. If this were true, Fujino wouldn't require the chain to control her blade; she could manipulate it directly with her mind. However, Shiki reasoned that there might be limitations on this ability, such as weight restrictions—Fujino may only be able to manipulate objects below a certain weight limit.

Second, she entertained the idea of a gravitational ability. Yet, she found this option unlikely. If Fujino could manipulate gravity, she would likely use it to restrict Shiki's movements directly, rather than relying solely on her weapon to do the work. This discrepancy made the gravitational theory less plausible in Shiki's mind.

Third, Shiki pondered the possibility that Fujino's ability could be related to spatial manipulation. Perhaps Fujino had the power to distort or manipulate space itself, allowing her to control the movement of objects within a certain area.

Shiki was still uncertain which ability Fujino possessed. Making a mistake in her assumption could prove fatal, so she didn't want to take any chances.

"Sigh... Damn it," Shiki sighed in frustration. At times like this, she should ask Gojo first. I mean, he definitely fought against Fujino earlier; in fact, he should give her a hint.

But it seemed like she had no other choice. She would have to rely on her instincts and adapt to the situation as best as she could.

Shiki knew she had to be careful, But she also couldn't deny the thrill that coursed through her. There was something exhilarating about going up against someone with such a unique and powerful ability.

If her previous opponents were considered weak, then Fujino could be called "strong".

Shiki felt her heart pounding rapidly. She could feel the adrenaline surging throughout her entire body.

Shiki had always wanted a fight like this.

She wanted someone who could push her to her limits.

Then, Shiki charged forward.

"Here I come!" She shouted, charging toward Fujino.

But this time, Shiki had a different strategy in mind.

As Fujino swung her chain-blade towards her, with a powerful parry, she deflected the chain-blade and seized control of it, using her immense strength to hurl the chain towards a nearby building, where it embedded itself firmly into the wall.

Fujino was caught off guard by the sudden change of tactics and attempted to defend herself, but Shiki didn't give her the chance.

Shiki intends to brute force her way through.

With no time to retract her blade into her hand, Fujino skillfully manipulated the chain to ensnare Shiki's leg, effectively restricting her movement.

"Shit," Shiki cursed under her breath.

Despite her predicament, Shiki swiftly shifted her focus to Fujino, whose eyes still blazed with crimson red color.

With her keen animal-like instincts, Shiki sensed the imminent danger emanating from Fujino's piercing eyes. Despite her lack of understanding regarding Fujino's exact abilities, Shiki's survival instincts kicked into overdrive, compelling her to evade the attack at all costs.

Twisting her body to the side, Shiki remained highly alert, every muscle ready for action. With lightning speed, she propelled herself forward into a nearby building, darting out of Fujino's line of sight before the effects of his eye ability could take effect on her.

As she took cover, a sharp crack echoed through the air behind her. Turning her head, Shiki witnessed the pole near her previous position bend and distort in an unnatural and unsettling manner.

"Shit! What was that," Shiki cursed under her breath as she swiftly took action, she seized the chain still wrapped tightly around her leg. With a swift motion, Shiki brought her blade down, severing the chain from her legs with a resounding slice.

As the chain fell away, she expected its length to decrease considerably. However, given its peculiar ability to stretch seemingly without end, she couldn't help but doubt whether the chain truly had a maximum length to begin with.

As Shiki took a deep breath to calm her mind, she observed Fujino from a nearby window, noticing the brand-new blade in her hand as she reattached it to the chain. Fujino's reluctance to engage in close combat with Shiki was evident, further confirming her assessment.

Turning her attention to the opposite building, Shiki spotted Fujino's previous blade still embedded in the wall.

However, Shiki's focus shifted to another pressing issue: Fujino's eyes.

Examining the twisted pole more closely, Shiki noted the precision of the distortion. It was too precise to be solely the result of gravitational manipulation. With this realization, Shiki eliminated the option of Fujino's ability being solely gravity-based.

As Shiki took a deep breath to calm her mind, she observed Fujino from a nearby window, noting the brand-new blade in her hand as she reattached it again to the chain. Fujino's avoidance of close combat with Shiki was evident, confirming Shiki's assessment.

Turning her attention to the opposite building, Shiki spotted Fujino's previous blade still embedded in the wall.

"So now it's either telekinetic or distortion, and I'm still not sure which one... Sigh," Shiki muttered to herself.

As she glanced toward her reflection in the window, a faint smile gracing her lips.

She was smiling.

For the first time since that day, Shiki genuinely smiled.

"Looks like things are finally getting interesting."

Sighing, Shiki turned her attention back to the battleground.

Shiki glanced at her sword, then at the twisted pole. Not willing to risk her personal and loved weapon breaking, she sheathed her sword back into its scabbard. Instead, she targeted the blade with chain still dangling in its end, still embedded in the wall opposite the building.

It seemed like a more viable option. Shiki set her sight on retrieveing the blade.

With lightning speed, Shiki dashed out from the building, her focus fixed on the chain dangling from the end of the blade embedded in the wall. As she sprinted, the pavement behind her began to crumble and distort under the influence of Fujino's ability.

Aiming for the end of the chain, Shiki leaped into the air and snatched the chain from the building wall. Landing gracefully.

With a new weapon in her posession, she wasted no time in retreating back into the safety of the building.

However, her swift action proved to be a little too late, as a sudden jolt of pain shot through her body, originating from her hands.

Shiki glanced down to find her left wrist twisted beyond recognition, the bones and tendons contorted in an unnatural manner.

Despite the intensity of the pain, a wave of relief washed over Shiki as she realized that it was only her wrist that had been affected and not her entire arm.

"Haa... haa... haa," Shiki panted, a faint hint of laughter escaping her lips despite the pain that radiated from her injured wrist. "She got me,"

That fraction of a second was enough time for Fujino to lock her vision on her.

"Ugh..." Shiki winced as another wave of pain washed over her, the intensity almost overwhelming. How she wished Shoko were here.

Closing her eyes, Shiki focused on her breathing, allowing each inhale and exhale to calm her racing heart. In moments like these, she resorted to a little bit of self-suggestion.

'Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain. Don't feel pain.'

She repeated the words like a mantra until the pain in her hand subsided and she felt nothing at all. Though this form of self-suggestion was effective for avoiding pain, in a combat situation like this, feeling no pain was more of a hindrance than an advantage.

While the notion of not feeling pain may seem appealing, the ability to register pain is a vital sensory mechanism that signals when something is wrong with the body. Without it, Shiki might not realize when and were she sustained injuries, potentially leading to long-term damage.

"Now then... Where do we go from here?" Shiki asked herself, grinning widely.

[END]

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