Chapter 21

He didn't stick around.

Besides, Toji has bigger fish to fry in a sense. His freedom can wait a while longer, just as soon as he gets his payday.

He was half way to Itadori when he felt the ground shake, the smell of blood soon wafted in the air as he turned to see a plume of dirt and earth spew into the air. "Good to know he's that strong…" he muttered offhandedly. But first things first.

He has to convince that dragon kid to let him cash in the bounty.

He approached with caution, yet the kid saw him coming. This time though, he was focused. He started to write in the dirt, curious, Toji peered down and saw what was written. 'That plan of yours, is it still something you know you can accomplish?'

Toji was grinning on the inside. He nodded to the kid. "I've been doing this for years and years kid. I know how to get in and out of nearly every situation, these divine users are no better than a curse user to me."

'Have you faced one before?'

"Can't say I have, but as I said, they aren't that big of a concern to me. So, what do you think kid? You want these assholes off your back?"

He paused to consider the option, but then, his head nodded. Toji smirked to him. "Tell you what, keep this in your pocket, a little standard procedure for me." He said and tucked in 100 yen into Yuuji's pocket. "Second, binding vow. I won't let the divine users keep you." He said as his hand extended.

But the kid didn't take it, he wrote once more. 'You need to do better than that. I want it so that you promise the divine users won't keep me, but I come back home safely!'

'Tch, should have known on that…' he thought. "Fine, I'll bring you back home safely too,"

The hand extended once more. This time, he shook on it. The binding vow was in place as Toji smirked. "Since everyone is busy, let's do this now. You are gonna have to trust me got it?"

Itadori was a little nervous but nodded.

Toji coughed it up. His inventory curse, as it unraveled itself it lay on the ground before looking to Toji oddly. "You need to store him," he ordered.

The dragon kid was stunned.

"Take it easy, this is an inventory curse, you won't be harmed. I promised you, remember binding vow in place here."

Itadori was still distrusting of it, yet sighed and nodded his head.

"Good, make it quick, we don't have a lot of time."

He watched as his little friend began to consume the dragon boy, panic sounds came from Itadori but were silenced rather quickly. The curse bloated out and then slowly condensed down back to its original state. It then shrunk and tried to consume itself as it reverted back to its small ball form. Toji smirked as he was quick to swallow it, yet felt heavy instantly. "Damn, that kid really is fat…" he muttered.

But there was no time to waste; he has to get the bounty now before anyone notices Itadori missing.

#

Going through his sources. Toji found that the divine users have set up a meeting area in Tokyo for such an occasion. They have taken over various areas as meet up places for those interested in obtaining the bounty. One such place was an old temple in the mountains.

Twenty others were there, waiting and lingering for their host to arrive. "This better be worth it, I want that money sooner than later!" one muttered.

Toji smirked as he knew he carried over two billion dollars in his stomach.

They waited until someone appeared.

A young woman in monk clothing stood at the entrance of the cave. She peered about to the bounty hunters and said. "What becomes of you if you fail, is no fault of ours. But if money is your drive, let this be your goal. The demon vessel, Yuuji Itadori, we want him alive and with very little injury if possible."

They snickered to the comment. "Look lady, you are lucky if you get him in one piece, this is Sukuna's vessel we are going up against!"

"I am more than aware, at the same time, this is a delicate task, so please be mindful of it!" she scolded. "The more he is wounded, the less you will be paid!"

They suddenly took interest in that tidbit. "Fine," one muttered. "Where do we start?"

"That's your task, we are paying you to find and obtain this dragon. We have no notion as to where he is hiding."

"Damn bitch, this is like a needle in a hay stack!"

"Then get started." She said in a venomous tone.

Toji waited for the other bounty hunters to leave, he noticed the woman staring at him oddly as he sat there rather smugly. She glared at him. "You are containing a great power," she stated.

"What's it to you?" he asked with a grin on his face. "You want it? Pay me,"

However, she merely grinned. "There are proper procedures we need to go through, I would like you to accompany me back to our headquarters."

"I ain't paying for a ride there," he said in a warning tone.

But she smiled. "Rest assured, this one is on me." She suddenly grabbed his arm, Toji was taken by surprise as she somehow nearly threw him into the cave walls, yet he ended up in a rather large and lavishing room covered in marble. The floors were polished to a pristine shine, the walls crisp and clean with stone pillars. But the people that surrounded him… even made him shutter.

All along the walls were people like this woman, shaved bald and wearing the same monk clothing. But, there were five who sat at a pristine, marble table with golden cloth. As if they are high and mighty in all of this!

'What the fuck is with this place, it's giving me the willies' he thought.

"Bounty hunter… do you have what we are looking for?"

He smirked and coughed up the inventory curse. When he unleashed it, it grew bigger and bigger… and bigger. Before it started to spit out the dragon boy. When he appeared, he was startled and hissed at the room. Yet froze fearfully realizing where he was. 'Good acting kid' he thought.

The room froze at the sight of him. "It's… it really is it!" the woman whispered in shock. "And he appears to be in the final stage of it! He must be, look at the size of this dragon!"

He growled lowly to them.

"So yeah, what's the deal with the fat dragon kid here?" Toji asked rather disrespectfully. "Also, where's my money" he demanded, he went one farther as he picked the curse from the ground and was quick to take a sword but placed it to Yuuji's throat.

Instantly, he got their attention. His phone went off as he checked, the money was all there! He smiled with greed to it all. "Nice," he also had a bit of a back up plan just in case, at the hit of a button, the money was transferred to various mini accounts to avoid suspicion and a reverse hack of his funds.

"You can go now," the woman stated. "Elders, we have much to plan for, look at the dragon, he must have had his third feeding by now to be that big!"

"We ain't done here yet!" Toji shouted. "You didn't answer my other question. What's the deal with a dragon being fat?"

They glared at him. "You ignorant fool," one of them men said in a seething tone. "The dragon can offer one great power if you gain their favor. They can increase your strength 100 fold if they desire to!"

"And if you don't?"

"There are other uses for the dragon. The blood for example, one can drink it and gain five times their strength. We can use other parts of him, but within reason of course, he has rapid regeneration so, armor can me forged from his skin…"

"I heard enough… Also a little policy of mine, as long as I get paid, I do my job… Kid, yen me"

Itadori sighed as he reached into his pocket and took out the 100 yen. "Pleasure doing business with you," He took out another sword, this time he criss crossed them over Itadori's throat.

"What the hell!" the room shouted. "We paid you already!"

"Yeah, I did as you asked, brought him in alive. Now, I can go cash the other bounty and bring him in dead… easiest retirement fund ever" he snickered. "On your feet boy!"

Itadori had trouble standing up, he couldn't on an odd angle, as well, he was getting too big to stand on his own. Toji however was strong enough to wrench him to his feet. He leaned in and whispered. "We got to make this quick, got it?"

Yet the boy was making weird sounds again, like little cries as his eyes darted all over the place. Did he see something?

Toji admits, he couldn't see a damn thing, despite his sharp sense, there was something off about this. Unlike the curses, however, he could smell or at lease have a notion as to where they are in an area. He smelt the air, but this scent was all over the room.

OOF!

He was blindsided.

Stumbling back, he looked about but found no one.

"UMPH!" came out of the dragon boy.

His eyes started to burn. "GAH! What the hell!" he shouted. But as his vision cleared, he saw dark markings just under his eyes, but he also saw all these weird creatures around him. "What the fuck…" he muttered. "These things belong to you assholes?"

The one that struck him was very human like, yet had pointed ears. He would dare to call it an elf of some sort, but the thing was strong and wore brass knuckles or something.

He smirked at the notion. "So, you guys control these things, like that other asshole back at the place who can control curses… Well, I guess I'll really be earning that 100 yen kid!"

#

There were too many to deal with.

Toji never realized these creatures of the divine were this powerful, let alone curse weapons or ordinary weapons are absolutely useless against them! He lasted an hour to say the least, yet even with his strength, he took out only a quarter of the legions including the elf that blindsided him. There were many still to face and more were constantly summoned. 'Fuck, I never thought this would be hard…'

"Are you done?" asked the leader. "We paid you more than fair for the dragon boy, and you were going to double cross us?"

He smirked. "My phone has been going crazy, you do realize I got a little app that lets me know if someone is trying to hack my account… you were going to steal your money back from me. That there is a contract violation!" he said and smirked. "I don't like it when people take my hard earned money."

"Umph" came out of Itadori. He swore though it almost sounded like he was saying 'yeah, right'

Yet the woman smirked. "Either way… kill this man, and bring the dragon to the alter for preparation!" she ordered.

Yet he caught a smirk on the dragon kid. Suddenly, his shadow began to grow out and he appeared.

Megumi!

He stood at the ready before taking in the room. "Shadow possession…" he said and the dark energy began to swirl around his feet.

Toji watched on with great horror and yet at the same time, pride as his son was swallowed up by the shadows. He grew massive and then… his blood ran cold.

He had heard of this creature through his elders, his father even spoke of a shikigami that as never been defeated and become a summons… yet that very creature is now fusing with his son! Mahoraga has been called forth and is working with Megumi!

When the fusion finished, he stood at the ready to fight, but he wasn't alone either. From the corner of his eye, Toji saw something moving just as fast within the shadows of these divine users. Suddenly, they would hit the ground, knocked unconscious and more of them were dropping!

Whoever was doing this was good, damn good!

"Stop them! The dragon cannot escape!" the woman shouted.

"Kazue, we have called for reinforcements, they will be here in one minute!"

"Good job brother, kill the curse users and the bounty hunter, but no harm must come to the dragon!"

Suddenly, Itadori went back on the floor, his hand came on the marble as a small smirk came over his lip.

CRACK!

The ground trembled and shook, the pristine marble shattered under his grasp and the walls began to crack from the pressure!

"He ain't even trying is he?" Toji whispered.

Megumi then began to tear up the room!

He and Mahoraga tore through any and all who came before them, just as more divine users appeared. Toji refused to allow his son have all the fun, he regained his second wind. "My weapons may not work on their creatures, but it will be more than enough to work on them!"

He picked his curse up off the ground, just as he was going for a weapon, everyone suddenly came to a stop.

That pressure…

He has never felt anything like it before!

The marble doors blew off their hinges, in its wake it took out a quarter of the room. Sorcerers crushed to death from the weight and impact against the wall. Toji froze as he watched him merely stroll into the room oddly.

Suiryu had come, yet why were his eyes closed?

No one moved. "Megumi… Nanami… please take Yuuji home… and bring the jackass with you"

Toji saw him come out of the shadow of the wall. This Nanami guy who was reincarnated with him glared at Toji before nudging his head to the door. "You may as well bring Itadori, you brought him here."

Using his inventory curse, he had it consume Itadori once more before he contained it in himself. The divine users froze in fear as they saw it all happen. "Megumi, take the front, Nanami the back, make sure that jackass stays between you two at all times," Suiryu ordered.

"I'll do you one better," Megumi announced as he called off Mahoraga. He approached Toji fearlessly, then he casted a shadow under him.

Toji began to sink into it much to his shock. "Wait, hold it!" he protested.

"This won't hurt you, but it's also to make sure you don't run away." Megumi said rather coldly. He vanished into the shadows before he could protest any farther…