Capítulo 46: Family?
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The Death Painting Womb spat a stream of acidic blood at Yuji, he deftly dodged, the corrosive substance hissing as it hit the ground.
Yuji pivoted, delivering a powerful kick that sent the curse staggering back. His eyes narrowed as he contemplated the nature of the curse's blood. It was clear that the curse was surprised by his strength, but Yuji was focused on maintaining the upper hand.
Meanwhile, in the oppressive confines of the Domain, Nobara was engaged in a strategic battle against the other curse. She focused her Straw Doll Technique: Resonance on the areas where the curse intermittently appeared.
Explosions erupted from the impact points as the technique hit its targets, but the curse deftly avoided being caught, rapidly shifting between different spots.
Nobara's frustration was evident as she looked at Megumi. "This is like playing whack-a-mole! I'm hitting the spots where it appears, but it's just too fast!"
Megumi, calculating and observant, nodded in agreement. "You're right. Keep at it, though. If you can keep crushing the exits, it'll give us an advantage. The main body of the curse is limited in its ability to retaliate."
As Megumi assessed the situation, he noted that the curse seemed weaker than he had initially anticipated. The curse's main body, hidden within the Domain's barrier, appeared to be suffering from the strain of maintaining the barrier and dealing with the affected area.
The real threat, he suspected, was the curse Yuji was battling. The curse's ability to attack and defend with a wide range of attacks made it a formidable opponent. But nothing they couldn't handle
As the intense battle raged within the Domain, a new threat emerged. A sinister presence reached through the barrier, grasping Nobara and pulling her out with terrifying force. Megumi's eyes widened in alarm as he saw his friend being dragged away. He tried to rush to her aid, but Nobara's voice cut through the chaos, firm and resolute.
"Don't worry about me! Just go after that curse!" she shouted, her voice tinged with urgency.
The curse Yuji was fighting, sensing the shift in the situation, turned its grotesque gaze towards Megumi and the newly arrived menace. It abruptly abandoned its battle with Yuji and moved to exit the Domain as well, drawn by the commotion and its hidden motives.
Megumi's mind raced as he saw Nobara being taken away and the curse leaving the barrier. "Yuji! Chase it outside and save Nobara!" he commanded, his voice filled with determination.
Yuji nodded sharply, his focus shifting immediately. He broke into a sprint, pursuing the escaping curse with a single-minded purpose, leaving the Domain behind.
Nobara was dragged through the forest by her unknown assailant. Her eyes darted around, assessing her surroundings and the strange figure before her. She held her hammer ready, using it to create distance as she faced her mysterious captor.
The figure was unlike any curse Nobara had encountered before. His appearance was unusual and unsettling, with an aura that was neither entirely human nor fully cursed spirit. The man's features were sharp and his eyes cold, and he spoke with an air of detached authority.
"I'm not here to kill sorcerers," he said, his voice calm and measured. "My brother and I have our errand. I don't know what brought you here, but it seems our purposes might align in some way."
Nobara narrowed her eyes, trying to piece together his cryptic words. "What are you talking about? And who are you? Actually...forget that, you're both curses so I'll deal with you the same, Exorcision."
...
As Megumi fought tirelessly against the tunneling curse, he assessed its attacks and found them increasingly predictable. The curse's attempts to evade him were becoming simplistic, revealing its limitations. With a precise swing of his sword, Megumi's strikes cut through the creature's defenses, but the final blow came from his Divine Dog: Totality.
The shikigami's powerful assault dismantled the curse, scattering it into nothingness. Breathing heavily, Megumi took a moment to rest, his eyes scanning the area.
The tunnels created by the curse vanished, and the barrier that had concealed the Domain seemed to waver. Just as he began to feel a semblance of relief, he noticed something troubling—a new tunnel had opened, and the Domain was still active.
Megumi's thoughts raced as he considered the timeline. The first death linked to this curse had occurred in June, which coincided with the period when Sukuna had incarnated.
The realization hit him like a cold wave: a special grade curse, much like the one he had faced at the detention center, was now emerging. This curse carried a Sukuna finger—one of the items the Death Painting Wombs were after.
The air around Megumi grew heavy with an ominous presence as the special-grade curse materialized before him. Its form was both majestic and terrifying, exuding a dark energy that marked it as a powerful and significant threat.
...
The atmosphere around Megumi crackled with intense energy as the special grade curse manifested, its immense presence palpable even before it fully emerged. The curse was eerily similar to the one he had faced at the detention center, but this time, it radiated an even greater malevolence and power. The Sukuna fingers it carried resonated strongly, their combined energy amplifying the curse's strength.
As Megumi observed the curse, he noticed its sheer potency. A single blast of cursed energy from the special grade curse shattered his cursed tool with ease, demonstrating its overwhelming force. The curse's agility was unmatched; it moved with a blinding speed that allowed it to evade Megumi's attacks effortlessly.
Desperation fueled Megumi's next moves. He attempted to summon Nue, hoping that its versatility could turn the tide of the battle.
However, before he could complete the summoning, the curse blitzed past him with terrifying swiftness. Its speed was so extraordinary that Megumi struggled to keep up, the curse moving in and out of his field of vision with fluid precision.
Divine Dog: Totality, ever loyal and perceptive, acted swiftly to protect Megumi. The shikigami lunged into the fray, intercepting the curse's attack and grabbing Megumi, pulling him out of harm's way just in time. The protective move was a testament to the bond between Megumi and his shikigami, as well as Divine Dog's crucial role in this dire situation.
Despite the brief respite, Megumi knew he was at a severe disadvantage. The curse's speed and power made it an exceptionally formidable opponent. With his current strategy failing, Megumi realized he needed to rethink his approach if he hoped to defeat this enemy.
In the aftermath of the baseball game, Megumi approached Gojo, still feeling the sting of his earlier performance. The recent pressure from Yuji's rapid growth and his struggles were weighing heavily on him.
"Gojo-sensei, can we talk?" Megumi asked, his voice tinged with frustration. "I feel like I'm not making any progress. I thought I was doing my best, but…"
Gojo, lounging casually against a wall, looked at Megumi with a mix of concern and amusement. "You know, Megumi, I think your skill and potential are higher than Yuji's. It's not about your abilities; it's the mental aspect that's holding you back
Megumi's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Are you saying you don't think I'm doing my best?"
Gojo shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "No, not at all. What I'm saying is that you don't know how to bring out your best. You think you're giving it your all, but it's not quite the same thing."
Megumi's irritation flared. "So you think I'm just not trying hard enough?"
Gojo chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "It's not about trying harder. It's about understanding what it means to try your best. You've been sacrificing yourself in situations like the baseball game, letting others shine while you stay in the background. That's noble, but it's not effective."
Megumi frowned, trying to process Gojo's words. "I thought I was doing the right thing, trying to help the team and all."
"Baseball is a team sport, but being a jujutsu sorcerer is an individual job," Gojo explained. "Even though you have allies, in the end, you're the one who fights your battles. And if you think about it, even if you have all the support in the world, you'll still face situations where you're alone
"That's why I sacrifice myself," Megumi said defensively. "I believe it's an ace up my sleeve. It's about doing what's necessary, even if it means putting myself in harm's way."
Gojo shook his head, his expression serious. "There's a difference between dying to make a sacrifice and dying victoriously. You should be striving for the latter. It's okay to be selfish and to fight with everything you have. The goal is not just to survive, but to win and to protect what you care about."
Megumi's expression softened slightly, his anger giving way to contemplation. "So, you're saying I should be more focused on my strength and not just on supporting others?"
"Exactly," Gojo said with a nod. "You need to picture a stronger version of yourself, not just someone who's content with being a support. Your potential is immense, but it's up to you to unleash it. Don't just try to match those around you—aim to surpass them."
"It's okay to be selfish."
Unconscious and battered, Megumi stirred from the haze of his dream, the memory of his intense training with Gojo still vivid. His body was aching, and Divine Dog had been dispelled in the chaos. As he came to, he grappled with the pain, his mind racing through the recent events and the crushing weight of his situation.
He considered sacrificing himself, his fallback plan, the "ace" he'd always kept in reserve. The thought was tempting, a way out of the dire straits he found himself in. But then he remembered Sukuna's words, his disdainful suggestion that Megumi was wasting his potential. The harsh truth stung, pushing Megumi to reconsider his path.
"No," Megumi muttered to himself, his voice rough. "I'm not going to waste my potential. I need to picture a future version of myself. One that's surpassed these limits."
He focused, pushing aside the pain and desperation. A jujutsu sorcerer's growth never came easily, and the path was fraught with challenges.
Yet, with a strong foundation, skills honed over the years, and an open mind, even the smallest of events could lead to profound change. Megumi had cultivated a powerful technique and learned to understand it deeply. With a win-or-die mentality, he was now ready to break through to the next level.
The pressure and determination coalesced into a single, explosive realization. Megumi's eyes blazed with resolve. He began to channel his cursed energy, feeling the shift within himself as he activated his Domain Expansion.
"Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!" he roared, his voice echoing with fervor. The ground around him trembled and the air crackled with energy as his Domain unfolded.
Inside the Domain, the shadowy environment shifted into a chaotic, sprawling garden of monstrous shapes and shifting shadows.
Megumi's face twisted into a wild grin as he looked around at the evolving landscape. The Domain was not perfect; it was raw, unfinished, and lacking in finesse. "It's trashy, half-baked, barely worked," Megumi admitted aloud, his voice tinged with manic energy. "But for now... it'll do."
The Chimera Shadow Garden roared to life, the shadows within writhing and coalescing into fierce creatures and dark manifestations. "haha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~" For the first time in his life, Megumi Fushiguro laughed with any care.
The incomplete Domain of Megumi's Chimera Shadow Garden spread across the area, its shadows pooling and writhing on the ground. The darkness became a living, breathing entity, spawning darker versions of Megumi's shikigami.
The environment was raw, unpolished, but teeming with potential. As Megumi pushed the boundaries of his limits, he allowed himself to imagine a strength he had never believed possible.
Summoning multiple Nue instead of just one, he commanded the electric beasts to divebomb the Finger Bearer. The successive strikes from this fierce shikigami pounded down with relentless force. Great Serpent, coiling and uncoiling, wrapped around the Finger Bearer, constricting and holding it in place with formidable strength.
Megumi was awash in a euphoric sense of liberation, the thrill of utilizing his techniques without hesitation or constraint. The Domain, though incomplete, allowed him to explore his abilities in unprecedented ways.
"Come on!" Megumi shouted, the sheer exhilaration in his voice. "Let's see how you handle this!"
The Finger Bearer, reeling from the assault, retaliated with a powerful explosion of cursed energy. The blast swept through the Domain, its sheer force tearing at the shadows and causing the ground to tremble. For a moment, the curse believed it had emerged victorious, its menacing aura looming over the battlefield.
Yet, as the dust began to settle, Megumi and Divine Dog: Totality emerged from the dissipating shadows. The spectral canine, with its claws honed to perfection, was a force of incredible power. Its claws had previously inflicted damage on Hanami; this curse was no match.
Divine Dog lunged with lethal precision, slashing through the Finger Bearer with a ferocious intensity. The exorcism was swift, the curse's defenses no longer sufficient to withstand the onslaught. The curse was vanquished, its form disintegrating under the relentless assault.
As the battle drew to a close, Megumi's crazed expression slowly faded, giving way to sheer exhaustion. His breathing was ragged, and the adrenaline that had fueled his fight began to ebb away. He stood amidst the remnants of his Domain, the shadows slowly receding.
"Well," Megumi said, his voice weary but satisfied. "That was... something."
He collapsed to his knees, the intensity of the fight taking its toll. Despite the victory, the strain was evident. The exhilaration of surpassing his limits was tempered by the exhaustion of the battle. He had pushed himself to new heights, and now, as he looked up at the remnants of the chaos he had wrought.
As the remnants of Megumi's Domain fade away, the darkness receding from the battlefield, he clutches Sukuna's finger, his grip shaky. The battle has left him bloodied and exhausted, his energy sapped. He looks around desperately for his allies but finds no immediate sign of them. The air is thick with the aftermath of the confrontation, and his body is barely holding together.
Through the finger, Sukuna watches the aftermath with a sense of eerie satisfaction. "Impressive," Sukuna's voice echoes within Megumi's mind. "You've exceeded my expectations. Maybe there's more potential in you than I thought."
The compliment does little to comfort Megumi. His body rebels against him, and he vomits violently before collapsing to the ground. The pain and exhaustion from the fight overwhelm him, and he recalls a different time, a different place.
Flashback
In the dimly lit corridors of his old middle school, Megumi's younger self stood among a pile of defeated punks, his expression one of unyielding resolve. He had put these bullies in their place, their groans and cries drowned out by his stern words.
"Human interaction is simple," young Megumi declared, his voice cold and unyielding. "Never cross a line that violates someone else's dignity. That's all it takes to keep things respectful."
The punks, bruised and battered, could only look up at him in confusion, their understanding of his actions as mysterious as their defeat.
Old man Takeda, the janitor, appeared on the scene, his face a mix of shock and disapproval. "Megumi, what have you done this time?" Takeda's voice was stern as he attempted to break up the altercation.
Megumi walked away from the pile of beaten bodies, passing a group of students who had witnessed the aftermath. They looked on in a mix of awe and relief as they realized the bullies had been dealt with.
Megumi turns the corner and he looks up to see Tsumiki standing nearby, her face etched with frustration. She storms over and, without hesitation, whacks him with a milk carton she's holding. The carton bursts open, and milk spills over Megumi's head, drenching him.
"Why do you always have to pick fights?" Tsumiki scolded him, her anger palpable.
Megumi, drenched and taken aback, tries to respond. "I was just—"
"Can't you just get along with people, Megumi?" Tsukimi said.
"Good people are gross," Megumi snapped, echoing a comment he had made years ago. "You never change."
As the scene shifts, Megumi stands beneath Yasohachi Bridge, his clothes soaked in milk and his body heavy with fatigue. The weight of his recent battle presses down on him, his thoughts drifting back to a time that shaped his life.
Flashback
When Megumi was just in first grade, his life took a sharp turn. His father and Tsumiki's mother had married and separated almost immediately, leaving Megumi and his sister in a fractured family dynamic. The trauma and confusion of that time lingered in his young heart.
One day, Gojo Satoru paid him a visit. The white-haired man, whose presence was both imposing and enigmatic, explained that Megumi was sold to the Zenin clan. He would be under their control but would receive support from Jujutsu High in return for his work as a sorcerer.
Young Megumi's eyes, filled with resentment, burned with an intense dislike. The idea of being sold and controlled was a bitter pill to swallow, and he channeled his anger toward Gojo and the world of jujutsu sorcerers. The white-haired man's reassurances did little to soften the harsh reality for the boy.
Present
Returning to the present, Megumi shakes off the memories, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. Tsumiki's voice, even in her sleeping state, echoes in his mind. He approaches the spot beneath the bridge where his sister's curse still holds her in a state of deep slumber. His heart clenches with sorrow as he speaks softly to her.
"I'm sorry, Tsumiki," Megumi murmurs, his voice trembling with emotion. "I know you're still sleeping because of that curse. I wish I could do more, but..."
He pauses, the weight of his failure pressing heavily on him. He looks at the spot where he believes her sleeping curse is rooted, but he realizes it's not related to the Yasohachi Bridge curse. His sister's condition is a separate, complex issue that he cannot resolve on his own.
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[Auther: Aight, this is gonna be it for now, but this chapter is super long, sry.
1. Potential Man.
2. Sukuna has spotted that Potential.]
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