đź“– Chapter 37: The Awakened Soul and the Lost Heir
The shoreline lay broken.
Not from battle—
But from presence.
Lucius stood with his fists clenched, cursed energy burning around his arms like unstable fire. His body screamed in pain, yet his soul refused to kneel.
Opposite him stood Zelos, the First Demon Lord.
Calm.
Relaxed.
Almost… bored.
His blade was gone, hurled far beyond the horizon by his own careless throw. He glanced once toward the distant sea, then shrugged.
Zelos: "I misjudged the distance."
"That's rare."
He turned back to Lucius, empty hands resting at his sides.
Zelos: "No matter."
"I don't need it."
Lucius charged.
No warning.
No hesitation.
He closed the distance instantly, his right fist tearing through the air, cursed energy screaming at full output.
Zelos tilted his head.
The punch passed beside his face.
Zelos did not block.
He stepped inside Lucius's guard and tapped two fingers against Lucius's chest.
Lucius's entire body froze.
A second later—
The demonic pressure detonated from inside him.
Lucius was launched backward like a broken doll, smashing through stone, skidding across the shoreline, coughing blood.
Zelos watched quietly.
Zelos: "Too loud."
"You waste force."
Lucius staggered up, roaring as he forced his cursed energy back under control. He rushed again—this time lower, faster, smarter.
He ducked under Zelos's reach and drove a punch toward his ribs.
Zelos caught the fist.
Not with effort.
With two fingers.
Lucius's eyes widened.
Zelos twisted his wrist slightly.
CRACK.
Lucius screamed as his arm bent unnaturally. Zelos released him immediately—before the bone fully snapped.
Zelos: "Careful."
"Break it now and you won't learn."
Lucius growled and spun, driving a kick toward Zelos's head.
Zelos leaned back.
The kick missed.
Zelos's knee rose casually and struck Lucius's stomach.
The impact folded Lucius in half.
He collapsed to his knees, gasping.
Zelos crouched slightly to meet his gaze.
Zelos: "Your body is fragile."
"Your soul is not."
Lucius forced himself up and swung wildly—pure instinct, pure refusal to fall.
Zelos allowed the punch to land.
It struck his armor.
The sound rang hollow.
Zelos looked down at the spot, mildly curious.
Zelos: "Hmm."
He flicked Lucius's forehead.
The flick sent Lucius flying.
The ground exploded as Lucius crashed, leaving a deep crater behind him.
For a moment, Lucius didn't move.
Then—
He rose.
Slowly.
Shaking.
Bleeding.
Still standing.
Zelos straightened, something like approval in his posture.
Zelos: "Good."
"Again."
Lucius gathered everything he had—grief, rage, Sukuna's remnants, his own will—and condensed it into his fists. He moved faster than before, landing a solid blow against Zelos's chest.
Zelos slid back one step.
Only one.
Silence fell.
Lucius stared.
Zelos looked at the ground… then smiled faintly.
Zelos: "That's the spark."
Zelos stepped forward.
The pressure multiplied instantly.
Lucius's knees slammed into the ground involuntarily.
He couldn't breathe.
Zelos stood over him, completely unthreatened.
Zelos: "Understand this, heir."
"I am not your enemy."
He leaned down slightly.
Zelos: "I am the one who decides…"
"Whether you're worth fighting seriously."
Footsteps echoed.
The air shifted.
Zelos straightened as white hair appeared atop the cliff.
Gojo Shinra: "Yeah… I don't like how this is going."
Shinji Hashimoto stood beside him, silent, tense.
Zelos glanced at them—then past them.
From the shadows, Arkais watched.
Arkais: "Zelos."
Zelos stepped back immediately.
Not from fear—
From respect.
Zelos: "We're done for now."
He looked once more at Lucius, still kneeling.
Zelos: "Grow stronger."
"Next time… I won't play."
Shadow swallowed Zelos and Arkais.
Gone.
Lucius collapsed forward, consciousness fading.
Gojo exhaled slowly.
Gojo: "…That wasn't a fight."
"That was mercy."
The moon watched silently.
Somewhere far beyond—
The Devil King took notice.
—End Chapter 37