Jujutsu Kaisen: Moon of the Fallen King
Chapter 33 – Scars of the Moon, Oath of a King
The clash shook the void like a thunderous heartbeat.
Sukuna surged forward, his cursed energy crackling like molten lightning. Across from him, the Demon King, still in his monstrous serpent form, retaliated with snapping jaws the size of mountains. The two collided with earth-splitting violence.
A single blow — Sukuna's fist, guided by fury and precision — struck the Demon King across the face.
The world paused.
The Demon King's head snapped sideways, and for a moment… pain flickered in his glowing eyes. Not just physical pain — something older. A phantom wound. A memory.
"My name… is Arkais."
And the memories came flooding back.
Long before he was king — before he was a monster feared across realms — Arkais Hiroki was a child born under cursed skies.
The village had once been peaceful. Gentle winds carried children's laughter across green fields. And at the center of it all stood Hiroki, a strong, kind protector in guardian robes, the sword of tradition resting at his side. He smiled gently, unaware that the night would tear it all away.
His wife screamed in labor, the sky outside cracked with cursed lightning.
And when the cries of the newborn came… she was already gone.
The villagers fell silent. Then they turned.
The child — a boy — bore strange, swirling black marks across his skin. The moon, full and eerie that night, loomed too close, too large, as if marking the arrival of something unholy.
That child… was Arkais.
His father, Hiroki, still held him.
To Hiroki, he was blood. Family. A son.
But to the village — he was a walking curse.
The first attack came soon after.
From the darkness of the moon's pull descended a beast — something primal, inhuman, coated in cursed energy. As villagers screamed and scattered, Hiroki stood tall, blade drawn, facing the monstrosity with unyielding will.
He fought with everything he had. And when the dust settled…
He had won.
But the villagers didn't thank him. Their fear was not of monsters. It was of Arkais.
Years passed. The fear turned to violence.
At just eight years old, Arkais was thrown out of the village — pelted with rocks and shouted curses. Alone in the wilderness, hunted by spirits and men alike, the child who never chose his fate… began to fight.
No teacher. No home. Only hunger. Pain. Survival.
And slowly, victory.
He grew stronger. Each battle in the woods scarred him, sharpened him. Until one night, standing beneath the cursed moon, Arkais no longer saw a child in the reflection of a stream.
He saw a weapon.
Still, power wasn't enough. He needed purpose.
He wandered. Through wastelands, through silence, until he found the ruins of an ancient temple bathed in lunar glow. Strange symbols twisted across its walls. And inside, a voice whispered from the dark:
> "I can give you strength beyond any mortal… in return, abandon who you are."
He didn't hesitate.
In a storm of cursed energy and blinding light, Arkais Hiroki died.
And the Demon King was born.
With power beyond human comprehension, he tore through cursed beasts, devoured sorcerers who sought to seal him, and carved his name into fear itself.
Eventually, he returned to his village.
But there was nothing left.
Only fire. Only ash. And the laughter of a demon lord, gloating over what little remained.
Arkais didn't speak. He raised his hand — and ended it.
The demon lord vanished in an explosion of black flame.
As the silence settled, a shimmer of light appeared behind him.
His father's spirit stood in the ruins, faint but smiling.
> "We protected this land," Hiroki whispered. "Now… it's your turn."
For the first time, Arkais trembled.
Memories surged — of exile, grief, hatred, the moon that never stopped watching. And something inside him shifted.
He made his choice.
He no longer fought for vengeance. Now, he fought to stand — not as a curse — but as a king of his own making.
He left the ruins behind.
As he walked through the night, the stars whispered of legends. Of a name…
Ryomen Sukuna.
A human.
One powerful enough to make the Devil King flee. One who mocked gods and killed legends.
Arkais's eyes narrowed.
> "A human… so strong? Then he is the one I must defeat."
Chapter End Summary:
A cursed child becomes the Demon King.
His past resolved, his purpose reborn.
Now, he walks toward his next trial…
Sukuna.
To Be Continued in Chapter 34 – "The Moon Devours the Blade"