All three of us stopped upon catching the sad yet disgusting sight of a rotting corpse in the distance. Izuku Midoriya's expression sank and soured, whereas Ryuen Kakeru was horrified at the sight.
So, Kakeru wasn't lying when he said he lived in a normal world. He had reacted just like a normal person would. Not a single one of us approached the corpse.
We just stared at it in the distance.
The skin was already showing signs of advanced decay. It looked stiff and black; a black ooze puddle lay below it. Whoever this person was, they were certainly a man. He wore what seemed to be a sports jersey.
Basketball? No, wait. That's a volleyball jersey. Basketball jerseys don't have sleeves. I reached into my pocket and took out the ID one of my rabbits had given earlier.
The hair from the person in the ID matched the hair on the corpse — a bright orange fluff.
It really was a grim sight. Painful deaths like these can cause negative emotions to fester and transform into something dangerous.
"He died, alone and desperate." Midoriya said.
Kakeru lightly scoffed. "Funny way to say: starvation and dehydration. Our eventual fate if we don't get out of here."
Midoriya, along with Kakeru, grimly continued, silently giving a respectful gesture at the corpse. I toss the ID at the corpse; it was his anyway. I shouldn't hold on to the belongings of the dead.
I might get cursed.
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We continued with our exploration. I offered to heal some of Kakeru's injuries, but he didn't say anything. The bruises on his face were already healing, but they looked serious. I don't want an injured person dragging me down.
But if they don't want help, then fine.
While walking, Midoriya asked me all sorts of questions about my curse technique and how my energy works. His line of questioning reminded me of Itadori in the early days of his sorcery. I humored his light interrogation.
I told him about my shikigamis or summons. His eyes brightened as I explained the basic things about sorcery and my techniques.
Midoriya, he's quite the character.
I asked him about his abilities, and he went on and on. I have to give it to him, he's really descriptive and enthusiastic. Anyways, the more I hear about his abilities, the more my expression transforms into shock.
Quirks... what a terrifying thing.
I was walking with someone who was significantly more powerful than I was. I asked for an innocent demonstration of this 'One for All' quirk. In exchange, I'll summon my recently transformed shikigami.
Merged Beast: Round Ox.
Although he won't be able to see it.
He agreed and then charged up for a second and punched the wall beside us. He utterly demolished both walls, leaving nothing standing. The whole corridor shook for a few seconds, surprising Kakeru and I.
That amount of strength. It far surpasses Itadori. Not only that, he can charge it up more, and he still has a lot of quirks in his arsenal.
"We can do it. We can escape this place." I muttered, the hope I didn't know I had suddenly swelled. It's possible, it's really possible.
Midoriya, along with my help and shikigamis, can exorcise Mahoraga. There is a loophole in the exorcism ritual, as Gojo reminded me of before. A person without curse energy can, in theory, help me exorcise Mahoraga.
Since they have no curse energy, they are seen as a non-issue or an ignorable variable in the exorcism ritual.
"Fushiguro...?" Midoriya asked. He was confused. Of course he was. I was now grinning widely, staring at the tiled ceramic ceiling. "We can do it, I have a plan."
"Hear me out."
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"You have something like that!?" Kakeru was the first one to shout in surprise. "Something like that, it's like having a final boss in your arsenal."
"Mahoraga is a shikigami no one has yet tamed in my world's history." I said with a sullen expression. It was the truth. I couldn't exorcise it, not at my current state.
"Curse energy and curse techniques can only go so far. However, with the help of some strange abilities from a different world. Exorcism is possible." I finished, looking at Midoriya.
Midoriya was unsure, but he seemed willing to give it a try.
He better try since this was our only hope.
"The ability to adapt to anything and everything." Midoriya quietly muttered.
"Is that really true?" Midoriya asked, quite unsure.
"Sorcerers have an innate understanding of how their curse techniques work. Not only that, I have a mentor/teacher who informed me a lot about Mahoraga. There are also user manuals for techniques. But in my case, I wasn't able to get that."
The Zenin Clan wouldn't even think of giving up manuals like that.
I then stood up and stretched my arms.
Kakeru sighed heavily and clicked his tongue. "Even if we prepare for that thing, how are you bringing it here? You said that the last time you saw it was in that office rooms?"
I straightened my posture. "Don't worry. That thing is already here. I've sensed it enter a few hours ago."
I don't know how, but it was already here. Does that mean the red-haired woman is here too? That complicates things. I'd rather avoid that special grade threat.
Midoriya was surprised but made sure not to show it. "It adapts right? Also, like you mentioned. It was fighting some strange woman. Doesn't that mean there are already adaptations in it? That makes our job harder."
"Then we better hope that woman was using some strange power instead of pure physical combat. Because the former means that Mamboraba has adapted to something supernatural but the latter means that it adapted to straight up physical damage." Kakeru said.
He was actually contributing to the conversation now. "The latter makes our job harder."
It's Mahoraga...
I then turn to Midoriya. "Like my piercing ox, you can build up speed and power, correct?"
"Yes, but that requires a lot of maneuverable space and considerable time." Midoriya mumbled, placing his hand over his chin and mouth.
"Then we lure it to an open space. I can act as a lure and support." I extended my hand, ordering my rabbit army to propagate and march forward. The two can't see or hear them, but they can feel some pressure in front of me.
"If this is successful, then we can return to our respective worlds."