Thousands of corpses surrounded him, a veritable mountain of alien corpses. Sukuna sat on a bench he'd fashioned off of a dozen Asari, piled atop each other, blood streaming and flooding everywhere, seeping into the ground. They were a little too easy to kill, weak and fragile – no stronger than a baseline human, honestly. The one thing that made them somewhat of a hassle to kill, aside from their propensity for ambushes, was their rudimentary control over Cursed Energy, which they used in controlled bursts, allowing them to move far quicker than they otherwise would.
It wasn't enough. Boring.
"Greetings, brother," Horus Lupercal approached and, already, Sukuna felt annoyed at his supposed sibling. He didn't exactly have a good track record when it came to brothers. Sukuna also didn't want any. Unfortunately, however, he wasn't allowed to kill the bald guy for being annoying. And so, as much as he hated it, Sukuna had no choice but to play nice. Besides, the guy apparently had a lot of experience with their enemy, these blue alien women, the Asari. Horus was tall, bulky, and imposing, but a lot of that probably had to do with the massive armor he wore, thick plates of interlocking metal. Yeah, he didn't want to wear anything as large as this. It just seemed unnecessary, especially for someone with access to Reverse Cursed Energy.
Most of all, however, Sukuna didn't like Horus because of his obvious lack of Cursed Energy. He was mundane. Sure, he possessed the enhanced body of a Primarch that made him stronger than most mortals and even most Jujutsu Sorcerers, but Sukuna expected so much more, after meeting the Emperor. As it was, Horus wouldn't even be able to defend himself from a simple Dismantle or Cleave.
Mundane. It was difficult to think of Horus as a sibling. And, therefore, Sukuna didn't. As far as he was concerned, the Primarch Horus Lupercal was a professional colleague.
In that regard, at least, Horus Lupercal was far more tolerable and, to a certain extend, respectable. Their initial attack worked as well as it did, because the Luna Wolves Primarch ordered his fleets to stay and bombard the Asari ships, keeping them on the back foot, while Sukuna went straight down the planet to establish a beachhead, the Devourers Astartes following shortly after him. After the alien fleet was crippled, Horus then came down and joined the battle, which was good, because fighting the Asari was tedious.
Not difficult or challenging, but incredibly tedious and annoying. The whole planet was one big jungle and the Asari made excellent use of the trees and bushes as cover, darting in and out of the shadows, ambushing his Astartes and making a nuisance of themselves. They've not killed anyone, in truth, as their weapons and abilities weren't nearly strong enough to pierce or otherwise damage Power Armor, but killing them was a problem, especially for the Devourers, whose weight worked against them in the dense jungle. The soil was wet and muddy, and visibility was almost nothing.
As much as he wanted to make use of Dismantle to clear out the gigantic trees, Sukuna did not want to risk killing his own troops. Aside from the fact that the Emperor expressly forbade such a thing, Sukuna also saw it as a waste of resources. The amount of time and energy he'd invested into making the Devourers a capable fighting force wasn't exactly tiny or negligible. And so the very idea of wasting them was just unthinkable.
Yamamoto Genryusai, who Sukuna "promoted" to a very unique rank of Reaper, a rank Sukuna made up on the spot, charged into a clearing, filled with Asari.
His role? Destruction.
The flames unleashed by his unique Cursed Technique set the rain forest ablaze, drying out the soil and killing hundreds of Asari. As it turned out, Horus' Luna Wolves employed similar tactics, making use of Heavy Flamers to burn the Asari out of hiding, forcing them into the open, where Bolters easily blasted them to bits. So, Sukuna learned, the best thing to do against Asari was to burn every single forest in the planet. In future conflicts, the King of Curses noted, especially in planets with such dense vegetation, the smart thing would be to engage them after burning down every single tree and plant, bathing the planet in a global firestorm.
If any of them survived the initial flood of fire, then they'd be easy pickings. However, since they were already on the ground, Horus's assistance was appreciated.
And, soon enough, a large patch of land was secured, where vessel after vessel, carrying Luna Wolves Astartes landed and unloaded their cargo of troops and tech-priests, the latter of whom began establishing some sort of infrastructure. For what reason, he did not know or care.
As his legions continued moving forward, guided only by his brief and curt command, "Go and kill every single Asari on that planet. How you do it is up to you."
They were doing a good-enough job of that, Sukuna mused. The Devourers were faster and stronger than the Luna Wolves, each one capable of bursts of movement and dexterity that made the other Space Marines look sluggish in comparison. Of course, Sukuna's legion lacked the numbers to properly invade this whole planet, which was probably why he was getting help from a fellow Primarch.
A boring, if understandable, solution.
Of course, not even Horus' legion could do this alone. As Sukuna understood it, the Astartes Legions technically weren't supposed to do the conquering. What they were supposed to do was go in, do a lot of damage, and move out just as the Imperial Army, or the Solar Auxilia, moved in and did the real conquering, which typically meant subduing the population, establishing infrastructure, and all that. Against alien worlds, however, where human life wasn't even in the equation, the rules of engagement were far more flexible as the goal essentially could be summed up to: kill them all.
Which was fine by Sukuna.
Horus stomped and splattered the head of a twitching Asari nearby, spilling purple blood. Sukuna frowned. "I was going to eat that."
"Trust me," Horus' smile did not fade as he walked forward, eyes fixed upon the carnage wrought by the Devourers. "They don't taste good. And you recover none of their memories by eating their brains. There's nothing to gain from partaking in their flesh."
"I think I'll see for myself." Sukuna raised a brow and glanced down, before reaching out and plucking a piece of Asari brain matter from the ground. This one, about the size of a human finger, wasn't covered in dirt. Sukuna sent it straight into his mouth. The flavor was... bitter, but also complex, with hints of something akin to cinnamon. The texture wasn't nearly as soft as a human brain, which made it more palatable. But, unfortunately, Horus was right. It really didn't taste good. "Hm... one could saute this with a little bit of wine and some vinegar – add in a dash of salt and crisp garlic; it should work. Neutralizing the bitterness will be a bit challenging, but it does remind of bitter gourd somewhat."
Horus was silent for a moment, before he barked out with laughter, "Ah, it seems I misunderstood your intention, brother. I thought you meant to eat their brains for information."
Sukuna shrugged. "I honestly wasn't even thinking about that."
He knew about the brain thing from firsthand experience, after eating all the troglodytes of his world. It was an interesting way of absorbing the memories of those he'd killed. Sukuna wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but he was pretty sure it involved the consumption of a portion of a dead creature's soul, where memories were stored. And, even then, the consumption was imperfect as he wouldn't exactly gain all the memories, just the latest ones. "Have you a plan, brother, or do you simply wish to slaughter them as you see them?"
Sukuna turned to Horus. Hmm, that was exactly what he wanted to do, but it seemed like the bald man had something else in mind. "I'm sensing an objection to that."
Horus nodded, still smiling. "Might I suggest an alternative course of action, instead? Otherwise, you'll be here for months, hunting them all down in these dense forests. And the Asari are a crafty bunch; sooner or later, they will prove to be massive headaches."
Looking around, Sukuna noted that the Luna Wolves weren't engaging in slaughter. They weren't charging the last known locations of the Asari. In fact, it seemed like they were simply preparing. That was interesting. Then again, none of them were Jujutsu Sorcerers and, therefore, they likely required plenty of preparation just to achieve the same results. Or, perhaps not. After all, Horus and his legion did have plenty of experience in dealing with the Asari, unlike himself and his Astartes, which meant Horus knew the most efficient way to dealing with these aliens. So, there was plenty of wisdom in staying still and listening to whatever the bald man had to say. And so, with a shrug, Sukuna pressed a button on his bracer, a simple command telling his Astartes to stop whatever it was they were doing, retreat, regroup, and await further instructions. "Go ahead. What's your idea?"
"Asari are fond of building their settlements next to large bodies of water." Horus explained. "They need it – far more than humans do. Without a constant source of water, their bodies wither away and they simply die. I propose we poison their water supply. They'll all die off and we won't even have to do anything. Quick, clean, and precise. And it's a poison that doesn't affect humans. I'd rather not spend months slogging through a place like this; I'm not fond of rain and mud."
Sukuna blinked and nodded. "You know what? That does sound like a good idea. Good to know. Let's do that. I'm not a fan of rain and mud, either. I'm assuming that, since you've dealt with these creatures before, you already have the poison?"
Horus nodded. "Indeed. It's how I always deal with Asari. Though, it's a little more complicated when they have human hostages or if they're lording over a human colony. In such situations, a ground war is inevitable. But, as you may have noticed, the Asari are a weak race – not a threat to Astartes. It's the Orks you have to worry about."
Sukuna raised a brow. Orks were among the top of the list of the most dangerous aliens – a handbook that was gifted to him by Malcador, among other things. They were described as powerful, muscular, utterly fearless, and deranged. Sukuna wasn't sure why they were hated so much; they sounded like a really fun bunch. "Then, I look forward to meeting them."
Horus chuckled. "Based on everything I've seen you do, thus far, brother; I'm sure the Orks would feel the same way about you."
"Tsk, I was hoping for a good 'ol fashioned slaughter," Sukuna said, sighing. "Oh well. Better luck next time, then."
Horus seemed deep in thought for a moment. "Would I be right, brother, in assuming that you're the sort who enjoys combat?"
"Depends, but – most of the time – yes. I do enjoy combat quite well." Sukuna answered. "That said, it's not the only thing I enjoy. I also like to cook. And paint. Actually, I have a lot of hobbies that most people aren't aware of; I have recently taken up crocheting."
"Yes! You must regale me of your culinary and artistic prowess over a meal," Horus chuckled as he drew his mace and placed it on the ground at their feet. Sukuna eyed the weapon for a bit. It was a good weapon. No doubt, it had taken quite a lot of lives; the damn thing was drenched in residual Cursed Energy from the souls of its victims. It was probably closer to a Cursed Tool now than a simple weapon. "For now... how about we engage in a friendly spar? No need to kill or use anything fancy, just a... good 'ol fashion brawl. I find it a most effective means of communication, especially among brothers."
Sukuna grinned. "Oh? Are you sure you can handle it, Horus?"
Horus grinned back, the servo motors of his Power Armor whining against his own physical strength. "Think you can win?"
AN: Chapter 22 is out on (Pat)reon!