Chapter 50: The Shepherd of Fire.
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Glory to my chief Proofreader; Solare for he is the one who points out mistakes and acts as my favourite wall to bounce ideas off of.
As the Title Suggests, Please Play "Shepherd of Fire" from Avenged Sevenfold for this Chapter.
850 Power Stones = Extra Chapter.
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Megumi jumped through the air with grace as he landed at the bottom of a stairwell that led towards the innermost parts of the subway station, he started sprinting ahead just as he landed.
He decided to run ahead with closed eyes, relying on his enhanced senses to lead him forwards as he focused his mind on mapping out the contents of the Station and finding out who is inside these winding halls.
'Hmmm… Alright, that's Yuji and Choso, looks like the fight is pretty even for now so I'll just trust him to handle it. And.. That's Dagon I believe, considering the spike of Cursed Energy he must've used his Domain about a minute ago.' Megumi thought, a black map of the station being formed in his head with red dots signifying enemies and blue dots signifying allies.
His body reached to a split hallway leading to two separate sectors of the subway, he unconsciously reached for a pillar to his right and used it as leverage to throw himself ahead through the air feet first in order to get to his target even faster.
'I can't feel Mahito at all, patchfaced fucker must be hiding and collecting whatever humans he can get since they're being evacuated by Mechamaru and the others. I can also vaguely feel what must be Jogo's signature on the horizon approaching Dagon, I gotta go kill him quick.' Megumi deduced.
He figured that it would take too long to just run between the winding corridors, so he decided to take a more.. Direct approach.
"Incarnation: Piercing Ox!"
His cursed energy fired up as bony growths covered his arms in the form of gauntlets, he could feel his bone density rise significantly. Then the feeling of a new Cursed Technique being engraved into his body flooded him.
He immediately noticed the difference as the longer he ran or moved in a certain direction, the higher his cursed energy output rose and the stronger he became. Megumi raised his arms into an 'X' shape ahead of him and began to sprint ahead directly to Dagon's signature.
Utilising this Incarnation for the most obvious application came naturally to him, as instead of taking the long way around – He simply ran through the steel-reinforced concrete walls of the subway as if they weren't there.
Wall after wall was reduced to rubble as he ran through them like a bulldozer, growing faster and stronger by every second that passed.
Within 20 seconds, he had already reached a large hall where he felt remnants of cursed energy and a scared battlefield. And in the middle of the clearing was a small spherical Domain Barrier form which he felt the spike of cursed energy that led him here.
Before doing anything else, Megumi raised a hand to his ear and activated his earpiece again.
"Puppet Master, come in. What's the status of the Main Operation?"
He heard a small clicking sound from his earpiece before he was then answered.
"Evacuation is at 54%, casualties are minimal. The last 2 Sub-Curtains have been Felled. About a few dozen Curses and Transfigured Humans are captured so far with the rest being culled. Subject S is reported to have started Restoring any injured Sorcerers. 100% clear rate of Shibuya Crossing has been Confirmed as well. Over."
"I see… Good work on everything, focus on the evacuation for now. Capture curses when convenient, not each one. I'll be going offline for a bit, talk later." Megumi ordered, walking right up to the Domain Barrier and raising his hands into a familiar pose.
"Copy that. And… Godspeed Sir."
"It's nice having reliable minions…" Megumi muttered under his breath, charging up his cursed energy as he did before chanting.
"Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden."
A flood of darkness rushed forwards, within an instant it had pierced through the Domain Barrier ahead of him. And although he didn't fully Manifest his own Domain yet, the barrier ahead of him was pulled open, revealing the inside of it.
The Domain of the Disaster Curse 'Dagon' looked to be a sunny, almost picturesque tropical island. Where Megumi entered the Domain was on top of an ocean where his shadows flooded over the water, painting the idyllic waters an Abyssal Black.
Everyone within the Curse's Domain turned to look at the disturbance, his entrance into the Domain as he had caused a Domain Clash to begin, stopping the Sure-Hit effect of Dagon's Domain in its tracks.
The sorcerers had immediately noticed the lull in attacks from the Domain's Sure-Hit and took advantage in getting some distance with each having wildly different reactions to his appearance.
But Megumi ignored them all for a moment as he looked at the main threat at that moment, or should he say the two main threats.
Dagon was the only one he recognised. Dagon had a humanoid shape, similar to Hanami. His head changed to a shape reminiscent of an octopus with black dots on the top, along with blank white eyes.
He was mostly red, including the outer portions of his arms, thighs, hips, and chest. The inner sections of those areas of his body were tan. His midsection was black and he had wings on his lower back that allowed him to levitate.
[Image (In Discord)]
What he didn't recognise was the curse which wrapped itself around Dagon's body like a facehugger, it looked to be another aquatic Special Grade Curse.
The only way to describe it would be a miniaturised Blue Kraken, it had a huge head which acted as its main body and long, almost unending tentacles which it used to protect Dagon from any would-be attackers.
This was the reason the duo of curses were still breathing within the presence of Maki, Dagon focused on the offence while the Kraken focused on the defence. It was truly a brilliant plan on the hand of the special grade Curses.
It was then that he tuned back into the shouts of the sorcerers he had come into the Domain to save in the first place, first being Naobito Zen'in.
"-Finally! I got a Real Combatant who could actually help me here! Zen'in Megumi, come to my side and protect me now!" Naobito called out with glee, it was obvious that he didn't consider his 'comrades' in this battle to be worth anything despite being saved by them countless times.
This 'order' was completely and utterly ignored, Megumi just looked the old sorcerer up and down, noting that he had lost his right arm during the battle at some point. He turned to the others to assess their damage, starting with Nanami.
"Ah.. It's good to see that you're safe Fushiguro-kun, unfortunately it seems we have to rely on you to save us this time. How embarrassing for us…" The blond haired man muttered with only a few marks on his body, glad that they were saved but loathed himself for forcing children to pick up the slack for his failings.
Maki looked to be untouched and incredibly happy at seeing that he had come, she immediately grabbed Nanami and reluctantly grabbed Naobito as well before pulling them towards his part of the Domain Clash where they would be safe and out of the way.
She threw them hastily at the ground by Megumi's feet, drawing an annoyed grunt from the Zen'in Clan head. She then started talking quicker than both Grade One sorcerers could comprehend, although Megumi understood her just fine despite that.
"Nice to see you here Megumi, these curses have been a pain in my ass. The Red one keeps using its Sure-Hit to attack these two, forcing me to stay back and protect them while the Blue one keeps using its regenerating tentacles to just face tank my attacks! It's Bullshit!"
"Can you give me an opening to hit them, one clear shot is all I need." Maki asserted, walking a few steps ahead of them with Dragon-Bone held in both hands.
"Hmm.. I see." Megumi muttered as he absorbed all the information.
"S-Shit! That's Megumi Zen'in! He's the one that k-killed big sis Hanami!" Dagon called out, fear for his life being implanted into him at the sight of the special grade sorcerer. The miniature Blue Kraken on his shoulder squelched and vibrated as it spoke in a language that only marine life could understand.
"Don't worry Dagon, look at him. His Domain isn't getting any ground against yours, he's weak. He must have used dirty tricks against Hanami. You can kill him easily." Kraken assured, acting as a moral support for the still young Disaster Curse.
"Y-Yeah! You're right! I can kill him easily!" Dagon shouted, being filled with confidence once again.
However, said confidence was False and Misguided.
"Sounds easy enough." Megumi simply said, seeming almost bored.
He then willed his Domain Expansion to be fully manifested as a colossal sky scraping Spinal Column formed behind him. From the top of the column sprouter countless branches born of Bone and Void, with fruits being formed right after.
4 Seconds.
4 Seconds was all it took for the Endless Abyss within Fushiguro Megumi to completely overwrite Dagon's Domain Expansion.
Everyone within the Domain was thrust into an almost nightmarish version of reality, one which the Lord of Shadows ruled over entirely.
"S-SHIT! YOU LIED TO ME!" Dagon cried out in fear, prompting the Kraken on his neck to try its best to calm him again.
"So this is the fully realised Domain of the Ten Shadows user, huh?" Naobito mumbled with awe, it was the first time he or any of his clansmen had the chance to witness this Innate Domain with their own eyes in Hundreds of Years.
"...The Youth continue to surprise me every day." Nanami sighed, unsure of what to think but he was atleast happy that things were going their way. He then looked around, and was surprised when he didn't see Maki anywhere.
"Where the hell did she go…?" He wondered, his attention was stolen when he saw 10 Fruits fall down from the skies of the Domain.
Not even a second later, both Dagon and Kraken were immediately spiked and run through by 10 different Amalgamations. Not given even a second to move and defend themselves from the effect of Fushiguro Megumi's Domain Expansion.
"D-Damn! I can't m-move! Cursed technique is B-Burned Out!" Dagon cried out in agony, he struggled against the hold of the shikigami but it was ultimately hopeless.
As from behind the two Special Grade Curses, Maki Zen'in appeared as if from thin air. She drew Dragon-Bone backwards, before swinging it ahead with all her strength while activating its Ability as she did, causing jets of energy to spark from its hilt.
"Stay still, I've been meaning to get me some Sashimi for some time now…"
SQUELCH
In one swing of her blade, both Dagon and his comrade were both torn in half right down the Middle. She then swung her blade three more times, each at a different angle.
Once from right to left, once from the top left to bottom right, then finally one more time from bottom left to the top right.
The result?
Both Special Grade Curses fell apart into cubes of flesh, their deaths were instant and painless.
An Undeserved Mercy.
"Well that's that. Time to move on to the Volcano head." Megumi mumbled under his breath before willing his Domain to fade away so he could conserve energy.
Naobito Zen'in looked up for a moment as the Domain began to dissolve away, trying to take in as much of it as possible while he could.
But something caused him to gasp in shock, at the very top of the Domain. Above even where the colossal spinal column could reach, in the only source of light within this Domain of Infinite Darkness. He saw the Silhouette of something that made his knees quake in Awe, Excitement and Terror.
It was a Pure Golden 8 Handled Dharma Wheel.
"I-Is That?! Is That His Wheel?!"
The Head of Zen'in Clan turned to who he wished to be his Heir with complete and utter shock, finding him to not even be paying attention to him and instead focusing on sensing Cursed Energy.
'Where's this bastard… Oh wait.. Is that? God Fucking Damn it. How the hell did Yuji lose to Choso? I can't feel Jogo anywhere nearby! Is.. Is he…?'
Despite all of his plans, Fushiguro Megumi made Two Critical Miscalculations.
First, he assumed that Itadori Yuji would win against the Death Painting known as Choso. He Was Wrong.
He did not account for the possibility of Choso developing the Reverse Cursed Technique, which played a significant role in the battle. Itadori Yuji lost the battle and was knocked out.
Second, he assumed that the Disaster Curse known as Jogo would come to kill the Sorcerers that killed Dagon as he did back in his old life. He Was Wrong.
He did not account for the possibility of Jogo being so fearful of both his and Zen'in Maki's presence, that he chose to simply ignore the possibility of killing them and instead chose to go to Ryomen Sukuna's Vessel.
'I see, even with all my plans, I never considered a Curse to think in such a Human way as for him to fear the two of us so much he never bothered coming to avenge his friend. Truly, the most Human Curse, huh? Now Sukuna will be awakened again sooner than I'd have liked, at a higher Finger level than before…'
Megumi snapped out of his thoughts, wracking his brain to think of what to do in this situation. He completely ignored Zen'in Naobito's attempts at getting his attention and reached for his eairpiece, hearing a loud click a moment later.
"Change of plans then. Puppet Master, do you hear me?"
"Yes sir, I copy."
"How's the evacuation going? And is the area around Shibuya Crossing ready for use?" He asked, biting his other hand's finger as he did.
"Evacuation of the Shibuya District is at 66%, most civilians have been removed barring a few that are still being moved out of the Subway. So far about 80 Metres around Shibuya Crossing are confirmed to be fully cleared and ready for use. Over."
"...Well then let's hope to god Sukuna takes his time playing with Jogo and that it'll all be enough in the end. Good work, get back to it. I'll contact you when needed."
"Copy that sir."
Megumi heard another click in his ear before turning around and facing Naobito who was trying to get his attention for the past minute.
"Finally! Megumi Zen'in, did you or did you not Subjugate the Divine General?!" He demanded.
"Yes, I did. Now shut it for a second." Megumi confirmed as he tried to think, drawing a look of Awe from the Head of the Zen'in clan who could not comprehend the reality of what he just heard.
"TRULY?! I knew you would be the one to save this society and dethrone the Gojo Clan as the leading Jujutsu Clan! Hahahaha!" The clan head laughed with joy, it seems that the waste of Zen'in Blood 'Toji' had been worth every bit of headache and time he had spent or dealt to their clan.
"Hold that thought. Maki, Kill Him." Megumi ordered coldly while turning away.
"Eh? GURG-!"
Naobito Zen'in couldn't even breath for more than a second before a dagger pierced through the back of his throat, blood spurted out of his neck like a geyser. The old Sorcerer fell to his knees in agony as he reached his hands to his throat in his confusion and surprise.
"Oh~... You don't need to ask me twice! I've been dreaming of this moment for Years~!" Maki sighed, walking behind Naobito with an almost sadistic smile even as blood splashed on her face. She reached a hand to the mouth of the purple curse on her body, pulling out a high quality serrated blade from it.
"Do what you want to him, just make sure the body is recognizable and it looks like he died to a Curse. Oh, and dump it somewhere the Zen'in Clan will see." Megumi said dismissively, waving a hand backwards and walking in Nanami's direction.
"Fushiguro-kun, c-can you please at least explain why you killed him?" The blond haired man mumbled in horror, he just didn't understand why this was necessary.
"Don't bother feeling bad for him, Kento-san. He's more of a monster than most curse users are. He just knows how to hide it better. His Death was set in stone Decades ago, this was just Karma coming in to take its Due." The black haired sorcerer answered with his hands still in his pockets.
He walked past the shocked grade one sorcerer and stopped for a moment, before turning around and looking him from the corner of his eye.
"You don't need to worry about 'Right' and 'Wrong' right now Kento-san. There's still innocent people that need to be saved, curses that need to be killed. What we need is a Sorcerer, so please help us save as many lives as possible. And maybe take a Vacation soon, you look like shit."
With that, Megumi Fushiguro kept walking off with his hands still in his pockets, leaving behind an almost shell shocked Nanami.
"Yo! Megumi!"
"Hm?"
Megumi stopped and turned around to face the source of the voice, finding it to be Maki whose foot was currently crushing the head of the still living but soon to be former Leader of the Zen'in Clan.
"What is it?" He asked, kind of annoyed that she ruined what was supposed to be a cool exit.
"What're ya gonna go do now? Need any help?" She asked, although she was enjoying herself currently she knew that there could be bigger and more important things to do at the moment.
"Oh.. It's Nothing... Just gonna go meet an Old Friend – Ciao!"
With that Megumi left the group – Now duo of sorcerers, behind as he went to meet someone who he considered 'an old friend'.
…
One Minute Later.
"There you are…" Megumi muttered under his breath with satisfaction. He was down on one knee and resting his hand on the other while looking at something, he laid his eyes on the object, or rather the person of his interest.
He was a tall, muscular man with mid-length straight black hair that reached to his ears. His eyes are green with oddly pitch Black Scleras, and he has thin black eyebrows and a scar on the corner of his right lip. He wore a loose white sweater along with black pants and black shoes.
"The Sorcerer Killer. Or should I say… 'Father'?"
[Image (In Discord)]
The Man with a Body so Godly, its Sheer Power Overwrote the Soul of its Host when they tried to use it through a Séance Technique.
The Man with a Heavenly Restriction and Skill so Great, he almost killed Satoru Gojo, The Honoured One.
The Man who had made him, his Biological Father.
Toji Fushiguro.
The Sorcerer Killer's eyes shot upwards to where he stood, his Heaven Restriction allowing him to hear even the quietest noise. He all but disappeared from his place with a gust of air, leaving a crater on the ground in his wake.
Toji was not in his right state of mind at the moment, the out of control Séance Technique had removed his sense of self. He has been reduced to a Puppet of Carnage which seeks to kill the strongest living being around.
And at the moment, that is his Son, Fushiguro Megumi.
Toji appeared before his son with fist held back, ready to throw a haymaker strong enough to puncture through Carbon-Alloyed Steel.
This amount of power and speed is enough to annihilate even Special Grade Curses without even a sweat. It would even kill Grade One Sorcerers before they could even blink, it was Suicidal to even try.
Fearing the Sorcerer Killer was an Iron Clad Rule to all Jujutsu Sorcerers.
However…
That same Rule does not apply to Fushiguro Megumi.
Megumi weaved his body to the side as he could see every single movement his father made, from the twitching of his fingers to the tensing of his leg muscles before he even moved.
The Lord of Shadows grabbed Toji's arm with his own and pulled him to the side, pulling back an arm as he did before throwing a Brutal Haymaker into his opponent's face.
A shockwave reverberated from the impact of his fist, shattering the glass of the nearby railings. The force of the punch didn't stop there as the still mid air Toji Fushiguro was then sent flying away, he crashed through the glass wall of the Subway Station and flew out into the street.
Megumi jumped right after him and landed a few feet away, relishing the sensation of his fist meeting his Father's face even for a moment. Bringing his arm to his grinning face, he observed the slight mark left on his knuckles, it was as if he had punched solid steel.
But he still watched on in amusement as Toji got back up to his feet mostly uninjured, but rubbing the face of his stolen Vessel. The wielder of the Heavenly Restriction had the expression of someone remembering something they had forgotten for too long.
Outplaying the Sorcerer Killer in hand to hand combat was a feat considered to be impossible for all sorcerers, ever since his reign of Terror over the Jujutsu Society over a Decade ago.
It was seen as Unrealistic and Impossible for all, except for Fushiguro Megumi of course.
For he is The Shepherd of Fire, the man who shall Remake this world into his Image. He Is-
"...Megumi?"
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850 Power Stones = Extra Chapter.
Author's Note:
Local Florida Man gets punched by the Son he Abandoned and finally remembers he exists after 15 Years.
…
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Next Chapter Title: The Rules of Nature.
…
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