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.

42. Giving Fear to Ursus

Blessed with the grace of gold and the Sacred Treasures of Fate, the Yakushi Nyorai stared down five demons made to be the bane of nature itself. Their mere breath excreted an air which slaughtered all life. Wielding two esteemed weapons, they would drive them back:

Ame-no-Sakahoko, the Inverted Spear of Heaven; the spear which forged the world, and by extension, the archipelago of Japan.

Daiitoku, the Heavenly Thunderbolt Scripture; a mighty Vajra which tore through all ignorance and evil.

Through unrivalled and peerless usage of such celestial weapons, the Buddha of Healing tore apart the lands with each swing of his armaments, laying a slaughter which would eviscerate two—along with forcing three to lay their foot back.

Under assistance of the Divine General wrought amongst the Noble Eightfold Path and the way of Dharma, the hushmakers created by the Demons of the North had been driven off their path of annihilation.

Such was the tale of yore. One that they shall ingrain deep into their mind.

Talulah was slightly fearful of the black haired man, if she had to be completely honest. From the broken remnants of the battle that had unfolded, she very clearly saw the corpses oftwo Emperor's Blades.The way his eyes held no life, the way he stood upon a bloodied and corrupted battlefield...

...Along with that towering white beast that seemed to glare holes into everybody, despite possessing no eyes. It was...'a terrifying notion,'the Draco shuddered, not due to the snow's temperature—but by seeing Fushiguro Megumi again. She knew of his capabilities, hell, he had even fought her to a complete stand still.

Yet despite all of that, the ashen haired woman had found out that she knewnothingabout him. Forget about everything he had done before back in the far outskirts of that Ursus village, killing two Emperor's Blade while making three retreat was... was unheard of! Aside from Patriot, of course.

So when she sat by the campfire, Talulah had attempted to look as composed as possible in front of him. Instead of the stoic man she knew from before, she saw a lifeless corpse that looked like it was staring back at her, to the point where it was gazing deep into her soul—discerning even its shape.

'...What do those eyes of yours hide?'She had to question in her mind, feeling a slight bead of sweat developing from the back of her neck.'Most importantly of all, will you follow what Mr. Patriot says?'Talulah glanced at the behemoth right next to her.

The Wendigo was one of the only other people she knew that could take down an Emperor's Blade. Hell, she was sure he could take downtwoat once,a feat that was near impossible to accomplish. For comparison, it was like attempting to withstand the might of three Apostolic Knights pointing their rotary guns at you.

She glanced at Laurentina next, the mysterious Aegir that was Megumi's travel companion. Now, the Draco didn't know much about her either, but the fact that she was far more sociable than Fushiguro Megumi spoke to the margins of how their characters differed. In fact, Talulah was sure she even interacts well with other people, especially with Sasha and Eno.

Overall, a stark contrast to each other. That was the conclusion she had drawn ages ago. In terms of combat capabilities, the Aegir was extremely potent, as she had aided Patriot in fending off an Emperor's Blade. From when she came back to the settlement, Talulah could already tell she suffered practically no damage.

'She can fight on even ground with Patriot against those Facerending Liches,'Talulah had to wonder what higher purpose they had for visiting Ursus. She had already heard they decided to visit it on a whim, but would they continue to stay after facing down those hazard breathing monsters? No way, there must have been more to it.

Whispering from surrounding Reunion members could be heard. They were most likely discussing the black haired man sitting in front of the three most respected people in Reunion. Although Laurentina was still quite an enigmatic figure despite her approachability, the fact was that she was still a stranger to an extent.

'How could he... he walked into the field against five Emperor's Blades and walked out alive, along with slaughtering two of them.'The more she reiterated the fact in her mind, the more Talulah was starting to find it absurd. Tell anybody else this, and they would be pointing fingers and roaring with laughter.

She could already imagine an old man holding a wooden cup of alcohol or ale, slamming the object on a rundown bar table. Having frequented those places during her visits to villages, the Draco was very much accustomed to seeing such sights. Like frequenting a beach, there would always be a norm or stereotype that rears its head... but she wouldn't know—for she had never visited a beach.

There was not a single utterance from Fushiguro Megumi when the request had been spoken to him. His gaze lazily lingered on the crackling campfire which spat out embers at every second. Like miniature fireworks at the front, that was seemingly the most interesting sight for the Sorcerer.

Nobody knew what to say at that current moment, all waiting in anticipation for what the black haired man would do. Aside from a few who never witnessed the scene of a ravaged environment, they all knew the feats accomplished back then. Along with what had assisted in performing such a feat—a bastion of sheer power.

A power that reeked of an unknown empyreal force, brought down from wherever cosmic skies laid above Terra. Or perhaps that was merely the best comparison they could make with how the 'Divine General' was.

FrostNova was still confused, feeling as if she was being left out on important information. Her father Patriot had told her everything would be explained in due time, when she visited the campfire where Fushiguro Megumi was at. Needless to say, she was relieved to see that the man who had saved her entire squadron along with herself looked to be fine and healthy.

But the way he looked, as if he was empty, along with all of the stares he had been receiving was... uncanny. The Cautus already knew he was a stranger in the eyes of Reunion, almost an outcast that didn't fit in with them. But the majority knew that he was somebody who did not discriminate against the Infected, and had actually shown some modicum of support to them.

He even had an Infected companion.

She didn't know how her father felt at the moment. He was definitely in deep concentration, though, as if thinking something through, over and over again. The Cautus knew this aspect about him, because he had done it so much in front of Talulah, especially when it came to making battle plans.

'What was that dragon, anyways?'FrostNova also recalled that a dragon had come to assist the Yeti Squadron along with herself. Talulah had also encountered it when it had left the premise where the Yeti Squadron was, and from what she understood—the dragon possessed a healing ability.'Did it come from Mr. Fushiguro? That would only make sense...'She gave a more scrutinizing gaze toward the despondent man'...we've never seen his abilities in full.'

Talulah had told her of his ability over flames and lightning, along with apparently being able to control shadows. A wide assortment of Arts abilities, yes, but to also be able to summon monsters? That kind of excessive utility was unheard for even some of the best Casters. Usually, many would opt for what they specialized in to make the whole process of learning Arts much easier.

Or so in some cases such as herself, they could only control one element with their Arts, unable to reach out to other elements. FrostNova didn't know how it specifically worked, but all Arts were unique to the user, with only a few cases of Arts users possessing the same type of element or ability as others.

'From what we discussed earlier, he killed two Emperor's Blades.'Honestly, that was the hardest part to believe. She wasn't there to witness it, but just one of them was enough to put her squad and herself in jeopardy. The Facerending Liches which were part of the Royal Guards of Ursus, capable of wiping out entire squads single-handedly... taken out by a single person?

'That... couldn't have been possible.'

Silence reigned from where the campfire was. What would usually be the area of inspiration for a certain Dragon Lady to preach her ideals to the rag-tag members of the Reunion Movement was no longer present. Instead, it was just a place of expectant wait, focused on a singular black haired man to either deny or accept the request given to him.

Fushiguro Megumi didn't feel anything ignite from inside his body when hearing those words. Not one of excitement to show off Mahoraga, nor an ignition of adrenaline to deny calling upon the Shikigami. He had already expected such a request, and for questions to be thrown at him about the Divine General—especially with its name flooding everybody's mind like a dam breaking down.

There were many dangers with revealing his ability back in Lungmen, but he had no choice but to do so in front of the L.G.D. higher-ups for complicated reasons. Even then, it was just showing off his summons without going into detail about their abilities. In regards to Mahoraga, the Shikigami was far too much of a trump card for him to reveal anything about it. Even to Laurentina, as much as it left a pang in his chest to admit that.

'I don't even know these people well.'

...Or maybe he was looking at this with too much of a negative lens.

'Let's think of the benefits instead.'

There was still the benefit of making his Cursed Technique stronger by revealing its function. The same thing also applied when revealing vague information of a Cursed Technique. A loophole in the system, such as how Binding Vows could have countless loopholes depending on how they were created.

Just like Binding Vows, 'revealing one's hand' to boost a Cursed Technique's effectiveness also requires creativity in order for loopholes to be created. They were no different, so all the Sorcerer had to do was think of a way to reveal how the Ten Shadows and Mahoraga worked without spilling too much.

'Far easier in practice, now that I think about it,'Megumi thought in his mind. The Ten Shadows could summon Shikigamis and control shadows. Revealing the fact that the technique can summon animals was already contributing to 'revealing one's hand,' and adding on any explanations for his Shikigami's abilities would further prove to make it more potent.

Summoning and control over shadows were also vague descriptors for the Ten Shadows, not revealing too much of its actual utility. It didn't go into vital information such as the user being able to channel their abilities into himself with Cursed Technique Reversal, or their origin—Cursed Energy.

Cursed Energy opened an even wider path of what could be applied in combat, not just Cursed Techniques. Cursed Energy Reinforcement and Reverse Cursed Technique were all extensions of that endlessly applicable Cursed Energy, making Megumi realize just how much information he could keep vague while revealing his abilities.

Gojo Satoru would be proud, wouldn't he? These sorts of creative ways developed in order to strengthen somebody's fighting capabilities always had the white haired man lifting up his blindfold. If his sensei were still here, Megumi would have loved to see that little behavioral pattern of his again.

Laurentina tapped her cheek while her chin rested on her palm. Even amongst the silence, she hummed a small tune to herself, the sound cleaving a knife through the wind. She felt the small glances toward her aside from Fushiguro Megumi, something the Aegir had already expected from him.

How did she describe him again?

'Ah, yes, a box of secrets,'Laurentina recalled. A deep and unending box of mysteries, one as dark as the abyss of his soul. People who knew him on a surface level may consider such a thing to be too far of a reach to make a comparison to—an abyss—but the Abyssal Hunter found it to be a snug fitting dress.

The holy yet unholy figure that stood behind him still flashed itself over again in her mind. It was underhiscommand, the lustrous and gleaming Divine General which stood under the incandescent moonlight.

'Mahoraga,'Laurentina continued humming to herself, trying the name in her head. She had already done it far before, whether it be in whispers or repeatedly in her mind before, but the Abyssal Hunter just couldn't get its taste out of her mouth.'Mahoraga, Mahoraga... a mighty and powerful name, one that speaks of a primordial clause...'

She didn't know what a 'Jujutsu Sorcerer' was, but the shark lady was sure it had to do something with his abilities, along with Mahoraga. There was a time, not too long ago, where her little Princess had slipped with his words, especially after standing on such a slippery slope. That was when the small facet of information had slipped through.

'Sorcery, fitting for his enigmatic abilities.'She knew that word meant that something was related to 'magic' or 'witchcraft.' However, growing up in a technology filled world, Laurentina found herself scoffing at such a description. Everything had a scientific explanation to it, just as she had been told time and time again.

'Genetics... he mentioned it before.'The topic that had garnered the most interest out of her. 'What a wonder it would be to explore your body,'Laurentina mused. The information he usually gave was discreet and vague, but this one had been so direct that the Aegir wondered if he was even attempting to hide it.'By making an educated guess, all of it comes from genetics, doesn't it?'

Her red gaze stayed focused on his unmoving figure. The black-hearted man—in the sorrowful sense—who possessed what was essentially a superweapon under his sleeves. Said superweapon was capable enough to kill two of some of this lands' greatest elite soldiers,'they were quite the feisty opponents, I would say.'

Gauging their skill level from when she had fought them with her enhanced weaponry, Laurentina could give them that much. The foreign energy used to power them was horrifically unnatural, and it made her skincrawlwhen thinking back to it. Still, it simply served to make her wish to clobber them.

'How does genetics make you capable of summoning a... Eight-Handled... hm,'Laurentina shifted her thoughts for a moment. She knew what its title was, despite how long it was, but it also spoke of its legacy. That was what titles were meant for, after all,'Eight-Handled, just like that beautiful wheel above its head—unfitting for such a grotesque monstrosity.'

The Abyssal Hunter continued to recount each word which was seemingly dashed across Mahoraga's potential history,'Sword Divergent Sila... I do not have a clue of what a 'Sila' is, but Sword Divergent... Could be something in relation to diverging paths, just as I have recalled from that wheel,'Laurentina continued her analysis in silence—waiting for Megumi to make his move.'Seems plausible enough. The 'sword' is the most obvious of them.'

That blade crudely attached to Mahoraga's arm was what had caught her attention first and foremost. Although it may look dingy from a distance, the Aegir could see the damascus patterns of folded steel on the blade, and the dangerous energy emitting from it. Contrasting it with Fushiguro Megumi, the 'accursed' nature was prevalent in their features of similarity. That was about it for the 'sword' portion of its title, and so what remained was...

'Divine General, oh how unsubtle that is,'Laurentina almost felt herself giggling. The title, 'Divine General,' gave away what the occupation of Mahoraga was—a war general which served a king, ruler, or sovereign.'Now who may be its Sovereign other than our cute little Princess here?'Her gaze discreetly turned to the black haired man once more, but then turned back.

'Divine, hm? Divine indeed,'Laurentina also found that to be one of the other, most unsubtle aspects of its title,'the feeling it had given off—even when that summon hadn't been relinquished from its prison—is definitely of divinity.'Might, it spoke only of might within its tale, from what she experienced of Mahoraga's divinity.

It even had wing appendages where its eyes should be. Something that a Liberi should possess, like those ones densely populated in Iberia. However, where it was positioned was completely unnatural compared to the aforementioned race, making Laurentina remove it from the category of Liberi.

Overall, she had concluded what the disposition of the Divine General was.'Divine, a general to Princess, a weapon of war, and oh so high and mighty,'Laurentina hummed to herself.'All of those creatures he summons have a motif of an animal, such as those adorable wolves of his, spanning all the way to the birds.'

Mahoraga wasn't something that could even be called an animal. Maybe it possessed some serpentine features with that protruding tail behind its head, but she didn't remember snakes having the distinguishable trait ofwings.Nor did she remember them with a towering humanoid body.

'Oh? Did you lie to me? Of course you did, you've been feeding me so much to me for quite some time now, Princess.'Laurentina amusedly pointed out in her mind. However, she held no grudge against it, because she practically did the same, now didn't she?'Now, if only you could put as much effort into your lies as you do into your food.'

Even then, he didn't hold up well when making up lies, so maybe that wasn't a good comparison to make.

The sound of flickering flames eased Megumi's soul. It produced a warmth that he was familiar with, one that brought his memories back to Itadori Yuji. However many times he bathed under the warm glow of the sun, the black haired man knew that it was unrivaled compared to his best friend.

'It's comforting, I know you're still here with me,'Megumi thought with his eyes closed, placing a hand over his mouth. For some reason, that seemed to have elicited a response from the people nearby and watching from the distance—the Sorcerer didn't know why. At the moment though, it didn't matter,'I've made my decision.'

Taking a dampening breath, the cold air flushed into his lungs. The organs expanded just as his conviction was, the choice becoming clearer to the Sorcerer. Revealing his Shikigami was a difficult choice for him, but what difference did it make? From what he knew at the moment, the Reunion Movement was notthatlarge.

Having a bunch of people who weren't a part of the Ursus Empire or major political agenda made it much more of an easier decision. That meant ulterior motives weresomewhatoff the table, if he wasn't being too ignorant in regards to Reunion's good will.

Soon enough, the air was released from his lungs, Megumi's eyes opening as he released the hand from where it was. His mouth cracked open, before the words finally unburdened themselves, "If I may ask, why do you wish to assess my summon?"

A weight was released from everybody's shoulders. The creaking metal which held them down to their position had vanished, letting the ones by the campfire shift slightly in relief and the tension to make its departure.

Many were starting to believe the summon was a touchy matter which the black haired man didn't wish to speak about. Maybe that wasn't the case, with how casual he looked in the eyes of many, his mental turmoil completely buried by his stoic mask.

Only a select few could see through it.

Patriot nodded his head patiently, "you slew two Emperor's Blades, are you aware of the implications of such a feat?" The Wendigo didn't know the full capabilities of the man in front of him. In regards to combat, he could say that Fushiguro Megumi possessed enough skill to do that—but the methods used to induce such an effect were unknown.

Aside from the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General known as Mahoraga, a title that looked as if it had originated from Yanese or Higashinese culture. He assumed it to have spread somewhere in Yan first, before making its way to Higashi, as the latter already had its 'Shinto' culture.

On the other hand, Megumi felt like he needed to make a correction. He had barely killed two Emperor's Blades, and would have been slaughtered if they had charged him the moment he had immobilized the second one. Relying on Mahoraga to defend him while his reserves were depleted and his muscles were burning itself into sludge wasn't a good idea—especially against those monsters.

Now if he weren't there to become a burden for his Shikigami, then the Sorcerer was confident Mahoraga would have taken them all down. A full process of adaptation along with about ten more rotations sprinkled on top was what assured such a thing.

"They're the Ursus Royal Guards, right?" Megumi asked him a question. However, he would find that the stares he received from asking the question wasn't something that he liked, ones filled with something that was on the line of 'is this guy serious?'

"Indeed, they are," Patriot, however, didn't mind his absurd question much. "The best of the best, for their standards. To other countries, they are merely relegated as myth and tale, only spoken in fantasies marked with grim embroidery," he continued on. "They are the Dominions of Ursus, plaguing the land with each step. To topple two of Ursus' Dominions... I'm sure you are now well aware of the implications."

"...Yes, it'll cause a lot of troubles," Megumi rubbed his chin with narrowed eyes, and a crease forming on his forehead. "The three who retreated have already declared me an enemy of all of Ursus, so I guess that was a given." Honestly, that was a slight shocker to him, being labelled as an enemy of an entire country—as casually as somebody sticking a white sticker on a food product.

Or maybe he hadn't truly registered what thelargerimplications were, as Patriot was hinting at.

A certain white haired Cautus stared at the Sorcerer blankly. His neutral expression and unimpeded lukewarm response to the fact that he hadkilledtwo Emperor's Blade continued to baffle her. How can somebody not know who they were? Especially since the black haired man came from Higashi, a country which was well-known for fighting back Ursus.

Or maybe she was making too many generalities in regards to him,'still... to kill two Emperor's Blades.'That 'summon' he also spoke of must be the 'Divine General' that Talulah and Patriot were talking about. Could that dragon also have been one of his summons? Strange,'what do you mean you've become an enemy of all of Ursus? Is that not a raise for concern?'

FrostNova turned to Talulah, the dragon lady who seemed to share the same sentiment as her with the look she was giving Megumi.

Patriot spoke once more, "Indeed, it is a 'given' with what you have 'accomplished' today. Tell me, when those Emperor's Blades fell and their Dominion shattered, was there anything you had noticed?" He decided to ask the question that was nagging at even him of all people, that related to a specific feature of the Emperor's Blades.

Megumi glanced to his side to Laurentina, the Aegir was immersed in the conversation based on his brief observations. Turning back to Patriot, the black haired man paused to recall what he remembered when he had been fighting them.

During that time, the Sorcerer was in a high from hitting four consecutive Black Flashes. Therefore, he couldn't recall much aside from the euphoric feeling of having every hit and tactic flow subconsciously through his mind, along with being executed perfectly.'Was there anything strange, or out of the blue...?'Megumi continued scraping his brain for answers, the creasing of his brows making it evident.

Was it the time when he had struck through their barriers with Daiitoku's lightning? Or was it when they were about to die—oh, that must have been it. The memories started coming back to him, the lone space which held it finally revealing itself by having light shed upon it.'When the Royal Guards were about to die...'

Megumi found his answer "...they were going to self-destruct, weren't they?" He turned upwards to Patriot, relaying his recent revelations. "There was a strange spike and surge of energy, a foreign one. It was like that black mist they looked to be breathing out, but far more—how should I say this—aggressive?"

"Indeed."

"Alright..." Megumi nodded slowly. He felt like he was being lectured once more, back in the days of Jujutsu High and Jujutsu College. However, the Wendigo in front of him was far more imposing and methodical than his previous teacher—or, that was the view he was getting from this aged man.'There's some kind of wisdom to him, I can't quite put my finger on it.'

"What would have happened, if the Blades had self-destructed..." Patriot continued on in solemnity "...would be a land left to be ravaged by nothing but chaos, a near incurable mass of unknown terrors. By all means, your action of severing the Royal Guards' mortal ties to this world was a faulty one."

"...My apologies," Megumi uncomfortably tugged at the tight black turtleneck under the white gi. It was an extra piece of clothing which Ryomen Sukuna would wear with this attire, "I wouldn't have struck them down if I knew of something like that." So, if Mahoraga hadn't adapted to them by a copious amount, his actions would have only caused further damage?'How disastrous.'

"No such occurrence happened," Patriot cut in with a curt tone. "The dreaded aftermath hadn't come," admittedly, even the Wendigo was at a loss how such a thing hadn't happened. The world fashing static, glitches, and bent space was what he was accustomed to when a Royal Guard had found themselves fallen.

There was only one thing which he could point to that had presented the strange phenomenon of two Royal Guards laying dead—with no taint upon the land. It was right before his eyes, the general which stood at the same height as him, baring its aggressive posture for the entire world to see.

Megumi thinned his lips, feeling the glances of FrostNova and Talulah. He didn't know if they were at the same loss as him in regards to what Patriot spoke of the Royal Guards, but the black haired man could tell that it must be something serious. From the way he had described it...

"I can merely point fingers and theorize of such an unnatural occurrence," how ironic to call it an 'unnatural' occurrence, with how the explosion hadn't gone off—leaving the land as 'natural' as a battlefield could be. "But I have denoted it to be the doing of your 'Divine General,' am I to assume my postulation is accurate?"

"...You're completely right," Megumi hadn't denied it or confirmed it at the moment, but he might as well.

Everybody's gaze shifted to his Dharmachakra, as if they hadn't already. Curiosity, fear, and confusion were the three most prominent ones. However, considering how humans were, Megumi could tell that it was far more varied than just that. If these people possessed Cursed Energy, it would have been a far easier assumption to make on howevery singleperson felt.

"Pardon me," Talulah raised a hand while staring at Megumi, "that wheel above your head isn'tjustan Arts Unit, is that correct?" The Draco watched the person she was staring at slightly shift his expression.'It's an artifact, there isn't any logical reasoning for any standard Arts Unit of all things to be able to summon a... a Divine General...'

He had summons, a gigantic monster which could help him fend off and kill two Emperor's Blade. That wasn't even including the mysterious dragon that he summoned, which she assumed to be able to act on their own. If... if he had been there when Alina...

She felt slightly bitter.

Megumi tapped his finger on his thigh, before answering the question, "you could say it's an artifact. But not even I know much of its origins, so it's all blank for me too." He then turned to Patriot, leaving behind a very confused Talulah, "you've deduced the happenings completely spot on, Mr. Patriot."

"So, do you understand my reasoning for assessing your 'Divine General'?" The Wendigo tilted his head. The red gleam from under his eyes was tame, something that not much people could be able to tell. That evidently rang truer when they were aware of his sub-race of Sarkaz, many discriminatory stereotypes of their aggressive nature being the most prominent reason why.

However, with how the history of the Teekaz were marred with nothing but bloodshed, hatred, and slaughter; Patriot understood it to an extent. The sins of the ancestors, the sins of all who were involved—they all piled together in a cesspool which none could escape from.

This black haired man, though, who looked to be in his young ages didn't mind it much. Even if the stoic expression upon his face was merely a mask crafted to defend himself, the unfearful aspect of him was still genuine. Despite the elegy of despair leaking out from his soulless eyes, Patriot could see somebody who burnt as a bright star.

No... a star wasn't accurate, he was a dying star, and when a star dies...

"I have something to ask you myself, then, Mr. Patriot—if you don't mind that is." Megumi massaged the back of his neck while straightening his posture. "It might be personal towards you, but I'm really curious."

"Hm?" Patriot gruffly hummed, "you've saved my daughter's life once before. Ask away, young man." Perhaps it was the culture of the Higashinese people, but the black haired man seemed to possess a teaching that bled into his habits, which was one of 'respect.' He wouldn't call himself the most knowledgeable about them, but the Wendigo knew enough.

"...I heard why Talulah fights for the Infected," he took a glance at the Draco, who slightly blinked at his words, "along with FrostNova," he then turned to the Cautus girl. She merely tilted her head, a confused look present, "but I want to know whyyoudo it. My apologies if it's pushing matters—"

"There's no need to apologize," Patriot's voice alone was able to make the Sorcerer stop what he was saying, "I hear your question, and I have no hesitation to heed them." Not a single gesture was needed to convey his response, compared to the motionary movements of Megumi's hands.

"...I'm listening." Megumi respectfully nodded.

"You will find my reason, the same as any other." Patriot looked upwards, perhaps reminiscent of some time, "do you believe, the Infected to be treated righteously?" The Wendigo turned his gaze back to Fushiguro Megumi, seeing the same black abyss within his eyes, the three headed skeleton with six arms.

It was mighty and powerful, something that he could see stirring deep within the black haired man's eyes. A potential left unravelled and untouched. If he had to compare, it would be like a well wrapped present with boundless layers of strings wrapping around the object. Only a few have been let loose.

"I don't believe them to be treated righteously, no," Megumi shook his head, answering the Wendigo's question. "Although I don't know if it's just the standard for this place, or a cultural norm..." god forbid it was a cultural norm, but Megumi already knew the answer to that "...but there's no way I can see that as 'righteous' in any twisted sense of the word." His tone became bitter.

"Then that clause should be enough reasoning," Patriot replied solemnly. "It is the same line of rationality all other Infected follow. Their treatment is by no means righteous, it is one that will sow the seeds of pain and despair. Unquestionably, that is why most have joined the Reunion Movement—in spite of Ursus' glaring eyes."

FrostNova glanced at the two, pondering over what had made her father so talkative. At this point, she felt slightly guilty for Talulah, with how hard it was for the Draco to strike up a conversation with the colossal man.

'Where else will this lead...?'The white haired Cautus felt her fingers. For some unspeakable reason, they didn't feel as frigid as she remembered. Still cold, yes, but not to the degree that she was familiar with; a notion that felt... foreign, even alien, to an extent.

Megumi knew enough basic deductive reasoning that the Wendigo was implying what he said was also the reason why he fought for the Infected. Even if the Sorcerer knew there was more nuance and a deeper reason beneath that mask, he had already heard enough.

"That's admirable," Megumi replied to him, "you were right before, that sort of thing doesn't fit me." He could never go around preaching that he wished to save the lives of others. He could never go around preaching that he wished to liberate the oppressed. He could never go around being the hero that Itadori Yuji was.

If he had to compare, this entire Reunion Movement was a machine. Everybody is cogs within, ready to rust away for the cause that the machine would be able to move on to future generations, and for its profound creation and purpose to spread elsewhere. Whether they succeeded or not didn't matter, it was their purpose to end the tyranny the Infected so unrightfully went through.

How long would it last? How long would it stay until everybody had oxidized and become immobile? Bit by bit, piece by piece, everything about this movement in Fushiguro Megumi's eyes—seemed impossible. To face an entire country which held unspeakable horrors that could tear apart even the most hopeful of ideas...

...Somebody as pragmatic as him couldn't ever see it standing up to them. But maybe it was just as Talulah said, there were many Infected all across Ursus and the world. If they could somehow unite them under one cause to emancipate themselves from the clutches of cruelty, then they could reach the everdistant dream in which this movement was made for.

'I can't see that happening,'Megumi dryly thought to himself. With how cruel the world could be, fantasies weren't something that the black haired man believed in. Even then, he still believed in the fantasy that he couldsomehow, somewayreturn back to the home of all his longing, of all his desire.'How amusing, I indulge in my own fantasies, but shoot down other's. I'm a hypocrite.'He had always been selfish, deep down.

Saving whoever he wished, believing in his own justice. There was nothing that was righteous about him either, and the Sorcerer had already long since accepted that fact. So then why? Why was it when he thought of how Itadori Yuji would view this, that he had second thoughts? They were all questions which flooded him, tearing open at his chest and guts.

'A Jujutsu Sorcerer.'

That was all he was worth, and he had made his decision.

"I'll show you Mahoraga, then," within a flash of a moment, all worries had left Fushiguro Megumi. There was no need to sink further into his thoughts, there were many other times which he could fall into those waters. "I believe that should make everything equal, in terms of what we've exchanged."

'Uncontested strength, and the security that it brings...'

He stood up and dusted the pale snow which had accumulated on his black haori and white martial arts gi. The soft and cold ground beneath him creased at the weight of his steps. Small frosted flakes were making themselves known, some falling to the crust of Terra or melting when in close proximity to the campfire.

'...There's liberation in being the Strongest...'

Some unlucky drops completely fizzled out of the reality that was known as existence when far too close to the scorching hot flames. It was something such cold and brittle creatures couldn't handle, their mere creation being the contrast and antithesis to such a blazing fire. Such was the fickle existence of a snowflake to an undying forge.

'...No matter how much I want to deny it, this is the right choice...'

"I need room," Megumi placed his left hand over his right shoulder, raising his right arm back in a stretching movement. "Calling it requires space around the environment I am in, I don't want anything to be knocked over after all," he was doing this because Laurentina was... far too close to him.

'...So nothing can ever touch me...'

Seeing how visceral the Aegir's reaction was to the Shikigami, the Sorcerer didn't want the Abyssal Hunter to immediately lash out at Mahoraga. With the slight autonomy it possessed, Megumi was sure it would also counterattack. Ryomen Sukuna had stripped Mahoraga of all its free will, to become a glorified supercomputer.

'...So I don't need to touch anything else, there's no need for me to...'

Megumi finished his stretches, a superficial warmth feeling his body with what he had declared in his mind. However, with how he decided to handle the Shikigami, he was able to see the merits of Mahoraga having some say over what it deemed it needed to adapt to. After all, what was the relationship between a Sovereign and his General?

'...Gojo was right, I need to be more selfish. I haven't been truly following it, not back then, and not now...'

Talulah stood up alongside FrostNova and Patriot, watching as the Aegir beside Megumi also rose up with a small stretch. For some reason, a heat seemed to build up around the air, despite the snowfall being persistent in its unceasingly increasing fall. It wasn't from the campfire either, as it was starting to dim.

'...Take the initiative more, demand more...'

Laurentina chirped to the black haired man, "I take it there will be a large puddle forming beneath our soles, which is why you need us to step aside?" There was something the woman could tell that was wrong in Fushiguro Megumi's eyes,

'...Do as you please...'

FrostNova shuffled against the snow, keeping close to her father. When she heard the words 'Divine General,' she envisioned the bright and hopeful angels she had read in fantasy books. Although they were worn out and battered from years of non-use, and have been lent to Eno along with Sasha; the beautiful imagery hadn't ever left her. So, she watched on in bated breaths.

'...Be as you imagine yourself...'

Patriot mulled over the words of the black haired man in front of him, the ones he had spoken before. He had agreed to the Wendigo's words, but... as he watched his unflinching form, there seemed to be something wrong with the man's constitution. His demeanor had shifted from a half-turned lightbulb to one that had been let loose, falling to the ground and—

'...Let loose, all alone.'

—Completely shattering.

"With This Sacred Treasure..."

There was no warmth.

There was no bright light.

There was no spectacle.

There was no grandeur.

There was only silence, bleeding into the crevice of reality and pausing all life. A vow to heed the will of the Sovereign had been put in place, silencing the mouths of any dissenters who would dare speak their piece in their great presence.

"I Summon...!"

There was a dullness to his tone, his eyes holding no passion for what he was doing. His fists were clenched, veins protruding as warm blood flooded his arms and hands. The heat emanating from his body was the only warmth within the desolate chasm formed.

The howling of beasts lined up was heard, a deep respect and reverence to the noble apparatus soon to form. Their tune continued to resound to the silent spectators, fluttering to the eardrums of everybody around in an exalting song. It reached higher and higher, the melody reaching up to the celestial planes themselves—

—Then they disappeared instantaneously, their bodies vanishing within a precipitate.

An apparition of a humanoid figure, restrained like a primordial power not meant to be unleashed appeared behind Fushiguro Megumi. Its arms were crossed over its chest, a resting yet holy position for its mummified form, its figure and height proving the absence of any humanity in it. Instead of humanity, it was something greater.

"Eight Handled..."

Strings were attached to its covered figure, leaving a glistening light despite being wrought from the abyss itself. It was a repudiation of what it should have stood for, yet at the same time, was it so fitting for what it truly was.

"... Sword Divergent SIla..."

Embodying Nirvana, embodying divinity, embodying a path walked on by only enlightened beings who have truly let go of their worldly desires. Yet then again, so did it possess a deep ladened wrath from its long lost origin, one which had conquered Death itself.

"...Divine General..."

Flakes flew off its concealed body, the cracking sounds of a cicada breaking outside of its cocoon leaking out—before a maw tore open. Like the crackling sound of electricity voltage across metal, all flakes had completely fallen off.

"...Mahoraga."

The God of Shikigami in all its brilliant glory!

Making its entrance with a resounding thump to the ground and breaking off its chest-crossed posture with its arm, Mahoraga had planted its feet upon the land. The snow parted ways with its stomp, before the Shikigami stood up with a straight posture, the moonlight illuminating off of its skin.

Turning its head, it met the gaze of Patriot once more, the red gleaming eyes of his reflecting off of its glossy skin. Mahoraga's mouth twitched, forming into a grin as it stepped forward, its Sovereign moving off to the side as it came to where the campfire was.

Uncaring of the flames, the Divine General's foot stomped on it, completely putting out the flames which illuminated the environment. Now standing face to face with a general of a different kind, Mahoraga's eyeless face was seemingly gauging the being before it.

Patriot met it with the same silence it was giving it. Compared to the perpetual gaping maw of the Shikigami, the Wendigo's mask made it hard to tell what his expression was. For anybody knew, the person below it was stone-faced, holding a cold temperament which could freeze over anybody—far more severely than even FrostNova herself could.

There was a common consensus amongst all the Reunion members of who he was.

An Aegis of the Infected, that was what he was, his dark cloak slightly flowing along with the whims of the passing wind. The power armor constructed across Patriot's body was old and had withstood the test of time, however, he himself had taken far more than it had ever.

Talulah inhaled a stagnant breath through her nose, her body straightening back from the sudden approach of Mahoraga. What she had witnessed before further cemented the fact that Fushiguro Megumi also used chants to channel his cursed Arts, just like FrostNova. Yet, despite being cursed, as he described it,why...?Why did the summon feel so divine?

The dragon lady was sure she would have been prepared to see it for the second time, but she didn't expect to see a rite of descension, heralded by the tune of multiple barely recognizable beasts. If she had to compare, it was like the painting back in Kashchey's mansion, depicting surreal images and scenarios.

'...Who are you?'Talulah thought in her mind, eyes flickering toward Megumi and the two generals having a staredown.'You're cursed, who could have cursed you? What does being cursed have to do with... this?'She was at a loss of words.

Summoning Arts weren't common, but they were known and recorded over the period of time Terra had existed. Ever since the concept of history was developed, many legends, tales, and mythology had been recorded over passages known as scrolls and books. Talulah could tell this 'Mahoraga' before her was one of them, given flesh.

It still didn't answer the question on how Fushiguro Megumi possessed it, the only well-educated guess she could give in her stupor being related to that golden wheel he had before.

FrostNova's breath hitched,'this killed two Emperor's Blades?'she asked herself. Taking an opportunity within the silence and her stunned shock to reassess what was standing in front of her father. It was now the Cautus could fully say to herself that her doubtful assumption from earlier had been proven wrong.

It stood as tall as Patriot, the wings protruding off from its face making it seem like an angel from Heaven. If anything, it was like a twisted creature brought out from a fairy tale book, made to look far more vicious than what an image could depict. That didn't even account for a speck of the power emitting from it.

Earlier, it felt as if some unknown force had held a clutch on her body, refusing to let it move even an inch. No matter how much FrostNova resisted, it stayed persistent in forcing her to watch the uncanny scene before it—the birth of some unknown creature profoundly entering the confines of the tundra.

If the method of channeling her arts via a chant was considered a 'song,' then FrostNova was sure Megumi's could be considered a 'demand.'

Laurentina instinctively reached for her buzzsaw, but was quickly reminded that she had left it within Megumi's shadow inventory. It didn't help that she made into a sitting duck when the monster was summoned, the agonizing experience from earlier making the Aegir feel as if she were stuck atop an operating table.

Instead of the blaring lights from a sterile lab's ceiling, it was the dominating tranquility of the abyss. Yet despite the two's clashing natures the more she compared and contrasted them, the fact still remained that it feltresolutelyhorrendous.

While staring at the Divine General, Laurentina had remembered something. When she saw the two corpses strewn on two sides of the battlefield Fushiguro Megumi had stood at, the summoner had been littered with injuries. However, the summon itself—Mahoraga—looked to be completely fine. In fact, its skin was in pristine condition, no cuts or bruises ever making itself evident.

Regeneration, or near impenetrable skin, those two had to be an ability that it possessed. Despite it being a 'controlled' summon underneath Megumi's control, Laurentina couldn't help but attempt to find any countermeasures or weaknesses against it, like a hunter stalking its prey. Nothing made itself apparent.

'Oh, I wouldn't have expected its second appearance to be like this,'Laurentina narrowed her eyes toward Megumi, the black haired man standing to the side casually. There was the same despondency in his eyes whenever she felt something was off with him. This time though, it was like he had undergone some sort of revelation.

He certainly put up a good show with its summoning, or was that always how the beast was called upon? Laurentina assumed it was the latter, a fitting 'ritual' for something such as whatever Mahoraga was.

The other Reunion members off to the side recovered from their stupor, their eyes laying claim to the Shikigami. No, it was more accurate to say that the Shikigami itself was laying claim totheirgazes.

It was a deafening silence, one that some spectators couldn't stand. Thankfully for them, a certain somebody had also shared the same sentiment, even if he hadn't outwardly shown it.

"Mahoraga," Megumi casually called out to the Shikigami, finding the stand-off to be unbearable. Just as he had spoken those words, Mahoraga heard his calls and immediately flashed to his side, its body having not moved at all. It looked as if it had teleported, not even leaving a sonic boom in its path.

Mahoraga still held a straight and forward posture, its gaze still fixated on Patriot. A general had to assess its enemies, to know everything about them. Being something which had walked upon the path of enlightenment, the Shikigami need not understand itself, for it had been done so eons ago.

The plain command toward the Divine General had sent a wave of realization for the more ignorant ones amongst the Reunion members. It was then they realized that the summon wasn't a sentient being which followed its own wills at it pleased, but it followed the whims ofanotherperson entirely.

A Sovereign commanding his General, that was what Fushiguro Megumi was.

"This is Mahoraga, I'm sure you've all already heard its name from its passive ability," Megumi walked closer to it, reaching his left hand out and tapping its muscled stomach with the back of his hand.

Everybody stared at the scene with slight confusion—along with intense worry. The way the black haired man had walked up to it in an easygoing way andtappedthe monster's chest made everybody believe the 'Divine General' would retaliate against such a disrespectful gesture. Yet much to their shock, the summon hadn't reactedat all.

Laurentina felt a twitch at the corner of her lips, threatening to make her smile widen even more. She had doubts whether the white-clad Mahoraga was truly under the command of her Princess, but the sequence she had seen before her very eyes cemented the reality that the Aegir had been skeptical about.

Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, was truly Fushiguro Megumi's Puppet of Decimation.

Even if the Abyssal Hunter couldn't see how it was possible, the two stood assubjectandkingat this very moment, with the Jujutsu Sorcerer embodying the latter. The mere fact that his skin and flesh still stuck to his bones after such an abrasive action was proof enough.

"There's nothing to be surprised about," Megumi attempted to defuse the situation, motioning to Mahoraga after re-lifting his arm, "Mahoraga is my summon. It won't act out of any commands I give it." After taming the Shikigami, there was no fear the Sorcerer felt of it anymore. Just as how he was intimidated out of his mind against Tiger Funeral, but found it to not be much after taming it.

"Hm," Patriot's body slightly shifted, continuing to stare down the Divine General before it. He hadn't much of a clue how it came into being, only that it was connected to the Sorcerer in front of him, and the Dharmachakra was now transferred to the Divine General. "It's more accurate to say... that wheel above your head belongs to this one, instead."

Megumi tilted his head, feeling more relieved now that Patriot was talking. Although the stares he received from the other silent Reunion members—who looked to be agitated and on edge—still didn't feel good. "By definition, it belongs to me," he confidently stated.

A small yet powerful sound left Mahoraga's mouth, as if it were letting out an alien sound that agreed to its Sovereign's words. Maybe it wasn't a good call for the Shikigami to do such a thing, as it only served to make the people close to it, aside from Patriot, feel even more nervous.

"A confident statement, young man," Patriot said in a way that was difficult to tell the tone of, "yet as I gaze upon this 'Divine General' of yours, I believe such a statement is warranted." The Wendigo had experienced many creatures in his life. This one, off of appearance alone, was up there with some of them.

Indeed, there was intelligence within the beastial form of the humanoid summon. Although the 'ritual' of summoning it wasn't anything like Sarkaz Witchcraft wasn't anything the Wendigo had experienced before, which left a few lingering questions in his head. Perhaps all it boiled down to was that Mahoraga was a deity called upon the golden artifact. A simple and easy to digest explanation.

Especially since the chant he had utilized included some 'Sacred Treasure.'

But alas, the world was much more complex. How the young man in front of him gained such an antique relic, Patriot did not know. The world of Terra was always full of surprises, and centuries of being alive in it had already left a deep impression on the Wendigo.

"...If you want more details," Megumi placed hand over his mouth, letting the gazes that had fallen on him and Mahoraga dissipate from his anxieties. His black haori shifted, and then his mouth opened once more, "Mahoraga—and by extension my Arts—come from my clan's inherited genetics." At that moment, a small influx of power was felt throughout his prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain which controlled his Cursed Technique.

What a euphoric feeling, even if he had adapted to it very briefly.

Nowthatseemed to elicit more of a reaction that wasn't just pure silence. Movement was heard and felt across, people whispering each other from the crowd. Megumi watched as Talulah fiddled with the handle of her longsword, briefly glancing around.

On the side of the Draco, she was contemplating what she had just heard. If the fact was true, then did that mean there was anentire clancapable of summoning a Mahoraga? A creature capable of defeating Ursus' Royal Guards and walking out looking like it hadn't suffered any damage?'In fact, it hadn't even suffered any damage at all.'

Talulah turned to Fushiguro Megumi once more. She once more reevaluated him for the umpteenth time, trying to get a grasp of his character. It is said that eyes are the windows to the soul, but all she could see from those twin orbs of his was nothing but indifference and despair. Strangely enough, despite the sense of justice that he had shown a few times, they were still only brief.

Patriot had called the black haired man unfit to be a savior or liberator, something that the Draco wanted to refute. But at this very moment, and synthesizing it with what she had seen from Fushiguro Megumi before, Talulah had to swallow a difficult pill. He definitely was not fit for Reunion's ideals.

She often found herself at many en passes with the former Ursus General, but this time, she had to agree with him wholeheartedly for once. There was not even a faint spark ladened in the eyes of Megumi, only an endless chasm.

'Still...'Talulah wrapped her fingers around the pommel of her weapon"...if we have somebody like him by our side, our victories won't be pyrrhic ones, and we can prevent situations such as... such as...'such as Alina from ever happening again. She gulped, closing her eyes to calm her heart. Once two rounds of deep breaths were completed, the dragon lady opened her eyes again.

She laid her sights on Mahoraga. The deific luster coming off of the summon had always felt like a contradiction to its monstrous build. However, what would it be like to stand behind such a majestic being? A being which echoed its name wherever it stepped, holding a might which could shatter Ursus' corrupted lands with its bare hands.

If Kashchey was still alive, the damned bastard would be desperate to get his hands on such genetics, wouldn't he? After all, the black haired man in front of her just so casually revealed such a thing.

"Excuse me, Mr. Fushiguro," Talulah decided to cut into the conversation, feeling all the gazes turn to her. However, the Leader of Reunion was already used to such a thing, having been one of the sources of inspiration for the members. "Let me reiterate, you said your abilities come from your clan's inherited genetics, correct?"

It matched how Dracos naturally had a better talent controlling flames than any other race, along with the 'special' nature of their control over flames. So based on what she knew of the Aegir race and their relation to water, the shadow puddles formed over Megumi's feet must be a medium to summon those creatures.

The fact that they came in the form of black liquid—no matter how unnatural it looked—cemented the fact to Talulah that his Arts must have come from a Higashinese clan composed of Aegir people. Further connecting the dots, his results of his Arts becoming cursed must have made it the way it was, perhaps even further empowering them!

If that was the case, then she wished to learn more—

"They're all wiped out, dead." There was no sorrowful soil in his voice, or even much of a regard to what he had just said. The Sorcerer had just stated it as it was, without a care in the world, "you won't be able to meet them. Ever."

"...Huh?" Talulah paused for a moment, just as the majority had done when hearing the words of Megumi. "Pardon? They're all gone?" The Draco felt something in her body fall flat. Like a toaster un-amicably falling from an upright position.

"It's just as I said, they've been pulverized, and no remnants of them exist anymore, aside from me." Megumi didn't feel passionate when talking about the Zen'in Clan, "there's not much to talk about them. I doubt you'd find them to be the greatest of people either."

Laurentina ignored Mahoraga for a second, to let the new facet of information enter her mind.'Oh my, how interesting.'Now, if only he could be as impartial to giving information to her—as he was to people who he has known for less time.'How curious though, not the greatest of people? There was certainly venom in his speech.'

"They have fallen by their own folly, I presume?" Patriot spoke up once more, making an assumption. Having spent his time in Kazdel and seeing the suffering inflicted by his brethren Sarkaz, hearing such words from Fushiguro Megumi had reminded him of that same song and dance.

"Exactly so," Megumi sighed, he was going to repeat about the same thing he had told Ch'en, "misogynistic, elitist, and too stuck behind in their traditions to progress forward. If they don't see any value in you, might as well not exist in their eyes. Blood related or not." Staring up at Mahoraga, the Sorcerer continued, "it took only one person in their own clan to wipe them out, indiscriminately."

Everybody paused at his words. It wasn't only because of his description of what his clan was like, but what felt like was being implied with his last words, along with his gaze turning to the menacing Divine General by his side.

Stares turned far more intense when looking at Fushigruo Megumi, as if he had said something wrong. Indeed, the black haired manhadsaid something that was completely, and utterly wrong without the right context.

"Of course, it wasn't me."

A washing relief overcame everybody at those words. However, many people still held doubts at the believability of his words. With the way the Sorcerer had worded it, and the implicit stare to his Shikigami had already sparked disbelief to his claim of being uninvolved.

Talulah could feel something well up in her chest. Staring at his passionless eyes and posture, the woman almost felt some sort of kinship, having believed him to be the one to have actually slaughtered his own clan. It couldn't have been that much different for when she had laid waste to Kashchey, now could it?

Laurentina in particular stared at him with a disbelieving gaze. If that was the case, then why did he specifically say he was the only remnant of the clan?'If somebody had slaughtered every single clan member as you say, Princess, then why is it that you are the only one alive?'She narrowed her eyes at that thought.

Without even needing to put much thought into it, there were already heavy implications that he was the one who could have done something like that. The dots didn't need effort to be connected, because Fushiguro Megumi had already mistakenly formed them himself!

"Is that so?" Patriot believed his words, feeling no deceit from him when he said he wasn't the one involved. However, his statement of being the last remnant of his clan was... skeptical to say the least. But the Wendigo didn't need to hear any more, "a clan destined to fall to their own folly, I have seen enough." He didn't hold much interest in the Sorcerer's clan or information pertaining to them, as compared to somebody like Talulah.

Megumi watched as Patriot gave Mahoraga one last glance, his eyes looking to have bore a hole in it. From the looks of it, the grin on Mahoraga's face only widened, its head lowering as if it were taunting the Wendigo. That part made the Sorcerer imperceptibly tense his hand, wondering if the sentient provocation was uncalled for.

'Is provocation the right word? It's almost as if they're looking at each other with... respect?'

Immediately, the wheel floating atop Mahoraga's head turned back, and its body turned limp with a wave of Megumi's right hand. Soon enough, a black puddle formed beneath the Divine General's feet, letting it fall into it and dissipate from reality.

The pressure was released, everybody's instincts calming down at the instance of the Shikigami disappearing. Relief was present in the air, small sights and pats being heard from around him, something that made Megumi thin his lips. Calling upon Mahoraga might prove to be a hard factor in the future, but when the situation demanded it—he wouldn't hesitate.

Patriot spoke no words, before promptly turning around and heading off to elsewhere. There was content within him, having already achieved the goal for arriving at the area, to see the Divine General once more.

Still, to many other people, countless questions were still left unanswered.

"Mr. Fushiguro," Talulah placed a hand on the black haired man's shoulders, having already made up her decision. "May I have a minute of your time?" She honestly wasn't expecting much, not with the temperament he possessed.

His summon had left a deep impression on her, as if his already vast arsenal hadn't.

"Shoot," Megumi responded back to her, placing his hands in his pockets. Her heated figure stuck out of the snowy environment, especially with how much darker her clothes were compared to pure whiteness.

The Draco closed her eyes, before saying her piece, "I've already come to the conclusion that you have no plans of joining Reunion—"

"I do not." Megumi interrupted her.

—Talulah winced while having her eyes closed. She had already anticipated such an answer, but to have it so bluntly put in her face like that, "but... but I hope we can get off on a good footing." The ashen haired woman said what she wanted to, crossing her arms in the process.

"That'd be good," Megumi nodded to her, "although I don't see myself being a part of a movement like you, I hope you succeed in whatever you do." The Sorcerer reached his hand out to the woman, presenting it in a way that asked for a handshake.

Talulah blinked owlishly at the hand, before recovering her bearings. Clearing her throat while placing a balled fist close to it, the Draco moved her hand forward to receive it, "that's lovely to hear, thank you." She shook his hand firmly, feeling slightly better about the whole ordeal. Even if she couldn't gain members such as Fushiguro Megumi or Laurentina—because the latter was attached to the former—just having them depart on a positive note was enough.

Maybe they would cross paths again.

"If you're ever in a difficult situation against people such as those Emperor's Blades, I'll probably step in to help again," Megumi sincerely said. "But with Patriot at your side, I don't think my support would be needed."

"Oh, haha," Talulah let go of the handshake along with the other man, before delicately scratching her cheek, "we wouldn't mind, after all, there's no such thing as not having enough support. Wouldn't you say so?"

Her smile looked to be bright in Megumi's eyes, despite the undertones of sorrow beneath her close eyelids, "you're right, I would say so." The Sorcerer turned to where his place of residency was, watching a cross-armed Laurentina waiting for him, "well, I'll be off. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," Talulah watched him turn and walk away, giving him a small wave. After hearing his steps leave her ears after he entered his cabin with the white haired Aegir, the woman leaned on a nearby pole to steady her body.

Having to face two Emperor's Blades, having her secret revealed of being Duke Kashchey's daughter, and finding out—barely any—of the mysteries surrounding Fushiguro Megumi and the implications that it brought...

...Frankly, it was all so tiring.

The cabin was small, but large enough to fit the two residents and accommodate their needs. Wood from the tundras trees were what was used to construct these buildings, and it held sturdy enough to withstand the often cruel environment around it.

Laurentina held a book in her hands, humming while she read it. There were two cabinets flanking the sides of the bed, with a lamp on the right side, the one she was occupying. The lights have faded and become dull, providing an environment where sleep could easily overtake the residents of the room.

Megumi was laying on his bed, arm supporting his head as he was glancing away from Laurentina. His thoughts were elsewhere, many relating to Reunion, Ursus, the Emperor's Blades, and the events that had occurred today. Many of them were stressful and worrying, but he had made it through.

Just like all those other times, yet no sense of relief overtook him at the moment. Maybe it was a delayed response or something entirely different, but the Sorcerer had found that it had become increasingly harder to gain any sense of satisfaction within this new world. As compared to his previous one.

Maybe it was because there was nothing to look forward to, not in the future, or the prospects of what he could do. The only way to stimulate his brain's reward and enjoyment centers was to land the rousing Black Flash, and fall deeper into the insanity it provided for him. To briefly run away from all of his worries.

It was... pathetic.

Every victory was just his evidence of moving on to the next day in Terra. That was it, he wasn't going to see Yuji, Nobara, Gojo Satoru, or any remnants of Jujutsu Tech anymore. There were no mundane activities to seek either, whether it be going elsewhere and goofing off with them, or watching a shitty movie.

"Caught up in your own thoughts again?" Laurentina kept reading her book, but multitasking wasn't too difficult of a thing to do, so she struck up a conversation. "You haven't been looking too well over the past few days, I must say."

"That much was already a given," Megumi replied. "With how things turned out in Ursus, after all." Everything about this country seemed to scream at him to hate it, and the Sorcerer had to admit he did. It was more pointed to the government and military, with what they were doing with the Infected.

"An undisciplined and ignorant empire, we should've done more research," Laurentina snapped her book closed, not finding much interest in it. A child's fantasy book did have a sense of art to it, but this one seemed far too juvenile for her liking, "but still, it is quite an experience to remember."

"Dehumanization and cruelty, it really is an experience to remember," Megumi dryly said, shifting in his bed to catch a brief glance at Laurentina. Unexpectedly, her face was already close to his, her wine colored eyes staring deep into his soul.

"So, I'm curious, did you really lay waste to your entire clan?" Laurentina had asked out suddenly, her head tilting in curiosity. The fibers of her hair tilted along with her lead, flowing on to touch the Sorcerer's neck, "a revelation such as that is hard to ignore, especially with your thinly veiled implications."

"I can confidently say it wasn't me." Megumi's expression hadn't changed, he was far too tired to deal with this. "Even if I wanted to, I didn't have the capabilities to do so during that time. It was somebody else."

"Oh, pray tell, could you provide me with a brief story?" Laurentina pulled back, looking far more amicable than before. Her hand then reached for the lamp beside the bed, before it was slowly turned off with a gentle turn, leaving the room to be turned completely dark.

Thanks to the two enhanced senses of the residents inside the room, they could still see each other quite well. It wasn't just mere outlines either, but a darker shade of their own bodies.

Megumi pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, before laying down and looking toward the ceiling, "if you're that curious, I guess I could give you some details." The black haired man remembered the sick and tired look of Zen'in Maki, the burn scars being a testament to all hardships she had faced, boiled down into one grotesque physical deformity. "Her name was Zen'in Maki, a woman. I'm sure you remembered one of the details I gave about my clan."

"I have, and Zen'in clan? I would have expected it to be Fushiguro," Laurentina hummed, before joining him in laying down on the bed. Her accessorized hat had already been taken off, put on a clothes stand by the cabin's entrance door.

"I'm an offshoot, my father left the clan and married to a woman who wasn't associated with it, or so as I've heard." Megumi didn't know the specific details, but the brief explanations about his father and the situation of the Zen'in Clan was something he had remembered. "Long story short, he attempted to sell me back to it, but I was bailed out at the last second. That doesn't matter though, we're talking about somebody else."

The Aegir laying beside him wanted to complain that she would definitely wish to know more about the black haired man, but closed her mouth. Might as well hear what he had to say about this Zen'in Maki person, before she went anywhere else. Beats reading a children's story book—that was the only thing that FrostNova could provide her, after Eno and Sasha had finished them.

"To put it plainly, Maki-san didn't have the best standing in the clan. She wasn't born with 'talent' as the clan would put it, and was a woman," Megumi continued to explain further. "Compared to me, who inherited their 'prized jewel,' which I'm sure you know what it is, her treatment wasn't the greatest." It was then the Sorcerer realized just how lightly he was putting it, "scratch that, she was living in hell. Her life was in jeopardy the longer she stayed in the clan, which was why Maki-san left in the first place, to grow outside of their influence."

"...Yet I assume she was still a part of it?" Laurentina tilted her head. There was no way she would have just left it as is, some influences whether it be herself or other people must have somehow kept her restrained and tethered back .

"Yes, she wanted to get back at it by showing her growth, something she can't do when staying in the clan's confines," Megumi didn't know if he was being completely accurate, especially with the time he had been away from Earth—but the Sorcerer was still somewhat confident in his explanation. "Cutting to the chase, she returned back to the clan to retrieve tools that would be needed for an important event, only to be met with violent opposition from them. To the point where her sister died."

'How escalative,'Laurentina found herself further immersed in the story. If she had to assume, then that death of her unmentioned sister must've kickstarted the event which wiped out the entire clan Fushiguro Megumi was an offshoot from. What the details were... Well, she was about to hear it.

"That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Maki-san decided to take matters in her own hands." Megumi recalled hearing the news, after becoming the Head of the Zen'in Clan. Thankfully, she didn't stray her blade in his direction, the Sorcerer knew he would stand absolutely no chance, "single-handedly, she killed every member that belonged to it. By every member, I meanevery singleone, no matter who they were."

The grounds were completely annihilated, a sight to behold for any Sorcerer. The once prosperous and large clan which stood as the three topones had been reduced to absolutely nothing during a day's length. It was a tower built upon sticks and stones, with a dash of duct tape holding it together.

"Did she vie to claim your life, too?" Laurentina curiously asked the black haired man. After all, despite being an offshoot of the clan, he was still a member of it in blood.

"She didn't. We were on good terms," Megumi blandly spoke back, "it was a shocking revelation, but everybody got over it after a decent amount of time had passed." The entire event was far too quick for anybody to truly register, but that was just how it was. With the amount of other problems piling up after the Shibuya Incident, there were a million other papers piled up on every Jujutsu Sorcerer's desk.

It wasn't like she went on a rampage all across Japan either, Maki was stable enough to still strive for what really mattered. In the end, although her actions may be seen as insane and highly volatile, what else was there for somebody involved in Jujutsu Society?

"Would you have done the same?" Laurentina found the story to be interesting, but it was also quite cliche. Perhaps life was filled with countless cliches, vengeance against those who have wronged them. Or maybe she was looking at the story Fushiguro Megumi had told her with too little information—after all, it was just a recounting from a second party.

"Would I do the same?" Megumi stared off into the darkness, taking into consideration the Abyssal Hunter's question to him. "If it involved something important to me,vastlyimportant, then maybe I would have done the same," with the state he was in, the Sorcerer was sure he was most susceptible to doing it. Back then was more vague.

"Oh, wow. Haha~! Aren't you being far too easy going with this kind of matter?" Laurentina turned to him with a smile, a beautiful smile peering out from the white of her teeth. "I've heard those who are far too attached to their family, despite whatever vicious treatment they may have undergone under their thumb. However, it is theorized that some people may hold a need to 'prove' themselves against those who had wronged them—to feel the satisfaction of being proven right. Rather than say, leaving them as nothing but blood stains on the floor."

"...When stakes are at their highest, the best thing to do is to wipe the slate clean," Megumi said. There were many factors that were happening during the preparatory period before the Culling Games, "while I don't look at what Maki-san had done with a glorifying lens, I wouldn't put myself above her in terms of morality."

When it fully came down to it, he was the contrast to Itadori Yuji in many aspects. Unhesitatingly, he would resort to murdering when negotiations had fallen apart, to save his sister—the person who he had held so dearly to his heart. Everything only fell apart from there, after... especially after... ugh!

Megumi gritted his teeth, turning away so the Aegir wouldn't see his disturbance.

Laurentina let out a small huff of air from her nose, watching as the troubled man had turned away. There wasn't much else to say in this situation, the only comfort she could provide was her silence on his matters, just as she usually did. However, this time...

"There's no need to be troubled over past matters," she moved in closer and placed a hand on his exposed shoulder, whispering into the black haired man's ears. "Come with me, there's no need to lose sleep, let your mind roam free for a moment and relax."

Megumi didn't know how to respond to it, but decided to take her advice. She was right, it wasn't good to be stuck on past matters... but he'll be damned if he forgot anything about them. It was a desperate bid in order to be familiar with something, anything that could remind him of his old world.

"Well, have a good night, Princess, may the sea of your consciousness stay peaceful," Laurentina decided to delve more on the matter herself, still taking in everything she had learned about the Jujutsu Sorcerer today. So, she would fall asleep later than Fushiguro Megumi had.

There was a likely chance that the Reunion members would view the black haired man in a different light. From an invited guest to somebody who possessed what was the equivalent to a superweapon, Laurentina knew that the next few days would be filled with countless glances toward him.

"...I'll take that... to heart," Megumi replied groggily, letting the warmth overtake his body and mind. All thoughts had been vanquished from his head, the neurons within slowing down as his eyelids grew heavy. Eventually, the world of darkness greeted him with a warm welcome.

To both of them, it was a comforting feeling.

He and Laurentina weren't going to stay in Ursus much longer, that much Fushiguro Megumi had already known. Despite the past few days not being eventful, and the 'eventful' ones being nothing with bloodshed, furthered his views of just how terrible the country of Ursus was. Leaving a note in his mind, the Sorcerer had decided it would be best to stay far away from the north.

The stares he received after the whole ordeal with summoning Mahoraga was still intense, but the Sorcerer was slightly glad that it had calmed down, to an extent. After all, it wasn't an ordinary occurrence to experience a Divine General in the flesh.

Right now, the black haired man was working at a workbench that a Shieldguard had given him access to, as thanks for repelling the Emperor's Blades. It was inside a building which held many supplies, and the black haired man had asked for a few which weren't too important to the Reunion Movement.

Compared to everybody else, Patriot's Guerillas seemed the most approachable aside from the Yeti Squadron. The children such as Eno and Sasha—who were usually hung around Laurentina—were the most wary of him. Maybe wary was too light of a word, they lookedfearful.

At that point, it didn't matter to Megumi. He was already going to make his departure from the Reunion settlement and head to a different place, somewhere that was far away from this hell frozen over.

Eventually, his thoughts were cut off when somebody had spoken up from behind him, while he was engrossed within his current activities.

"Is that..." FrostNova squinted her eyes to take in the sight of a dismantled object, its multiple complex pieces laid scattered around in an organized manner. It looked simplistic to put back together, like a child's toy—but the Cautus knew it was far more complex than that "...what is that?" She didn't know what it was, but the shape vaguely made her recallsomething.

"This?" Megumi didn't bat an eye toward her, far too focused on the activity which had caught both his interest and time, "it's nothing too great, just a standardized pistol." Guns were monopolized by Laterano, the religious country composed of Sankta, like that woman named Exusiai he had met back in Lungmen. "I'm taking it apart to study it."

The Dharmachakra twitched.

FrostNova stared up at the object with a complex look on her face, before nodding, "I heard guns were rare, but if you have the connections—you can get one." Seeing how Reunion didn't have even a single one, already told enough about their current standing. Not that they would want to get one anyways, it would be too much of a hassle and costly endeavour. "You handle it with care."

"Mhm," Megumi hummed at her words, his hands moving across the delicate parts. It was a simple process, like a worker in a factory shifting the cogs and moving parts of the item he was working on, but one filled with far more passion than what they held. An object was in front of his eyes, a spring. "It's only natural."

"I know it's valuable," FrostNova stared at the object alongside him, "but just how valuable?" Although she had only read a few books or heard a few things from other Reunion members, she wouldn't call herself particularly well-versed in the subject of firearms. Maybe it was because the gun was disassembled, or because she didn't know the full implications... but it didn't looktooimpressive.

"It's not a matter of value to me," Megumi responded to her, placing the object down before shifting to another part. The clip part which held bullets was separated from the magazine, the Sorcerer's eyes glinting at those specific parts, "I don't care if it holds monetary value, or if it's an effective tool for killing." The person who he received this from... this was the only physical object which he held from them.

It reminded him of his sensei, the gleaming blue eyes which shone the passion of the skies themselves. The gift wasn't anything grand, and could even be considered anticlimactic with how it was handed to him. Some context was given in regards to the legacy of the pseudo-Cursed Tool, but Fushiguro Megumi never cared for such things.

The Sorcerer Killer was already gone, whoever they were. Whatever cruel or bloody legacy wasn't something he wished to care about. For all he knew, the aforementioned person was probably a Curse User who wrecked needless havoc, just as those back in Shibuya had done.

"Then it's of more importance than I thought," FrostNova's ears moved slightly.

"The firearm was given to me for better self-defense," against Cursed Spirit and the like, "but I haven't had much of an opportunity to use it, as compared to using my abilities to defend myself." The problem with the Glock pistol was that it lacked firepower. Using any higher level of Cursed Energy to empower it would just be a waste.

The feature it had for Jujutsu Sorcerers was that it was very conservative when using Cursed Energy. For comparison, it shot just as well as a 9mm ammunition round when the standard output of Cursed Energy was applied. It could become higher the more was into it, but it still defeated the purpose of efficiently using Cursed Energy.

'Besides, it could be loaded with bullets. The main purpose I've heard for this weapon was for Jujutsu Sorcerers to have a 'modern' way of fighting against Curse Users, because bullets have been proven effective in that regard.'Megumi continued to fiddle with the parts, having turned his attention back to them.'Conserving Cursed Energy while still being able to fire bullets was just an added bonus.'

The Jujutsu higher-ups and those still stuck in the past didn't approve of the production of such arms. So they were frowned upon and even outright banned from being created by Cursed Tool creators, leaving only a small few which had been produced. Even then, a majority of them were destroyed or trashed.

'What a shame,'Megumi sighed to himself. He wondered how powerful military equipment would be when infused with Cursed Energy or even Cursed Techniques. Wouldn't it be a sight to watch a tank fire a round that collapses countless buildings, and eviscerates a Cursed Spirit?'Now that I'm thinking about it, Cursed Energy and Cursed Spirits became a commonality back at home.'

Well, commonality wasn't the right world. For all of Earth, the revelation of Cursed Spirits being a real thing had been recently discovered, causing chaos to ensue all around the world. It was only about time before it spread to other places, making the Sorcerer worry about his friends even more.

'...Aside from them, Earth would probably evolve as a result to handle Cursed Spirits, won't they?'With the influx of Cursed Spirits not only bound to appear in Japan in large numbers—but also other places such as the U.S.A.—humanity would need to develop a better way to handle them. More Jujutsu Sorcerers are likely to be born as a result, too.

So tanks firing off rounds empowered by Cursed Energy. Could it be extended in such a way? Perhaps to even jets and planes? It was quite a scary and eye-opening thought for the Sorcerer. Ever since he had gained an interest in creating Cursed Tools.

'...What would happen if Cursed Energy were infused into a nuclear bomb?'Megumi took a short moment away from analyzing the parts of his Glock to mull the question over. If he had to be completely honest, such a thing was frightening. He feared such a thing far more than even Gojo Satoru, the man who put the King of Curses back to sleep.

If somebody like the Tsar Bomba was enhanced by Cursed Energy and turned into a Cursed Tool (or Cursed Object) it wouldvery likelylead to disastrous consequences.

"...Why did you help me?" The question had been ailing the frost rabbit ever since the happenings from yesterday.

"I don't understand? Where is the question coming from, I mean." Megumi raised an eyebrow, giving a small side glance toward the woman to show that he was listening. His wheel continued to turn silently while he fiddled with parts of the disassembled Glock, infusing some of his Cursed Energy through them.

"You could have left Reunion the moment they appeared, I was sure you were already pretty far away from the settlement by the time... they appeared," FrostNova sat by a chair close to him, feeling her fingers. They were less cold than she could have imagined.

"I had the means to do so, might as well," Megumi didn't put much response into it. That was exactly how it went within his mind at that moment, when he charged toward the fearsome Facerending Lich. "I guess it's also because I don't think somebody like you deserves to be killed. You've already been dealt a bad enough hand."

Although the Sorcerer didn't know the full context, just hearing the plight of the Infected was enough. From what he did understand, was that FrostNova had been Infected at a very young age, and hadn't had much of a childhood other than the Ursus Tundras. Seeing her interactions with the Yeti Squadron, even from a distance, was also a heartwarming scene, despite all the tragedy that came with these dreaded lands.

"Is that so?" FrostNova felt her rabbit ears twitch, before staring at his wheel. Perhaps that was the means he was talking about, calling upon a Divine General which could smite evil. It was something that stood at the same height as her father, and had caught his attention to the point where it looked like he was negotiating with the black haired man.

Even with Talulah, the Wendigo wasn't one to talk as much as he did to Fushiguro Megumi. At most, the majority of conversations were saved when concocting battle plans, and ways to liberate the Infected from the Ursine mines.

"How was the candy I gave you?" FrostNova shook her head and turned her attention away from it. The more she thought of Mahoraga, the more its twisted grin was drilled into her head, the vicious expression almost making her worry for her father at that time.

"The candy?" Megumi remembered the little treat the Cautus woman had dropped into his hands, after their conversation. "It was amazing," the Sorcerer wholly admitted, a small smile making itself known on his face. "A long time since I've tasted anything like that, if spice can even be counted as a taste." It was because spice from the candy activated his capsaicin receptors, inducing 'pain' rather than 'taste.' Still, at least he felt something within his tasteless mouth.

"That's..." FrostNova didn't know what to say, having expected him to fall for the little prank she would do with the other Reunion members—especially her Yeti Squadron "...You enjoyed it?" The rabbit lady tilted her head in confusion.

"I did," Megumi clarified, even if he didn't think it was needed. "What's so surprising about that?" The Sorcerer went back to analyzing the parts, having gotten a clearer sense of how the Glock pistol worked. However, there was still quite a bit of time before he knew how to apply a Cursed Technique to the object.

Items such as swords are rather simple in shape, the only complex part being the alloy which comprises the weapon, as compared to a firearm which have multiple working parts, thus making imbuing a Cursed Technique into a gun far harder than melee weapons.

"Itissurprising," FrostNova wondered if his expression can ever change from its neutrality, "everybody who I've given it to has a strong reaction," she could still remember the expressions of her Yeti Squadron members. "You're calmer than I would have expected."

"Is that so?" Megumi dropped his items and scratched the back of his neck, holding a complicated expression. "I guess I just really like spice, then," the black haired man took a glance at FrostNova, the Cautus girl slightly flinching. From that reaction alone, it didn't seem like she was used to looking at him anymore.

Was it because of Mahoraga?

On FrostNova's side, she felt something was wrong with Fushiguro Megumi's eyes. It had become like this since the time he had called his Divine General to his side, but it wasn't to an extent that would make her flinch. Something had changed, but the Cautus didn't know if she should comment on it or not.

"If you want repayment, then I can provide you something." Megumi slightly pulled his chair back to make more distance from the table, before a puddle formed close beneath his feet. Ignoring FrostNova's confused looks, he reached into it and grabbed what he needed. "Here you go," it was a white rabbit, with a marking on its belly.

He had unmerged Yamata-no-Orochi, but it didn't matter much to the Sorcerer. The black haired man had already re-fulfilled the requirement where he needed to hit a target by making all of his Shikigamis attack himself. That meant he was free to reform the Totality once more.

"I... huh?" FrostNova was even more at a loss, interchanging her line of sight with where he had formed the black puddle and pulled the rabbit out from, and back to his hands. "You have other summons...?" The Cautus then remembered the dragon that had come to her aid, even if she were slightly out of it during that time.'Ah, how could I have forgotten?'

"Yes, I do," Megumi handed the rabbit to the woman, FrostNova letting out a surprised sound before grasping it.

"Y-you do know I'll give it frostbite, right?" She looked slightly panicked, flustered at the situation she had been put in. Even if it were a furred creature that could survive the harshness of the tundra—as seen by its white fur—her body would only serve to loosen its standing in the living plane.

"My summons aren't that weak," Megumi responded, "don't worry." Rabbit Escape depended on his Cursed Energy output, just as every Shikigami had. The Sorcerer always had it at max output when summoning and keeping it stored in his shadows for passive chants, to make doubly sure it wouldn't perish in battle.

So with his current Cursed Energy levels? The Shikigami would most definitely survive FrostNova's body temperature. Even if it by some miracle started dying because of her body temperature, then Rabbit Escape would immediately be dispelled when it had sustained enough damage.

"Oh... I see," FrostNova recovered from her shock, holding the creature in her arms. It didn't react violently, all it did was sniff a few times before becoming comfortable. Subconsciously, the woman's rabbit ears twitched in response to its actions, "it's... quite adorable." Her finger moved upwards, to softly tickle it under the neck.

"I'm glad, then." Megumi watched as she started to gently pat it with her fingers, entering a trance in an instant. He raised an eyebrow at that, but decided to let the Cautus woman be. Maybe the people of Terra had a closer connection to the animal they were based off of? That would seem like an accurate assumption to make, based on her reaction to Rabbit Escape.

The same thing happened with Swire and Texas if he recalled accurately. With that in mind, the Sorcerer decided to go back to his work, waiting for his Dharmachakra to spin the more he infused Cursed Energy into his firearm, and analyzed its parts.

On the other side, FrostNova was busy petting the Shikigami on her lap. The black haired man hadn't lied when he said the rabbit could handle her temperature, but that also brought up more questions of what its capability was. Seeing how he had multiple summons ranging from a rabbit, to a dragon, and then a Divine General, the Cautus pondered what else he could possess.

...His clan must have been a very influential one, if there were more people like him in it. She wouldn't know, though, as FrostNova was sure that he wouldn't want to speak upon the matter. Especially since many misunderstandings were brewing in the background, being that Fushiguro Megumi had slaughtered his entire clan, despite his deniability to it.

FrostNova... didn't really know herself. But she liked to believe that the past didn't fully determine what somebody was like. He had helped a village against an Ursus patrol squad, along with fending off the Facerending Liches known as Ursus' Royal Guards, so it would be foolish to consider him a person who killed needlessly.

Based on the description of his clan, the Cautus could also understand to an extent why he would have done such a thing—if he had actually done it, obviously. Still, it left a bad taste in her mouth the more the rabbit lady recalled it, so she decided to spend the rest of her energy doing something that helped calm her nerves.

Megumi breathed out a sigh of relief. It was the kind he would feel whenever all assignments assigned by Jujutsu Tech were completed, whether it be mission reports or homework that had been given to him. Just the feeling of the weight leaving his shoulders was enough to make him sit back in his chair and let all worries exit his body.

The same thing applied to when he had put the Glock he had disassembled back together, having gained enough knowledge about the firearm to be confident in infusing a Cursed Technique into it. While he was sure he wouldn't be able to create a firearm without the help of a gunsmith, just being able to enhance one was enough in his book.

Some modifications would be needed to make it accommodate the Cursed Energy and Cursed Technique he was going to imbue into it, but the Dharmachakra had already provided him with enough experience via adaptation to make it a smooth process. So as a result, Megumi had decided to take a small break and close his eyes.

Creating Cursed Tools to aid him in combat felt great. Not only did it provide him with a better weapon to aid him in combat, it also served to improve how precise he was with his Cursed Energy. Even if it came from the temporary adaptations of Mahoraga, some of the experience he gained from it had still lingered. Like a faded muscle memory of sorts.

Feeling that he had taken a long enough break during the length of five minutes, Megumi sat up with a straight posture and stared at the reconstructed Glock pistol on the table. It had very little Cursed Energy imbued into it, but no ingrained Cursed Technique. The next step was to infuse it with more Cursed Energy and then apply the Cursed Technique he wanted it to have.

Yamata-no-Orochi's Piercing Ox ability and lightning would be the best option. A bullet travelled in a straight line when fired, and at immense speeds too. So if he applied lightning to make it go even faster, along with the built-up force of Piercing Ox amplified by Yamata-no-Orochi's nature as a combined Totality—then it would cause devastating damage.

'I want to use it as a parrying tool to catch my opponents off-guard, then I should apply a Binding Vow with Cursed Technique Reversal, shouldn't I?'Megumi placed a hand under his chin. The thought process was that the bullet within his Cursed Tool would gain more power the more it travelled, but what if it were in close distance?

It would be less effective if he shot it from close-up, meaning it would be harder to use it as a parrying or surprise tool to catch his enemies off guard. That could all be alleviated with a Binding Vow that was interchangeable, which meant that he could make Piercing Ox's Cursed Technique charge up more power the longer it travels; or charge up more power the shorter it travels.

That way, he could use it as both a parrying tool and a ranged gun. Even then, the latter wasn'ttooappetizing for him to consider, as he already had Daiitoku in his arsenal. Unless he felt like using his future Cursed Tool as a ranged option for fun, then it would be relegated as a parrying tool for now.

A parrying tool which hitextremelyhard.

"Mr. Fushiguro."

Megumi perked up at the words of FrostNova, turning around from his seat to take a look at her. She had taken a walk outside to get something along with Rabbit Escape, something which he didn't have the full details on. It wasn't much of a bother to him, the woman had other things in her life.

So color him surprised when she walked in with what looked to be a folded up white cloak with some fur around where the collar should be. Rabbit Escape's main body laid atop it, the woman handing the article of clothing to him.

"Here," FrostNova felt the weight of the object leave her hands once he slowly received it, "I believe you'd need something like this. You always wear that black haori when I see you around."

"...Huh?" Megumi blinked a few times to register her words, "don't... practically all of you wear the same clothes?" The Sorcerer scrunched up his features slightly, wondering why the Cautus had to specifically pointhimout for wearing the same clothes every time.

FrostNova opened her mouth to say something, but then closed them "...Ah, perhaps you're right," the white haired woman stared blankly for a second, before shaking her head and coming out of her stupor. "Forget what I said earlier."

"...Sure," Megumi stared at the article of clothing he had just received, "well, thank you for them." Even if the cold weather of the tundra didn't bother him much, then he could make his cloak into a Cursed Tool to further amplify his fighting capabilities. "Tell the person who made it that they have my thanks, too."

"Erm," FrostNova looked away for a moment, "I'll... be sure to tell them that." Although she didn't know the full details from it, Talulah had left it in her hands, the Draco not knowing what to do with it. The thing was, the Cautus girl didn't know what to do with it either, as she already had her own cloak—along with all the other Yeti Squadron members.

The specific person who made it... let's just say, they weren't with the Reunion Movement anymore.

"Alright," Megumi turned around, before telling Rabbit Escape to hop off the folded cloak and back into a shadow puddle. It would remain there for now, a thought that came to him just as he donned the cloak. Its fabric fluttered in the air, before it settled over his body on top of his black haori. "I'll make sure to wear it during my stay."

FrostNova let out a small huff, "I'm sure it's maker would be glad to hear that. I'll be going now, goodbye."

"Goodbye," Megumi replied, preparing himself mentally to create the Cursed Tool he wanted.

FrostNova took a step back before pivoting and making her way to the exit. However, she paused at the last step separating herself from the warehouse's workshop and the snowy ground outside. Taking another glance behind her, she took one last look at the glowing wheel above Megumi's head.

KLNK

It turned. It made her uneasy. For some inexplicable reason, it had emitted a radiance when it had turned, causing the Cautus to slightly shield her eyes and blink a few times to get the disorientation out of her system. The more she stared at it, the more uncomfortable she became, remembering the goliath which stood in front of her father andgrinned.

Shaking her head, FrostNova had found herself being too distracted about the summon recently. Taking another glance at her hand, the woman took a step outside to the snow... weirdly enough, she felt as if winter wasn't as cold as it usually would be. It was hard to tell with how the weather was in the tundra, being constant snow no matter what.

Perhaps it was summer? It did feel much warmer than she could have ever expected her body to feel. But alas, her senses were still lackadaisical at best, hardly being able to differentiate a majority of what she felt.

It was a strange feeling.

The rest of the day passed without a hitch.

Anger.

Resentment.

Was that all he could feel when watching through the planes of the winterstruck lands? It was the only permeance which had struck through his stoic nature, unveiling all superficial layers which have been imposed by himself.

The endless carnage of soldiers laid beneath his feet, as he continued to walk through the frigid winds of snow fjords. There was taint amongst these lands, one colored a metallic black, peering out of the embrace of the snow.

It was the duty of the Yakushi Nyorai to heal all, to cure all. For Fushiguro Megumi, such a thing could happen when ridding this world of such intrusive taint, in the form of a burning golden flame. To release those under the oppressive rule of an empire.

Even then, how much more would he have to kill? To send a message to these people? A humorous thought, because they most likely wouldn't care for him. Most likely, they were already scheming and finding ways to take him out of the equation, with what those Facerending Liches had said.

The temperature was rising. A golden tint was all across his vision, Megumi staring blankly at the hellzone that had been created. Surrounding him were the immense berth of an eight-headed serpent, coiled in close proximity to the Sorcerer's body. They continued to breathe out, laying waste to the artificiality and cruelty of man.

His steps halted, taking a look at what looked to be a place hunkered down and digging deep into the earth. A mineshaft, Megumi had recognized the appearance even from the distance he was at from through the flames. If he had remembered correctly, the Reunion movement would often visit such places to liberate the Infected slaves trapped within.

So, he decided to make his way there. To cure those who were in need of his healing, and to purify the taint which had been plaguing the world. Step by step, he came closer to the rundown shaft which protruded from Terra's crust.

Through the melting snow and ceasing flames—from his beckoning—Fushiguro Megumi had finally made his way across. Staring into the darkness of the structure, the black haired man assessed the dangers of going into such a place. In the end, he found none.

His feet make contact with a grainy ground, rocks and pebbles falling down as a result from his weight acting upon them. Making his way through while weaving through the small entrance, Megumi was greeted with the sight of a tunnel. It was larger than the entrance frame, that was for sure.

Stepping through and making his way across, the Sorcerer made sure to keep his senses keen. Cursed Spirits were usually common in these kinds of environments, and also unusually stronger as a result. With how many people feared the dark, it was akin to a ground for Cursed Spirits to recuperate and become stronger.

A shift in the air was detected, the black haired man not paying it much heed. There was a corner which needed to be taken to see where else this path would take him, and Megumi was about to make the turn. Just as he did though, a flashing gleam of a machete had made itself known.

The full figure of an Ursus military man was already before his eyes, their gas mask and ushanka fluttering with their intense movements. They were tense and gaping with their eyes, adrenaline being the only driving factor for them.

Megumi kept his gaze focused, as time around him had slowed. A marker seemed to have appeared within his vision toward where the Ursus military man's blade was, watching as it slowly made its way through the air.'Alright, this is good practice.'

Supreme Art: Noble Eightfold Path

A modified and bulky pistol flashed from where his left hand was after the shadows had coalesced to where it was. Within a moment's breath, a flash of red was seen across the empty tunnels of the mineshaft, ripping across the scenery.

BANG

A distorted sound reverberated across the walls, bouncing an unholy echo throughout. Firstly, the blade of the Ursus military man had completely shattered from the pressure of the red projectile forming into a beam flying across. Secondly, the upper left half of their body had been completely blown off.

Megumi stood there silently, only regarding them with a blank stare. His left hand holding the bulky handcannon was pulled back in the air from the intense recoil of the weapon, watching steam emit from the barrel of the gun. Slightly moving back, the corpse of the Ursus guard fell.

The handcrafted armament of precise destruction, concentrated into a convenient hand-held object, had proven itself to be a formidable weapon in the hands of the Sorcerer. Modernity was at its finest, speaking its clause in its great effectiveness in the use of taking lives. The firearm was simple and easy to use, needing only a mere pull of the trigger to execute the wrath capable of collapsing buildings.

There was no need to holster the weapon in a dramatic flair, the surrounding panorama of depression and monotony didn't need such a pervading contrast. Besides, Megumi had already seen himself an intruder to the normality of this place, being the bane to whatever atrocities were being sanctioned.

All it took was a flick of the palm, before the shadows consumed the firearm in its clutches, digesting it down to its very soul. Once an inanimate weapon of no renown could now be considered a magnificent piece of art hellbent on creating a display of pure and unfettered violence.

The passing scenery for him was fickle, nothing of note that he could say about it. However, his other senses told otherwise. The scent wafting across the air like a dancer upon a tightrope continued to drum his buds... if they were still functioning, all he could make were the assumptions of what these sediments surrounding him smelled like. Aside from that, the murky and dust coating building up around his body—despite having not spent much of a time inside— continued to irk his skin.

However, the white coat with furred lining at where the collar was continued to provide a brief respite from all these horrors. The gift of FrostNova, blessed with the comfort of warmth despite the raging winter was something that he was going to cherish, a sign of the thread which connected him to Reunion.

If Talulah had left an impression of Reunion by scalding his skin upon their very first encounter, then the white haired Cautus had left a rejuvenating ice which eased his bruises. In the end, however, first encounters were first encounters, and there was nothing productive in delving deep into the past.

Oh, how ironic that was.

His impending journey across the tunnels came to a halt, a strange feeling enveloping his body. Megumi could already tell there was a high sensitivity of negative emotions penetrating the air was something a Sorcerer was familiar with, like an ex-husband to their ex-wife. A toxic relationship meant to burn and churn in radioactive waste, forever scorned.

The vast darkness in front of him was invasive to his mind, as if beckoning its Sovereign to go to where it was. A call was made to him, and the Sorcerer was going to respond to it with a careful gait. Once he continued to make his way through the endless silence, the shadows had moved out of the way to make his vision much more clearer.

Something was wrong, that much was certain. As each step brought him ever closer to his destination, the black haired man continued to feel a hole forming in his chest. Not even the feeling of butterflies flapping their wings could contend with such an uncanny vibe, for what he was feeling right now was one of an approaching battle.

A battle fraught with naught but baseless valor. To contest the view of the other opponent and lay a pool of ichor for no other apparent reason than an oppositional one. It was a commonality within nearly the minds of all developed humans, whether it be moral or immoral—they were still subjective in the end.

Eventually, he finally arrived at his destination. There were many things that the human mind was prepared for, based on experiences and long standing lessons that have been brought unto them. Fushiguro Megumi had seen many things, many curses across his life, and scenes of splattered gore.

But this took the cake.

The blood, long dried over the course of time flowed a river across the ground, in dashed streaking lines of burgundy. It was a message, a message to the black haired man witnessing the scene, one ever presently malignant and terrifying. A message, which further shook the foundations of his world.

A scream, a testament to the cruelty capable in the hands of humanity, was letting out a scream before his very body. There was nothing to be healed from there, because it no longer could be healed. He was late, far too late to do anything to alleviate the pain and sorrow which the scenery presented, nor was he ever capable of preventing it in the first place. It was an inevitability, just like all events happening across the globe.

A pile.

The rancid smell of corpses long since rotten over the course of time invaded Megumi's nose. Mixing in with the cold air was what looked to be a frozen store of meat, left for any passing vulture to feast their beaks upon, tearing them apart piece by piece. Vicious marks were all across their skin, some bodies having been turned into entire Originium rocks.

The stack reached up to about where his neck was, but that wasn't what happened. The fact that the signs of brutal savagery marked every part of their limb was what had caught the Sorcerer's attention the most, to the point where some of them looked like they had beenskinned.A brutal form of torture, revealing the crevices of their flesh and nerves.

Green infected wounds were seen all across their body. That had already far entered a decaying phase, soon to become a part of the twisted lands of Ursus' tundra. Fading slowly into obscurity in the cold embrace of winter was all they could do, leaving nothing but a scar and taint upon what could have been a beautiful land.

Megumi stared at it silently, the corpse gorged on by military, propaganda, and tyranny showcasing itself full force in his eyes. There was no discrimination amongst the people which he saw, all of them ranging from the elderly, to children, to middle-aged people, and even... was that a baby?

How... did they have ababyin the pile?

...No, it was more accurate to say it was an unborn fetus, ripped straight out of the womb of a woman and left splattering across the corpses. It was then he realized this place he had encountered was their natural home. They had entered the world only to have the light of life stripped away, from the moment it had shone on them.

He wasn't one to become enraged, for the Sorcerer merely looked upon tragedy with a somber stance. There was nothing he could do, but he sure wished therewassomething his strength could provide him. Yet the fact remained true, even if he had surpassed Gojo Satoru or Ryomen Sukuna in strength by leaps and bounds—it wouldn't solve all of his problems.

At most, it could only provide him for the lacking security he felt. Sadly, it would not be able to let him save everything which the black haired man wished to selfishly save. The sight before him had further clawed the fact deep into his psyche, for omnipresence and omnipotence was but a fantasy.

Megumi continued to cast his gaze at the decrepit scene before him. Truly, he wished for nothing more other than to see the light at the end of this dark tunnel, to be reunited with who he held dear in his heart.

'I want to go home.'

He regretted it, cursing the previous world which he came from. He had taken everything for granted, having not realized that there laid far worse fate than battling Cursed Spirits. In fact, the repetitiveness and disgusting nature of Jujutsu Society was something he had much preferred over this damnable sight.

'I want to go home.'

Because of Jujutsu Society, he perhaps could have made a difference. Here? What else was there to do other than let out his violent rage, to let his vision become clouded in rage and destroy more Ursus outposts?

'I want to be with them.'

Desire was what drove every competent Jujutsu Sorcerer. For somebody who sought out the path of strength, Fushiguro Megumi knew that he needed a desire to strive for, to fully complete. An endless one which would forever have him chasing, and what better way than to wish for the impossible?

'I want to go home to them.'

The warm and fuzzy memories overpowered everything around him, like a domain overtaking another. The laughter of Itadori Yuji, foolishness of Gojo Satoru, and sass of Kugisaki Nobara were. A warm blanket to protect him from his everlasting winter, something he desperately wished wasn't an impossibility.

'Love.'

He only realized how much he loved such things, despite not showing any outward reaction to it. Just watching from the sidelines was enough for it to ingrain itself deep within his mind, the imprint having become a permanent one.

'I love them. Yuji-kun, Gojo-sensei, Nobara-chan, I love all of them.'

It was an admittance which the Sorcerer would have never made. Not in this lifetime, nor the next. But desperately clinging onto any hopes of affirmation and former reality, Megumi felt like brittle glass shattering against the silent ground.

He hated this world.

He loved his own.

He would do anything to get back to them.

For love was the most twisted curse of them all.

"You've become increasingly distraught overtime." Laurentina crossed her arms when taking in the sight of the obviously disturbed man. Seriously, the thousand-yard stare that seemed to pass straight through her and off to a vast expanse of whatever was behind completely gave it away, "I was content with keeping your privacy as is, not needing to invade it. But I must say, you're making it difficult."

"Sorry," Megumi sat by a chopped tree log, his right leg moving upward with his right arm resting on it. "It was a bit of a long journey, when I went out," the Sorcerer said, before pausing. His lips thinned, eyes lingering across the ground while something continued to cross his mind. "Well, guess I've already decided my views upon Ursus," such as how it continued to ring its message to the black haired man...

...He was going to respond with his own.

"...Hah~, what is it this time?" Laurentina dramatically sighed, moving to the log to sit by Megumi, inching closer to him, "you should've brought these matters to those Reunion folk, I believe they would be the better people to consult the matter on.But~,I'm all ears." Her shoulder touched his own, before she settled down on a seating position.

"You're probably right on that," Megumi felt as the Aegir's flowing hair mingled with the white fur of his white cloak draped across his black haori. "I want to make a stop to the South of Ursus, I've recently discovered that military reinforcements are going to be sent from there. In fact, even an Ursus big shot may be making their way to the north, where Reunion is."

"The south, huh? Let me guess, you want to give Reunion a little help for allowing us to say—no, nevermind. You're not one to pay back debts or place debts on others," Laurentina shook the notion off. "So, tell me, this must be a more personal matter with how much you've been steaming over the past few days."

"It's nothing of note, just something petty I want to do," Megumi said without much passion. "If anything, it's a fully selfish idea I want to realize, as much as I want to deny it myself." But the truth was the truth, what he really...reallywanted to do had been plaguing him ever since he walked upon the occupied plains of the tundras. "After multiple mines had been liberated, and many outposts were destroyed..." no thanks to a certain somebody "...the Ursus Patrol Squad have been filing for more support. Suffice to say, it had been accepted, something I had found from some of the remaining rubble."

"Gee, I wonder who~," Laurentina playfully chirped to the black haired man. "Somebody has been down in the dumps recently, and multiple outposts have been completely annihilated, and you just so happen to stumble upon one of them with all crucial information still intact." She continued on.

"...I've already made it obvious enough," Megumi replied with a pensive voice. "We're heading to the south of Ursus temporarily, and then we're going to make a trip to a different place." The Sorcerer felt the Abyssal Hunter rest her head on his shoulder.

"I see, then, any specific information of where we'll be continuing our small journey?" Laurentina had decided to leave the matter as is. With how extreme the Ursus military was with the Infected, it was only reasonable for her Princess to respond to them in kind.

"I don't know yet, I'll probably have it planned by the time I finish business in the south. The Nomadic City where support had been accepted is named Chernobog, by the way." Megumi decided to give a few more specific and clarifying information.

Laurentina hummed in acknowledgement, content with watching the snow continue to fall from the willow trees towering above them. They were stripped of their leaves, barely anything that could give them an identity. Only the sad state they were in, facing the battering ram of the cold which had worn them over time was what identified them.

"...Besides, how's your Oripathy?" Megmi decided to bring up another topic while watching the scene with her. "I haven't touched on that matter for a while now, and I haven't applied treatment to you in a while... ever since Primavera, that is."

"Oh? Worried about me?" Laurentina giggled, slowly rubbing her head against his shoulder, "ah, there's no need to worry about that. Haven't felt much aside from a brief pause of my actions, those black minerals haven't impeded me in any way." She mused, "you know it'd take—much—more than that to hamper me."

"Ah, well, that's good to hear," Megumi relieved, but the energy signature that the Originium in her body gave off was still intense. "We'll be departing soon, might as well say our goodbyes to Reunion," he didn't have much else to say.

"I won't be missing the tundras," Laurentina commented, "I don't mind the company here, though. I guess we were lucky to encounter such a hidden gem in these lands, even if it had prickled you at first." The Abyssal Hunter sprung back to her feet, slightly spreading her arms outwards to regain her balance.

"Pretty sure I left a deep impression on them, too." Megumi mirthlessly said, hopping off from the severed tree stump.

"You say that so casually after calling upon a 'Divine General,' which slew two of this land's most formidable opponents, mind you?" Laurentina placed a hand over her mouth, humoring his dryness. "Who would have known?"

Megumi clicked his tongue, "I was being sarcastic."

"So was I."

...Megumi let out a huff of air from his mouth, his breath being visible within the passing breeze, and caressing off his cheek. He turned his head back toward the Reunion settlement, tugging at the collar of his white cloak. "Let's go."

Spending an overall time's length of a month in Ursus' confines wasn't something Megumi would have expected, especially after discovering all of their misdeeds. Most of the time, it would be roaming and looking for outposts, or spending the entire day passing by to train. Conversations were only with FrostNova, or Talulah telling him of some stories—such as Reunion's previous escapades.

All the other members, especially Patriot, weren't people that approached him for a conversation. The latter wasn't much of a talker, so Megumi could see why, along with the former most likely finding him to be unapproachable with his temperament. That combined with what he had done during the time of Reunion being besieged also contributed to his unsociable standing.

That didn't matter much to him, since he was going to leave anyway. Laurentina was the one who had the pleasure of interacting with the majority of the members in Reunion, being a more extroverted person as compared to himself. Along with the Aegir being an Infected, it was only natural in his mind that something like that would turn out.

Something was gazing at him, so Megumi turned toward where it was coming from. He didn't have much of a reaction himself, but the person—or rather people—who came into his line of sight visibly flinched. He knew it wasn't from the frost of the snow, but most likely the iciness of his gaze. It was a bad habit.

The two possessed white hair and black hair respectively, the white haired one he remembered being named Eno. That one in particular was lingering behind the black haired Sasha, while the latter stood protectively in front of him. There was something in Sasha's hands, which was a composite crossbow.

However, there was no ill intention that Megumi sensed, or any sense of danger. Only a friend protecting the other one, so he turned away and decided to go on where his predetermined path was. He never had a good or bad relationship with them, but it was still a fickle bridge to walk upon. Better to just ignore them than cause any more misunderstandings.

The sunlight on the settlement paved a road for where he wanted to go, toward the place where FrostNova and the Yeti Squadron were. Recently, he had heard that there hadn't been many successive trades with the local villages nearby. With the Ursus Imperial Army ramping up their efforts in oppressing the Infected, they had been far too fearful to become involved with the Reunion Movement, in any way possible.

He hoped that they had better results starting from now, and succeeded in their goal at the end. With what he wanted to do next when reaching Chernobog, it would only be natural that it would provide a modicum of support for Reunion. Something he had decided upon himself a choice that hadn't been influenced by anybody else.

Megumi came to the campfire where he would usually talk with FrostNova or Talulah. The fire was unlit, seeing how the temperature wasn't as cold as it usually would be during night, along with the sun already illuminating everything—so there would be no need to have one rampantly consuming firewood at the moment.

"Talulah." The Sorcerer didn't need to turn upwards to hear who was approaching him from the footsteps in the snow. From the amount of weight and pressure applied to the floor, his senses could already pick up who it was, "were you waiting for me?"

"No, I was curious what you were doing here," Talulah said, watching as he turned around to greet her. "Is there something you want to say? You usually do when you're around this area." Spending a month with him in their grounds had made her pick up a few of his social cues, this being the most common one.

"You guessed right," Megumi placed his hands in his pockets, but couldn't be seen from the obstructing white cloak draped around his shoulders. "Me and Laurentina are going to depart today."

"...Oh," Talulah paused in her steps for a little, making sure she had heard right. "I should have expected it, but I wouldn't have expected it to be so sudden," the Draco nervously laughed while scratching her cheek, "if that's the case, then I wouldn't want to hold you up."

"I just wanted to say my goodbyes," Megumi looked off elsewhere while speaking, "I think staying with Reunion made my experience here a lot better." He decided to give the woman that, seeing how he would have already left ages ago if it weren't for Talulah's suggestion to visit the Reunion settlement.

"You're not saying that just to make me feel better, are you?" Talulah slightly chuckled while asking him the question, placing her right hand on her hip.

"What do you take me for?" Megumi shot her a grumpy look, before turning back to what he was observing earlier. Which was nothing. "Besides, I don't think I've been a good influence to your members either, my presence always makes them wary."

A third voice cut in, slightly catching the two off guard, "maybe if you took more effort to socialize."

Megumi and Talulah turned to the third party, recognizing her to be FrostNova. The Cautus was fiddling with the dagger she usually had on her person, before placing it back in its holster.

"You're leaving already? Well, I wouldn't have expected a month to pass by so fast," FrostNova commented while shuffling her arms under her cloak. "Just curious though, where are you going next?" The rabbit lady made her way to the logs, before sitting down.

Talulah and Megumi remained standing.

"Where will I go...? Well, I haven't fully decided on it yet." Megumi shrugged, "I already told Laurentina I'd have it planned out by the time we reach some other place, but..." he scrunched his brows "...Leithanien, probably."

"Leithanien?" Talulah asked out loud, "I've studied it a few times... I heard their treatment of the Infected is better than some other places," the Draco decided to give her two cents, feeling the other's gaze turn on her. "They don't ostracize the Infected as much as other places... but of course, you know—"

"It doesn'talwayswork out like that, is that right?" Megumi chimed in.

"—About so, yes." Talulah let out a small sigh, "but still, I would say it's a much better place compared to others in regards to that. Laurentina shouldn't be as ostracized as she would be in Ursus."

FrostNova hummed, "they value skilled Arts users, don't they?" The frost rabbit turned toward Megumi after speaking that line, gauging his expression. He looked interested, "I've heard it from the Shieldguards and my father when they were lecturing us about the other countries... I'm pretty sure you'd be well-respected among them, considering what you have at your disposal."

"Indeed, I believe that would be the case," Talulah placed a hand under her chin, before she vaguely remembered what her task for the day was. "Well, I believe that's about the time I have left for this conversation," she turned to regard both Megumi and FrostNova. "I pray you have safe travels, Mr. Fushiguro, I need to be off to a village to get more supplies."

"Oh," FrostNova nodded towards her, "it's that village a bit far off, isn't it? It doesn't get many patrol members—or any at all—if I recall correctly."

"I believe that's the gist of it," Talulah affirmed what she believed. "Make sure to look after the Reunion members while I'm gone, but I'm pretty sure Patriot would also be returning today." She started walking away with a wave.

The dragon lady's footsteps were imprinted in the snow, which were bound to be covered up as time passed. Soon enough, her back disappeared into the shadows of the forest, no light illuminating her figure.

"Hm," FrostNova let out a sound of, watching her friend depart into the darkness. Something felt wrong, but the rabbit lady decided to let it go for now. She then turned to Megumi. "What she said before—have safe travels," she gave a small wave toward, along with a small smile.

"I..." the black haired man wanted to say something when looking at the Cautus, but decided to stomach it "...I'll take Talulah and your prayers to heart, thank you." Megumi replied without much of a passionate flair, but the two already knew that some of his words were sincere.

"I doubt you'd have to worry much about danger," FrostNova spoke with a humorous tone, implying something that was obvious to the two.

"Of course, of course," Megumi let out a sigh, "but it's better to be safe than sorry." The black haired man turned around, it was time for him to make his departure. "Laurentina's probably already done with her farewells, so it won't be a good idea for me to keep her waiting."

He was about to depart, but FrostNova's voice cut him off in his tracks.

"Hold on, wait, I forgot to give you something," she watched as her words made Megumi stop and turn around with a curious expression. Standing up from where she sat, she casually fished for something in her pocket, before the sound of wrappers were heard. Taking a few steps to him, he placed her fist in front of him, "here, open your palm."

"Is this what I think it is?" Megumi commented while holding out his palm, facing upwards toward the hovering limb of FrostNova's. "It really is," the black haired man was slightly taken aback, but then found that it wasn't too much of a shocker. "Thank you, once more."

"There's no need to thank me," FrostNova shook her head, before taking a step back. "Well, I hope fate brings our paths together once again, if it even exists." The Cautus woman gave him a small wave, watching the black haired man shut his eyes and close his hands over the wrapped candy.

"I'll be looking forward to it, then," Megumi said. It would be hard for anybody else to tell if he truly meant it, but the Sorcerer could oddly feel as if FrostNova had understood his message completely well—despite the monotony of his voice.

"That makes the two of us."

The black jeep drove across the snowy ground of the Tundra, leaving its tire tracks across the ground. Megumi watched as Laurentina stared behind herself, looking at the Reunion members waving off to them. He was pretty sure that they were for the Abyssal Hunter, seeing how many small connections she had made back then.

"Enjoyed your stay?" Megumi placed his elbow on the car door, resting his head on a closed fist.

"Environment and housing could have been better," Laurentina replied, "but I can't deny—it was definitely something else."

"A different experience, I take it?" Megumi knew the drive toward Chernobog would be a slightly long one, so might as well make some small talk.

"I didn't expect you to become so talkative," Laurentina giggled, before turning away from the Reunion Settlement. They had already disappeared from view, so there was no use looking back at them. "Still, I'm not averse to such a thing, I'm more glad that our little Princess is finally becoming more sociable~!"

"Yes, whatever you say," Megumi didn't feel the need to correct her, he didn't have the energy for such a thing at the moment. Right now, he needed to mentally prepare himself for what he was going to pull off in Chernobog, something that even the Sorcerer himself believed to be utterly stupid.

Yet it was the only thing that felt like it would quell his burning wrath toward this twisted country. It was all in the files that he read and what he had witnessed back in the concentration camps and mines of the tundras which had led him to resort to outrageous measures. The words of the Royal Guards had also been incessantly ringing in his head—the declaration that he had become the enemy of an entire country.

Only as time passed did the message become much more clearer to Fushiguro Megumi. Despite having a beast of legend which could level an entire city given enough time—Yamata-no-Orochi and its ceaseless breath—he didn't think it'd be quite enough to overthrow a nation. Gojo Satoru would be able to do it with ease.

The air became quiet after a few more banters between the two, before the both of them had been content with watching the passing scenery. Megumi in particular leaned further back on his chair, watching the tundra snow eventually start to dissipate from view. It would only be an hour or so that he was greeted with the sight of melting snow.

The Sorcerer noted how the journey wasn't always smooth sailing, being pulled over by Ursus patrol squadrons who had caught sight of their vehicle. To put it simply, it didn't fare well for those who had done so.

With the rate that they were going at, Megumi was sure they would reach Chernobog, eventually.

For now, all that was left for him was to steel his nerves.

Tires screeched against the asphalt, long lines of cars driving across the monotone city. There were flashing of pale yellow lights off at the commercial buildings around, the citizens of Ursus walking upon the sidewalks engrossed in whatever activities had reeled them in. Whether it be looking at blue lights of artificiality, or calling somebody of note—it was a scene that breathed life. Life of an urban city.

The journey was faster than he could have anticipated, but it was a welcome surprise. He wanted to get this done with as quickly as possible, with the consequences and potential problems that could come with what his current goals were.

Chernobog was a bustling city, just as any other would be. If Megumi had to compare this one to the sleepless city of Lungmen, then he would say it had its features that separated it from Lungmen. First of all, its colors. There were many things about a city that differentiated it from other cities, and the factor that most contributed to such a facet was 'color.'

While Lungmen was bright and filled with culture that related back to Chinese tradition and such, Chernobog was a lot more dull and industrial. Although it looked standardized in what an urban city should feel and look like, Megumi had to wonder if its... unappealing aesthetic was part of its design philosophy.

Well, it didn't matter at the moment. Laurentina was waiting for him in a car parked far away from the Nomadic City, so he'd better make this quick. Taking in a deep breath, the black haired man reassessed Chernobog once more. There were people going about their day as normal wage workers, along with multiple sites of construction spanning from what he could see.

Whether they were projects long in the works or not really didn't matter much to him. Just looking at this city belonging to Ursus already made him sick. The citizens didn't deserve to have the same view he had of this city to be placed on them, and Megumi was wise enough to know such a thing.

His primary target was their military, those bastards who have been harassing the Infected and doing as they pleased. They weren't even corrupt, because the Sorcerer was sure such disgusting behaviour was encouraged in the environment they were in. Megumi now had to question... had any of them, for a single moment—thought what they were doing was morally wrong?

'They probably have, and that makes it so much more disgusting,'Megumi knew they were trash, and he was sure they wouldn't even deny themselves being trash. So it was upon his 'divine duty' to make sure they knew their goddamn place.'I've already pinpointed some military places which hold those higher-ups, they're no different from Jujutsu Society's.'

A dense fog formed at the precipice of the city. It was a fitting scenery for the environment, the black haori blending right in with its depressive atmosphere. Instead of seeing the beauty that came with a simplistic city such as this, or confining within the dullness which Fushiguro Megumi held a bias for, the Ten Shadows user couldn't find any enjoyment in it.

Akin to staring at something that had become disillusioned before his eyes, that was all Megumi could make of cityscapes. When he was a child, there was always a sense of wonder, seeing how humanity had made such progress in creating all of these towering structures which reached for the skies. Along with that, knowing that the thousands of ants littered beneath his feet were actually all humans within his view—was a profound feeling.

Tsumiki would take him to these sites whenever they wanted to get away from home. It was marvelous, so much in fact that he had taken this hobby with him to high school. However, after high school, Megumi couldn't find any time to admire such a sight during college. Thankfully, he still had enough downtime during some missions to be able to experience this sort of thing again.

It reminded him of his sister, as if she were still there with him.

He looked to the side, to see a phantom, a black outline marred with nothing but what looked to be scribbles. Her hair should be where her head was at, but it was becoming rough for him to remember what it looked like. Megumi couldn't truly remember what his sister looked like when they were young, he could only imagine the unconscious one of when she was an adult.

Cold, unfeeling, and pale. The curse marked above her forehead was all too clear to him, etching deep within the confines of what should be his mental mind. It was always the warmest of memories which burned the deepest into somebody's brains, and yet; it was also the coldest ones which could also leave a sinking frostbite. One that felt like it burned, despite being so frigid.

'I want to curse...'Megumi placed a hand over his face, his listless eyes having lost sight of what he wanted to see, lost sight of what his goals had been. In fact, there was no other goal for him other than to press forward. Moving in unison with his Shikigami to carve a path out of the rubble was what he was doing at the moment, and what he believed to be the only thing he would do in the foreseeable future'...I want to curse something. Anything.'

There was no path made by other people such as Gojo Satoru or Itadori Yuji, he didn't have anybody to influence how the general layout should be made. Just looking in some general direction and moving through was the best the Sorcerer had to work with, and it rang ever truer the more he stayed in this world.

Releasing his hand slowly from his face, he glanced downward to the city. The walks of life making up this consolidated place where people could look forward to the future wasn't something he could be a part of anymore. Not by circumstances, but definitely by volition, a volition he had imposed on himself. Although, the former would definitely be a factor if he had kept going at the rate he was.

'The more I stare at this, the more disconnected I feel,'Megumi mulled over his thoughts. Right after, he moved to sit at the ledge, continuing to analyze what his emotions were telling him. They weren't the best things to follow, and he was a Sorcerer who prided himself with logic. However, the 'Sorcerer' was sure that most of the decisions taken in his life weren't one of logic, but emotion.

How contradictory was he even to himself? The mentality of being selfless, to be a team player was one he thought was finely crafted by 'logic,' but was merely his 'emotion' of wanting to be somebody everybody could rely on. Ironically, doubling down on his own selfishness was the greatest logical step he could have done, something that even Gojo Satoru had seen through. Funnily enough far before even his 'logical' mind could ever.

So why did there need to be logic in what he wanted to do? Selfishness never required logic, and in his case, it was definitely the most reasonable choice he could make right now, a win-win situation. He was going to further appease himself, that was what Fushiguro Megumi had decided on. Release what he felt deep within in all of its splendor, for there was no need to let himself be tied down by unnecessary burdens.

Like shedding one's skin.

It was then he made his declaration.

'I curse you, everything that you stand for,'Megumi stared down in disgust, nearly retching his gut when his pupils shook against the might of the city in front of him. It was vast, large and incomparable to the outposts which he had laid waste to.

He wasn't going to kill needlessly, but he sure was going to give fear needlessly. A message to those who had declared him as their enemy.

His body shook, every fiber of his being itching at the irresistible feeling that had wretched its claw on him. The Sorcerer's eyes turned into a deathly glare, taking in the sights before him one last time. There was no sense of euphoria or adrenaline, only a deep-seated rage when he recalled everything that had happened in the past few days.

Gnashing his teeth and shakily bringing his hands together, Fushiguro Megumi had declared his ultimatum to what the Empire of Ursus was.'Bleed open your heart, speak all which you have been hiding underneath that thinly guised veil around yourself...'his fierce gaze was shadowed. A gale blew across the peak of the skyscraper in which he stood upon, the clouds above gathering.

The sunlight which was casted upon the city had faded away with the approach of the clouds, the nimbus obstructing anything from reaching out to it with their warmth. Atop the skyscraper which the Strongest Sorcerer of Tomorrow stood on, was where the light of the Heavens had peered through.

His mouth opened.

"YAMATA-NO-OROCHI!"

Citizens and workers alike all walked upon the streets without so much as a hint of life present within their bones. Pretentious people walked across the roads, preaching their advertisements of great products and business opportunities, while the alleyways laid skulked with trash and crystalline outcasts.

A monstrance decoration penetrated all walks of life which was present. From the buildings to the windows to the assets placed within the inside structures—there was a delicate and forbidden feel to it, as the scenery was beheld only for those of a... 'certain' criteria. Such is the way for most cities, for it was not only limited to the Ursine Nomadic City.

Everybody had their own life, and there was no need for anybody to be as obnoxious as interrupting the natural flow of things. With this unspoken agreement between all people—whether they were aware of it or not—it had come together to create the scenery which they were all a part of.

...That would have been the case, however, if everything about their day had gone as planned. But the world wasn't always as anybody would have expected it to be, and the strange events happening all across the world by the second was a testament to that. It only took time... before it had also reached their place of residency.

It all boiled down to chance, and Chernobog's time had come, in the form of a most grisly sight. There were black clouds forming over the sky, bearing down an overcast of shadows all across the city. It caught even the attention of those who were engrossed in their phones, as they looked upwards.

The encroaching darkness was so sudden and jarring that nearly everybody had paused what they were doing to analyze the scene. Their minds, honed over centuries of ancestral development and gene inheritance, didn't think much of it, predicting that it was most likely rain clouds forming.

However, they weren'tjustrain clouds.

Thunder streaked across the floating phenomena which painted the skies, weaving together to irradiate a wrathful eminence. The ocean of blue which stood above their head was no longer there, declaring that their right of nature's warmth had been revoked completely. Suddenly, the thunder had turned red, an unnatural color even for Catastrophes that would ravage the land.

Whispers and murmurs were heard, coalescing together to create a cacophony of mystery and approaching doom. They grew louder and louder, reaching the apex of a crescendo before a brief sense of hysteria overtook a person, then two, then five, and soon enough, twelve. Like a lit matchstick falling haplessly to the ground and igniting fuel for its pyre, a tapestry of the underworld was immediately formed.

To the panicking and hysterical masses increasing in numbers of who could logically make sense of the situation, it was as if they had stepped into a net of promises. One filled to the brim with nothing but promises of their demise, if the citizens had not acted fast enough. When a single match was ignited and lit up the surroundings with its wistful movements, it would eventually slip out of anybody's controlling grasp.

Shuffling of feet haphazardly dancing across the ground was heard, as sixteen piercing lights had penetrated through the covering shield of the horizon's dawn. The clouds rippled, a pattern of waves forming around it, imitating water that had a hand dipped within it. Soon enough, the sixteen lights had revealed themselves to be gleaming orbs of red, wide and gaping—evidence of a beast ladened in its dark blankets.

The screeches of the masses rose to higher levels, fingers jabbing to numbers and people pushing their uncouth movements onto others. Many fell over from their uncontrolled pirouette, crashing to the ground to taste the cold pavement that was their own city. Some continued to scramble to their feet, while others were stuck in a shell-shocked state where not a single muscle would twitch to their demands.

Soon enough, a serpentine hiss was heard, innumerable rain drops dripping down from the cloud as the thunderstruck canvas it emerged from thrived in its presence. It wasn't nature which followed the serpent's will, but nature which followed its own. Eight heads surpassing the size of buildings which scraped the skies strung out, coiled in a wild splendor.

Golden steam emitted from all its mouth, travelling across its cheek and untoward the black clouds, never to be seen again. The sight was an authoritative one, as if it was declaring the world around it to be its own domain. Indeed, the eight rosy fingers of a deity have already laid claim to the city.

Hellagur rubbed his beard, staring at the amount of patients that had entered Azazel Clinic today. They were all Infected, no longer wanted by the land of Ursus and treated as nothing but trash to be thrown on the pavement and left to rot. Such was the fate of many people who had been unfortunate enough to stray in the path of the dreaded black shards which promised death—yet at the same time did it also promise prosperity.

Originium, both a curse and a blessing.

There was no need for him to elaborate upon it in his mind, for he already knew enough about the energy source for all the good and bad things it brought. Instead of cursing the heralding terror and disease it wrought upon the lands of Terra—for it would prove as effective as hollering to a tornado—Hellagur had instead taken his time and effort to treat those who have been stabbed by its fierce prickles.

It was a shadow casted scene, a somber air having been formulated amongst all of his patients. That was to be expected, and it was a decadent sight he had been presented with the many years the Hippogryph had experienced in this area of profession.

He walked across the scene, making sure to check up on his patient's conditions with a clinical gaze, and a few soft questions here and there. They ranged from neutral-faced people to despair ridden expression, perhaps the realization that the world had abandoned them was starting to settle in.

For those who had already undergone the process, they simply sat in silence, thinking of what they could do to reach the finish line that was tomorrow. Hellagur didn't wish to charge them much, or charge them at all. With how difficult their lives were bound to become after becoming struck upside the head by Oripathy, presenting them with a medical bill would be adding salt to the wound.

So, he was willing to provide his services for free.

His thoughts were dispelled when the TV screen at the corner of the room suddenly shifted to a 'BREAKING NEWS' title, the headlining constructed in such a way that it attracted attention as efficiently as possible. The audio reverberated across the room, as the plastered digital image made from artificial lights had become completely clear.

Hellagur found his attention turned to it after he had checked up on the last patient, placing his hands behind his back to take sight of what had warranted such a sudden change in channels. From the grumbling of some people around him, the Hippogryph was sure that they also held a sentimental frustration at the sudden change.

His aged eyes widened at the absurd imagery before him, and he had to wonder if what he was seeing was a very realistic Higashinese painting given life in the form of terror itself. Closing his eyes and opening it again, Hellagur had found out that neither his senses nor instincts were betraying what was being seen before his eyes.

In the world of the television screen, there was an eight-headed serpent of great colossal size that dispersed the gathered black clouds under their slithering necks. They spanned across multiple skyscrapers, their mere head alone eclipsing even some of them... along with its breath emitting a smoke of golden death.

He worried for his patients, wondering if Higashi's mythological beasts had decided to bare their fangs toward Ursus. Hellagur knew of enough information about their Shinto gods and their great power, and envoying one of their grandiose beasts to lay their fangs within Ursus wasn't a completely absurd notion. These assumptions were all based on the rare happenings of the Bloodpeak Campaign that he had the displeasure of witnessing.

They were underground, but with the massive size of the beast being paraded across the news had the Hippogryph calculating if they would be able to breach the underground clinic. Based on his astute observations, Hellagur was completely sure that it could breach the streets like a ram and collapse the city's sewer system—and even reach where the clinic was.

There was no need for hesitance, he needed to act fast for the sake of his clinic and his patients.

Megumi walked through the wastelands outside of Ursus. They were cold, more cold compared to the other ones he had visited, such as the ones closer to the south. However, they weren't as cold compared to the tundras he had experienced, for only a small amount of their wintry mist had leaked through from the howling gale.

The Sorcerer's eyes were empty, dragging Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi behind him, the jingling bells and flowing cloth emanating a serene sound. It had fallen into place well, but not too well for the black haired man. Like an incomplete puzzle piece, the rather half-assed plan he created wasn't anything to celebrate. Pausing his steps and looking back at the city of Chernobog which was covered with black clouds—that were dispersing—Megumi recounted what he could have done better.

Perhaps he was in far too much of a rush to get back to Laurentina that he didn't use the shadows to preemptively skulk around the vicinity of the Ursus military bases stationed in Chernobog. The targets he was after that were written in the files were supposed to be there, but he had only been able to lay claim to the lives of about four of them. In total, there were supposed to be seven.

Heaving a breath, the black haired man decided to let the matter be. He didn't want to take innocent lives and thrash a part of the city which wasn't actively involved in Reunion's suffering in the north, it was far too petty for him. He had already injected a high dosage of fear in them with the summoning of Yamata-no-Orochi, which was supposed to serve as a distraction for him to go after who he was truly after.

Right now, the Totality had already dispelled, the lingering Cursed Energy and storm clouds it had formed still remaining. Eventually, they would pass away as any day would, and Fushiguro Megumi was content to leave it as it was. The Reunion Movement should fare much better now that those bastards were gone, so he could rest easily and head where he wanted to go.

The black jeep where Laurentina was at became clear to him, making the black haired man heave a sigh of relief. It was all over, the rage stirring in his body and soul had been alleviated, but the twisting feeling of his home coming back to remind him of its azure nostalgia still remained. It was relieving yet also so bitter.

Placing Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi back into his shadow inventory, he made his way toward the vehicle, a single phrase echoing in his mind like a holy bespoken mantra...

'...Be more selfish.'

He gave a small prayer to those bodies never to be seen again, stuck in the neverending scar that was Ursus' cold winter. One that would hopefully, ease their souls and carry them safely through the afterlife, and back into the karmic cycle of reincarnation—if it truly existed. Letting his arms fall limp, Megumi breathed out.

'...Be more selfish.'

By all definition, since the conception of their existence—Jujutsu Sorcerers have always done however they pleased...

...And Fushiguro Megumi, was a Jujutsu Sorcerer...

So why? Why did it feel so unsatisfying?