Chapter 17: Meeting The Sword God
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
Ghislaine's brows furrowed, her puzzled expression mirroring the bafflement etched across the faces of the remaining Sword Saints in response to her unexpected statement.
"N-NO MANA?!" Their unified exclamation rang out, eyes nearly popping from their sockets as they stared at the gleeful Satoru, who relished every moment of their reaction.
Completely devoid of mana, an anomaly in itself, is one thing.
But doing all this without a speck of it?
Inconceivable.
Mana is a prerequisite for Battle Aura, how else could he have managed to have such obscene strength?
Mana is a necessity for any Magic, how else could he have managed to be an excellent Wind Mage otherwise?
No one knew.
And that scared them all.
The supernatural sight of snow rising from the ground and floating around Satoru's figure served as both a display of power and condescension.
He relished the absurdity of the scene, fully aware of the lack of mana, enjoying every twist in their expressions.
At this revelation, Ghislaine's hair stood on end, yet she held her ground, waiting for Satoru's next move. His eyes remained fixed on her, calm and amused to no end.
Those mystical and captivating eyes, which at first made her suspect were a variant of Demon Eyes.
But without any mana pumping into them...
They were clearly something else.
Yet another tense silence enveloped the dojo, with only the sound of snowfall, struggling breaths, and whimpering breaking the quietude.
The silence shattered with Satoru's loud yet disappointed tone, "Aww, you just had to arrive when things were getting interesting..." He pouted, turning to see Alistair running towards them.
The floating snow and debris surrounding Satoru dropped unceremoniously at his statement.
Alistair, now within proper conversation distance, froze upon seeing the extent of the damage.
"ALISTAIR, GET RID OF HIM! YOU BROUGHT HIM HERE!" one of the Sword Saints demanded, trying to make Alistair take responsibility for the chaos.
A complicated expression, mingling guilt and frustration, crossed Alistair's face as he struggled to come up with what to say, he glared at the pouting Satoru, "You know, when you said your next move was a surprise... I never expected it to be, This. Regardless of how amusing you may have found it, this was just too far..." Alistair attempted to calm his anger, only to fail to do so as he chastised Satoru as composed as he could.
Satoru stated as he tilted his head innocently, "Oops~?"
Ghislaine turned towards Alistair, her guard still vigilant.
"You know him, Alistair?" she asked openly.
Alistair nodded as he approached Ghislaine, "Yes. Eris may have neglected to tell you this, but I was a part of the Patrol Duty with her, we brought Gojo into town together."
Ghislaine's grip on her sword slackened, her wariness decreasing as Satoru casually slipped a hand into his pocket, a nonchalant whistle escaping his lips.
Any pressure he exuded was extinguished as the "party" came to an end.
Alistair then narrowed his eyes at Satoru, "More importantly Gojo, what was your bright idea? Did you truly do this for your own amusement? I have yet to get an answer."
With a condescending and amused smirk, Satoru locked eyes with Alistair and replied, "Since when were you so stuck-up? Huh, Alistair?"
Alistair's face remained serious as he retorted, "Answer my damn question, Gojo. This isn't a joke."
In a giddy tone, as if to intentionally get on Alistair's nerves, Satoru replied, "I came here to learn the Sword God Style directly from the Sword God~"
A moment of contemplation passes and realization crosses Ghislaine's expression as well as those of the other Sword Saints as they witness the pseudo-Satoru interrogation session, that he wasn't resisting - Or more like enjoying.
Although Satoru's response echoed a previous incident, Alistair remained unconvinced.
He had similar suspicions but needed to hear the truth.
Alistair's expression remained serious, despite a possible absurd reasoning from Satoru, "And pulverizing the Students, helps you obtain that... How?"
Satoru responded innocently with the tone of a love-stricken maiden, "I emulated my dear Eris-chan to also get the same training as her~!" He rubbed his body, recalling the ravages Eris had unleashed upon him.
Everyone stared in bewilderment at his antics.
Alistair, however, ground his teeth in frustration.
'Deep breaths, Alistair. Just make sure he didn't kill anyone.' Alistair tried to pacify his rage, which would ultimately prove worthless in the face of Satoru.
Alistair sighed, approaching the unconscious Sword Saints. Satoru's impact had left them sprawled on the ground, creating a spiderweb-like crater.
Everyone, Satoru included, observed Alistair's movements with curiosity.
Lowering himself he inspected the bodies of the girls, seeing their nearly demolished faces, a grotesque expression that extinguished their beauty.
Noticing the steady rising of their chests, Alistair heaved a sigh of relief.
Rising up he expressed to Satoru, in a lecturing and stern tone "Even Eris didn't go so far, Gojo. Any harder and they would've been crippled or worse, dead. You're lucky we have Ave, an Advanced Class healing Mage... This was a stupid method of obtaining training from the Sword God. You could have attempted to get it by reaching out to him. I'm sure for someone like you he would have accepted, and yet you had to resort to hurting others, this is by no mea-"
Satoru cut Alistair off with an annoyed tone, waving him off, "Bah, spare me with your moral arguments."
Suddenly, Satoru stood before Alistair, prompting gasps from the Sword Saints at his incredible speed.
Placing a hand on Alistair's shoulder, Satoru added confidently, "Besides, I would never kill someone accidentally~!"
Disregarding Satoru's feat of speed, Alistair sent Satoru a look of disdain but then closed his eyes taking a deep breath.
'Calm down, Alistair. This is a useless endeavor. I can't convince him he's done anything wrong... I just pray to Saint Milis that Master Gal can teach him a lesson. Humble him. it would be for Gojo's benefit at the end of the day, hubris kills... And here I thought Gojo was a powerful yet harmless jester of a man. Prioritize the injured.' Alistair shook his head in disappointment
"Ghislaine! I cannot interfere with the training session of Master Gal and Eris, but you can. Could you escort Satoru to meet with him? The rest of us will take the injured to Ave." Alistair gestured to Satoru beside him, lowering himself to lift up the two unconscious girls on his shoulders.
With a more collected expression, Ghislaine nodded, lowering her eye patch to block her Demon Eye.
She had realized Satoru's intentions, much like the rest of the Sword Saints.
"Follow me," Ghislaine commanded Satoru, her expression a mix of apathy and disapproval at the offender who was giving a friendly wave towards the surviving Sword Saints, with one eye constantly vigilant and directed at him.
Some of them glared at him with contempt, only to stop in fear of retaliation.
Satoru approached Ghislaine with a casual stride, a silent nod exchanged as they embarked on their journey.
A subtle annoyance flickered in his mind, 'Back to the formal crap so soon...' Satoru mused, contemplating the abrupt return to formality.
Perhaps teleportation would have been more efficient in hindsight, but Satoru harbored a desire to cause a little harmless mischief, among other things.
Alistair's demand hung in the crisp air, "And Gojo!" he shouted as Satoru walked away. "I expect an Actual explanation later!" Alistair's eyes bore a serious tone, devoid of humor. His anger and disappointment in Satoru colored each word.
One last thought crossed Alistair's mind as he demanded from Satoru a proper explanation, 'I don't understand him. Is he truly that selfish, guided by his own pleasure and displeasure, uncaring to the others affected? Why would he do such a thing? did I truly misread him as a person? I must know the truth.'
In response, Satoru simply snorted at his friend's demand.
As he walked alongside Ghislaine, drawing glances from other Sword Saints attempting to reach the source of a recent explosive disturbance.
Most recognized him in silence, refraining from approaching.
Whether it was Ghislaine's presence or the aftermath of his recent demonstration that deterred them remained unspecified.
One peculiar onlooker, Nina Farion, attempted to voice her realization. "You're—"
Satoru swiftly cut her off with a single expression and word.
"Heh~"
He walked past her, unaware of the pale, cracked expression he left behind.
...Poor Nina
-Scene Change-
As Ghislaine led him through the snow-covered grounds, the anticipation grew with every step towards the looming structure.
The building, nestled between large frozen trees, contained Gal Farion's private training hall.
Ascending wooden stairs, Ghislaine stood before the door, sliding it open to reveal a large hall.
Protected from the cold, it exuded warmth as Satoru entered silently.
Beneath his confident posture, anticipation and excitement simmered.
As they progressed deeper, two figures engaged in an intense spar caught their attention.
"Stay here. I'll call for Master," Ghislaine instructed.
"Sure," Satoru replied casually, waving her off. His shining eyes remained transfixed on the unfolding spectacle.
At Satoru's reply, Ghislaine nodded and went towards her Master, her footsteps echoing through the otherwise silent hall as she approached Gal and Eris.
"Don't lose your focus! Even the slightest hesitation or erroneous movement will disrupt your technique," Gal Farion's gruff voice reverberated through the hall alongside the sound of wooden swords clashing.
"I know!" Eris responded, taking a step back and unleashing a flurry of slashes at Gal, who effortlessly blocked them all.
Meanwhile, as Eris remained laser-focused on the spar, Gal directed his attention toward the uninvited guests.
"So, why are you here, Ghislaine? You're not blockheaded enough to forget clear instructions," he asked sharply, dodging a swing from Eris.
"The ruckus outside," Ghislaine responded simply.
"I did hear an explosion outside. I take it you dealt with the problem? Or is this brat the challenger who came for my title? Did he really defeat you, Ghislaine?" He deadpanned as he pointed at Satoru, who was currently picking his nose.
"Focus!" Eris shouted at Gal, launching towards him with a slash to the throat.
"Don't lecture me, brat! You're barely worth half my attention!" Gal snarked back as he blocked the strike, refocusing on Ghislaine's shake of the head.
"No, he said he came here to get direct training from you. He emulated Eris and defeated a couple of Sword Saints before I arrived to stop him," Ghislaine responded neutrally.
A glint of curiosity mixed with excitement crossed Gal's expression. "Hoh? And did you stop him?" He appraised Satoru's completely unharmed look, with only blood on his clothes but no visible injuries, noting down Ghislaine's own unharmed look, a conclusion already forming in his head.
He just had to hear it straight from her, though.
Ghislaine shook her head and responded, her expression complicated. "He blocked my initial attack. From there, Alistair, a friend of this man, arrived and stopped us."
With a sigh of disappointment, Gal responded, "How boring. Your fangs have dulled. The old you would not have let a little Sword Saint stop her from fighting a worthy opponent."
Chastised and disappointed, Ghislaine's ears lowered, and a frown etched onto her face.
With a hum, Gal gestured with his hand, stopping Eris. He directed attention toward Satoru, gesturing for him to approach. Satoru did so wordlessly with a confident stride.
As their eyes met, Gal found himself captivated by Satoru's glowing blue eyes, a sense of anticipation flaring within him.
His hardened instincts sensed worthy prey.
"Brat, you've interested me. Blocking a strike from Little Ghislaine here is no mere feat. What's your name?" Gal smirked at Satoru, who was about to announce his grandiose name with a theatrical flare, mirroring Gal's curious expression only a tad more excited.
Only to be interrupted by...
"Gojo Satoru..." Eris growled as she finally registered Satoru's presence.
Also, ruining Satoru's dramatic introduction to one of the World's Major Powers.
To his dismay.
To Be Continued!
...That's what you get, you sadistic, conceited slob!
The Narrator requests a vacation!
(Denied)
-Author Note Start-
Yo yo! it's the pinnacle of Pacing here! Did ya miss me?
I promised a chappie! So here's a chappie!
Hope it was up to quality and stuff.
Will Gojo fight Gal Farion? Find out next!
As a side note, here's a fun little bonus
If Gojo Satoru was introduced to Gal Farion in the exact way Eris was
-Start-
"You've got a good look in your eye, just who is it that you want to cut down?" Gal Farion grinned at the nonchalant Satoru.
With a contemplative hum, Satoru responded, "My nails. They've been getting awfully long."
-End-
(i may have forgotten to provide a detailed description of Gal's looks, so google it for me or wait till next chapter lmao)
Anyways! Most importantly! Did I portray Teen Gojo well in this chapter? I'd appreciate feedback on this on each chapter! As this is the most critical part of the fic! Woohoo! Feedback! Yes!
Have a nice day!
-Author Note End-