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.

44. Cruel Angel

Trudging through the snow was something he was familiar with. There was nothing that had ever stopped him in his steps ever since he had arrived into this world, neither the might of a dragon-slaying sword ready to split him in twain, nor the face of the Divine General. A small force of nature in a cold field land wasn't anything to bat an eye over.

The wheel above his head was a lighthouse, lighting up the path ahead indiscriminately. Any darkness that dared rear their ugly heads toward the wielder of such a divine artifact had themselves vanquished within a moment's notice. All that remained was endless snow, an uncarved path which could lead to nowhere.

Megumi's head turned toward his right. Despite the azure fog blanketing the entire landscape, he knew that location as if it were a familiar childhood memory. However, he would never place it in there with them, it was merely the desperate attempt to wrestle survival into his arms which had found its place in his hippocampus.

Misty clouds left his lips, travelling across his cheek and through his black hair, before travelling back to nature's embrace, wherein it would become its morning bride. There was always an appreciation for nature that he held, but all it boiled down to was a temporary serenity that he found in its silence. There were many atrocities in which the force could commit, he was not one to turn his head nor heel away from them.

By all means, he had been fighting against nature's force ever since his conception into a collapsing and capricious society. The blood of many young people were stained on the structure he once stood, their coagulated liquid life having provided enough of a support to keep the structures of cinder blocks attached.

Breaking out his thoughts, the black haired man felt the weight of all the Shikigamis in his shadows start to take its toll. A method of training, for both the physical and spiritual body was extremely effective. Although he doubted he would be able to reach Laurentina—an Abyssal Hunter's level of strength—it would serve to thin the gap by a small margin. After all, removing weights which pulled somebody down would bolster speeds to an extraneous level, as the burdens of pressure no longer existed.

...The same could not be said for himself, in other regards.

There were trees now, a vast lushless forest of dead leaves. The objects of nature were no longer the fantastical brown of sturdiness or the glimmering emeralds of beauty, but a grey monotone plastered with white parasites. Winter ate at every single one of the structures, supposed monoliths which were supposed to represent all of nature's beauty, leaving nothing but an abhorrent symbol.

Megumi turned away. He hated looking at them, it reminded him too much of death. Death of his friends, death of his comrades, and death of himself. There was always such a lingering scythe grazing at his neck, ready to strike at any moment. Whether he was allowed to see the next day by such an unknown force was unforeseeable, something that all Jujutsu Sorcerers in the business had to mull over at some point of their lives. Unless, of course, they were a True Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Ryomen Sukuna.

He feared the day that his mindset would devolve to be somebody like him. There were many paths which he could take, and Megumi wasn't so blind as to see himself at times straying toward the King of Curses' route. Even the Sorcerer was sure that he was overthinking such matters, the possibility still remained, and every second of remembrance toward such a thing was the anchor holding himself down.

The bearer of the Zen'in Clan's prized jewel reminded himself: to not cause any more problems which could paint a target on his back—or which terrorized people for his own gains and selfish desires. That should have been enough, and he hoped it was enough to deter himself from enacting any thoughtless plan which would explode in his face. Yes, that affirmation toward himself made his heart calm down.

There was nothing worse that would happen in the future.

As he made it deeper into the forest, Megumi found a strange phenomenon appearing around him. To be more accurate, the word 'phenomena' would be more suitable, as there were several signs of melted snow and singed tree bark. It was a smell that some people would find horrendous, but for himself, it wasn't anything that disturbed him. In fact, he was sure that there was a certain demographic which would find it soothing.

Feeling his eyes slightly tense, the Sorcerer had already assumed the worst to have happened. The burn marks were reminiscent of somebody that he knew, and the melted snow in the shape of footsteps was something that could have only been done by a skilled Arts user who could wield the fiercest of flames.

His steps quickened, leaving their mark amongst the white filled land. Everytime his feet sank into the ground, Megumi moved faster and faster. Despite the weight of all his Shikigamis acting upon him, a small application of Cursed Energy and adrenaline was the only thing needed to keep himself steady.

The scenery passed him by, the low temperatures rising the more he made it through. Once his senses detected a person, Megumi slowed in his steps, their vague figure finally making itself clear to his eyes. It was unmistakable, from the attire they wore to the draconic horns atop their head, along with the luscious ashen hair that would become one with the wind.

Megumi opened his mouth to call out to the woman from where he was at, confused of what had warranted the instability of her Arts. However, her name died out in his mouth, as he had fully registered her current state. She was leaning on a tree, arms huddled close to herself and shaking. There weren't any signs of battle or injury... only sorrow. It was something which bled far deeper than what a wound lashed by steel could do, a fact that the Sorcerer was all too familiar with.

He watched with a startled berth, frozen from the jarring shift of her character that he was familiar with. There wasn't a leader which led Reunion with her hopeful speeches and dreams, but a girl despairing for reasons unknown. There were many possibilities, one which ranged from the most atrocious trauma his mind could incur, to... perhaps lesser reasons. But with the aptitude he was aware of from the woman, Megumi was sure that it had to be something severe.

"Who... who's there?!"

Despite the shadows of the trees casting themselves over him and cloaking his presence, the Sorcerer was immediately detected. He moved his hand to rub his eyes, removing the stupor which had kept his mind occupied. The choked sobs he heard from Talulah wasn't anything that Fushiguro Megumi was knowledgeable in responding to, and he wouldn't even attempt to do so.

Walking out, he was presented with the full view of the Draco pointing her blade to where his position was, tears streaming down her face. He kept silent, while a guilty expression vaguely looking away from the woman had adorned his face. From the small stagger from Talulah, Megumi could tell that even she was shocked—even embarrassed.

"Y-you..."

His body and mind were at a pause, realizing that he shouldn't be seeing this scene in front of him. Megumi stared at the shaking blade pointed at him, the steaming heat flowing off of it as if it were the origination of all flames itself. His skin was starting to become dry, and there was a lack of moisture between him and the snow, which had all already melted from their general vicinity.

There should have been no biting cold from the melted snow, yet it still remained.

"What are you... what are you doing here...?" Talulah quickly lowered her sword with a jolt, swiping her free hand over her eyes. Dashes of clear liquid fell off them, before being evaporated into the desolate wind, "you shouldn't be here...!"

She didn't know what to say other than to deflect, to make sure nobody saw her like this. Maybe it was the toss of the dice, the man in front of her loved to walk into forests after all. However, the woman couldn't think of any clear reason in her storming mind, only wishing for the other party to leave the scene and forget what they had just laid their eyes upon.

Indeed, Megumi's eyes turned away with an imperceptibly disturbed look. It shook him to his core, the many waves of emotion targeting him with no remorse, a mass of negativity which he was all too familiar with. In terms of others, and in terms of himself, the Sorcerer could have sworn bile was piling up in his throat.

Everybody possessed personal problems, and it wasn't in his heart to butt into them. Especially not for somebody he wasn't sure he would ever see again, seeing how aimless his journey had been. Megumi took a step back when he had fully turned around, content with moving out of the scene.

"...Wait!"

He stopped in his steps, feeling his brows crease. Not even a third step was needed and he was called back, so the black haired man turned around warily, attempting to find out what had caused the Draco's sudden lapse in decision.

"Please... could you stay?"

He could see the dragon lady looking down, a shadow casted over her eyes. Her posture was shaky at best, a tale of tragedy and despair pouring out of her very stance. Megumi didn't know how to respond, he never did for a stranger who he hardly knew, but the woman looked at him like he was somebody familiar to her—even if he didn't understand a single thing underneath that gaze.

...Stay? Should he stay?

When glancing at Talulah, he had to ask himself that question. He wasn't one to comfort somebody after a tragedy, or during any tragedy. He couldn't even regulate himself to basic mannerisms when struck with one, wouldn't it be hypocritical for himself to act like he could comfort her?

There was a wound, streaking far and deep under Talulah's scales, her usual strong exterior was betraying everything that she had held up. This wasn't a leader, this wasn't an icon, this wasn't a deified person who he had heard so much about...

...Megumi opened his mouth, "I'll stay. That's it."

There wasn't a response, not even for the entire duration.

The flames calmed during the approach of the silence, which had encompassed the entire land.

Wisps of smoke flew through the air between them, distorting the air and Fushiguro Megumi's sight.

He stood there, heeding the woman's words. He didn't know what it meant for Talulah, or what purpose it served...

...But he didn't need to know.

So he stood there, frozen in time.

Megumi felt somebody grab at his sleeves with both hands, just as he was making his way back to the Reunion settlement. To accommodate the action, the black haired man stopped walking, turning around to look at the cause of such an action, Talulah. There was no longer any burning heat, but only the whisperwind of winter's breath moving across and blighting the land—something he found himself to be much more familiar with.

"Please, forget what you just saw." Talulah didn't gaze upwards, keeping herself steady.

Megumi took a moment of his time to hear her words on the previous matter. There was no need to deny her request, so he let his lips part without any hesitance.

"...I will."

The doors to the white Spire were opened by two guards attending to it, moving with practiced precision only seen by professionals in a certain occupation such as the medical field. It was a reminder to Fushiguro Megumi that the person in charge of this place, such as the patriarch, would be somebody in a high position of power. As if the concept hadn't already been seared into his brain with how much respect was shown to asingle letter, then it surely did now.

Laurentina followed behind him, gazing around the room as the door behind them closed. There was a click behind them which reverberated and echoed across the vast walls of the Spire's beginning floor. It was like looking at a vast journey ready to be undertaken with how large it was from outside, and the inside had definitely made the entire structure seem much larger than they had perceived.

Megumi looked around, feeling a person starting to approach them from in front. She was a woman dressed in dark green and, possessing horns atop her head, while her eyes looked to be... purely white. Only a faint trace of a differentiating color could be seen in her pupils, which was already hard to spot as it blended with the whites. There was no doubt about it, the woman, a Caprinae, was blind.

He promptly took out the letter of invitation from his black haori, handing it in front of him as she had approached them.

"Greetings," she respectfully called out to the two, reaching her hand out to grab the letter. Once Megumi's grasp was off of it, she introduced herself, "I act as the retainer forHerrWerner von Hochberg, you may call me Cora Lowenstein."

"It's nice to meet you too," Megumi responded with the same respect as she did, finding the air to be... uncomfortable. She was refined and educated to a degree that reminded him of the Clan Nobles back in Jujutsu Society, despite only being aretaineras she spoke.

"You...two..." There was a confusion for the slightest of moments, but Cora quickly recovered "...must be the esteemed guests invited byHerrWerner von Hochberg, I presume?" She finished her full assessment, feeling at the letter in her hands. "My apologies, it has been quite a while since I've acted as a retainer for this house, my time has been consumed as a conduct master of Leithanien's Reichsorchesters."

The black haired man took a glance at Laurentina, the shark lady giving a small and disinterested glance toward the other woman. His gaze turned back to Cora Lowenstein, the Caprinae fiddling with the invitation letter, perhaps checking the contents for any signs of fraudulence in its make-up or Arts.

He opened his mouth after, "that's completely fine, I'm only a guest, after all." Megumi saw the woman extend the letter back to him, before he took it and placed it in his black haori, putting it back into his shadow. "I'm here on the basis of... an acquaintance's request, I wouldn't want a letter such as this to go to waste," he was mentally glad that this woman was normal, as compared to everybody else he had met.

"Indeed, I've heard of you quite a fair bit fromFrauArturia, you must beHerrFushiguro," Cora lowered her head in respect, her eyes closing to cover up the lost luster within them. "Although I haven't been quite informed of your other companion, may I have your name,Frau...?" Her direction turned toward the one beside Megumi.

"Laurentina, that is my name, a pleasure to meet you on this fine day," Laurentina replied, wondering if she should be extending a greeting in the form of a formal bow... since their attendant wasblindafter all. However, she decided it would be courteous enough to do so, seeing no harm in such an act.

"Ah, there's no need to bow," Cora's hands were delicately placed over her stomach as a refined lady would, "but if you insist on doing so, then I have no complaints." She also made sure her words were not offensive to the person committing to such an act.

"It's only common courtesy," Laurentina replied.

'No harm in doing so,'Megumi mentally rolled his eyes. "That's humble of youFrauLowenstein..." the other two glanced at him with some sort of acknowledgement in their eyes, perhaps even surprise? It was only now that he realized his language had switched toperfect German"...But I believe other things should be underway." He decided to go on with it, this world's German language not possessing any differences.

"I believe so, too..." Cora replied with a slightly dazed voice, but quickly recovered. "I take you to be Higashinese as described, but I do not know of your companion's nationality. If it is disrespectful for me to ask for it, then there's no need to reply, of course," she made her stance clear. "Although I wasn't quite aware of it before, I take you,HerrFushiguro, to be an excellent polyglot."

"Thank you for the compliment..." Megumi drew out, motioning for Laurentina to respond to the blind woman.

"Aegir," Laurentina crossed her arms delicately and replied, "both in race and nationality—I don't believe you're much... aware of the latter."

If the confused expression of Cora Lowenstein was anything to go by, then Laurentina's assessment surely was correct, "apologies once more, I may not be well educated in the matters of what you speak."

"There's no need to be educated in such matters anyway," Laurentina brushed her off with a smile, "after all, how did the saying go again? Ignorance is bliss? Yes, that must have been the correct one."

"I'm afraid I don't...quiteunderstand?" Cora slightly shifted from her position.

"Precisely so," Laurentina nodded in satisfaction.

Megumi decided to speak up this time, "sorry for her behavior, she tends to be..." he stepped forward, hoping that his movement would be detected by the blind woman "...eccentric at times. She just wants to keep her nationality and home as a private matter, but she's not afraid to point herself out as an Aegir."

"...I'm not perturbed by her behavior, if that is what you'll lose sleep over," Cora waved her hand in the air dismissively, "just healthy confusion, that is all."

"That's good to hear," Megumi could feel some tension leave his chest, while Laurentina moved closer to his side.

They would all eventually be cut off when the sounds of footsteps cut them off. It emanated from behind Cora, off a good distance away. There were large stairs leading upwards toward what looked to be spiral staircases leading up the Spire itself, and somebody had recently descended from the latter. Atop the large stairs was somebody recognizable to a certain black haired Sorcerer, gazing down upon the three.

Megumi paused his conversation with the well-dressed woman, Cora Lowenstein. From what he had synthesized during their brief talk, she was a conduct master for Reichsorchesters of Leithanien, and was a retainer for House Hochberg. Right now though, the only business she had here was to pay Werner von Hochberg a visit, and from what he had heard... The patriarch was not present at the moment.

Some political business it seemed, a notion that made Megumi's lips thin. He didn't want to be the type of person to think that every person involved in politics were mustache twirling villains, but his recentandpast experiences with them were... not the best, to say the least. In fact, the Sorcerer was confident he would absolutely lose his mind if he was involved in another political dilemma.

'I'm getting lost again...'Megumi dryly thought. He didn't need to delve on those thoughts right now about these matters, what mattered even more now was...'Arturia.'His gaze had been fixated on the black shard winged Sankta with a halo of similar materials. It was the racial features of these angel inspired races, the most jarring feature he had ever seen.

'Arturia Giallo.'He held a complicated look on his face when staring at Arturia, a flood of memories bashing down the barriers in his brain. The questionably sane woman who made him almost summon Mahoraga before it was tamed, and the one who made him cause a ruckus throughout Lungmen when he attempted to lay low.

...He could admit that Tiger Funeral was also a fault of his own, considering how it could have been dispelled with the Inverted Spear of Heaven at any time.'What was I thinking during that time?'

Shaking his head, Megumi noticed that Arturia's attention was turned elsewhere, onto Laurentina. The other woman known as Cora looked to have detected the Sankta walking into the room,'She's blind,'the black haired man also kept note of that specific feature of hers, seeing the whites of her eyes shining no light.'Her other senses must be enhanced,'he kept a calm posture, remembering the promise he made to Arturia,'just keep calm. You have many means to deal with her Arts.'

'...What is Laurentina doing?'His gaze shifted back to the Aegir, slightly flinching when he saw her expression. He hadn't seen her like this much... but it looked like she was...'judgemental?'Megumi didn't know what to say in this situation.

There were many things the Abyssal Hunter viewed herself as. A finely crafted effigy meant to demonstrate to the horrid creatures of the sea that their existence was naught but a passing moment before her tuned blade? Most definitely. Ever since her and Megumi's exit from Ursus, the Aegir had been pondering over when she would face those treacherous monsters again... no, they couldn't even be called treacherous, such a concept never existed for them in the first place.

That title more so belongs to the walking heaps of trash who would throw themselves upon their kind without a moment's hesitation. 'People' who had abandoned their humanity for a fickle and dreamless world that valued nothing which made the world so beautiful. So, it had crossed her mind aplenty on when she would find her allies—ifshe could find her allies—or when the next time she'd strike her weapon against those Seaborn would be.

...But those thoughts were not needed at the moment, there were morepresentmatters to be pressed about.

Laurentina crossed her arms, turning away from Cora Lowenstein. The woman was polite, trained professionally to greet guests and act upon a respectful demeanor—that much should have been a given. Something else caught her sight though, for better or for worse.

She wasn't expecting much when visiting Leithanien, her current impression of it being a 'decent' place, especially with their more lax treatment on the Infected populace, so there was no need to fret about such a thing being found out. It was also a country populated by a lot of deer and goat people, something she had noticed to be a recurring pattern across dry land.

Everybody she had encountered so far were based off of land animals, but that shouldn't be too much of a surprise. After all, the Aegir people were based off of sea creatures, so recognizing a pattern such as this elsewhere wasn't much of a difficulty for the Shark lady. Still, an angel person of all things?Thatwas a new occurrence, but something she wasn't too surprised about.

Her focus wasn't on her racial features though, no, no, no, it was the way this mischievous little angel had laid her eyes immediately on her Princess when walking into the room. Laurentina could call herself a good guess of a person's character—by her own standards—and that look in the other person's eyes wasnotsomething that she liked.

Interest wasn't something bad, in fact, as it provided many benefits for humanity to grow and prosper. However, the interest deep in the eyes of that little angel wasfartoo vested to be anything ordinary, and she had to wonder how her Princess had come in contact with somebody such as this. Perhaps it was by mere chance?

'How unfortunate he must be then,'Laurentina commented in her mind.

Arturia could tell Fushiguro Megumi was a man in love. In fact, he was so deeply in love with something distant and unreachable, that the Sankta was curious to learn more about what could have made somebody as cold as him feel in such a way. It was beautiful how somebody could be so appreciative of something, yet also so twisted in the sense that nothing else mattered before their eyes when struck by such feelings.

In the case of this black haired man, there was no need to bring out his greatest desires like before. The last one had been vanquished, slaughtered in a heap of burning amethyst flames, replaced with a new one. She could tell it was at the very forefront of his mind, something he was acting upon at this very moment, contemplating in the deep recesses of the mind.

It was a twisted curse, distorted into something so unrecognizable that Arturia sought to see what it truly was. A mere glimpse at what was hidden behind a near limitless barrier wasn't something she was satisfied with. She wanted to see more, to see how love could become so distorted as what she was witnessing.

'How could this have come to be?'The Sankta was even more curious, shifting her gaze between the black haired man, his wheel, and to the... white haired woman standing beside him.'A companion?'That was a strange sight, with how closed off the black haired man was, and with what had happened back in Lungmen, she wondered how he could have a companion of all things with him.

The one possessing white hair wore a dashing dress, decorated with so many features that Arturia had to wonder if it were some elaborate art piece or fashion statement. Her frame was perfect, one befitting a beautiful and mystical woman, which was the only thing Arturia could help but compare her to. But what laid underneath was far different from what was given off, and she was not too particularly surprised to find that to be present.

Instead of reading one emotion, she was readingtwo.It was a strange sensation, like flipping through a book which told two stories at once. From what she could tell at the moment, the Aegir had a predatory stance toward herself and raised a high guard, especially when she stared at...'me.'

Arturia placed her arms over the railing, feeling the white haired woman's gaze lock fully on her. If she hadn't known better, the crimson light coming off of the other's eyes looked to be the blood of countless sea monsters gathered together, like a mascara of slaughter had been applied to them. It was vicious and cruel, painting a picture in her mind of a powerful force capable of bringing upon a reckoning toward any enemy who dared stand in sight of those orbs.

The one who stood as its enemy, was the Sankta staring deeply into it. Mirth started to find its way on Arturia's face as the...shark lady,yes that was an apt descriptor, continued to stare holes into herself.'Has he only made negative connotations of me in front of her? My, I almost feel hurt.'She met the hostility with a smirk.

Now, what could have caused this lady to be so protective of Fushiguro Megumi?

"FrauArturia?" Cora Lowenstein looked to have felt the Sankta's approach as she turned around. "It seems the person of your interest is here, I believe she should be the one to have you both familiar with the Spire."

"...That's for certain..." Megumi could feel Arturia's gaze fall on both and his Dharmachakra, before turning toward Laurentina—the latter also gauging the other person.'Strange... does Ms. Lowenstein not feel my Dharmachakra?'Aside from the elephant in the room being Arturia, the black haired man was also confused on why the Caprinae hadn't paid much attention to the object.

For somebody who was blind and had her other senses enhanced as a result, she didn't pay much credence to an object that hadeverybodyelse turning their head toward it.'Or maybe she just isn't making it obvious,'Megumi dryly continued his thought, before shaking his head. He looked at Cora making her way up the stairs toward Arturia, while motioning for him and Laurentina to follow.

Megumi turned toward the Abyssal Hunter. She kept her gaze trained on Arturia with an indescribable attitude, making him wish he could read other emotions rather than negative ones much more easily. Sighing, he tapped Laurentina on the shoulder, making her break off from her trance and turn toward him.

"Hm?" Laurentina let out a small sound of recognition, placing her left hand under her right shoulder while her right fingers were placed over her mouth. "Have I spaced out for too long? Ah, my apologies, I was just distracted byquitean astute sight," she kept her tone steady and filled with meaning, to convey a hard to read message toward the black haired man. Watching him raise his eyebrow in confusion was an adorable sight, "let us be hasty, then."

Megumi felt the white haired woman gracefully grab his hand with her own, before pulling him along with her. He was able to keep up with her pace, albeit with a slight shock at first, but he adapted to the situation. The many lessons she had taught him in how to be 'delicate' with a lady in terms of mannerisms were starting to show themself.

Arturia's gaze continued to scan them from what he could tell, while they made their way to Cora Lowenstein's path. Their steps made it to the grand stairs, making progressive steps upward. The lights of the chandelier hanging from the ceiling with nothing but a sturdy golden chain became more intense as a result, as if it were telling them they were making it closer to a grand revere.

For Fushiguro Megumi, the place lookedtooexpensive for his liking. It was no different in pretentiousness as the hilariously expensive apartments Gojo Satoru had rented out for him, boasting such unnecessary features that it made golden toilets look like a joke. Seriously, why were such things even made? Weren't there far more useful applications for gold? Nevermind such distracting thoughts, the Sorcerer needed to focus on the present.

At the final step, he and Laurentina had made their destination alongside Cora. Megumi could still feel the Aegir grasp at his hand with a tight grip, for reasons he didn't know. The white haired woman stepped in front of Arturia, the black haired man having no choice to linger behind her and stare at the Sankta with a complicated expression.

"Arturia Giallo, I have heard many things from my dear Princess here," Laurentina spoke without hesitation, calling the man by her hand by his nickname and declaring what she knew. "I must say, it doesn't seem to be appropriate for an invitation to such a... place ofgrandeurunbefitting for a small occasion."

Megumi had to wonder if she was secretly insulting the place.

"My name is Laurentina, I'm quite unaware of how you had met with Princess, but I take it as... an eccentric encounter, is that the right word?" She continued to speak, showing off her shark teeth and pinching her skirt with her free hand—crossing her right leg over her left with a majestic motion. "But enough small talk, I'm justsopleased to make your acquaintance."

Cora Lowenstein 'looked' at the scene with confusion, before shaking her head and turning toward Fushiguro Megumi. The latter only shrugged in response, not sure if she could even detect his movement, but decided to bet on it. There wasn't much to say about Laurentina, he had already gotten used to her talking about him like this.

Especially back in Reunion.

"I could say the same, it is indeed a pleasure to makeyouracquaintance," Arturia responded without so much as a pause, mimicking the same bow as Laurentina had, but using two hands instead of one. "I would have never expected Fushiguro Megumi to be aided with a companion such as yourself, it is a rather large revelation to be presented with."

"Oh really?Haha~that's pleasing to hear from you of all people," Laurentina placed a hand over her mouth and laughed.

Megumi looked at the two amicably chatting with each other, wondering if it was a good idea to bring Laurentina with him. The way the two of them looked to synergize so well with each other and getting along in regards to... talking about him whilehe stood right therewas a new experience. He had almost forgotten that the black haired Sankta was the one who nearly got himself killed, while the white haired Aegir was somebody who could snap all his bones in half. Almost, just almost.

Unbeknownst to him, sparks were flying on a more unindicative scale, one which was barely perceivable by even the Six Eyes. To the Sorcerer, what was all sunshine and rainbows was actually something which held a bloodied battlefield underneath, with sparks and blades flying across the air.

Such was the underlying gaze between Laurentina and Arturia, despite their chatter about related and shared topics.

"You two..." Megumi spoke up, watching as the two casually turned toward him. Their expressions which looked like they could never be swayed even by the fiercest of storms made him barely reign in his irritation "...we have other matters to attend to." He pulled his hand away from Laurentina's grasp, massaging it while referring to Cora Lowenstein, "Would Werner von Hochberg, the patriarch of this Spire, want to see us? we're his guests after all."

Cora let the conversations die out for a moment, before clearing her throat, "did I forget to mention a crucial detail?" She spoke out toward Laurentina and Megumi, not particularly Arturia as the Sankta already knew, "it seems I have, my apologies. To cure any further inquiries,HerrHochberg is not present in the Spire at this time. He is off to attend important businesses in accordance with Sturmland's needs."

"Oh..." Megumi didn't know how to reply to that, when looking at the blind woman. She seemed to be looking at him with an apologetic expression for not getting out that facet of information sooner, but he didn't mind it much. "It's... completely fine, we can wait for Werner von Hochberg to come back. But there isn't much purpose for us being here, I have to admit." He scratched the back of his neck, sending a discreet glance toward Arturia.

She crossed her arms with a neutral expression, before an all-knowing smirk came across her lips. It did not bode well for the black haired man, as Megumi could feel butterflies form in his stomach when gazing at her rose-tinted lips, and it was not butterflies of happiness or of lovestruck awe.

"I wouldn't say so," Cora shook her head, "HerrHochberg has expressed some interest in you, from what he has heard fromFrauArturia. There is no need to be so humble about yourself. Please, make yourself at home in this estate."

Megumi understood what her smirk was for now, feeling his stomach sink further. He had already decided to visit Leithanien for a few minutes and then leave, satisfying his promise to visit Leithanien upon her request, but he hadn't accounted for the Kurfurst of Sturmland himself gaining interest inhimof all people. Things had just gotten more complicated, and the Sorcerer did not like it one bit.

"An interesting facet of information to learn," Laurentina placed a hand under her chin, turning away from Arturia, "I don't take it you were aware of this, Princess?" She ignored the stares she received from Cora and Arturia, along with Megumi gaining second-hand embarrassment from having his nickname stated out loud again.

A certain Sankta decided to speak up, "well, Fushiguro Megumi, what do you implore to do next?" Arturia crossed her arms while leaning against the fancy wooden railings, the object standing tall against the pressure her body put on it. "You have a vast amount of time to explore such a culturally rich country you've never been to before, wouldn't it be best to make the most of it?"

Laurentina huffed out from the sidelines, confusing Cora. The latter was starting to gain a small understanding... that the Aegir woman wasn't too partial with the Sankta, not that she wished to point it out. Gaining the ire of their guests was the last thing she would want to happen, so the Caprinae decided to see how this situation would develop, before imposing a role of a mediator. The black haired man known as Fushiguro Megumi wasn't too much of a problem, he was simply a polite man if anything was to go by.

Megumi placed his left hand in his pocket, before running his right hand over his face in stressful contemplation. There was a heavy weight that he felt like was pressing down on his back, further adding on to the weight of what he had done back in Chernobog, in Lungmen, and in Primavera. If he didn't pace his steps well, then he could trip over the tightrope he was walking over, and then add Leithanien on the list. His best option was to...

"...Then we should explore the Spire then, if we're going to be staying overnight at such a place." His gaze turned toward Laurentina for any signs of affirmation. He was mentally relieved when she had given him a 'whatever' shrug, turning her gaze elsewhere for any inspiration from the looks of it. "Is that okay with you,FrauLowenstein?"

Cora nodded, "that is completely fine with me, what places would you like to be toured of,HerrFushiguro?"

Arturia was about to speak up for a suggestion of her own, but was beaten to the chase by Megumi speaking up almost immediately.

"I would like to see a library, if this Spire has one." A library, a place of stored education, amassing to what can be considered a small city of books that could be picked out at any time. For a private place of residency such as Werner von Hochberg's Spire, and especially because of the political power that he held in Leithanien as a whole... then there must besomethingthat he could pick out. "Is that doable?"

Cora gave her response, "of course."

Megumi walked through the library, gazing at the many assortment of hardcover books lining the shelves. The entire place possessed an air of wisdom and intelligence, which was a facet of life that the Jujutsu Sorcerer half-expected from a place such as Leithanien. From what he had heard from Laurentina—as the woman had conversed with nearly all Reunion members and gained knowledge from them—Leithanien prided itself as a country which explored the concept of 'Arts' more than others.

There were more universities and schools in this country than any other which specialized in teaching Arts and exploring its concept much more deeply than any other place. Many applications could be made with the mystical force, and it further added to its mystique when seeminglynobodyknew where it had first originated from. Only theories and conjectures could be made, but one thing was for certain toward Fushiguro Megumi, this country was the epicenter for the study Arts.

Especially with the Witch King, being the Strongest Caster in all of Terran History, having originated from these lands. Even if his history wasn't something that Megumi could say that he was familiar with, the black haired man only needed to bear witness to his title in order to get a vague understanding of where they stood in this world. 'The Strongest...' the two simple words irked his mind, even when the aroma of pristine books acted as a calming agent for them.

Megumi raised his hand to place it on the passing books.

A rustic and noble feel was what met the nerves of his fingers as the tip grazed through the multitude of objects. The feeling was coarse and bumpy, moving across the sides of the books constantly. While that was happening, Fushiguro Megumi's steps were slow and deliberate, taking all the time in the world to make it through the section he had found himself in. Amongst the stored books were subjects relating to history, andonlyhistory. Such historical records in the form of books mainly included ones belonging to Leithanien.

The titular Witch King, the famous Septemberrevolution, the sublime Guldenesgesatz, and many other miscellaneous subjects in regards to Leithanian history. There included some subjects of geopolitics, but they only served to make his stomach churn the more he looked at them. He wasn't impartial to reading them, though, as they would serve as a good enlightener in the subject of each country's relationship with each other.

His steps stopped, before nabbing it from its place with what looked to be 'practiced' precision, despite that kind of skill having been honed forothermatters in his previous occupation. It went into his black haori, and then transferred into his shadows. Megumi kept a mental note to return it, and that was all that was enough for him to keep it memorized. His steps continued once more, across the finely crafted towers of altered lumber.

There was a faint light coming from the ceiling, the black haired man having already recognized it to be powered by some application of Arts, which mostdefinitelycame from Originium. Unlike the grovelling Jujutsu Society, this world had widespread magic which could be applied to daily life. The conservatives and traditionalists back in his world would never dare to see such a world unfold before their eyes—most likely revolting at the mere thought of such an occurrence. It was an amusing thought.

Instinctually, his hand moved to grab another book that had caught his attention. It was a quick motion, barely perceptible to a normal human eye. The object and weight felt just like any other when placed between his fingers, the pseudo-limbs grasping to find the perfect balance with it. The Sorcerer shifted his arm, feeling his black haori twist and turn with his movement, before taking a glance at what the title was. He had already seen and registered it, but one for look didn't seem to hurt.

It was a history book, not unlike the other ones he saw earlier. Even though it was similar to the other ones, it still had its specializations and purpose as like any other book did. To better describe it, Megumi would describe it as an educational course on Leithanien's general history, rather than a specification upon a single subject. It didn't just talk about the Witch King or Leithanien's wars, but it talked abouteverythingto the best of its capabilities. He would be the listener, while the book would be the storyteller.

"What a curious book you have your hands on."

Megumi felt his expression falling to a deadpan, like an internal light switch having been turned off. He was sure it wasn't much of a change in expression, with how his face usually was. Taking a glance to his side, he was greeted with the same black hair, black wings, and almostsmugexpression on her face. With how relaxed she looked, he had to wonder if anything hadever disturbedher once in her life. Her head was tilted curiously, while her hands were clasped behind her back and leaning forward.

He decided to respond, "it is." Megumi placed it into his haori, using the function of the Ten Shadows as how it was supposed to be. "Is sneaking up behind people one of your hobbies?" Raising an eyebrow, he watched her curious gaze follow where his hand had gone, most likely deducing what he had just done.

"A hobby? I wouldn't say so," Arturia held a thoughtful look, "that book you have just retrieved, though..." her mind replayed the title that was on it, connecting it to the emotions she had felt from him "...reading itself, is one ofyourhobbies."

He was about to refute her as he classically did everytime the Sankta made a claim, but promptly shut his mouth. She was right, "a fair assessment to make," Megumi placed a hand over his mouth and wiped it down, "where did you get that from?"

"A rhetorical question?" Arturia smiled, but decided to bite, "well of course, your emotions give all of your demeanors away."

"Mhm." He nodded his head, turning away to scan the other parts of the library. Aside from the wall of bookshelves surrounding the both of them, there were multiple floors to the library which held more books, and even chairs with tables to read at. "What do you want?" He began walking to one of them, it was best to make use of his time before Werner von Hochberg returned.

"The age old question," Arturia closed her eyes and followed him, "the more I gaze upon you, the more differences I see between your demeanor from back then, to now. The biggest outlier? Just howsimilarit also feels."

"...Elaborate," Megumi took a small glance back at the Sankta with a stone-faced expression. Although preferably wished to not play into whatever she had 'schemed,' her ability to read emotions was something that he could see being an 'opportunity' for him to learn more about himself. In fact, learning about oneself is crucial in the art of Jujutsu Sorcery, and it dates back all the way to its origins—further being expanded upon during the Heian Era.

"And here I believed I would never gain your curiosity," Arturia placed a hand over her mouth and softly laughed, her eyes peering directly into his soul. "A small deluge of your emotions, one so vast that it floods my sense of the world with a mere glimpse, it is naughtbutunordinary. From the vast shadows from before, to the boundless abyss which I feel almostnothingfrom."

Megumi kept silent, ignoring the scenery that passed him. Her words were interesting, as it described his Innate Domain perfectly. That should have been expected though, considering how she hadbeeninside his Innate Domain itself, so her analysis and extrapolation of it wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"I see it, the light of divinity that caresses your figure with its grace. The prize granted upon subjugating a general venerated by the Heavens..." Arturia's mind flashed back once more to the monster of adaptation "...yet at the same time, those walls and barriers still remain. In fact, I'm sure they've become more hardened."

'My Domain Expansion's barrierhasgotten stronger ever since I had fully completed it. So she can even see—or feel—things such as that. Divinity... should be obvious enough,'Megumi didn't delve much deeper into the implications, "go on."

"Prowling beasts await beneath, ready to be placed under your command, theSovereignas I would put it." Arturia pressed her index finger against her chin and closed her eyes, "really, that mask of yours remains ever persistent." She playfully clicked her tongue three times, as if chiding the black haired man in front of her.

"That's good to hear, then." Megumi saw a desk make itself known in front of him, before reaching into his black haori and reaching out for one of the books he had stored in his shadows. "The ability to see the soul and its emotions, how useful. I'm curious, can you see memories too?"

"Have you forgotten? I've told you this before back during our little connection." Arturia kept note of his words, there was interest inherthat she hadn't seen before, rather than one that attempted to push her away, "your head is quite the mess to navigate, especially with what looks to be a torrent of memories, experiences, and...information—yes—information that shouldn't belong in the first place." A vast understatement she would say, merely comparing it to atorrent.How amusing.

"Seems accurate," Megumi said while pulling back a chair, before sitting down on it and crossing his legs. "I guess you do have some positives about yourself, after all..." he flipped the object of his interest open, watching as a wall of words made itself known in front "...Is what I would have said, if I didn't already knoweverythingthat you had just described."

Arturia paused for a moment, the man's demeanor in front of her having taken a complete turn, "well, that aspect of yours still has not changed." The Sankta sighed, moving to sit down by the chair beside Megumi's. She made herself comfortable after settling down, placing her elbow on the library table and propping her head up. "I can tell many things."

"That's already certain," Megumi tilted his book a few times, reading every inch of the paper which had been taken up by words. "So tell me, whatelsecan you tell me about me? Are you hiding something, or are you just keeping your words vague?"

"That companion of yours, she's quite interesting too. Are you aware of what I'm talking about?" Arturia switched topics with bemusement of all things.

"Excuse me?" Megumi set his book down for a moment, wondering what she was talking about, "Laurentina? What about her?"

"...Hm, forget it," Arturia sighed,'two emotions in one, conflicting each other... How interesting. One lays dominant while the other lays to rest, what could bring it out?'

Megumi felt his eyelids twitch, before slowly picking his book back up.

"Back on to other topics," Arturia leaned back and tapped her cello case, the object placed by her seat. "You are—by far—the most constrained I've seen." Her words held not a gram of sugar coating, as it cut through the atmosphere of the library. "It makes me wonder if my music has even done anything for you," the Sankta hummed thoughtfully.

"So that's it..." Megumi mumbled to himself.

"So have you finally caught a hint?" Arturia questioned, "it's almost as if you have become an accursed being, far worse than the mass of suicidal intent from before."

"...I can't deny that," the Sorcerer bitterly continued to read his book, crossing his left hand under his right elbow, and keeping it held upwards with the object in his hands. "You've already seen how I've acted back then, yet you always keep pushing barriers that should have been kept closed."

"What can I say?" Arturia fiddled with the locks of her case, "curiosity killed the Feline—in my case, I'm afraid I haven't passed on just yet."

"I should take you as a fool then," Megumi flipped to the next page, "if that's the purpose you want to serve for your life, be my quest. I have no place in it."

"Oh, but what if you do?" Arturia held a vague smile, crossing her right leg over her left, "you're theworstcase I've seen of such a chained soul, and I believe it has only become more chaotic as the test of time has worn you down. Bringing you far below than where you have been previously."

"There's a floor, I'll reach it eventually," Megumi boredly responded, "and the only direction that can be taken, is up."

"Not unless you dig yourself deeper," Arturia's hand moved to the side of her case, pulling out an orchestra baton and twirling it between her fingers, "what will it be then? Your grave?"

'...My Domain.'

"What else could there be for somebody who has fallen so low, but for Death's cruel embrace?" Arturia danced the baton in the air, watching the faint trail it produced at its end, "such a path is unseemly for someone like you. Fushiguro Megumi."

'I'm already a toy of Fate,'Megumi flipped to another page.'What reason is there to choose a path, when it is already chosen for me?'

"There's many things you could learn from somebody, especially from their emotions. Their gripes, their greed, their pride, their joys, their sorrows..." Arturia paused her movements, sending a side glance toward the other person, her hair tilting "...yet at this very passing of time—you hide not only from others—but from yourself."

"Does this have to do something with greatness?" His voice was dull, finally directly responding to the woman.

"Greatness?"

"To see the true side of humanity, to see it united in some way, is that what you're looking for?" Megumi felt his glare toward the contents of the book deepen, "if you really wanted to see something like that, I would have killed you ages ago, back then, and perhaps even now."

"We've been through this play before, I remember it vividly, as if it had just happened yesterday," Arturia noted, fiddling with the instrument once more. "How could anybody forget it? When you were truly yourself for what seemed to be a million years, wherein I believed myself to be consumed next in your ravishing fervor."

"Do you want to be?" Megumi snapped his book shut, giving her a tired gaze. "Leithanien—I could always run away from the city, hide off at some other place, and sear my face so it never looks the same again."

"A hasty approach to things, I wouldn't recommend it," Arturia said without much of a hitch, her expression staying ever constant. "Despite what you might say, it's an impossibility for somebody to be sorighteousof heart to do such a thing."

"...Righteous?" Megumi blinked, that singular action causing his expression to shift. Not to one of amazement or acknowledgement of her words, but to one ofsheerdisgust at such an inconceivable statement being directed towardhimof all people. "Haha...where the hell did you get that from?"

"Don't you hate it? Don't you despise it?" Megumi asked his own question with a deadpan, "to see the ugliness of humanity every day, to be exposed with ulterior motives everywhere you walk, without an opportunity to trust a single person with those abilities of yours?" The black haired man had experienced it in brief bouts after having become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, the implicit Cursed Energy that would radiate from a person whenever there was a malicious undertone within them. "You'd understand it best, wouldn't you? Or have you never encountered such a thing, or does only your ability encompass everything in rose-tinted glasses?"

"...An astute question," Arturia closed her eyes, letting his words digest. "Tell me, does your inherent selfishness and broken resolve define you in your entirety? I believe that isn't the case, for they are merely fetters for what you desire. Such desire however..." She had never seen anything like it before, so many desires jumbled up together that even the Sankta didn't know what would happen when they spiked out all at once.

They were a sense of longing, a sense of duty, a sense of righteousness, a sense of anger, a sense of sorrow, a sense of loss, a sense of desire, and a sense of wishing to see nothing but death and slaughter. All boiled together into a fury of emotions, all fighting for their place in the black haired man's body—so evenly matched that Arturia had to ponder if they were locked into a neverending eternity of indecision.

"You didn't answer my question," Megumi thinned his lips.

"It should have been implicated enough," Arturia retorted with a smile, opening her eyes.

"I'm not in the mood for these games," his book flashed back open to the page where he had left off. "At this point, we're getting nowhere. Answer this directly, it's a simple question that you already know,do you still want to play your instrument for me?"

"What other wish would I have for bringing you here?" Arturia rhetorically responded.

"Many,manyothers. I can't tell if you have an ulterior motive for yourself or not, but I assume you do. Everything done is for your own twisted self of satisfaction, isn't that right? Out of everybody I've met in this world, you are the most Cursed out of them all." Megumi gave his analysis as a Jujutsu Sorcerer. "You don't care what damages you cause, or the paint that you inflict as a result. How many have needlessly died as a result, just because you balanced their life on a string."

"Liberation, is a clause for humanity, I don't believe you to understand such a concept, and neither do I expect you to. How many tortured souls roam these broken and cruel lands to never have what they truly wish realized? Don't you feel it clinging to your chest every day, every night? Those rusted chains will only serve to tear apart your heart the tighter it wraps, before your delicate organ bursts—the embrace of death and dissatisfaction being the only companions to your grave. Is that what you want?"

"That...would be perfect," Megumi shot back without hesitation, "isn't that life fitting for somebody like me, to die a meaningless death after everything?Ha...haha...It's almost comedic isn't it? With how many righteous people there are out in the world, all they are resigned to by Fate is to bite the soil beneath their feet, while people likemeget to walk around doing as I please—isn't that hilarious? It is almost as if Fate favors the worst of humanity. Is that what you want?"

"There is a flaw in that belief, such as how your mind is riddled with a multitude of flaws in of itself," Arturia sighed, watching the black haired man's eyes start to lose the light it held. "It pains me to see such a bright star such as yourself dim out in its light. Is there truly a need for you to doubt your actions, the truest ones with such a vehement rage?"

"Yes, there's no denying that, and you'll never change my mind. Just as how I will never change yours." Megumi grit his teeth, feeling his lips clasp together. There was a rough sound that left his mouth, the hands which were a part of his body clenching tightly, "so why is there a need for you to play your damnable music to my ears? There is always something that you find interest in, and there is always something that you question with somebody. I'm not the first one, am I?"

"I can't deny such a thing, because there is no need to in the first place."

"You want to liberate me, with how much you've spoken about that nonsense, it only had already become clear to me ages ago. There. Is.Nothingthat you gain from liberating me, and there is nothingIgain from liberating myself either. So answer. Me. What is the purpose of this...?" Megumi narrowed his eyes in an unseen rage.

Arturia sighed, fixing herself into a more comfortable position, "there isnothing to be gained. If the world was all about gains and greed, then how utterly uninspired would it be as a result? Can you imagine yourself in such a world, can you find yourself pontificating and becoming an advocate for materiality?"

"..." Megumi didn't respond.

"There is no need for me to have to gain anything from this, simply unleashing the fetters clinging to mankind as a whole is enough. You have spoken of the gains and losses that could come with me... but have you seen any of the satisfaction and euphoria that has resulted from it?" Arturia opened her eyes, a glint coming out of her narrowed orbs. "Have you ever experienced such... such a beautiful moment?

"...What are you getting at?"

"Might I suggest...youare the twisted one?" Arturia playfully remarked, gaining a tired look from Megumi, one that suggested... "oh? You already know it seems. I should have expected, with the logic you rely on, it would be foolish of me to assume that you would be in the dark about such things. But do you know how deep it reaches? How could you spit upon the idea of truly being oneself in spite of all things..."

"..."

"Is it hurt? Is it pain? You've experienced a lifetime of bountiful afflictions, nine times over. Is that why you wish to not see those around you flourish? It is my own postulation, and you need not take it as fact, but pardon me for such an assumption... for I don't understand why you cannot see the joy of doing what you so truly desire."

"Have you heard of a story?" Megumi set his book down, crossing his arms while staring off to somewhere else.

"...Hm? A story? I've heard of many stories," Arturia found it weird how the black haired man was the one to change the topic, but followed it nonetheless.

"There were two gods, Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-Mikoto," Megumi replied, his brain retracing the story which he had heard from long ago. "The two gods of creations who had made the mantle of the earth, and forged the core of the planet. Have you heard of this story?"

"I have not," Arturia could tell those names were of Higashinese origin, but she had to admit that she wasn't the most well-versed when it came to Higashinese mythology. She was still quite aware of the existence of their 'deities,' however.

"It is said that Izanami, wife to Izanagi, had died giving birth to Kagutsuchi. With it being the God of Fire, she had suffered severe burns and died as a result, with the husband—Izanagi—moving to bury her under a mountain. To cut things short, her soul was transferred to Hell, and because she had eaten food belonging to that place, her soul was forever entrapped there as a result." Megumi tapped his finger on the table, feeling Arturia's interest toward his story. "Izanagi wished to bring her back from Hell, and so he travelled there in order to do so. Because Izanami was a decaying corpse in hell, she had begged the other god to promise to not look at her while she negotiated to the other gods residing in Hell if she could leave, and he agreed to do so. However, he became impatient, and lit a fire as a result of impatience to see his wife one last time."

Arturia interlocked her fingers and hummed, painting the scene vividly in her mind. Gods were revered as possessing near omnipotent strength by the masses, usually. To hear a story where complications that had arisen such as the case of Izanagi and Izanami... was a different view to look at. It was almost as if they were humans, struggling with human means and human results. She wanted to hear the rest.

"She was decrepit, ugly, and disgusting. Izanagi was so revolted in fact, that he immediately ran away, leaving his wife in the confines of Hell without any more effort to help release her." Megumi bit his tongue recalling that part of the story in dissatisfaction, "Izanami was enraged with the promise being broken, and sent the 'hags of Yomi' toward Izanagi. He was able to escape in the end, sealing off the gateway to Hell and purifying himself. It's a controversial story, on which side you take, do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Certainly."

"So tell me," Megumi felt his left hand clench, out of view of Arturia, "was Izanagi's action, what he most desired at the time, the right act to make? If he had just waited for his wife to negotiate with the gods of Hell, would theybothhave been able to leave, all in one piece?" If it had been Itadori Yuji or Fushiguro Tsumiki, the Sorcerer would not hesitate toforcethe Gods of Yomi themselves to release them—no negotiations held.

"...Stories..." Arturia entered a contemplative trance, envisioning the scene over and over again in her head. The Great God known as Izanagi-no-Mikoto abandoning his wife, Izanami-no-Mikoto into the endless damnation that was Hell. All because he had been impatient, all because that was what the Great God had desired the most "...to answer, it's quite hard to say—"

"Izanagi is a terrible husband, his action was one of the scummiest in my opinion. He shouldn't even becalledIzanami's husband, and all his actions reflect just how twisted the Shinto Pantheon was at the time," Megumi found the air around him to become more irritable. "He was a god, he could have purified Izanami after they left Hell, he could have struggled more to retrieve her from its clutches. No, all he did when seeing her state was abandon her to an eternity of damnation.Because that was his truest desire, isn't that just so righteous?"

"Admittedly, I would not desire to play my music for the 'god' you have just described," Arturia brushed a strand of her hair to the side.

"...So youdohave limits to who you play for?" Megumi found himself genuinely appalled at this singular revelation, before recovering from his expressions. "Then... why? Why play for me when all I have are selfish desires? Can't you see it, can't you understand what I'm talking about?" He placed a hand over his mouth while speaking and creased his brows.

"I'm afraid you are the least qualified among Terra to understand even yourself," Arturia crossed her arms with a 'lecturing' disposition. "I don't blame you at all in that regard, with how broken and scattered your emotions are. However..."

Megumi found two hands cupping his cheek, pulling face closer to the Sankta. His limp body was pulled easily forward, his sights meeting the other woman's eyes, looking at the golden-graced sparkles underneath them. Yet the surrounding iris was dark, unfitting for such a bright star to be placed in between them—or perhaps, it was the most fitting place where it could be placed.

"...I can see it all, what you desire at the moment, how troubled you are with your life." Arturia's voice crawled to a whisper, "I remember it before, two months ago. When your heart burned the brightest, like a star shining its overbearing fever across all other celestial objects that had dared stand in its presence. It was enrapturing... I felt as if I would be consumed by the inflorescence of such a dazzling scene."

"..."

"Isn't it ironic yet so beautiful, how even the deepest and darkest chasm could hold the most breathtaking spectacle?"

"..."

"You've only grown to glow brighter, with the golden instrument hovering above your head acting as a protective ward, I'm sure of it. However, I fear that light would plunge back into the abyss of your soul, as you have strayed from your path, haven't you?"

"..."

"So please, I ask you one more time..." Arturia leaned forward, her lips finding themselves close to the black haired man's ear "...let me play for you, the delicate strings which shall strike all the chords in your heart."

Laurentina walked at a higher floor level than Fushiguro Megumi, gauging different books of her own. From where she was at, the railings at the higher section of the library overlooked the lower floors, so there was no need to worry about not being able to see him. If anything happened, then the Aegir would be able to act fast and diligently. At the moment, she was more content with looking at the wide assortment of books.

"Leithanian, Leithanian, and... Leithanian, are there any books that relate to the outside world?" Laurentina called out to Cora, who had been with her for the better length of their entire journey to the library. It was suggested by that angel lady that they were to split up to view what each were curious with, and of course she had ended up with her Princess.

"I'm afraid you will find them to be scarce," Cora couldn't read any of the titles, so all the Caprinae couldn't recommend any sections for books. "Especially for subjects relating to art. Thisisthe art section you had wanted to visit, correct?"

"Indeed," Laurentina stopped in her steps, looking through more of the book titles. "They're still all Leithanian..."

"Do you have an aversion to Leithanian's arts?" Cora curiously asked, "it looks to me that you would prefer to look at other ones unrelated to the country."

"If my attitude comes off as negative, then please excuse me." Laurentina tilted her head at a peculiar title, but that was all there was to it. "I've already seen what Leithanien has to offer, that much has left me satisfied, but I still wish to see more. Gazing upon the same thing constantly becomes boring after a while."

"...Ahem,FrauLaurentina, have you not visited Leithanien just this morning?" Cora cleared her throat delicately, "to pass judgement so quickly..."

"Is that so?" The Abyssal Hunter moved to the railings, having not found any book that had caught her eye. "Well, it seems my standards for what makes art admirable are far too high to reach on dry land. There is not much I can do about it." Her elbows rested on them while overlooking the entire library's lower floor, her gaze locking on the seat where Megumi and Arturia were at.

"I don't believe I can share such a sentiment. Well, not anymore I would say," Cora sighed. She remembered the pasture of musical instruments across the Spire of the Witch King, the weapons of war emblazoned with platinum and gold. They always feltpowerfulwhenever her hands covered by a cloth would wipe off any speck of dust which had gathered on them. "I've seen many beautiful scenes in my life, but looking back upon those memories makes me realize how illusory they were."

"I don't share that sentiment with you, either." Laurentina gazed at the cello placed beside Arturia as the Sankta and black haired man beside her were conversing.'No, conversing isn't the right word... they're arguing.'Her sense of hearing detected what they were saying even from the distance they were at, "if there is anything about my past that I wish to say—then it is that I desire profoundly to go back to them."

"To reach back to the past is an impossibility, however."

"That I can agree with," Laurentina smiled, watching the black haired man grow a spine against the other woman, all the while she conversed with Cora. His words were becoming more... intense, "all there is to do is to look at what the future beholds to us. However it might be ugly or distasteful, we will look back on them with a nostalgic lens, won't we?"

Cora closed her eyes to gain more concentration. It was a habit that had bled into her despite having been turned blind, the many other years having spent being able to see the light of the world were showing. In her mind were many passing memories which she could hardly recall at her current point in life, all having become blurry motes of light coalescing to form a perplexing image.

To anybody else, it would be confusing and look to be a slate of scattered drawings. To herself, Cora found it to be as clear as the cloudless skies of the summer, wherein the baked lights lit up everything in its path. How beautiful it was, to be able to recall how the scenes were from emotion itself.

"So as much as I desire to indulge the purpose that had been given to me years ago, taking things with a small stride isn't something I am impartial to." Laurentina heard it, the story of the two Great Gods Izanami and Izanagi, finding it to be an interesting tale. Fushiguro Megumi had never told such stories of yore to her, making the Aegir more curious about what others he knew. "The time will come soon."

An abandonment of one's love due to superficial means, a tale of death and having to move on from it. Laurentina couldn't help but chide Izanagi-no-Mikoto in her mind for his betrayal and breakage of his promise.

"I can't say I completely understand you, but I agree to an extent." Cora gazed upon the bookshelf beside them, placing her hand upon them and tracing it across, "if there is anything you would like to read, then is it fine if I choose it for you?"

"Be my guest," Laurentina replied, turning her head around to make sure the blind woman heard her. "I can't guarantee it will catch my interest, though." It would be a one in a million chance for the blind woman to choose a random book which would pique her interest.

"I hope it does," Cora pressed her fingers against a book, feeling the...'braille? Who would have known.'The Caprinae let out a small huff, wondering who had written the book she was feeling. Or was it out of consideration by Werner von Hochberg to include braille titled books in this section? There were also chances they were always...

"Are you done picking them out, or—" Laurentina called out to the other woman, but immediately stopped dead in her tracks when staring at the scene happening down below.'What is that little angel doing?'Her grip on the railing tightened, watching Arturia grab her Princess' face and pull him closer to hers.

"Ah, I've decided upon a book, I believe the title reads..." Cora was about to turn to Laurentina and hand her the item she had picked out, but was slightly shocked when it was pulled from her hands so fast. "F-FrauLaurentina?" The woman felt the wind brush past her face, as the white haired womanvaultedoff of the ledge. "FrauLaurentina!"

A thump was heard, signalling that the Abyssal Hunter had landed on the bottom floor from the height they were at. Suffice to say, the Caprinae 'watching' over the other woman had a mini-heart attack, before she thought fast enough to rush to the stairs.

Megumi had nothing to say to retort the woman, and was about to physically break off from the contact instead. However, his actions were unneeded as something else cut between the two, a hand which separated them by forcefully pushing both back. When that happened, it felt like the wind had blown past his face along with Arturia's, the distance having widened by a large margin.

Blinking a few times after the sudden action, Megumi glanced at how had done the action. It was Laurentina, her white hair billowing in the wind along with all the fashionable accessories on her dress. The brief shock from earlier made him perceive the world in a slightly slower pace, so he bore sight to the Abyssal Hunter's gracious figure after having just executed a feat which casuallybrokethe sound barrier.

Her head turned toward him. The white locks of her hair slightly obscured her face, but the crimson light that shone from her eyes shone strongly to the point where it was the one that caught his attention the most. It was then time resumed to normal for Megumi, the black haired man feeling more confusion build up.

"Well~you two seemed to have been having quite the time alone," Laurentina faintly dusted her hands together, as if she had just taken out trash, "but there is a time and place for everything, isn't that right, little angel?" Her gaze turned toward the Sankta, keeping up her smile.

"Hm?" Arturia tilted her head, turning to where the Aegir was. She had decided what had happened, the white haired woman looked to have jumped off from where she was at to reach the two and separate them, "my, it seems I must have becometooexcited, so forgive me for my previous action." She brushed it off, "the request is still open for you,Princess."Her sights turned back to Megumi.

The black haired man creased his brows at Arturia, still recovering from the whiplash from the woman grabbing his face and pulling it close, "what the hell?" That was the only response he could give.

"Pfft~" Laurentina immediately widened her eyes and placed a hand over her mouth, hearing Megumi's blunt response, "ah, you mustn't be so critical to an overly excited angel... especially when she hasunrulymeans of achieving what she wants, am I correct?" The Aegir's gaze turned back to Arturia—more specifically—the woman's cello case, which had two of its locks undone. She wasn't ignorant enough to not know that even musical instruments can be used as Arts Units.'And who are you calling Princess?'

Megumi couldn't tell if her words were serious, or if she was just playing around.

"My apologies then," Arturia smiled sweetly, before flicking the locks of her cello case, "I merely wished to bring something interesting out, after all."

"Is that so?" Laurentina pressed a finger on her lower lip, "then would youwantto see what happens after?" The Aegir hummed.

"I would love to be your guest, then."

Megumi turned away from the two, and placed his elbow on the table. He needed to process the Sankta's words, and listening to their conversation wouldn't get him anywhere. His hand moved to massage his forehead, getting rid of the headache that was forming. Now he had to deal with two eccentric people calling him 'Princess...' Whatever implications that had for the future, he didn't want to delve into it.

A fourth voice cut into the conversation, "FrauLaurentina! Are you alright?"

The three turned toward the approaching woman with various looks. Megumi looked sick and done with the day, while Laurentina and Arturia held their trademarked smiles, regarding Cora Lowenstein with a courteous flair.

"Oh, Cora, you needn't worry about my physical health, I'm in the best state I could be right now." Laurentina dismissively waved in front of her as Cora approached her, the latter letting out a small huff, as she couldn't gauge any wounds with her blindness.

"That was... quite reckless of you back then. Please, warn me when you will do an action such as that." Cora pulled a handkerchief from her pocket, wiping her forehead from the cold sweat forming.

"If I may inquire, what has gotten you in such a panic, Cora?" Arturia crossed her legs, giving one last glance toward the distressed Fushiguro Megumi, before turning her full attention to Cora.

"Ah, it was nothing much," Cora sighed while shaking her head, "have you two spent the time you need in the library?" The Caprinae woman turned to Megumi and Laurentina while asking the question.

Megumi quickly spoke up, "yes, we are. Please, take me to the place where we'll be staying over at." The black haired man pinched the bridge of his nose after, "I'm becoming... tired." It wasn't a complete lie, as he hadn't slept much in the past few days when journeying to Leithanien. It was just that the conversation he had with Arturia... thateccentricwoman had been too mind-numbing.

Seriously... did she use her Arts?

"I don't see why not?" Cora responded.

It was much to Megumi's relief.

The rest of the journey toward the guest rooms for the Spire was uneventful to say the least. There were some Spire Casters and guards walking around, but that was just about it. Most of the time, either Laurentina or Arturia would attempt to strike up a conversation with him, but the Sorcerer would be damned if he didn't know how to deflect it off to somebody else, and Cora Lowenstein was the person he had chosen to be his victim. He felt slightly guilty for the woman, as she most likely didn't know what he was doing, but Megumi was far too tired to harbor such feelings.

Speaking of Laurentina and Arturia... the two of them seemed to get along well.Toowell in his opinion, it was as if they were friends. Everytime he looked at the two, there was only flowers and pollen radiating between them, the Aegir and the Sankta seemingly giggling and laughing at each other's jokes as a refined lady would. If they had actually become close friends, Megumi was sure he would start to lose sleep overnight.

...But Laurentina seemed to keep a barrier between him and Arturia everytime they walked through the halls... or was he just seeing things from being exhausted?'Whatever, it's not good to analyze things with a tired mind, Gojo-sensei said it would lead to misunderstandings because it doesn't function at its best capacity...'Megumi decided to leave it at that, letting out a sigh and entering his room.

The other three women were gone off to someplace else, Arturia and Cora showing Laurentina more of the Spire while he stayed back in his room to rest up. He didn't need or want to see any more of the structure's interior, he could do so in his free time and when he felt like partaking in that action. Right now, he decided to focus on something else before falling asleep, which he deemed to be the most important.

His growth was stagnant at the moment, and Megumi had found that to become a pet peeve of his. There was always a rush of exhilaration and high whenever there was a breakthrough or greater understanding of Jujutsu Sorcery which he had never achieved before, one that would make him press his palm against his forehead and wonder, 'how have I not thought of this before?!' An over exaggeration, but he already knew that Jujutsu Sorcery was all about exaggerations.

Then there was a distraction that invaded his thoughts, one of the recent events of today coming back to him.

Letting out a frustrated breath from what he had experienced not too long ago, Megumi had decided it was best to leave those matters as they were. He could mull over those words later, because training was of far more importance to him than anything else, especially when in his own private quarters. Reminiscing about today could come later, tomorrow was what he should focus on.

Where was he? Right, his growth. There were many things that came with a growing Jujutsu Sorcerer, and strength was only one of them. If somebody were to delve into more of the details, then Cursed Energy reserves, Cursed Energy control, and Cursed Energy refinement could be included. That didn't even scratch the surface of Cursed Techniques such as Innate Techniques and Non-Innate Techniques.

Despite all of which he had listed, what stuck out as the most observable among all of them wasstagnation. Yes, stagnation of one's growth. To find that every training and effort made in the future would be nothing but a slow crawl, an agonizing process which was the main inspiration killer for Jujutsu Sorcerers and Curse Users alike. For Fushiguro Megumi, he had experienced it many times back on Earth, and it was only alleviated somewhat when taming a new Shikigami.

Right now, he was experiencing such a thing. Despite the explosive growth which had propelled him high into the sky, he was still worlds away from reaching the level of Ryomen Sukuna and Gojo Satoru. No matter what he wished to believe, Megumi could only see himself as an 'above-average' person in terms of talent. If it were those two who had put in extraneous effort into becoming stronger, he was one-hundred percent certain that they would reach such ungodly levels that he wouldneverbe able to catch up.

It was a mix of boredom and exhaustion that those two Sorcerers had stayed stagnant at their point. To grow ever stronger without any limit would only serve to make sure no other generation would even be able to reach your level, something that the black haired man assumed was true for them, which went against what they had wanted. Despite despairing in his own body back then, the Ten Shadows user had felt innately the two Strongest's passion during their relentless bout.

Megumi let his back fall onto his bed, while placing the back of his hand over his forehead. He needed to think, he needed to concentrate... What else could he do other than slowly train to become stronger? Training was always an effective method, but at the rate he was going at... the black haired man would much prefer to enter a life-or-death battle in order to land a Black Flash, and glimpse further into the workings of hissoulandCursed Technique. Speaking of soul...

...He moved his hand away from his forehead, gaining a clearer view of the ceiling. There was a chandelier placed off from the bed, a safety measure just in case it broke off from the chain holding it for whatever reason. The world of Terra was far different from Earth, so not all inanimate objects could possess souls, something that Megumi had scoffed at. It was far too obvious, and he should have expected such a thing.

Calling the Inverted Spear of Heaven into his hands, the black haired man could see the soul of the Cursed Tool clearly. Strangely enough, his perception of souls were only relegated to inanimate objects, with animate people's souls being far more difficult for him to gaze at. His own soul however? Megumi could gaze upon it without much of a pause, but it still required concentration.

'I've developed soul sensing in a... strange direction.'Despite the soul being a hard and obscure subject to understand even in the most advanced parts of Jujutsu knowledge, there was stillsomeinformation along with theories regarding them. It was just... very lacking in the black haired man's opinion, but he was able to get a decent gauge of how it was,'understanding one's soul was the easiest, seeing other's souls is the next step, and seeing the souls of objects wasthe most difficultstep to reach.'

It was funny, really. How humorous was it that he had achieved the hardest step while lacking sorely in the basics? It reminded Megumi of the time how he was able to create a Domain Expansion, but was lacking in the basics of creating a barrier for it, so his Sure-Hit couldn't even be imbued into it. It only brought him to 120% of his potential, which let him instinctively use his Shikigami's abilities with a barely perceptible injection of Cursed Technique Reversal, and summon more than one copy of his Shikigamis.

'Okay... think of what you could do next,'Megumi said in his mind while dispelling the Inverted Spear of Heaven. It was much easier to use the Special Grade Cursed Tool now that he had placed the genius Binding Vow on it to make it...'Wait...! Binding Vows!'His body immediately jolted upwards into a sitting position. He felt his black haori flow form the movement, his eyes pulsating even wider.'Binding Vows, that's it! I just need to create more Binding Vows!'He felt a rush of adrenaline come into his body at the thought.

What could he do? What could be used to bolster his abilities without compromising anything important? Think... think... he needed to think of anything that could be abused to an unprecedented degree, to the point where even Ryomen Sukuna would be looking upon him with an amused smirk. Despite his hatred for the King of Curses, if Fushiguro Megumi could imagine the pink haired bastard looking at something with animpressedlook then it must mean it was somethinggenius.

Shikigamis, he had Shikigamis which only required one summon before they were pulled out. Instead of dispelling them to reposition them without his enemy knowing, Megumi knew that he could hide them in the shadows and make them go elsewhere. Although they could still be attacked in such a state, it provided enough of a cover for them to escape and find a more advantageous striking point. But the main factor the Sorcerer was focusing on was how they didn't need to be fired off constantly like Dismantles or Cleaves to cause widespread destruction.

They merely existed, draining his Cursed Energy reservesveryslowly while they were out. Unlike Shrine where he had to constantly fire off and expend Cursed Energy, his Shikigamis were the most Cursed Energy efficient things in his arsenal. Especially with the fact that they only needed to be summonedonce.He would dub it as a 'one-effort manifestation' for this brief moment.

So... what Binding Vow could he make to capitalize on their 'one-effort manifestation' trait?'Sacrifices... I could sacrifice parts of my body, right?'An insane thought came to Fushiguro Megumi, the black haired man having already set his sights on a method of increasing his overall combat capabilities.'If I sacrifice a part of my body to summon my Shikigamis, then it must provide a tremendous boost, right?'

He stood up from his bed, taking one more look at the vast room he had found himself in. There wasn't much to say about it other than the German influence bleeding into every single furniture and corner of decoration. Although it was more luxurious than what a traditional German room would be, Megumi didn't care about such things anymore. He walked on the carpet and made it to the center of the room, before moving objects out of the way to create more space.

"Okay, let's start..."

He closed his eyes and concentrated. There was an aspect of creating Binding Vows which inhibited people from making them in the heat of battle, because it required a great amount of concentration in order to do so. Megumi no longer suffered from such a problem, as doing so during battles had already embedded the feeling deep into his muscle memory and instincts, making him as proficient as the King of Curses in doing so. Well, he could also give some credit to Ryomen Sukuna's bleeding influence...

Under this Binding Vow:

Condition 1:Fushiguro Megumi can sacrifice parts of his body by forcing his cells to undergo 'apoptosis,' turning them into pure Cursed Energy proportional to what was sacrificed.

Condition 2:Fushiguro Megumi canonlyand alwayshas tosacrifice a part of his body when summoning Shikigamis of the Ten Shadows.

Results:Fushiguro Megumi's output is thus raised as a result of the sacrifice taken when sacrificing a limb, and is able to utilize the Cursed Energy made from cells having undergone apoptosis to its fullest degree.

Something enchained his heart and soul, Megumi could feel it. Without the adrenaline constantly pumping through his veins and disabling any sense of discomfort that would come to him, it wasvividandknee-jerkingin its nature. Letting out a breath to relieve himself of the stress that came with it, the Sorcerer paced around the room in a circle. Honestly, he didn't know how the Binding Vow would be applied, and he was nervous in that regard...

...Yet at the same time,excited.

Clasping his hands together after making his decision on the fly, Megumi concentrated his Cursed Energy just as he would when summoning his Shikigamis. He wasn't going to apply the Binding Vow to Shrine or Shadow Extension, because it would mean the Sorcerer would be required to sacrifice a part of his bodyeverytime he channeled their powers. So he had only decided for his Shikigami, as they only needed to be casted once to be utilized to their fullest potential.

"Divine Dogs!"

A black puddle formed in front of him, the liquid bubbling as it encompassed the floor in its entirety. Megumi's eyes widened, feeling his hands leading up to his arm start toburnup in dark shadows, the flames eating at the limbs and making him repulse. A grunt of pain escaped him as his arms departed from each other, exiting from the shadow puppet of a wolf while he stepped back.

Immediately, the black haired man cycled Positive Energy into the damaged limbs, watching as green-white steam came out of it, healing the wounds that had been incurred. It was gone fast, all the while Divine Dogs were coming out of the summoning puddle, their form becoming more transparent before his eyes. The black haired man turned away from his hands, already having counteracted the downside by healing his apoptosed cells. His gaze turned toward the puddle, where—

—Two three headed dogs came out, one dressed in darkness while the other was stapled with light. They looked fierce, a large amount of Cursed Energy emanating from their body along with their more 'wild' looking fur. The Shikigamis turned toward Megumi, immediately recognized him as their master on an instinctive level. They were the same ones that he was familiar with, even if their physical appearance had changed drastically.

"Amazing..." Megumi breathed out, "this isn't even a Totality," the black haired man reached down to pet one of the three heads of the black Divine Dog. The other two converged onto his hand, also wanting to be part of the petting extravaganza happening.'Interpretation? Is that it?'A theory formed in his head. All Cursed Techniques were based on interpretation, which dictates how they were manifested. Case in point, Itadori Yuji's Cleaves and Dismantles were kitchen shears while Ryomen Sukuna's were kitchen knives. It was the same for the Ten Shadows Shikigami for him and Sukuna, where he had wolves and more 'bright' Shikigamis, the latter had bulldogs and 'decrepit' Shikigamis.

So by overloading his Shikigamis withimmenseoutput from sacrificing parts of his body, they were then increased in strength and altered in appearance as a result. They weren't Totalities, but they certainly looked like they could be Totalities. Now Megumi was even more curious about what his other Shikigamis would look like, bubbling a greater sense of satisfaction within him.

He motioned for his two Divine Dogs to step to the side after finishing petting all six of their heads in totality. If he summoned them as Divine Dog: Totality, the Sorcerer was confident that they would immediately burst out of the room with their sheer strength and fall down the Spire. In fact, they wouldn't evenfallfrom the Spire, as they were guaranteed to have the capabilities to run down it entirely.

Once his Divine Dogs were on the other side of the room and sat down in a docile manner did Megumi bring his hands together. They formed a 'rabbit' shadow puppet, the shadows produced from his motion creating its silhouette with grand immensity. Once more, his Cursed Energy gathered together with black flames erupting across his hand and arms, scarring its tissue and killing off the cells to make them into Cursed Energy. Not only that, but his output spiked greatly, further adding on to boosting his next summon.

"Rabbit Escape!"

The burning pain returned, but that was it. It was just pain, his body was already prepared for the sensation and melting of his flesh and skin, so there was naught but a mere twitch of his eye when the sensation came to him. He healed his hands and section leading up to the rest of his arm with Reverse Cursed Technique. Right after, the main body of Rabbit Escape popped out, the rabbit...

...It lacked its fur, showing its white skin that was underneath it. They were no longer the small holdable size, but were not of a size which reached up to his chest. The main body of Rabbit Escape was stacked upon its clones, all of them sharing the exact same features as each other, which was a multitude of white piercing eyes adorning their faces. It ranged from four to six in total, each producing an incandescent light that looked to be alien and unnatural.

Their limbs were extended along with their size. Parts of their ears looked to be torn at parts, with skin flaking off harmlessly at them. What was most notable were not even their multiple white glowing eyes plastered across where their face would be, but the sharp claws and sharper teeth, indicating that they were more combat capable than before. Fierce creatures of the Ten Shadows they finally were.

'Haha... how terrifying,'Megumi placed a hand over his mouth feeling a slight bit of regret, but that feeling was immediately washed away from the gratification felt. There was no use in having his Shikigami look all cutesy and possessing fluffy fur when they could become more powerful, thus letting him be more efficient in combat.

He dispelled his Shikigamis with a wave of his hand, before deciding to undertake another Binding Vow. This one was to improve the function of his previous one by a greater degree, in order to make it far more effective than it was.

Under this Binding Vow:

Condition 1:Pain produced by Fushiguro Megumi's cells undergoing apoptosis increases incrementally to Fushiguro Megumi's pain tolerance.

Condition 2:Pain in general can never be fully adapted to in terms of tolerance.

Result:Cursed Energy produced by cells undergoing apoptosis is increased by 10%.

An extra chain was added around his soul, Megumi starting to find the sensation to be more comforting than restricting. Indeed, he wouldn't mind burying himself under a mountain of chains, the security and defense provided would beunrivalled, especially since they came from Binding Vows abused to increase his strength.

He clasped his hands together without another thought. The amount of damage he was doing to his arms and constantly healing with Reverse Cursed Technique was actually productive, considering how he was training two things at once and also discovering a new facet of the Ten Shadows. The shadow puppet that was formed made that of a snake.

"Great Serpent."

The same process as the Shikigami's two predecessors happened. It sprouted from the womb of shadows and into the light of the real world, no longer trapped within the Innate Domain of its Sovereign. It was gigantic, nearly taking up the entire room despite circling around and curling its form. What was once a two-eyed snake became a six-eyed one, its fangs far sharper and more fierce, along with venom dripping from them.

Its yellow eyes which wererelativelytame became more wild and ferocious, showing itself as an apex predator which surpassed Tiger Funeral itself. Well, the Tiger Funeral that he had faced back in Lungmen, Megumi wasn't sure what the second strongest Shikigami of the Ten Shadows looked like now. He could only becomeslightlymore anticipated when thinking of what sort of growth it would take.

So then began the process of summoning his Shikigamis and dispelling them. When the Sorcerer underwent the process of destroying his cells and then restoring them with new parts, the pain started to gradually grow. Despite healing his arm and hands, it started to become more 'tender' when they were healed, because of his falling output from overexerting his Reverse Cursed Technique.

It didn't matter though, as it would serve to make him groweven morein the future.

The changes in his Shikigami soon became completely apparent to him. He had already seen Divine Dogs, Rabbit Escape, and Great Serpent. The other ones such as Nue and the rest of the Shikigamis hadn't been seenyet.So when he summoned them each one by one, Megumi was pleasantly surprised to find the new features added to them. To start off, Nue had sharper feathers, withpurepurple lightning that flickered in an unstable manner. The mask on their face was no longer bone white, but an obsidian black dripping with black liquid, and their talons were more honed in their razor's edge.

Instead of two wings were six wings in total, each stretching out far longer than its body. Each side of Nue's body possessed three of them, creating a pattern reminiscent of a Seraphim's winged attributes. Beautiful, it was simply beautiful in all regards, with the extra wings being able to provide the Shikigami for more maneuverability and speed.

The spike in its Cursed Energy also made the Shikigami be able to do what he had been teaching it for the past few days... which was tracing a Domain trajectory as a Culling Game player had once done. Dhruv's Shikigamis were special in that regard, but because Nue possessed greater intelligence than even them (he assumed that to be so), along with a more 'special' aspect in their creation, Nue could now do the same.

There was also some sections of Nue's skin which had traditional Japanese cloud patterns, much to Megumi's curiosity.

When it was time for Max Elephant to come out, Megumi was already expecting the same feature changes as all of his other Shikigamis. He was right, he was completely right! The magnificent creature possessed far longer tusks with three trunks instead of one, while its eyes became lifeless and hollow. In fact, it didn't even look like the elephant had eyes any longer, as they were sunken and completely black. Looking into them was like looking into an abyss. Its skin was also no longer its smooth texture, but had Japanese wave patterns on them.

Round Deer had six eyes instead of four, along with four antlers in total compared to its previous two. There were also ancient scriptures written in sanskrit aligning some parts of its body rather than the clear skin from before, and a vast amount of Positive Energy emanating from it. Usually, Positive Energy came from the head, and therefore the Shikigami's nose would be the best place to touch in order to be healed by it. However, any part of its body worked, and he could choose who he wished to heal.

Positive Energy could also disrupt Cursed Energy itself if it is intense enough. Despite Ryomen Sukun and Gojo Satoru having immense Cursed Energy output and control, they couldn't make their Positive Energy disrupt Cursed Energy as much as Round Deer did with itssheer presencealone. In terms of Arts, Positive Energy couldn't do such a thing... even with the enhancement placed on Round Deer.

So, he decided to undertake yetanotherBinding Vow.

Under this Binding Vow:

Condition:Fushiguro Megumi's Positive Energy from himself and Ten Shadows Shikigami Round Deer can no longer disrupt Cursed Energy in any way, shape, or form.

Result:Fushiguro Megumi's Positive Energy from himself and Ten Shadows Shikigami Round Deer can now disrupt Arts in any way, shape, or form.

Once Round Deer was finished being looked at and assessed, Megumi moved onto Piercing Ox. The Shikigami had six horns instead of two in total, the usual two that had come as a standard facing the same way as they had before... but the other four pointing forward in order to provide a 'piercing' strike rather than just a blunt one from its head. Piercing Ox's teeth had also become more sharp and hot steam was coming out of its nose every time it breathed from it.

The last Shikigami that came out was obviously Tiger Funeral. The muscular and building collapsing Shikigami which stood with the same build as Mahoraga was now... leaner. However, it wasn't in the 'natural' lean sense, as its muscles looked like they were distorted and twisted to unnatural proportions. To summarize its build, the muscles of Tiger Funeral had become more compressed, lean, and some parts possessed traditional Japanese flame patterns on them. On to other features, its burning white and orange eyes became more decadent, streaks of mist in the color of their eyes coming out of it every time the Shikigami moved.

Overall, all of Shikigamis looked like they possessed certain art features present within traditional Japanese paintings.

Now... All that was left was the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga. But the black haired man did not feel like summoning at the moment, wanting to beutterly surprisedat what his Divine General could provide for him in its change. Letting his breath calm, Megumi glanced down at his steaming black hands, the scars leading up to his arms. It was going to take quite some time before they were fully restored, and before the scars were completely healed.

If he kept this up, it could become a permanent mark for all the world to see. Well, it didn't matter, as the fissure-like black cracks started to seal themselves with white steam laced with green. The damage caused by the black flames igniting had been completely restored in no time, but Megumi still found his muscles to be in an uncomfortable state. It wouldn't be much of a problem in the future, as he was becoming more used to holding in not letting pain hamper him—rather than numbing it entirely.

Heaving a large sigh of both satisfaction and relief, Megumi slowly took off his black haori. It was still the late afternoon, but there was nothing else he could do with exhaustion starting to pile up on his body. It became more especially apparent when he remembered how he hadn't had a lick of sleep yesterday, staying up all day and all night to train his Ten Shadows Cursed Technique, along with his physical strength.

The excessive use of Reverse Cursed Technique to keep his mind intact was extremely helpful, but overexerting it today only made things worse. So, it was best for him to sleep... and then spend the entire next day training and getting a new 'standard' weapon for himself to use. In his mind, that was a good idea, for a great deal of development had been made.

Megumi found himself standing over his bed with droopy eyes, ready to shut close at any moment. The moment they did, the black haired man fell onto the fluffy sheets, dragging his body on it as his consciousness had started to fade. Due to how tired he was, the Sorcerer couldn't even muster any dissatisfaction or satisfaction of what had happened today, all energy having already been expended doing the both of them before. Now, there was only...

...Unconsciousness.

The next day wouldn't be eventful, he hoped.

"I don't get it, why don't Jujutsu Sorcerers use armor?" Megumi stared at the pictures in the scroll that was given to him, depicting a Sengoku Era samurai dressed in a dashing samurai armor that reeked of traditional pride for its time. Even in modern days, such articles of armor still rang a loud echo as an important model of Japan's rich history—not just through the Sengoku Era—but also through many parts of history.

The implicit messages that came from them, the code of Bushido which had died out as chivalry had also been further west. In modern day, they were either looked up as a Code of Honor, or a foolish man's endeavour of a time that lacked pragmatism. For Fushiguro Megumi, he'd say the past was the past, there was no need to delve in the matter too deeply for himself, because that was what historians were for.

...But for Jujutsu Society, he was slightly more curious than he usually would be.

"They used to, a lot actually." Gojo tossed a key in the air, catching it and fiddling with the object a few times before he spoke up again, "if that little depiction in your hands is any indicator, there were just a lot of circumstances that came into their decline over the years."

"Why is that so?" Megumi knew the Sengoku Era possessed many bloodthirsty Jujutsu Sorcerers, as the Warring States Period was one filled with endless bloodshed to the point where mountains would flow rivers of blood. "Is it because of the lack of Jujutsu Sorcerers in modern day after a lot of them were lost in wars?"

"Both in the Sengoku Era and World War II? Yeah, that's a major reason that played into it." Gojo tossed his key in the air one last time before catching it and setting it down on a table, sitting upwards into a bent posture. "With the large decline of the amount of Sorcerers over the years, in both quantity and quality, leading into the Edo Period, that was when Jujutsu Sorcerers saw their biggest decline in history."

"Shouldn't the decline be during World War II?" Megumi raised an eyebrow. After all, Japan had lost that war and it was the largest one all across the world, so some Sorcerers must have participated in it.

"Nah," Gojo waved his hand dismissively, "you were branded a Curse User if you used Cursed Techniques during World War II, those who did participate... Let's just say they weren't strong enough to handle the marvels of developing technology. It'd be a different story if it were me, though." He jokingly pointed to himself after. "It was a Binding Vow that was passed until the war ended, but a scant few avoided it and never undertook it. Overall, most Jujutsu Sorcerers were busy with the Cursed Spirits that kept appearing like ants across Japan."

"...So, about the lack of protective armor?"

"Oh, right, right," Gojo stopped his rambling for a second, leaning back on the couch, "Well, you see... since there was a decline in Jujutsu Sorcerers as a result of the Segoku Era—such as Cursed Tool and Cursed Object blacksmiths—many secret crafting techniques and skilled bloodlines were destroyed as a result."

"But doesn't Jujutsu Tech have an entire armory of Cursed Tools?" Megumi raised an eyebrow, "there are hundreds of weapons in there, did they decide not to create armor, then?" The young Sorcerer was now even more confused.

"That brings us to our second reason," Gojo Satoru flashed a second finger upwards, "Megumi-chan~," before needlessly winking with his shades lowering, "which is that Sorcerers don't really need armor per se."

"What do you mean by that?" Megumi raised an eyebrow.

"Cursed Energy reinforcement already provides enough defense," Gojo shrugged. "Unless you mindlessly imbue Cursed Energy into armor for a year straight, and have to go through the process of filling in every little hole needed for it with great precision..." his voice drew on "...then it'd take a far longer time than you can imagine."

"I take the idea that it is more complex than creating Cursed Tools?"

"Definitely, what do you think Cursed Energy is for?" Gojo pointed a finger gun towards Megumi, before faux firing it off, "destruction, and Cursed Energy reinforcement to increase defense is a teensy bit more complex than using it for offense, but not by a large margin."

"Hn."

"There's also the fact that not many Cursed Techniques specifically provide for defense, and only for defense in its nature."

"In its nature? I gave a gist of what you're talking about..." Megumi cupped his chin with a complex look.

"For example, my Cursed Technique, Limitless," Gojo drew an infinity symbol in the air, "is mainly for offensive purposes if you look at how Blue is applied. But, if you take a look at Neutral Limitless, you will also see it has defensive capabilities, along with the offensive capability that is Blue. Well, this is an overgeneralization, but you get my point ,right?"

"Yes," Megumi nodded.

"So, because my Cursed Technique isn't only for defensive purposes, whenever I imbue it into a weapon or object to create a Cursed Tool, it wouldn't solely be focused on Limitless' defensive properties, and if I want it to, I would need a greater degree of control." Gojo finished his explanation with one last comment, "unless I tried to, of course. Would only take a month of practice at most, hehe~!"

Megumi watched his giggling compliment to himself with a deadpan, almost imagining the white haired man as a... nevermind. "So then why don't you do that?" Wouldn't it be helpful to create Cursed Tools for his students, in order to better defend themselves in battles?

In fact, the black haired man vividly remembered a week ago where his sensei had forced him to fight a serpentine Cursed Spirit that was being worshipped as a god by the local villagers. Suffice to say, it required his incomplete Domain Expansion to defeat, much weaker than what a Shinto manifestation of a Cursed Spirit would be.

"Eh, too lazy," Gojo Satoru admitted without a hint of hesitation. "You guys can handle your' c'mon~! There's also me who can step in," he winked his eyes while pointing to himself with his thumb. "Whaddya say?"

"I want to punch you."

"Bahahahaha~!"

"Oi, Megumi-chan!" Gojo leaned back on his chair, having gotten all the laughter out of his system. "You know Yuta-chan, right?" The white haired man turned toward his black haired student, heaving a small sigh.

"Okkotsu-senpai?" Megumi crossed his arms with a softer look, "yes, what about him?"

"Well~, I know I've told the other students before, but I haven't told you yet..." Gojo placed his hands behind his head, relaxing as if what he was sitting on were a retractable chair. It wasn't "...Yuta-chan is a descendant of Sugawara-no-Michizane."

"Hm?" Megumi blinked in surprise, "one of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits, that Sugawara-no-Michizane?!" He found his interest spiking, having heard mention of a historical figure who he once questioned the validity of, but had come around when he was introduced to Jujutsu Society.

"Is it that much of a surprise~? I'm a descendant too, ya' know? He's the ancestor of the Gojo Clan after all, " Gojo playfully smirked, pointing to himself and looking at Megumi's flabbergasted expression. "There's a reason why we have such a high degree of Cursed Energy, because our bloodline comes from him."

"I... I see," Megumi concentrated, synthesizing all knowledge he knew of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits. "The ancestor of the Gojo Clan, then does that mean...?"

"Exactly so," Gojo cut in, "Emperor Sutoku isn't really the ancestor to the Kamo Clan, since it existed way~ before him, but he does have connections to it with his own bloodline and all." The Strongest Sorcerer continued on, "what is more interesting however, is Taira-no-Masakado, because by proxy—Megumi-chan—you are a descendant of his, no matter how diluted you and his blood may be after so many centuries."

"Hm," Megumi nodded with vested interest. "Does that mean I also..."

"Also have a high reserve of Cursed Energy, sorry, but no." Gojo Satoru immediately shot the notion down, watching in amusement as his student's eyebrows started twitching. "Ah—ah—ah, but!" Immediately, the white haired man placed a finger in the air and started shaking it, "what do you remember of the history of Taira-no-Masakado? Before you start blowing your fuse."

"I wasn't going to," Megumi retorted, "but..." his mood shifted afterwards, sighing out "...he was the "First Samurai" of Japan, right? His daughter was also recorded to be able to summon toads and a gigantic skeleton named Gashadokuro." A look of realization struck him at the last few lines.

"Hehe~ I thought you would have connected the dots ages ago," Gojo laughed heartily, "aw, c'mon, don't glare at me like that~ fine, fine, I'll cut to the chase." He looked upwards while letting out the rest of the laughter stuck in his chest. "Alright, so—he's the First Samurai—and not by normal means either. His flesh was stronger than most, despite possessing the least recorded amount of Cursed Energy compared to everybody else during his time period."

Megumi listened in silence.

Gojo Satoru however, found it amusing. The daughter of the first Heavenly Restriction user giving birth to the first recorded case of a Ten Shadows user, "his genetics are ingrained with the aptitude to learn how to use weaponry, or that's what I've theorized. I may not be one hundred percent accurate, but I believe that to be the case." After all, he had experienced two Zen'in Clan members wielding Cursed Tools skillfully to develop such a thought.

"That's absurd," Megumi raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "can skill be passed down by genetics?"

"This is Jujutsu Society, Megumi-chan," Gojo lowered his blindfold to give him a deadpan look, "having a genetic trait in regards to weaponry being passed down should be the least of your concerns. Some experiments and research has been done here and there too, so it has been factually proven that genetic skill over such concepts is, in fact, conceivable."

"So I don't have a large reserve of Cursed Energy..."

"Above average at best," Gojo chimed in.

"...Then does that mean I have the genetic trait of being able to wield weapons efficiently?"

"I dunno!" Gojo shrugged.

"Huh?"

"Well, why don't we find out? You wanted to use Cursed Tools after all, what better way than to go on a mission!" The white haired man sprung up from his seat, stretching his arms. "I already have a place, an abandoned section of Tokyo which is rumored to possess ghosts, and better yet—it's only recently sprung up. A huge opportunity to exorcise some Cursed Spirits and see where your level with that Jet Black Blade is at right now, so let's go!"

Megumi watched as his mentor pointed forward like a child, before marching out of the room. Feeling at a slight loss at the sudden declaration of Gojo Satoru, he sprung up from his seat with a frantic movement, feeling anxiety start to bottle up inside him with what his sensei was plotting.

The glittering lights from the view atop the Spire was certainly a sight to bear witness to. That was something that Megumi had told himself countless times in other places, especially when his sensei had rented him an overly expensive apartment complex. Really, his thoughts always came back to his eccentric spending habits whenever the black haired man gazed upon a 'luxurious' view.

Once more, just as he woke up, so did the city. The morning dew plastered across the air after a small storm had passed through a delicate sight to see, especially with the calm moisture lingering in the air. Taking in a deep breath to fill himself with nature's vitality... he felt nothing. There wasn't any ecstasy or admiration of the sight in front of him, all the Sorcerer felt was lethargy.

The whiplash from the previous dream wasn't something he had completely ridded himself of. Although his mind had already registered it as nothing more than a hoax crafted from the most desire-ridden part of his brain, Megumi couldn't stand falling back down on his bed for a sleep. The reason was clear in his mind, and he hated it the more that his thoughts lingered upon it.

Megumi got off of his bed, feeling a lethargic sensation overtake his entire body. Hissing at the response, the black haired man noticed how it wasveryearly in the morning, making him estimate how long he had just fallen asleep for while using Reverse Cursed Technique. At his lowest estimate, it was about ten hours. It was a good amount for somebody his age, but what made it a...terribleexperience was how groggily he had woken up.

'It's really starting to show...'Megumi shook his head, deciding to leave the Spire and go ahead for his next plans. He had been desiring to create his last weapon, so that was his goals for now. Letting himself bathe under the light of the sun for now, the black haired man cleared his mind of any misgivings at the moment. Once everything had been said and done, he stood up, grabbing for his black haori.

Donning the article of clothing, the Sorcerer then decided to make his way out of the Spire, and to a Leithanien blacksmith.