JUJUTSU KAISEN: MOON OF THE FALLEN KING
Chapter 24: Ashes of the First Strike
The dusk sky bled over the cursed wasteland, where the winds howled like spirits mourning the fallen. Lucius stood alone before the towering black gates of the Demon Lords' Citadel. The land itself trembled beneath his feet, the ground scarred with ancient malice.
"To defeat the devils... he had to release his own."
He whispered into the void, his voice almost lost to the wind. "You've waited long enough, Sukuna."
His grip tightened, and a low hum echoed from within. Four bloodshot cursed eyes opened on his chest, burning with awakened rage. A sudden blast of cursed energy ruptured the air as Sukuna manifested, his form towering, eyes glowing, red markings pulsing with chaotic life.
Sukuna inhaled deeply and smirked. "Heh. Smells like home."
Inside the Citadel, six Demon Lords rose from obsidian thrones. Each figure loomed with cursed power, cloaked in flames, shadows, and thunder. One growled, "The fallen moon returns... in a king's flesh."
Another hissed, "This body was never yours, Sukuna!"
With his signature cruel grin, Sukuna responded, "Then come take it from me."
They surged forward in unison, monstrous forms bursting with infernal rage. But Sukuna didn't flinch. He moved like a whisper of death, weaving between their attacks with terrifying grace. Reality itself shuddered as his Cleave technique sliced through the first Demon Lord. The body fell in two, and the ground turned silent for a heartbeat.
"Too slow," Sukuna muttered coldly.
A cursed dragon, summoned from molten runes, charged him next. Sukuna leapt, pierced its neck, and rode its dying convulsions to the ground as cursed blood rained around him.
Far within, Lucius remained trapped in a red-hued mental cage, watching the carnage unfold through a cursed fog.
I gave him my body... but the pain is still mine. They destroyed my home... now let him destroy theirs.
Back outside, surrounded by four Demon Lords, Sukuna laughed. "I've only just begun warming up."
He raised his arms, and in midair, his Malevolent Shrine erupted—a grotesque temple blooming in blood and shadows. With every breath, it pulsed with cursed energy. The battlefield screamed beneath it.
One of the remaining Demon Lords, his body quivering, knelt. "Mercy!"
Sukuna tilted his head, eyes cold. "You kneel now? After watching them burn my name for a thousand years?"
With a step, he shattered the floor beneath the demon with a gravity curse. The scream echoed for seconds before silence reclaimed the throne room.
By the time the dust cleared, three Demon Lords lay slain. Two others had fled into the shadows. Flames crackled around Sukuna, their light dancing across his blood-soaked form.
From the darkness above, a new silhouette emerged.
A voice that shook the bones of the world whispered, "So you live."
Sukuna looked up, a thin smile curling on his lips.
"Come down... Your Majesty. It's time we talked."
Next Chapter: Chapter 25 - Throne of Thorns
Lucius regains brief control. The Demon King descends. And the real game begins.