Chapter 20: The Flame Beneath the Ashes
Five years had passed since the battlefield had fallen silent, but silence never meant peace. High above the earth, a cursed wasteland still bore the scars of the last great battle. Blackened stone, scorched trees, and deep cracks whispered of a war long past. A gentle wind swept across the ruins, but even the breeze carried a warning.
Inside the towering halls of the Jujutsu Sorcerer Headquarters, an urgent whisper passed from elder to elder. The chamber was dimly lit, walls lined with ancient scrolls and glowing monitors.
"The cursed energy... it's shifted," one elder muttered.
"A seal has fractured," said another, fear lacing his voice.
On a glowing screen, an alert flashed red.
Shinra Gojo, calm yet sharp-eyed, entered the room. He took one glance at the reading and spoke with quiet finality.
"Everyone—prepare. That presence... it isn't gone."
Far away, deep underground, a cocoon of stone and cursed roots pulsed with red light. The earth trembled. Cracks spread across the surface of the cocoon, glowing brighter with each second.
A team of elite sorcerers arrived on the scene. Shinra Gojo led them, his energy focused and guarded. Beside him, Retsu Zenin grinned as if he'd been waiting for this day his entire life.
"It's too soon," Shinra said, watching the pulsing light.
"I was born ready," Retsu replied. "Let him come."
The cocoon shattered.
Inside, Lucius floated within a swirl of cursed energy. His body was still, but his eyes—all four of them—opened in perfect unison, glowing red with rage and memory.
"It's time... to return," said the voice that was no longer just Lucius.
Outside, a shockwave erupted, sending trees flying and the sky screaming.
Shinra raised a barrier just in time. Energy crashed against it like a tidal wave.
"Shield up!" he ordered.
Retsu stood tall, drawing his cursed blade. "Let's see if the legend's still sharp."
Above them, Sukuna floated. The markings across his body glowed with hatred and fire.
"So, you're what's left?" Sukuna sneered. "A disappointment."
Back at the Jujutsu HQ, young sorcerers gathered before the surveillance screens. They watched in awe as the myth they had only heard of now walked across the screen.
"That's him... the Fallen King," whispered one.
"I heard he was once human," said another.
Sukuna's gaze locked onto Shinra Gojo through the screen.
"Your eyes... they carry his blood," Sukuna said.
Shinra stepped forward, power radiating from his stance.
"We've waited too long for this," he said.
Retsu cracked his knuckles. "I didn't wait. I sharpened my blade for five years."
Sukuna grinned, cracking his neck. "Then come and die."
The ground beneath them shattered. The air thickened with cursed energy. Without a word, Shinra and Retsu launched forward, clashing mid-air with Sukuna. The world shook.
In that one moment, past, present, and future collided.
Far on a distant hill, a cloaked figure watched, unmoving.
"The boy... is no longer a boy," the figure whispered.
Back at the battlefield, flame and lightning danced across the sky as shadows battled under a cursed sun.
Then silence.
Sukuna stood amidst the fire, calm as ever. Blood dripped from his fingers.
"You wanted a king?" he said, voice low and full of menAce. "Then kneel."
TO BE CONTINUED...