If there was somebody that Fushiguro Megumi could describe to exude a feeling of power itself, he would unhesitatingly point toward the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga. The massive build of the Shikigami towering above all others had to be the biggest indicator of such a thing, along with its eyeless face and permanently etched maw of scorn.
The crudely attached sword wrapped with nothing but bandages across the Shikigami's arm also implied a vicious warrior of all means. One who was not so squeamish as to brush away the idea of barbarically attaching a blade on one's wrist via a method of what can only be described as 'savage' and 'uncouth.'
Yet despite such insinuating traits of Mahoraga, the God of Shikigami still stood as a deity amongst deities in the undeniable fact of its divinity. With this divinity, the being was granted one simple task, to serve the purpose of protecting a being far greater than itself in the grand scheme of all things.
The Healing Buddha.
This Wendigo known as Patriot, however? He was the complete opposite.
The ultimate defense standing tall in spite of all the horrors the world held was what was present right before Megumi's eyes. Whether it was because of his gigantic shield or bulwark of a build, he undoubtedly lived up to every phrase Reunion had used to describe him.
Yet despite holding what was essentially an icon of a defensive front to the entire world, there was no doubt within the Sorcerer's mind that this monstrous man could also pack immense firepower. Whether it be physical strength or some other mystical abilities which Terra possessed—there was a sense of might and security that he couldn't help but associate with Patriot.
Just as Mahoraga possessed something the Shikigami had devoted itself to protect, perhaps Patriot also had something similar that he wished to protect.
The Infected.
They were both protectors, Mahoraga and Patriot. But from what Fushiguro Megumi understood, they were still different in their ideals of being a 'protector.' The former was of a more offensive sense, and the latter was of a more defensive sense.
Swinging one's destructive in wake of Yakushi Nyorai's endangerment, and raising one's shield in the wake of the Infected's plight. Perhaps that was the conclusion he had been drawing with the two.
Even so, that shouldn't denote the lack of capabilities for either of them in opposite regards either. Offense could become a defense, and defense could also become an offense. Where did such sayings come from? Well, Megumi didn't know himself.
Laurentina lingered behind the black haired man, sending a curious gaze at the fortress in front of her. The Abyssal Hunter placed a finger under her lower lip as she made heads over tails the sensation she was getting from the war-wrought Wendigo in front of her.
'That technology is most certainly foreign, and this strange feeling coming off of him...' The Aegir turned to glance at Fushiguro Megumi, the lettering looking as if he were completely calm in this situation. However, she knew a battle instinct was stirring deep beneath his chest '...he's also quite interested in that wheel of yours, isn't he?'
She noticed the gaze of the Wendigo's eyes peering at the stationary object on top of Megumi's head. Maybe it was because the behemoth could also sense its aura on the same level as her, but the white haired woman was sure he sensed some of the deeper implicit meanings behind it.
By implicit meanings, she was referring to the power it gave off. Although having gotten used to it for a long time, the Abyssal Hunter knew that the capabilities of the wheel was far more extraneous than Fushiguro Megumi had explained. 'Everybody probably knows it from the bottom of their heart—it's just that the more battle-hardened ones can get a better grasp of it.'
Laurentina turned back to Patriot. She remembered his name being talked around the settlement a lot, from all the different people the Aegir had conversed with. Yes, she was far more sociable than the moody black haired man beside her, and she took a little pride in that. Why? Because in spite of what the summoner might say, she knew he was very clueless about Reunion's inner-workings in general.
With how much he had walked off to go train or hole himself up in his room, the Abyssal Hunter couldn't help but mentally scoff. Megumi had been the one to suggest travelling across Terra, but it looked like he didn't have the social capacity to interact with that many people. The old lady from back in the village seemed to be an exception—for some reason.
The Reunion members moved out of the way, forging a path for the Patriot when he stepped forward. Laurentina should have expected it, but the route that had been made was straight to the two, the goliath slowly—yet swiftly—was making his way towards the exact person she had been thinking of before.
'...He could crush princess like a twig,' the assessment was made by Laurentina. Unless he summoned his copiously large eight-headed serpent, then the black haired man would be torn to shreds. Like a strawberry through a blender.
Massive strides were taken with each step, covering the distance between Megumi and Patriot within what felt like a blink of an eye. There he loomed over the man dressed in a black haori, said article of clothing finding itself flowing through the wind.
A silence followed. The Reunion members scattered across halted their conversations and mumblings, seeing the gigantic Wendigo standing over one of the newcomer guests. They were intimately familiar with this sort of thing, having already been through the same deafening of sound when their vehicles had first come in.
Then again, this particular scene felt so different from when the guests arrived, the reason wasn't something anybody could quite put their finger on.
FrostNova was off to the side with Talulah, the Cautus girl staring at the 'confrontation' with a slightly worried look. She remembered the small staredown that happened when Patriot had first been introduced to Talulah, but it wasn't like this at all. Especially not walking straight up to them and looking straight down.
Talulah didn't know what to think of the scene either. She was familiar with being in the shoes of Fushiguro Megumi, but to be this close? No, the ashen haired woman had to contemplate what the intentions of the Wendigo was, or even what he was seeing within the black haired man. Was a fight about to break out?
That couldn't be the case. If Patriot saw Megumi as an immediate danger, the Draco was sure he would have immediately attacked him without any warning. That—or he would have already declared something that would point out any discrepancies. So... what was the case then? Why did it feel so tense?
On the other hand, Megumi's blank stare continued to meet Patriot's. He couldn't tell whatever emotion the Wendigo was emitting because of his mask, but a faint understanding(?) was there. The Sorcerer couldn't really speak on the matter much.
With how things were progressing at this rate—which was nowhere—he was starting to think that some action needed to be taken. Such action was him being the one to actually strike up a conversation, something that he honestly had been dodging in regards to Reunion.
'...Let's give it a shot,' Megumi thought to himself, deciding that this awkward moment had gone on long enough. "...Mr. Patriot, pleased to meet you." Megumi didn't know whether he should extend his hand for a handshake or not, but he did so.
That was until he realized that both of Patriot's hands were currently occupied. One holding his gigantic lance, and the other holding his shield. He could probably still shake with the hand holding the shield, because it was more so attached to his arm—but Megumi had extended his right hand, while Patriot's shield hand was his left hand.
Thankfully, the Sorcerer's embarrassment was saved when Patriot planted his lance on the ground, amazingly reaching his right hand out to softly grab Megumi's.
"You are young," the Wendigo said, neither an admonishment nor a compliment. It was as if he were stating a clear and concise fact, most likely because it was. "Neither are you Infected. Tell me, what brings you two upon Reunion's settlement?" His voice was gruffed and aged.
The Wendigo's sight briefly turned to Laurentina, the woman blinking in response. In the end, she gave a small smile back in response, letting the conversation between the two happen. The black haired man needed some social interactions aside from herself, after all.
'...Small talk? Is he initiating small talk? Patriot never did this when we first met...' Talulah raised an eyebrow, a confused look present on her face. She sent a glance at FrostNova, hoping the Cautus girl would be aware of anything.
"...I decided to visit on a whim," Megumi fully admitted to him. He had deliberated what to say to the other man, but had decided to go with what his heart told him. "I would have never expected Ursus to be... as they are, though."
"I see," Patriot responded. "Yet the lands must have not given you much grace. Seeing as you now stand within Reunion's grounds." The Wendigo made their assumption. Most people who travelled the tundras, especially for a Higashinese, would most likely have any illusions about Ursus utterly destroyed. If they hadn't heard derogatory speech about it from outside—which he knew was ripe with negative opinions.
"I believe you could say so..." Megumi released his hand from Patriot's grip, the latter doing the same. Despite having to stare up at this intimidating bastion, there was strangely a... hope? Trust? He couldn't truly describe it, but he felt something from him "...but I'm not doing much, either."
Indeed, he hadn't helped Reunion free the Infected entrapped within the mines—despite how much slavery angered him—as it wasn't something the Sorcerer saw as obligatory. No matter the amount of Infected saved, it would be the same cycle over and over again. Being stuck in another one...
"You are ill suited." Patriot's voice didn't change much, but it surely felt like a message was being sent toward the black haired man.
"...Pardon me?" Megumi was slightly confused.
"You are ill suited to become a savior, nor a liberator," Patriot said. His eyes stared down at the man in front of him, the golden wheel floating above his head was one that could only belong to a divine being. Yet the one he was staring at right now... "if that was your intent in the first place. Otherwise, a torn soul is not one fit to become an Aegis. Heed my words, if you wish to spare yourself from further despair."
Those words struck something within Megumi's body. For some reason, the resonation of chords flowing across his body had made him feel as if... as if he were missing something. What he was missing was something extremely important, but that didn't mean the Sorcerer could perceive what it was.
"I believe our conversation ends here. Find your place in the world." The Wendigo gave one last look toward him, before turning away. The giant mass that was his body began walking away, leaving Megumi staring at his back in a stupor.
The other Reunion members, including the Shieldguards were confused. However, the latter recovered quickly, giving a side glance toward Fushiguro Megumi before following their captain. Their steps soon moved in unison with Patriot, most likely going to their quarters to rest.
Laurentina watched their departure with slight interest, before turning back to Megumi. '...Well, I guess I can understand those words to an extent.' The Abyssal Hunter gazed into the eyes of an utterly lost man, 'I'm curious too, Megumi. Where is your place in this world?' The analogy that the man known as Patriot used was perfect in her eyes.
The wind no longer felt soft against his face. There was a sense of loss within his body, something that Megumi hadn't truly had a moment of his time to ruminate over. During his entrance to this world, there was only desperation, during his stay in Lungmen, there was only the rush of survival, during his time in Primavera and Reunion... there was only a weight pressing down on his shoulders.
The weight of becoming stronger, to push himself past his boundaries and leap through everything. Yet where did he stand? What was his place in this new world? Did such a thing matter in the first place? A Jujutsu Sorcerer only held one purpose—that was to exorcise Cursed Spirits until the end of their life. Until they become incapable, like a rusted cog to be replaced in a machine.
It was the ultimate fate of all Jujutsu Sorcerers, no matter how powerful you become. Ryomen Sukuna spent endless time reincarnating into the Modern Era, and for what? What was it for? Was it because his body was starting to become aged and decrepit? Was there fear in that idea? The creeping sensation that nothing else truly mattered in the progression of his life.
To experience thrill once more, that was what Fushiguro Megumi assumed from the King of Curses. But for himself? The Ten Shadows user had already broken away from Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Society. There was no need for him to become the cog stuck within a fundamentally broken machine.
Because there was no machine in the first place.
He had no purpose. He had no purpose, and that was fine, wasn't it? Then there were no duties for him to constrain himself to. There was no Jujutsu Society for him to be pushed around by. He was free, completely and utterly free. No longer was he stuck within the confines of his mind, nor the dubious thought of giving up. He had overcome such a thing when taming the Divine General, when ascending to the rank of a Sovereign.
A Sovereign was in control of what they ruled. They were powerful, as powerful as anybody could have imagined? So why? What was this doubt boiling up in his body, burning up his heart and melting his flesh? It was a disgusting feeling, a completely and thoroughly horrendous one. He wanted to retch it out, to vomit it as a body does to a poison or venom.
Boundless and bare, that was what his potential was. That was what Gojo Satoru saw, and what he strove for as his... his goal. Yes, yes, yes! That was his goal! With one hundred percent certainty he could say that was his goal! It served him a purpose, it served him a will—a way to press forward in this cold and barren world. He had nothing, but that... that only meant he... he had everything to gain!
...So why? Why did he feel so lost?
"...Megumi?" Laurentina stared at the man's back, having not sensed an inkling of movement from him at all. She remained silent while gauging what he could be feeling at the moment, still she couldn't understand what went through his mind. 'Perhaps if I get a better look at his facial expressions—'
She turned to walk around slowly to take a look at his face...
...Then paused...
...He didn't look human.
***
The whisperwind was haunting. Twisting and dancing did she howl an ominous tune across the settlement of Reunion. Megumi stayed under the night sky staring at the cackling campfire in front of him, the sounds of wood being turned into nothing but excess from fuel mingled along with the wind as her husband.
'Strongest, strongest... What does it mean to be the strongest? What does it mean to reach there? The pedestal placed far above the endless skies?' Megumi was the most lost he had ever been. It was those times where he contemplated his state in this world did he lose sense of what had been driving him. Because what had been driving him was superficial at most.
An artificial package filled with nothing but chemicals, forming a plastic which barely held together what was inside. The content was at most barely edible, a 'staple' food barely providing any nutrients to provide for anybody.
A parade, an endless one filled with nothing but selfishness. Stepping upon everything and destroying all that was within its wake. Perhaps it was like the one filled with the fever of a thousand Cursed Spirits marching in unison, their hatred and negativity forming an blasphemous icon.
That was all his goals amounted to, didn't it? He had this deliberate thought back in Lungmen when his doubts were at their highest, and they had come back for a vengeance. A gripping claw which tore at his skin, flesh, and muscle; leaving a permanent mark that would scar him for eternity.
Like a burnt-out plasticity of a brain never recovering from the injuries it had sustained. Megumi didn't know where he was at now, or what he had even become. Was he the second coming of an utter demon, pleasuring himself in however he acted? Was he a Sorcerer fully involved in their insanity? Or was he a methodical man who planned every single advantage he could—a picture-perfect assassin lurking within the shadows?
...The skies were beautiful.
"Admiring the view?"
Megumi didn't need to turn around to recognize it was FrostNova. Her voice was practically one with the winter itself, the hail lacing itself in her tone.
"...Of course," Megumi replied. His gaze continued to stare off at the glittering stars, pondering if one of those stars could hold any words he needed to hear. The small wisdom of Gojo Satoru, the encouragement of Itadori Yuji, and the lessons of Fushiguro Tsumiki. None of them were there, farther out of reach than the celestial objects lighting up the sky.
A void was formless, just as the painting of a canvas was. Paint drew out substance from it, formulating what humanity knew as beauty and 'art,' an art which sent a million messages and preached of grandiose yore. The Heian Era admired such splendorous art, and so did it bleed its blood to the Heisei Era. Perhaps it would spread far beyond, to the endless space known as the vast expanse of the universe.
FrostNova's steps were light, so light that anybody watching her movements with keen precision would assume it wouldn't leave any marks on the soft snow. To deny such a notion, her steps did—travelling a path to the log where Megumi sat at. "You know, I don't understand what my father says either, at times—I think he's just being pessimistic."
The Cautus sat on the log, bringing up her knees to her chin once more. Warm, the campfire produced a warming sensation which melted the barriers of ice encased within her. "But at times, I know he's wise. An old fossil like him would know a lot about our world, and by extension, its people."
Megumi kept silent in respect to what she was saying. He wouldn't call himself a good listener, but his sister had told him he had been an exceptional one with her. To other people, it was a completely different ball game.
"I don't know what to think of his words to you either. Like he said, it's for you to understand." FrostNova stared at the flames, wondering if she should just dip her body in it. But that was a foolish thing to do, and the woman was far more intelligent than to do such an act.
"I heard he's your father," Megumi finally spoke to the woman, turning his gaze toward her.
"...Yes?" FrostNova tilted her head while looking at him. "It should have been obvious enough. I'm sure the Yeti Squadron talks about it all the time." The Cautus girl's ears twitched, still seeing no life present within the black haired man's pupil. It was like he was dying by the second, his body decaying over and over.
"...What's it like?" Megumi asked.
"...Dad?" The white haired woman turned back to the campfire, feeling her body become colder when staring in his eyes. "He saved me. He took me in. He's many things, and a father is the best way I can describe. I don't know what it means to be a father, and I don't believe I should be the one to interpret its definition. I just know, he's my father."
"...You just know, huh?" Megumi tore his gaze off from her. His eyes stared upward to the endless firmament once more. There was nothing that could be seen aside from the stars, the incandescent beings casting their gaze upon the mortal world.
Flickers of Red and Blue mingled together.
'...I know too, don't I?'
It was a beautiful Purple.
***
Megumi fiddled with the item in his hands. It was a candy put in a wrapper. He sat at the bedside, black haori off and revealing the muscles lining his arm. Trained to perfection and a standard unachievable by human means, the black haired man sighed. Taking off the wrappings, he placed it on the side of the cabinet stool, reminding himself to throw away the parchment when waking up first thing in the morning.
"You look to be in heavy contemplation," Laurentina called out to the black haired man. She was laying on the same bed as him, the size large enough to fit the both of them. "You've been on and off the entire day."
"I have," Megumi replied to her without much passion. The strange candy was between his index finger and thumb finger, his eyes analyzing and perceiving the object. It was almost clinical, like a scalpel dissecting the object to understand every nook and cranny which were inlaid.
Laurentina stared at Megumi from her position, the only sight presented to her was his back. There was nothing she could see from his features, and she didn't think there was much of an expression on him either. However, the image of his black and pale eyes bearing an endless abyss still lurked in her mind.
Those claws continued to sink into her brain, twisting the gray matter across and deforming it. The Aegir couldn't interpret why he felt such a way, but one single essence was etched within those orbs of his. Loss. He was at a complete loss of what to do, and what to see the world as. The woman had her own way of fighting against such a thing, but Fushiguro Megumi?
She was starting to forget how frail he was. Not in the physical sense, but when she had first gazed into the everlasting pupils of his. It had only been washed away by the ocean tides of her ignorance when she had seen the briefest of displays of his insanity, the thrill and high of battle coursing through his veins.
A popping sound was heard, the candy between Megumi's fingers having undergone enough analysis from his dreary eyes. The object went into his mouth, puffing up the right side of his cheek as it moved rhythmically in an attempt to interpret any flavor. There was nothing he could taste on the object, only...
...A burning sensation filled his tongue in immensity. It burned and it burned and it burned, coursing through his mouth in a fervor he hadn't experienced in so long. Megumi widened his eyes, feeling his right hand fall to his side, eyes falling to a daze.
Laurentina stared at the man with a strange expression. She saw his head slightly tilt to the side, something dripping from his cheek and onto the bed sheets. Staring upwards and finally getting a clear view of it, she saw his eyes once more.
Tears flowed from his expressionless face.
It was as if he had regained something.
***
...One day left.
"You've been gone for a long time," Talulah's left hand rested on the handle of her blade, as her posture had always dictated. "Your friend Laurentina kept on pestering everybody if they had seen you... everybody gave the answer you'd expect to hear." The Draco continued to stare at the emotionless black haired man.
"She'll understand," a simple explanation was all Megumi gave to her. "It was a standard activity." The Sorcerer raised his hand upwards, clicking his index finger nail against his thumb finger nail. It was fishing for something that wasn't there, keeping his attention completely reeled to it.
"Well," Talulah wondered if he even had any interest in conversing with her. She had to wonder why Patriot and Megumi didn't want to indulge her with small talk, "i-if that's so..." she had to wonder how exactly FrostNova had spoken to this man so well. He seemed like an endless chasm which spanned a distance somebody couldn't cross—
"Talulah, what do you think your purpose is?" The black haired man never once turned his sights away from his fingernails. Traces of snow and frost lingered on his black haori, one that could only be there from an extended period of time from travelling the tundras—something the other party had refrained from questioning.
"...Eh—huh?" Talulah blinked owlishly at his words. "My purpose, well, I'm pretty sure you already know." She was also sure the black haired man had already heard her explain it before. Perhaps he wanted it to be reiterated to him? Well, she was happy to oblige, "I want to build a path for the Infected. They are treated unfairly by society, and by starting with Ursus before eventually expanding, Reunion can become the bridge that connects all Infected across the world. A fantasy, I know, but it's better than believing in nothing."
The woman's words were passionate, finding herself lost in her explanation. She had only remembered being this lost when talking to Patriot at the campfire, or even when discussing with Alina in their humble abode.
"There is only despair and pain awaiting every Infected all across Terra. It is in my means to bring them out of that swamp, and lift the burden across their shoulders. A single human can't bear the weight of all the Infected, so it is only capable of doing so when all unite together as one to bear it together. Do you get what I mean?" Talulah could almost feel herself beaming when Megumi turned his gaze toward her and nodded!
Keeping herself calm, the Draco continued her explanation after clearing her throat, "I can't stand by and let them suffer as they are now. It's unfair, and with just the capabilities at my hands, I was able to, at the very least; start something. It's my goal to continue this project, and that starts with progressing Reunion's movement to the south, where there are far lusher fields and stocks of food compared to the barely habitable tundra. Especially with the pressures of the patrol men increasing in number..."
The screams of the damned continued to echo within Megumi's mind. An entire battalion yearned for release of their pain as an eight-headed beast bore down its gleaming eyes upon their direction. Endless golden flames continued to pour out, enveloping the entire structure which they stood upon—built from the corpses of those taken advantage by them—had completely collapsed.
"...We can find a better place for the current Infected. Along with that, more could reunite under our cause to truly bring the equality and equity that the Infected deserve, not to be viewed as subhumans—but actual people..."
Collapsing structures, corpses turning to ash as multiple combustions rang true in their destructive ways. The golden flames were so concentrated that they looked like beams, and everywhere they travelled sent off an unending outburst which tore apart the living and nonliving all at once. A wrathful and godly display was at its peak, showing the ignorant what it was to truly experience karma.
"...So, uhm... what do you think?" Talulah hoped that she didn't bore the black haired man, or seem off with her tinge of nervousness at the end.
"...I understand," Megumi turned away from the dragon lady and began walking away. His footsteps were silent, walking back into the shadows of the forest, something that made the spectator feel complicated over.
'...What does that mean...?' Was he deliberating it over like how Patriot had done? Did he understand what she was going for, and truly want to...? 'Ah, this is so confusing...' Talulah could only hope for the best.
The day passed through without much happening.
Fushiguro Megumi? Nobody knew what he had spent during his 12 hour stay away from the settlement.
Except for one.
***
"Where are you going this time?"
Megumi swerved his head to take in the view of Laurentina leaning by a tree with her arms crossed. Her gaze wasn't particularly on him, instead opting to gaze elsewhere. Obviously, it had lingered upon the expanse of space above, the glistening stars being the view which most captured her attention.
"Training," Megumi responded. "I have private matters to do, too." He was going to go far from the Reunion settlement before coming back. Whether he got a healthy sleep today didn't matter, as Reverse Cursed Technique could alleviate all compromises to his physical health, whether it be from the brain or the body.
All physical matter making up his body could be restored by it. Eventually, the Sorcerer was sure the healing force could regenerate even his soul. He just needed to see his soul, to understand it better.
"Mhm~," Laurentina nodded her head. "You've squashed quite a bit of ants today." The Abyssal Hunter didn't even need to take a glance at him to see the strained look he had given her. "What's the surprised look for? You ought to wash up next time you go and walk into an ant pit." She gave her piece of advice.
'Right, sharks have sensitive noses,' Megumi wondered in his mind if he smelled bad or not. He didn't really care that the woman knew he had gone out and gored a bunch of people who deserved it—the shark lady would have probably done the same to those she saw as scum. "I'll be going, then."
His steps carved its way through the snow, passing by Laurentina.
"You're always straightforward," the Aegir suddenly raised her voice an octave higher. "You don't beat around the bush nor do you let even a smidgen of doubt cloud your mind while in combat. So tell me, why isn't it the same in everyday life?"
Megumi stopped walking, turning around to look at the white haired woman. Her gaze was now fixated on him, "it's..." his words were hard to choose "...not that important." The Sorcerer stared at her with a blank expression, the same stoic front that had shielded himself since the beginning of time. "I'll see you later tomorrow."
Laurentina narrowed her eyes, watching him abrasively turn away and begin his trek into the wilderness. She had decided to see what all the fuss about him had been like, but the shark lady had come to realize it was a far deeper dive than she imagined. It had become a thing ailing her since last night.
She breathed a sigh, "should I push further? Sounds like a plan."
***
Simple Domain was a Cursed Technique that couldn't be taught to any outsiders aside from people in Sadatsuna Ashiya's School of Thought. It was almost as forbidden as the Three Great Clans keeping their prized Falling Blossom Emotion a secret. This was all done with a Binding Vow to the students.
However, what wasn't accounted for were monsters and geniuses seeing the technique with a single glance and replicating it. The domain which was meant for the weak to counter against Domain Expansions had been leaked thoroughly afterwards as a result. Because of that, the technique became more widespread than the original practitioners could have imagined.
It was further proven when the black haired man standing in the middle of a forest had already achieved such a feat. Having been battered by it numerous times by a certain swordsman had left a familiar feeling within his body—and perfecting his domain's barrier had also accelerated its development.
Fushiguro Megumi stared at his calloused palms. Although he had mastered Falling Blossom Emotion after the long venture with Laurentina and constant practice over the course of about a month, the Sorcerer still felt as if... his close quarters combat was still lacking. Despite manipulating the Secret Art with Yamata-no-Orochi's Shadow Extension of Nue, it still couldn't compete with her.
'Simple Domain... I wonder...' A thought had come to him. A daring thought that would have all Jujutsu Sorcerers back at home laughing at him with how absurd his idea sounded. However, what was Jujutsu Sorcery but to push past boundaries by boundless margins? To achieve victory in all spiritual, mental, and physical states.
'Let's see if I can do it. I already mastered Falling Blossom Emotion, now all I have to do is focus on Simple Domain.' Breathing in a hardened breath, Megumi let the cold winter's particles enter into his nose—then into his lungs. The dual organ expanded within his enclosed chest, spreading outwards to fill his body with the vigor it needed.
The rest of the night was filled with Jujutsu barrier creation, over and over again.
Along with the clicking of a wheel's rotation.
***
...The bell tolls a deafening tone.
Something was wrong with the air.
An intense and suffocating silence permeated.
It was as if it were sending a message.
A deathly, and ghastly message...
Laurentina walked alongside Patriot. Her gigantic buzzsaw was cradled in her hand, while she hummed to herself. The forest view wasn't the greatest sight to bear witness to, but it did offer a new perspective. Too bad the perspective wasn't anything the woman was interested in, seeing how there were many more—much inspiring things back in Aegir.
From the mundane streets to the articulate pieces of artwork lining many museums, there was always something to draw from them. What she was looking at the forest wasn't the forest itself, she would admit, but what laid deep within. Fushiguro Megumi was there somewhere, perhaps doing whatever activity he wished to do.
It honestly started to make the woman ponder if he didn't wish to spar with her anymore. It was... fine if he thought in such a way, she wouldn't feel much from it anyways. Nope, nothing at all. If he wanted his privacy in training whatever he wanted to do, Laurentina could grant him such a thing. The Aegir would do her own thing, after all.
...Which was... practically nothing.
Ugh, it wasn't her fault that dry land could be so uninspiring. The only things that had triggered her artistic senses was that eight-headed serpent, that wheel above his head, the double-bladed Vajra, and the monstrous Wendigo standing beside her.
"You wish to say something," Patriot suddenly told the woman, his gaze still fixated on the forest trees off in the distance. "If that is so, then speak," his voice echoed from beneath his mask and into the woman's ears.
"Eh? See right through me, huh?" Laurentina fiddled with a contraption on her buzzsaw, around the handle. It was a magnificent weapon in its own right, and the Abyssal Hunter had found ages ago that it complimented her perfectly. "Well~, not much happening around lately, so not many interesting things to look forward to. It's just so and so at this point."
"It's best if a day is looked forward to be—as uneventful." Patriot replied to the Aegir woman. "Seeking thrill is a young thing to imagine," the Wendigo left his words at that, continuing to stare off at the bark of the long-aged trees of the tundras. They hid things well, too well in his opinion. Yet that did not obstruct his senses in the slightest.
"You're sounding like an old man now," Laurentina chirped back at him. Although he seemed like a towering beast which pierced the skies themselves, he wasn't as aggressive or rude as she would have imagined. More tame compared to what his form would suggest, "your daughter is the complete opposite of you. My apologies if that sounds impolite, just my small thoughts leaking through."
"Hm." Was the only response Patriot gave to the woman. Their gaze continued to increase in intensity while they stared off into the desolate forest. The shadows seemed to be churning within, a deep darkness lurking within that he was... all too familiar with.
"...You feel that too, don't you?" Laurentina asked the Wendigo, her fingers having stopped fiddling with the mechanics of her buzzsaw. Megumi—her dashing princess—had enhanced her weapon in a way that she didn't understand. She hadn't taken it out for a spin either, but right now provided an amazing opportunity.
"...On guard," Patriot called out, raising his shield upwards. A defensive stance was taken, a pressure arising from the environment around him. It was sudden and without much warning, but the person beside him already knew the message all too well—after all, what was an Abyssal Hunter half their salt if they hadn't understood what was happening.
"What a sickening feeling," Laurentina huffed out. It was like the gross slime of the Seaborn, their flailing tendrils which knew nothing but consumption and destruction. Her gaze fluttered to where Patriot was facing, brandishing her saw. A small trickle of water was manipulated as she hoisted it into a stance, right hand reaching for its top end, while her left reached for its butt-end.
The saw itself was pointed toward the ground, while her back stood in a straight posture, as if ready to break off into a beautiful dance. She completely contrasted the tense and no nonsense form of Patriot, a doctrine inhabited to be the most efficient in every aspect possible. Her own? It was unorthodox, but got the job done.
Something only Aegir could have produced.
It was then a low and demonic huff was heard, before the exhale came. Something was coming out from within the shadowstruck forest, tearing across the darkness in its wake.
Patriot already knew what it was, and there was no need to be stuck trying to comprehend what it was. "I have been mulling over my mind when you would come... surely, you lot must have come prepared."
A harsh breath was heard, the figures making themselves completely clear.
Laurentina let a small grin break across her face, staring at the two abominations emerging from the shroud.
***
Talulah could feel her body tensing from behind the tree in which she hid. The sight before her was a dastardly one, a member of Reunion having been impaled in the leg by an unknown object which everybody had assumed to be an Arts attack. What had emerged from the forest was one of her greatest fears—especially for the size that Reunion was at.
She needed to keep calm and plan ahead for what she needed to do. They seemed stuck in a conversation with the Shieldguards, the members of Patriot's Guerrillas entering a stance which acted as an impenetrable wall to protect everybody behind them. Their enemy was simply standing there, not taking any action at all.
The Draco could hear their conversation. They had been looking for her as the daughter of Duke Kashchey, but the ashen haired woman would never heed their commands—nor abide to their will. Just as much as she loathed the snake, she too loathed the people who served to carry on his will.
It was at that moment when she heard that the monster was about to depart that she had decided to set her plan completely into motion.
It was one chance, and she needed to get rid of the threat before it flared out of control.
To deal with it, she was going to fight fire with fire.
***
The strange and unnatural gas that had been hissed out continued to be poured off of the abyssal creature's body. The gas leaked into the air, tainting it with a disgusting corruption that was indescribable to the poor souls who had to witness such a scene.
Its black garb left a great disparity with the white cloaks of the Yeti Squadron. The Infected who stood as one with the snow of the Tundras were now face to face with a demon meant to blemish the very nature of which it stood upon.
There was a black-blooded mask placed over their face, with multiple tubes sticking out of the back of its head and off to somewhere else at the back of its body. At the forefront of where its mouth should have been was the largest tube of them all, acting as some sort of respirator for the gleam-eyed devastator.
An irradiance was produced from where their eye-sockets of the mask were. With bar-like cages separating anybody from seeing what truly laid beneath, and only emitting the intense glare of a beast hidden behind. No, far worse than just a mere beast, this was a being who went against the force of nature itself.
Wherever they stood, wherever they walked, the snow beneath their feet, the snow falling around them—had all turned black. The smog-like emission continued to tear at the existence of naturality, painting it to be what their will wished to be.
More than their own will, however, for they stood for the will of Ursus itself. The stomping marches of a soldier never ceased, and they as the Emperor's Blades stood as the sharpest tool the empire had to offer.
Armed with absolute conviction of their cause and eyes which foresaw the glorious skies of a flag billowed in the empyreal draft—they were all which Ursus had stood for. So shall they execute their will with the equivalence of a screaming blade tearing across the void. Defeat was never an option for it, and so shall victory never be an option for its foes.
"I-It's an Ursus Royal Guard!" A Yeti Squadron member called out to the group behind him, waving his arms frantically to catch their attention. "E-Everybody! It's an Ursus Royal Guard!" His voice yelled even louder, surely pulling everybody's attention with their second attempt.
The setting snow around them turned bleak, just as their hopes when hearing of such a morale destroying message. The Royal Guards which stood as a rumor amongst rumors, the Facerending Liches which could tear apart even the most stone-faced of men—were now right before a mere movement of the Infected.
In the form of a single incarnation, hell-bent on what they had resigned their fate to follow for all of eternity... they simply breathed, and yet that was enough to inspire the fear of the masses in a singular space.
The well-oiled war machine of Ursus stepped at the forefront of the scampering Yeti Squadron, gathering their wits when pushed to what was the very edge of their lives. They continued to stare off with their intense glare toward the Infected who were no longer a part of Ursus with nothing but disdain.
FrostNova motioned for the Yeti Squadron to go into formation. The familiar hand gestures of the ice-cold woman alerted all of them with a practice long since exercised into the Yeti's bodies. Immediately, her sides were flanked by numerous Casters.
Nervousness built-up within the Cautus' chest, the woman fully well-aware of what stood in front of her. Yes, 'what stood in front of her' for it could not even be called human nor mortal based on the definitions of Terra. A monstrosity born within the deepest depravity of humanity's capability for cruelty stood in front of her.
The clinking of steel blades could be heard, as Yeti Operatives stood in front of the Casters in a defensive formation to make sure they had enough time to execute their Arts. A bastion for them, if you will.
Yet despite their immaculate positioning and numeric advantage, the Yeti Squadron felt as if they were staring at their future. An endless and sorrowful end was what awaited them, standing in front of this bastion of pure violence.