Capítulo 35: The Divine Guard.
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I've lost enough of my dignity already…
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Megumi shot up from the bed in a fit of alarm and surprise, he immediately looked around only to find himself alone laying in Shoko's office. He sighed out slightly as he calmed himself and thought back to what he saw inside the inner reaches of his Innate Domain.
"What the hell.. Was that me? Ugh, whatever. It's probably just the last remnants of brain damage that hadn't cleared up yet. It doesn't matter, I got shit to do and I've already wasted enough time." He muttered while rubbing his eyes to remove any gunk from them, he heard the sound of the office door opening as he did so.
"Hey you, you're finally awake."
Megumi didn't react much to the voice as he felt its owner approaching the room as soon as he woke up, he simply continued wiping away the dirt on his face before getting off the bed. He then absent mindedly took a cup of what he assumed was water which was on the desk to quench his thirst.
"Your brain healed most of the effects of the Infinite Void surprisingly quickly, almost like it Adapted to it." Shoko explained as soon as she entered the room, hanging her coat on a hanger as she did so.
"Hey Shoko, how long was I out?" He asked before downing the entire cup, wincing slightly as he did, realising that it was actually beer. "Shit Shoko, why do you have beer just casually in a cup in the middle of the… Afternoon?"
"...And, well what can I say, I love me some Heineken. And besides, why are you just drinking a cup of liquid on another person's desk without asking first?" The brown haired woman then shot back with a small smirk.
"Hm, I guess that's fair. But it makes me wonder, aren't you scared for your health at all? All this abuse can't be good for your organs." Megumi questioned as he stood up and started stretching his limbs.
However he felt his vision seemed slightly off, as if he was seeing double, so he went to rub his eyes again to make sure nothing was in them.
"Haha, nothing some good Ol' RCT won't fix! Anyways, you were out for.. One day and about 16ish hours, ya' didn't miss much though so you should be fine. The scans I did didn't show any signs of Brain damage but let me check your eyes to make sure nothing's wrong." Shoko chuckled out as she walked towards him and went to check his eyes to make sure nothing was off.
"Uh, that's a new one... You wouldn't happen to be using your Rabbit Incarnation right now would you?" She asked, a hint of concern being evident in her voice.
"No.. Why?"
To this, Shoko simply turned him to face a nearby mirror and showed him what she saw. When he turned around, Megumi then understood why his vision seemed off at first glance.
"Huh, you're right. That is new."
Looking into the mirror, Megumi saw his eyes in their new form. Instead of their usual Brilliant Viridian Green, his eyes had turned a Deep Blinding Crimson even without him using his Rabbit Incarnation.
"I guess that explains why everything looks weird, this is gonna be a pain to get used to. Wait, if using the Rabbit Incarnation gave me the ability to see my own soul clearly then this Mutation must be…" He mumbled under his breath as he looked even closer at his new eyes.
Megumi's hypothesis was correct, due to his now evolved eyes, Fushiguro Megumi is now capable of perceiving the Contours of the Soul.
However, as his vision is now, he is unable to focus his sight and observe the soul clearly. Receiving a second sight was no small change to his senses after all and it will take some training to get it all into
'Odd, I didn't even need to hit a Black Flash for this Mutation. I just got it Naturally from using Rabbit Escape frequently, must be because I was basically using it whenever I was freely moving around. Although.. could it also mean that my body is getting better at melding with and absorbing the essence of my shikigami?'
"Oh? If you mean what I think you mean then that's pretty huge, you should go meet Maki when you can and train with her. She had similar problems at some point but looks like she was able to get a handle on it after some time, she would be able to help you more than I could." Shoko said after determining that there wasn't anything wrong with the rest of him despite his newly enhanced vision.
"Cool then, before I go.. you know where Satoru is? Cuz this shit has his name all over it, the other two dumbasses' too and I'm not talking metaphorically here…" Megumi growled out as he looked up at his forehead and finally noticed the 'art' left upon his face along with the initials emblazoned on it.
"Oh? Haha~! Yeah, that! Satoru and Itadori aren't in Tokyo anymore, the first idiot fucked off to deal with something back in Kyoto with his clan or something and the second one is with Nanami-kun investigating a potential Special Grade threat. Kugisaki is over in Tokyo, I think she's training with Maki if I'm not mistaken." Shoko revealed with a smirk as she sat down on her chair and leaned back.
"Thanks Shoko, see ya later…" He simply said as he was swallowed by his shadow and replaced by a perfect clone that lacked the 'art' on his forehead.
The clone walked out of the office and made his way towards the other end of the building, before entering a quiet room. Inside the room was Tsumiki laying on the bed as usual, Megumi walked towards her and focused his eyes closely.
At first the contrasting and contradicting lines that signified the Soul and The Physical reality before him were too blurry to comprehend, but slowly and steadily they started to coalesce together into a clear image.
He could see the visage of both his sister and her curse's souls, and just as he had expected, although they were tied together by a link he couldn't hope to break as he was now. He knew that it was now within his grasp, it won't be too long now.
Megumi grinned with all his heart and soul, for after so long he had achieved some real progress. Soon enough, he will shatter the bonds that held his beloved sister's Eternal Soul hostage.
…
A few hours later, Tokyo Jujutsu Tech Training Dojo.
"Why am I being used as the target holder here!" Nobara cried out, her face had a small cut run down her cheek that was made from a blade. In her hand she held a terrified 4th Grade curse, although fortunately for her, it seemed the curse was too scared to move.
"Well, you can't argue with his logic, can you, Nobara? You drew a dick on his forehead while he was unconscious, so now he makes you hold curses for his target practice to hone his new vision. Seems fair no?" Maki chuckled out, finding the image in front of her quite amusing.
As Nobara was forced to hold a curse still for Megumi to slash at, in front of the light orange haired girl was Megumi. In his hands was Kage, which was Reforged once more under his will into a larger form which mimicked the 'Soul Splitting Katana'.
He was currently wearing an all black Yukata, with white highlights and pure white Obi Belt. Megumi had changed into this as it was the only set of clothing he had in his Inventory, since he kept it there in case he ever went over to a formal clan meeting, which he planned to go to after this training session is over.
"No it isn't fair at all! Why am I the only one being punished here? Gojo-sensei and Yuji drew on his face too!" Kugisaki reasoned and tried to sell out her compatriots in hopes of a small sentence.
"Both idiots are out of my grasp for the moment, so you'll have to do for now. But don't worry you can have a small break, as long as you keep that curse in your hold and don't let go." Megumi acquested, causing Kugisaki and the curse in her grasp to sigh in relief at the same time while Maki chuckled slightly from the side.
"I'm speeding shit up, if I want to have any chance of beating that dumbass. I need to squeeze every bit of power from my technique as fast as possible." He stated, before turning away and sticking his Blade onto the ground before bringing his hands together into the shape of a Tiger Head's shadow puppet.
"He's already so strong, but he's not even in the least bit happy with it? How much more does he need to be satisfied?" Nobara mumbled under her breath as she fell to the ground and sat, squeezing the curse in her grasp as a sort of stress ball as she did much to the curse's displeasure.
"Well I guess that's the difference between us and people like him, isn't it? You and I might be happy with our lot in life as long as we reach a certain level, but him? He's different, for my entire life I've never seen someone train harder or as long or even as consistently as he does." Maki explained as they watched his shadows explode outwards to summon a New Shikigami.
"He lives for his growth, and nothing pisses him off more when there's a mountain he has yet to climb. Even if that mountain happens to be The Strongest Sorcerer of the Modern Era, arguably even the Strongest in all of History as well."
"It's the biggest thing I admire about him, that Bottomless Ambition."
"Divine Treasures, hear my Call and Awaken under my will." Megumi chanted, as the summoning of the second to last Shikigami demanded a grander ceremony than the rest.
"Hear my Call and Sound the Ascension of the New Lord." His shadows coalesced together ahead of him as one could hear the deafening sound of an Elephant's Trumpet.
"Witness my Call and Awaken The Divine General's Guard; Funeral Tiger."
The sounds of Trumpets were then drowned out by an Oppressive Roar before the shadows ahead of him Shattered apart, revealing the form of a large White Furred Tiger with Black Stripes running down his whole body.
Megumi readied himself to be attacked immediately but was shocked by what he saw next as before his eyes. The Shikigami started rising slowly as before his now permanently Crimson eyes with its own Blinding Azure orbs of fire, it stood up on two feet and faced him eye to eye.
His tail then lit on fire with a Brilliant Blue flame, with the back of his neck lighting up with the same Azure flames. Shortly after that, the Divine Tiger's eyes shone with a brilliant azure flame that reached even his breath.
[Image (In Discord)]
"It has been an Age since last I was Summoned. Would Be Lord, you stand before The Tiger Funeral, The Divine General's Right-Hand Man and Guard. What is thy Name?" The Shikigami demanded.
"Wow, I thought that since the last record of you was so old, it must have been wrong. But you really can talk, huh?" Megumi said with a small sense of awe before shaking his head. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter does it? Learn my name and learn it well. My Name is Fushiguro Megumi, your soon to be master!"
"Fushiguro Megumi, for thine sake, I hope thy words are those of Confidence and not Arrogance. For I shall not hold back against thee, prepare thyself and do not disappoint me like many of those before thine self." Funeral Tiger commanded, before bringing his hands up into a fighting stance that showed experience.
"Disappoint you? How would I do that?" Megumi asked while bringing his hand up into his own stance, grabbing Kage as he did.
"Most before thyself rushed through the Subjugation of all the rest of thine brethren, without taking heed to master the foundations of Jujutsu. They treated us as mere tools to the slaughter to push their ambitions, few were worthy of myself and none were worthy of commanding The Divine General." The shikigami stated solemnly.
'Checks out to me, I can tell from his Cursed Energy and form, he's about 3 or 4 Sukuna Fingers strong. And if the records left were accurate the last time he was summoned was about 400 years ago during the peak of the Edo Era and even then, he slaughtered his summoner. Hm, he seems to be the honourable type, so maybe this'll work and lessen the effort required from me.' Megumi considered.
"Alright then Funeral Tiger, allow me to prove myself to be different from my ancestors. Let us make a Binding Vow!" Megumi declared as he stuck his Blade deep into the tatami mat of the Dojo.
"What is he doing?" Kugisaki questioned, confused from what was happening.
"No no, hol' up. Let him cook…" Maki said, getting off of the wall she was leaning on and walking closer to the fight.
"A Binding Vow? Very well, you have caught my attention Aspiring Lord. Speak your peace."
"This is an established Dojo within a Holy ground of Jujutsu, it would be a shame to ruin or marr it with our battle. How about this instead, you and I fight an Honourable Duel with nothing more than our base abilities. I won't even summon any Shikigami or use my weapons." The Black Haired man declared, placing his right hand upon his chest in a dramatic fashion.
"How intriguing, it has truly been too long since I have had the chance to fight a genuine duel. What are the rules of this Duel?" Questioned the Divine Guard, now wholly interested in this idea.
"Just like I said before, no weapons, no Shikigami on my side. We stay in this Dojo and the first to land 3 clean hits on the other without being hit is the winner. When I win, you will be tamed without needing to be killed. And if I lose, I will sit down and allow you to kill me as you wish." Megumi explained with a grin, moving his right hand to raise two of his fingers to illustrate his point.
"Isn't that a bit reckless?"
"Eh, it's fine. He's probably gonna pull something stupid and hit him 3 times in a second."
"Hoho? I am quite surprised to meet one with so much bravado as thyself, but very well. I accept your Duel and its terms. The Binding Vow will let us both know who won immediately so there is no need for a witness. Let us begin!" Funeral Tiger declared, excited for an Honourable Duel after so long. The flames on his tail and back fired up with his rising spirit.
"Let's." Megumi said with a grin that hid a sly intent beneath.
The Shikigami and Summoner rushed at each, and started exchanging hits as they clashed. For every hit that the Divine Guard would land, Megumi would land 2 of his own. This went on for the next 3 minutes as neither of them could land 3 consecutive attacks on the other.
Eventually the shikigami threw an Azure Flame infused haymaker at the black haired man's stomach in the middle of his opponent's recovering period.
'I said I wouldn't use any shikigami or weapons, I never said anything about my Incarnations. I'll have to stick to one that is mostly undetectable or doesn't cause many physical changes. Let's end this quickly and move onto other things.' Megumi smiled as he fell backwards to avoid the attack, seeming to foolishly give his opponent the perfect opportunity to win.
'Incarnation: Great Serpent.'
This Incarnation grants Megumi Fushiguro a sort of heat vision, paralytic saliva and venom. Along with that, it grants him impossibly small scales that cover his entire body that increase his resistance against blunt and slashing damage by a good amount.
And most importantly give him an impossibly dextrous and flexible body which will be essential for Megumi's plan to finish the fight right this instant.
As predicted, the shikigami immediately tried to go on the offensive and end the fight, playing into his hand. As Megumi's arm bent unnaturally against the ground in a way that pushed him under the Tiger's legs, all the while he threw a hand to the side as he did so.
The hand landed a surprising palm hit against his opponent's right knee at an impossible angle, causing him to be pushed out of position and be wide open for an attack. Using this opening, Megumi almost slithered up from his place on the ground while balancing himself upside down on one hand.
The Black Haired man threw an inverted roundhouse kick that struck at the Tiger's head, marking his second hit. Immediately as he did, he pushed himself into the air by pushing himself up with one hand and performed a somersault in the air to get above his opponent right as he turned to hit him in return.
"Is that even necessary?" Kugisaki questioned as a sweat drop fell down her forehead, even the curse in her grasp seemed confused.
"Haha, what a fucking show-off." Maki simply laughed, enjoying the free impromptu show.
Taking advantage of his opponent's blunder, Megumi simply threw a devastating punch that slammed into the Tiger's head, slamming it onto the tatami mat beneath them and causing it to shatter apart. The black haired man then landed ahead of him, before turning around and simply waiting for his opponent to get up.
Both the fighters paused as Funeral Tiger pulled himself off the ground, Megumi simply looked at him with a smile while quietly dispelling his Incarnation.
"Well, it seems like I won our Duel, Funeral Tiger." Megumi simply stated and waited for his opponent to reply as both of them could feel their Binding Vow come into effect.
"Yes, it seems you have. It has indeed been too long since I had a good and honourable battle with a worthy opponent. My skills have rusted after so long, I hope you allow me to hone my craft against you once again, Master." The shikigami said in reverence as he bowed, accepting Megumi as the victor and establishing their bond without the need for him to be killed.
"Cool, I got a meeting with the Amago clan in about 30 minutes so we're gonna have to move quickly. 'Funeral Tiger' is too wordy, so from now on your name is 'Tai Lung', got it?" The black haired man announced shamelessly. "Also start talking more normally when possible, it's a pain to write your dialogue."
"Shameless bastard, that's from that movie we watched with Yuji the other day, he's not even trying to be creative!" Nobara growled out, crushing the curse in her hands once again.
"And the guy in the movie isn't even a Tiger, he's a Leopard you cheap fuck!"
"I- Very well, if that is what you will. Then so it shall be, I will now be known as Tai Lung in addition to my original name." The shikigami said, accepting the name without much incident.
"Heads up." Maki called out to Nobara with a cheeky smile.
The orange haired girl barely had enough time to look up before she saw an onyx blade slice just millimetres away from her face and kill the 4th grade curse in her hand instantly.
"FUCK! Warn a girl before you start swinging that thing around! You almost cut my friggin' nose off!" Kugisaki cried out in indignation, before looking down at her clothes and finding them covered in blood, making her scream even harder in outrage.
"Shush, just be more perceptive next time. Tai Lung, do your thing." Megumi ordered, trying to test out his shikigami's ability immediately.
The Tiger nodded and reached his paw forwards where the curse used to be, shortly after a tiny orb of brilliant blue flames appeared in the place where it died. That orb then flew towards Tai Lung who held it in his paws for a moment before it floated to his maw where he swallowed it whole.
The flames on the Shikigami's back then flickered slightly as its lustre grew after he had swallowed the curse's remnants. As the fire grew, so did the curse's maximum capacity of cursed energy for that is the Ninth Shikigami's true ability.
In addition to having a great base of strength, it also was capable of controlling flames made of pure cursed energy which he could output at insane levels. However the way he was capable of maintaining his power, was the shikigami's ability to devour the leftover remnants of the Soul of whatever living being died in his presence.
Doing so grants Funeral Tiger all of the remaining cursed energy within that being to be added to his grasp indefinitely until it has been used up.
The best way to describe it would be that if Funeral Tiger's normal Maximum Cursed Energy capacity was 100/100.
Then devouring the remnants of another soul would increase his available pool of energy, exceeding his normal Maximum capacity; for example: 120/100.
A truly terrifying ability that could threaten thousands if left unchecked for too long.
"To mourn is to accept the failings of the past, to take in the Agony which makes up our lives and instil it to be a part of your own self. For it is the duty of the Living to take on the Burdens of the Dead." Funeral Tiger declared, almost as if reciting an ancient ritual he hadn't undertaken in ages.
'It also explains why Sukuna never bothered to use it in my past life. I doubt the mad bastard's ego could handle having to 'borrow' cursed energy from those he deems beneath or weaker than himself. Not that it would have affected Satoru much to begin with.' Megumi considered as he found a solution to a question that plagued him for a long while.
"Good, now that you have been tamed. All that remains is the big man himself, The Divine General Mahoraga."
"It would be my honour to help you along the path of the Lord of Shadows, master. I believe that under your command, our Divine General will finally find a worthy master for the first time in all of History."
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Author's Note:
Only more Shikigami to go huh? Where has the time gone?
As for Funeral Tiger being able to talk: why not!
It's cool, he's a Special Grade with like 3 or 4 fingers worth of CE and his ability deals with Souls!
Besides he's the 9th Shikigami, there has to be something Special about him! Why not have him talk and give him a deeper connection with Mahoraga and the rest of the Shikigami?
He's kinda like their stoic but loving older brother, atleast in my interpretation of the Ten Shadows.
Would that make Tranquil Deer their doting elder sister? Eh, whatever…
It may not be canon accurate, but who cares? It's fun!
ANYWAYS, STONES NOW! WE NEED THEM FOR THE EMPIRE!
…
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Next Chapter Title: [NSFW/R18] Mei Mei.
…
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