The Strongest Sorcerer of Tomorrow

by Aaaaaaert

How would he ever be able to face the world again? From within the depths of Fushiguro Megumi's soul, Ryomen Sukuna had spoken that question. It kept echoing in his head, over and over again... so he had to ask himself honestly: Could he truly keep living? After all the failures he had amounted to? He couldn't, he truly couldn't. When the final Black Flash fell, so did his life.

40. Spear of the Heavens

If there was somebody that Fushiguro Megumi could describe to exude a feeling of poweritself, he would unhesitatingly point toward the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga. The massive build of the Shikigami towering above all others had to be the biggest indicator of such a thing, along with its eyeless face and permanently etched maw of scorn.

The crudely attached sword wrapped with nothing but bandages across the Shikigami's arm also implied a vicious warrior of all means. One who was not so squeamish as to brush away the idea of barbarically attaching a blade on one's wrist via a method of what can only be described as 'savage' and 'uncouth.'

Yet despite such insinuating traits of Mahoraga, the God of Shikigami still stood as a deity amongst deities in the undeniable fact of its divinity. With this divinity, the being was granted one simple task, to serve the purpose of protecting a being far greater than itself in the grand scheme of all things.

The Healing Buddha.

This Wendigo known as Patriot, however? He was the complete opposite.

The ultimate defense standing tall in spite of all the horrors the world held was what was present right before Megumi's eyes. Whether it was because of his gigantic shield or bulwark of a build, he undoubtedly lived up to every phrase Reunion had used to describe him.

Yet despite holding what was essentially an icon of a defensive front to the entire world, there was no doubt within the Sorcerer's mind that this monstrous man could also pack immense firepower. Whether it be physical strength or some other mystical abilities which Terra possessed—there was a sense ofmightandsecuritythat he couldn't help but associate with Patriot.

Just as Mahoraga possessed something the Shikigami had devoted itself to protect, perhaps Patriot also had something similar that he wished to protect.

The Infected.

They were both protectors, Mahoraga and Patriot. But from what Fushiguro Megumi understood, they were still different in their ideals of being a 'protector.' The former was of a more offensive sense, and the latter was of a more defensive sense.

Swinging one's destructive in wake of Yakushi Nyorai's endangerment, and raising one's shield in the wake of the Infected's plight. Perhaps that was the conclusion he had been drawing with the two.

Even so, that shouldn't denote the lack of capabilities for either of them in opposite regards either. Offense could become a defense, and defense could also become an offense. Where did such sayings come from? Well, Megumi didn't know himself.

Laurentina lingered behind the black haired man, sending a curious gaze at the fortress in front of her. The Abyssal Hunter placed a finger under her lower lip as she made heads over tails the sensation she was getting from the war-wrought Wendigo in front of her.

'That technology is most certainly foreign, and this strange feeling coming off of him...'The Aegir turned to glance at Fushiguro Megumi, the lettering looking as if he were completely calm in this situation. However, she knew a battle instinct was stirring deep beneath his chest'...he's also quite interested in that wheel of yours, isn't he?'

She noticed the gaze of the Wendigo's eyes peering at the stationary object on top of Megumi's head. Maybe it was because the behemoth could also sense its aura on the same level as her, but the white haired woman was sure he sensed some of the deeper implicit meanings behind it.

By implicit meanings, she was referring to the power it gave off. Although having gotten used to it for a long time, the Abyssal Hunter knew that the capabilities of the wheel was far more extraneous than Fushiguro Megumi had explained.'Everybody probably knows it from the bottom of their heart—it's just that the more battle-hardened ones can get a better grasp of it.'

Laurentina turned back to Patriot. She remembered his name being talked around the settlement a lot, from all the different people the Aegir had conversed with. Yes, she was far more sociable than the moody black haired man beside her, and she took a little pride in that. Why? Because in spite of what the summoner might say, she knew he wasveryclueless about Reunion's inner-workings in general.

With how much he had walked off to go train or hole himself up in his room, the Abyssal Hunter couldn't help but mentally scoff. Megumi had been the one to suggest travelling across Terra, but it looked like he didn't have the social capacity to interact with that many people. The old lady from back in the village seemed to be an exception—for some reason.

The Reunion members moved out of the way, forging a path for the Patriot when he stepped forward. Laurentina should have expected it, but the route that had been made was straight to the two, the goliath slowly—yet swiftly—was making his way towards the exact person she had been thinking of before.

'...He could crush princess like a twig,'the assessment was made by Laurentina. Unless he summoned his copiously large eight-headed serpent, then the black haired man would be torn to shreds. Like a strawberry through a blender.

Massive strides were taken with each step, covering the distance between Megumi and Patriot within what felt like a blink of an eye. There he loomed over the man dressed in a black haori, said article of clothing finding itself flowing through the wind.

A silence followed. The Reunion members scattered across halted their conversations and mumblings, seeing the gigantic Wendigo standing over one of the newcomer guests. They were intimately familiar with this sort of thing, having already been through the same deafening of sound when their vehicles had first come in.

Then again, this particular scene felt so different from when the guests arrived, the reason wasn't something anybody could quite put their finger on.

FrostNova was off to the side with Talulah, the Cautus girl staring at the 'confrontation' with a slightly worried look. She remembered the small staredown that happened when Patriot had first been introduced to Talulah, but it wasn't like this at all. Especially not walkingstraight upto them and lookingstraight down.

Talulah didn't know what to think of the scene either. She was familiar with being in the shoes of Fushiguro Megumi, but to bethis close?No, the ashen haired woman had to contemplate what the intentions of the Wendigo was, or even what he was seeing within the black haired man. Was a fight about to break out?

That couldn't be the case. If Patriot saw Megumi as an immediate danger, the Draco was sure he would have immediately attacked him without any warning. That—or he would have already declared something that would point out any discrepancies. So... what was the case then? Why did it feel so tense?

On the other hand, Megumi's blank stare continued to meet Patriot's. He couldn't tell whatever emotion the Wendigo was emitting because of his mask, but a faint understanding(?) was there. The Sorcerer couldn't really speak on the matter much.

With how things were progressing at this rate—which was nowhere—he was starting to think that some action needed to be taken. Such action was him being the one to actually strike up a conversation, something that he honestly had been dodging in regards to Reunion.

'...Let's give it a shot,'Megumi thought to himself, deciding that this awkward moment had gone on long enough. "...Mr. Patriot, pleased to meet you." Megumi didn't know whether he should extend his hand for a handshake or not, but he did so.

That was until he realized that both of Patriot's hands were currently occupied. One holding his gigantic lance, and the other holding his shield. He could probably still shake with the hand holding the shield, because it was more so attached to his arm—but Megumi had extended hisrighthand, while Patriot's shield hand was hislefthand.

Thankfully, the Sorcerer's embarrassment was saved when Patriot planted his lance on the ground, amazingly reaching his right hand out tosoftlygrab Megumi's.

"You are young," the Wendigo said, neither an admonishment nor a compliment. It was as if he were stating a clear and concise fact, most likely because it was. "Neither are you Infected. Tell me, what brings you two upon Reunion's settlement?" His voice was gruffed and aged.

The Wendigo's sight briefly turned to Laurentina, the woman blinking in response. In the end, she gave a small smile back in response, letting the conversation between the two happen. The black haired man needed some social interactions aside from herself, after all.

'...Small talk? Is he initiating small talk? Patriot never did this when we first met...'Talulah raised an eyebrow, a confused look present on her face. She sent a glance at FrostNova, hoping the Cautus girl would be aware of anything.

"...I decided to visit on a whim," Megumi fully admitted to him. He had deliberated what to say to the other man, but had decided to go with what his heart told him. "I would have never expected Ursus to be... as they are, though."

"I see," Patriot responded. "Yet the lands must have not given you much grace. Seeing as you now stand within Reunion's grounds." The Wendigo made their assumption. Most people who travelled the tundras, especially for a Higashinese, would most likely have any illusions about Ursus utterly destroyed. If they hadn't heard derogatory speech about it from outside—which he knew was ripe with negative opinions.

"I believe you could say so..." Megumi released his hand from Patriot's grip, the latter doing the same. Despite having to stare up at this intimidating bastion, there was strangely a... hope? Trust? He couldn't truly describe it, but he felt something from him "...but I'm not doing much, either."

Indeed, he hadn't helped Reunion free the Infected entrapped within the mines—despite how much slavery angered him—as it wasn't something the Sorcerer saw as obligatory. No matter the amount of Infected saved, it would be the same cycle over and over again. Being stuck in another one...

"You are ill suited." Patriot's voice didn't change much, but it surely felt like a message was being sent toward the black haired man.

"...Pardon me?" Megumi was slightly confused.

"You are ill suited to become a savior, nor a liberator," Patriot said. His eyes stared down at the man in front of him, the golden wheel floating above his head was one that could only belong to a divine being. Yet the one he was staring at right now... "if that was your intent in the first place. Otherwise, a torn soul is not one fit to become an Aegis. Heed my words, if you wish to spare yourself from further despair."

Those words struck something within Megumi's body. For some reason, the resonation of chords flowing across his body had made him feel as if... as if he were missing something. What he was missing was something extremely important, but that didn't mean the Sorcerer could perceive what it was.

"I believe our conversation ends here. Find your place in the world." The Wendigo gave one last look toward him, before turning away. The giant mass that was his body began walking away, leaving Megumi staring at his back in a stupor.

The other Reunion members, including the Shieldguards were confused. However, the latter recovered quickly, giving a side glance toward Fushiguro Megumi before following their captain. Their steps soon moved in unison with Patriot, most likely going to their quarters to rest.

Laurentina watched their departure with slight interest, before turning back to Megumi.'...Well, I guess I can understand those words to an extent.'The Abyssal Hunter gazed into the eyes of an utterly lost man,'I'm curious too, Megumi. Where is your place in this world?'The analogy that the man known as Patriot used was perfect in her eyes.

The wind no longer felt soft against his face. There was a sense of loss within his body, something that Megumi hadn't truly had a moment of his time to ruminate over. During his entrance to this world, there was only desperation, during his stay in Lungmen, there was only the rush of survival, during his time in Primavera and Reunion... there was only a weight pressing down on his shoulders.

The weight of becoming stronger, to push himself past his boundaries and leap through everything. Yet where did he stand? What was his place in this new world? Did such a thing matter in the first place? A Jujutsu Sorcerer only held one purpose—that was to exorcise Cursed Spirits until the end of their life. Until they become incapable, like a rusted cog to be replaced in a machine.

It was the ultimate fate of all Jujutsu Sorcerers, no matter how powerful you become. Ryomen Sukuna spent endless time reincarnating into the Modern Era, and for what? What was it for? Was it because his body was starting to become aged and decrepit? Was there fear in that idea? The creeping sensation that nothing else truly mattered in the progression of his life.

To experience thrill once more, that was what Fushiguro Megumi assumed from the King of Curses. But for himself? The Ten Shadows user had already broken away from Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Society. There was no need for him to become the cog stuck within a fundamentally broken machine.

Because there was no machine in the first place.

He had no purpose. He had no purpose, and that was fine, wasn't it? Then there were no duties for him to constrain himself to. There was no Jujutsu Society for him to be pushed around by. He was free, completely and utterly free. No longer was he stuck within the confines of his mind, nor the dubious thought of giving up. He had overcome such a thing when taming the Divine General, when ascending to the rank of a Sovereign.

A Sovereign was in control of what they ruled. They were powerful, as powerful as anybody could have imagined? So why? What was this doubt boiling up in his body, burning up his heart and melting his flesh? It was a disgusting feeling, a completely and thoroughly horrendous one. He wanted to retch it out, to vomit it as a body does to a poison or venom.

Boundless and bare, that was what his potential was. That was what Gojo Satoru saw, and what he strove for as his... his goal. Yes, yes, yes! That was his goal! With one hundred percent certainty he could say that was his goal! It served him a purpose, it served him a will—a way to press forward in this cold and barren world. He had nothing, but that... that only meant he... he had everything to gain!

...So why? Why did he feelso lost?

"...Megumi?" Laurentina stared at the man's back, having not sensed an inkling of movement from him at all. She remained silent while gauging what he could be feeling at the moment, still she couldn't understand what went through his mind.'Perhaps if I get a better look at his facial expressions—'

She turned to walk around slowly to take a look at his face...

...Then paused...

...He didn't look human.

The whisperwind was haunting. Twisting and dancing did she howl an ominous tune across the settlement of Reunion. Megumi stayed under the night sky staring at the cackling campfire in front of him, the sounds of wood being turned into nothing but excess from fuel mingled along with the wind as her husband.

'Strongest, strongest... What does it mean to be the strongest? What does it mean to reach there? The pedestal placed far above the endless skies?'Megumi was the most lost he had ever been. It was those times where he contemplated his state in this world did he lose sense of what had been driving him. Because whathadbeen driving him was superficial at most.

An artificial package filled with nothing but chemicals, forming a plastic which barely held together what was inside. The content was at most barely edible, a 'staple' food barely providing any nutrients to provide for anybody.

A parade, an endless one filled with nothing but selfishness. Stepping upon everything and destroying all that was within its wake. Perhaps it was like the one filled with the fever of a thousand Cursed Spirits marching in unison, their hatred and negativity forming an blasphemous icon.

That was all his goals amounted to, didn't it? He had this deliberate thought back in Lungmen when his doubts were at their highest, and they had come back for a vengeance. A gripping claw which tore at his skin, flesh, and muscle; leaving a permanent mark that would scar him for eternity.

Like a burnt-out plasticity of a brain never recovering from the injuries it had sustained. Megumi didn't know where he was at now, or what he had even become. Was he the second coming of an utter demon, pleasuring himself in however he acted? Was he a Sorcerer fully involved in their insanity? Or was he a methodical man who planned every single advantage he could—a picture-perfect assassin lurking within the shadows?

...The skies were beautiful.

"Admiring the view?"

Megumi didn't need to turn around to recognize it was FrostNova. Her voice was practically one with the winter itself, the hail lacing itself in her tone.

"...Of course," Megumi replied. His gaze continued to stare off at the glittering stars, pondering if one of those stars could hold any words he needed to hear. The small wisdom of Gojo Satoru, the encouragement of Itadori Yuji, and the lessons of Fushiguro Tsumiki. None of them were there, farther out of reach than the celestial objects lighting up the sky.

A void was formless, just as the painting of a canvas was. Paint drew out substance from it, formulating what humanity knew as beauty and 'art,' an art which sent a million messages and preached of grandiose yore. The Heian Era admired such splendorous art, and so did it bleed its blood to the Heisei Era. Perhaps it would spread far beyond, to the endless space known as the vast expanse of the universe.

FrostNova's steps were light, so light that anybody watching her movements with keen precision would assume it wouldn't leave any marks on the soft snow. To deny such a notion, her steps did—travelling a path to the log where Megumi sat at. "You know, I don't understand what my father says either, at times—I think he's just being pessimistic."

The Cautus sat on the log, bringing up her knees to her chin once more. Warm, the campfire produced a warming sensation which melted the barriers of ice encased within her. "But at times, I know he's wise. An old fossil like him would know a lot about our world, and by extension, its people."

Megumi kept silent in respect to what she was saying. He wouldn't call himself a good listener, but his sister had told him he had been an exceptional one with her. To other people, it was a completely different ball game.

"I don't know what to think of his words to you either. Like he said, it's foryouto understand." FrostNova stared at the flames, wondering if she should just dip her body in it. But that was a foolish thing to do, and the woman was far more intelligent than to do such an act.

"I heard he's your father," Megumi finally spoke to the woman, turning his gaze toward her.

"...Yes?" FrostNova tilted her head while looking at him. "It should have been obvious enough. I'm sure the Yeti Squadron talks about it all the time." The Cautus girl's ears twitched, still seeing no life present within the black haired man's pupil. It was like he was dying by the second, his body decaying over and over.

"...What's it like?" Megumi asked.

"...Dad?" The white haired woman turned back to the campfire, feeling her body become colder when staring in his eyes. "He saved me. He took me in. He's many things, and a father is the best way I can describe. I don't know what it means to be a father, and I don't believe I should be the one to interpret its definition. I just know, he's my father."

"...You just know, huh?" Megumi tore his gaze off from her. His eyes stared upward to the endless firmament once more. There was nothing that could be seen aside from the stars, the incandescent beings casting their gaze upon the mortal world.

Flickers of Red and Blue mingled together.

'...I know too, don't I?'

It was a beautiful Purple.

Megumi fiddled with the item in his hands. It was a candy put in a wrapper. He sat at the bedside, black haori off and revealing the muscles lining his arm. Trained to perfection and a standard unachievable by human means, the black haired man sighed. Taking off the wrappings, he placed it on the side of the cabinet stool, reminding himself to throw away the parchment when waking up first thing in the morning.

"You look to be in heavy contemplation," Laurentina called out to the black haired man. She was laying on the same bed as him, the size large enough to fit the both of them. "You've been on and off the entire day."

"I have," Megumi replied to her without much passion. The strange candy was between his index finger and thumb finger, his eyes analyzing and perceiving the object. It was almost clinical, like a scalpel dissecting the object to understand every nook and cranny which were inlaid.

Laurentina stared at Megumi from her position, the only sight presented to her was his back. There was nothing she could see from his features, and she didn't think there was much of an expression on him either. However, the image of his black and pale eyes bearing an endless abyss still lurked in her mind.

Those claws continued to sink into her brain, twisting the gray matter across and deforming it. The Aegir couldn't interpret why he felt such a way, but one single essence was etched within those orbs of his. Loss. He was at a complete loss of what to do, and what to see the world as. The woman had her own way of fighting against such a thing, but Fushiguro Megumi?

She was starting to forget how frail he was. Not in the physical sense, but when she had first gazed into the everlasting pupils of his. It had only been washed away by the ocean tides of her ignorance when she had seen the briefest of displays of his insanity, the thrill and high of battle coursing through his veins.

A popping sound was heard, the candy between Megumi's fingers having undergone enough analysis from his dreary eyes. The object went into his mouth, puffing up the right side of his cheek as it moved rhythmically in an attempt to interpret any flavor. There was nothing he could taste on the object, only...

...A burning sensation filled his tongue in immensity. It burned and it burned and it burned, coursing through his mouth in a fervor he hadn't experienced in so long. Megumi widened his eyes, feeling his right hand fall to his side, eyes falling to a daze.

Laurentina stared at the man with a strange expression. She saw his head slightly tilt to the side, something dripping from his cheek and onto the bed sheets. Staring upwards and finally getting a clear view of it, she saw his eyes once more.

Tears flowed from his expressionless face.

It was as if he had regained something.

...One day left.

"You've been gone for a long time," Talulah's left hand rested on the handle of her blade, as her posture had always dictated. "Your friend Laurentina kept on pestering everybody if they had seen you... everybody gave the answer you'd expect to hear." The Draco continued to stare at the emotionless black haired man.

"She'll understand," a simple explanation was all Megumi gave to her. "It was a standard activity." The Sorcerer raised his hand upwards, clicking his index finger nail against his thumb finger nail. It was fishing for something that wasn't there, keeping his attention completely reeled to it.

"Well," Talulah wondered if he even had any interest in conversing with her. She had to wonder why Patriot and Megumi didn't want to indulge her with small talk, "i-if that's so..." she had to wonder how exactly FrostNova had spoken to this man so well. He seemed like an endless chasm which spanned a distance somebody couldn't cross—

"Talulah, what do you think your purpose is?" The black haired man never once turned his sights away from his fingernails. Traces of snow and frost lingered on his black haori, one that could only be there from an extended period of time from travelling the tundras—something the other party had refrained from questioning.

"...Eh—huh?" Talulah blinked owlishly at his words. "My purpose, well, I'm pretty sure you already know." She was also sure the black haired man had already heard her explain it before. Perhaps he wanted it to be reiterated to him? Well, she was happy to oblige, "I want to build a path for the Infected. They are treated unfairly by society, and by starting with Ursus before eventually expanding, Reunion can become the bridge that connects all Infected across the world. A fantasy, I know, but it's better than believing in nothing."

The woman's words were passionate, finding herself lost in her explanation. She had only remembered being this lost when talking to Patriot at the campfire, or even when discussing with Alina in their humble abode.

"There is only despair and pain awaiting every Infected all across Terra. It is in my means to bring them out of that swamp, and lift the burden across their shoulders. A single human can't bear the weight of all the Infected, so it is only capable of doing so when all unite together as one to bear it together. Do you get what I mean?" Talulah could almost feel herself beaming when Megumiturned his gaze toward her and nodded!

Keeping herself calm, the Draco continued her explanation after clearing her throat, "I can't stand by and let them suffer as they are now. It's unfair, and with just the capabilities at my hands, I was able to, at the very least; start something. It's my goal to continue this project, and that starts with progressing Reunion's movement to the south, where there are far lusher fields and stocks of food compared to the barely habitable tundra. Especially with the pressures of the patrol men increasing in number..."

The screams of the damned continued to echo within Megumi's mind. An entire battalion yearned for release of their pain as an eight-headed beast bore down its gleaming eyes upon their direction. Endless golden flames continued to pour out, enveloping the entire structure which they stood upon—built from the corpses of those taken advantage by them—had completely collapsed.

"...We can find a better place for the current Infected. Along with that, more could reunite under our cause to truly bring the equality and equity that the Infected deserve, not to be viewed as subhumans—but actual people..."

Collapsing structures, corpses turning to ash as multiple combustions rang true in their destructive ways. The golden flames were so concentrated that they looked like beams, and everywhere they travelled sent off an unending outburst which tore apart the living and nonliving all at once. A wrathful and godly display was at its peak, showing the ignorant what it was to truly experience karma.

"...So, uhm... what do you think?" Talulah hoped that she didn't bore the black haired man, or seem off with her tinge of nervousness at the end.

"...I understand," Megumi turned away from the dragon lady and began walking away. His footsteps were silent, walking back into the shadows of the forest, something that made the spectator feel complicated over.

'...What does that mean...?'Was he deliberating it over like how Patriot had done? Did he understand what she was going for, and truly want to...?'Ah, this is so confusing...'Talulah could only hope for the best.

The day passed through without much happening.

Fushiguro Megumi? Nobody knew what he had spent during his 12 hour stay away from the settlement.

Except for one.

"Where are you going this time?"

Megumi swerved his head to take in the view of Laurentina leaning by a tree with her arms crossed. Her gaze wasn't particularly on him, instead opting to gaze elsewhere. Obviously, it had lingered upon the expanse of space above, the glistening stars being the view which most captured her attention.

"Training," Megumi responded. "I have private matters to do, too." He was going to go far from the Reunion settlement before coming back. Whether he got a healthy sleep today didn't matter, as Reverse Cursed Technique could alleviate all compromises to his physical health, whether it be from the brain or the body.

All physical matter making up his body could be restored by it. Eventually, the Sorcerer was sure the healing force could regenerate even his soul. He just needed to see his soul, to understand it better.

"Mhm~," Laurentina nodded her head. "You've squashed quite a bit of ants today." The Abyssal Hunter didn't even need to take a glance at him to see the strained look he had given her. "What's the surprised look for? You ought to wash up next time you go and walk into an ant pit." She gave her piece of advice.

'Right, sharks have sensitive noses,'Megumi wondered in his mind if he smelled bad or not. He didn't really care that the woman knew he had gone out and gored a bunch of people who deserved it—the shark lady would have probably done the same to those she saw as scum. "I'll be going, then."

His steps carved its way through the snow, passing by Laurentina.

"You're always straightforward," the Aegir suddenly raised her voice an octave higher. "You don't beat around the bush nor do you let even a smidgen of doubt cloud your mind while in combat. So tell me, why isn't it the same in everyday life?"

Megumi stopped walking, turning around to look at the white haired woman. Her gaze was now fixated on him, "it's..." his words were hard to choose "...not that important." The Sorcerer stared at her with a blank expression, the same stoic front that had shielded himself since the beginning of time. "I'll see you later tomorrow."

Laurentina narrowed her eyes, watching him abrasively turn away and begin his trek into the wilderness. She had decided to see what all the fuss about him had been like, but the shark lady had come to realize it was a far deeper dive than she imagined. It had become a thing ailing her since last night.

She breathed a sigh, "should I push further? Sounds like a plan."

Simple Domain was a Cursed Technique that couldn't be taught to any outsiders aside from people in Sadatsuna Ashiya's School of Thought. It was almost as forbidden as the Three Great Clans keeping their prized Falling Blossom Emotion a secret. This was all done with a Binding Vow to the students.

However, what wasn't accounted for were monsters and geniuses seeing the technique with a single glance and replicating it. The domain which was meant for the weak to counter against Domain Expansions had been leaked thoroughly afterwards as a result. Because of that, the technique became more widespread than the original practitioners could have imagined.

It was further proven when the black haired man standing in the middle of a forest had already achieved such a feat. Having been battered by it numerous times by a certain swordsman had left a familiar feeling within his body—and perfecting his domain's barrier had also accelerated its development.

Fushiguro Megumi stared at his calloused palms. Although he had mastered Falling Blossom Emotion after the long venture with Laurentina and constant practice over the course of about a month, the Sorcerer still felt as if... his close quarters combat was still lacking. Despite manipulating the Secret Art with Yamata-no-Orochi's Shadow Extension of Nue, it still couldn't compete with her.

'Simple Domain... I wonder...'A thought had come to him. A daring thought that would have all Jujutsu Sorcerers back at home laughing at him with how absurd his idea sounded. However, what was Jujutsu Sorcery but to push past boundaries by boundless margins? To achieve victory in all spiritual, mental, and physical states.

'Let's see if I can do it. I already mastered Falling Blossom Emotion, now all I have to do is focus on Simple Domain.'Breathing in a hardened breath, Megumi let the cold winter's particles enter into his nose—then into his lungs. The dual organ expanded within his enclosed chest, spreading outwards to fill his body with the vigor it needed.

The rest of the night was filled with Jujutsu barrier creation, over and over again.

Along with the clicking of a wheel's rotation.

...The bell tolls a deafening tone.

Something was wrong with the air.

An intense and suffocating silence permeated.

It was as if it were sending a message.

A deathly, and ghastly message...

Laurentina walked alongside Patriot. Her gigantic buzzsaw was cradled in her hand, while she hummed to herself. The forest view wasn't the greatest sight to bear witness to, but it did offer a new perspective. Too bad the perspective wasn't anything the woman was interested in, seeing how there were many more—much inspiring things back in Aegir.

From the mundane streets to the articulate pieces of artwork lining many museums, there was always something to draw from them. What she was looking at the forest wasn't the forest itself, she would admit, but what laid deep within. Fushiguro Megumi was there somewhere, perhaps doing whatever activity he wished to do.

It honestly started to make the woman ponder if he didn't wish to spar with her anymore. It was... fine if he thought in such a way, she wouldn't feel much from it anyways. Nope, nothing at all. If he wanted his privacy in training whatever he wanted to do, Laurentina could grant him such a thing. The Aegir would do her own thing, after all.

...Which was... practically nothing.

Ugh, it wasn't her fault that dry land could be so uninspiring. The only things that had triggered her artistic senses was that eight-headed serpent, that wheel above his head, the double-bladed Vajra, and the monstrous Wendigo standing beside her.

"You wish to say something," Patriot suddenly told the woman, his gaze still fixated on the forest trees off in the distance. "If that is so, then speak," his voice echoed from beneath his mask and into the woman's ears.

"Eh? See right through me, huh?" Laurentina fiddled with a contraption on her buzzsaw, around the handle. It was a magnificent weapon in its own right, and the Abyssal Hunter had found ages ago that it complimented her perfectly. "Well~, not much happening around lately, so not many interesting things to look forward to. It's just so and so at this point."

"It's best if a day is looked forward to be—as uneventful." Patriot replied to the Aegir woman. "Seeking thrill is a young thing to imagine," the Wendigo left his words at that, continuing to stare off at the bark of the long-aged trees of the tundras. They hid things well, too well in his opinion. Yet that did not obstruct his senses in the slightest.

"You're sounding like an old man now," Laurentina chirped back at him. Although he seemed like a towering beast which pierced the skies themselves, he wasn't as aggressive or rude as she would have imagined. More tame compared to what his form would suggest, "your daughter is the complete opposite of you. My apologies if that sounds impolite, just my small thoughts leaking through."

"Hm." Was the only response Patriot gave to the woman. Their gaze continued to increase in intensity while they stared off into the desolate forest. The shadows seemed to be churning within, a deep darkness lurking within that he was...all too familiar with.

"...You feel that too, don't you?" Laurentina asked the Wendigo, her fingers having stopped fiddling with the mechanics of her buzzsaw. Megumi—her dashing princess—had enhanced her weapon in a way that she didn't understand. She hadn't taken it out for a spin either, but right now provided an amazing opportunity.

"...On guard," Patriot called out, raising his shield upwards. A defensive stance was taken, a pressure arising from the environment around him. It was sudden and without much warning, but the person beside him already knew the message all too well—after all, what was an Abyssal Hunter half their salt if they hadn't understood what was happening.

"What a sickening feeling," Laurentina huffed out. It was like the gross slime of the Seaborn, their flailing tendrils which knew nothing but consumption and destruction. Her gaze fluttered to where Patriot was facing, brandishing her saw. A small trickle of water was manipulated as she hoisted it into a stance, right hand reaching for its top end, while her left reached for its butt-end.

The saw itself was pointed toward the ground, while her back stood in a straight posture, as if ready to break off into a beautiful dance. She completely contrasted the tense and no nonsense form of Patriot, a doctrine inhabited to be the most efficient in every aspect possible. Her own? It was unorthodox, but got the job done.

Something only Aegir could have produced.

It was then a low and demonic huff was heard, before the exhale came. Something was coming out from within the shadowstruck forest, tearing across the darkness in its wake.

Patriot already knew what it was, and there was no need to be stuck trying to comprehend what it was. "I have been mulling over my mind when you would come... surely, you lot must have come prepared."

A harsh breath was heard, the figures making themselves completely clear.

Laurentina let a small grin break across her face, staring at the two abominations emerging from the shroud.

Talulah could feel her body tensing from behind the tree in which she hid. The sight before her was a dastardly one, a member of Reunion having been impaled in the leg by an unknown object which everybody had assumed to be an Arts attack. What had emerged from the forest was one of her greatest fears—especially for the size that Reunion was at.

She needed to keep calm and plan ahead for what she needed to do. They seemed stuck in a conversation with the Shieldguards, the members of Patriot's Guerrillas entering a stance which acted as an impenetrable wall to protect everybody behind them. Their enemy was simply standing there, not taking any action at all.

The Draco could hear their conversation.Theyhad been looking for her as the daughter of Duke Kashchey, but the ashen haired woman wouldneverheed their commands—nor abide to their will. Just as much as she loathed the snake, she too loathed the people who served to carry on his will.

It was at that moment when she heard that the monster was about to depart that she had decided to set her plan completely into motion.

It was one chance, and she needed to get rid of the threat before it flared out of control.

To deal with it, she was going to fight fire with fire.

The strange and unnatural gas that had been hissed out continued to be poured off of the abyssal creature's body. The gas leaked into the air, tainting it with a disgusting corruption that was indescribable to the poor souls who had to witness such a scene.

Its black garb left a great disparity with the white cloaks of the Yeti Squadron. The Infected who stood as one with the snow of the Tundras were now face to face with a demon meant to blemish the very nature of which it stood upon.

There was a black-blooded mask placed over their face, with multiple tubes sticking out of the back of its head and off to somewhere else at the back of its body. At the forefront of where its mouth should have been was the largest tube of them all, acting as some sort of respirator for the gleam-eyed devastator.

An irradiance was produced from where their eye-sockets of the mask were. With bar-like cages separating anybody from seeing what truly laid beneath, and only emitting the intense glare of a beast hidden behind. No, far worse than just a mere beast, this was a being who went against the force of nature itself.

Wherever they stood, wherever they walked, the snow beneath their feet, the snow falling around them—had all turned black. The smog-like emission continued to tear at the existence of naturality, painting it to be what their will wished to be.

More than their own will, however, for they stood for the will of Ursus itself. The stomping marches of a soldier never ceased, and they as the Emperor's Blades stood as the sharpest tool the empire had to offer.

Armed with absolute conviction of their cause and eyes which foresaw the glorious skies of a flag billowed in the empyreal draft—they were all which Ursus had stood for. So shall they execute their will with the equivalence of a screaming blade tearing across the void. Defeat was never an option for it, and so shall victory never be an option for its foes.

"I-It's an Ursus Royal Guard!" A Yeti Squadron member called out to the group behind him, waving his arms frantically to catch their attention. "E-Everybody! It's an Ursus Royal Guard!" His voice yelled even louder, surely pulling everybody's attention with their second attempt.

The setting snow around them turned bleak, just as their hopes when hearing of such a morale destroying message. The Royal Guards which stood as a rumor amongst rumors, the Facerending Liches which could tear apart even the most stone-faced of men—were now right before a mere movement of the Infected.

In the form of asingleincarnation, hell-bent on what they had resigned their fate to follow for all of eternity... they simplybreathed,and yet that was enough to inspire the fear of the masses in a singular space.

The well-oiled war machine of Ursus stepped at the forefront of the scampering Yeti Squadron, gathering their wits when pushed to what was the very edge of their lives. They continued to stare off with their intense glare toward the Infected who were no longer a part of Ursus with nothing but disdain.

FrostNova motioned for the Yeti Squadron to go into formation. The familiar hand gestures of the ice-cold woman alerted all of them with a practice long since exercised into the Yeti's bodies. Immediately, her sides were flanked by numerous Casters.

Nervousness built-up within the Cautus' chest, the woman fully well-aware of what stood in front of her. Yes,'what stood in front of her'for it could not even be called human nor mortal based on the definitions of Terra. A monstrosity born within the deepest depravity of humanity's capability for cruelty stood in front of her.

The clinking of steel blades could be heard, as Yeti Operatives stood in front of the Casters in a defensive formation to make sure they had enough time to execute their Arts. A bastion for them, if you will.

Yet despite their immaculate positioning and numeric advantage, the Yeti Squadron felt as if they were staring at their future. An endless and sorrowful end was what awaited them, standing in front of this bastion of pure violence.

"Where is Talulah, Patriot, or the Shieldguards?" FrostNova asked out while staring at the unmoving figure of the Royal Guard. However, she knew that they were merely assessing her group before deciding to take action, most likely communicating with their superiors. "We need reinforcement,now."

"They're all occupied!" A Yeti Caster whispered by her, a frosty wisp gathering around their shaking palm. Despite the instability of their own hands, their Arts remained completely stable, "I-I heard the Shieldguards conversing,there's another Royal Guard!"

"What...?" FrostNova felt her eyes widening, her rabbit ears twitching in nervousness. Her gaze was fully locked on the affront to nature's immaculate posture. "Then... we have to hold this one off. Nobody break position, remember what you've always done!" The Cautus felt her Arts flare up, the familiar burning freeze coming across her body.

"Yes, Big Sis!" All of the Yeti Squadron members rallied together and cried out to the woman, their loud voices combining to curb all fear that they felt. At the same time, a lingering sense of despair still continued to pester them from the inside, tearing apart their guts.

"...The Reunion Movement..."The domineering voice of the Emperor's Blade echoed across the scenery, instantly silencing all the sounds the Yeti Squadron were making."I present one option to you all..."a single declaration was made"...kill yourselves."Their voice continued to hiss out the death of the world's natural order, witheach and every single word.

Every rasp of their breath onwards inhaled and exhaled nothing but cessation. A promise, toward the terrified enemies in front of them that they would meet an unseemly end shall they point their blades toward the blackened beast.

A single voice cutting in would freeze the hesitation of the Yeti Squadron, however temporary it may be.

"Enough!" FrostNova's Arts flared up like a beacon of hope for the Yeti Squadron. It was the comfort which they could find comfort in, the other Aegis aside from Patriot and his Shieldguards which they could confide in, "you're nothing more than a monster of Ursus. Abutcherhas no right to dictate what lives or dies!"

The Emperor's Blade breathless hisses became more prominent,"and yet what right do you have? To decide whether what lives or what dies?"There was a faint distortion around their body, no movements needed to be wasted in the creation of black shard-like spears."I sense it. Your ideals are as frail as your formation."

"Barriers, now!" FrostNova desperately called out to her Casters, the Operatives moving in front of the white cloaked brothers and sisters in order to shield them. The Cautus woman herself clapped her hands together, billowing the wind with a black and teal frosted gale which encompassed the entire group.

The distortions finished within the amalgamation of space, the spears prepared like the mighty artillery of Ursus ready to rain down hell."As I said, a frail formation."A booming sound echoed in the air, the snow kicking around the unmoving form of the Emperor's Blade as their unholy creation propelled forward. Five spears in total.

Spectral eminences which tore through anything in their path found themselves at the clashing position of black ice formed into a focused barrier. A grinding sound resounded as black snow continued to fall, all members of the Yeti Casters straining themselves in order to uphold the defensive line.

Right as it was completely broken through by the five spears, a hustling wind blew past all of them and redirected their course, barreling toward the Emperor's Blade. Dropping below temperatures far below zero, yet it still proved ineffective.

"A rudimentary application,"a mere gesture was all that was needed for them to completely form a transparent vantablack barrier which was grazed by the attack. Despite the intense storm brewing around it and tearing apart the ground and snow, the being composed of nothing but fear stood unheedingly."Shall I advance?"Then, the mere question spoken from the maw of the Emperor's Blade sent shivers down the Yeti Squadron, as the Royal Guard lifted their foot casually...

...And stomped it down, echoing a reverberation of pure-white snow being stomped upon.

More corruption began to spread in the form of snow being turned black. Their slow and methodical breathing mixed in with their machinated steps, as the Royal Guard continued their steady advance.

FrostNova tensed her breath, before letting her voice flow out. The blast of Arts shifted just as her tone turned into a serene melody emanating across the battlefield. Snow which had been blown across had shifted into a more controlled and intense focal point, beating against the Emperor's Blade's barrier.

"Those who have stepped away from Ursus, will find no grace from the Empire."They placed a hand on the handle of their sheathed red blade, braving through the maelstrom of frigid Arts formed from an entire squadron of Arts Casters."Cease."

FrostNova widened her eyes, watching as the Royal Guard's fingers coiled around the handle of their blade. Her voice broke away before she could start her song, "don't approach him with melee, you'll die!" She called out to the Yeti Operatives who bore cold weapons, ready to strike at the Emperor's Blade.

However, they immediately halted their movements and moved back. Already wrought by the intense feeling of fear and paranoia, the singular command of their big sister was enough to make them step back, making way for the Yeti Casters to focus their Arts on forming yet another barrier.

FrostNova began singing her folk song with bated breaths, but kept her tempo. There was no obstruction this time.

Pressing both her hands against her chest and then spreading them out with closed eyes, a vast expanse of condensation black ice began to form.

"Sleep, sleep,

Oh my little child.

You may close your eyes,

And forget your tears."

The Emperor's Blade's breathing could be heard despite the singing, respirating what the Yeti Squadron assumed to be their extinction. When their breath turned into an exhale, was the moment their blade was drawn.

A creasing crimson glare was emitted from the blade as it left the sheathe, battering against the ice barrier which had formed.

"In your dream, dream, do you see,

Trials so fierce and terrible?

How will you grow, my child?

And who will guard you there?"

The Yeti Squadron standing behind shielded themselves, watching as the barrier began cracking at the seams with spider-web cracks forming. Eventually, it shattered into a million pieces, pushing those who laid behind away.

Some stood their ground while sliding, and some fell over and onto the departed snow. One thing was for certain, their formation had been completely broken.

FrostNova stood the strongest out of all the members, continuing on with her song as she battered her incessant Arts against the Royal Guard. Her cloak fluttered in the air, her legs spreading out along with her hands.

"Lone in the skies up high,

Whispers the moon.

She'll tell you a fairy tale.

Maybe she'll show your fate."

Their barrier began to show signs of small fissures forming, denying the perception of invincibility of which it had held."Your chanting amplifies your Arts. Then I will make sure it speaks no more than a gutter,"the Emperor's Blade's saber was pulled across the left of their shoulder, the right side of their body leaning toward FrostNova.

It was coordinated directly at the intoned Cautus' throat.

Despite the intense storm brewing across the landscape, shielding her Yeti Squadron, herself, and keeping the Emperor's Blades at bay—FrostNova could feel the blade flashing her own life right before her eyes. In the splendorous display of blood-red sanguinity, the blade approached with indiscriminate fervor.

"There is no escape from it,

It always catches up.

Come the dead of night,

It swallows all, and now..."

Suddenly, bursts of ice bursted in a circular shape, all stabbing into the barrier of the Emperor's Blade, causing greater cracks to form on them."Hm?"Their blade was redirected at the last second, giving enough time for FrostNova to be grabbed by the back of the collar and pulled back.

The black shards pressuring his barrier were promptly shattered, leaving a streak distorting the air.

Multiple Yeti Squadron members were surrounding the Royal Guard, mainly Casters. They applied more power into their Arts through their Arts Wands in the shape of needles along with the assistance of FrostNova.

"The smallest song I'll sing to you,

Hushaby-a-by, a-by.

The earth is gently turning round,

As your little eyes close."

At 50 meters above their head, the Emperor's found that layers upon layers of pelting ice shards were forming a scaffold. Uncaring if their barrier were continuously becoming more battered, they formed surrounding vortexes around themselves—black spears sticking through.

"The smallest song I'll sing to you,

Hushaby-a-by.

As your little eyes close."

Right after, they fired off while they turned a blade swiftly to the rain of death approaching their body.

A flash of vermillion filled the skies as the attack emerged from the skies were instantly pulverized into nothing but glitter-less black dust. They fell onto the floor silently while the Yeti Squadron was pressurized by the previous shard spears firing off from around the Emperor's Blade.

FrostNova was guarded by a Yeti Operative, their blade shattering when attempting to deflect one of the attacks sent off by the Royal Guard, and nearly had their entire arm blown off. "Agh!" They screamed out in pain, blood splattering around.

The Cautus could feel her hands tensing, redirecting them toward the Emperor's blade. Her voice did not for a second refrain, knowing that stopping her chants would guarantee death for the Yeti Squadron.

"Should someone come knock at the door,

Whoever it is now?

Maybe it'll be the breeze,

Or maybe a baby wolf."

A Yeti Caster immediately rushed to the side of the Yeti Operative bleeding on the ground, getting ready to apply their freezing Arts to stabilize their visceral condition. His hand reached the groaning man's blasted arm, and started to form ice around it.

FrostNova shielded the two with a sublime gust of wind which carried her melody. Multiple small shards were present in the wind, surrounding the Emperor's Blade's still recovering barrier, which was being battered by Yeti Squadron members running circles around them.

However, a majority of the squadron had already fallen to the ground, heaving for their breath or having been far too injured to continue. A scent of iron wafted the air, only barely covered by the pungence of the black miasma lingering.

"Do not fear, my child, now;

Whoever howls or calls to you.

Forget your teary tears,

Be brave and fall asleep."

Her voice couldn't hitch, not against the man-made demon approaching her.

A greater gust formed, a gyre apparition surrounding the body of the Emperor's Blade. Their barrier looked to pay it no heed, but FrostNova could just barely see the cracks starting to expand on them.

A flash of red immediately flashed through the scenery, the black arm of the Emperor's Blade turning into nothing but a blur.

"Lone in the skies up high,

Whispers the moon.

She'll tell you a fairy tale.

Maybe she'll show your fate!"

Her entire strength was poured into her next move, a tornado forming around her and consuming the attack, letting the white haired woman dash out the way just as the attack had ripped across the scenery.

The Yeti Squadron started to evacuate, an already well-known instinct for when her lullaby started to reach its end. That meant the attack she was about to execute next would be a large one, far larger than anything she had done before.

So did it also mean her Oripathy levels would worsen.

FrostNova closed her eyes and let her instincts guide her waltzing form. Moving around the Emperor's Blade—who followed her with a slow but pursuing gaze—the Cautus spread her arms wide, an intense pressure forming around her.

The black fog made it hard for the woman to sing, and it was working to weaken her Arts and physical capabilities to a certain degree. However, that did not mean she would give up so easily against such a 'trivial' matter.

"The smallest song I'll sing to you,

Hushaby-a-by, a-by.

he earth is gently turning round,

As your little eyes close."

The Emperor's Blade ignored the Yeti Squadron. Not even when the Casters were pelting them from far away did they grab their attention for a single moment. Right before it was an immense attack ready to form, and they had decided it preceded all other matters on the battlefield.

Their hands raised upwards, a black vortex forming a red spiral around, coalescing into a singular point. It was as if a void was forming, a distortion which spoke of only might and power, the iron-clad fist of Ursus embodied in a singular attack.

"The smallest song I'll sing to you,

Hushaby-a-by..."

A rising of power, yet a lowering of temperature. An eruption of black frost cracked open from under the ground, leaving them as nothing but plated rocks shooting up in the sky and sending her along with the Royal Guard upwards.

The attack forming in the Emperor's Blade's hand started to compress further and further, before a grand expansion of the orb started to occur.

Just as that was happening, FrostNova brought her hands together by her heart, kneeling on the ground. To live one more day, to let the Yeti Squadron see the light of tomorrow reflected in their eyes, that was what the Cautus woman wanted.

Yet no rest for the Infected, for there was nothing but misery upon the dreaded path fate had bestowed upon them. Like the cruel embrace of a mother, the grasp of frost encompassed FrostNova entirely, the woman falling into a fetal position.

Despite the weak and prone form of the woman, her Arts told a completely different story. A tale not unlike the fairytales which she so adored, the hopeful message they rang emitted from her body—in a gorgeous whirl of flickering white and black, intertwined with the grace of a cerulean winter.

FrostNova's voice grew louder and louder, the end of her lullabye reaching out from her heart to the Heavens themselves.

"...As your little eyes close, now...!"

A flash of black that promised nothing but destruction emitted across the miasma filled land, clashed against the passionate tune of a frosted rapture. They tore across the environment, everything shattering within its wave and sending off debris in every direction.

It was then a spherical orb of their clash was formed, filled with the combined colors of both blue and red. Pressure arose from the center point, the Yeti Squadron watching on helplessly as they knew there was nothing they could do in their injured state. Not even the Casters.

BOOM

A detonation followed after, a shockwave emitting across and reaching the horizon. Snow was pulled upwards in a tidal wave, leaving a white canvas approaching the Yeti Squadron members at high speeds. They all raised their hands upwards to shield themselves, feeling as the wave bashed against their body and sent them all flying.

Amongst the clearing of the explosive clash of the Wintry Death and the Facerending Lich was a misty cloud of black rising toward the sky. It pierced upwards, forming its own cloud above at where the welkin laid.

"Hah... hah... hah..."FrostNova's frosty breath left her mouth, kneeling on the destroyed ground. There was nothing but a crater digging deep into the earth of Terra, no snow present. In fact, all that remained was a dark mist covering the vicinity. Anybody would question whether it was actually a tundra in which they stood when being present in such a location.

Obviously, it couldn't be called the 'tundra' anymore, merely the Dominion of Ursus itself.

"Impressive, to a degree."The cracking sounds of glass could be heard, a transparent black barrier crumbling in on itself. A black-washed mist continued to condense around, with the only change being a burning red orb piercing through all veils."A shame. Impressive Arts for somebody so young."

A hand was raised throughout the smoke, their malleable form twisting along with the Emperor's Blade's movements. Their palm was pointed toward the downed figure of FrostNova, who was unable to respond anymore due to Arts exhaustion.

"Yet a parasite leeching the stomach of Ursus had no place in its intestine."He shall do the pleasure of tearing it straight out, by impaling his hand through the location which held it. A final black vortex formed in his palms, the battered FrostNova finding barely any strength to raise her hand in defiance.

Yet no frost formed.

No words were exchanged back, neither from the Emperor's Blade nor FrostNova. A black crystalline shard formed within the vortex, pointing directly at the woman with its jagged edge. Razor sharp and made for violence, it shot forward as quick as the wind—with absolutely no warning.

Yet it would never find its mark.

KLNK

Supreme Art: Noble Eightfold Path

(Simple Domain Falling Blossom Emotion)

Something flew across in a black blur, a red lightning trail following along with it. As if it weren't truly a black thunder cloud, the figure made itself completely clear and moved in a motion that resembled the drawing of a blade.

SHING

The spear that should have impaled FrostNova was immediately slashed in half, a lingering curved bolt of electricity travelling through the torn apart shard. It barreled toward the Emperor's Blade, who merely swatted it away—a miniature black barrier forming at their back hand to completely dispel the attack.

Fushiguro Megumi's eyes were widened in focus, Nodachi positioned in an overhead position while both of his hands held the handle. His gaze was solely focused upon the cursed demon in front of him, standing atop the upper section of the crater as if they were a tyrant.

A half-spherical barrier surrounded his entire body, the crimson lightning spreading out to adorn every millimeter of its inside. None of the black miasma reached inside, the hostile electricity lashing out any that had attempted to breach through the barrier. What was most notable was the eight-pronged wheel symbol beneath his feet.

The thunderstruck blade once known as Dragon-Bone shall now be heralded asKusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass Cutting Blade,its superior form given by an addition of a Cursed Technique. Along with that, arcs of electricity seemed to endlessly pour from the steel sheen damascus steel conditioned by centuries of Cursed Energy, and the grace of the Dharmachakra.

Breathing out, the condensed air that left his mouth turned into crackles of red lightning, as Megumi exited his stance and stood up. The lightning cloak around his body was faint, but still visible to the naked eye. His hands no longer possessed the condensed lightning which made it bore unnatural thin gloves—instead all of it were now focused on his prized Cursed Tool.

Lowering his form into a kneel, Megumi brought the Nodachi to point in front of him. Both hands still held the handle, while the bladed tip of the weapon tapped lightly on the ground. The barrier surrounding the Sorcerer still hadn't let up, conditioned by what could only be called a miracle of adaptation.

Something he had been honing ever since learning Simple Domain.

"...Another one?"The Emperor's Blade curiously watched the screech of lightning continue to pour off their form."Higashinese, I know your kind."Of course, how couldn't they know of the humiliating defeat that Ursus had faced during the Bloodpeak Campaign? Such a thing was—

—A streak of lightning passed by him, some sort of path having opened through the black mist surrounding the area."Mach 3?"The Facerending Lich made their estimation, poising their blade to deflect the next blow.

SLASH

Their blades met each other, sparks flying off as a superheated blade kissed by the storms of Susanoo grazed off. Right after, it had completely slid against the curved weapon of the Ursus Royal Guard, Fushiguro Megumi moving far past him and sliding to a halt—posture going back to pointing the tip of the blade against the ground while his hands laid on the handle.

The vague barrier surrounding him had disappeared. Manipulating its form was a difficult task, the black haired man having taken inspiration when Kusakabe Atsuya had drawn a path with his Simple Domain named Evening Moon Sword Drawing.

KLNK

With that, the Sorcerer could automatically intercept anything that went into his barrier with great speeds, amplified by the effects of Yamata-no-Orochi's Shadow Extension, and the coating of Falling Blossom Emotion.

Combined with both the defensive offense of the aforementioned technique—which struck out with an automatic reflex of Cursed Energy—along with the offensive defense of Simple Domain, a masterpiece was created.

By removing the anti-domain feature of Simple Domain, it enhanced his Cursed Energy output further, and made every other attack that attempted to enter it much weaker. This way, he was also allowed to experience this environment while still lessening its blows to an extent. The former was for obvious reasons.

That meant he could expand the range of Falling Blossom Emotion from only coating his body to the entire sphere of his Simple Domain. It increased the potency byeightfold,a complete breakthrough in Jujutsu sword techniques with how absurd it was in advancing one's strength. Now he had to wonder why Gojo Satoru hadn't decided to explore such a thing to improve his fighting style.

KLNK

The miasma flooded Megumi's form, letting him breathe out a tired breath while bearing its burden. Although it had lessened to a degree, it was still a heavy feeling for him to bear the burden of—but he hadn't removed the anti-domain feature of his technique for no reason. Indeed, it was to speed up the adaptation of Mahoraga.

His gaze turned back to the monstrous being in front of him, no worse for wear than a well-dressed noble attending the most extravagant party imaginable. The envoy of all the Infected's suffering was practically in front of him, or what he believed this monstrous war machine to be.

"A wheel? An Arts Unit? No, it's far different,"the Emperor's Blade spoke while watching the black haori of Fushiguro Megumi billow across the horizon from behind, like a blanket draped over."It matters not. I will simply pillage it from your corpse for further research."The eminence it gave off was far too enticing to leave the corpse to rot.

"Is that all you know how to do?" Megumi narrowed his eyes in greater focus, before they widened in a burst. Right after, his body flickered into multiple afterimages laced with red lightning bolts, looking like he had teleported across.

An explosion of black spears had erupted from his position, the Ursus Royal Guard member having already sent an attack unable to be perceived by the human eye."Pillaging, you ask?"

A bolt of electricity rounded, a scratched Megumi entering a drawing position with his eyes dimmed. He was to the side of the Emperor's Blade, before slashing his blade at top speed.

"Indeed, I pillage."A perpendicular raise of their blade clashed against Megumi's, stopping him dead in his tracks,"pillaging the 'evil' and pillaging the 'righteous,' what difference does it make?"If it were for Ursus, they would doanything.

"When you're on the..." Megumi strained his muscles, the lightning of Yamata-no-Orochi increasing the capacity of his neurons and signalling molecules "...receiving end!" He decided to give up against the clash, backing away as the blade sent an upwards rise of debris where he had stood.

The Emperor's Blade raised their weapon to point upward, before striking down in a vertical slash.

Only a chromatic red line was seen from Megumi's vision, but that was enough to make him shift his body and dodge to the side. As if on cue, the attack almost grazed the Sorcerer, moving past where his body had previously been.

His hands were still on Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi despite facing sideways, so the black haired man pointed it upwards toward the Emperor's Blade. A single chant was made to increase its capacity of damage.

"DISMANTLE."

A grid of slashes were sent out. Their blaring intensity shifted the colors around their vicinity, passing through the black smoke weakening them and onto the Emperor's Blade.

The enemy receiving such a force simply raised their left arm—the free one—to swat away the barrage of slashes that had been attempting to tear at their skin.

"I have merely heard tales..."the Emperor's Blade stared at where Fushiguro Megumi was.

Key word, 'was.'

Turning their head to the left side, the Royal Guard casually rounded their blade around to clash against a flash of red, a residue of Simple Domain drawing its path toward them having stayed behind"...of the Bloodpeak Campaign."

They were a relatively new Emperor's Blade. The tool of Ursus couldn't say they compared to any of the veterans, and neither have they participated in the onslaught that had left a mark in Ursus' history,"of the grand onslaughts, the piling of bodies, and the spilling of blood."Pushing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi aside with their own weapon, multiple spears formed around their body.

KLNK

"Now I have to ponder,"the Emperor's Blade spoke, while pulling their blade back and stepping forward, the spears and their blade all aimed toward the staggered Sorcerer."Must you be one of the Nobukage-ryu practitioners?"They openly mused out, recalling the stories of the dreaded shadow-covered blades which tore open Ursus troops.

Megumi regained his balance, while entering yet another drawing stance. The snow was pulled away from the formation of his Falling Blossom Emotion combining with Simple Domain, the action having recreated an eight-pronged symbol below his feet.

Supreme Art: Noble Eightfold Path

His body moved on its own, not from instinct—but from technique. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi shot forward into a barrage, destroying all the black spears that had intended to impale him through. Right after, the Sorcerer had barely any time to block the fierce attack of the Emperor's Blade, making him grit his teeth.

"My assessment was off by a margin, you are far different, Higashinese."

BOOM

The sheer force of the Emperor's Blade strike sent Megumi back once more. Sounds of his feet scraping off the rough ground were heard.

Barely catching a glimpse at where FrostNova was, the black haired man was glad that the Yeti Squadron were diligent enough to evacuate her from the battlefield. Now all he needed to do was—

—A black mist shrouded the Emperor's Blade, their body gliding straight toward him with the gleam of their ruby eyes being the only thing visible.

Recreating the barrier of Noble Eightfold Path, Megumi could feel the strain on his Cursed Energy reserves, but pushed through it. He had already prepared to be outmatched by this powerful soldier, so that was why he wasn't fighting alone in the first place.

Just as the Emperor's Blade swung their sword once more, Megumi dodged to the side, letting the blade enter his barrier and miss him just barely. The function of the Simple Domain portion kicked in, the perfect offense and defense making him lash out with multiple slashes.

Just as the Emperor's Blade was about to blast away the Sorcerer's approaching barrage of clawing Nodachi strikes, a presence behind them was made known.

Divine Dog: Totality burst from the shadows, having been stationed and hidden far outside the black fog. It was only when the Royal Guard approached the Sorcerer did it enter the corruption entrenched area and assist their master.

The free hand of the Emperor's Blade grabbed the jabbing claw of the Shikigami just as it was about to approach them. Then, the hand holding their blade met the ceaseless barrage of Fushiguro Megumi, two blazing salvos of blades contesting each other.

Divine Dog: Totality howled, its gigantic form almost reaching that of Mahoraga's had been completely halted. It reeled its unoccupied left hand back into a claw, faint sparks of red lightning sparking around it.

Megumi just barely saw it, but it was enough to grant him confidence in breaking away by using the force of the Emperor's Blade's attack to be sent back again. This time, it was in a controlled environment which didn't cause any trouble for him, reaching in for Daiitoku.

The Royal Guard had already anticipated this sort of action, so they merely turned around and slashed upwards, sending the arm of Divine Dog: Totality off of their body. Or that was what should have happened, if it hadn't been dispelled at that exact moment.

"Divine Dogs!"

Summoning six gigantic wolves in unstable form, they peered out from his black haori just as how they had with Ryomen Sukuna. Sparking with lightning once more, Megumi reformed the barrier and stretched it forward instead of making a spherical barrier, pulling his blade so that the tip faced his back this time, but still pointing to the ground.

Daiitoku was in his clenched left hand, the fist pointing toward the enemy.

The unstable Shikigami followed along the formation of the extended barrier as shadow apparitions ready to attack the Royal Guard. However, an immediate fusillade of black shards eviscerated them completely. Thankfully, it brought their summoner enough time.

KLNK

The Heavenly Thunderbolt Scripture lashed out a streaming beam of golden lightning, encompassing the Emperor's Blade completely. Soon enough, it was streaming across a black barrier that had formed around their body, the Royal Guard raising their left arm upward to shield themselves.

Daiitoku's beam of lightning wasn't just a 'beam,' but one that had unstable lightning arcing all across its shape. That meant it had created what was essentially a barrier of thunderbolts tearing across its interior in an ferocious fashion.

Pointing their palm forward, a flash of black and red tore straight through it, making Megumi dispel Daiitoku and grab his Nodachi with both hands and slice the Emperor's Blade's attack in half.

An explosion occurred after the attack had been split in half by the blade, the black mist ravaging the environment having been intensified in response.

KLNK

Megumi could feel his arms shaking, before leaping back. It was a good call, seeing how the Emperor's Blade had seemingly vanished to where he had been previously, sword slamming against the ground.

Two plates of the ground were lifted at the force of the blow, almost clasping together and trapping Megumi within. The fissure had spanned the length of a football field, giving the immense scale of what the two plates were to the Sorcerer.

Swiftly calling Daiitoku within his left hand again and striking it down, a thunderstrike immediately flickered into existence above—cascading toward the Emperor's Blade.

"How much longer?"The Ursus Royal Guard member was coated in the unholy fog once more, shooting straight out of the bolt of lightning which had encompassed their body. Steam arose from their body, but they looked to have taken only superficial damage."Do you believe you will survive?"

"Ten." Megumi replied.

"Ten seconds?"The Emperor's Blade flicked their blade by their side,"or does your folly demand you ten minutes? How foolish."

"Nine."

"Hm?"They paused for a moment, registering what the black haired man was doing. He was counting down, as if confidently sending a message to the Royal Guard thatsomethingwas going to happen.

"Eight. Seven." Megumi continued to count down, pulling his katana to point behind him while bending both of his knees. Usually, two hands would be needed to increase the force of one's blows to their most efficient degree, but Noble Eightfold Path made such a thing completely null with the immense Cursed Energy imbued within its technique.

So Daiitoku could still be wielded, keeping Yamata-no-Orochi's overall lightning color an aureate ivory. True to its color, the pirouette started to form together around him, a build-up of Cursed Energy that he was going to fully expend.

The Emperor's Blade stomped their foot. There was no need to dilly dally any longer, this man in front of him was partaking in what looked to be preparatory 'Arts' attack of wide scale. Perhaps it had to do with the wheel atop his head spinning constantly—

—A puddle was formed at their foot, almost making the Royal Guard lose balance before they immediately recovered. It was only a millisecond that they were caught off guard by it, before they stood straight once more and swiped their left hand.

A blast erupted across the scene, along with a storm of black shards flying toward Fushiguro Megumi.

KLNK

Megumi launched himself backwards, firing off Daiitoku which had adapted to a decent degree toward the Emperor's Blade and their attacks. It clashed against the distortion and black shards, but immediately found itself overpowered by a considerable margin.

Landing on his feet, the black haired man's body moved on its own to counter every single lingering attack that hadn't been destroyed by Daiitoku. Then, a flash of red had been seen from the corner of his eye, making the Sorcerer dodge to the side and be pelted by the attacks.

"Six..." Megumi breathed in, the pain was far greater than any normal attack—most likely a feature from the Royal Guard's malignant powers. Flicking Daiitoku, he caught sight of the advancing Emperor's Blade and fired off a lightning javelin toward the thing.

The Emperor's Blade reached their free hand outwards and grabbed the javelin right in the air, its breathing sound emanating across the scene. More black fog began to surround itself, before the beingflewacross the scenery without moving a single muscle.

KLNK

Megumi's thunder javelin was crushed, before the Emperor's Blade was right before his barrier, slashing out with their blade.

"CLAW OF THE DRAGON."

The Sorcerer in response chanted while barely deflecting the blow with an overhead stance guard, the coursing golden lightning assisting his blade and his body to respond against the stimulus.

"RECOIL."

Attempting to back away, but finding a shard stab into his side, Megumi didn't so much as change facial expressions or flinch. If he had done so, the next slash of the Emperor's Blade would have certainly slashed him in two, but was steered off course.

"PAIRED FALLING STARS."

He felt his muscles tearing apart while quite literally being pushed by the force of the Emperor's Blade's weapon grinding against his own. Megumi's feet scraped off the ground while his course was veered by the Facerending Lich's whims, a twist in space forming around the being.

More shards peeked out while Megumi spoke his last chant.

"CLEAVE."

Aided by a trace of the resplendent thunder and adaptive spur, a stellar foundry of slashes rip-roared across the scene. The barrier around Fushiguro Megumi expanded, a barrage of slashes twisting and bending the landscape around them emitting from the very center of his being.

All of them, despite the uncontrolled blast of it, had impacted the Emperor's Blade, the barrier created by Noble Eightfold Path guaranteeing every single one hit them—while also lashing out at anything within a large range.

The black spears peering out of the distortions in space about to stab the Sorcerer through had been shattered, while the intense storm of slashes danced all across the body of Megumi's adversary.

A shimmer of golden and black cuts continued to tear across, the nexus core being the blade of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sending off the brilliant glisters to tear across. Wind particles were destroyed alongside the coruscate's eminence, Fushiguro Megumi acting as the painter splashing his paint while being wholly absorbed in his scintillatingly rabid mind.

The wind made of knives had finally ceased, the dust gathered around presenting him with the sight of...

...Blasted carmine eyes probed through, displaying their undying vigor toward the Sorcerer. With the color came a supreme blast of permeating distortions rippling across the scenery, the black haired man found himself off of his feet.

'Where... am I?!'Multiple debris laid around him, finding himself high in the sky. Stamping his feet on one of the debris, the black haired man noticed that his stomach and chest were bleeding heavily, forcing him to cycle Reverse Cursed Technique and flow Positive Cursed Energy to where it was.

"Two..." He whispered to himself, staring at the other falling debris. His eyes caught sight of the Emperor's Blade standing with a straight posture on one of them, before a different one obstructed his view for a split second.

That was all that was needed for its figure to vanish entirely, right after the piece of split rock had passed by his sight.

"...One," Megumi counted the last number—closing his eyes.

It was then the internal clock within his head had finally reached its final count-down. A flare of Cursed Energy emitted from all sides of his body, feeling his senses and strength expand to greater levels. Like a mountain of chains tying his limbs down to the barren heart, the Sorcerer could now soar far above the skies like a hawk with this new uptake in strength.

A pulse of golden lightning erupted from his body, illuminating everything around him.

The Emperor's Blade which had found an advantageous position was forced to raise their left arm up defensively, and reformed the black barrier which FrostNova had destroyed before. It bore the burden of golden firmament clashing against the black corruption.

Right after, the overbearing sight of a tsunami of lightning was created in front of the Emperor's Blade, their mask being lit up by the sheer light emitted from it. They raised their palm and pointed it toward the attack, emitting an almighty force which blasted a hole straight through it.

With the sight of convoluted helix shape tearing through the air and distorting its sight, the view of Fushiguro Megumi became completely clear to the Ursus Royal Guard. Reaching his blade back, the Emperor's Blade steppedonceand turned into a black blur, leaving not even a shockwave with its approach.

It was now in front of the eyes of the frantic black haired man, his eyes wide and pupils shrunk like he was high on drugs. The small crack of a smile made its way on his face, as if they were experiencing something completely otherworldly.

The Emperor's Blade did not care, for they had one simple task in mind. Slay this Higashinese man that would eventually become a thorn in Ursus' side—completely. Right as their blade had been raised upwards amongst the boundless coursing of golden-white specters of flickering thunder, did they feel something was wrong.

Megumi grasped the handle of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi even tighter, time before him slowing down. There was no need to question what he was feeling, as there was never a question in his mind when entering this sort of state. The tango of lightning lighting up the entire scenery before his eyes was heavenly, providing a brief nirvana for his previously afflicted mind.

With the force of a million ton piercer, Megumi's body completely turned into a black and white scribbling line of blurs. Their speed far surpassed the previously described Mach 3, reaching up to levels of Mach 4—no, Mach 5 while their blade continued to barrel at the newfound inspiration of Cursed Energy.

BLACK FLASH!

"Kssk!" The Emperor's Blade breathed out intensely, the billowing corruption they had sent out bending at the will of the sparks of black emitting in a thunderous applause. Space itself had sensed the entrance of the greater will, bending to its will completely as the ground shot upwards.

The origin? The golden blade blessed with a sudden spike of Cursed Energy glowed the brightest amongst the crimson dim. Pushing forward ever further, Fushiguro Megumi did not even let out a scream or yell, his eyes infused with so much focus that the Sorcerer was sure he had been a completely different plane of being at this very moment.

Recovering after the intense blow, the Facerending Lich regained their balance in a near instant. They gripped their blade with both hands and brought it to their side, intending to completely end their enemy's life with the next stroke.

However, Megumi rebounded his strike, having entered a zone far different than what mortals could comprehend.

BLACK FLASH!

When a Black Flash is landed, it becomes much easier to land consecutive ones. It was nothing to celebrate, as many Sorcerers had explained to Fushiguro Megumi—but he would be lying if he hadn't felt absolutelyamazed!

The clock had completely finished his course, providing the black haired man with a euphoric feeling he hadn't felt since he had first created the Binding Vow against the Divine General! With this newfound strength, he will topple even the greatest horrors in front of him!

His Nodachi continued to push the Emperor's Blade back, this time sendingthemslightly sliding back.

Megumi broke contact, rearing his blade back once more. The direction of the white snow followed along with it.

BLACK FLASH!

The roar of the spark screamed once more! Its hands brought a crown to the Prince of Vows, in the display of a magnificent force destroying everything in its path.

The flickering of the stars followed his path, as Fushiguro Megumi put all his weight into this blow to once more push the weapon of Ursus itself back.

"Hrrk!" The Emperor's Blade felt themselves straining. But what did it matter? This was an attack it could handle and eventually overpower—if the effects of their will bleeding into the land itself was any indicator.

But why?

Why did this man seem unaffected by its ravaging influence?

The Strongest Sorcerer of Tomorrow's eyes were still stuck in their permanent gape. A focus so intense that their figure flickered between another person's entirely, before their form had completely returned to them.

Everything became clear at that very moment, nothing jamming his sights from seeing the world as it truly was. A cruel and uninhabitable place for an ordinary man, a damnable planet where no single life was allowed to thrive with a shred of happiness. He wished to tear it apart.

KLNK

BLACK FLASH!

Tear it apart he did, with the assistance of the sparks heeding his call for the last time. A reverberating echo coursed throughout the scenery and sent everything around crashing and breaking.

Eventually, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi had driven the Emperor's Blade to slam into a colossal tree, tearing it apart and continuing to send them back. Their black mist continued to leak from their body and respirator, the eyes from behind the mask boring holes into Fushiguro Megumi.

A final effort and increase of strength completely blew away all the trees in front of him, sending the Facerending Lich the farthest away that Megumi had ever done. Granted with the sight of their feet skidding across the ground and tearing a fissure across the ruined ground in a plightful scream—he couldn't feel anything.

He couldn't feel anythingbutexhilaration!

In a jubilant splendor, the black haired man dropped his Nodachi and spread his arms wide, his mouth gaping wide open along with his eyes, breaking off into a laugh of a thousand screaming souls. Such souls filled with ecstasy enough to fill the whole world with laughter.

"I see it! The mark of inspiration...!"

The next step in his Cursed Technique, the next advancement he could do to make the most out of the ultimate and quintessential Ten Shadows. The rival of the honored Limitless and Six Eyes, the ebony permanence of the technique itself twisted at his very fingertips.

KLNK

An inky swarth covered the entire scenery just as his hands came together, the recovering Emperor's Blade sensing a great discrepancy overtaking the entire area. An atramentous and malleable liquid started to fill the ground, an enclosement of something forming around them.

He had already adapted enough to execute the ultimate technique of all Jujutsu Sorcery, revered by all as the pinnacle!

"DOMAIN EXPANSION...!"

A berserk laughter filled the pulsating abyss that had formed around him, an agitated look finding its way to plaster itself on every mark of his body. The black markings on his body twisted and turned with his facial distortions, having already formulated what he wished to do for his own world—galvanized by Black Flash

"...CHIMERA SHADOW GARDEN!"

A brief flash of the world turning into nothing but charcoal in its environment entered the Emperor's Blade's view. A mountainous and imposing figure of a three-headed and six-armed skeleton flashing before their eyes along with it. Immense power of a foreign Primordial Chaos had been manipulated all across this wrested—prejudiced world.

Then, it was all gone.

There was nothing but the black mist filling the snow-filled land, the Royal Guard having already prepped into a combat stance to fight off whatever malignant creature had appeared. They had faced horrors beyond human comprehension, but then sudden change and shift to calmness was irking at their senses.

Indeed, it came true.

Under this Binding Vow

Condition: Fushiguro Megumi's 0.2 Domain Expansion when created cannot be imbued with a Cursed Technique for a sure-hit effect.

Result: Fushiguro Megumi's 0.2 Domain Expansion's Gashadokuro is enhanced, and thus capable of creating a Totality that can only last 5 minutes; even after the collapse of Fushiguro Megumi's Domain Expansion.

Note 1: Since Fushiguro Megumi's Domain Expansion is no longer active, the Totality created by Gashadokuro cannot be utilized with Cursed Technique Reversal (Shadow Extension).

Erupting from large shadow puddles was a divine dragon with celestial water cascading across its figure. It rounded around the black haired man's body, providing a defensive coil before its head turned toward the Emperor's Blade.

Another one was formed, a white werewolf-like creature emitting about the same divinity as the other one. It had undying embers floating across its body, four eyes closed off into black marks which blotted out its eyes completely. However, the growl it groaned from its mouth spoke of violence, as it stood beside Fushiguro Megumi.

The amount of Cursed Energy needed to maintain a Domain Expansion was astronomical. To alleviate such a thing, the Ten Shadows user decided to opt for a far superior option in terms of conservation. This had led to a greater bout of creativity to swell up within his mind, making the Sorcerer press his right palm against his forehead.

"Genius! A historical mark of Jujutsu Sorcery formed! Isn't it just amazing?!" Megumi yelled out, the Shikigamis circling around his body. The problem with Totalities was that they took up his Shikigami slots, and unless he used low level Totalities—there could only be so many he could make.

This 0.2 second Binding Vow Domain Expansion...? Completely negated such a downside.

The Emperor's Blade huffed out,"have you finally gone insane? I have seen many victims befallen to much greater horrors."Their grip tightened on their blade, the reeking smoke continuing to retch out."It matters not if you possess the Shinto beats of Higashi, all shall fall before the might of Ursus!"

An intense ray of light shot out from their eyes, an explosion blasting through its vicinity and leaving a gaping crater within the ground. More black smoke began to pile outwards, as their faint breathing sounds continued to be heard across.

Megumi grinned, flicking his hand for Mizuchi to leave the scene. It was going to go elsewhere and assist his other teammates, via Reverse Cursed Technique. His senses had already told him that there were far more of these monsters lurking around, so guaranteeing his allies' victory was also crucial.

Amaterasu fell into his shadow puddle, hidden away from view as the sorcerer would provide a vantage point for him.

While Daiitoku still laid clenched in his left fist, Megumi reached his right hand out. Before the Emperor's Blade arose from the crater that had formed below, he wished to try one more attempt—with his restored reserves amplified by the godly grace of landing 4 consecutive Black Flashes.

Attempting to take in a steady breath, the black haired man found it shaking with the excess excitement bottled within. Like a canister ready to explode, the broken Inverted Spear of Heaven appeared in the grasp of his right hand. Fingers coiled together, and Reverse Cursed Technique coursing through his body in a masterful way, the wheel turned.

KLNK

Different in the sense that he had been adapting to the black mist created by the Emperor's Blade, it turned to focus elsewhere. Multiple turns of his wheel had happened before, all to no avail in cycling Reverse Cursed Technique to repair the soul of the Cursed Tool. After many failed attempts the fast few days...

...This single miracle that had occurred today shall allow Yakushi Nyorai to lay claim to a weapon brought to life by the Heavens themselves. The spear which stirred and calmed the Primordial Chaos—the irreality which was the beginning point of the world—had forged the uncontrollable mass into something that could be manipulated by the Ame-no-Nuboko. To bring the existence of what all Earthlings stood upon.

There it was, the shape of the soul! Right before his eyes in all of its glory! It was indescribable in what he was seeing, but the 'inspired' Fushiguro Megumi could make out every single feature of it. Beautiful... absolutely beautiful. An immaculate exemplar of immateriality mingled into the shape of all objects before him was...

...A revelation, a rapture. That was what his eyes were bestowed, granted on a pedestal of transcendental sparks. Fragmented the Inverted Spear of Heaven was, and the cracks at the seams of its soul provided him all the answer he needed. The cycle of Reverse Cursed Technique, the imbuement and application of Positive Cursed Energy—it was all becoming so clear!

KLNK

It flowed out at a level far different from what Fushiguro Megumi had done before. The healing steam which caressed the large dagger in his hands moved all across the revealing cracks. The imperfections and blemishes within the Cursed Tool started to seal away, repairing it back to its former prime.

A shining ray of phosphorescence colored in gold emitted from the Inverted Spear of Heaven. Its form morphing just as he had envisioned within his head, plastering his imagery upon the material world, and by extension—the weapon. The handle of the Cursed Tool was then elongated, breaking away from the short stature which the large dagger held.

Opening his eyes with ardor, the avidity gleamed onto the large dagger. Megumi's black haori fluttered in the wind as the weapon in his hand started to shape into something different. Instead of the two-prongs that looked like a piece had broken off, it had been completely restored back to its original form. A three-pronged spear head, the Inverted Spear of Heaven's unbridled might had been unleashed at last.

A wait of centuries had finally passed, the Weapon of the Gods restored by the hands of Yakushi Nyorai.

A large spear had been formed in his hands, as the true form ofAme-no-Sakahoko, the Inverted Spear of Heavencompletely presented itself in all its grandiose influence. The blade which had torn through Infinity and ceased all imperfections of the world was swung in the air—before pointing at the aberration rising from a boundless smoke.

The Emperor's Blade fully rose, a deafening screech of the stratagems of humanity's sheercuriosityand thirst for power sounding at its highest frequency. There was nothing for them to say, drowned out by the might of unspeakable lengths.

Keeping his gaze on the future, Megumi began his steps, and deliberated over what to do next with his frantically hyper brain

A weapon that he didn't even know how to fully use wasn't going to win him a fight against this black uniformed monstrosity in front of him. More fun—desperatemeasures needed to be taken, and more planning had to be done. No amount of half-measures would ever lay him the claim to his enemy's heart, and so Megumi had decided on the next best option.

Divine Dog: Totality had suffered too much damage, to the point where the Binding Vow of instant de-summoning had taken place. This was made all the way back in Lungmen, to guarantee his Shikigamis never permanently perished again. So at this time, all he could do was summon it in unstable form to not risk its destruction.

Despite his adaptations toward the black mist lingering around, Megumi could still feel its effects in weakening himself, even if it was reduced greatly. That was because 50% adaptation could only do so much. Despite being a great help, halving something would just infinitesimally bring him close to zero, not actually reaching zero.

Megumi moved around the battlefield slowly along with the Emperor's Blade stepping in an opposite circular direction—it was as if they were drawing the basis of their arena. Painting and decorating it for the scene of their slaughter. If it were another time and another era of a different place, there would be a voracious crowd cheering on the two warriors.

But that isn't happening now. Not in a desolate and ruined environment such as the tundras.

When somebody died within these lands, no screams would ever be heard by anybody else. Anybody who set foot in such a place was now a nobody—unless exceptions were present within somebody's status.

His wheel began to whir in intense motion.

'Right now, I'll die if I keep this up... especially this bastard's spike in strength,'Megumi's breathing was a hammer slamming into an anvil. There was no exhaustion that should be present with the assistance of enormous Cursed Energy'But damn! Isn't this just so exciting?!"

Despite having already battered the Royal Guard moving counterclockwise to himself with countless attacks, it had only added a cosmetic indifference to their uniform. The scorch marks on their armor didn't look too severe either, and the barely perceptible crack on their mask wasn't anything to celebrate. There was no blood seen, nor was there any sound of bones cracking before.

In fact, damaging his enemy only served to increase the density of whatever the black miasma invading the land was. The more progress he made, the more advantageous the situation became for the Emperor's Blade. It was practically a lose-lose situation for Fushiguro Megumi.

KLNK

Or that would have been the case, if not for the Dharmachakra sitting on his head. Its cycle of circulating around on its axis in silence was a complete boon for the Sorcerer, especially since he was given enough stalling time for his wheel to do its trick.

A littered battlefield with sparks of golden lightning streaking across its perimeter and interior could be seen. Right after, another blitzing flash of light was emitted, Megumi's wrist flicking and firing off another shot from Daiitoku.

Numerous thunderbolts tore through the black mist, having adapted well enough to not have their firepower reduced while in their presence.

The target was shrouded in a black mist as they approached, having already had enough precognition to predict the black haired man's sudden attack. They dodged to their right, the illumination within the dark coursing just past them.

Megumi launched in front, and thrusted Ame-no-Sakahoko forward with a swift twist of his body. The spear barely reached the Emperor's Blade's mask, before it was batted to the side aggressively by the enemy. Letting the weight transfer across his body, the Sorcerer turned his left-turned weight in order to duck an attack and pass by the Emperor's Blade, their gaze following him.

KLNK

His left hand swung, Daiitoku's lightning was then blasted forward, covering the sights of the Emperor's Blade. Scraping his feet across to the ground to disperse his weight, Megumi had made it behind them with a good distraction, launching Ame-no-Sakahoko in a display of one-handed sportsmanship.

A shockwave formed by a distortion attempted to repel him, but contact with the Inverted Spear of Heaven's blade vanquished the attack. Ir provided the black-coated monstrosity with time to recover, clashing their blade against Fushiguro Megumi's lightning aesthetic.

Right after, he slid past the Emperor's Blade, darting elsewhere in order to reposition himself. As this happened, Amaterasu suddenly appeared from a shadow pit once more, lashing at the enemy—to less avail than its master. However, it proceeded with the same tactic as he had, sliding past them after a strike.

KLNK

Megumi found the perfect position, charging the Emperor's Blade once more and forcing them to block the attack. Grinding his spear, and then creating an obstruction with Daiitoku's lightning, the black haired man rinsed and repeated this process with Amaterasu, needling through an assortment of attacks sent his way, while also providing a tactic to land discreet blows.

The surroundings started to become more malformed from the constant flickers of lightning pulling apart the landscape. While Fushiguro Megumi's dance with his spear and Vajra carved a fracas across his enemy, the Emperor's Blade wasted no movement with each and every step—an unflinching colossus amongst the storm.

Left, right, Megumi's enhanced body passed through those points with Amaterasu leaping into the sky and falling down for a downward strike. The Emperor's Blade counteracted the first two rushes from the Sorcerer, before swatting their left hand—producing a crack in the air which blew the Shikigami Totality back.

Megumi circled around them, appearing at the blade's left side and thrusted his spear forward. However, his body immediately turned into black puddles once the Emperor's Blade had attempted to deflect it, a blade then making contact with their neck.

"Persistent...!"The Facerending Lich, waved their hand behind them, sending Fushiguro Megumi back. But the latter didn't let it end at that, firing off with a flick of Daiitoku toward them, multiple thunderbolts forming around him before striking toward the Emperor's Blade as its focal point.

A black barrier was formed to take it, the lightning nearly dismantling it after its many adaptations. At that moment, the burning claw of Amaterasu tore at their side, leaving a mark visible enough to show that damage had been done.

More black mist leaked out from the 'wound.'

"How's that for a change?!" Megumi adorned an mad expression, changing the shape of Noble Eightfold Path into a curved road flanking the Emperor's Blade.

KLNK

Doing so, the moment it made contact with his enemy, Megumi blitzed forward without need to send responses to his body. While doing so, the bristles of Cursed Energy turned into lightning produced a scoria of eviscerating sounds.

The Blade's eye gleamed, watching Amaterasu round back around along with the advancement of Fushiguro Megumi. Raising their blade, they backed away while callously avoiding and blocking any attack that came from the two parties. At times, they would fire off black shards in an attempt to impale either enemies of Ursus—but only the Totality had been hit by them.

Amaterasu, grieved with injuries, immediately recovered from them. While it searched for openings created by its master, the Shikigami exhaled flames to blindside the Royal Guard.

As that happened, Megumi continued to clash blades with the Emperor's Blade. Finding that a black barrier had formed to block the flames sent out by Amaterasu, Megumi clicked his tongue and went for a flowing river of slashes. They numbered in seven, coming from both left and right at blinding speeds.

Solar plexus, right shoulder, left shoulder, right thigh, left thigh, heart, and head. Those were the targets of the plunging attack.

The Emperor's Blade flicked their blade across all the points of the weapon's trajectory to deflect the attacks.

Megumi used the opportunity to round to their right, providing a clear view for Amaterasu to charge forward and attack—while he himself struck from his current position.

The combined effort left a vicious graze across their chest, while Amaterasu left a mark on the Blade's raised left arm. They hadn't been given much time to react, leaving their defenses sorely lacking.

Megumi raised Daiitoku upwards, and then moved his arms in a way that looked like he were 'slamming' it down.

Multiple thunderstrikes descended from the imperial night sky, splotched with the blessing of the white stars. It struck true against the Facerending Lich, but they had cleaved their blade across the environment and sent a slash approaching Megumi.

He widened his eyes.

It had reached him near instantly—tearing his body in half.

How comedic.

As if denying the Emperor's Blade the pleasure of having actually taken his life, Megumi had turned into a splotch of viscous black liquid and fell to the ground. Right after, the Sorcerer shot upward from a shadow puddle formed behind his enemy.

KLNK

Noble Eightfold Path was established once more, golden thunder coursing across Ame-no-Sakahoko as Megumi applied the previous technique into his new weapon. It was then he turned into golden blurs, clashing against the sword-play of an Ursus Royal Guard.

Streaks of vermillion clashed with auerate cascades, an electric phenomena and wisping phantom moving across the battlefield.

Right after firing off a thrust with his spear which forced the Emperors' Blade to block it, Megumi raised Daiitoku upwards, the motion also serving to call upon Amaterasu from the shadow pits. The divine goddess came up from behind the Facerending Lich, before lashing out with its claw.

CLANG

The claw scratched against their side, moving past them and Megumi. It was then a beam of pure thunder struck down at the Emperor's Blade, completely covering their visage and leaving a black outline of their form.

However, a burst of red and black shot the Royal Guard out, as they charged Fushiguro Megumi once more. Countless black spears appeared behind them, the formless attacks being their visceral support.

Bending his knees and putting his left arm in front of him, while his right arm back—the Sorcerer entered the Simple Domain stance of Itadori Yuji. However, this one held a spear, and utilized a fundamentally different technique from Simple Domain—fundamentally different as it was superior in all senses of the word.

Thrust forward with a bending crackle of golden-white thunder forming at the tip of Ame-no-Sakahoko, Fushiguro Megumi grinded the bladed portion of the weapon against the Emperor's Blade's own.

Right after, he twirled the spear in his arms, twisting his body and sending the slash of the Emperor's Blade slightly off course while deflecting every spear which had been shot his way. Right after, Daiitoku formed a javelin shape, the Sorcerer spinning around and forcing the Ursus Royal Guard back.

The javelin made of pure electricity jabbed forward two times, each deflected by the immediate recovery of the Emperor's Blade.

A pulse of energy shot Megumi back once more.

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However, that meant that Amaterasu could rush forward and pressure the Emperor's Blade. A barrage of flaming claws were aggressively met with the counteraction of the soldier, slashing them all away and sending blood across the scenery.

The Positive Energy of Round Deer healed the Totality with hyper speed, leaving all injuries it suffered as superficial. Jumping back to Megumi's side, the two of them stood side-by-side before charging forward.

Splitting off at the half-way point, the Emperor's Blade in front of them glanced at the two before scoffing. Raising their palm upwards, a black and red orb formed, coursing with pure might. It was sent forward.

While it was blasting toward Megumi, they slashed at the approaching Amaterasu with their weapon, sending the Totality backwards. Right after, they moved their head to the side to avoid the vertical downward swipe of Ame-no-Sakahoko, Fushiguro Megumi using it with one hand.

The other held Daiitoku still in javelin form, as thrusted forward, to be blocked by the Emperor's Blade's sword. Right after, Amaterasu barely grazed the lightly ducking Ursus Royal Guard, before a wide swing was sent off from their blade.

Megumi raised Ame-no-Sakahoko and met it with his own arcing slash, the golden electricity battering against the blade along with the spear's bladed end. Immediately, the intense red slash that should have been fired off from their sword was dispelled—rendering its oppressive force null.

Pushed back once more, the Emperor's Blade tried to round their blade around, but their side was immediately swiped by Amaterasu blurring across. It was then the Inverted Spear of Heaven bashed against their mask once more, forcing the soldier to shroud themselves in mist and back away.

An Ursus Royal Guard backing away? How it irritated them to do so. But such emotions were not needed in a battle of life or death—they were a cold and calculating killing machine. With those thoughts, they landed on the ground once more...

...Only to find their feet once more entrapped with a shadow, Amaterasu already charging back at them along with Megumi reeling his javelin back.

A streak of thunder was shot straight toward the Emperor's Blade, their curved blade slicing it in half before rounding around to the Totality charging at it from behind. However, it would prove fruitless as it melted into the shadows below, before appearing behind the enemy and breathing in.

Right after they finished breathing in the air they needed, the Shikigami blasted a wave of flames toward the Emperor's Blade, covering their entire form. Black shard-like spears tore through them however, and impaled the Totality in multiple spots, before it completely healed.

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Megumi could feel the dilapidating effects of the black mist surrounding the area becoming far less severe. Extending the range of Noble Eightfold Path, he charged forward and left a sonic boom behind him, clashing once more with the Emperor's Blade. Ame-no-Sakahoko's ability of driving away the Primordial Chaos served to eviscerate whatever black mist entered its path, and cancelled his enemy's charged attacks.

Breathing in, Megumi held up his Supreme Art while dancing with his newly found spear, entering a pirouette which brought him all around the Emperor's Blade. Parrying and deflecting blows provided a room for Amaterasu to strike with their burning claws at the Emperor's Blade, while brief splinters of Ame-no-Sakahoko's lightning infusement also bore against them.

Daiitoku was also discreetly discharged with electricity when the black haired man backed away and fired them off.

Finding more and more attacks accumulating across themself, the Emperors' Blade knew they had to do somethingfast.The water-emitting dragon had run off somewhere, and they didn't know whether it would come back to assist this Higashinese man in his current battle. But what was certain right now, was that this white-furred werewolf's regeneration was a detriment to their victory.

Forming a black barrier—which was promptly torn through by Daiitoku's unending thunderstrikes—Megumi appeared right behind it while flourishing Ame-no-Sakahoko between his fingers. Rearing his right hand back, he held the spear in a reverse-grip as it tore into the ground, firing upwards in a curve with aureate electricity following alongside it.

Recovering from the adaptive attack from before, the Emperor's Blade raised their weapon to defend against the rising spear. They had almost entered another clash, but Amaterasu had already approached them from the side and clawed at their head, leaving a scratch mark on their mask.

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Megumi broke through their guard with the distraction provided, ledding the Inverted Spear of Heaven to graze the spot where the Totality had scratched. Then, while the Emperor's Blade's backed away, he spun around and continued spinning Ame-no-Sakahoko, his black haori dancing with him.

Before turning into a full-fledged assault of one-handed thrust imbued with Yamata-no-Orochi's golden lightning, battering the Emperor's Blade and reducing the black mist emitting from their body. It didn't end there, as Amaterasu joined in the fray, moving side by side with its summoner to lay on an brutal onslaught.

Finding themselves gored and being torn apart by the endless assault, the Emperor's Blade knew his defense would eventually fall. While blocking attacks and unable to prevail against the others—especially those unpredictable strikes of lightning—they had decided to settle for more desperate measures.

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Unleashing a shockwave... which was promptly slashed apart by the bladed end of the Inverted Spear of Heaven, the Heavenly Thunderbolt Scripture known as Daiitoku, was flicked.

Lightning from all sides slammed into the Emperor's Blade, pushing them backwards as they couldn't even form a barrier around themselves. It would only be dispelled by the golden lightning—which had adapted to their barrier to a considerable degree.

Heaving in their breath, this Higashinese man in front of him must have been a man graced by the blessings of the Shinto gods. Perhaps they were a secret weapon hidden within Higashi, created and honed as a tool to tear apart Ursus. Otherwise, where would the strange assortment of abilities and summons come from?

Especially with the skill displayed, the Emperor's Blade had fully understood what they needed to do. Despite the scar that it would leave on the land, they had decided to discharge their most powerful attack and wipe out the Sorcerer in front of them.

Rasping out a breath, the Emperor's Blade made sure to perfectly position his blade once the opportunity in the storm of attacks had found itself known. It was executed, tearing at the side of Amaterasu and barreling toward Fushiguro Megumi.

The black haired man flashed Daiitoku forward, intercepting the slash with his own made out of thunder. His dilated pupils never once left the Emperor's Blade, the unstable smile quivering across his face not in fear—but thrill.

Vermillion cascades passed by him, the opening path formed from Daiitoku letting the attack not lay a single scratch on the Sorcerer's body.

Amaterasu growled, before jumping away from the Emperor's Blade, finding that a barrage of black spears had littered where it once stood without so much as a gesture from the Facerending Lich. Now they slide across the snowless ground, poised on all-fours as they analyze the enemy in front of them.

Megumi could feel a dampening in his reserves, but he was sure he could keep this up for a good length. Ame-no-Sakahoko proved to be an amazing weapon, one enough to fill him with immense thrill. However, it would revert back to the normal shattered Inverted Spear of Heaven once all the repairing effects of Reverse Cursed Technique left it—but that didn't matter at the moment.

Holding Daiitoku in his left hand and the spear in the other, Megumi spread his arms outward in a display. His black haori rose in the wind, its sleeves slightly pulling back to reveal the tribal markings on his arms and wrists, along with his hair barely fluttering in the wind. The mark of Yama was on his forehead, one relating back to the King of Curses.

The indomitable smile continued to grace his features as he gazed upon the Emperor's Blade charging an attack within its palm. It felt as if reality was distorting before it, a spiral of black and red unbrilliant torrents vaporizing the air around it.

Amaterasu did not hear any commands from its master, the summoner having stood still with Ame-no-Sakahoko and Daiitoku in hand. Grinning to himself, Fushiguro Megumi let out a voracious laughter, one ringing through the environment despite the imminent danger present before him.

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His hands were still balled into fists while gripping his weapons. So Yakushi Nyorai merely brought them together, entering the stance of a certain Divine General while still holding onto his blessed Cursed Tools.

Clothes bent in the wind, the white gi being the least affected, while Megumi's black haori found its place within the zephyr passing through. Like standing on top of a mountain, the Sorcerer opened his mouth once more, all noises from the world disappearing.

"WITH THIS SACRED TREASURE..."

A black abyss was formed around him, this one different from his Domain Expansion. There were no substances, there were no sounds, nor was there movement. It was all to grant the silence needed for the God of Shikigami to descend.

The Emperor's Blade still felt their power building up, but the orb in their hands was no longer visible. Their body was paused—in fact, it was more accurate to say thattime itselfhad paused. Multiple Mizuchis and Amaterasus formed around Fushiguro Megumi, the latter howling to the moon in both prayer and reverence.

A cocoon formed in the air, webbing an immaculate being of great muscle and stature. The ivory string tore apart immediately, leaving nothing but glitters of pure-white motes fluttering in the air. Upon the ivory skin of the radiating Shikigami stood the prized jewel of the Ten Shadows, the Sacred Treasure meant to serve a single will.

"...I SUMMON...!'

Heeding the will of their Sovereign, it was as if a battlefield littered with thousands of blades had formed around it. Then, the illusion completely dispelled, the gaping maw of the beast opening, the wheel no longer above Fushiguro Megumi's head; but the beast's own. Its arms were crossed over its chest, the hems of its ripped traditional Japanese pants fluttering in the wind.

An acclimation of divinity and protection formed into a singular entity, formed from the hands of the Healing Buddha himself.

EIGHT-HANDLED SWORD DIVERGENT SILA DIVINE GENERAL MAHORAGA

Scream out his name for all the world to know, revere his name in passing, for the God of Shikigami had declared its existence upon the world once more.

Its gaze turned to the Emperor's Blade along with its Sovereign's piercing glare. The abyssal and frozen world around them completely dispelled, returning back to the wasteland filled with black mist and fog littering its atmosphere.

The Emperor's Blade released their built-up attack immediately, hell-bent on purging both the summoner and the summon in front of them. The danger that the two posed were immensely palpable.

The Divine General landed on its feet, head sticking forward while its upper-body was leaning forward. Its arms were spread out, the wrist-bound blade at its right arm glowing an empyreal spectrum. The complexion of Mahoraga turned sadistic, its next move casting out.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION - DOMINION

Despite the tear in reality aided by the Dominion of the Emperor's Blade empowering the attack, a flash of a gold aura filled the entire scenery, clashing against their own Dominion. The black and red ball of expanding mass that they had sent forward and tearing across the land was immediately intercepted with the Sword of Extermination—right before it could impact the still Fushiguro Megumi.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION - COLLAPSING FEAR

Enough adaptations were made for the Divine General, both from the Dominion of the Emperor's Blade, its shockwave-like attacks, and its many shard-like spears. It was then a different distortion in space formed at the wake of the Cursed Spirit slaying blade, exterminating the blast that the Facerending Lich had sent out.

Instead of black and red, it was black and gold. The distortion in reality itself clashed against each other, forming a cosmic reverberation across the battlefield, tearing the ground apart. A greater crater formed below, trees of the forest far away falling down and being pushed from the shockwave.

The Emperor's Blade shielded themselves, their breath producing the same sound as it always had. Keeping their footing, the Ursus Royal Guard looked upwards, its ruby eyes scanning the flickering space around it coming into ruin. Analyzing every single part of the incomprehensible scene, it was then—

—The figure of Mahoraga burst forward, its split mouth displaying its insatiable hunger for blood making itself completely known. Raising its blade up high while towering over its prey, the Sword of Extermination emitted an iridescent gilded aura of Cursed Energy flared to its peak.

SWORD OF EXTERMINATION - STELLAR CORONA

Their feet stomped on the ground, going for its trademarked downwards strike with its right arm. The Shikigami's entire weight was pressed down on it, as an erupting flare of aurelian inferno of monumental proportions coalesced into a majestic display of power.

BOOM

It made contact with the raised blade of the Emperor's Blade, the world flashing between both white and black from the impact. Shapes of witless crosses continued to flicker amongst the God of Shikigami's body, before the attack had fully settled in.

A miniature mushroom cloud pierced the skies, reaching its decrepit hands far above even the altitude of which birds flew. It frolicked amongst the vicinity in a dance of passionless brilliance, swishing left and right by the whims of nature's wind.

With its existence being akin to that of a supernova, so did it fade just as fast. Not a single speck of snow could be seen across the burnt and charred vicinity, trees and ground alike having all vanished with only a single trace.

Such traces being the sizzling ashes boiling at superheated temperatures.

A stomp could be heard, a single existence down on one knee glancing upward to barely see what stood over them.

Silence reigned.

For Mahoraga stood over the Emperor's Blade, its eyeless face staring down at the corrupted being. A flicker of static formed around their body, the loudest hiss they had ever produced leaving their mouthless lips. Their left hand was placed over their cracked mask, an irreality flooding out from the bleeding socket formed.

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A Dharmachakra rotated with a twitch, before haywiring into a speeding whirr. The Shikigami stood still while staring at the leaking corruption, its clenched fists not moving a single inch. It was analyzing, whatever was pouring out of the Emperor's Blade was nothing of this world. Whatever was happening at the moment seemed inevitable and unstoppable...

...That was until the Shikigami sensed something within the armor. A fragment, not so different from that of a shard.

It was then—

—Mahoraga understood it now.

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The blade that once tore throughInfinite Pressureby turning its Cursed Energy into something that could circumvent the concept of liquid metal—thus not being affected by the byproduct of Infinite Pressure from the concept—was raised upwards.

The ability to adapt toanyandeveryphenomena...

...Struck downwards, its path true.

The process of countless adaptations toward this concept had come into fruition, into a single strike.

CRASH

The Sword of Extermination purified, reforming the collapsing reality around it, tearing the weakened Emperor's Blade in half. Intense flashes of black and incorporeal space had gathered together, the shard within shattering into a million pieces.

A sense of serenity filled the air, the blowing wind returning singing its song once more. Everything returned back to normal, the world of Terra being present within every view.

Megumi stared at the scene, eyes never once leaving the Divine General since it had been sent a command.

Mahoraga stood up, its posture moving away from its lean toward the downward strike. The weight left its body, splotches of black liquid trailing off its arm, the fizzling gold of its blade leaving with a flick of its arm.

Mahoraga turned around. Despite having no eyes, the Shikigami was granted by its Sovereign, bearing a three-pronged spear of the Heavens in one hand, and a Vajra of Thunder in the other. The black markings upon their body faded, revealing the true identity of who was before it.

Mahoraga, the incarnation of Daiitoku, grinned.

Fushiguro Megumi, the successor of Yakushi Nyorai, grinned back.

Laurentina stared at the Emperor's Blade two-handing their blade, black mist coming out of them. Water was flowing around her, dancing along with her movements and spinning buzzsaw. She smiled humorously, watching the multiple scratch marks across their body, despite all they had done to circumvent her blows.

Even if whatever they were doing had weakened her, the enhancements added upon her weapon was agodsend.The longer her saw spun in its stationary placement at the end of her handle, the stronger it became. Not only that, but water could form around her body, assisting in the purpose the woman was made for.

Abyssal Hunters were stronger when in contact with water, and this weapon provided the home advantage amazingly. When leading herself into a graceful waltz across the battlefield, the Aegir felt as if she were back with her allies once more—tearing apart the creatures of the deep sea with grace.

She ought to give her compliments to him, maybe the black haired man was more suited for smithing than cooking. However he was able to create this marvel of... technology? Arts? It didn't really matter, but the means of forging it was completely suspect.'Ah, I'll find out those secrets someday,'Laurentina reasoned to herself.

The Emperor's Blade breathed out, warily attempting to find any opportunity to strike at the Abyssal Hunter."You, one of the creatures of the unforgiving waves."They had a gist of what was standing before them, their eyes piercing through the woman."So you work for the Wendigo? Certainly, Ursus has made many enemies."

"Ha~? For a downtrodden and half-baked country such as yours, who would have known?" Laurentina playfully called out with a shrug, "maybe if you weren't stuck in a third-world trash heap—fighting blindly—then you would have an inkling of understanding." The Abyssal Hunter bore her fangs against them, reeling her buzzsaw back.

"...You speak of the Empire's ignorance, yet have you seen true glory?"An immense pressure emanated from their body, the air around them distorting. They began slowly circling the woman, a build-up of power ready to pay off tenfold.

"Glory... How curious," Laurentina was confident she knew it far better than this affront to life in front of her, "far more than you, it seems." Her insults never once relented, attempting to pry further at the Ursus Royal Guard in front of her. "What are you? All bark and no bite? I've seen more terrifying sights than you."

The Emperor's Blade hissed,"so have I."

On the side of Patriot, the gigantic Wendigo bashed their shield forward, crashing through multiple black shards with great power. Eventually, the shield slammed into the second Emperor's Blade's sword, forcing them back.

"Hmph!"They exerted far more force in an attempt to contend with the massive being. However, it did them no good, for they should have brought two extra with themselves if they wished to even have a chance of defeating him.

"You should have known better—" Patriot moved his shield to the side, moving the Blade's arm and weapon with it "—than to contest me in strength!" The Wendigo thrusted forward with its gigantic lance, blasting into the chest of the Emperor's Blade and sending them backwards.

Their chest crack, a gaseous retching sound leaving from their mask as their feet left a mark in the snow. Accumulated damage forming around its body would eventually lead to its downfall, and with how its partner wasn't faring much better...

...Their partner skidded not too far from their side, more black mist coming out of their body. The both of them had encountered two beings of great strength, something far outside their calculations of Reunion's capabilities. If this went on, then...

"Retreat,"the Emperor's Blade that faced Patriot stood upwards once more, issuing their suggestion to the other member.

No response was given, the other one having already understood the assignment.

"You walk upon Reunion's Grounds," Patriot slammed the butt of his lance onto the ground, "and now are retreating. I know there are more of your kind around, so tell me—what is your purpose here?!" A rumbling sound echoed across the terrain, a fierce demand leaving the Aegis of the Infected.

"My," Laurentina huffed a breath out, moving her fingers close to her mouth. She knew the Wendigo could handle both of those Blades at the same time, so she glanced elsewhere. The woman was slightly worried for her little princess, considering how these beings could definitely tear the black haired man apart if he engaged them with melee.

Well, she knew it would be a different story if he brought out that eight-headed serpent. But right now, not a single sign of it has appeared.

"You were just as described, Wendigo,"one of the Emperor's Blade lowered their heads in respect,"indeed, it is our own folly of insignificance to stand against your will. If this is as you dictate, then there is no need to waste time."They would grow stronger and stand through the test of time, hopefully matching the strength of the aged Wendigo someday.

Until then, the progress of this battle could wait for another day.

The two Emperor's Blade's body were shrouded in smoke—

—Until a resounding explosion erupted across from the distance. A golden glow filled the skies, before a gigantic mushroom cloud arose from the depths of where it was.

All attention turned toward it.

"This progress is commendable!"The Emperor's Blade parried a flaming strike from Talulah's greatsword, the daughter of the snake being the forefront of their focus. Their ally was currently flanking the Shieldguards, attempting to break through their formation."All doubts of the Duke's words have been alleviated, I would take my cap off for you—"

Talulah yelled out, stabbing her blade into the ground and raising it upwards in an intense flare of flames.

The Emperor's Blade deflected it, sending the cascading flames off to burn the snow elsewhere,—But alas, I forgot to bring it with me today."They struck forward, the red blade tearing at the woman's side, causing her to wince in pain.

Quickly cauterizing the wound with her flames, Talulah met the blade with her own, before she emitted her flames and pushed the Emperor's Blade back just as barely. Backpedalling to gain distance, a gigantic fireball formed at her palms before it shot forward in a beam.

A hissing sound escaped the Blade's mask, before they raised their palm and fired off a shockwave which creased the image of the scene in front of them. The flames dispersed at the focal point of reality twisting,

"Ugh!" Talulah raised her sword upwards to block it, being sent further back. Shouts of her Infected brothers and sisters filled the Draco's ears, making her grit her teeth and stand back up. The wounds were starting to pile up on her body, and it would only start to become worse the more the battle raged on.

She steadied her breathing, standing up with an unheeding posture as she held her blade with both hands, shakily pointing it toward the Emperor's Blade. She had trained herself to become familiar with this stance, so doing it was only second nature.

The Emperor's Blade glanced at the scene, its low breathing sounds being the only response they gave. Right as they were about to prepare for another attack, something had completely caught everybody off guard.

A dragon roared, basked in water as it flew across the sky.

Sights were turned to it, as the mythological being descended from where they were, going straight toward the Emperor's Blade attacking the Reunion members.

They reacted quickly, brandishing their blade and carving a path for their attack to slice it in half. However, the Totality swerved its body out of the way and narrowly dodged it, before firing off a torrent of water.

The Royal Guard formed a barrier around themselves, the jet-torrent beam bashing against it—but doing nothing but add upon superficial damage.

Mizuchi turned around, past the gobsmacked Reunion members and straight toward where Talulah was.

The Draco lady nearly lashed out against the monster in a panic, but paused her action when the dragon settled on the ground, slowly moving its head toward her—as if asking the woman to touch it.

Unable to give it a response, the dragon's nose touched the leg of the woman, sending off its Reverse Cursed Technique throughout Talulah's body.

"This...!" She was filled with a rejuvenating energy, something that seemed to defy the nature of how healing Arts worked in the first place. Where did it come from? What could have sent it? Was it... what the hell was it?!

The Emperor's Blade facing her hissed, analyzing the beast with a critical gaze,"Higashinese origin? Or of Yanese origin? No, it does not matter."Scenarios popped up in the Royal Guard's head, of many possibilities of their intervention within Ursus.

But for what purpose? Was this a discreet mission of theirs? If so, then the Blade could forget about Talulah at the moment. Right now, this crucial piece of information needed to be sent back to their superiors—or even to find the root cause of what was happening!

All thoughts and confusion were eviscerated when another bizarre scene occurred.

It was as if the entire forest had been lit up with a golden light, a divine eminence encompassing the sky in a rapturous explosion.

All fighting stopped for a brief moment, sights turning to the origin of where it had happened.

Introspection was the only thing on Megumi's mind.

Despite the high of the Black Flash still invading his veins like a signal transduction process being undergone a million times over... the Sorcerer could tell that it was going to fade away soon.

The Divine General stood by his side with Amaterasu, the latter about to disappear in the next three minutes or so. Right now, there could be more danger that had found its way to Reunion, if FrostNova being attacked was anything to go by.

Turning around, theslightlygiddy man had realized just how far away his battle with that... whoever that was had taken him.

Mahoraga followed along with his gaze, the Shikigami spreading their arm outward and letting out an alien growl.

Megumi narrowed his eyes, getting just about the same feeling as the towering Shikigami.

More was definitely arriving.

Despite his depleting reserves, the Strongest Sorcerer of Tomorrow wasn't going to stop his steps in the slightest. He was going to wring himself like a towel, until all opposition fell before him.

"Ame-no-Sakahoko..."Megumi whispered, eyes turning into a lustrous glare. The second Cursed Technique imbued in the weapon had been restored and now active when he repaired the weapon. All he had to do now was unleashed it...

...Along with the Divine General by his side.