Chapter 41 - Ursus

A/N: 13.8k words.

***

The shore of Primavera's beaches were vast with boundless specks of yellow to gray sands dotting each millimeter of the terrain. It used to be a beautiful sight, an attraction where all citizens who had been living in the city for at least a few months had taken time off of their day to visit.

Now? It was one of the least frequented places. The lustrous light of the sun never graced the sands anymore, leaving it as nothing but a desolate waste no different from the scope of the barren lands of Terra not graced by humanity's Nomadic Cities.

The inclination of the citizens to believe such a thing was the most advent as it has ever been in the cities' entire history. With how many charred corpses unrecognizable to the human eye steamed their pungence across the surroundings.

Signs of battle should have marred the scenery, yet they didn't. The sheer destruction and evaporated water made it hard to see, along with the sands of the beach having long since turned into glass from the tsunamis of flames that once engulfed the area.

The beaches were no longer the framed pictures of grand sights after the passing of the Golden Age, but now it couldn't even be called an 'area' being part of Primavera at all. This scar, this damage caused by the eight-headed serpent would sear deep into the city's anal of history.

"W-What the hell...?" A Penal Battalion officer 'sent' with a hesitant squadron to scout out the scene paused dead in their tracks when taking in the scenery. They moved a hand to cover their mouth, the rancid scent tickling their nose, "why are we even ...? What happened?"

There were many questions running through their mind. The officer hadn't wished to be sent to the place where that skyscraper eclipsing beast had been rampaging around, but there he had no choice in the matter. It would be better than having his head lobbed off insubordination.

Something that had happened here, perhaps a battle. But there were far too many questions to be answered before everything became clear, something that felt like a near impossibility. After all, if anybody were even present during the time of the incident... they would have been pulverized within a second's passing.

"Sir..." the officer shakily spoke out, turning to the captain who was spearheading this suicide operation. "I-I suggest we get this over with, we've already seen enough—get a High Inquisitor to investigate the rest!" Their voice was practically begging towards the motionless captain.

"Sea Terror..." the captain mumbled out. They hadn't registered the words of his officer, but they certainly heard 'High Inquisitor,' and slowly nodded when hearing it. "This is out of our power, and we don't know when the monster will reappear..."

The officer gulped, sweat building up on their forehead when they turned to steam slowly dissipating. They had been half expecting for the eight-headed monster to breach through the smokescreen and fire off the blinding flames from its gaping maw.

Anxiety was present all across the squadron, including the captain himself.

'The Inquisition, notify the Inquisition and make sure Saint Carmen himself hears about what has transpired here. Keep this as confidential as possible...!' The captain hadn't been promoted to this rank in the Penal Battalion because of his physical capabilities, but rather his devotion and brilliant strategic planning.

That came with recognizing that they would only be sending themselves to die if they faced the gigantic Sea Terror alone. A High Inquisitor was practically required for them to stand a chance, and the captain wasn't sure if that was even enough.

"Officer!" The captain barked at the poor sod who was standing by him, causing them to jolt as a result of their built up anxiety. "You and this squad will be surveying this area while I relay this information to the people who can handle this!"

"B-But sir..." The officer felt their heart sink at the commands. 'Shit, are you just trying to save your own skin while putting the burden on us?!' They were also sure the other soldiers with them were flabbergasted, as evident by their jaws nearly touching the ground.

The stern glare was all they received from their captain, the man holding a single message towards them. There was no need for him to express words on the severity of the matter, nor would he accept any denial to his orders.

They had no choice but to accept.

"Yes sir!" Immediately, all of the officers spoke in unison, as the captain took one last glance towards them.

Nodding, he turned around and steeled himself to write a report to the Inquisition of what had happened in Primavera. Due to their limited numbers and impossibility of being everywhere at once, this city was one of the places least populated by them, so those Church folk could do their petty little schemes—

—Pausing in his steps, the captain noticed an unconscious soldier by some debris littered not too far away from the beach.

'Could he have been...?' The captain turned their gaze back to the obscured ocean, and then back to the soldier. If his thoughts were correct, and this was one of the scouts that were stationed here and witnessed what had happened; all the while miraculously surviving...

An opportunity.

***

"Laurentina..." Megumi's head laid on the side of the car while sitting at the front passenger seat, the black leather and other materials compositing this monster of a terrain traverser being the first things he saw when waking up. "Where did you get this...?" He was exhausted, words drawing out at each syllable.

"Not saying," Laurentina was at the wheel, the woman finding the vehicle to be enormously easy to operate. "Some of the technology on this vehicle is subpar... could have been much more convenient and accessible, if you ask me."

He was about to berate her for changing the subject, but decided to go along with her charade. There was no use trying to argue with her anymore, "what do you mean by that? It looks... just fine to me." His eyes scanned all across the interior, even turning his head back from where he remained seated to look at its other parts.

"Compared to Aegir technology, is what I should have specified," Laurentina lazily tapped the steering wheel of the car, "I would have you driving this mess of an industrial-made machine, but of course—a princess needs her rest."

"Mmgh," Megumi grunted in response, having no clear reply to give to her. "Do you even know where we are going? The directions?" The black haired man decided to let his Cursed Energy reserves rest. Especially fighting off those hordes of sea monsters, along with the gigantic octopus kaiju.

Thank goodness those Black Flashes allowed him to imagine a Cursed Spirit of Ryomen Sukuna's experience, the massive eight-headed serpent which once lurked the seas. That then led to the creation of the strongest Shikigami the black haired man could think of...

The sheer size of the Totality along with Round Deer's Reverse Cursed Technique would make it an utter nightmare to fight against.

Even Megumi wasn't sure he could defeat it even if he had both Sea Dragon Mizuchi and Sun Goddess Amaterasu in his arsenal. Having to reduce it to mince meat from all across the body was not something he was capable of, unless he caught the monster in his Domain Expansion and prepared a fully chanted Incinerator.

"What was that, anyways?" Laurentina relaxed her elbow on the side of her side, keeping her eyes lazily on the road. "You summon an eight-headed snake with each of their lengthy noggins surpassing the size of a skyscraper. How do you go from little animals like rabbits and wolves to that?"

It was a spectacle to see for sure, but never would she have expected to see the Sorcerer pull out something as absurd as what she had laid eyes upon. Seriously, the difference between size and sheer might was jarring to say the least.

"I combined my summons," Megumi turned towards her and explained. "I can do that by imaging what I think the combination would create..." the black haired man doubted he could have recreated Yamata no Orochi without the ingrained experience of Ryomen Sukuna.

The amount of Shikigami put into the Totality also had to be specifically eight, considering the mythological basis had to make sense for it. Great Serpent would obviously be the base Shikigami, with all other additions being a result of Megumi praying that they worked out.

Thankfully it did, and it was absolutely worth it. With how large Nue: Totality became with just the addition of Great Serpent to Nue, he wasn't too surprised that Yamata no Orochi became as ginormous as it was. Still though... even the Sorcerer found himself slightly agape when bearing witness to the Shikigami for the first time.

"Oh really now? So you combine your snake and those little rabbits to create a gigantic serpentine such as that? Hilarious!" The shark lady lifted her hands from the wheel and began laughing to herself. The sight of Fushiguro Megumi's 'Great Serpent' and 'Rabbit Escape' as he calls them combining together to create that massive beast was... utterly comedic.

At the same time, what the hell? It seems that not all Originium Arts were born the same.

"Keep your hands on the wheel," Megumi sweat dropped, watching the car go on its course even without her input. By the looks of it, this vehicle can automatically drive itself, but only in a straight line once activated.

There was a map at the compartment between the Sorcerer and the Abyssal Hunter, the latter—from Megumi's assumption—having found it somewhere in this obviously stolen truck. He could have also sworn there was a hint of blood lingering on the paper, but it might just be a food stain... right?

Whatever, at least he was sure Laurentina knew where she was driving for their path to Ursus.

"Oh please, these cars can at the very least automatically drive itself," Laurentina rolled her eyes, "so it's only a problem if we need to swerve the vehicle out of the way of danger. From what I'm seeing, there is nothing but these blasted wastes in our path." She hoped there would at least be some water source around to rehydrate her skin after some time.

Maybe the white haired lady could ask the black haired man to give her some water, after he had shot a jet torrent of water at her during one of their spars.

"I understand..." Megumi sighed, falling back on the comfort of his chair.

"Seriously though..." Laurentina leaned to the side of the car, "...what did you even combine together to make that oversized serpent? Last time I checked, smashing together a bunch of small creatures wouldn't create a creature that scales far above skyscrapers in size."

"Arts are... weird, to say the least," was the only response Megumi could give. "I don't understand it fully myself, but it's just how it is—abilities can become more complex and varied the more people there are." Not for Jujutsu Society, considering the low number of Sorcerers. But from what he understood, the people of Terra had a larger majority of the populace who can use Arts compared to Earth's Jujutsu Sorcery.

"Makes sense," Laurentina tapped her cheek while staring off into the distance, "like I said before, some are just more gifted than others~," she sighed. "Though, I wonder how gifted summoning a gigantic snake such as that is."

"Its name is Yamata no Orochi," Megumi pointed out.

"Yama-what?" Laurentina looked towards him with a strange look. "Seems like a mouthful, might as well just call it something shorter."

"Orochi, then." The black haired man decided to shorten its name for the sake of the woman. However, he would continue to refer to it as Yamata no Orochi in his mind, "I think it's the best summon I can muster." At this point in time, and barring Mahoraga.

"...So, to put it into perspective..." Laurentina looked upwards in thought. "You summon cute animals that you can channel the abilities of... and combine them together to create a beast that towers over skyscrapers." Oh right, it also breathes fire, "quite the arsenal, am I right?" Her words were utterly sarcastic.

"I guess you could say so," Megumi responded. Feeling the right of his body, where Laurentina had gotten a bit too excited during their spar and left a huge gash—he noticed that it was completely gone. 'Must have been Yamata no Orochi's Reverse Cursed Technique output.'

"Hey, at least you have a method of self-defense," Laurentina mused towards him. "What's next? You're going to pull it out after being pressured by a bunch of rabid animals?"

"I'll pull it out after stubbing my toe," Megumi decided to joke around with her, taking her previous advice of being more 'humorous.'

"Hehe~!" Laurentina giggled while putting a balled fist in front of her mouth. "Oh my~, you really did take my advice, huh?" Her eyes were closed upwards into crescent moons, moving her hand and fingers to pinch Megumi by cheek.

Megumi let out another grunting sound when being pulled in by the predatory shark.

"If any of those Church scum had access to that summon of yours, they'd be salivating at the mouth to convert it, I'm sure of that." Laurentina continued to pull on him, "in fact, I'm sure many unsavory folks would want their grubby little hands on a pretty princess like you."

"I've... heard that before," Megumi had a hard time speaking, still recovering from exhaustion and having to experience Laurentina tugging at his cheek. A small pang in his chest formed when he was reminded of who exactly told him.

"Well, that's why you have me, right?" The sharky lady grinned, finally releasing the black haired man. It was entertaining to watch him rub his cheek from the harmless red marks forming. "Like from those fairy tales, I'll save you from any evil dragon who dares steal you."

...Wasn't that somewhat ominous? Probably not.

"Whatever, I can summon my own dragon, you know." Megumi was sure Yamata no Orochi could be considered a dragon in its mythology, not just some overgrown serpent. "Different in the sense of those princesses from those... stories, I doubt they're half as inspirational as an ordinary person."

"Sharp tongue there," Laurentina pointed out. "Though I do have to agree, I never liked such rose-tinted stories anyways," the Aegir turned back to the road with a content look. "Oh, I forgot to mention, those mercenaries I stole this vehicle from have tents back in the trunk. We can utilize them to stay the night."

"Y-You're not even hiding it anymore, are you?" Megumi physically recoiled at that.

"Eh~? Does it matter, they were ogling you when I decided to approach them." Laurentina hummed to herself, "so that was all the reason I needed."

"...Come again?" Megumi raised an eyebrow, "ogling me? Was it just...?"

"Yes, it was just you, I didn't know they swung that way," the Abyssal Hunter placed a finger on her lower lip. It was quite irritating watching their salacious gaze being put on her friend like that, something she would not let slide.

"Well, I can get behind that." Fushiguro Megumi could admit to himself that he would be extremely selfish if those mercenaries she stole from were bad people. There was no need to hold any sympathy for those types.

"So easily?" Laurentina glanced outside the window, the scenery was still the same. Barren, "well, I should have expected much from you." From her current understanding from this specimen, Megumi was the type of person to have a... let's say, righteous(?) anger towards 'terrible' people.

The length he is willing to go through to lay waste to them was quite a sight to see. The brutality given to those sea worshipping scum was only second to an Abyssal Hunter. Laurentina could admit. Or was it because he was using savage shadowy animals to maim them that it ended with that brutality?

Whatever, it was just interesting to see his methods of combat.

"Now that I think about it... you always summon those pets of yours as shadows instead of their actual physical body." She remembered how he called upon those white and black wolves back in their humble apartment.

"Oh, I just summoned them that way so it won't cause any complications," Megumi off-handedly replied. "It's less risky that way, but if I need lengthy support, I call upon them in physical form, so they can last longer."

"That's good to note," Laurentina softly drummed her fingers on the steering wheel in a measured beat, "well, an Abyssal Hunter can cover all of your vices, that much I can guarantee."

"I can see that," Megumi let his head press against the window, his eyes trailing across the passing landscape. It was the same as when he was flying across the sky with Nue, the moment of respite coming back to him. "Despite everything I have, I doubt I've even scraped the surface of what my technique can do."

Laurentina opened her mouth, "seeing how ignorant I am of it," no thanks to his usual vague statements and deflections, "I don't believe I have much to say about it. Aside from, you know—your towering Orochi."

"Mhm," Megumi continued to watch the deserts pass him by. This car was slow compared to the built-up speeds Nue could reach, and he was sure it would be much faster on the Shikigami. However, the Sorcerer also had to take into account his miserable reserves right now.

He had thought halved reserves wasn't going to be that bad, but it felt far worse than he could have imagined. It was like waking up everyday, but with half the energy the body could sustain. Every single action would bring one closer to exhaustion, practically forcing anybody to have to fall asleep two times earlier.

In the case of his Cursed Energy, it was about the same. As he witnessed and experienced when summoning Yamata no Orochi, Fushiguro Megumi could completely attest to such a fact. The dreariness he felt after was on par when he first unleashed his incomplete Domain Expansion against the unholy Finger Bearer.

All of these factors contributed to him deciding to take this entire ride easily. There was no need to rush, waiting off those days inhibiting his Cursed Energy reserves was the top priority at the moment. Besides, it was only 20 days—now 16 to 17 days that he had to wait. Once it ended, he could definitely speed up his journey across Terra.

Actually, was there even a need to explore Terra so quickly? Better to enjoy his time, away from any problems. It was a blessing that nobody back in Iberia saw him summoning Yamata no Orochi barring Laurentina, so Lungmen was the only place he should stay away from.

Along with Yan.

"It makes me wonder..." Laurentina abruptly spoke up, "just how is the condition of these lands? It's strange how everywhere we look is littered with nothing but desolate wastelands."

"Catastrophes," Megumi replied to her, "they're natural disasters carrying Originium within them. They're devastating enough to leave an entire city in shambles, so Nomadic Cities were developed as a result."

"Catastrophes... yes, I do remember reading about them within those lab files," she nodded, "but they were merely mentioned in relation to Originium. Nothing more, nothing less." It was to some degree, a massive disappointment just how little those files spoke of the outside world.

Merely on the topic of Originium and those disgusting Seaborn.

"Speaking of Originium, how's your condition?" Megumi moved his head away from resting against the car window, turning towards Laurentina. "I reckon it's improved, but not much over the course of time we've spent, right?" He could still sense a bit of Originium's 'nature' in her body.

The way those rocks grew in her body and made her cough up blood the first time he met her while she was conscious was worrying. It gave him a clear picture of what Oripathy could do in its late stages, and the fact that it was terminal didn't help ease his worries in the slightest.

"Worried about me? I'm flattered," Laurentina replied back, "but on a more serious note—I'd say I've been doing well." The woman lifted her hand upwards and curled her fingers as a small test. "Although I can't say I'm fully cured from its debilitating effects, I can say it will prove ineffective in taking away the purpose I was made for."

"Well, you handle the condition better than what I've read," Megumi didn't know if it was because of her constitution, but didn't question out of not wishing to disrespect her. If it were Gojo Satoru, maybe he would understand.

She didn't seem to use Arts either from what he understood, despite her monstrous physical strength. There was something about the white haired woman that seemed to be quite terrifying... Once again, he didn't feel like probing her.

The woman had respected his own boundaries too.

"What about you? You seem quite decently equipped to deal with those uninspired fish, considering your demeanor and all." Laurentina turned towards him, "though, simply being decent won't cut it out. The ones on that beach are far inferior to those in the deep."

"I'll be completely honest," Megumi said to her, "they're quite terrifying." When he had first stared down that vicious horde while stuck at half capacity of his Cursed Energy reserves, the black haired man definitely felt a sense of terror. Although Cursed Spirits have been a commonality in his life, powerful ones could still make him feel nervous.

After all, a human's instincts will always be a human's instincts when in the face of perilous danger. Those Seaborns were synonymous to those unknown powerful Cursed Spirits he would encounter, and Megumi never liked that sort of feeling.

Thankfully, the dose of hitting two Black Flashes made it far easier to keep a steady mind while fighting them. Well, as steady as being high could be.

Now that he thought about it, the Abyssal Hunter beside him probably saw his bout of maniacy... quite embarrassing if anybody were to ask him.

Lifting his hand to his mouth, Megumi looked away with a slightly embarrassed face after recalling the scene.

"Oh~? So this tough little princess actually does feel fear?" The coy look in Laurentina's eyes reflected Megumi's form within it, making the recipient deadpan at her. "Don't worry, I'll be here to protect you." She playfully waved him off. "I still owe you for releasing me from the clutches of those scoundrels."

"I thought we—" Megumi was about to say 'even,' but was immediately cut off when Laurentina raised a finger in between them with a resolute look. One that said 'I'm not going to hear the rest of that.'

"Let a girl do as she pleases~, alright?" Laurentina gave him a half smile, "it'd go a long way in gaining their favors. Who knows? Maybe you could seduce a woman with a bit of charm, and... oh who am I kidding?" The woman moved back and placed a hand by her mouth, shooting Megumi a faux condescending look. "You're the last person I can imagine forming a relationship."

"...Not pulling back any punches, huh?" Megumi was at a loss of words, his stoic expression being the only thing he could fall back on. This woman was as harsh as Gojo Satoru when the time called for it, and the time... certainly called for it—he admitted.

"Hahaha~! I'm just kidding," Laurentina patted the Sorcerer on the back while swiping a small tear drop from the corner of her eye. "Don't worry, I'm sure your pretty face is enough for most girls. It's you who's the problem."

"Me, who's the problem? You're... probably right," Megumi fully admitted out loud to the woman, not even feeling angry at her insults. At most, they were valid criticisms to him, "I'm in no state to be chasing those kinds of things."

"Eh?" Laurentina blinked a few times, seeing the neutral expression plastered on his face. There was not even a single change, not even any inflective changes in his voice. "That easily?" Seeing him give up in such a way was a response the Abyssal Hunter didn't expect.

Did she hit the mark too close to home? Looking at the unchanging statue that looked like it had been carved from marble, the Abyssal Hunter was sure that was the case. Perhaps as spot on as hitting the bullseye during a dart game.

"Yes, it's that easy," Megumi confirmed for the woman. "I don't argue much on these matters."

"That's no fun," Laurentina huffed. Honestly, she wanted to argue with this man as much as possible to tire the both of them out, considering how long this trip was going to be. "You should grow yourself a backbone, what else am I supposed to do when you get pushed around by other people?"

Especially other women, now that would be annoying for the white haired woman to witness. Only she gets to do that.

Megumi gave her a glance, before turning back to the landscape. "I'll be getting some shut eye, it was tiring having to..." he yawned mid sentence, "...fight all those Seaborn..." his yawn finished. "So wake me up if something... happens."

His head fell and thumped against the car. There wasn't another sound that left his lips other than the faint patterns of sound produced from his calm breathing. Hushed stillness that came after invaded the inside of the car, nothing but the low thumping of the car and sound of the engine resounding.

Laurentina gave Megumi one last glance, before turning back to the front of the car. If she were being true to herself, talking to him was far more entertaining than she gave credit for. Now that she had been stuck with her own thoughts, it became quite boring, a fact she had found out when waiting for him to wake up before.

Well, it served well to let herself sing a small melody. Perhaps one that reminded her of the stilled waters of the deep blues? Staring out at the vast body of water that surrounded the dome and the artificial stars that dashed across the sky... the perfect city, one that could only be described as a utopia.

All the arts that laid sprawled about in even the most obscure and unknown parts of the city were fascinating to look at. Compared to the city of Primavera or these endless wastes, it was a miracle how a place like that could exist in such a large world of nothingness. Even if the Aegir wasn't aware that there were worse standards she could live in, she was able to recognize that her home was—

—Turning towards Fushiguro Megumi, the shark lady found that there was no need to keep her attention on the road. After all, if anything bad happened, her instincts were honed well enough to the point to detect even the faintest of tremors, just as she could in the deepest parts of the sea.

The terrain they found themselves on were as flat as they were plain, the same weathered sedimentary and creased sand aligning all parts. Any blockades made from boulders or rocks would be easily swerved around, no experience of driving a car needed to operate on a place like this.

Grabbing him by the shoulder, she gently set him down closer to herself. Seeing the serene expression on his face was a far different sight compared to his usual mask of indifference which made him so recognizable.

Far from the insanity he had shown—something she found to be very peculiar yet unnatural, Fushiguro Megumi looked like a completely different person altogether. Laurentina was sure it was a side to him she'd rarely see, and she wondered what it would be like to see again.

'Ah, to see it would definitely be a sight.'

The unsuspecting man's head fell on her lap, the woman tracing her fingers across his spiky hair. Surprisingly, the texture was softer than she could have imagined, and the way it flattened with her touch was entertaining to a degree. Much better than doing nothing within the middle of nowhere.

A small lullaby to keep Megumi comfortable in his dreams didn't seem like a bad idea. Although the songs she learnt back at home shouldn't be so callously shared like this, it was fine as long as the black haired man was unconscious.

Continuing to pat his head, Laurentina let the melodies of a song cascade off her tongue. Practiced and refined, it showed all signs of a perfect recital, an immaculate artistry and intrinsic understanding of which the song stood for.

Rise and fall.

A long journey.

***

If there was anything Megumi could compare the desert and ocean to, it would be the space where his mindscape laid. Both were endless and boundless when looked at, as if there would be no end no matter how perilous the journey undertaken was.

That didn't serve to scare the Ten Shadows user or invoke any despair when witnessing it. Once upon a time it would have been a terrifying sight that would send his nerves into a frenzy. Like the crackling of ants attempting to escape a burning pot to save their desperate lives, that was what he felt.

But now, there was a sense of comfort. Despite the horrendous implications of helplessness it consistently preached to him in an attempt to have him falter in its boundless mass, Megumi just couldn't find himself relenting to anything like that. That notion which brought him complete and utter defeat was gone.

Ryomen Sukuna was gone.

Even if that man's spirit lives within his soul evermore, there was always the clear-cut fact that the King of Curses was gone and eviscerated from existence. There would be no final confrontation Megumi would have to do towards the man to move on, it had been foregone ages ago.

All there was left was to confront himself.

Despite the endless void of nothing, the Ten Shadows user narrowed his eyes and continued staring deeper. When did his lucid dreams become this vivid? When was the last time he was aware of a dream like this? Why was this goal becoming so clear to him?

What was it formed by? His past experiences, or was it his brain thinking up of whatever in a frenzy. The black haired man knew there was zero to gain other than a better mentality when confronting oneself, but there certainly would be no increase in Cursed Energy or physical strength.

Hell, he could even be training right now and compensating for the time he... spent doing nothing here. Megumi was sure that time passed by faster in the real world compared to his dreaming mind. So that was worrying to an extent.

Pausing his thought process for the moment—one that couldn't seem to hold one idea at a time—the Sorcerer knelt down and analyzed the ground. Although everything looked the same and was bathed in the same abyss, the ground felt different.

Touching his hand on it, Megumi found that it was indeed different from everything else. His hazy eyes glanced at the ripples forming from the epicenter of where his head had reached into, the pulsing waves distorting the natural scenery. One that should have been untouched by the hands of man.

This was his mind, his domain however. There was no need to be so partial when dealing with nature, because the nature of this place was the Sorcerer's own to control. As malleable as water could be, Megumi could envision himself—

***

His head was laying on something soft, an object that he didn't fully recognize. The backrest and headrest of the car weren't this comfortable at all, and the sensation of his hair being messed up didn't usually come with a small nap...

'...Oh.'

He found himself staring up at the ceiling of a tent. Was this what Laurentina was talking about before? The Sorcerer vividly remembered her talking about supplies at the back of the truck when he had briefly woken up to talk with her.

Still, how did she know how to set up these sorts of things?

"Awake now?" A voice cut through the environment.

"Yeah," Megumi's voice had a deeper intonation than before, most likely from the effects of being asleep for so long. He didn't know much about the specifics, "did you... set up the tents?" Despite having rested, the lethargy of sleeping was still ever present.

"Of course, they were quite easy," Laurentina said while watching Megumi shift to turn to her. "I didn't wish to wake you up from your beauty sleep to aid me in such a thing, a princess needs to rest after all."

"I..." Megumi wanted to retort to her, but was slightly taken aback. "Er... is there?" The woman was sitting by a second bed right next to him.

"A second tent? Heh, no," Laurentina dryly chuckled. "We're both stuck in the same tent, but it isn't too much of a downside, right~?" The woman watched the facial expression of the other party shifting into different emotions by the second.

"...Sure, we could better protect each other, after all." Megumi closed his eyes and laid his head back down on the soft pillow and attempted to reason with her clause. Well, it was a very reasonable benefit, considering they'd be forced to be in the same tent in the first place. "What is the time right now?"

"Night time," Laurentina replied. "I don't know how much distance we've covered, but I'd say we made an acceptable amount."

Acceptable...? When did this become a graded assignment? "Night time, huh? Well—" Megumi sat up from his tent bed, squirming out of the blanket after unzipping it "—I'm well rested, so I'll go stay outside to watch. You can go rest this time."

The Abyssal Hunter hadn't had a hint of sleep after slaughtering those Seaborn after all. Even if she didn't look tired, the black haired man didn't want to take any chances of the woman actually experiencing any hint of unrest.

Especially since he was, as she would put it, a sleeping 'beauty' for the past many hours at the moment. Might as well pay her back with his currently restored reserves.

"How considerate," Laurentina responded. "By the way, our practice session still begins again tomorrow, can't have your frail body stay as it is." The woman called out to Megumi, just as he was about to exit the tent.

"I'll keep that in mind."

***

If Megumi had to describe last night, it would be uneventful. Watching the stars litter the skies was an experience he would say, but it seemed weird for some reason. It must have just been because he was in a different world, but the black haired man hadn't put much thought into it.

Secretly training his refinement while keeping guard of the tent they set up was the top priority. There were many things that could happen in these wastelands as he had read from the library, from Originium infested animals to Catastrophes. He hoped the latter didn't go and waltz on to their direction.

Why was he having these thoughts? Well, it was a good distraction from the bruises adorning nearly every single part of his body. At least Laurentina was nice enough not to go for the... nevermind.

"Well, how was it?" Laurentina asked while sitting atop a boulder, cradling her buzzsaw by her right shoulder. Her right leg was bent onto the boulder, while her left was loosely outstretched. "I'm sure you've learnt quite a bit from this round, I didn't hold back as much as I did before after all."

Megumi didn't give her much of an answer besides nodding his head. Reaching towards his cheek, he winced when feeling the bruised mark. She definitely did not hold back during this round—must have been revenge for how much he abused Daiitoku during their previous spar.

He was back in usual white martial arts gi and black haori. The previous clothes were stored in the truck they had liberated from unsavory people.

While recuperating himself from the spar, Megumi was starting to find that the rocky ground was far more comfortable than he gave it credit for. Sure, he would most likely gain aching muscles and a cramped backside if he stayed like this for too long, but the Sorcerer found it much more appealing than being ravaged by a shark.

"You're thinking about me, aren't you?" Laurentina looked downwards toward the man.

He blinked a few times, before turning upwards to the shark lady's intense gaze. "No," he lied, and he wasn't even going to hide the fact that he was obviously lying straight to her face. "I'm thinking of what to do when we head to Ursus." Yes, a brilliant deflection, Megumi couldn't help but dryly compliment himself.

As dry a compliment as the arid wind and the hard ground he was upon.

The wind blew in between their silence, the Sorcerer still glancing upwards toward the woman placated on the boulder. Her dress frilled in the wind along with its blue cloth, billowing gently across the air with guidance of the draft. It was a magnificent sight to bear witness to.

Laurentina tilted her head, the pale and pure snow white hair moving along with the heeding zephyr, just as her clothes had been. The eyes she saw staring back at her was as common as any gaze the black haired man had given the woman—it was loss.

She hadn't questioned it once, but her curiosity had definitely been provoked many times when staring at them. There was something that seemed to yearn for a home long lost, something that the Abyssal Hunter had been resisting attempting to claw out of him.

Perhaps that was too much of an extreme way to put it? But it certainly did make her curious more of where he had originated from. Bizarre mystical abilities, a lack of any of the racial features the typical land-dwellers held... it all became more mysterious when she pondered upon the matter further.

"Ursus..." Laurentina decided to go for his bait in changing the subject. "What is it like? I've only ever heard of its name, but not what it entails." It was large, extremely large compared to all other countries on the map of Terra. It just went to show how vast the land was, but still nothing compared to the sea.

It was like finding a two story house had a third one, a larger space—sure—but that was all there was to it. The two already known ones combined were still more vast than that singular floor.

"It's cold," Megumi remembered, glancing at its climate. "A lot of snow, usually because of its low temperatures. I'm not sure much about it either," it was this world's parallel of Russia, but it couldn't be that bad. With how Lungmen didn't look to be as bad as how China was described back in his previous world—then he could breathe softly when thinking of Ursus.

All he had read of it was that it was once a prosperous Empire... and that was it. More research would have been lovely, but the time constraints between his exit from Lungmen and during his study time were abysmally low.

Iberia was based on Spain, and its condition was terrible. Megumi wasn't sure when it was in this bad of a condition back on Earth, or if it even aligned with history at all. The same could be said, once more, for Ursus and Yan compared to their counterparts.

To the Sorcerer's conclusion, they were all just random in what kind of place they would be. There could be some similarities, but it wasn't a good idea to discriminate based on a parallel universe.

'I'll take that idea in stride,' Megumi spoke to himself before nodding.

"Cold weather? Well, I don't think the snow would be much of a problem," Laurentina locked her index finger with her hair, twirling it. "Will it be for you?" She didn't know if he had any experience or resistance to the weather.

"I've lived in a place where there was snow," Megumi commented. "It won't be much of a problem, especially with the methods of... defending myself." Tiger Funeral's flames and Cursed Energy reinforcement would be the solution.

"Curious, well—that eight-headed monstrosity of yours can breathe fire." Laurentina finished twirling her hair and then flicked it. "What else can you do?" She had decided to finally ask that question that had been plaguing her ever since she saw the colossal and towering serpent.

"A smaller one headed version of Yamata no Orochi, a... big bird, and a white wolf." They were extremely simplified explanations of his Totalities, but Megumi wasn't in the mood to specify them.

"I wonder what they look like..."

***

The journey had wrought them to the outskirts of a rural village, one that held basic accommodations that they would need. A few resupplying, showers, meals, and stay of the night; the two packed their things into their truck.

Now there was only one thing to do...

"You require those hand signs to call upon those animals of yours..." Laurentina deflected a blow by moving her buzzsaw casually, one that came from a three-section staff. "But when you just call out their name..." a flourish was executed to redirect Megumi off course. "They appear as black splodges of shadows."

Megumi recovered in order to defend against a downwards slash, before being pushed back.

"Seems like your 'unstable' summons are much more combat applicable—" Laurentina's figure vanished from where she was, appearing to the right side of Megumi "—so is it always better to call upon them as that?" Another wide slash, forcing the black haired man into another forced defensive position.

"Their durability is a problem," Megumi barely grunted out while deflecting the innumerable blows from Laurentina. Kicking up his speed while dashing across the scenery—the Abyssal Hunter chasing after him—the black haired man couldn't find any openings.

KLNK

Well, one just made itself clear.

***

"You've been getting better," Laurentina sat at the passenger seat this time, glancing at the beaten Megumi. "Even without the turning of that wheel of yours, the steps you take into account to..."

Fushiguro Megumi let her words enter one ear and leave the other. Normally, he should have been able to fight her more effectively when learning her fighting patterns due to the Dharmachakra—then recalling the feeling—but the shark lady had been kicking her efforts up a notch.

Compared to an Abyssal Hunter as she had called herself before, the black haired man wondered just how much more training was needed before he even reached their knees. It was going to be a long distance to travel, that was for sure.

Far longer than their current trip to Ursus.

"Why didn't you want to stop by Siracusa, by the way?" Laurentina asked out to him.

"Oh... not much, just didn't feel like it," Megumi replied off-handedly. Going to a place such as that was the last thing he wished to do, especially when he remembered what happened back in Lungmen.

He had let one of those Siracusan mafioso live in order to send a message back to Siracusa, to not mess with Lungmen anymore. The black haired man did it at the spur of the moment, not caring for the consequences that would come his way, but things weren't as simple as that.

Going to Siracusa for even a pitstop would be insanely risky, and would attract far too much attention if the wrong type of people spotted him. Lappland's words also came back to him, about how his opposition to the Blood Hounds had his name barely known to the famiglie.

What a goddamn pain.

"To elaborate, it's a place filled with crime," Megumi decided to give her a better thought out response when receiving a blank stare. "Not sure if you've heard, but they have rampant mafiosi causing trouble everywhere." He had read that much when reading the—admittedly biased history textbook.

But he was willing to believe the extremity of the information with how unlawful their influence within Lungmen had been. Having severed the head of the bigwigs controlling everything, Megumi could at least breathe well knowing the rest of the mafiosi and gang members would be turned into headless chickens.

Problem was if they settled another crime boss up at the top, seeing how the city is most likely undergoing a great period of despair after what he had done. Especially with the destroyed structures and panic, the Siracusan bastards may set up their influence once more...

...It was naive to think his warning nor actions would do anything.

"Bad blood?" Laurentina kept note of his sour expression.

"Far worse," Megumi whole-heartedly admitted. "If anything, I might even hold a bad misunderstanding towards Siracusa as a whole, something I can't truly let go unless I see the city for myself. Which I do not want to risk."

Not at the current moment, anyways. Once he got stronger, maybe he would give the city a good rundown. After all, Gojo Satoru held so much strength that he could theoretically annihilate all of Japan, even reaching a slither of his level could have the Ten Shadows user deal with the Famiglie in Siracusa.

That way, the head of the actual serpent would be severed, leading to the underworld scrambling to get a new leader or—new leaders to be put in place. They wouldn't be able to stab their sticky fingers into Lungmen if this ever happened.

But alas, he wasn't Gojo Satoru at the moment. Even with the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga and Yamata no Orochi, his halved reserves and current level of refinement wouldn't allow much.

"I can tell a million thoughts just went through that head of yours," Laurentina pointed out with amusement. "Your pupils always contract and dilate when that happens, but go ahead, I believe I can trust you enough with whatever you're planning."

'...This shark sure is observant...?'

***

Ten days left.

The small cracked fissures littered across the ground which the truck travelled on made it an annoying and bumpy ride. Recently, Megumi had found that Laurentina was becoming quite bored. Despite the little villages or settlements they would go to, sometimes running into bandits—it was uneventful.

Honestly, Megumi was finding himself becoming bored in unison with the woman. Like a creeping mist that clouded his brain and heart, there was this sense of dissatisfaction that came to him when travelling. Why so? It was because this journey could have been done ages if he had used Nue to fly the two.

Of course, the timer for his halved reserves needed to be taken priority, and very seriously.

"Uneventful day, today," Laurentina groaned out, "with the distance we have to travel, we're practically travelling from one end of the continent to the other." The Abyssal Hunter wondered if there was any faster mode of transportation... Actually, that would be an excellent question to ask the Sorcerer. "Don't we have a faster means to head to this Ursus?"

"Not sure, vehicles are what I'd assume most people travel through. It goes along with how Nomadic Cities operate when migrating," Megumi gave his answer. He couldn't say he was a professional in this matter, but that was the best he could do.

"These little rural places we've gone to, I can certainly say they're..."

"Mediocre?"

"Worse, lackluster," Laurentina replied. "Nothing comparable to Aegir, not even the quality of living. Eh, I thought Primavera was just an exception... but it seems as if all other places are only a small step above its commodities." The woman tapped her finger against the car door's window. "Don't tell me the populated cities are like this, too."

"I'm not sure how they hold up to your standards, but they're far better compared to Primavera or the places we've dropped by so far." Megumi remembered Ch'en's apartment, even if it was a place of residency for an LGD Superintendent, it was still humble compared to the sprawling gold of rich people's apartment complexes.

With how many places Gojo Satoru had rented for him for missions, Fushiguro Megumi had definitely gotten used to how they looked. It was so lavish that he had to wonder how much his sensei was splurging for these places, to the point where he even had difficulty sleeping during one of the missions.

Wasn't the purpose of him renting these sorts of rooms to make his body more at ease before going out and curing Cursed Spirits? Some other times, it worked as a little reward served on a silver platter. Seriously, it didn't help to calm himself at all with how many intrusive and anxiety filled thoughts came out of it.

That white haired man... bless his heart, but he certainly did not know how to seem subtle or understand how other people feel. When he had steeled his nerves and asked that thoughtless man why he even had to rent an expensive room in the first place, the only response he received was, 'why not?'

At that point and afterward, Megumi hadn't been fazed as much as he would have previously been when looking at the prices or brands Gojo Satoru bought from. In fact, he was sure the white haired man didn't even look at price tags or brands when going out to buy clothes. The Strongest Sorcerer was quite literally—a girl going through a mall when it came to that kind of activity.

An overly rich girl.

...

He really wanted to experience those moments again.

"Do they have automatic showers or automatic toilets?" Laurentina asked out.

"...Probably not?" Megumi didn't remember those features back in the apartment of Ch'en. However, automatic toilets were very common back in Japan, with how much they valued commodity technology.

The Aegir looked disappointed.

***

Eight days left.

Screams were heard along with the occasional sobbing, a group of armed 'mercenaries' scurrying away with screams and a primal fear stabbing into their bodies. Weapons were laid strewn about with bodies burnt to a crisp, crackling lightning crashing down onto the desecrated wastelands of Terra.

Above the skies laid eight elongated heads of a malevolent and baleful serpent peering up from the inverted Heavens, creatures sent to bring upon their malignant might towards those who dared stand in front of its celestial Sovereign.

The skies were black, nobody knowing where their heads started due to the black clouds obstructing where they would originate from. However, it didn't matter at that point, what mattered to the battalion of 'mercenaries' was that it was heaving an overbearing tsunami of great flames.

Flames that purged them of their sin, to alleviate their body and spirit of the karma they had gathered throughout their entire lives. A reckoning which will carry them on even to the afterlife for their great transgression against the Yakushi Nyorai.

Sand turned to glass, and then it started to turn orange and melt. Cracks littering the desert's grounds started to fill up due to that as a result, along with the constant rise of heat that would give anybody within the vicinity a heatstroke.

Oxygen levels were dropping, and so did the lives of the retreating and doomed enemies of the kaiju.

Water also spilled across the scene, being electrocuted by the storm brewed above it. Like the ceaseless tides, they enveloped everything in their wake. Occasionally, the flames would evaporate them and make them combust into explosions after being electrically charged.

There was a gathering of tents mingling about, tables strewn with weapons and opened cages. They were soon instantly burnt to a crisp and combusted into nothing but black and grey ash, left to flutter aimlessly in the wind. The cause? One of the skyscraper-sized heads decided to point their wrath toward it.

In the distance, a group of people were fleeing away from it, dressed in scraggly and torn clothes with black shards growing out of parts of their body. What was most of note was that none of the mythological serpent's heads were pointing towards them. Instead, the beast looked as if it made sure even none of the sparks or dying embers of the flames so much as licked them.

"...Isn't this quite excessive?" Laurentina asked out while sitting in the driving seat. The door was open and one of her legs was hanging out, watching the scene from the distance that she was at. "I know they were quite the depraved people, but summoning the wrath of the Heavens is overkill."

"Hmph," Megumi grumbled out, hands crossed while leaning on the side of the car. "I wanted to free those slaves..." Yes, this world had slaves. The worst part is he didn't even know if it was an illegal dealing or not—neither did he know if it was a commonality elsewhere. "...Guess I also didn't like those people either."

"Didn't like them? That's a way to put it," Laurentina humorously said. "Still, it also looks like you wished to take this creature out for a spin, didn't you?" Why else would the black haired man so brazenly go ballistic against those 'mercenaries' when finding out what they were doing?

"I won't deny that." Megumi rolled his eyes. Summoning Yamata no Orochi was also to gauge how much Cursed Energy it drained when he was at full capacity of his halved state. Suffice to say, it drained a lot. To put it in effective combat, the black haired man was sure he would have to refine the Shikigami further.

That was the main reason he decided to call out this Shikigami, rather than use Divine Dog: Totality to clear out those bastard's encampments. Well, he did go in with Laurentina and his Shikigami to free the slaves... but throwing out the trash was a different matter.

More accurately though, incinerating the trash.

Laurentina hummed in understanding. Looking upwards, the gigantic size of the black haired man's summon was a grandiose sight to see. Like beasts sent from a grand rapture, the ash filling the sky and infecting the clouds where Yamata no Orochi was painted a grim scene.

'That's a new way to use them,' Laurentina pondered in her mind. Last time he called them out, it was during their destruction of the Sea Terrors littering the city's beaches. The summon didn't peer out of the skies like that, in fact, it came out from the ground. So using it as a bombardment from the skies was also a method readily available...

Amazing, simply amazing.

The Aegir wondered what it would be like to go against it, either dashing across its heads or attempting to jump up to its body peering from the shadowed skies, a battle thinning the line of life and death. Her hunter's instincts were quivering in excitement just thinking about it.

"I have to say... were they mercenaries?" Megumi asked out, watching as the breathed inferno of Yamata no Orochi died out. The Shikigami had been dispelled, having laid waste to their enemies long ago. "Their gear was—how should I say this? Advanced? They had gas masks and... what looked to be riflespears?"

They didn't have too much of a clear view of them, even while sneaking in to free the slaves.

"Their encampment did look quite fortified," Laurentina broke out of her thoughts to take a better look at... well, she couldn't even look at anything. They were all turned to ash! "It doesn't matter now, does it? I doubt anybody would find out what had happened here."

"Mmh," Megumi nodded in agreement. Taking a look at the distance, the black haired man noted small bits of snow in the distance... "We're close to Ursus." If that was anything to go by, then their journey should be done within a day or two.' Laurentina was right, there was no need to think much on this matter.

It was good to know that his new Totality could be summoned from the skies.

***

Seven days left...

The snow was falling, the pure ivory descending onto the ground was a sight to see. Much more so when thinning the edge between the cold wastelands and the forests which held life within them.

Laurentina and Megumi's car continued to drive across to find any life or sign of civilization, perhaps even a hint was needed. It didn't matter if it were a rural village like the ones they had visited before, finding directions to a city would be favorable.

It was only after they wanted a brief rest that the two stepped out of the vehicle to brandish their weapons and begin another spar.

It went as it usually did, the Abyssal Hunter dancing through the wide assortment of Fushiguro Megumi, whether it be the Chain of a Thousand Miles, Dragon-Bone, Inverted Spear of Heaven, or Playful Cloud; each were skillfully maneuvered away with a professional and honed pirouette.

The snow was launched upwards along with the ground they laid on, sending them flying across the scenery. Impacts and shockwaves continued to resound, the ground of nature cracking at the two's continued clashes.

A stab with Dragon-Bone, the object's trajectory attempting to find its way to the Aegir's chest.

Laurentina parried the blow with the butt end of her handled buzzsaw, and spun around for a flowing passage of her saw to make way towards the Sorcerer's neck.

Surprisingly, the white haired woman found herself sinking to the ground, one of her feet having been driven into a shadow puddle. Since when was he capable of...

BANG

...Megumi's forehead slammed down into her own, making the woman look dazed for a moment. Not because it did any damage, nor because it even felt like anything... but the sheer gall of what he had done made her relapse the moment in her head over and over again.

The Sorcerer attempted to retract his nodachi and go for another strike at the 'stunned' woman, but immediately found a foot slamming into his stomach.

Cursed Energy Reinforcement was quickly applied in response, but the sheer speed of it had completely caught him off guard, sending him skidding back in the snow. A metallic taste entered his mouth as he came to a complete halt.

"My~, good work!" Laurentina let her buzzsaw lean against her shoulder while clapping her hands together with a happy expression. "Play dirty and you win dirty, but you should know the difference between a momentary victory and a full victory, princess."

Megumi took in her expression, as if she was both happy and livid at the same. For some reason, whenever he landed a blow on her, the woman got angry. Was it because of the method of execution, or for another reason?

"What do you mean by momentary victory?" The Sorcerer stood up, "I just head-butted you?" The metallic taste in his mouth was gone by that point.

The attack was the quickest he could think of that didn't use his Shikigami. If he had slashed with Dragon-Bone, Megumi was sure it would have given the woman enough time to react, especially since he was still recovering from her previous parry.

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Laurentina brandished her buzzsaw one more time.

That glint in her eyes... it always occurred when she was... how should he say this? Becoming more serious?

The crimson glint that tore across the snow was of such great intensity—Megumi wondered how the environment hadn't melted yet.

***

"Thanks for not crushing my ribcage," Megumi sarcastically replied. His hands were on his black haori which had been taken off, circulating Cursed Energy through the article of clothing.

"Do you want me to actually do it?" Laurentina looked expectant, her eyes gleaming when turning to him.

"...Nevermind," the Sorcerer turned away. Although he had undergone a pretty vicious beatdown from the woman—causing his Dharmachakra to go haywire in an attempt to adapt—it wasn't as bad as the time he had abused Daiitoku.

Good to know that the Special Grade Vajra was more of an annoyance, a testament to its effectiveness in battle. With having to dodge literal lightning, it was expected for something like that to happen.

KLNK

"What are you doing right now?" Laurentina asked from the driver's seat. They were still driving through the rough snow terrain of Ursus, an action that also required them to get special wheels while making their journey to this area.

"Hm?" Megumi didn't turn upwards, merely keeping his attention fully focused on the clothes he was holding. "Nothing much." The blue burning energy must be visible to Laurentina, that much was established when the woman visibly reacted whenever he flared up his Cursed Energy.

It wasn't a matter of just sensing it either, the Abyssal Hunter had commented about those 'blue flames' during one of their sparring matches. He simply replied that they were part of his Arts—as he always did—a signifier of being combat ready.

KLNK

This feeling was familiar, like when the man had first created Daiitoku. With each spin, the feeling was coming back to him, faster than when he had first adapted to creating Cursed Tools.

"You're obviously doing something, if it requires that wheel of yours to turn," Laurentina didn't even have to point out the burning aura around his clothes. "How curious, tell me, what are you doing? Don't keep me waiting."

"...Well," Megumi narrowed his eyes in greater concentration, "just enhancing my clothes with Arts. That's it." The energy finally settled in, and then turned into a black cloak like substance. Cursed Energy filtered to activate his Cursed Technique, and what he was planning to create was...

Shadow Extension: Divine Dog: Totality

"Perfect...!" The black haired man grinned to himself, seeing that his creation of another Cursed Tool had been successful.

"I take it that it worked out in the end?" Laurentina wanted to take a look at what made him so uncharacteristically excited, but had to keep her eyes on the road.

"Yeah," Megumi unclicked the seat belt and let it reel back in. Right after, he adorned himself with his black haori once more, feeling far more 'swifter' than before. "I'm turning my clothes into an Arts Unit without compromising any comfortability. That way, I can prove to be more effective in combat."

"Since when could you make Arts Units?" The Abyssal Hunter had a better understanding of them, having asked around the settlements that they visited. She was the more sociable of the two, "hmm~, maybe I could ask you to make me Arts Units too? Or would I not be able to use them?"

Arts weren't accessible to the Abyssal Hunter, a fact that the woman had found out when trying to operate an Arts staff. Little by little, she was starting to find out more of how land-dwellers work and operate, but even Laurentina knew it was just scratching the surface.

"I could... enhance your weapon?" Megumi replied. Cursed Tools didn't always require Cursed Energy to activate, as seen by Playful Cloud, so if he added a trait or feature to the woman's saw...

"Keep that on hold, I'll ask you sometime later. Look," Laurentina had pressed her foot on the brakes and caused the car's tires to scrape against the ground. The vehicle turned into a tundra traverser then came to a complete stop. "A village settlement, looks like we've made it, huh?"

"Hah~," Megumi breathed a sigh of relief. "Driving around the forest really worked, now we just have to ask for directions. After getting more supplies, of course." The black haired man glanced backwards, trying to get a good look at the trunk. However, from where he was at, getting sight of it won't work.

***

Six days left...

"It's been a while since we've had visitors here... but with how our settlements are placed, it's only natural it'd be hard to find us." An old lady spoke to the two new residents who had found their way to the village. "But sadly... the same cannot be said for the Ursus Imperial Army."

Laurentina and Megumi sat in a tavern that served food, drinks, and alcohol. It looked to be a common gathering place made of sustainable brown wood and lit by lights to a considerable degree. There was a large enough fireplace crackling with sparks of orange motes to warm up the entire room.

"Well, you've been a great help to us," Megumi spoke with a soft voice to the old lady, remembering the lessons that Tsumiki instilled into him to show respect to the elderly. "If you're fine with asking, of course, what exactly is the Ursus Imperial Army doing?"

He didn't receive much stares as he did back in Primavera, since his Dharmachakra was turned off.

Laurentina sat next to him, listening in to the conversation while taking a sip of wine. It was lackluster in taste, but better than nothing.

The old lady looked around, as if making sure not even ghosts would listen in to their conversation. Then, it turned to scan the room around once more, as if looking at the shadows for any phantoms that were even a smidgen close to them.

"Ah... you two have been a great help to us too, especially with gathering firewood..." the old lady placed her hands on the tavern table, massing her sore fingers. "Well, please, don't be too panicked..." her voice became much lower, dying out to a whisper. "They've been searching for the infected... and they'll slaughter or gather any to be taken to the mines."

Megumi stared wide-eyed at the lady, letting the words run through his mind. Slaughter? Gather them to the mines? What did the infected do? What...?

"P-Pardon me, but is there a reason why...?" The black haired man blinked a few times to get the sense of stupor to escape his mind. "I mean, the infected don't spread the disease unless they perish, correct? Then there's no reason..."

Laurentina paused her drinking to turn towards them, finding the conversation to be far more important in terms of information gathering than she thought.

"Oh, you're one of them..." the old lady suddenly spoke out. "My apologies, but I've seen a lot of young men like you who are ignorant of such facts, mainly because you are from Higashi, correct?" The woman decided to give him a piece of advice. "The infected are simply not welcomed here, and I don't believe they would let a Higashinese like you roam their lands..."

"...Excuse me for my ignorance, but why is that so?" Megumi hushed his voice to match her tone with a worried look on his face. It didn't help that Laurentina was infected and that he was a Higashinese.

"You... don't know why either?" The old lady looked at them with both of her brows raised. "The Bloodpeak Campaign was a humiliation for the Ursus Empire, and their opposition was Higashi. Although time has passed since then, there is still bitterness that comes with it."

"...So if the soldiers arrive here, then they are free to execute any infected?" Megumi had to reiterate that point. Although the Sorcerer was likely to face racial discrimination, he doubted it would be so bad to the point where soldiers would attempt to outright kill him.

Based on what the old lady specified for the infected though... that couldn't be true, right? Or was he still far too foolish to understand how Terra functioned. Even the infected in the slums didn't face something as severe as this.

"Yes, that is their assignment," the old lady glanced around the room once more, a worried look plastered on her face. "I believe today... or was it tomorrow? Ah, it doesn't matter now. They should visit this village very soon, so please, I tell you for your own sake—it's best if you leave."

The black haired man paused, and thought it over. He could tell Laurentina was looking at him with a slightly peeved expression with what she had heard, but ignored it. The old lady didn't know the Aegir was infected, but she recommended them to leave despite him being assumed to be a Higashinese only.

"But of course, I doubt you'd face as bad a treatment as the infected," the old lady clarified what Megumi had theorized. "You're free to stay, but if the patrol guards catch sight of you, they might take any excuse to beat you bloody." She shook her head when saying such a thing, heaving a sigh along with it.

"...Thank you for the advice," Megumi bowed his head in respect, before standing up. "Let's go Laurentina, we'll think over what she said."

"Mhm," Laurentina set down the emptied wine cup onto the table, and followed along with him.

***

"Is it an exaggeration...? No, no, it can't be that bad, right? It wasn't like that back in Lungmen... just a story to scare outsiders, then?" Megumi muttered to himself, pacing around the snow while glancing at the ground. "Killing the infected outright? Dragging them as slaves to the mines...?" Absurd, how was this a commonality among the villagers?

A third world country, Ursus was definitely on par if not worse than Russia 'back then.'

"You've gone slightly pale, princess," Laurentina placed a hand on the black haired man's shoulders. "I believe this anxiety is misplaced, they need to be able to tell I'm infected, right?" The woman gave him a confident smile, showing her sharp teeth.

"Well..." Megumi wasn't far too worried about himself, so the Abyssal Hunter was at the forefront of his mind considering her condition.

"Unless they can tell I'm infected from a glance, which I doubt can be done without exceptional technology—" Laurentina patted him on the shoulder once "—then they won't know a single thing. It's all internal after all. Besides, they'll have to deal with me if they want to do anything." The woman grinned wider.

"You have a point," Megumi raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. The woman was indeed extremely competent, so dealing with a bunch of unruly soldiers wouldn't be a problem for her. He just hoped it didn't become a problem for her.

"Come on, what we have to worry about is you, princess," the woman lifted her hand to poke his cheek. "You heard them, they think you're this 'Higashinese,' and they dislike your kind just as Iberia dislikes us Aegir."

"I'll be fine," Megumi pushed her hand off. "We've been here for a day now, might as well pack up the things we need and head to a Nomadic City... or would it be better if we just leave entirely?" The black haired man wasn't completely sure. They were already deep into the tundras and found a settlement, but going to a Nomadic City in Ursus wouldn't guarantee better treatment here.

...Seriously, killing the infected? A purge?

Those words which resounded in his mind continued to irk him. Like prickles of needles scraping at the surface of his brain—a feeling that the Sorcerer was continuously familiar with.

"To cut off any problems from developing, might as well," Laurentina shrugged. There was a tinge of annoyance in her voice for having to migrate again. "So..." She was about to walk about to where their parked truck was, but cancelled her movement.

"...Speak of the Devil?" Megumi grabbed Laurentina by the hand, the 'manners' she had taught from Iberia instinctively leaking through. He moved her to a spot in between two houses that could provide them shadows to hide in, at the sight that they saw.

Footsteps were echoing across the snow not too far from where they were. Although the people walking upon the sands didn't spot the two retreating to a hidden spot, they had already long since been detected by them.

"...Ursus patrol men, is that what they look like?" Megumi whispered to Laurentina, who peeked out with him.

"Aren't those the... ah," Laurentina recognized the arms they were carrying, and the armor they were wearing. Not only that, but the gas mask and hat atop their heads, "so those 'mercenaries' you pulverized yesterday were..."

"...They were the Ursus patrol men," Megumi realized who exactly he had killed. While he wouldn't say it out loud, he felt absolutely zero regrets. Those bastards who held slaves, most likely to send them to die in Originium mines, 'how sickening...'

His hands clenched, watching the patrol men call out to the villagers. The Dharmachakra manifested above his head, but no sound or light was emitted from it.

The villagers gathered at the center where the shouting patrol men were. It looked as if they were being checked and shook down by the Ursus soldiers, looking for any signs of infection. More commands sprung about, the villagers keeping silent. Except for one old man who was conversing nervously with the Ursus troops.

Both Megumi and Laurentina could clearly hear what they were saying. There was a search for any harbored infecteds within their grasp, questions being thrown out incessantly. The rough methods the patrol men were doing to the villagers and their harsh voice was starting to rile up anger within the Sorcerer.

Weren't they satisfied with what they're doing? Why are they continuing to harass the villagers? What for?

Whatever mire they had with themselves, the Ursus patrol men were dragging these civilians into the mud with them. No, do they even consider these rural tundra people to even be civilians? After all, they lived in settlements away from the Nomadic Cities now that Megumi thought about it.

Suddenly, one of the patrol men grabbed a villager by the collar. It was an old man, who the Sorcerer had previously seen walk up to the soldiers and was negotiating with them.

The cold snow couldn't cool down the boiling blood in Megumi's veins. They hadn't done anything wrong, and there was no fault for them being infected. After all, the entirety of Terra practically used Originium as its only fuel source, it was to be expected that accidents occurred, along with the high chances of infection.

Yet they are still mistreated like this, the infected. Although Megumi wasn't ignorant to fearmongering, he had heard of fear over people who possessed Cursed Energy, by people who didn't know any better. But that was an isolated case compared to the rest of Earth, where discrimination over disease or disability was still a thing.

But in Terra? You get killed for being an infected... especially in Ursus from what he understood at the moment.

Disgusting, utterly disgusting.

'Let me guess, they justify their actions on the basis of following orders?' How despicable, that would only serve to irritate Megumi to a greater extent. Sorcerers who served the higher-ups, the ones who couldn't even think for themselves... he could understand them, but never would the black haired man hold any modicum of respect towards them either.

A slashing sound completely severed him from his thoughts. His pupils shrunk to a single point, while his eyelids cracked open completely. Blood was flying through the frigidly biting air, a macabre scene that would make a squeamish stomach churn.

"Tch...!" Megumi always reiterated to himself that he was a Jujutsu Sorcerer, not a hero. He was somebody who didn't act on his emotions, and only on logic—something that had helped him make sense of all the happenings in both Jujutsu Society and his arrival in this world.

Walking away would be the best option. After all, it was most likely this village would only lose one person. If he had walked up and killed those patrol men, then more of them would have come here in response to their deaths, wouldn't they?

But what if they were dead somewhere else? What if he hid their bodies and made it look like savage animals had mauled them apart? He had the means, after all. The problem was that it would still pose a great risk to himself and both the villagers—no matter how sound his plan seemed—not everything in the world went perfectly.

"This is your choice," Laurentina spoke up from behind him in a neutral voice. "Whatever you do, I wouldn't mind following either way." These dry land matters were already a bother to her. If she could, the Abyssal Hunter would much prefer laying waste to Seaborns.

Those words struck a chord in his body, making it practically move on its own. Without any input in Fushiguro Megumi's brain, his sturdy legs already made their advance towards the soldier and old man that had fallen on the ground and started screaming.

The other villagers had backed away and shielded either their wives or their children. Yes, even the children were forced outside of their houses to witness the gruesome scene of somebody getting their hand lobbed off.

At that moment, Megumi didn't care for the consequences that came his way. Not once did he care for such things when he decided to defend Itadori Yuji and go against his execution, or when he decided to lay waste to the Blood Hounds.

What he did care for, was when it endangered those around him. If Laurentina was fine with him acting this way, then so be it. The villagers? Based on what he was seeing from the Ursus patrol men, they would simply keep coming back and causing unrest within the people, butcher infected in front of the masses.

Might as well go with his plan.

Just as one of the patrol men's tactical spear was raised in the air ready to skewer the man as the guillotine to his mortal coil, did something completely halt it in its tracks. The Ursus soldier who was ready to execute his action with no remorse felt their body freeze completely.

Something was grabbing his wrist, and its grip was firm. The five fingers curled together clamped his veins, stopping its blood flow to his hands entirely. It became cold, far colder than what the tundra's winter could ever induce into him.

"Who the hell...?!" His body couldn't move, only the patrol man's head turning toward whoever had done this action. They were to his right, the military man meeting the eyes of a stone-faced, but definitely livid man staring deep into his eyes.

"This bastard!" One of the other soldiers called out. Their hands reached for a sword by their waist, pulling out the steel object which didn't gleam under the faded sky.

The citizens gasped, a fear overtaking them, not for the implications that would occur, but the decadent aura emitting from the black haired man who had stopped what would have been a murder.

"There's no reasoning with you," Megumi spat out, his Cursed Energy spiking.

CLEAVE

Vicious black and red slashes that could only be seen by the caster streaked all across the body of the soldier which Megumi was holding onto. There was spilt blood which followed along the movements of the flashing slashes flickering in and out of existence, emitting a red light which permeated the environment.

Nothing but a puddle of blood was the end result, Megumi's hand passing through the empty air where he was was.

The other patrol men couldn't even react in time to raise their weapons and stop the action by firing them or lashing out. It was too quick, and with what happened next...

"Divine Dog: Totality."

...The Sorcerer's hands gathered together instantly, calling upon his werewolf Shikigami. Right after, a towering beast that stood two times taller than the black haired man emerged upwards from a black puddle which formed on the ground.

Not only that, but black puddles were also created at the feet of the soldiers and made them lose their balance. Some of the more experienced ones could barely keep their footing, while the rest had fallen on their backs or butts.

The villagers witnessing the scene immediately backed away, shielding their children and leading their friends away. This felt as if it were a sight they shouldn't be seeing, a few of them also grabbing onto the infected man who had his hand sliced off to bring him away from the impending slaughter.

"Knock them all out, and then maul them somewhere discreet," Megumi spoke with the black markings tattooed on his face, and then motioned toward the disoriented soldiers with his chin. "Make sure none of them live." It was going to be a slaughter.

With a howl, the Shikigami dashed forward with great fervor, kicking up snow behind its wake.

Only cries of the damned could be heard after.

***

"Y-Young man, what do you plan on doing?!"

The old lady from the tavern before... Megumi instantly recognized the woman. After all, she was the first person that he and Laurentina ran into when first visiting this village, and was also one who helped them get temporarily settled in—providing information to boot.

"They're knocked out," Megumi pointed to the pile of unconscious bodies, "I'll kill them with my summon far away from here, in a way that looks like they have been mauled to death by wild animals. Don't worry."

"I..." the old lady didn't know what to say, staring deep into the eyes of what looked to be a murderer. Actually, was 'murderer' even the right word? The black haired in front of her was obviously far worse.

Where had the polite tone gone, where were the soft eyes that seemed like a young man who had difficulty showing emotions? They had all completely and utterly vanished within his face. Beside him was also a gigantic wolf which sent shivers down her spine.

The old lady was sure it could pick up an entire building with ease and throw it, that was the kind of size that it was packing.

"I'll get it over with," Megumi turned away and motioned for Divine Dog: Totality to carry the bodies—what looked to be five patrol men—to some other place. "We'll get out of your skin after this, you should do a better job hiding that man's infection."

It should have been simple, just carry these people out of the village discreetly and find some place to lay their bodies down. After that action, he'd tell the Shikigami to maul their corpses, but it seemed fate had other plans for him at that very moment.

Halting in his steps, the black haired man felt a great wave of power pass by the village. The sense of a honed Sorcerer warned him of an approaching opponent that possessed enormous strength.

Fushiguro Megumi shifted from his position, body and eyes turning toward who it was. His black haori turned in the air, his black marked face being the sight of who he had decided to greet.

A strange aura, one that seemed to be able to melt the snow and burn entire buildings to a crisp with its sheer might alone. Ashen hair that fluttered in the wind along with jutting black horns sticking upwards at the sides of her head.

Dressed in what looked to be a royal military garb, the eyes of the woman looked to be tired, hurt, sorrowful, and yet there still lingered a burning flame that would either encompass countless lives with its wrath; or bring about salvation toward them. Either hope, or despair...

Those were what the Sorcerer witnessed, body tensing when the woman had halted in her steps. Based on her posture and momentum when stopping, she had run a great distance toward this humble village.

A blade was sheathed by her side, a greatsword from what Megumi could tell. The moment her head fully turned upwards and sized him down, did he feel a great danger start to encompass his being. From the looks of it, the woman was prepared to draw her sword and unleash a great power down on him, like a dragon bearing down its maw.

The shaking of her pupils, gritting of her teeth, and passing of the wind painted a scene of two fighters ready to face down in the middle of a desolate town.

A burning determination and a malevolent cascade immediately clashed against each other.

The draco's hand reached for her weapon, while Divine Dog: Totality's arms immediately moved to shield its master.

In the woman's mind, all she registered before her was a monster that had taken thousands upon thousands of lives for sickening pleasure.

In the man's mind, all he registered before him was a military woman that was a part of the soldiers he had taken care of.

One thing was clear, a fight was about to break out.

For some unexplainable reason, Megumi felt as if he were staring down Ch'en, back when they had first met.