Chapter 46 - Enemy of Ursus + What-If Omakes + Fanart

A/N: 15k Words

WE GOT OUR FIRST FANART, AND IT'S KUSANAGI-NO-TSURUGI!!!!!

Credits and huge thanks to @krampus, Aienforge in the Discord Server! (@Aienforge in Wattpad), he is the artist for these glorious depictions.

The blue blade portion of Kusanag-no-Tsurugi turns red when its Cursed Technique is activated (Yamata-no-Orochi's red lightning), and white-gold when Daiitoku's lightning is added. (Daiitoku's lightning is the most prominent)

Also, Megumi's hair only looks like that in the first image when I describe it as being pushed back. Without further ado, let's start the chapter.

***

The shadows bent and churned at the sheer weight of the apparitions laying dormant within. It was like the ravaging spawn of an ungodly being, crawling its serpentine body and clenching its jaw everytime it writhed within the pits of damnation. An everlasting hunger of thirst and hunger never to be satiated—that was what Great Serpent: Totality - Yamata-no-Orochi was.

It longed to be brought out with its supreme Sovereign's will, to lay waste to all the enemies which had dared even approach a sliver of his shadow. Its compressed and golden infernal breath which could slice and vaporize a line of skyscrapers in an instant—the red storm which billowed upon its wake.

It was a trembling mass of pure destruction, one rivalling a certain Divine General in terms of sheer might. So it only made sense for the Totality's emotions to be so visceral and intense, burning the brightest out of anything the Sorcerer had ever seen or felt. Well, aside from Mahoraga himself.

This was what Fushiguro Megumi was feeling, and it was a strange, but not unpleasant one. It wasn't like his Shikigamis to have a will or consciousness of their own, especially for a Totality. But for some reason, the black haired man felt as if they were an aware being themselves, seeing how Mahoraga knew of sadistry—or how Divine Dogs loved to be pet under the chin.

Was it the fleeting sanity he had at the moment, feeling the presence of four tainted inhumanities approaching him? When his Totality timer for Mizuchi and Amaterasu was about to run out? He had rerouted the Sea Dragon to come back to him to assist with this precarious endeavour that was about to finish brewing, but the time limit... the goddamned time limit might be the deciding factor.

But did that matter? Hell no! He was going to take down as many of those bastards as he could. Megumi needed to play safe, but also in a way that would make him wring out the most optimal conditions. Yes, optimal conditions so he could win in a sure fire way.

Despite being in a tundra filled with excessive snow, the air around Megumi had become arid. The cracks and fissures laid barren across what should have been freezing soil, were heated to the point where steam excessively rose. Their movements were joyful, dancing across his body along with the two Shikigamis beside him.

It was a decadent night, filled with only madness and bloodshed. That was the best description he could make out of the entire mess, watching the vast destruction spread across the land. With how much he moved across the battlefield, while also taking into account the stray shots that could have encroached on Reunion—Megumi had instinctually moved himself away from their settlement.

The attack sent off by Mahoraga was practically a message to everybody in the vicinity that the biggest danger was him. Reunion was being attacked by what Fushiguro Megumi assumed to be an elite force of Ursus, with how advanced their technology and level of strength were. There was absolutely no way they could have been some common bandits or Ursus patrol guards.

It didn't help matters of hiding their identity when they wore gas masks, a feature which Megumi assumed to be part of their military force. Although it may be a stereotype or an inconsiderate way to look at their soldiers, the black haired man couldn't care less about such a thing. Right now, they were practically his enemy, and so was he their likely public enemy #1.

As per usual, it seemed that whatever place he visited would somehow blow up in his face. Lungmen was the clearest example, and even Primavera. It wasn't because he was caught summoning Yamata-no-Orochi during his stay in the latter city, but because he had to face down a horrendous horde of slimy monsters.

Now... in Ursus? He just had to get involved in the matter of their entire military! The Sorcerer probably had an entire target paint on his back, and multiple wanted posters of his face being sprung around. It might not have happened recently, as he had been wiping out outposts and barracks with Yamata-no-Orochi, but certainly killing an elite secretive(?) group would cause it all to go further into hell.

'Keep your wits up,' Megumi attempted to steel his eyes into his normally stoic expression, but the unending burst of fervor within his veins wouldn't stop. It wasn't just a matter of dopamine or adrenaline, but an overdose of Cursed Energy. 'Ha~, shit! Gojo-sensei never said it was a bad thing to have an overindulgent rise in Cursed Energy levels...' but with what he was feeling right now '...Damn is he right!'

The sinking feel of impending doom was replaced with excitement. Instead of fearing his defeat over the next batch of troops approaching his location at high speeds, the Sorcerer was going to look forward to letting loose with the Divine General. The amount of adaptations it had overtaken against his previous foe should make this next battle more bearable.

Especially since his senses were telling him of the same horrendous energy signature as the previous black uniformed thing that he fought. The self-assuredness within himself as a result rocketed into the sky, the only factor providing himself this unprudent feeling also being his lack of self-control.

Footsteps were heard.

They were as calm and calculated as he remembered, the echoing impermanence of them scarring the land having left an impression. A hissing sound that could barely be called a human's breathing. If anybody were to describe them as pieces of art, Megumi was sure they would be the most bizarre person on the planet.

Four glares dressed in a red sheen made itself known in the horizon. The only thing obstructing his sight with them was the smoke continuing to rise from the golden flames kissing the lands. All trees have already been toppled over, mingling with the debris by creating a hazardous ground of broken splinters.

A war zone was most appropriate for its descriptor, and he stood at the center of it—at a higher elevated ground where he could overlook everything that had happened. By proxy, the Sorcerer could also lay claim with his sight toward the Blades of Ursus making themselves clear, a swarm of black particles accompanying them.

Mahoraga slightly bent its knees while behind Fushiguro Megumi, showing its pristine teeth toward the approaching opposition. Amaterasu and Mizuchi, standing at both of his sides let out growls, lowering their postures into a launching position. It was four on four, an equally matched battle in regards to quantity.

A clash of empyreal divinity against corruptive calamity. The bright glows of crackling golden-white lightning emitted a light which clawed against the void-like ebony. A distortion in the world's order formed at this very moment, a clash of flaccid 'good' and 'evil' was about to resound.'

An echoing permanence which would find itself lost to history, bound to a nameless land.

Fushiguro Megumi stepped forward, Ame-no-Sakahoko and Daiitoku by his side, their holy eminence gracing his accursed form. The Divine General and his envoys followed along, a beaming light of pure energy piercing upward toward the Heavens.

His figure was no longer seeable, clouded in the expanse of shimmering Cursed Energy. One so thick that only a black outline of him and his soldiers was visible.

An invisible pressure formed, untouchable by the human hand but felt upon the very soul. It was crushing, leaving all lifeforms around it to bend to their knees as he slowly approached the four demons who had presented themselves in front of him. When two wills face one another, only one shall come out victoriously.

The Emperor's Blades hands uniformly reached for their crimson casted and bloodied blades, a perfect form ingrained into their flesh and bones. Perfect soldiers held no doubt nor inhibition in the face of peril. For the glory of Ursus, they would lay down their lives to bring their country back to its former heights.

Two Dominions clashed, a fortress built upon the horrors of mankind was the one reigning superior in the face of a singular formed Dominion. However, such a notion would immediately be denied before their eyes.

KLNK

It was no longer overpowered, the Divine General's own Dominion pushed back against the terror of the Emperor's Blade. Step by step, Fushiguro Megumi finally stood in front of them, his eyes staring up to see their inhumanity.

They did not know each other.

They did not understand each other.

Nor did they care for what abilities were being possessed.

All that mattered was that they needed to fight.

With a blur of movements...

...An all-out war broke out.

***

The Reunion members were in a panic, scuffling about and looking everywhere that they could. Wariness was at its peak that night, the lingering doubt of ever seeing the next day had been bolstered to an extraneous amount with the arrival—then premature departure of Ursus' boogeymen.

The Emperor's Blades.

However, what happened next was a complete mystery. After they had arrived and trashed the place, the Ursus Royal Guards had left after a flash of gold was seen in the distance. Now that only brought up more questions, such as—what the hell was that flash? A flare? An alert for them to retreat?

It was all too confusing for anybody to fully comprehend. Right now, they were doing their best to recuperate and prepare for another attack, especially when it was against monsters such as Ursus' best.

"Talulah," A Shieldguard called out to the Draco woman, who looked like she was dazed. "Was what they said true? What's our next course of action?" Although the former question was something he was the most confused with, it didn't really matter to him. Whether she was actually the daughter of Duke Kashchey or not made hardly any difference—she fought for Reunion.

Besides, she looked to be a runaway more than anything.

"...Yes, It's true," Talulah huffed out with a strained breath, "we need to prepare for if they come back. There's a high chance they'll be alerting the local garrison of our location and..." it was all so frustrating, seeing how this entire settlement may go down in flames the next day. She was already expecting artillery fire to rain hell on them.

"Understood, let's keep it as a secret for now, then," the Shieldguard wasn't going to push the matter anymore. Even if the Reunion member didn't care much for it, many other people may. He then turned toward the location of Patriot, the Wendigo had arrived to where they were not too long ago and drove off the Emperor's Blades to where the golden explosion was. "Captain! How many Royal Guards were there in total?" If he had been completely honest to himself, he was scared shitless when facing those Facerending Liches.

However, being in the presence of his Captain had made it a thousand times more bearable. In fact, courage did not come from a lack of fear, but pushing through in spite of fear. That was one of the first teachings Patriot had told the Guerillas, something that they would forever keep in their hearts in memory of the Wendigo.

"Five... there were five Royal Guards." Patriot stated aloud for every member to hear. The Abyssal Hunter known as Laurentina was by him, a neutral face scanning across the scenery for a certain black haired man. "Two, against Talulah, two, against me and this Hunter, and one, against the Yeti Squadron."

Whispers were heard amongst the members, people shivering or having a hard time registering the number. Elite soldiers, the cream of the crop—attacking Reunion in numbers of five. They were legends amongst legends, only being left in folktales as horror stories for a more mature audience.

The ones who would tear off faces and wear the skin on their waist, walking as the cruelly obtained object swung with each of their menacing steps. The black fog that would encompass the entire scenery, blocking anybody's sights of escape, or any escape in general. After all, if one caught sight of you, it would be the end of your life no matter what.

Yet they lived, they had persevered. Standing with their two idols and leaders, Patriot and Talulah, the Reunion members had gained a large boost in morale which had been lost when facing down the black armored men. So they could breathe in relief for being able to live to see... maybe tomorrow.

"One... one left?" Laurentina impatiently cupped her chin and tapped her lower lip. There was still that sickening feeling pervading the air, and it was most prominent at where she was looking at. She whispered to herself, "hmph... those little critters are still here, huh? How persistent." It didn't help her to feel any calmer, when they were most likely battling with Fushiguro Megumi.

"Hunter," Patriot gestured toward the Aegir, "there's no need to rush. Reunion needs to recuperate." The Wendigo glanced off in the direction where she was staring, before giving an assessment of his daughter. The white Cautus girl was shaking and exhausted, yet she was in far better condition than he could have expected.

From what the Yeti Squadron had explained, Yelena had overextended herself in fighting off the Emperor's Blade. It was bad to the point where her Oripathy levels should have reached critical levels... yet a dragon—yes, a literal dragon—had come and 'healed' her. The same report was what Talulah had witnessed, and the Wendigo could only theorize who it could be.

"Really?" Laurentina sarcastically spoke back to him. "If you're not gonna go yet, then I'll just go on my own." The Abyssal Hunter would have thought it would have been better if they all arrived, since there was an estimated total of five of those 'Emperor's Blades,' something that she was willing to admit she couldn't beat. But seeing how Fushiguro Megumi...

"Hrm," Patriot let out a gruff sound, watching as the woman immediately dashed away, leaving a large wake of snow behind her. Reunion members who were within her path panicked and fell over when she passed, getting the heart attack of their lives. "Hasty and untempered, this will be troublesome."

Fighting five Emperor's Blades with the woman as the ally wouldn't seem too far of reach to achieve. However, what the Wendigo was worried about was full retaliation by defeating all of them. That is if they even defeat all of the Royal Guards without suffering any casualties in return...

Talulah from the background watched the woman blast away with widened eyes. If that was anything to go by, she was flabbergasted by her actions, wondering why the woman would run into the forest where the Emperor's Blades could possibly be.

If anybody had faced monsters like them from where they were at, then Talulah was sure running into the forest would be the last thing they'd do. She turned to stare at the statue that was Patriot, seeing him not go after her. The Draco shared about the same sentiment, they needed to rest.

"Dad!" FrostNova suddenly called out to the Wendigo, approaching him with an exhaustive step. There were Yeti Squadron members around her attempting to keep her from overexerting herself, but they couldn't do much lest they wished to get frostbite on their hands, "please... you have to help him!"

Now that brought a surprise to everybody.

"B-big Sis!" One of the Yeti Squadron Casters was hovering his hand on her shoulder, attempting to catch her attention. From the looks of it, his big sister wasn't going to back down from relaying the message across, even if she wasn't in the greatest condition.

"My daughter," Patriot called out to FrostNova. "I take it the person you speak of..." the Wendigo could already hazard a guess.

"Mr. Fushiguro... he's fending off a Royal Guard, I don't know..." FrostNova's breaths were bated, posture nearly collapsing. "How much longer... he'll be able to fight for..." she winced, the Oripathy granules in her body weren't doing much to aid in comfort. They never did.

"You've overexerted yourself, with who you were up against, this comes off as no surprise." Patriot nodded his head, "he has saved your life, just as you said." The Wendigo watched the expression of his daughter turn stern, the Yeti Squadron members around her staying quiet in her show of will.

"I owe him... my life, driving those monsters... driving them off is the most we can do..." FrostNova huffed, clutching her shoulder and wincing. There was a nearby log close to her, so the Cautus lady slowly sat down to make sure she didn't collapse. "He's still fighting..."

The Yeti Squadrons moved to get whatever treatment they could for her Oripathy levels.

Patriot was in silent deliberation. Perhaps weighing the cost of what would happen to Reunion's troops if they face down five Emperor's Blades. Even if they were relatively new recruits to the Royal Guard, there was no doubt that...

"FrostNova..." Talulah called out to her friend. That was before she felt a wave of energy off in the distance, it was faint, barely detectable with the distance they were at—

—No, it spiked higher than she could have even imagined. Her eyes widened, sweat forming at the back of her neck, what she was feeling wasn't Fushiguro Megumi's aura at all... It was a completely different thing. The sheer might of divinity emitting in the distance was like a drop of a bomb.

Everybody had felt the shockwave. It was within the passing of a breath, but the message rang clear enough: a long-winded battle of gore and viscera was about to commence. Whether they wished to bring themselves to the grinder or not was completely up to their decision.

Patriot took one good glance off in the distance, his eyes seeing a vague apparition of a three headed skeleton with six arms. They were completely black in shape, its bones producing a rattling sound which reverberated across the earth. The figure's hunger seemed unsatiated, its gaping maw and hollow eyes showing that it possessed no life.

As if its skeletal form wasn't enough of an indication.

He had seen enough of the vague vision, "all who stand here...!" Patriot slammed the butt end of his spear on the ground to alert all of the Reunion members, along with causing them to be snapped out of their stupor. "If you do not wish to follow my path to the depths of hell itself, then stay back and guard the Reunion settlement. Otherwise, this shall be a journey of strife for those who shall follow me. Make your decisions."

The Wendigo's red eyes knew where it needed to guide his body to go. The senses honed from battling countless horrors ladened in the snow fields of the Northern Tundras had already given him a sense of who Fushiguro Megumi was. This single commotion caused by the black haired man had only revealed more.

Divinity.

Reunion members stared at each other warily, whispering amongst themselves. One of their leaders was going to march toward... wherever the immense aura had come from, a place where the Ursus Royal Guard were most likely at. They didn't know the full context, and they sure as hell would love to know what was going on...!

"I'll follow you, Mr. Patriot!" Talulah spoke up to the Wendigo, standing up and placing a hand on the hilt of her sword. "FrostNova is right, Fushiguro Megumi has saved her life, and I believe it is only fair that we repay his favor." The Draco held a determined gait, all lethargy from fighting the Facerending Liches disappearing in an instant.

As her words died down, louder voices from the Reunion Movement could be heard. First, it was a shout of agreement, before more followed along with them. Eventually, nearly more than half of the movement had decided to rally along with Patriot and Talulah, most notably the Shieldguards—they would always follow their Captain.

"Reunion...!" Patriot's voice was one that could invoke the deepest spirits within soldiers. Those who have ever seen him on the battlefield could attest to such a fact, a deeply inspirational general which could lead victory in the harshest of environments. "We advance...!"

With the Aegis of the Infected at the forefront, the group marched toward the whispering rumors of battle.

***

Endless thunder torn across the skies flowed down onto the planet's barren earth. There was a breakage of the ground, sending upwards square plates which cracked further into nothing but pulverized ash. Flickers of vermillion created a macabre sight, tearing across the golden aura which filled the air.

An outline was moving across the battlefield, a long and short object in each of their hands. From the long object, a spear, large slashes of arcing celestial lightning colored in aureate were sent out. It tore through everything within its path, giving no respite for the monsters chasing after Fushiguro Megumi.

The Emperor's Blades raised their blades, deflecting all ranged slashes from the spear. It was then the Sorcerer leapt into the air, channeling lightning across their spear with a thunder strike from the skies, caused by Daiitoku—then executing a one-handed wide sweep toward them.

The Royal Guards avoided the attack, watching as it battered the ground and sent even more rubble upwards. A large shadow puddle formed before Mahoraga erupted from it, chasing after a lone Emperor's Blade after they had been separated.

The two other hidden Totalities shot upwards, chasing after their own targets to leave Fushiguro Megumi with another one on their lonesome.

When he landed his feet on the ground, he turned his sights toward the one Emperor's Blade which wasn't occupied, watching as the black mist coming off their respirator instantaneously died in the aureate Dominion of Mahoraga.

Staring each other down, the sounds of clashing blades and explosions of water and fire echoed in the background. Heeding them no pause, the two immediately dashed to each other, Megumi opening a way for Noble Eightfold Path while the Emperor's Blade figure was shrouded in shadows.

Pulling their blade back, a diagonal slash of their weapon was met with the vengeful fervor of Fushiguro Megumi's Ame-no-Sakahoko.

Immediately, the black haired man split into multiple figures, surrounding the Emperor's Blade from all sides. They all numbered up to 8 including himself, all holding various different weaponries, ranging from Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the upgraded Playful Cloud, a pistol, and various other weapons the black haired man had taken from Ursus outpost armories.

The main body still held Daiitoku and Ame-no-Sakahoko, keeping the Emperor's Blade in check while all other clones unleashed an unending rampage upon them. It was absolute chaos, all moving in practiced unison and passing by each other to send the Facerending Lich's body reeling against their blows.

The explosive flame of Playful Cloud struck at their neck, the electric blast of Daiitoku along with a successive thrust of Ame-no-Sakahoko struck their chest, a bullet bashed against their arm, while all other clones holding an assortment of weapons continued to batter them. To top it all off, the gigantic Nodachi known as Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi blasted forward with its jets flaring, slamming the Emperor's Blade in the stomach and sending their feet sliding off the ground.

A hissing sound was heard from their gas mask, as all the clones chased after him, half of them splitting off to run circles around the Emperor's Blade. It was then they had decided to swipe their arms, forming multiple black spears which shot out at break-neck speeds.

The inferior weapons broke at the force of their blows and dispelled the clones holding them. Those who possessed the Special Grade Cursed Tools however, were able to deflect the vicious attack firing off at all directions.

Megumi lifted Ame-no-Sakahoko, Daiitoku's lightning passively imbuing it. With a grand swing, the adaptive lightning and negating abilities of the Inverted Spear of Heaven eviscerated the Royal Guard's barrage of attacks, before the Sorcerer slammed his foot behind himself.

A large square plate of debris was formed. Leaping upwards and placing his foot on it, Megumi launched himself forward, uncaring if his tactic of approaching the Emperor's Blade was foolish or not.

On the side of the Divine General, the pale beast struck their blade downward on an Emperor's Blade, sending a reverberation across the battlefield. The ground cracked at their struggle in strength, before the Shikigami found that its side had been stabbed by two other Royal Guards.

KLNK

Roaring, the beast inhaled air in its body, before blasting it outwards, unleashing a force which blew them all back. All Totalities have been dispelled at the moment, leading just Mahoraga and its master to fight on their lonesome.

Crossing the Sword of Extermination across its body and locating all the Emperor's Blade within its eyeless sights, it smiled. Viciously.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION - UNSHEATHE

A weight filled with vigor was what was launched from the blade swing. A slash covering a massive surface area sped outwards and in the shape of the wide swing of Mahoraga, the sheer air pressure emitted scraping off the ground itself. Even if it weren't making direct contact with the ground at all.

The Emperor's Blades were forced to scatter, forming a charcoal transparent barrier around themselves. However, even a mere nick of the energy of Mahoraga's Blade had disabled them with a touch, ripping apart what should have been an unknown force.

Right after, the Divine General leapt away from the scene while they were distracted with dealing against its attack. It had its sights on assisting its summoner, the black haired man fending off an Emperor's Blade while being carved with wounds.

A sadistic streak came from its body as the Shikigami prepared a strike in advance while approaching the Blade from behind. Just as the Facerending Lich had sensed its advance, Mahoraga had already slashed at them, the force of its blade sending them off their feet and away into the distance.

BOOM

An eruption of dust formed, before the Divine General rounded around to its Sovereign's back swiftly. It growled out, analyzing the scene before it, awaiting any commands it would be given from here on out.

Megumi breathed a sigh, not letting the exhaustion overtake his body. His burnout had already passed, which meant he had full access to being able to use two Cursed Techniques at once. So what he had decided to go for was...

"SCALE OF THE DRAGON."

The formation of something beautiful, a pointing of his index and middle finger from his hand holding Daiitoku to direct the path of the enhanced slash he was going to send out.

"RECOIL."

The Emperor's Blade which Mahoraga had distracted with its previous action were alerted from his first chant. They could sense it, the spike in Cursed Energy formed within a spark of pure malevolence—the black markings on the Sorcerer's face glowing a decadent red.

"TWIN METEORS."

A greater rise in power, a curse aimed to rend the Facerending Liches apart. They had already begun to move, to get out of the path of the attack about to be unleashed.

"DISMANTLE."

A superpowered slash far off from being a World Cutting Slash was sent outwards, causing a malformation in the air. Molecules were split as a distorted slashing sound was heard, cleaving through everything that had dared to impede it.

The Emperor's Blade had avoided it within a hair's breadth, before they instantly centralized their focus on Fushiguro Megumi. Turning into shrouds of mist, the sight of three red lights started to approach the Sorcerer.

Reeling back Ame-no-Sakahoko while Mahoraga prepared itself behind him... he was greeted with the wraithful approach of the Royal Guards. Multiple black shards also followed along with them, making the Sorcerer backpedal along with Mahoraga, slashing at the attacks to dispel them.

However, he was immediately caught up with, making him create a forced grid of lightning to act as a barrier toward the Blades' advance. It worked effectively, the adapted lightning pushing back their advance and giving Megumi along with his Shikigami room to attack.

"Divine Dogs!"

A puddle formed below, before black unstable Shikigamis shot upwards with their gaping maw, providing just barely enough of a distraction with their attacks for Megumi to attack with Ame-no-Sakahoko.

Mahoraga followed along, arcing its blade as golden flames flowed off from it.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION - STELLAR CORONA

Lightning and fire mixed together, one from a blade, and one from a spear. They barreled toward the Emperor's Blade, impacting their barriers and tearing them apart—before the combined attack caused a rapturous explosion to envelope their bodies.

Right after, the scorched Blades shot outwards with an intense fervor, crimson blades brandished and ready to draw blood.

Megumi and Mahoraga stood side-by-side, the former widening his eyes and being forced to parry against their savage attacks. They had become far more aggressive, pushing forward to break down his defense and slice him apart.

Mahoraga roared, its great strength causing an Emperor's Blade to skid backwards from its blow, before it changed direction to the two others which had been leaving slash marks across its master.

The Emperor's Blade which had been knocked far away from before had already made it back on the battlefield, a pulse forming at their palm before it speared forward.

With that, a shockwave hit the Shikigami at the back of the head and caused a great explosion. However, the adaptation it had undergone countless times made it completely null.

KLNK

With its focus being to protect its Sovereign, another adaptation was undertaken. Launching forward and leaving the ground to bend from its pressure, Mahoraga spread its arm outward while the Shikigami's body bent forward, the length of its arms reaching the Emperor's Blades.

Right as the Facerending Liches were about to break through the guard of Fushiguro Megumi once more, they were impacted by a raging beast. Although they weren't launched away, the massive arms of the Divine General halted their movements, making the Royal Guards have to exert more force into keeping themselves in place.

Megumi grinned, watching the strength struggle in front of him before raising Daiitoku. The blood flowing from his mouth was no bother, as he yelled out toward them, "Hey bastards! Ever been hit by a Jacob's Ladder?!" His tone was of glee.

His head moved to the side to avoid a black spear from an Emperor's Blade at the back of the group. Cursed Energy was injected into Daiitoku at a copious amount, sending a blinding iridescent light from the Cursed Tool that he was holding. It was so intense to the point where it matched Mahoraga's Dominion, the field advantage increasing the potency of his Cursed Tool.

Shadow Extension: Yamata-no-Orochi (Nue)

The Heavens opened up, their black clouds in the night sky opening up to reveal its boundless ire. A thundering sensation coursed across the land, before the unnatural sound of nature's cackle filled everybody's ears.

Lifting Daiitoku upwards, Megumi slammed it downwards, an incandescence filling the location of the Emperor's Blade as a pillar of pure lightning crashed down on their position. Mahoraga, the two Blades, and the one in the far back were all encompassed by it, the vaporizing beam bending the ground upwards.

Multiple black spears were about to pierce the Sorcerer, but the intense force acting upon the landscape had shifted it enough where the shockwave had sent them off into different directions. Along with Megumi moving along with the directions of the debris, the projectiles had utterly missed their mark.

After the attack, Megumi started leaping across the debris while the lightning died down, heading toward the remaining Emperor's Blade off in the distance. With that draining attack which ravaged the area, it should provide enough of a distraction for Mahoraga to finish off the enemies—hopefully.

If not, he may need to release the second Cursed Technique of Ame-no-Sakahoko, something that the Ten Shadows user didn't even know the function of. It was too much of a risk factor to rely on, and Megumi wasn't going to bet all of his reserves on this divine weapon.

The wind blew past his body, the after effects of the explosive beam of lightning finally fading. Along with that, the debris in the air—which Megumi was leaping across—started to fall. Moving at speeds which should have broken the sound barrier, his Cursed Energy control made them completely silent.

Moving like a blur and dodging constant attacks such as spears and shockwaves being sent his way, Megumi could feel exhaustion start to creep up on his body. If he hadn't landed those Black Flashes from before, or stalled his fight with the first Emperor's Blade, all would have already been lost.

But that didn't matter, he needed to focus on victory. Megumi's foot planted against the debris which had reached the highest altitude, his left hand holding Daiitoku balancing his weight on it. Focusing his sights on the Emperor's Blade staring at him from the ground, the Sorcerer knew he would be pincered from his position.

So he extended the hand holding Daiitoku, and 'presented' only his index, middle, and thumb finger toward the Blade, chanting out his next attack.

"DISMANTLE."

A barrage of slashes came out, forming a patternless grid which had torn through any attack the Emperor's Blade had sent toward him. Black pulverized powder lingered in the air, before lightning crackled around Megumi's form, the barrier of Noble Eightfold Path extending. He was going to finish this off with his next move, if he could.

Breathing out, Megumi blasted forward, automatically recalling Mahoraga from whatever it was doing to execute his next move.

Shadow Extension: Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga

A wheel appeared above his head, the Shadow Extension costing more Cursed Energy than usual. He could use two Shadow Extensions at once, but the Binding Vow made it so that the second one would drain 50% more Cursed Energy than it normally would.

However, due to the fact that Mahoraga's Shadow Extension drained less from a different Binding Vow made it best for using as a second Shadow Extension, rather than say, Yamata-no-Orochi; as the Totality used far more than Mahoraga did.

Why did he recall the Shikigami? It was simple. By focusing on the Sword of Extermination aspect of Mahoraga, then the Shadow Extension could allow the approaching man to...

AME-NO-SAKAHOKO - UNSHEATHE

...Use its copied techniques which it had adapted to.

With a grin on his face, Megumi flipped from his position of being a launching jet, a glowing ivory-gold thunder striking down on his body as Ame-no-Sakahoko was crossed over his body. A singularity formed at the tip of the spear's blade, just as he slashed it toward the Emperor's Blade.

The Blade raised their red blade, which was their first mistake. The moment it made contact with Ame-no-Sakahoko, its ability was cancelled, the amplified force of the applied technique completely overpowering the now powerless weapon.

Daiitoku's lightning had also adapted a tremendous amount, the drawn-out battle having provided both an advantage and disadvantage for Fushiguro Megumi.

A passing wave passed through their body entirely, a repulsive force breaking their armor at Mach speeds. Shattering sounds of advanced alloy were heard, the Royal Guard's sword smashed into smithereens, the red motes left floating in the air.

Next, the spear cut through their arms, passing through their inhuman skin, flesh, and bones. Once the Cursed Tool made its full course, the coursing thunder boiled the inside of their body and locked the nerves up—but such a thing didn't matter.

They were launched backwards, the Emperor's Blade being forced to drop whatever they were doing and follow along with the course. If they hadn't the damage would have been far too unsustainable for their armor to take, and the results would have been catastrophic.

Both for their enemy, and their own allies.

A shockwave passed through and toppled everything which laid in the spear's direction, leaving a ruptured ground following where the golden slash had been sent off to.

The Three Emperor's Blade which had been struck by Daiitoku's orbital strike along with being distracted by a certain Divine General from before have already recovered. Charging toward him with their blades brandished under the moonlight.

"Mahoraga."

The wheel dropped from his head, the black haired man not even glancing behind him. From where the Dharmachakra had fallen, a shadow puddle formed and the Shikigami ascended upwards once more, arms upwards as its winged face met the Blades head on.

It grew in size to cover more surface area, slashing their gleaming blade.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION: COLLAPSING FEAR

Collapsing Fear was the most beneficial within a Dominion, producing a magnificent force which could tear apart even the fiercest of enemies. Instead of a corruptive force coming off from the Divine General's guillotine, it was instead a purifying and divine illustriousness in the form of photonic light.

A distortion in reality formed, an explosive rending weight sending the three Emperor's Blades back with a single swing. It spread outward like an uncontrolled beam, making the Royal Guards bear the majority of the burden along with what was behind them.

It provided enough of a distraction for Megumi to stand still, getting the brief respite he needed. The overuse of Cursed Energy had caused a large dampening in his reserves, the well starting to become fully dried up.

Although the Sorcerer tried his best not to show it, merely breathing heavily—the fact was that his body was starting to give up on him. The only thing he could rely on was the Divine General in front of him, for the protector to heed their duties.

The Shikigami exited its finished slashing pose, the trademarked smile still plastered upon its gaping maw. It stared at the Blades who were covering from the previous attack, various states of disrepair on them.

Within his Dominion, Mahoraga reigned supreme over them, and Megumi was sure the enemies knew that too. He needed to get them to retreat, but with how they were—the Sorcerer wasn't sure if it was going to fully work out. So his best option was appearing as powerful as he could in spite of the turmoil in his body.

"Come on, I would've expected more than that," Megumi said with a cocksure smile, making sure his breathing didn't sound rough, "jumping a bunch of upstarts, I would've expected the Imperial Army to be above that." The Sorcerer motioned toward them with his left index finger.

Mahoraga moved closer toward him, but still kept itself as a shield between the threats and its Sovereign. It didn't need to worry about the Emperor's Blade behind Fushiguro Megumi, as they had already long since become immobilized with the damage taken to their armor.

Pushing themselves any further would cause a catastrophic death.

A hissing sound followed before the Emperor's Blade at the front spoke, "one Blade killed, and one incapacitated. A mere stroke of luck does not warrant your behavior, Higashinese." Their tone was as accusatory as their eyes were red. They were confused on why there was no corruption or explosion after the death of the first one. It must have been related to this black haired man... somehow.

"Luck?" Megumi scoffed, his eyes turning into a glare, "you're the ones who are lucky to have already lasted this long against me." The effects of Black Flash were leaving him, a sober feeling overtaking him.

"Lowering ourselves to trash-talking standards, now are we?" The Emperor's Blade kept their gaze locked upon the Divine General. For some inexplicable reason, the name of the monster had been implanted through their head.

"Since when did that matter in a battle?" Megumi only knew how to taunt and irk delinquents, so he wasn't sure if his tactics were even working against these people... so let's resort to another measure, "maybe that was why Ursus was curbed by Higashi? Because you couldn't keep your egos in check?" It was a gamble with what he had said, but he was sure the historical fact also applied here.

"You are a young fool," the Emperor's Blade declared with a chastising voice. "An immature soul such as yourself holds on right to a Divine General, how disappointing," they then whispered something within their mask.

Megumi narrowed his eyes, wondering if they were calling for reinforcements. If that were the case, then he would need to command Mahoraga to finish them off. It didn't matter if the Sorcerer became exposed to attacks as a result, as—

"Heed my words, you may have reigned victorious in this single battle, but the curled fist of Ursus will eventually crush you." The Emperor's Blade turned away from Mahoraga before turning their glare toward Megumi. "You have already become an enemy of all of Ursus."

"You've got a shitty country, anyways." Megumi spat back, "what do I lose for abandoning a place that's no different from a city-wide slum? Absolutely nothing." His look was condescending, making sure he laid all he knew about Ursus against these monsters. "Keep killing more of your own people, I'll be sitting elsewhere, laughing as this country falls to ruin."

Mahoraga grinned along with his words, lowering its posture in a ready position. The wings on its face extended to a greater length, pulling backwards as the wheel on its head started to twitch.

"A bold assertion, young man." The Ursus Royal Guard member raised their free hand in the air, before clenching it into a fist. "It is of no significance how much we kill, opposing the evils of Ursus means you must also face all the good it has done. The glory of Ursus shall return." They knew that their abilities were useless against the towering thing known as Mahoraga. There was no need to waste their lives here any further.

It was better to get this crucial piece of information back. A capable enemy of Ursus had arrived, and the Blades needed to be prepared to sever them.

Megumi narrowed his eyes in a sickly tired look toward the Emperor's Blade, watching as the shadows gathered around their body. "Glory?" Is that all they cared for? "My condolences," he scoffed, watching as their bodies started to fade in a mass of miasma.

Keeping his gaze on their location to make sure they were completely gone, the Sorcerer already knew what they were going to do. "An attempt to self-destruct, how glorious indeed." Megumi turned toward the incapacitated Emperor's Blade behind him, watching as their body started to spasm and distort like the one Mahoraga killed before.

Pointing his finger toward it, he commanded his Shikigami, "Mahoraga, annihilate them," there was no need to be extravagant with the commands given. Megumi was already too exhausted to have to put much thought into how he sounded.

The Divine General heeded his words, flash-stepping toward where the Emperor's Blade was before raising the Sword of Extermination. It was the same process as last time, the heavenly armament slamming downwards on their body—breaking it with a crunching sound. Along with that, the shard embedded within was completely negated by the adaptations undertaken, being pulverized from existence.

Megumi watched the scene without much interest, he had already seen it happen before. So when the rush of battle had finally left his veins, the Sorcerer was left standing in a barren field, with naught but his strongest Shikigami by his side. He still held onto his Cursed Tools, not believing for a moment that everything would end so easily.

The rustling wind wasn't comforting at all, especially with the loss of the soft snow littering the ground. Perhaps he had grown fond of such a cold environment, but Megumi was starting to miss those sights. All there was around him was crushed ruins of what used to be nature, tainted by the hands of humans.

Could those Ursus Royal Guards even be called humans? 'It doesn't change the fact that they were created by humans.' Even then, calling their creators 'humans' was far too loose of a term. The aura coming off of those black uniformed monsters was atrocious, worse than the ones Cursed Spirits would leak out.

'...What the hell is this world?' Megumi looked upward toward the sky. His body was barely responding to him, the eyes being the only part which could function at full capacity. 'There will be more of them. In fact, I'm sure they number in far more vast numbers than what I had seen,' it was a sobering thought.

The Reunion Movement might be destroyed... 'hold on, they were here for the Reunion Movement, right? I already helped FrostNova, but there were five of them in total...' The Sorcerer's eyes widened. If they had been able to intercept him, then did that mean the Reunion members...

'...Damn it!' His eyes turned frantic, turning toward where the Reunion Movement camp was. Mahoraga leapt to his side in an instant, before the senses of Megumi's body returned, 'I need to be completely sure!'

Just as he was about to move, something glided in the air in front of him. It was far away, but the flash of white, black, and blue made the Ten Shadows user completely pause in his steps. Megumi knew who that person was, how couldn't he?

"Laurentina," Megumi called out to the woman, watching her gracefully slide across the ground and pause her steps.

***

There was a strange feeling that came to the place that she was approaching. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt before, the only comparison the woman could have made was during that time... 'just what is going on over there?'

Everything passed by her like a blur, not a single tree impeding her path in the slightest. The speed Laurentina moved at should have had her body slamming into them, but the controlled grace of her movements made her completely avoid them.

Moving left and right, along with twisting her body made all of it child's play. The Abyssal Hunter could have used the water produced from her enhanced weapon to move even faster, but the woman still hadn't gotten used to utilizing the weapon to its fullest yet.

'This should be the location,' Laurentina thought to herself, seeing an opening in the forest she was making her way through. However, instead of being presented with a snowy field when she stepped through, it was more accurate to say it was literal hell on Terra with what it looked like. 'This...'

She stopped her momentum, before she registered everything before her. The feeling of divinity had reached its peak, at the center of the field in front of her. Taking a wary look upwards, Laurentina gripped her weapon even tighter when being presented with...

'...Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General... Mahoraga?' The Abyssal Hunter felt her instincts flaring up, bringing the buzzsaw she was holding into a combat ready position. It was positioned facing upwards by her shoulder, while both her hands held the weapon. 'Haha... seriously? What is that?'

For some reason, the name of the thing in front of her had immediately entered her mind the moment she made sight of it.

The woman could feel a grin attempting to make itself known on her face, but at the same time—it felt as if such a thing wasn't warranted in front of this being. Its eyes were turned toward her, making the Aegir even more agitated.

A pale and brooding colossus stood in front of her, wings for its eyeless face and an open maw of scorn. Its muscles were immaculate, giving it a build of a monstrous humanoid which could topple skyscrapers with a mere flick of their wrists.

Speaking of wrist, the Divine General known as Mahoraga had a blade bound to their right wrist, held by crude bandages. It was shirtless, dressed in a black hakama ripped at the hems and flowing in the wind. On its chest some symbol Laurentina couldn't understand, but there were accessories attached to it which fidgeted in the wind.

What was most interesting to her, was the wheel above its head. 'That's... princess' wheel, why does it have it? Is this thing one of his summons? Oh my, haha~! Who would have thought!" Laurentina finally broke her sight away from the monster, seeing an all too familiar person right next to it.

Aside from the extravagantly terrifying beast that looked like it had been chiseled to perfection by Heaven, Fushiguro Megumi was standing beside it. 'There is no wheel above his head...' her gaze shifted from the bloodied and battered man back to Mahoraga. Honestly just staring at it made the Abyssal Hunter desire to hunt it, the inhumanity of it was practically screaming at her to come attack the monster.

"Laurentina...?" Megumi called out to the woman tiredly, but it didn't look like she had even heard him. Based on where she was looking, the Aegir's eyes were glued on Mahoraga, the latter reciprocating the same action back to her. "...Laurentina," he called to her again, but found that her widened eyes still hadn't left the Shikigami.

She could have sworn she was standing on a battlefield with broken weapons stabbed into the ground. The rust gathered lingered in the air, provoking a sense of unease which welled up within the deepest pit of her chest. At the center of it all stood this glowing white beast, its blade bloodied from exterminating all the enemies before it.

'This feeling... this feeling...!' Laurentina grinned widely at the gigantic Shikigami, as if challenging the Divine General with a mere gesture of her expression. A celestial zephyr passed by, making her dress flow in the wind—Mahoraga's torn hakama following in unison.

Unexpectedly, the God of Shikigami stood up with a straight posture, its gaze lingering upon the Abyssal Hunter... before it grinned a vicarious sadistry, sending a provocation toward the woman—blatantly telling her to even try what she was thinking.

'Oh? Is that how it is? Hahaha...' A chuckle left Laurentina's lips, the nerves in her body twisting at the sight of its psychotic smile. The way it leaned forward as if looking at her like she were an inferior being, the sheer condescending pressure its divinity kindled her fighting spirit. 'If you want to go so badly, then just say so!'

Her knees bent, the side of her body facing it. The brutal buzzsaw which she held onto was hovering over her right shoulder, ready for a splitting downward strike the moment that her enemy had decided to rush her down. If a knife were to pass through the tense air, it would find itself halted.

"LAURENTINA!"

Laurentina returned to the normal world once more. As if they had never existed, the broken blades on the barren battlefield of a wasteland had disappeared, leaving the sight of burnt ground in front of her. Off in the distance, the familiar snow of the tundras could be seen, further reminding her of what reality was.

However, the Divine General in front of her was still there, keeping her on edge. For whatever reason, the summon gave her an extremely repulsive feeling, making her instincts go haywire when in the presence of it.

"Ahem," Laurentina coughed into a balled fist, taking a look at the battlefield once more. Strangely enough, there were two bodies in the background, of those black uniformed 'Royal Guards' which she had faced before. "Apologies, I was merely distraught by the sight," she kept a discreet gaze on the towering Shikigami, her fingers twitching. "Care to explain what that is?"

The way it kept grinning at her... until Fushiguro Megumi stepped in front of it, raising his backhand to motion toward it.

"It's my final summon," Megumi blanky responded to her, far too tired to get into details. "My strongest one, I haven't shown you it before." The Sorcerer fully admitted to such a fact. Indeed, he had kept many things as a secret to the woman... and he felt slightly guilty about it. No thanks to his sobered mind.

"Oh, really?" Laurentina flourished her buzzsaw for a moment, before cradling it in a resting position. While her eyes were locked onto it suspiciously, she walked closer to Megumi, the Shikigami's desolate stare following her. "So I take it this is what had killed those two Royal Guards?"

The deep-seated emotions she felt when laying her eyes upon Mahoraga wasn't something that felt natural, but at the same time, so natural. 'What are you? How can you just summon something like that?' Laurentina stared at Megumi with a focused scan, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, you're right about that assumption..." he felt Mahoraga cover him with its arm, seemingly lowering its posture to glare at Laurentina.

The Abyssal Hunter smiled back in response, the same tension from before growing.

"Laurentina, calm down," Megumi sighed out while moving Mahoraga's arm away, "he's my summon. There's no need to be so on guard." The Sorcerer motioned for his Shikigami to exit its combat posture—it followed his command by standing up with a straight posture once more.

"Can you blame me?" The Aegir asked out innocently. "Do you think it would be a good idea to ask anybody to stay calm with such a thing?" Not once did she ever feel safe in front of it, a far more distinct reaction compared to the eight-headed serpent known as Yamata-no-Orochi.

"I don't blame you," Megumi replied to her with a deadpan constitution, "but is it that bad? I'm sorry for not showing you it before—"

"That's not the problem~," Laurentina said in a sing-song tone, "ah, it's just like that thing is like my natural enemy. I can't quite put it into words," she placed her index finger upon her lower lip, warily assessing it. Every feature of it she had already taken into account, such as how that wheel marked it as Fushiguro Megumi's summon.

There was this aspect to the summon that she didn't know, but her instincts very well did. If the Abyssal Hunter had to put it into her words, it was very similar to a feature of her sworn enemies, but at most—it was merely conjecture. Conjecture from what her body's visceral reaction was telling her.

A message to tell her to be wary of this being in front of her. It didn't ease her any better when the Divine General looked like it was about to break out of control at any second and squash anything in its path. Compared to all of Megumi's summons, this one looked the least out of control from her perspective.

"I'll call it back then, if you can't stay calm in front of it," Megumi huffed out, before dispelling his Cursed Tools, and was about to do the same for Mahoraga. However, more footsteps cut him out of that train of thought like scissors to a piece of paper. From the distance, the black haired man saw a group of Reunion members start to converge on their position, perhaps to see what had happened over here.

"Looks like they're here," Laurentina for once, looked away from Mahoraga to assess who was approaching them. "Took them long enough to make their decision," she sarcastically noted aloud.

Megumi paused for a moment, taking in the sight of them approaching. He saw who was at the forefront and leading them to the ruined grounds in which they all stood on, the Wendigo who stood at about the same height as Mahoraga. It was then he realized where he was staring at, instead of his Dharmachakra like when they had first met, it was at Mahoraga.

...

'...That should have been expected,' Megumi could feel a bead of sweat falling from the back of his neck when all the Reunion members froze on the spot when laying eyes on Mahoraga. Talulah was on the side, looking like she was almost sputtering at the sight.

No, in fact, she was even more surprised when she saw the corpses of two Emperor's Blades by the side. Instead of what should have been a slaughter of Fushiguro Megumi and potentially the white haired woman with him, was what looked to be a slaughter of the Royal Guards who dared to face them.

"How is this possible?" Talulah was fixated on the towering beast which stood around the height of Patriot, its imposing form making her think twice before stepping forward. "That wheel...!" She didn't know why it was standing with Laurentina and Megumi, but the object above its head had completely given it away.

The golden wheel which was presently floating atop Megumi's head was now on top of the creature. If she had to assume based on what she knew, then the 'Arts Unit' that the black haired man claimed it to be—was an artifact meant to summon that...

...That Divine General, known as Mahoraga. 'An Arts application that floods information to the brain?' Talulah nearly recoiled at how sudden it was, before calming down before her body acted unnaturally from how it usually did.

Patriot reached his left arm which held his shield to block the path of any Reunion members who were advancing. "Stop," that was the Wendigo's singular command, his red eyes meeting the Divine General in front of him. It hadn't even registered the presence of Laurentina nor Fushiguro Megumi, as they weren't the main focus of his attention.

Talulah watched with a muted breath along with the Reunion members, as Patriot started moving forward. His echoing steps produced an intimidating reverberation across the scenery, his single goal was to assess the 'Divine General' as the invasive information had claimed it to be.

Megumi and Laurentina glanced at each other, before the both of them moved out of the way for the Wendigo's advance. Just as Patriot stood in front of Mahoraga, the Shikigami responded in kind.

Megumi could feel his mood dampening.

It was at that moment he completely dispelled Mahoraga.

***

He didn't know why, but Fushiguro Megumi was absolutely sure this campfire was the place where Reunion leaders talked to each other the most. It was like a gathering ground for people, like the coffee shops in old Europe—which served as a discussion place—for debates and such. With how many times he had encountered the cold FrostNova and bright Talulah, it was practically a fact.

One set in stone, carved and etched deep into it with many different engravings. Whether they be complex or simple, its nature was how these conversations were dictated, and what of the contents he discussed with them. Recently, it hadn't been much due to his mind doing nothing but mopping itself against the ground... However, it might be different today. 'What? No, it's practically guaranteed to be different.'

However, instead of the strong and bitter scent of black coffee beans invading the air, it would be a soft brewed soup instead. One made haphazardly and with no skill, mixing in any ingredient available with an addition of lard—to meet the nutritional standards of the people. It was just an assumption though, Megumi didn't have a sense of taste, so he wouldn't have a single clue.

The amount of stares that were on his golden Dharmachakra wistfully gleaming above had increased incrementally. It was already a curious object which reeled in many gazes to question or admire it, but the stares the Sorcerer were receiving right now was both fear and wariness. Megumi couldn't even blame the people around him, because of how morbidly twisted the Divine General looked.

Despite being born from Heaven and sent to serve Yakushi Nyorai, the Healing Buddha; Mahoraga didn't possess the most approachable design. Possessing pallid skin that looked like it possessed no blood, an eyeless face, a towering figure, and a gaping maw forever expressing scorn—he was sure the Shikigami wasn't meant to look approachable.

Maybe it embodied some sort of principle, which was striking fear into the heart of evil itself, so it steered far away from the Buddha. After all, the 'honji' for the Divine General was a grand being who slew the Yama himself, and freed the Cycle of Samara which had kept the path to Nirvana closed off. Daiitoku—the mythological one—wasn't the most approachable looking person either.

Possessing six arms, six legs, and six heads; he was an absolutely terrifying being to face. It didn't make it any better that their face was also one of perpetual anger, embodying the spiritual wrath of the Bodhisattva Manjushri. It was... very complicated, but he must have been the influence on why the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga was so wrathful looking.

'...If they could all stop sending obvious glances toward me,' Megumi thought in his head while thinning his lips. Before, he could have handled them when he had first trailed his way to Reunion, but now that they had seen his Shikigami, it was a completely different ball game. 'This makes things far worse, I just want to go out and train.' The black haired man reminisced to himself.

It didn't help that Laurentina was right by him, the glint in her blood-red keeping him locked in place. If he so much as moved a muscle, Megumi was sure she'd latch on his arm and not let him go anywhere else, so this campfire was the only place he could. Talulah had wanted to talk with him after all, and it wouldn't do him any good to ignore her request with how many questions had sprung up today.

They were also all about him, how fun.

"Looks like all the big shots are having their conversation elsewhere," Laurentina said, while she also kept boring her gaze in Megumi with an amused expression. "We both already know why, don't we?" The Aegir rolled her eyes.

"Indeed we do."

"I have to ask, why haven't you been using that summon of yours?" Laurentina leaned back slightly while placing her hands on the log that they were sitting on to support herself upwards.

"Circumstances," Megumi replied to her.

"Same excuse as before?" She pointed out.

"...If you really want to know," Megumi finally gave in, opting to tell her the truth instead. "It was because I didn't feel like it." Honestly, it really was because he didn't feel like it. He already knew how to utilize the Shikigami, and had already regulated it as a worst case scenario. So it was better to train his usage over his normal ones first.

"Is that the best reason you can give?" Laurentina wondered how much easier it would have been for him to clear out all threats with that monstrous summon. Either it be during that time they raided the high church, or when they fought against those unending swarms of Seaborn, 'Mahoraga' would have slaughtered them all.

"Yes, it's the best one I can give," Megumi lifted his heel to place it on his knee, before resting his elbow on them. His chin was propped on his palm, "there's no reason other than that. Honest."

"...Where did you get that wheel, then?" Laurentina hummed to herself, "I've been meaning to ask this question a lot, but I've thought it over. It might be a breach of your privacy, but I'm just oh so curious to know."

"Genetics," Megumi replied. "It's all genetics."

"Excuse me?" Laurentina looked at him curiously.

"Everything I have, came from genetics, or ties to my family. Someway or another," such as how Dragon-Bone was in the possession of Zen'in Maki, how Playful Cloud was originally from the Zen'in Clan... the only thing he had that didn't come from his 'family' was the glock and Inverted Spear of Heaven. Even then, the latter was dubious, he didn't know where it even came from in the first place.

"If you really think about it, every feature of somebody comes from genetics," Laurentina crossed her arms and legs. "No matter what, intelligence level, physical capabilities, and creativity... they are all decided the moment you are born." She paused for a moment, "but then again, you could slightly change that."

Via biological engineering, of course. Or just sheer determination in getting into things that somebody had no talent in—it sometimes worked out.

"I can get behind that," Megumi responded. Honestly, even Ryomen Sukuna was blessed genetically, with how he had four arms, tremendous strength, four eyes, and an extra mouth. Along with that, he was born with an ungodly amount of Cursed Energy reserves, all aided by the fact he was also present during the Heian Era.

If Gojo Satoru had the Six Eyes, then Ryomen Sukuna had... all those other features. It truly was an unfair world, seeing how those two were born with greater talent than him—along with greater genetic features.

The only other aspect the Zen'in Clan had was Heavenly Restriction, and that was a complete detriment to somebody's Cursed Energy in its entirety. 'The only way I can ever match those two monsters is if I utilize Ame-no-Sakahoko to its full potential. An outside tool.'

"Touchy topic? You don't look too well," Laurentina called out to him while analyzing his expression. "I can't believe you're the master of that colossal beast, seriously. How does somebody be born with the ability to call upon... what was its title again?"

"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga?"

"Huh? Why is it so long?" Laurentina had to admit it sounded imposing, but couldn't they have shortened it a tad bit? Fitting for a towering goliath which caused her senses to go haywire, anyways.

Its design was also not human from what the Abyssal Hunter could tell. Something that was made to strike fear into people in the primal sense wasn't something a mere 'inspired' person could do, that much the Aegir could tell from her understanding of art.

Yes, the Divine General was a creation, not something naturally occurring. How did she know? Well, it was mere speculation, something that she wholeheartedly believed in.

"...Is there anything wrong with that?" Megumi was perplexed.

"Of course, it would be much better if they followed Aegir's standards—short, sweet, and to the point," she replied. "Though, I can see why most people would tremble and defecate at such a title. Is that why it floods everybody's mind?" She mused.

"No, it's because it makes Mahoraga stronger." Megumi knew Mahoraga had a mythology tied to it, so by revealing its title and name would also reveal many implications that came with them. That was why the Binding Vow to reveal its name to anybody would also make it stronger, because weaknesses can be found from mythology.

"Huh? Makes it stronger?" Laurentina perked up, "how exactly does that—"

Faint stomping sounds were heard from off in the distance, the imposing form of Patriot making itself known. It had served to halt their conversation for the time being, as a nervous Talulah and confused FrostNova was following him. The latter looked to be in far better condition than anybody would have expected, the reason being completely lost on the observers.

'...FrostNova, I might have alleviated her Oripathy conditions when healing her with Mizuchi... along with Talulah,' he said in his mind. If that were the case, then it was most likely they weren't even aware of that, just like how Ch'en wasn't.

"You," Patriot stood in front of the campfire opposite of where Megumi was. "I have one request to make." The Wendigo lowered his head so his eyes met with the Sorcerer's.

"...What is it?" Megumi watched as FrostNova and Talulah sat beside him, the former looking between them with confusion. He had to remind himself that the Cautus girl hadn't seen Mahoraga.

"Summon the Divine General, that is my request," Patriot stated it plainly and clearly. "You had recalled it before I could truly assess it."

Megumi's lips thinned, feeling all the stares turn on him.

***

A/N: What-If Omakes

***

"Hm?" Toji's arms were crossed staring at the white haired... wolf-eared woman with a raised brow. 'The hell is that? A fetish prop?' There was a tail wagging behind the woman and two katanas with protractors as their guard by her waist. 'Looks dangerous,' he mirthlessly thought in his mind.

There were scars on her face, which the Heavenly Restricted man could immediately clarify in his mind were real. If it had been some sort of make-up or cosmetic which was used to make herself look more dangerous—then it would be a damn good one. However, to bypass his eyes with 'fake' accessories would be the last thing to ever trick him.

Lappland watched the black haired man with half caution, half excitement. What the hell was she even feeling from him? Well, it was like he didn't exist in the first place. This sort of hole in existence made it feel like this enigmatic man shouldn't belong to the world—something not even her senses could detect.

Usually, people would have this 'aura' or danger factor to them that her Lupo senses could pick up. It was more prevalent within other Lupos, since they were her own kind after all. But this one was far different, despite not even being a Lupo. Hell, she didn't even know what race he was!

...Why did he also look so familiar? "You!" Lappland immediately pointed toward the black haired man, the one who reminded her so much of a certain somebody. She watched him respond to her point by tilting his head with a scrunchy expression, the scar on his lips moving along with it, "heh, what's your name?"

"...Why are you asking that?" Toji pressed his palm against the side of his forehead while giving the white haired Lupo a deadpan look. 'Where the hell am I anyways?' The Sorcerer Killer looked around, not giving the weird woman a glance back, even though his instincts were telling him she was dangerous—to an extent.

Lappland felt her fingers twitch, almost reaching for her weapons in excitement. Her body was practically telling her to not engage the man, but to engage him at the same time. That question he gave back to her had spiked something within her, sharp enough to bleed into her desire to battle him, and the Lupo didn't know why. "So~? Are you going to answer the question, signore? You really remind me of somebody, ya' know?"

Indeed, that expressionless look upon his face, and that demeanor he held up. The uncaring gaze that seemed to say 'nothing in the world phases me,' and that killer's aura... yes, this black haired man was just like him...

"...Hm?" Toji glanced back at the weird woman, already assessing the view around him. He was on some random rooftop of a skyscraper, an altitude level where he'd be able to jump down and walk off without a hitch. Now that assessing where he was at was sorted out... "My name? Don't know why'd you want that," he scoffed, but decided to bite. "Fushiguro Toji."

Lappland stared at him with slightly wider eyes, her tail having stopped swishing. It sprung upwards like a dog surprised, along with the trajectory of her ears following along with their movement. All fur on them prickled upwards like needles, along with the fur on her white, puff, and cotton-like tail.

'Fushiguro, Fushiguro, Fushiguro... Fushiguro Megumi?!' It was then that all the woman's suspicions had been answered. 'His father?! How spectacular! I've found his father of all people!' Lappland started laughing to herself in glee, the movements of her ears and tails coming in full motion once more. 'Who would have guessed!'

Toji merely stared at her with a blank look, stretching his neck. "So... you gonna tell me where I am? Equal exchange and all?" He wasn't in the mood to get into a scuffle with some cosplayer, so he brought up his demand. The Monkey King could have sworn he had been killed by Gojo Satoru...

...Unless everything was a dream, what a cliche end to a movie. But then again, he was in real life right now, and everything he felt before was as real as it could have gotten. Especially with how vividly he remembered everything.

So there was only one thing he could attribute this phenomenon of his to being—reincarnation. A theory in the Jujutsu Society with he loathed so much, was a true and stated fact presented right before him. Damn, what a day, huh? He really didn't know how to feel about all of this, especially being thrown in front of a freak.

"Hehehe~!" Lappland placed her hands on the hilt of her blades and gripped them, "I know your son, I'd never expected to meet his father here of all places!" The woman called out to him with a devious tone, as if attempting to rile him up.

"Huh? Who?" Toji scratched the back of his neck with a contemplative look. "Son? I have a son?" He was having a strange sense of deja vu... like he had completely forgotten something he had been contemplating while on his deathbed. Eh, if he forgot about it, then it probably wasn't important.

Lappland blinked once, no—twice. She had to register the erroneously sounding words that had just forged a passage into her ears. Like a bridge taking its time to be built by construction workers, so did the message take a bit of a lengthy while to fully process. "...You don't know your son?"

...Is he a deadbeat?!

"...Huh?" Toji gave her a weird look, keeping a concentrated gaze on her hands resting on the hilt of her blade. It seemed his words confused her enough to stave off that killing intent of hers, so he stopped his preparatory actions of disarming her. "I don't recall. Nor do I need to tell you, now get out of my way." The human waved her off with an annoyed look, "but looking at you right now..."

"Well, shit!" Lappland grinned wider, "haha~! Well, that's that! I can't say I'm not dying to fight you right now—!"

Fushiguro Toji blinked away, the white haired Lupo completely losing sight of him.

"—Wha—" A hand was on her face.

"Good to hear," Toji responded with a smile.

That was before she was launched.

***

A/N: Requested Omake.

***

Lin tapped her fingers on her desk, staring at the piled-up mountain of papers in front of her. Recently, she had a talk with her father about inheriting the Underworld of Lungmen instead of just being a sort of... intermediary and supervisor of it—a training wheel of sorts. However, her father had already given her a plan to skip straight past all of them and...

"...Hah~, I'll think it through," the Zalak kept her posture straight, taking in a deep and meditative breath. The air molecules lingering in the air entered through her nose and the vital organ known as her lungs. It filled it to the brim before she exhaled, letting all the tension leave her body along with her doubts. "Now then..."

"Busy?"

Fushiguro Megumi appeared from the corner of the room, having found the shadows much more comfortable to reside in, something that Lin Yuhsia had found to be an eccentric trait—if anybody were to ask her. However, right now, only a sense of relief could make itself known to her, even if she didn't show it, "how was it? Not too much of a danger, correct?" She asked him with her same professional tone.

"It was as standard as any mission would be," Megumi responded. His gaze lingered across her study room. "Did you have tea recently?" He placed his hands on his pockets and leaned by the wall. "There's not much for me to do today.

"Yes, I've recently had tea, would you like some?" Lin asked out to him while sorting out the papers on her desk. "I could spare a bit of time, anyways."

"There's no need, I already had something to eat and drink before coming here," the Sorcerer yawned into his palm before alleviating her concerns.

"That's good to hear," Lin grabbed a pen, giving him a slightly discreet look before writing on something. "You know, it's been quite some time since we've done anything," the Zalak said in a neutral tone.

"You're right," Megumi stared out at the window, watching the cityscape with bland eyes, "a lot of things have been springing up in Lungmen, especially those..." his words were cut off when a hand grabbed him by the collar, pinning him to the wall.

It was Lin, she had already moved swiftly from her desk. Right after, her lips met with his in the silence of the room.

The Sorcerer looked slightly surprised, but didn't resist it.

After a brief moment of being stuck in the position, Megumi's lips were let free when the mouse lady pulled back.

"...I can clear my schedule tomorrow, how does that sound?" Lin asked him with the same neutral tone as she had done before.

"...Sounds good," Megumi nodded slowly.

***

A/N: Requested Omake.

***

"Psst, Blaze!"

Blaze was about to walk to the training room to keep herself at top condition, but was immediately drawn away from her path when she glanced confusedly at the voice. The person who had whispered to her was... Warfarin? Why was Warfarin of all people calling out to her? "Warfarin? What is it?" She tilted her head, the Vampire looked like she was sneaking around. "Does it have to do with my blood? Let me guess—"

"No, that isn't it!" Warfarin whispered out to the woman with a glance, before turning back to where she was looking at. The white haired woman was looking out from the corner of a hallway passing, "just... just look! Who is that stranger who is talking with Amiya?" Her voice was frantic, a gasp leaving her mouth as she spoke.

"Huh?" Blaze raised an eyebrow while carrying a white towel over her shoulder. She decided to bite at what the activities the Vampire was getting into. Taking a few steps behind where Warfarin was peeking from, the Feline did the same. "What's the big deal...? Eh—huh?" She blinked owlishly a few times, "is that... Amiya? Who is that other guy?"

There was a sea urchin black haired man talking with the CEO of Rhodes Island, Amiya. The Cautus girl looked amicable, very happy for some reason. Her rabbit ears were twitching excitedly while talking to the other person, Amiya's joyous posture and hand gestures were making it look like she was...

"...Is that guy a friend of Amiyas?" Blaze placed a hand on her hip. "Well, looks like she's having alotta fun, so I still don't get why you're so shocked." The Feline woman glanced back at Warfarin, the latter looking at her with an exasperated expression.

"You don't understand!" Warfarin waved her hands in the air with an exasperated expression. "S-she...! Amiya pecked him on the cheeks with her lips when they crossed in the hallways!" The Vampire recounted the scene over and over in her head, having it burnt into the deepest echelons of her hippocampus.

"...Huh?" Blaze looked shocked.

***

"J-just look at them!" Blaze peeked from the corner with Warfarin, placing a surprised hand over her mouth. "They're hand holding, there's no way they're just friends!" The Feline felt her ears twitch, watching the stoic black haired man casually holding hands with their CEO. "H-How is this happening? What did we miss?!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Warfarin whispered back to her, feeling her eyes bulge when the black haired man's right hand was held by both of Amiya's hands. "They're saying something...!" She couldn't hear what the contents of their speech were, but one thing was for certain.

'They're both blushing!" Blaze's eyes continued to become even wider, her tail swishing behind her. "Is she being taken advantage of? I've never seen Amiya so love-struck!" The black haired woman needed to alert somebody about this, maybe Kal'tsit? What was going on?!

Suddenly, a third voice interrupted the two, "what are you doing?"

Turning back, both Blaze and Warfarin were presented with the sight of the Doctor holding a cup of coffee, tilting their head to the side. "Is something happening..." He didn't know what they were looking at, but it must be attention grabbing if they looked so—how should he explain it—so into it?

"Doctor!" Warfarin called out to the masked man, "Amiya has a boyfriend!"

"Come again...?" The Doctor almost dropped their cup.

***

Three people were peering from behind a corner, a different one this time. The journey had taken them all across Rhodes Island, multiple Operators sending weird glances at the trio which had been stalking—following the two lovebirds.

"He's head patting her! Scratching her behind the ears!" the Doctor pointed his fingers at them, Warfarin and Blaze nodding when they saw the scene for themselves.

"When did this happen, does Kal'tsit know?" Warfarin whispered to the two, but her gaze still stayed upon the scene in front of her.

"I have no idea!" Blaze perked up when the black haired man picked up the Cautus girl into a piggyback ride. The latter looked extremely happy. "Wah! What are they doing?!" She couldn't comprehend what they were going to do next, especially since...

"They're going to her office," Warfarin called out, remembering the path.

"Ah..." the Doctor wondered why he was only learning of something such as this now of all time.

***

Megumi didn't know where he was, only that the city he was in was absolutely destroyed. There were broken cars with smoke rising from them, shattered glass stabbing into the cracked and fissured concrete, along with torn buildings at every corner.

It was as if Ryomen Sukuna and Gojo Satoru had gone and had a second clash, although to a much lesser degree. Within a blink of an eye, the Sorcerer was sure they would obliterate five different buildings if they had gone at it, their speed unrivalled.

"Where..." his body was tired, stepping across the rubble, legs almost giving up on him as he did so. The black uniform of the 16 year-old man was a familiar one, belonging to Jujutsu Tech when he had attended it—when he had duties as a Sorcerer.

"...Where am I?" A despondent voice left his lips, passionless eyes scanning everything around him. He had made it to a wall and leaned on it, content with just letting the world pass him by. If he was in hell, Megumi was sure he would deserve to be in such a place.

His legs started to give up on him, his mind content to simply rest. It didn't matter if he died in this city which had seemingly fallen into anarchy, Fushiguro Megumi had already long since given up.

So, he closed his eyes.

...

Something was touching his shoulders, softly shaking him. He didn't know what, nor did he want to open his eyes to process who it was. However, something was compelling him, making his body to follow its commands and open his eyes.

For some reason, a calming sensation entered him. The black haired man wearily opened his eyes, still leaning on the wall which he was content to rest at. It was then something had grabbed his hands, both of them. They were lifted up in front of his chest, a small and soft hand from what he could tell.

"Are you there? Please, stay up!"

A voice filled his ears, Megumi turning upwards with his blurred vision to see something brown... and sticking up. Were those rabbit ears? He didn't know, nor did he truly care at that moment. Once his groggy eyes cleared, he saw the sad expression of a girl, her two hands holding the back of his own.

His palm was facing upwards while he leaned against the wall, speechless and not knowing what to say to the rabbit-eared girl. Yes, she had rabbit ears.

There was sorrow, there was empathy, there was something in them that Megumi couldn't understand. Yet at the same time, he understood. It was a contradiction.

"Are you okay, mister?"

He didn't know this girl's name, but the look in her eyes brought him to open his mouth slowly, unknowingly responding to her. "...What is... your name?"

"A-ah, it's Amiya," the rabbit girl now named Amiya responded, her eyes still meeting the black haired man's.

Her hands felt warm, something that Megumi hadn't felt in a long time since staring at Itadori Yuji, during their last ever meeting. It... hurt him to see such a look in her eyes, as if she understood everything about him.

He hated it, he'd rather nobody understand what he went through. Especially not a soul such as this.

"You're... so lonely, so hurt," Amiya called out to him softly, "why...? I don't know why, but I want to help you." The Cautus' gaze softened, the franticness she felt earlier disappearing.

"...Help me?" Megumi didn't understand why anybody would want to do such a thing for him. He found himself lost in those brilliant eyes of hers, yet it still did not overpower the confusion burning in his veins. "I don't... understand."

Amiya smiled weakly, yet it was still a reassuring one, "you don't have to understand." Perhaps it was a selfish reason, but she wanted to save this broken man.

***

Megumi opened his eyes, before rubbing them with the tips of his fingers.

"Did you have a dream?" Amiya called out to him from the side while in her office room. "I heard you haven't been taking well to all the missions..."

"Whatever, I've been the one to take them," Megumi rolled his eyes. Ever since he had been 'accepted' into S.W.E.E.P.(somehow), the Sorcerer had to undertake multiple stealth courses in order to get accustomed to the group. It also served to see if he qualified, which was 'no' at the current moment. Suffice to say, he was severely lacking. "You don't need to stress yourself over my well-being. It's not even that bad."

"Well, if you say so," Aimya tilted her head, watching as the black haired man swerved on his chair to take a look at the paperwork on her desk. "Oh! Don't forget, Kal'tsit sent me a message to tell you that you have a training course in two hours."

"I see," Megumi picked up a pen and clicked it open without much of a reaction to the information. That was to be expected.

"Mhm," Amiya leaned on her chair, getting closer to the Sorcerer as she rested her head on his shoulder. "If you have any requests for breaks, you can bring them up to me any time," she told him.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind," Megumi placed a hand on her head and started to pat on it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Amiya closed her eyes and accepted his pats.

***

A/N: Omake.

***

"Gojo-sensei," Megumi called out to his teacher from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Hm?" Gojo Satoru had his Neutral Limitless down, so he turned around and saw...

...Fushiguro Megumi, with the white gi and black haori, hair slightly slicked back—

"HOLLOW TECHNIQUE: PUR—"

—His hand was brought forward into a flicking motion in front of the black haired man, before he registered what he was doing and immediately stopped. "Oh... OH! MEGUMI!" Gojo lowered his hand and leaned in to take a better look at the expressionless man. "Oh...! You shouldn't do stuff like that, Megumi-chan!"

The white haired man laughed heartily while patting his student on the back, "damn! I really thought you were somebody else!

Megumi stayed stoic. He stared around the room while a laughing Gojo Satoru kept patting him on the back, taking in the sight of multiple Operators hiding under tables or bracing for cover.

What a day.

***

A/N: Omake

***

"""Happy Birthday, Gojo Satoru!!!"""

A chorus of voices filled the Strongest Sorcerer's ears as he stared dumb-foundedly at the mess hall. Huh? It was his birthday? Since when? He hadn't been keeping track of the date, nor did he really care much for his birthday.

He stared at the wide assortment of Operators standing in the hall, a cake at the center of room, Skadi, Laurentina, and Fushiguro Megumi standing with them. They were giving him a small wave, a small smile adorning their faces.

"Ah, really?" Gojo smiled and chuckled toward the crowd, many familiar faces all across where he stood. "Isn't this too much for a simple birth for little ol' me?" Scratching the back of his neck, the white haired man felt a hand patting his back.

"Come on, you've done a lot for Rhodes Island."

Gojo stared behind himself to stare at the Doctor of Rhodes Island, before giving him a grin, "Aha~, I'm honored to hear that, how're things going with Kal'tsit?" While the crowd in front of him gathered around to start the party.

"Well," was the only response the Doctor gave before pointing toward where Skadi, Laurentina, and Megumi were, "well, come on. They're waiting for you." He gave him one last pat on the back before going to where Amiya was. The Cautus girl looked happier than usual.

"Hey, give the person who started this my thanks!" Gojo called out with a chirpy tone, his usual playfulness coming back to him.

"I'll keep that in mind," the Doctor waved him off.

The Sorcerer continued to stare at his departure, before the voice of a certain student of his called out to him.

"Gojo-sensei," Megumi had walked up to him, giving him a small wave, "Happy Birthday."

"Aw~, look at my adorable little student wishing me a Happy Birthday!" Gojo immediately hugged the black haired man, causing him to jolt in slight surprise.

"E-eugh, Gojo-sensei—calm down," Megumi groaned while being bear hugged by his sensei, "now's not the time for this."

Laurentina and Skadi arrived at where he was, the former holding an amused smile.

The rest of the people around them were going about with their own celebration, sometimes wishing the white haired man a Happy Birthday while on their way.

"Well don't we have a happy family here?" The shark lady chirped to them while motioning for Skadi to do something. "Come on, don't be so nervous~."

The orca lady blushed in response, turning her gaze elsewhere.

"Shark, Orca?" Gojo broke his bear hug from Megumi, before staring at the two with a confused look, "whatcha got going on over there?"

"You'll find out," Megumi massaged his shoulders after receiving the affection of his surrogate father, "well, if Skadi decides to commit to it."

"Huh?" Gojo raised an eyebrow.

"I'll do it," suddenly, Skadi spoke up to the three, making them all hold various different expressions.

Walking toward Gojo, the white haired woman went on her tippy-toes and kissed him on the cheek.

A small silence followed, everybody taking a look at the scene that had just happened. The recipient of the kiss, Gojo Satoru stared on in slight shock.

It was then cheers erupted from the people, a blushing Skadi glancing away from him.

Megumi looked away with his arms crossed, a barely perceptible smile forming on his face.

Laurentina giggled into her hand, amused at the sight.

Ah, really, what a party this was.

***

Gojo's eyes opened slowly, being granted with the sight of the rooftop above him. For some reason, he felt more exhausted than usual, his Reverse Cursed Technique seemingly not working to get rid of his exhaustion.

Sitting upwards, he stared at the calendar close by his desk. "Hm... Happy Birthday, me," scratching his hair with a yawn, the Sorcerer jumped off his bed and decided to go about the day.

The calendar read December 7th.

It was a nice dream.