Playful Cloud, the perfect Cursed Tool for enhancement of strength. The way it was wielded by that black haired man back in Shibuya had long since ingrained itself into his mind, boring deep into his psyche.
The skill, the immaculate and uncontested skill in which the weapon was utilized in his hands. Tinged in the metallic taste of blood of multiple Cursed Spirits and Sorcerers alike, Megumi blasted through the horde with vicious chaining strikes from the Cursed Tool.
It swung wildly and all across his body, the eyes of the Sorcerer widening in great focus as he moved through the near endless mass of Seaborns. His teeth clenched as six unstable Divine Dogs left from his back in the form of shadows, howling towards the monsters who attempted to break through his defensive offense.
Blood continued to splatter, as Megumi twisted his body and avoided a tentacle strike with the same grace he remembered from Laurentina, letting his feet thinly slide against the sandy ground before slamming a tentacle and watching it fly off.
Jumping upwards into the sky along with his unstable Divine Dogs, a surrounding enclosement of Seaborns had converged on where he had just been. That was before they moved upwards by stacking on each other.
The sheer amount of them left the beach completely covered in their color, no longer merely dotting it. Yet it didn't even include the ocean.
"Nue."
Rabbit Escape was stored into his shadows, executing the chants for him. As long as he didn't suffer grevious damage, then keeping the Shikigami stored within would be as naturally breathing oxygen.
Three blackened Nues bursted from his back before charging towards the ground coated in purple lightning. They bore the assault of the Seaborn, clashing and ripping through their bodies as the crackling electricity spread all across.
Imbuing his legs with Cursed Energy and kicking off the air the same way Ryomen Sukuna had done, Megumi's body blurred as he charged right after the Nues had, his Divine Dogs moving alongside.
A vertical strike tore through the mass of Seaborns, all the way down to when Megumi had reached the ground. Sand and blood was kicked up in the environment, the force of Playful Cloud leaving a shaking aftermath.
Flourishing Playful Cloud, he deflected the multiple strikes of tentacles coming from all across with flickering movements. From below him, his Divine Dogs fell into the puddles, before erupting upwards and clawing at any creatures in its path, then falling back in. Rinse and repeat.
His Nues circled around him, dive bombing anything that attempted to get close to him while the black haired man attempted to defend himself.
"Great Serpent."
"Piercing Ox."
Coming out from behind and in front of him, Megumi had an unstable Shikigami he could use to pave a path for him, and another that could provide protection.
Just as Piercing Ox charged through the mass of Seaborns and sent blood flying everywhere, the Sorcerer ran from behind it with Great Serpent snatching any tentacled monster into his maws, for the Nues to attack with their electrical currents.
Leaping into the air, Megumi backflipped and spun sideways, maneuvering across multiple tentacles attempting to spear him. Then, Playful Cloud found itself crashing into a Seaborn, before a barrage of hits came out once more.
Left, right, upwards, and even downwards, wherever they approached, Megumi would push past them with the Cursed Tool and his Shikigami.
Unyielding, the black haired man jumped onto a large mass of tentacles that had just passed by, as more Seaborns leapt into the air to chase him down.
A 360 spin with Playful Cloud was all that was needed to send a shockwave that sent all of them flying back.
"Impressive! But you can do better than that!"
Laurentina shot past the black haired man, buzzsaw burning up from the frictional heat produced by the whirring saw. It tore through all the Seaborns that were converging on Megumi with great fervor, leaving them as nothing but mere piles of corpses.
A large worm-like Seaborn bursted from the ground, its circular mouth aligned with rows of teeth within.
The Abyssal Hunter stomped on a Seaborn and squished them into nothing but blood, then launched upwards towards the worm. Meeting it head on, she bursted through its body with her saw pointing forward—leaving it split in half.
Landing on its collapsing body, she took note of a second gigantic worm Seaborn that was charging towards her.
It was immediately impeded by Megumi shooting towards it like a missile, slamming Playful Cloud at its body and producing a squelching sound. His body was cloaked in a black eminence, the same features of a wolf briefly appearing before they vanished.
Just as she bore sight of that scene, her surroundings were swarmed by more Seaborns. But that was exactly what Laurentina wanted, brandishing her buzzsaw by the handle and charging to confront them without any fear.
Back towards Megumi, he planted his feet on the worm Seaborn which was collapsing, standing sideways of its collapsing body. Launching off of it, the black haired man called out to another Shikigami.
"Max Elephant."
From the skies, a gigantic shadow elephant shot down like a meteorite and crushed an infestation of Seaborns gathered at a concentrated point. Megumi landed at the location, grabbing both ends of Playful Cloud and entering a martial arts pose.
Breathing in when watching them enclose his position, Playful Cloud fired off in a bombardment of swings. Megumi was unheeding, weaving across the swarms of Seaborns like a needle threading through fabric.
The chains of the Special Grade Cursed Tool allowed a fair range of movement, especially with the splashing blood of the Seaborns.
All of his Shikigamis had already dispelled, but that didn't matter much to him, he only needed them to land one hit before his next plan began. For now, he would need to move through these sea monsters and thin out their numbers alongside Laurentina...
...Speaking of Laurentina, the crazed woman laughed out loud when bowling through a wall of tentacles formed, the results of such an action were obvious. Lots of blood.
She stomped on a particularly large Seaborn that had some sort of cell casing on its head, almost as big as a small house before barreling towards Megumi.
The black haired man was busy lashing out at a bunch of Seaborns attempting to maw at his flesh, but took the moment to grab Laurentina's outstretched hand, and then spin around in a rotational movement with her in tow.
Their weapons blurred, blasting away any Seaborns that were around them. Right as their hands departed, they went off on their separate ways again.
Megumi slammed the ground, forming a fissure that ripped across and parted the waters where their enemies were coming from. Heaving in a breath, the black haired man infused the Cursed Tool with far more energy, extending it outwards by pulling both ends away from each other.
Secret Art: Falling Blossom Emotion
Shadow Extension: Tiger Funeral
A blue aura encompassed his body, providing both a detection for attacks to counterstrike, and an erupting flame coursed from his Cursed Tool. Swinging in a wide arc, the flames shot outwards and charred a large group of Seaborns, prompting the black haired man to charge forward again.
This time, there was no need to be so focused on counteracting every single Seaborns that attempted to attack him—Falling Blossom Emotion already made his body instinctively lash out towards them.
Turning his body to the side, a tentacle passed by. He severed the limb along with the flaming shockwave burning anything in its path.
Ducking down, the savage charge of a Seaborn moved past him, immediately squashed when the Sorcerer swung Playful Cloud at it.
Rounding his strike around his body, Fushiguro Megumi swung widely to annihilate any more that approached his front.
Leaping in the air, Megumi made sure he landed in the middle of their gorging selves to let his enhanced Cursed Tool rip a deep hole in their formation, sliding the weapon on the ground after it had produced a force that left a gigantic spider-web crater.
The square debris shot upwards, the sand starting to collapse in of itself when they entered the air, some turning to glass from the Cursed Tool's intense heat.
Right after, Megumi did a 360 maneuver to send all of them launching outwards, the superheated glass shards embedding deep in the Seaborns surrounding him.
The squelching and searing sounds of their flesh frying against the impalement was immensely satisfying.
"Rabbit Escape."
Megumi summoned out Daiitoku and cancelled Shadow Extension along with Playful Cloud, just as a wave of shadow rabbits erupted from his feet.
They were vast in size, enough to form a large building and encompass his body entirely. Any Seaborns that approached them were met with weak kicks, but it was a good enough distraction for the Sorcerer's next move.
A dome of lightning formed around the bundle of Shikigamis, spreading outwards and tearing the Seaborns apart.
Just as the rabbits fully dispersed, the illuminating light of a Vajra encompassed the entire scene.
A gigantic Seaborn bore the brunt of the ripping lightning, only having a portion of its body blown off. It looked to be an octopus not too different from the one he and Laurentina had fought back at the high church.
Flicking his arms across his body, Megumi watched as a pillar of pure golden-white lightning crashed into the gigantic beast, completely obliterating it.
"Laurentina!" The black haired man glanced around, seeing the Abyssal Hunter moving through a horde of Seaborns, as if this slaughter was her own natural habitat. "Gather towards where I am!"
Waving Daiitoku as it crackled with lightning, a slashing arc was sent towards where the woman's position was, calculated so that when she leapt forward—the attack wouldn't compromise her actions at all.
"What's your plan?!" The woman yelled out towards him in glee, "don't get me involved if it's boring~!" Her buzzsaw tore through more flesh as she made her way towards him.
'...Somewhat terrifying,' Megumi noted in his mind. The expression on her face sent a chill down his spine, almost as bad as facing down these endless hordes of Seaborn. But he shook his head and assisted her path towards him, striking more pillars of Lightning across the gatherings of Seaborns.
They were punished by the force that tore through ignorance, sending limbs and fish organs flying across the surroundings, a territory of a storm's lightning had practically formed.
Once Laurentina had reached his side with a booming sound, Megumi saw another worm-like Seaborn charge at him. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, his pupils contracted as he reared his fist back, not even putting his Cursed Tool into account.
BLACK FLASH!
A walloping blow graced by red and black sparks coursed across the scene, dying the world in a monotone gray. The only colors that appeared were the ones emitting from the electricity spiraling around Megumi's fist.
Laurentina turned around in a small stupor, feeling the immense and illogical increase of power from behind her, along with the world's light practically altering in the wake of such an attack.
"A new trick?" The woman spoke with a smile, watching the gigantic worm Seaborn's entire body burst into nothing but look, everything behind it following the same end as it did. "Marvelous!" She called out, spinning around Megumi just as he did so with her.
Their positions changed, Laurentina slashing more Seaborns in half as Megumi reeled his freefist back again.
BLACK FLASH!
Once a Black Flash is landed, so will a second spark be much more accessible after the first one.
The path in front of him was cleared, the direction of where the ocean was. The Seaborns in front of him were turned into bloody paste, the ocean waves splitting in a circular torrent, reflected in the eyes of Megumi.
His arm recoiled back, the sensation of greatness filling his veins. A smile filled with great insanity tore across his face, matching the stupor that Laurentina had also been in.
Lifting Daiitoku upwards, his restored output and increased Cursed Energy coursed into the Cursed Tool, shooting down innumerable thunder bolts which lit up the skies and tore across the seas.
The sounds of the dying Seaborns were like music to the two's ears.
Laurentina halted her advance, taking in the sight of the Seaborns being torn apart by the coursing electricity. Taking the opportunity, she moved with calm steps towards where Megumi was, before reaching her hand towards him.
The black haired man held the greatest smile she had ever seen from him, his magnificent Arts Unit providing a deadly barrier for them to temporarily reside within.
"Do you know how to dance?" Laurentina asked, still struck by the maddening adrenaline of battle. "In the artistic sense, of course! It would be a joy to find out now."
"Of course!" Megumi rolled his eyes, but the focus encased within was not faulty. His right hand still held the activated Vajra, but his left hand was free enough to clasp Laurentina own. "Make it quick, alright?!"
Honestly, he didn't know how to dance.
The barrier formed by Daiitoku had been dispersed, the burst of Cursed Energy completely disappearing. It was an ample opportunity for the beasts to approach the duo again.
"Don't tell a woman to hurry, where are you manners?" Laurentina clicked her tongue mischievously, before she dashed towards where the rest of the Seaborn by the beach were.
Their steps moved across the sand, Megumi being led by the woman to send more strikes of lightning towards any Seaborns to the side attempting to strike at them.
Laurentina continued to ebb her weapon into a gracious flow, completely obliterating any Seaborns in her path. When she came closer to the sea, it was as if the water was following her movements, providing a grand scenery of dancing droplets formulating across her body.
The Abyssal Hunter spun along with her dance partner, rotating on an axis.
Megumi's Daiitoku was swung, the tips of the blades sending a barrage of aureate lightning dressed in ivory all across and intercepting any that dared approach them.
Suddenly, their stance stopped. The sounds of the crashing waves and battle started to settle down, and so did the screams of the Seaborn.
There was a brief silence that overcame the scenery, the two of them standing on shallow waters that reached up to their knees, the now cleared skies boring their light down onto the bloodied beach.
Megumi felt sweat forming on the back of his neck, the high of the Black Flash still going across his body. Panting, he took in the sight of a... barely exhausted Laurentina staring back at him with a giddy expression, her sharp teeth painting an image of happiness.
"Not so bad now, was it?" The Aegir lady placed a hand on his cheek, swiping off a dashed cut filled with blood. "Just follow my lead, and those repulsive terrors will find themselves falling one by one."
"You're right," Megumi admitted, breaking his hand from grasping hers, taking in a deep breath to steady his nerves—
"It's not a good idea to let your guard down yet, princess," Laurentina called out to him, turning back towards the beach. "A silence such as this is never a good sign when facing these threats. They always give off a false sense of security, never fall for it."
The Abyssal Hunter stepped forward and brandished her buzzsaw once more, flicking off the piled blood that had come on it. "Your frail body can't handle more, can it? The extraneous exhaustion that comes with fighting the Seaborn has taken quite a toll."
"...You're right," Megumi admitted, recalling his Vajra. "My physical condition is not well-equipped for any more engagements..." his gaze turned towards the ocean in front of them, something bubbling beneath the waters.
"It's good to know where your faultiness lies," Laurentina gave him a side glance before turning back towards the threat that was making itself known by the second. "Then let me handle this one—"
"Aha, but does that mean my 'Arts' is still unusable?" Megumi burst into laughter from behind her, wiping the sweat that was forming on his forehead. "It's just that... HAHA...!" Really, he was sure Laurentina was giving him a weird look. "Hey...! Wanna see me show off for a bit?" The black haired man smiled widely, unable to hold in his excitement...
Inspiration! There it was!
When staring off into the horizon after landing those two Black Flashes, only a single image burnt itself deep into his mind. He felt just like him, the King of Curses staring off into the oceans of Japan.
There laid beneath those waves a Cursed Spirit so grand that it terrorized the island constantly, giving nobody who stayed within its grounds any respite against the rabid monster that consumed villages and terrorized its edges.
The eight-headed serpent that bore its malice against the world itself, a malevolent beast that did as it pleased. It was as if he was there himself, bearing the gaze of a snake which induced storms in its path, causing the waters to be pushed further onto the beach.
"...How compelling," Laurentina placed a finger on her lower lip, her curiosity rising further at the widened eyes of Fushiguro Megumi. "Do you have something that can deal with the colossal Seaborn rising up right now?" The woman rhetorically asked when watching the ocean waters become displaced.
She pointed her buzzsaw towards the horizon of the sea, watching as a mass of tentacles erupted forth. Compared to all other creatures, this octopus actually had a head that could be seen, and so was its size much larger compared to all other creatures.
If anything, it looked comparable to a skyscraper in size altogether.
"Do you still think—"
"Yes," Megumi called out from behind, the same smile present on his face. "The question is, do you want to see it?" The Sorcerer knew his reserves were enough, and the gigantic Seaborn couldn't cause him to worry in this high state he was in.
"...Surprise me once more, princess," Laurentina withdrew her weapon and placed it by her side, holding a sly smile towards him. "I'll be waiting."
A rumbling sound was heard, the distorted and displaced water crashing upward towards the two's waist instead of their ankles this time.
"Alright, alright!" Megumi clasped his hands together, his smile creasing ever wider. He could see it...! As if the serpent had been a part of his soul's experience itself—the very same one that had been drenched by the King of Curses', the Sorcerer was sure he could replicate it!
"HERE WE GO!!"
Laurentina felt a spike of negative energy fire off into the sky. The burning blue aura surrounding Megumi had reached its peak, making her clench her buzzsaw in greater anticipation. This was completely different from even the time when those black markings would appear on his face.
'Fascinating!' Was this what those Originium Arts she had heard of can do? Or was she witnessing some sort of exception?
Megumi flashed consecutive hand signs which formed shadow puppets of all the Shikigamis he needed, to create the most powerful Totality in all of the Ten Shadows' history... One that would be almost comparable to Mahoraga in terms of raw power!
GREAT SERPENT!
NUE!
MAX ELEPHANT!
PIERCING OX!
RABBIT ESCAPE!
TIGER FUNERAL!
ROUND DEER!
TOAD!
The ground below erupted, a different force contending against the colossal Seaborn in changing the course of the ocean's waves. A shadow puddle—no, an entire shadow ocean was formed beneath Megumi's feet, his final hand sign forming.
The Totality hand sign was formed, along with the rumbling of the earth beneath Laurentina and Fushiguro Megumi, a quake of power pulsating all across the land in which they stood upon. Distort the waves, and formulate into something great, something grand!
'Envision it once more!'
'Remember the vision!'
'Be as free as you can ever be!'
Eight heads of a great beast shot out of the shadow puddles, Laurentina moving closer to Megumi to avoid them—attributing this insane phenomena to the black haired man's doings. Who else could summon animals from the shadows?
All of the heads of the hissing serpent were vast in size, its protruding neck surpassing the size of literal skyscrapers. The main body slightly left the puddle, a gigantic mass of scaly skin and muscle. The word kaiju was the only way to describe the Shikigami being born into the world.
It was the strongest and largest Totality that Megumi could ever see himself creating, bathed within the psyche of Ryomen Sukuna's indulgent mind.
The great beast of terror that once held the entirety of Japan within its gaping maw...!
GREAT SERPENT: TOTALITY - YAMATA NO OROCHI
(GREAT SERPENT + NUE + MAX ELEPHANT + PIERCING OX + RABBIT ESCAPE + TIGER FUNERAL + ROUND DEER + TOAD)
Laurentina felt the heat surrounding her start to increase, flames in the design of traditional paintings firing off en masse from the gigantic summon's eight mouths. The sea water beneath it started to evaporate, almost forming a smokescreen between them and the Seaborn in the distance.
The Abyssal Hunter turned towards Megumi once more, watching as the black haired man bursted off into another fit of laughter, sweat pouring down from every orifice of his body. She-for the first time—was at a loss of words. But then, at the same time, did she have a million things she wished to speak to this man.
'Splendid...' Laurentina felt the beast moving, advancing towards the Seaborn in the distance.
...A clash of titans, so lopsided against the Sea Terror's favor that the Abyssal Hunter couldn't help but laugh with scorn towards the threats that have assaulted Aegir.
The summon was a piece of artwork, formed from multiple features of foreign features that would never fit a serpent, yet at the same time... it did. She couldn't even focus on the battle that was occurring between the flame spouting beast and the water spitting Seaborn... because it was far too much of a massacre.
Not only did the flames fire off from the Shikigamis mouth, but arcing flashes of purple lightning accompanied with Cursed Energy formed salt water conducting it.
Laurentina moved beside Megumi, propping out the coughing man who was obviously overexerting himself, giving a friendly pat on the back. Taking in his full form in her eyes, the black haired man had certainly become the most interesting land-dweller she had met.
***
Screams were heard across the city of Primavera, citizens running away towards the blockade of Penal Battalion soldiers guarding the borders. They had seen it, the towering beast that eclipsed skyscrapers with each of its heads alone, inducing an electric storm and spitting fire hot enough to be felt from the distance.
Bright flashes of light happened, and a great rumble coursed through the crust of the planet they stood upon. It was as if it were the end of times to the weak soldiers, and to the more experienced Penal Battalion members—a nightmare at the implications.
"Get the citizens out of the way! Clear them out and be prepared to defend Primavera!" The captain in charge with a large majority of these shoulders barked out orders. Compared to some of the new recruits that joined the military, he was far more aware of Sea Terrors compared to them.
Right now, the eight-headed serpent could definitely, for a matter of fact, be called a vicious Seaborn that would eventually charge towards Primavera and lay waste to all of its citizens. If they didn't do anything, if they didn't...!
"Stop! Why are you running away?!" The captain gritted his teeth when watching his soldiers either break formation and let a wave of citizens leak through, or start running away from the scene. "Anybody who leaves will be executed—!"
He couldn't even complete his words, the crowd being far too big and loud for him to speak anything at all.
"Damn it!" The captain felt frustration boil up within his entire body, face heating up and turning red. If they weren't going to defend Primavera... then it would be him...!
His gaze turned back to the towering eight-headed 'Seaborn' in the distance, watching as a burning pillar of unnatural flames shot upwards, steam from the ocean rising around its body. The lightning that crackled across its body created a booming sound that would terrify any warrior in front of it.
...But he wasn't any... any ordinary warrior!
...
...What was he even talking about?
There was no need to lie to himself, the captain knew he was going to be crushed beneath its might. A High Inquisitor, only a High Inquisitor could even hope to match the beast in front of him in terms of strength. Even then, the captain wasn't sure if they could topple a monster of such colossal size.
It was then he followed along with the cowardice of his soldiers, and ran away.
***
"You never told me you could spawn a summon as large as that...!" Laurentina poked the dazed Megumi by the cheek, smiling widely as she carried the man over her back. "...Hm? Are you too tired to respond~? Aha, weren't you trying to look so cool back then?"
Megumi grunted from her back, eyes blurred to the point he couldn't recognize where they were at. "I... ugh!" His Cursed Energy reserves were completely dissipated from summoning the Totality, the most powerful one he could imagine and most likely form.
Both the composition of Shikigamis and the amount surpassed anything he had ever created before.
"If you're curious about where we are..." Laurentina finished poking his cheek, having had her fill of hearing the Sorcerer grunt. "The outskirts of Primavera. Do you know what happened?" The woman turned towards the man, feeling his despondent gaze on her. "Those military folks started running away when they saw what you did, it was hilarious!"
The Abyssal Hunter loved seeing their expressions. The 'mighty' soldiers who were as incompetent as they were in size pissing their pants and booking it out of the city—the same ones that had been a thorn to both Megumi's and Laurentina's side.
Yes, she hadn't forgotten when they were so stupid as to chase the black haired man for practically no reason other than 'suspicion.'
"You should do this more, it would be quite~ entertaining, princess." The Abyssal Hunter wanted to ask more questions pertaining to the black haired man, but he wasn't in any state to answer them. "If I remember correctly... you said there are vehicles used by mercenaries that we can nab, correct?"
A grunt of affirmation was all Megumi could respond with.
"Good then!" The shark lady spoke with far more pep than usual. "Exploring these dry lands will be far more entertaining than I could have ever expected, wouldn't you say so?"
Another grunt was all she received, this time of disaffirmation
"Hah~, you're no fun," Laurentina jokingly replied. "If you're with me, I will make sure there shall never be a dull day for the both of us."
After a few more minutes of scouting the outskirts, the white haired woman paused her steps. There was a truck sitting by what looked to be a bar made for mercenaries, left unattended.
"Should we steal it?" Laurentina asked Megumi, wondering if he was seeing what she was seeing.
"...No, that's... illegal," Megumi could finally form words despite the exhaustion leaking from his very being.
"Ah...?" The Aegir tilted her head in slight disappointment.
However... an idea formed in her mind, a brilliant one! She was sure Megumi would absolutely love what she was about to do.
***
A/N: I'm not sure how accurate the fact that Mahoraga is a mistranslation of Makora/Mahala is, but both Wikipedia and JJK wiki says it was a mistranslation.
So what did I decide to do? Mix the mythology of those two, what could possibly go wrong?
Besides, I think Mahoraga sounds 10000x cooler than Mahala or Makora.
I won't say I'm a professional in mythology, so any info would be lovely.