White Zetsu Keeps His Word

New chapter is live.

Settle in, take your time, and let's see what waits in the dark 🖤

✦

"Tch!"

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Nobara clutched her hammer in one hand and rubbed her backside with the other, hissing in pain.

After a while, she recovered enough to take in her surroundings.

"What now? Do we keep going?"

Looking over the endless darkness, Nobara turned toward White Zetsu, who was crouched on the ground.

"Hold up!"

White Zetsu was crouching like he was over a pit toilet, both hands rubbing his backside. The bizarre sight immediately earned Nobara's contempt.

"What is wrong with you, mama's boy?"

"A tough guy who cut down eight hundred special grades isn't afraid of a little pain, is he?"

White Zetsu's twisted face froze. He clenched his teeth.

"Afraid of pain?"

"Go call my little brother Chicken and ask him!"

"Back then, I took over a thousand cuts along the way and didn't blink once!"

Holding his backside, White Zetsu stood with the air of a hardened man.

"Don't slander me, little delinquent."

"Uncle Zetsu didn't even know how to spell pain growing up!"

"Sure, sure."

Nobara shook her head, speechless.

"Since you're not afraid, you can walk in front."

"Tough guy."

"Hmph!"

White Zetsu puffed out his chest, his tone forceful.

"Little delinquent, you don't understand. Fatal danger always comes from behind."

"I'm walking in the back to protect a rookie like you. You don't actually think I'm scared, do you?"

Nobara shook her head and strode forward.

Hopeless.

This bastard's need to show off had seeped into his bones. No cure existed.

...

Elsewhere, on the third-floor balcony of the detention center.

Pale skin like White Zetsu's. A humanoid shape as well.

The difference was the terrifying gap in cursed energy, and the undisguised malice surging from it.

At point-blank range, the special grade cursed spirit's overwhelming cursed energy pinned the two boys in place.

Cold sweat swept over Yuji's entire body. His left hand inched toward the chopping blade at his waist.

It was the cursed tool White Zetsu had given him back then.

Clang!

A cold flash passed.

The fierce look on Yuji's face suddenly stiffened.

Clatter.

The chopping blade fell behind the two of them along with Yuji's severed left hand. Blood sprayed from his wrist and splashed across the floor.

"Eh-heh-heh-heh!"

Seeing the confusion on Yuji's face, the grotesque cursed spirit cupped its cheeks with both hands and laughed wildly.

"We're too close. We can't run."

Yuji snapped back to himself, pulled out his belt, and tied it around his bleeding wrist. Sweat covered his face.

Tension. Pain. Fear. The instinct to survive.

He forced all of it down and spoke in a low voice.

"Sukuna."

"If I die here, you won't survive either."

"If you don't want to die, help me already!"

"I refuse."

The miniature mouth that split open beneath Yuji's eye laughed freely.

"You've only eaten two of my fingers. Even if you die, I still have eighteen pieces of my soul out there."

"But brat, I'll warn you."

"If you switch me in, the first thing I kill will be the kid beside you."

"Then the woman underground. And last..."

"That foul-mouthed cursed spirit. I'll tear him apart and use your body to swallow him piece by piece."

Sukuna's malicious voice echoed by Yuji's ear, chilling him to the core.

Boom!

The instant negotiations failed, the cursed spirit that had been laughing nearby suddenly attacked.

Golden cursed energy condensed to the size of a basketball.

It was only pure cursed energy, yet one strike carved a long trench into the floor.

Like a tank shell exploding right in front of them, the attack left Yuji's and Megumi's ears ringing even after they narrowly dodged.

"Fushiguro, go rescue Kugisaki!"

Yuji stared at the cursed spirit across from him, his face heavy.

"Take Kugisaki and run as far as you can. Then find a way to signal me."

"When that happens, I'll let Sukuna out."

...

In the dark underground world.

Nobara stood atop a mountain of cursed spirit corpses, annoyance tightening her face.

"Mama's boy, if you've got anything left, use it already."

She shook the last steel nail in her hand, looking more than a little frustrated.

"If you don't, we're about to die together."

White Zetsu crouched under the pile of corpses, his voice trembling slightly.

"Now still isn't the time for me to step in."

"Don't worry, delinquent. I'll protect your back!"

Nobara looked up at the dozens of cursed spirits floating in the air, and her expression hardened.

She really wanted to smash White Zetsu's head flat before she died.

Full of resentment, Nobara tossed up her final steel nail and swung her hammer with everything she had.

"Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!"

With Nobara's roar, the nail flying into the air ignited with deep blue cursed energy.

Boom. Boom, boom.

Her final strike, containing all her cursed energy, wiped out every cursed spirit floating above them.

With her cursed energy exhausted, Nobara staggered and fell straight from the pile of corpses.

Thud.

"At least you've got some conscience."

Landing in White Zetsu's arms, Nobara's voice was low.

The cursed spirits in the air had been dealt with.

But on the ground...

There were two roughly Grade 2 cursed spirits with mushroom-like heads covered in dense clusters of thumb-sized compound eyes, followed by several Grade 3 and Grade 4 small fry.

"I can't believe I'm going to die with a mama's boy like you."

Nearly drained, Nobara forced herself to stand.

She no longer had weapons, and White Zetsu beside her was only Grade 4.

Facing the cursed spirits closing in step by step, Nobara did not even have the energy to curse anymore.

...

"Kugisaki! White Zetsu!"

Megumi's shout suddenly rang out in the distance.

The instant Nobara's eyes lit up, the nearest cursed spirit had already swung its claw toward her head.

The blood-colored claw grew larger and larger in her pupils. The cursed spirit's giggling scraped at her ears.

Too late.

A bitter smile touched Nobara's mouth. She did not even have the strength to dodge in time.

Bang!

A sudden burst of force slammed Nobara away, sending her rolling toward Megumi's voice.

Nobara's eyes flew open in shock.

"White Zetsu?!"

"I told you. I won't let cursed spirits ambush you."

Slice.

Seeing the head roll to the floor, Nobara's breath caught where she lay.

Nobara stared at him, shock and grief tangling together until she could barely breathe.

That cowardly, shameless, endlessly bragging White Zetsu...

"White Zetsu-senpai!"

Megumi arrived a step too late, his expression changing drastically.

Even the usually calm Megumi could hardly believe it.

Someone like White Zetsu...

had truly given his life at the final moment to save Nobara.

Shock. Regret. Grief.

The two of them stared blankly at White Zetsu's headless body, countless emotions tangled together.

"Aah!"

"Damn it!"

"That bastard mama's boy!"

Nobara gritted her teeth and struggled up from the ground. The rage in her eyes churned like fire.

Boom!

The cursed energy that should have been squeezed dry ignited again in deep blue flames.

"All of you, die!"

Her nails were gone. Her hammer had already broken in half.

With cursed energy erupting again, Nobara swung her fists and charged straight at the cursed spirits.

"Die!"

✦

✦

✦

Want to keep going?

You can read ahead on my Patreon, with early access, previews, and extra story updates 🔑

https://www.patreon.com/c/EliasVane