Chapter 42 - The Fierce Dragon of Reunion

A/N: 14k Words

***

Talulah looked off into the distance, the piles of snow falling were as cold as they always have been. A familiar feeling of having spent the length of about four whole years in the Tundra, and all the pain that came with it. Not only was it the biting snow which continued to chip at Reunion's will, but also the constant fighting.

The conception that the group of Infected fighters may not be able to make it south or even see the light of spring ever again left a deep impression in many. Patriot was right to a degree, they would never stand a chance against an army, and the Draco found it to be a crushing statement. But would she give up? Not a chance.

...However, with what had been happening recently, with a group of Infected deserting and taking a small Nomadic City by themselves, the aggression of the Ursus Imperial Army, and... it was all just too much. Stopping now would be pressing the brakes on a train just as it was about to hit a wall, the momentum already built up will simply make it crash into the wall and destroy itself.

The only option was to keep it going at full speed, perhaps even faster. That way, they could break down the wall completely and hopefully emerge to the other side. In spite of all the sorrow and deaths that had led up to this moment, Talulah knew that she could not falter. Not one bit, or else Reunion would be left within the freezing NorthWestern Tundras to rot.

Just like her...

'Don't let this bog you down,' Talulah whispered in her mind. A lot of Reunion's members had taken note of her downtrodden attitude the past few months. While they didn't know the full detail, Draco was sure they were smart enough to get the signs—which was why so many of them had been giving her the space she needed.

The best response she could give to her allies in this freezing and snow-struck lands was that 'nothing' was ailing her. She would need to reign these detrimental feelings eventually, for the sake of what she wished to accomplish in the future. It was just... Why did it have to be so difficult?

There was no need to delve on that question further, she already knew the answer.

Trudging through the frost ladened ground and leaving her footprints across produced a crisp sound of the soft particles being squashed. Moving through the environment wasn't much of a problem for the Draco with how her Arts and race were. For other people, it would be much more extraneous.

That wasn't what mattered though, all of Reunion played a part in creating this movement in its entirety. Every single step of the people comprising it served to bring it closer and closer to its goal, just as Talulah was moving closer to a village where she could negotiate trade supplies. It was one of the only spots that would do such a thing for them.

Aside from that, Patriot was starting to become more accustomed to the group, especially having spent four years with them. Progress was key in that regard since both of them shared the same view of liberating the Infected. It was just that the Wendigo was more inclined towards destroying the Imperial Government than uniting all Infected.

Talulah could admit to herself in these distracting thoughts that it was a foolish goal, but it was still a possibility she was going to grasp upon. Based on how many people they had gathered, uniting a large number of the oppressed Infected wouldn't be impossible. The problem was having to provide for all of them, especially if she truly wanted to unite all Infected.

'There have been upsides and downsides... some better than others, and some worse than others... you'll make it.' Her nerves were steeled once more, seeing the sight of the village in front of her. The one in front of her was one of the least frequented places by the Ursus patrol men, so if she just established trade relations with them discreetly enough...

...Then they wouldn't have to bear the vicious fang of the Empire threatening to rip them apart.

Her eyes trailed the faint brown wooden buildings and cabins off in the distance. Keeping track of them while making her advance toward it would serve to make sure she wouldn't lose sight of them.

Increasing her pace, the woman's legs started to exert itself a tad bit more in an effort to move faster. It worked, moving in greater and faster strides to where she needed to go. Whenever she breathed out softly, becoming visible by the condensation in the air as misty smoke caressing her cheek.

Like the calm comfort of a mother's tender palm, the journey to this village had been completed unperturbed and peaceful. The same could not be said for when she last visited a village about a week ago, where she just had to run into Ursus patrol men.

Killing them was a grave problem, because it was most likely that more would be stationed if news came back to their superiors that they were K.I.A. Just becoming designated as M.I.A. would too cause the military higher-ups to raise an eyebrow.

These worrying thoughts immediately dispelled with a greater worry when she felt something start to spike.

'...What is this?!' Vicious was the only word that Talulah could use to describe it, before instinctively reaching for the sword by her left side. Her hand rested on the handle of the weapon immediately clenched. The Draco could have sworn there was a burning red aura piercing the skies—visible even from where she was standing.

It was like a story, a cautionary tale that spoke of grand slaughter and meaningless killing. To spill the blood and taint the rivers with no purpose other than to fulfill a perverted want of building a red stream made of flesh and bones.

Disgusting, it was completely and utterly disgusting, telling her of the character of the person who had unleashed such a sickening malevolent display. If she hadn't been used to such a thing by witnessing the depravity of Ursus' armies, then the woman was sure she would retch and puke.

But not now, not with how much she had gone through and grown. There was a sense of duty burning in her chest, to stop whatever wicked shadow had decided to cast its shadow over the humble village in the distance. If she were even a pace slower, Talulah was confident that all the villagers would instantly become slaughtered.

'I have to be quick...! I can't let this monster...!'

The snowfield surrounding her started to melt with the unsteady rise of heat. It was intense, as intense as her legs immediately springing into action. A warm envelopment came over her in an orange hue, radiating a light that lit up the bogged skies of Ursus' tundras.

'Blood, it reeks of blood, completely blanketing everything around...!'

Her grip became tighter as her clothes flowed through the wind along with her hair. Talulah's breath became more labored, not because of exhaustion, but because of anxiety of what might happen to the villagers. It had only ceased a slight amount, which meant whoever this bastard was hadn't stopped what they were doing at all.

Her teeth clenched together, before a greater burst of speed left nothing but melted sand in her wake. With the speed the Draco approached the village, the world around her became a tunnel vision blur at the periphery.

Right as she bore witness to the brown of a building approaching her face did Talulah swerve to the side and let her feet slide on the snow. As did they suffer the same fate as their compatriots, did the snow completely melt from her trampling foot.

Grinding a complete halt, the ashen haired woman turned to look upwards with wide eyes and bated breaths. Before her was that monster she had borne witness to with the senses of the body and mind. Black haired spiking upwards in a visceral manner, the black tattooed markings caked across his face delicately, the gleaming red eyes that streaked blood, and the luxurious Higashinese attire gracing his malignant figure.

A strange golden wheel floated above his head, something that she assumed to be an Arts Unit. It looked to be a secret weapon with the strange divine eminence it gave off, something probably stolen. The object did not match the man's own disgusting aura after all.

His baleful face was one of suave handsomeness, one that Talulah could tell reeked of charisma from the stoicness it presented to the world. Was he a machiavellian? A man so high on his ego and presumptuousness that he trampled on all sorts of common life?

There was no doubt about it. He was a villain... A complete and utter villain, through and through! Nobody who had a slither of goodness within them would possess this sort of sickly degeneracy!

Then, just behind him was the 'dragon' protecting its mastermind. In the form of a black and white werewolf which towered at a height she denoted was on par with Patriot, the creature growled toward her with a sickening spree.

Its arm moved to cover its master, the aggressiveness of what was assumed to be an Arts summoned creature contrasting the neutrality and carelessness of the other.

The wind blew between their passage, the villagers having long since backed away from the inevitable confrontation.

It was no longer cold, the frigid air having been blown away by the intensity of eyes meeting one another in the form of gored red and noble orange.

"You...!" Talulah lowered her posture, her breath thinning as she thought of all possible outcomes her opponent could start off with. Could it be a strike with its gigantic creature? Could it be a summoning of another? Could it be a casting of Arts? Could it be a grand monologue of perversion?

It didn't matter, because when she spoke out towards him with her next breath, it invoked the spark of flames to start the battle. "Get away from this village, you monster!" An overbearing heat overcame the village, cascading across its air and melting its white grounds.

Much to her slight satisfaction did the suave and villainous monster scrunch his face in panic when the flaring of her flames encroach his body. The werewolf cast from the shadows immediately moved in front of him, just as Talulah shot her palm forward.

An engulfment of flames fired toward the black haired man. When it made contact, an earth shattering explosion rang out and echoed across everybody's ears.

Fushiguro Megumi was instantly sent flying back, and Talulah took the opportunity to chase after his distant body within a heartbeat.

***

"...This is troublesome," Laurentina narrowed her eyes into a glare when watching that she-dragon blast away Megumi with her damnable Arts. "far more irritating than I thought," the Abyssal Hunter clicked her tongue and started to move through the snow. To their location.

Unless the black haired man was in desperate need or explicitly called her out for assistance, she would be content with watching how this went out in the background. However, the moment that princess got even a tad bit too injured, she would make sure that crazed ashen haired woman would pay.

Her white hair blended in with the snow, the tufts of her dress trailing along with her footwork as she made it to where Megumi was blown away to. "Hm~, he's still relatively fine, that's good to see." The woman was hidden, but made sure he saw her giving him a glance.

The distance he had been launched from was quite far, the worn down winter trees being not too far behind the black haired man. It was to the point where one could see the decayed and scratched off bark openings frozen with snow.

Giving a tilt of her head, she mouthed Megumi, 'do you need help or not?'

Fushiguro Megumi turned to her, recognizing that he knew she was there. What he did next was simply responded by raising his hand in a 'stop' motion, and mouthed back to her, 'when you're needed.'

There were a few burn marks on his hands, but everything else seemed fine. The werewolf behind him looked to have taken the brunt of it, but it seemed to be healing enormously fast while standing on top of a black puddle.

She didn't know what was under it, perhaps it was the deer that had alleviated her Oripathy conditions? That seemed like something he would do. Have it in his shadows and a far lesser chance of being killed, while still keeping its function.

"...I see, how stubborn," Laurentina crossed her arms and huffed out. "Then let's see how far you can get with this opponent..." she fell back deeper into the shade, watching as the Draco lady landed not too far away from Megumi.

The heat was bristling against her skin, the shark lady raising her hand to make sure it wouldn't affect her moisture levels. They were launched quite far from the village, so she needn't worry about them being caught in the aftermath either.

Laurentina would make sure to keep an eye on these two... especially that noble woman who looks like she was dressed with Ursus' military attire. If she was right, then she must be part of the military that leads those dastardly patrol men.

Well, that didn't matter at the moment.

***

KLNK

The Dharmachakra spun, the partial adaptation settling into his body for it to feel rejuvenated. For its focus was the flames of the woman, if he could fully adapt to it and bear 50% of Mahoraga's resistance, then he could have a much better chance at facing the woman.

Right now, Divine Dog: Totality was being healed by a partially summoned Yamata no Orcochi, along with himself. Keeping an eye out for that dragon lady was his top priority, before dispelling his partial summon to conserve Cursed Energy.

The distance from the village was good, that meant he didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting the villagers. Laurentina was also put on standby, he didn't want to involve her against somebody who could flame Arts to a degree such as this. But if he truly needed her help, Megumi wasn't impartial to asking for it.

It was just that the lack of moisture could prove a detriment to the Abyssal Hunter, but he still recognized her as somebody monstrously strong. Fighting off the woman who had blasted him away wouldn't prove a difficulty to her, but he didn't know for sure where both their skill levels lay in comparison to each other.

His thoughts cut off when something landed in front of him not too far away. Narrowing his eyes, Megumi called for the Inverted Spear of Heaven into his open palm, slashing the dagger just as a blast of fire nearly hit him again. The attack was instantly dispelled, no great radiance or explosion lashing out.

"Tch..." the black haired man dodged to the side as another blast nearly hit him by the side. His Shikigami followed suit, even going far past him in order to flank the enemy.

Sliding off the ground and swinging his the Cursed Tool again, it dispelled a gigantic flame slash that had torn across the landscape, melting the snow and leaving a charred mess. Divine Dog: Totality had already sunk into the shadows as it stealthily made its way to the woman in the distance.

Talulah kept her distance from the man, sending off relentless slashes with great skill. By bombarding before he could make a full advance, then the Draco lady could tire him out and go for a clean blow.

However, it looked as if he were somehow perfectly parrying every hit, all of her slashes being... rendered useless? 'That large dagger in his hand...' the way he looked as if he were dancing through each step, along with the swings of his weapon being calculated proved his skill.

But that didn't answer the question of why her Arts attacks kept disappearing!

KLNK

On Megumi's side, he tirelessly continued to slash at every slash of flame that came his way. It served him well that weapons could also bear the burden of adaptation if imbued enough of his own Cursed Energy into it, so the Sorcerer let a few of the flames lick his hands or dagger handle—the part that could be infused with his Cursed Energy.

'...It cancels Arts, somehow!' She needed to get that dagger off of his hands! 'Hold on, where did his summon go? Did he dispel it...?' Just as she was keeping her distance and gauging her opponent's capabilities—did Talulah feel as if something was off.

Her eyes narrowed into a glare, shifting her attention back to the ground. There were shadows slithering about, approaching the Draco. That simple sight caused alarm bells to ring in her head, so she raised her sword upwards.

A torrent of flames shot upwards at her blade, lighting up the scenery while she was ready to strike down at the set up trap—

—She paused, something made the hairs on the back of her neck stick up. Turning around just as she was about to strike at the shadow pit was Fushiguro Megumi standing behind her, dagger held in a reverse grip and eyes concentrated at a singular place: her throat.

The greater danger was obvious.

Talulah rounded her slash with a fierce expression, meeting the man's dagger. Sparks were sent about, the flames which had graced her weapon had been completely nullified.

Out of the shadow pit that was approaching her arose Divine Dog: Totality, which stretched its claw back and slammed her to the side.

It didn't do much to the Draco, simply causing her to wince and be slightly pushed back. However, what came next was the problem, a full-on frontal assault with both a dagger attempting to lay claim to her life, and a massive werewolf attempting to tear her apart.

Parry, block, and unleash her flames—no, she can't even unleash her flames because of that weapon of his!

A claw attempted to swipe at her neck, so she redirected it with her sword while backing away. Right after, a slash was sent her way by the dagger the black haired man was holding, the object also being deflected with ease.

Over and over again, the werewolf and monster were both attempting to land hits on her but were ultimately failing. However, this proved to be ineffective in the long run for herself too, considering it would only serve to wear her down.

Using Arts against that weapon wasn't an option, considering it would just be wasted and drain her stamina. So the dragon lady had opted to go with cold hard steel against these two synchronized opponents.

Like tethering needles, Fushiguro Megumi and Divine Dog: Totality moved past each other with each step, interchanging positions and even criss-crossing each other to throw off their enemy. Despite the proven effectiveness that it showed by making the woman grit her teeth and be continuously pressured, they weren't making much progress.

'Let's change things up,' Megumi backed away and let his Shikigami charge in alone, extended the Chain of a Thousand Miles at the end of the Inverted Spear of Heaven and started spinning it.

Talulah barely noticed the change in the weapon, but was interrupted when she blocked a high blow from the werewolf. However, its other hand was free, so it reeled it back and sent it barrelling toward her stomach.

The Draco lady clicked her tongue and one-handed her weapon, letting one of her hands free to grab the claw that attempted to dig itself into her body. With the other man gone and doing something else, she flared up her Arts and was ready to burn this nuisance to a crisp.

BOOM

Something ripped across the ground and sent various debris and snow upward, making Divine Dog: Totality move out of the way as it approached Talulah.

The woman parried the attack after noticing it, having her Arts cancelled again.

KLNK

'This man...!' Talulah gripped her weapon tighter, feeling a sense of frustration start to well up. His weapon was a complete counter to her, and it only irritated her more with how something like that was in this monster's hands. 'I can't let him slaughter those villagers!'

Deflecting a wipe sweep from the werewolf's claws, Talulah raised her leg and just barely stomped into its chest. It was at that moment she caught sight of a fluttering black haori dancing through the air along with its wearer.

Megumi's speed kicked up, a storm of chances tearing through the air around him before making its way towards Talulah. His feet were light, softly planting on the ground before he waltzed forward. He had adapted Laurentina's style into his chain dance.

Continually deflecting the chains that grinded against her weapon or guarding against them quickly became an annoyance. Especially since it gave openings for that stupid summon to jab at her sides.

Raising her sword vertically by her side, she let the chains slide against it. Right after, the Draco was able to analyze a small opening where she could activate her Arts, just as the Shikigami was attempting to attack the woman once more.

DISMANTLE

Megumi saw her blade light aflame, and sent off an invisible slash by pointing a finger gun at it. Right after, it made contact with the woman's weapon, distracting her enough where Divine Dog: Totality could finally land a singular clean blow at her side.

BANG

Talulah was launched back while her Arts was still active, all the while Megumi drew back the Inverted Spear of Heaven to start rotating it once more—then launched it straight towards Talulah once more.

The Draco moved her head to the side with a neutral look on her face, and then sent a flaming sword slash toward the exposed Divine Dog: Totality. Right after, it sank into the shadows near instantly but had a chunk of its shoulder gashed by the attack.

Seeing it retreat, Talulah turned back to Megumi, who had rounded back his extended Inverted Spear of Heaven to attempt to land a hit on her. It proved fruitless as the woman decided to not make effort in deflecting or blocking it, instead moving her body in ways to dodge it.

Sidestep a vertical slash, duck an upper-horizontal slash, and then twist her body to avoid the built up chains.

KLNK

Megumi narrowed his eyes. The adaptation was focused on her fighting style this time, as evident when a chain thwacked her on the cheek, making the woman turn an even more intense glare toward him. If he didn't get close enough to adapt to her flames, then it would lead further into his own loss.

...As a Sorcerer, taking risks was key to developing oneself and winning a fight. Pussyfooting and using the same tactic over and over again would prove to show how much of a failure the black haired man was. 

So what was he going to do? 

Take risks.

Just as Talulah had raised her weapon after finding an opening in the layers of chains, she sent a powerful vertical sword slash which spanned a size large enough to eclipse an oak tree by several times. 

DISMANTLE

At that moment, multiple flashing flickers of red tore apart the attack she had executed, all in the form of slashes.

Megumi breathed out, feeling his condensed breath emit outwards. The barrage of consecutive Dismantles was somewhat draining, but it had served to stop that enormous attack of the woman.

His next plan was obvious.

Shadow Extension: Yamata no Orochi (Nue)

Secret Art: Falling Blossom Emotion

Intense red lightning then started encompassing the black haired man, before he entered Gojo Satoru's combat stance. His black haori and its sleeves fluttered back, the coalescing lightning starting to form a crimson aura around him.

The rest of the energy concentrated around his arms, akin to the intense compression of Kashimo Hajime's Mythical Beast Amber, completely covering his fist and wrist—but starting to fade as it reached his elbows.

It wasn't as thick as the Thunder God's own, more so comparable to Choso with how the electrical arcs graced his arms.

Nue's lightning wasn't controllable compared to Kashimo's own, so using his mastery over Falling Blossom Emotion helped control and mold it into form. All the training with Laurentina had paid off.

'Lightning?!' Wasn't he a summoner? Didn't he send off invisible slashes? What else did this monster have under his sleeve? 

'I have to use more power, even if it means burning down an entire forest...!' Talulah flared up her flames, finding that the black haired man had completely ditched his weapon from before. However, she couldn't find it anywhere on the ground.

Their intense auras clashed once more, before Fushiguro Megumi burst into an electric sanguine rush toward the woman.

***

"Lightning?" Laurentina leaned against the wall, watching from a distance. "Red too, what an unnatural color," she remembered how that eight-headed serpent of his could spawn red thunder strikes from the skies. 'Indeed, if this didn't make the already obvious theory that he can channel his summons' powers through his own body, then this should be a dead giveaway.'

The woman rolled her eyes to herself for even instinctually doubting this notion about Megumi's abilities. But certainly, it opened a whole new path for how he could fight, a gateway for... for how much more annoying his fighting style can become.

'Ugh, why does it have to look so beautiful?' The woman narrowed her eyes. If he could enhance her weapon, would she also be able to do something as flashy as that? 'Calm down, you can already do enough, like punching a hole through a mountain.' Laurentina shook her head to clear those thoughts.

Honestly, watching the black haired man use hand-to-hand techniques that she had ingrained into him (by beating him up with them) made the Aegir slightly swell up with pride.

This was the person she had taught, and it had completely paid off!

'Maybe I don't need to step in after all, princess?' The Abyssal Hunter could feel some slight alleviation in regards to his health.

***

Mixing martials arts, the ones taught to him by Itadori Yuji, Gojo Satoru, and Laurentina's utterly aggressive style were swapped consecutively into a perfectly flowing style. Multiple barrages of blows accompanied by the powerful thunder of Yamata no Orochi continued to meet Talulah's excellently developed flaming sword techniques.

"A growth curve for a sorcerer is always a wide slope!" The Sorcerer yelled out, going for a wide hook, something that Talulah had ducked under. "So to completely scale it...!" Megumi's eyes were wide and in a trance, barely blocking the upwards sword swing that seared his arm.

KLNK

Despite having refined his Reverse Cursed Technique when travelling with Laurentina, the black haired man still found it slightly draining to his current reserves. Especially when using Shadow Extension of his Supreme Totality.

"...Is to take risks!" Megumi didn't know why he was saying these things out loud, but it certainly helped him to bombrush this woman with as many attacks as possible—ignoring all the attacks and the strikes that were starting to carve at his body.

'Is he... insane?!' Talulah had expected her sword to slice through his thunderous punch after he had launched a straight jab, but her burning blade was evenly met with it. 'This lightning is making him far faster than before!'

A kick arcing with thunder shot its way to Talulah's calf, but the woman imbued her leg with flames and countered it with an equal force.

A chop from Megumi attempted to make its way to the woman's neck, but was deftly deflected by her sword.

A liver shot was attempted by the Sorcerer, but the woman redirected it to the side with a burning blade, singing Fushiguro Megumi with a burn after she redirected it in an attempt to slice off his neck.

KLNK

Five adaptations to her flames, one to her fighting style. That sword slash Talulah had sent toward his neck was equivalent to the ones that she had sent from a distance—if he hadn't already had five adaptations to her flames, Megumi was sure his head would have been cut clean off, Cursed Energy Reinforcement or not.

He back-pedalled, but the dragon lady wouldn't relent in her assault. Raising her weapon into an elegant stance, Talulah sent off a barrage of gigantic slashes which charged toward the Sorcerer's retreating form.

DISMANTLE

Swiping his arm across his body with a finger gun pointed out, a grid of slashes was sent forward, flickering in and out of existence with the distortions it made. It clashed with Talulah's own, but had been completely overwhelmed by her fire power.

Clicking his tongue, Megumi called for Daiitoku, the lightning cloak and condensed lightning across his arms turning gold the moment the Cursed Tool entered his hands. Unleashing its lightning toward the flames, the golden blast completely countered Talulah's attack.

Right out of the smoke screen that had formed from the clashing blows were more slices which Megumi barely dodged—even in his enhanced state. Right after, Talulah came out of the opening and thrust her sword forward, which grinded against the bladed end of the Vajra.

KLNK

Another pulsating of golden lightning emitted from both the Special Grade Cursed Tool and Daiitoku, forcing Talulah to increase the intensity of her flames and jump away in the air. Right after though, the dragon lady struck downwards with a large encompassing flame—but found it blasted through with the golden lightning

'So easily?' The Draco creased her brows at how easily it had overpowered it, since the lightning hadn't done that the first time her flame and his lightning clashed. 'Is he growing during this fight?' Moving out of the way midair to avoid the thunder was difficult but doable.

Once her feet touched the ground, more lightning bolts rained from the sky, piercing into the ground below and causing fissure-like cracks to appear. 'I can't be hit by them, or else they'll affect my nervous system,' the dragon lady knew how lightning worked, and with how these golden bolts laced with ivory possessed some sort of other effect...

'Tch, why does it have to feel so divine?' Talulah deflected a bolt of lightning arced into a slash sent horizontal toward her, all the while constant rains of pelting thunderstruck Cursed Energy continued to ravage the environment.

Everytime Megumi flicked his wrist, the Cursed Tool independent of his Cursed Energy continued to rain down on her. The reason why it was so powerful in the first place was because he had been infusing Yamata no Orochi's Shadow Extension into it.

While he watched Talulah consistently dodge his attacks, his thoughts came back to why Kamutoke was so revered. The fact that his Cursed Tool could produce lightning of all things independent of the King of Curses' Cursed Energy is what made it so praised in Jujutsu Society.

That was how he was able to deal with the squad sent to exterminate him, despite Angel's Jacob's Ladder disabling his Cursed Technique.

What was even greater in his eyes, however...

KLNK

Just as how Mahoraga's Sword of Extermination can take on the God of Shikigami's adaptations, that also meant it could bear the burden of adaptation. If that was so, then Daiitoku's physical weapon itself, and the lightning bolts it emitted, could also bear the burden of adaptation. The weapon possessed the Shadow Extension of Mahoraga imbued into it, after all.

"...Lovely," Megumi whispered to himself, feeling a grin forming on his expression. It seemed to have pissed off the dragon lady he was fighting against.

"Ugh!" Talulah grunted when a bolt struck her by the side. It didn't do this much damage when she was first struck by it, but the disabling effects it had on her nerves forced her to form a barrier of flames to block against a piercing flash of seven thunderbolts charging at her.

It pierced through the flame barrier with ease, but provided the woman with enough time to dodge away. At the moment, her mind was going through a million different scenarios where she could counter the attack being emitted by this... Caster? Could he even be called a Caster? He certainly was acting as a Caster would at the moment.

If she kept up with this game of cat and mouse, she would tire herself out from having to dodge the vicious lightning bolts, seeing how her Arts were being repeatedly overpowered by them somehow...

'...That's it!' Taluah widened her eyes and stopped dodging. Her sword was raised upwards to block a beam of concentrated lightning that attempted to crash into her body and gritted her teeth, 'I just have to attack him without my flames touching that damnable lightning!' A confident smile made its way on her face, and she made sure the black haired man saw it.

Megumi blinked owlishly when seeing her expression, as if it were straight up telling him she had made a breakthrough in defeating him. Now that made him nervous, causing the black haired man to swing his Cursed Tool more frantically, discharging more bolts towards Talulah.

Bearing them down, the Draco tensed her body and slammed her blade into the ground and kneeled—bracing herself for the impact to come. Just as the lightning current electrocuted her body, did Talulah output her flame Arts, coursing it through the ground.

Megumi felt the ground below him start to crack and light up, making him widen his eyes. His previous action of blasting the woman with Daiitoku was halted in an attempt to make him back away from the ruptured ground.

KLNK

Soon enough, the scenery was covered in a pillar of orange flames rising up and lifting the ground upwards in a destructive manner. Temperatures reached an all time high within the vicinity, shattering the debris into nothing but ash.

A large plume of smoke covered the entire area in its formation, bleeding into the weathered forest, completely distorting and covering up the sound of the Dharmachakra turning.

The sight was seen by the wary villagers from a far distance, all residents immediately running back into their home. If the previous sounds of crashing lightning and crackling fire did not instill enough fear, Talulah's hellfire attack had certainly done so.

The woman in question panted—not from exhaustion—but from having to bear the brunt of multiple adaptive lightning bolts tearing at her body. However, the woman was able to shakily stand up, scanning the scenery before her.

There was a sense of unease burning in her heart, making the woman shakily grip her sword tighter, the intensity and locking of joints making all the pain leave her body like a ghost. She couldn't sense anything, not the monstrous man or the accursed energy that came from him.

So that must have meant—

"BREATH OF THE DRAGON..."

A voice howled in the distance, calm and unperturbed by the environment around it. It pierced through the fog and all obstructions that would dare to heed its approach.

"...SOLITARY STAR..."

Flickering purple flames glowed in the distance, illuminating everything that surrounded it. Not even the flaccid smoke of covering the scenery could stop its acrimonious light from corrupting what should have been nature's natural beauty.

"...INCINERATOR..."

A lone figure was chanting in the dark, spreading their arms outward and manipulating the flames forming at the epicenter of their body and soul. The Cursed Energy ripping across the land had awoken once more in a glorious splendor.

"...OPEN!"

—Talulah gritted her teeth and raised up her sword in a defensive position. The black haired man had used a chant to call upon his Arts, something that FrostNova would do to enhance her own... What was even more bizarre was that he now had access to flames too?!

Shadow Extension: Yamata no Orochi (Tiger Funeral)

The dust had cleared, revealing Fushiguro Megumi, battered from the previous attack, pointing a burning purple arrow with a sniper's crosshair at the end of the projectile.

It aimed deadcenter at the woman before him, the previous golden-turned red lightning no longer being present around his body, only malevolent flames burning from a spirit long broken.

"Don't get things twisted, we're not done yet..." Megumi breathed out, the many adaptations of Mahoraga having saved his life against Talulah's flames.

Soon after, a declaration toward the dragon was made.

"Let's have a contest of firepower...!" A stalling tactic, to let his Cursed Energy build up. Having already wasted most of it using Yamata no Orochi's lightning Shadow Extension was showing its effects.

But this one... he had to win this one, especially with his adaptations to Talulah's flame being settled in, it would have to guarantee absolute victory!

The Draco woman fell for the bait, gritting her teeth with a glare. "Do you think just because you possess great power that you can do as you please?" The woman called out toward the man with hatred, her voice reaching a crescendo just as the flames did. "What horrendous acts have you done? How many lives have you taken?! Your continued existence will only bring pain to the rest of Terra, and all Infected lives included!"

Talulah's sword was drawn back, igniting in far more intensity than it had done before. She was just as battered as the opponent before her, but not once would she show any signs of weakness toward this scum of Terra!

Her passion was bright—however—on the other side...

'...What is she...?' Megumi was about to respond to her with another taunt, but then closed his mouth. 'Infected lives, but isn't she wearing...?' Like a scattered puzzle in his brain, one could see such a thing if they gazed closely enough into the Sorcerer's widened eyes. 'Wait a minute!'

His goddamned Cursed Energy, how did he forget?!

'Then what's with the clothes?' Megumi's mind was in a panic, pointing his Incinerator at the woman while witnessing the incandescently torrent of flames shooting up into the sky. The dragon lady's figure in front of him had completely become black outline, her eyes being the only gleam seen through the fire.

There was no time for doubt, the Lord of Ashes was staring him dead in the eye. If he didn't unleash his attack now, even with 50% of Mahoraga's adaptation—his body may not survive.

Especially since he couldn't spare even a single drop of his reserves for Cursed Energy reinforcement. That was how drained the Sorcerer was.

The amaranthine flames immediately fired off from his hands and pulled his body back in recoil, the flames of Yamata no Orochi blessing it with greater strength.

Just as the attack of Fushiguro Megumi had been unleashed, Talulah swung her sword with a yell, shifting the landscape along with her. A draconic blaze that had served as warmth for countless Infected lives had been unleashed in all its glory, facing off against a firestorm of malice.

BOOM

A flash of white and black stars formed at the center of the blast, flickering between the two monotone worlds constantly. The ground tore apart at their sheer might, reverberating an earthquake that shook the lands around them.

Surrounding trees burnt to a crisp within the blink of an eye, toppling over and turning to ash at the yield of power exerted. There was nothing that could be called snow littering around where they had stood, considering the explosion continued to grow into a gigantic spherical mass.

As purple and orange mixed together into an unnatural celestial color under the skies of Terra, so did it spread out and illuminate toward the aether stood above all.

The NorthWestern Tundra of Ursus found itself completely lit up that day, by a profound conflagration.

***

"Aren't they just so excited?" Laurentina looked at the scene with a miffed expression. The corners of her lips were turned downwards while she impatiently tapped her finger on her crossed arms. "Why did he delay his shot? What was he thinking?" The Abyssal Hunter nearly charged in head first when hearing those damnable words of 'let's have a contest of firepower!'

Did he think he was in some sort of action novel? Was Fushiguro Megumi secretly a battle junkie? Or even a masochist? That would explain a lot.

"What kind of idiot waits for their opponent?" The Aegir narrowed her eyes in greater focus. She didn't know who would have won the clash of flames, seeing how the fluorescent explosions completely covered her view of the scene happening behind it.

She honestly shouldn't be surprised that her companion could utilize some weird violet flames, since he had already channeled Yamata no Orochi's lightning through his body. However, what made it weird was that it didn't match the flames that the summon had produced in the slightest.

Speaking of Yamata no Orochi, it was reasonable why he hadn't summoned the creature at all. Of course, something as copiously large as that would cause way too much panic, and the Aegir was sure it would also cause far too much mass destruction.

...

The stars above were more clear today than ever, especially across the night sky undisturbed by city lights. However, such sight-seeing was not something she could afford to do at the moment. The flames produced continued to shimmer across the horizon which she was gazing upon.

That was what she needed to focus on, and hopefully Fushiguro Megumi would come out of the dilemma alive.

It was already a matter of cold hard facts that the abrasive man would be left injured beyond any concept of relief.

"You, the white haired lady!"

A voice from behind made the Aegir's attention turn toward it. Although with a slightly peeved look, "yes? And you're the old lady." Laurentina had far more pressing matters, "make it quick." So her tone wasn't the most approachable, she could admit.

"A-Ahem!" The old lady cleared her throat, "that young lady who had attacked your boyfriend doesn't mean harm to the village! She is with the Infected and has been trading with our folks for the better part of a week now!"

The old lady stopped herself and started panting, attempting to regain life and air into the aged bones of hers.

"...Hm?" Laurentina blinked in surprise, "what...? Then why did she—" The Abyssal Hunter almost wanted to palm her forehead, realizing. "Ah... I see!" She immediately turned back to where the discharged Arts attacks had been clashing. It had already ended, "a misunderstanding, huh? How cliche."

The woman couldn't blame that dragon lady though, considering she most likely would have done the same thing if she had met Fushiguro Megumi while he had those black tattoos. "Thanks for the information, grandma!" Laurentina waved her off before immediately dashing to the scenery.

***

Megumi laid on the ground, his hand spasming from the horrible burn wound leaving his muscles in a shock. They were raised in front of his face so he could have a better look, the charred skin being a familiar sight..

It was grisly, but the Sorcerer was used to it after having fried them while forging Daiitoku. However—

—Something straddled him, making him widen his eyes and jolt his head to the side. A blade had stabbed where it had been, before Megumi reached his hands up to grab the handle of the weapon.

Above him was the woman, hair messier than it was before. She looked tired and exhausted, yet an unheeding will still burned within her eyes.

"I can't let you..." The Draco struggled to wrestle control over her weapon after the black haired man locked it with his hands, "...take anymore lives!" Talulah's voice was a declaration toward the mass of evil below her.

"Shit!" Megumi wondered how the hell this woman was still active, and acting with so much fervor. However, he couldn't dwell on the thought for too long as the heat around him started to rise during their struggle.

He hadn't adapted to the woman's sword strikes, so it would definitely chop his head off if the dragon lady was able to land a hit on him. However, having already faced many adaptations toward her flames, the Sorcerer was 100% sure he could last far longer when facing down her heat.

KLNK

Flames were produced from Talulah's hands which started searing Megumi's already burnt body.

Their power struggle continued, the black haired man attempting his best to keep the woman's sword in place while she continued to output her flames.

'C-Compared to me, she has no reduction in output at all...!' His Cursed Energy reserves had already taken a huge blow from their drawn out fight, and inefficient usage of Yamata no Orochi's Shadow Extension. "I-I'm not here to kill any Infected!"

He had resorted to a gambit, in order to get any sense of reason into this woman

"Lies! You liar!" Talulah spat out, "you've killed thousands! Tens of thousands! Don't you even dare lie to me!" The woman was encompassed in flames, bearing the full brunt of the force down at the person below her.

KLNK

She was out of her mind, there was no need for the Sorcerer to hold back anymore. Facing imminent death at the increasing heat of the Draco's flames, Megumi was sure that he would die within the next minute or so if he didn't do anything drastic...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

KLNK

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

...So be it.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"WITH THIS—"

The moment those words left his mouth, a white and black blur laced with blue ribbons trailing from behind came into view. The Ten Shadows user's words paused, watching as a mean kick was fired off toward the dragon lady's chin, bypassing all the flames and making the woman be sent ragdolling back.

A sneak attack, always one of the most effective tactics to strike an enemy.

BAM

Talulah who had been sent back rolled across the melted ground groaned out in pain.

 Laurentina's surprise attack proved to be an effective measure against Reunion's leader, landing like a cat with how softly her foot was when meeting the ground.

"Surprise~!" The shark lady bore a grin toward Megumi, the latter having been sprawled across the ground in a grievous state. "Aha, it's just like we discussed before, right?" The woman held a coy smirk, hiding the irritation she felt toward that she-dragon. "I'd save you from any evil dragon that'd dare take you away."

"Ah..." Megumi grunted, placed a hand over his forehead. She definitely could win this fight, "thank you..." he was being as sincere as he could be.

"No problem," Laurentina chirped towards him, "now—we have quite a feisty feisty woman to deal with, don't we?" She turned to where Talulah had been knocked away to, seeing the rising flames piercing upwards.

"...You can take it from here, right?" Megumi sat upwards, feeling his hands shake from the damage accumulated. "I think there's a misunderstanding, so don't kill her."

"Of course," Laurentina rolled her eyes. "I also have a general gist of what happened, thanks to the old lady. I must say, your presence is definitely a problem." The Abyssal Hunter reached her hand out, as her gigantic buzzsaw shot out of Megumi's shadow.

"I get it," Megumi didn't feel the heat from Talulah's flames anymore. The vast adaptations Mahoraga had undertaken had practically reduced the amount of damage it could do to him infinitesimally close to zero. Too bad it won't ever reach zero, with how he only bore 50% of the adaptation.

He was also sure Mahoraga copied a technique or two. It really depends.

What was it called...? Stellar Corona?

'At at least I gained something out of this.' He continued to be stared down by Laurentina's curious red gaze, making him slightly nervous. "She's preparing an attack, are you going to...?" His worries were for naught, as the Abyssal Hunter immediately blitzed forward and sent a shockwave passing through.

'I had Divine Dog: Totality at the ready in the shadows to sneak attack that woman..' the black haired man watched as Laurentina moved across the blasts of flames with ease, and at times deflected them with her weapon. '...when I had Incinerator at the ready, but her words...' Damn, why did everything have to be so complicated?

He needed answers.

The Shikigami master hadn't called for his werewolf to attack her at that very moment, which was most likely a lapse in judgement. But it didn't matter right now, because Megumi was witnessing what almost looked to be an unfair fight.

The exhausted and battered Talulah was being danced around by Laurentina, the Aegir laughing at the woman's plight in attempting to even land a graze on the Abyssal Hunter.

"The tides were much more difficult to pass through than this!" Laurentina launched forward and attempted to land a blow on Talulah, the Draco responding by raising her sword and being knocked back. "Getting weaker, are we?"

"Ugh...!" Her physical strength was dropping, "who are you?!" Talulah hardly registered what had happened before. Just as she was about to blast that damnable man in the face with the full power of her Arts, her body had been kicked away by some unknown force. "Are you with him?!"

The Abyssal Hunter had already made her way towards the front of the woman, going for multiple wide arcing slashes that became a river of flowing slashes—barely perceptible to the human eye. "Sure, why not?!"

Talulah pointed her blade toward the advancing woman with two hands, before meeting the barrage with her own flames pouring out of her blade, "you're with that... that monster?!" Baffling, this woman must be as atrocious as he was.

"Hah? How disrespectful, did anybody ever teach you manners?" Laurentina swerved around the woman after breaking off from the exchange, attempting to go for a liver strike with her saw. "You're just so ignorant that it's hilarious!"

"What would you..." Talulah raised her blade by her side in a vertical position, both hands on the handle. The impact of the attack made her wince, "...understand?!" That aura, that bleeding corruption which struck at every single nerve in her body.

"If you could read auras just as you are literate, then maybe you'd understand!" Laurentina reared her saw upwards, throwing the Draco off course, "oh, can you even read at all, Ursus military girl?!"

"Hup!" Talulah forcefully pulled her arms downward with her blade, barely blocking a thrust from the other woman's saw. "I am not... with those scum!"

"Then wear a different outfit, idiot!" The Abyssal Hunter's point was proven, applying more force into her blow by putting her full body weight into it. The ground cracked as Talulah was pushed back, "or should I mistake you as those Infected-killing trash, as you have with my companion, hm?"

Talulah felt her muscles aching, her Arts starting to pour off her blade in all directions. However, the Aegir immediately left the grinding clash and circled around her once more, just as the flames were sent forward.

The misfired attack shredded everything in front of its path, only stopping far in the distance to fire off in a pillar of flames.

"Besides, if he really wanted to destroy the village—" Laurentina had a clear spot, immediately going for a sweep kick at Talulah's legs "—he would have done it ages ago!" It made contact, forcing Talulah to fall over.

"What—?!" Talulah felt a foot slam into her chest and pushed her further against the ground, before she raised her sword into a guard; blocking a saw that scraped against her sword. "Are you talking about—?" Her breath hitched, feeling the immense force being pressed against her sword.

"So, how about it?" Laurentina made sure Talulah saw her smug grin, "cooled your head now, little dragon? Or are you going to keep burning your head off?"

"Ugh!" Talulah could barely keep up in her weakened state. Her Arts started to flare up, betting on one last attack to flow the Abyssal Hunter away.

"Yamata no Orochi."

A blackened serpentine head shot forward from where the Sorcerer stood, massively shrunken in size. It crashed through the two's weapons, making the Aegir jump back in surprise and the Draco to pull back with a strained expression.

"Laurentina!" Megumi called out from the background, "calm down! Both of you!" He didn't know if this was going to invoke the dragon lady to attack them after, but he didn't want any useless blood to be spilled.

"Are you sure—" Laurentina turned back towards him with a confused expression, seeing how she wasn't sure if the dragon lady who had been at her feet had even calmed down or not.

"This..." Talulah was barely kneeling, pointing her blade toward Fushiguro Megumi. To her surprise, the black haired man raised his hands in the air, presenting his open palms. The most notable thing about him was the drastic change in aura, the malevolent reekage having completely dissipated. "...Ah—huh?"

It was completely jarring, making her have to do multiple double-takes at what she was seeing.

"I'm not here to kill any villagers or Infected people!" Megumi called out to the woman, having suppressed his Cursed Energy and disabled Shrine ages ago. "If it's because of my presence, then it's my mistake! I was attempting to get rid of the Ursus patrol men!"

Laurentina stood by the side, impatient tapping the handle of her buzzsaw. From the looks of it, Megumi was completely exposed to any attacks that would be sent off by the she-dragon.

Talulah's mouth opened—then closed. Her blade was still pointed to the black haired man, weapon shaking as she tried to make sense of everything. 'That atrocious feeling, where did it go, is this a trick?'

The leader of Reunion was at a loss for words.

***

There were many stories that Gojo Satoru had told Fushiguro Megumi, many of them borderlining absurdity with how they went. It was at times when the young Sorcerer had to think over whether the bizarre tales were truly fact, or the Strongest Sorcerer attempting to butter himself up.

One such being that one time he had beaten an African Sorcerer black and blue, which apparently led to the man becoming an ally of Jujutsu Tech? Which was also the person who later trained and instructed Okkotsu Yuta of all people for a decent while?

That seemed impossible, and something out of an anime.

...

But right now, Megumi could somewhat believe such a tale.

In front of him was the woman—now named Talulah—lowering her head in an embarrassed apology. They were all sitting in the comfortable abode of the old lady who had been the main person to settle the horrendous misunderstanding that had happened.

Izanami or Izanagi bless her heart, Megumi wasn't really sure which god he believed in.

Laurentina had her arms crossed beside him, sticking closer than he would have imagined the woman would. It was most likely because he was in the worst state compared to the other two, his hands looking like charred coal, covered in bandages and ointment.

"I-I apologize for jumping to conclusions," Talulah called out to them one more time, hands clenching at her thigh. "It was just that—"

"I know, I can't really control it," Megumi dryly cut her off, staring at his bandaged hands. The effects of adrenaline wearing off was always the worst, "I thought you were a part of the Ursus Imperial Army and their patrol squads with your outfit. I'm curious, why are you even wearing them when you're... part of an Infected movement...?"

Laurentina gave him a glance, chin resting on her palm. She wondered why he hadn't punched out those black and red electric sparks—much different from his red lightning cloak—as he did against the Seaborn. If he had done so, he would have definitely subdued the dragon lady before them much more easily.

Was he holding back? Or were there other conditions that she didn't know?

"Ah, erm, it's hard to explain..." Talulah fiddled with her fingers, meeting the two's eyes. It reminded her of the time when she had first met FrostNova, and a pointless fight ensued right after. But this one was different in a sense.

The old lady mediating the two suddenly spoke up, "oh please, there's no need to ask Talulah here about her outfit." The woman sounded exasperated, "she always comes up with fabricated stories about it, to the point where I'm starting to believe she's becoming senile at such a young age!"

"A-Ahem!" The dragon lady shut her eyes and coughed into a balled fist. "Ms. Diana, please..."

The old lady began ranting about things that honestly surprised both Megumi and Laurentina. Who could have known the villager in such a remote place could have such... opinions about the dragon lady. All in all, it looked like a grandma scolding her granddaughter.

"So pardon this missy here, she's a young spirited girl who has far too much in her hands, and as pigheaded with ideals as you can imagine." The old lady huffed and crossed her arms, "I hope you two young lads can understand."

"...Well, we do now," Laurentina turned toward the dragon lady who looked as if she were attempting her best to not look embarrassed. "Well, it wouldn't be the dry land if a useless fight were to break out, now would it?"

"I... can attest to that," Talulah coughed into her fist once more, shaking her head. "Then that presence you gave off... Mr.?"

"Fushiguro Megumi, family name first, given name last," Megumi replied.

"Then, Mr. Fushiguro, could you explain what it... was?" The Draco could hardly understand why else it could have such a retching feeling if it didn't reflect the person who wielded it. Unless the black haired man before her was the greatest actor in all of Terra, then...

"Arts, I didn't ask for it to become that way," the Sorcerer blandly replied to the dragon lady. "I was unfortunate for it to... how should I put this? For my Arts to become cursed and decrepit." It was a lie mixed in with the truth. "An outside influence."

'He never told me this,' Laurentina shifted her focus from Megumi and glanced at the dragon lady with a wary look.

"Oh, it must be a difficult subject to talk about," Diana, the old lady, lowered her head. "I've only heard from fairy tales of such things happening, but given what I've felt from you, lad—then I believe some of them have merit."

Talulah blinked in confusion, 'Arts...? Does he even use Arts? It doesn't feel like Arts... but he said it was 'cursed' so...' she could understand him to some degree. Seeing how she, herself, could be considered to be 'cursed.' "I understand now..."

"So, are you three finally in good graces?" Diana called out to the three, "you saved us from those unruly patrol men, thank you. Although the rest of the poor sods here are still afraid of you," she humorously pointed out. "And this young lady here fights for the Infected," she pointed toward Talulah, "you all seem to share the same goal."

"Don't think much of my actions," Megumi waved her off. "I just can't stand those Ursus patrol men doing whatever they want. There's nothing more to that."

Talulah thinned her lips, curiously glancing at the black haired man. "If it's okay for me to ask..." she chose her words carefully, "...what is your opinion of the... Infected?" Aside from the topic of his strange energy and his countless abilities (which still baffled her), the Draco was most curious about his actions from before.

Clearing out the Ursus patrol men wasn't something an ordinary person would do, as the problems caused from committing such an act would be unbearable. However, from what she understood and heard from Diana—he did it within practically a heartbeat.

If those mauled corpses far deep into the forest was anything to go by. The portion that hadn't been eviscerated by their clash.

"The Infected...? They're people? That's it?" Megumi, the man in question, gave her a confused look. "It's not that complicated." It was strange, sharing his views toward a woman who had been attempting to cleave his head clean off.

"Really?" Talulah perked up.

"Yes? Really." Megumi turned toward Laurentina for any assistance, the woman giving him a small shrug in response.

It was then the Aegir decided to speak up, making the dragon lady in front of her look surprised, "I'm Infected." Laurentina wasn't partial in revealing such a fact, despite the implications it could bring. From what she understood, the not-military lady in front of her was also an Infected.

The casual way she revealed such a fact made everybody, barring Megumi, surprised.

..."Everything is becoming so much more clear now," Talulah breathed a sigh of relief. "Then, I have to ask, what are you two doing in Ursus' tundras? You two look to be... a Higashinese and an Aegir."

"Oh, nothing much, we're just here to enjoy some sights—but it seems we've run into a few difficulties as a result." Laurentina responded back to Talulah, much more emotion than Fushiguro Megumi could ever express. "Ursus is, pardon my vocabulary, a trash-heap it seems."

Diana huffed in amusement, most likely an agreement to her words.

Talulah had to reevaluate the two in front of her. Fushiguro Megumi, despite what he said, most likely held a sense of justice. Nobody would stand in front of an Ursus patrol squadron for no reason after all. The white haired lady with red eyes... she still didn't understand much.

But the way the Aegir looked at her was quite unnerving.

"If you three have talked enough, feel free to use my little house as a place to stay for the night," Diana stepped up from her seat, the old body of hers slightly making it difficult. "This house is far too large for my liking, just don't be a bother. The other folks out there would be too afraid of you after the disaster from earlier."

"Understood," Megumi nodded.

"Thank you, Ms. Diana," Talulah replied.

"Will do," Laurentina hummed.

The old lady slowly stepped out of the room for the three's privacy. However, she shot a gaze toward Megumi, one that seemed to say 'good luck,' for whatever reason.

The black haired man gave her a raised eyebrow.

Her departure was marked with the sound of the wooden door closing behind her. The remaining residents were now left in a room with dimmed lights shining down on them, the fur padding on the ground keeping their feet warm. However, for superhumans such as them, a small addition like furred mattresses didn't do much.

Their own bodily functions did most of the work in keeping themselves warm.

It was then the silence was broken by an ashen haired woman, "you two... Ms. Laurentina and Mr. Fushiguro, could you hear me out?" Talulah was slightly hesitant to break the tense atmosphere, but decided to give it a shot.

The two glanced at each other for a terse moment, before turning back to Talulah. They gave her a slow nod of approval.

***

Megumi was laying down on a bed, all the lights in the building having already been turned off. He mulled over the words that Talulah had given them, about this 'Reunion Movement.' She seemed very passionate about it, and by very—he meant it on the same level as Itadori Yuji adoring the Human Earthworm trilogy with every fiber of his being.

"What do you think, princess?"

There was somebody in the same bed as him, as the room only had two. So they had decided to give one to Talulah, while he and Laurentina stayed in the same bed. Despite the distance between the two, the black haired man couldn't help but feel embarrassed by this set up.

"About Talulah?" Megumi whispered back to Laurentina, not turning his head back. He was afraid that it would be far too close to hers. "Not much, I don't have an idea of the whole thing yet."

"Well, if you're wondering about me," Laurentina pulled in closer to his ear, "I think she's an idealist, attempting to seek what everybody else views as impossible." Her voice was even more of a crawl, her hands clutching Megumi's shoulders.

"...Go on," the black haired man ignored her actions and focused on her words.

"She has a good head on her shoulders and probably the best intentions for everybody. But of course, with how dry land seems to be right now, it seems difficult to gauge how well this whole 'Reunion' will end up." The Aegir gave her two cents, "but hey, I'm from below the sea. I wouldn't say I'm a professional about this stuff."

"You're right, I'll think it over in the morning, and then we'll give her our answer." Megumi nodded to himself before letting his body relax on the bed.

...Laurentina still hadn't let go of him.

"What? Distracted by my touch?" The woman leaned in closer to his ears with a playful tone.

"...Just go to bed, Gojo-sensei."

"Huh?"

***

Five days left...

Talulah stood outside the village, the snow piled across the ground having long since been melted. How? Well, the events of yesterday had already spoken enough. Now that she had become sobered from the battle and cleared out any misunderstandings with the mysterious man known as Fushiguro Megumi...

...She realized just how absurd all of his abilities were. A golden object which turned his already strange red lightning golden? The purple flames he produced? The invisible slashes sent out? If the Draco had to fully theorize, she would assume his Arts that were afflicted by a 'curse' made them absurdly stronger.

There was no way somebody as young as him could be able to execute such a wide variety of Arts so flawlessly. He must be a genius in some sense of the word, or born in a special way. Just as how she was able to manipulate flames with laughable ease thanks to her race as a Draco... Fushiguro Megumi...

...Actually, what race was he? The woman beside him was an Aegir, she had said it at some point. But Megumi didn't ever describe what his race was, and she'd assume him to be Aegir too considering how his friend was an Aegir. His Higashinese clothes also further reinforced that idea.

The problem with her understanding of the Aegir race was that any information pertaining to them was mainly unknown, even within the confines of... his mansion. So learning about their racial benefits and capabilities was something she hadn't been able to fully grasp.

'...Are they going to accept my proposal?' Talulah turned her thoughts elsewhere. Fushiguro Megumi when hearing her talk about the Reunion Movement didn't hold much of a reaction. If anything, his stoicness reminded her of Patriot to an extent, but she didn't know if he was as stubborn as that mighty Wendigo or not.

Laurentina on the other hand, she seemed to be more invested in her words than her companion. Although Talulah wasn't sure if the Aegir was trying to seem respectful or not, the Draco hoped that she was truly listening in to her words. Maybe it was because she was Infected?

Seriously, it was hard to read those two people. Not as hard as Patriot, but they were up there.

With how many villagers seemed to be avoiding her after the confrontation yesterday, Talulah admittedly felt horrible over her actions. After a few attempts to clear up misunderstandings and trading for supplies Reunion needed, the woman was now standing at the doorstep of Diana's house.

As if it had been all timed perfectly, Talulah found that the door had been opened, and it wasn't by the owner of the house. It was by Fushiguro Megumi, the black haired man who possessed such a wicked energy that it would make any normal human defecate their pants at the mere sensation of it.

However, just as it was last night, the feeling was completely gone. Along with the black tribal tattoos on his face, it was as if they had never existed in the first place. Truly, it wasn't too absurd to say that they were a curse placed on him—and she was sure they had caused him many problems in his daily life.

"Mr. Fushiguro..." she called out to him with her eyes closed, keeping her voice as steady as possible. Talking with conviction was key, "have you made your decision yet? There's no need to rush yourself over these matters—"

"Sure, why not?" He was as blunt as always.

"—Because if there's..." Talulah pressed the brakes on her words, leaving her mouth open for a second. Right after, her eyes shot open and attempted to see if the black haired man in front of her was the same person as last night. "...Pardon? Is that the decision the both of you made...?"

"Yes," Megumi replied back with the same energy, fixing his black haori. "We're interested in what this 'Reunion Movement' is." As bland as he could reply with his tone, the Sorcerer honestly wasn't looking too forward to this.

But they had already made it to Ursus, what else is there to do?

"Is there a reason why you decided to...?" She was honestly just so confused, did he even want to go to where they were at? His voice seemed to betray the words he was speaking, and the tired look on his face...

"We just felt like it," the Sorcerer replied back. "We both agree the Ursus patrol squad are a bunch of bastards, right?" His gaze turned toward the ashen haired woman.

Talulah nodded slowly.

"Despite the rough start we had," Megumi drew out his voice, taking a look at the morning sky. It was blue and radiant, a far cry from the previous nightly shade that had been present during their bout, "I think I agree to a few of your points too."

The request to take a look at Reunion, and see what they think of it, he had decided to fully accept it. The woman in front of him seemed like a righteous enough person, so Megumi didn't feel as if he were being tricked or anything similar. He wasn't going to join them, though.

These Infected people... from what he had heard, they had a far more difficult life than he had given them credit for. His experiences back in Lungmen and the slums were simply a single place, and seeing how they were being treated in Ursus...

"When do we go?" Megumi placed his hands in his pockets and leaned by the house's side.

"...Right now," Talulah replied.

***

"Is getting rid of the Infected the mentality this entire world has?" Megumi glanced across the scenery, the truck they were in passing by trees while it traversed the snowy landscape. He had decided to take the wheel, a difficult task considering he was only used to driving on flat ground—but still doable.

Laurentina sat on the front passenger seat, sometimes shooting glances toward the dragon lady at the back passenger seat.

"Not every country," Talulah shook her head. It felt much better now that the vicious battle from before was put behind them, even if the feeling was awkward at times, "some have better treatment than others. While some also prides themselves for better treatment compared to some countries... but the Infected are always exploited in some way. No matter what anybody says."

This whole experience was giving her deja vu back to when she had fought FrostNova. After their bout, she and the Cautus had both gotten warmer with each other, just as she was at this moment.

"But they're still creating concentration camps to slaughter them in large amounts here, just as you said?" Megumi felt his lips thinning, an irate pulse travelling through his head. This was much worse than he thought, something most likely akin to the anti-Semitism during WW2.

"It's hard to hear, but it's the truth." She wondered how their treatment was back in Higashi, "apologies if I'm delving into personal matters. But... Did you two come from Higashi?"

"No," Laurentina replied to the woman this time. "We came here from Iberia."

"Iberia?" Talulah turned to her. She remembered reading about its Golden Age, and then it passed by within practically the blink of an eye. The most terrifying part about it? How silent it was. "I would have expected you two to be from Higashi."

"Hm, I don't know about princess here..."

Talulah blinked at that nickname, turning to the black haired man with a confused look.

"But you could say I came from Iberia. However, my home is from Aegir instead, not much I'd want to tell you about it, though." Laurentina made her stance clear.

"I understand," Talulah nodded respectfully toward the woman, even if she didn't fully know what she was talking about. "I wasn't able to fully describe Reunion's goal back then, but we're looking to unite all Infected across Ursus." Her voice was firm when stating her goal.

Amongst the snow ladened lands, the vehicle continued to crush the white ground within its path. Like a human foot trampling on ants, such is mankind's own creation against the causations of nature.

"Seems impossible," Megumi spoke up and interrupted the two. "But that's probably what you're going for, right?"

"Excuse me?" Talulah was confused on what he meant by that.

"An impossible goal is still a good goal to go after, considering you're just attempting to overshoot what you actually hope to achieve, right?" Megumi already knew that kind of mentality. I.e. dreaming of surpassing Gojo Satoru—which should be impossible—provided somebody enough motivation to develop the best they can.

"Still," Laurentina piped in, "seems far too much of a fairy tale-esque thing." She rested her arm on the open window, the cold metal of the car hardly bothering her.

"Did you not hear what I just said earlier?" Megumi groaned.

"Oh? Did I?" Laurentina countered back with more sass. "Anybody ever say you have the hair of a sea urchin? The similarities are as broad as daylight."

Talulah watched as the black haired man promptly shut his mouth and held a deadpan look. She had to wonder if he was the... er, how should she put it? The less dominant of the two? Seeing how the white haired woman was stronger than him in combat—she could attest—then it would make sense.

"...Back to the matter of Reunion..." Megumi could audibly hear Laurentina 'humph' in victory, before fully relenting. There was no arguing with this sadistic woman, "how long has it stood up so far?"

"Four years," Talulah decided to move on from the... previous bout as the two had. She could take criticism to her goal, she had been facing them from Patriot for the better length of four years anyways.

"I take it that you face harassment from the Ursus military constantly?"

"You have no idea," Talulah sighed.

"Well, what should we be expecting when we reach your place?" Megumi kept his eyes on the road. Usually, he wasn't a sociable person when it came to talking with people, and Laurentina had been the one to do such things when they took pitstops at settlements. But the Sorcerer needed as much information right now as possible.

"They might be a bit surprised to see a vehicle reaching their place... because it's usually not common," Talulah said. "If I step out first though, then it might not be a problem. Just expect them to be tense, they usually act that way with strangers."

"To non-Infected people, too?" Megumi raised the question along with his brow.

"...Admittedly, yes. But I can speak out for you two, despite the little scuffle we had yesterday," the Draco attempted to lighten up his mood with the second sentence.

It didn't prove to be effective though.

"Don't bring that up," Megumi felt his mood sour, "you burnt my hands and nearly lobbed my head off."

"...Sorry," Talulah raised her hand to the back of her neck, massaging it and looking away.

***

FrostNova glanced at where Talulah had departed yesterday. She wasn't too worried about the woman, considering the firepower she packed behind that small form of hers. Watching her do whatever she did on the battlefield had been a testament to such a fact.

Right now, what worried her was that the woman had been gone for quite a bit now. The Cautus knew that the Draco said she might stay over at the village since she had been procuring supplies during night time, but worries such as these still persisted.

It didn't help that Talulah wasn't the only one that could be placed into jeopardy, but also the entire village itself. She hadn't known many people off in the distance from where Reunion's encampment was, but FrostNova knew well enough that they were one of the few villages that even traded with them.

Others would push the Infected away, for fear of association. She couldn't even blame them, considering how the Ursus Imperial Army would view such a 'vile' act, and would immediately set off to burn their housings to the ground—along with indiscriminate slaughter. How ironic.

Despite all of their discrimination toward the Infected, when it came to killing, one could bet on Ursus to be as impartial as they can be in that regard. To her, it simply showed what sort of place the country was. Both in state, and their beliefs.

Her sights changed directions, glancing at where the Yeti Squadron was. They were cleaning off snow that had accumulated and piled up on the wooden houses they had constructed. Having them build up too much could strain the structures and cause a roof to cave in, which they had learnt the hard way.

Other places such as tents laid around usually weren't good for sleeping in. They didn't provide much heat or protection from the falling snow, and were far less durable than wooden cabins. Most of the time, they were used as medical facilities to treat people who had been injured in battle.

Too bad it couldn't treat people who were far too deep in their Oripathy infection. They didn't have much medicine that could treat such a thing, and that was the detriment in a faction such as this.

Reunion was filled with practically everybody as Infected. Eventually, they would pass away at one point, much faster than a non-Infected person would. That was a difficult notion to swallow, but everybody had already set into their hearts that they were going to do something that would let the future generations of Infected follow in their footsteps.

Hopefully, they would also be able to achieve more than they could at the current moment. That was of course, by the very, very slim margin that the Reunion Movement succeeded within a decade.

Even then, the majority of the movement would have already passed away.

"Big Sis'!" A Yeti Squadron member cloaked in white and black fur called out to FrostNova, running toward the Cautus woman with fast steps. "There's a vehicle approaching us from a distance, it's fully black in color!" His voice was slightly frantic, undertones asking for what they should do next.

"...A vehicle?" FrostNova narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What emblem or marking do they have? How heavily fortified is it?" The woman needed to know more, as she stood up from the chopped log she was sitting at.

That wasn't a good sign, mainly because both Talulah and Patriot were off somewhere else. The former had travelled to another village, while the latter was leading a large portion of his Shieldguards to clear off an Infected concentration camp stationed further west.

If the Ursus military had found where they were at and sending vehicles, then this was a bad omen ready to explode in their faces. Especially with the condition they were in at the moment, not having enough firepower to fight off a larger battalion than what was familiar.

"It looks completely ordinary, but it might be a trap," the Yeti Squadron member pointed toward where he had seen it. "It's off in the distance over there, somebody with binoculars had spotted it and alerted me to bring the news to you, Big Sis!"

"I understand," FrostNova felt her eyes tensing and narrowing. The wind felt far more cold than she imagined, the passing draft attempting to freeze the medium-sized settlement they had created seemed to warn them of imminent danger—along with potential destruction. "With the rest of the Yeti Squadron and the remnants of the Shieldguards gathered, we need to assess the situation properly."

That was what her father would have said, right?

"Should we include the other newly-wed members too?" The Yeti Squadron member asked her.

"Yes, and keep most of them stationed out of view in case we need that advantage over the unknown strangers approaching us." FrostNova turned back to the settlement once more, watching the people mingling about. "We'll need to do this quickly if we don't want to be the ones caught off guard."

"Understood, Big Sis!" The Yeti Squadron wanted to compliment her for being quick in her response just as her father had been before—but time was of the essence.

***

The vehicle was just as described, a black truck most likely modified to traverse the snow terrain of the tundra. Its harsh engine resounded across the air and kept everybody on edge, weapons and Arts at the ready in case anything happened.

If it was only one vehicle, then it would be a slaughter on the side of the Reunion forces. Unless they had specialized elite troops which could take down entire squadrons by themselves, then FrostNova was completely confident in defeating it.

What further added on to her paranoia and anxiety was as she had assumed before—it was bait to lure them in, or made to look small to provoke a sense of security. With that in mind, they would lower their guard and be more susceptible to a garrison of reinforcements or hidden units ready to intercept.

"Keep yourself at the ready," FrostNova breathed out. No matter what the temperature was, her breath always produced a condensation effect compared to other people. The side effects of her developing Oripathy continued to worsen, such as how her body has nearly become cold enough that it could cause damage to people who touched it.

Slowly, the vehicle braked and started to slow down as they approached the Reunion settlement. The members started to feel their muscles lock themselves in place more intensely, preparing for... anything.

A hail of crossbow bolts, a hail of Arts, or the immediate charge of a hundred soldiers were what they expected. No matter how illogical the latter seemed, it was something the gathered group had been wholly prepared for.

After all, Patriot put it best. No matter how intricate and well formulated a plan is, a single roll of the dice is enough to cause everything to go into mayhem. Even the greatest planners of the Ursus Empire during its peak made mistakes, or had influences far beyond their control.

At times, sheer luck played a massive factor in deciding victory that it wasn't even funny.

Finally, the object moving on four wheels came to a halt. The windows were tinted black, and the figures of the people inside the truck were barely able to be seen. This singular addition to the car made everybody standing before it even more wary of who could be inside.

A silence followed, only the low hum and roar of the vehicle's engine could be heard. At that very moment, a greater silence followed as it was turned off, the echoes fading off in the dense freezing air.

Shuffling was seen inside from the black outlines, perhaps the soldiers inside preparing for—

Click

The door opened from the back, an astonishing sight presenting themself before the Reunion members and FrostNova. Talulah of all people stepped out, and then turned toward them. After that, she gave the group a wave and smile, holding a crate of what looked to be supplies.

Right after, the two front doors opened, the two figures at the front making themselves clear before their sight.

A spiky black haired man dressed in Higashinese clothes of all things, and a white haired woman dressed in a dashing dress that would make even Ursus nobles green with envy. They looked like a far cry from any Ursus forces or military, instead looking more like foreigners to the place than anything.

The one that stood out the most of the two was obviously the black haired man and the divine object floating above his head, causing multiple eyes to turn to the golden 'halo.'

"...Talulah?" FrostNova called out to her friend, confusion decorating that singular word.