Chapter 38

They met at a mutual area, no two legions would have the advantage as Sukuna came along with Ryoto and Chusi. He was already sick at the sight as the emperor appeared rather smug, so did the jujutsu council that lingered behind him. Their shit eating grins were something he could do without.

"And what do I owe the pleasure?" Sukuna asked aloud.

"You don't bow before me?" The emperor demanded.

He merely smirked. "If one is worthy of such praise then yes, however, you have yet to prove anything to me. Now, I wish to end this. I don't want my people…"

"YOUR people?" The emperor demanded. "You are but a feudal lord, YOUR so called people… are MY people. Understand!" he demanded.

His lower fists clenched in anger, but he held his tongue for the moment. "We have come to address the misunderstanding that happened." Ryoto explained. "Our village as been under constant attack by curses, just recently, some of your legions were caught in the crossfire, some even dared to hide themselves under the same fog of the curses, therefore couldn't be sensed…"

"You admit to killing my men!" The emperor decreed.

"It was a miss understanding!" Ryoto snapped back. "Why were they here to begin with? Why were we just sent a message AFTER they were killed? Why did you not request a meeting until now?"

"Be silent!" one of the councilmen snapped. "You Toorus never understood your place, you speak before the emperor and the jujutsu council, and we have concluded that this attack was predetermined!"

"How could it have been?" shouted Chusi. "We have been fighting curses each and every night, oddly at the same time and the same forces. Why are they drawn to our village and no others? I have asked others to inform us if they have been attacked, no one else has been, YET they all state that they have seen sorcerers in the area that they are not familiar with…"

"Enough! Know your place, woman!"

"Don't… speak to my future wife in such a tone!" snapped Sukuna.

This, made everyone pause oddly. The Emperor snickered himself. "Wife? Who would have the bravery and blindness to marry the likes of you? BAHAHAA! This is amusing!"

Chusi was about to erupt, Ryoto had to calm his sister down, but he too was just as upset as she was. "For the laugh, I will admit I will show leniency on you. In exchange for the damages done, you replace all those killed with your strongest students who are versed in jujutsu." The emperor decreed. "After you swear your allegiances to me."

But he didn't like this notion. "I will not swear my loyalty to you nor force my people to leave their homes for the sake of your army, however I will obey and do as you ask of me. With that, why not just take me?" he asked. "I will be your compensation…"

But the notion was waved off instantly. "We don't want you, you are too high strong, we don't want the Toorus either, and they never follow orders. We want your youngest students so we can mold them into the proper sorcerers they should be. After all, we were impressed with the two from the last time…"

Suddenly, everyone went pale, this emperor let something slip that shouldn't have been spoken. "What… other two…" Sukuna demanded. He knows of the two young men who went to the capital to speak on trade deals, only their corpses returned recently, with a bloodied message on their bodies.

The emperor paused but smirked at the notion. "The two young men… I had them tested when I heard you trained them yourself. I was curious to see what a beast like you could possible enhance the talents of those among the people. They impressed me greatly. They each took down forty sorcerers before they succumbed to their wounds…"

Something in him… broke.

Sukuna stared at the emperor, lives were playthings and he didn't care the least bit that he ended the lives of two young men for the sake of some test he had! Ryoto too appeared at a loss, so did Chusi.

But he knew he couldn't lose his temper, not here. Despite it appearing there weren't that many around the emperor or council, they are indeed flanked from all sides in case of an attack. He knew it too, one wrong move on their end, and it will be death. He refuses to be baited like this.

"I will give you some time to consider your options. But the longer you take, the more I demand in compensation!" the emperor decreed.

He gave but a single nod of his head as he turned to his friends. "Let's leave," he whispered.

They kept silent until they felt it was safe to talk, Chusi broke down into tears upon hearing the news. The two young men… were friends of hers. Ryoto helped train them on their abilities, but they were some of the best sorcerers Sukuna had ever trained. "What do we do?" whispered Chusi.

"We can we do? We go to war. We are taken out. We give in, we are merely sentencing our people to death… they will never be satisfied with what we offer, no compensation will be enough in the mind of the emperor, he wants us to know that." said Ryoto.

Sukuna was silent on it all. He appeared to be deep in thought, but he sighed. "When we return, I will go and pray, I don't wish for anyone to disrupt me." He paused for a moment. "Ryoto, speak with your clan, some may wish to leave here before a war breaks out…" he turned to Chusi. "Hide our greatest treasures within the domain you created."

Ryoto nodded, so did Chusi.

When they returned home, no one told the villagers yet as to what had happen, Sukuna instead locked himself in the temple, and prayed there for 37 days straight.

He hoped for a miracle or someone to answer him, but in the end, he came to realize the only one who will answer his prayers, is himself. He caused this problem. He will be the one to fix it, by any and all means…

When he emerged from the temple, he sought out Ryoto and Chusi. "Take everyone into the mountain, no one is going to be left behind. I will face them myself."

"Wait, what!? NO!" he protested.

"I need you to keep everyone safe, you are the second strongest here. Your cousin…"

"Half the family left as you were praying under the darkness with her to ensure she and Ryujin are safe."

He nodded to their actions. "Did… Kayda say anything?"

"Remember your promise."

He fell silent, yet nodded once more. "Start the evacuation,"