A gigantic lecture hall laid in front of Megumi's eyes, the peach colored wood on the chairs, floor, and walls were as he would expect from any. What he didn't expect, however, was how vast it was compared to others she had seen.
Lines of tables sprawled with organized chairs, to maximize the most amount of space needed to inhabit every student who would attend. It was calculated for the maximum effective, that Fushiguro Megumi could tell.
From the ceiling bore down calming lights that worked to not strain the eye or cause too many distractions, taking into account the student's learning environment. That too, was a calculated installation.
A university, something Megumi could somewhat say he was familiar with. Although he didn't attend a university, he did attend a college: Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College. Although it had a small section for teaching Sorcerers who were still in high school, it was first and foremost a college.
Its size couldn't be compared to Lungmen Union University. The university grounds Megumi had seen far surpassed his previous college by leaps and bounds, which just goes to show how many people actually attend this place.
His college, Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, was far smaller in size, due to the fact that Sorcerers were extremely rare to find. Due to the fact that there could be chances for Sorcerers to develop their abilities while still in high school, the college decided to house high schoolers too.
That was to increase the amount of Sorcerers they could house, pulling more people they could control under their thumb for missions and perceived prowess. Although, during Megumi's year, there were virtually no high school students attending.
Only the college students were, and there was only a grand total of six people out of the nine who were consistently there when Megumi was in his first year. Perhaps that was to be expected, Jujutsu Society had always drilled in the fact that Sorcerers are rare over and over again.
Currently, the empty lecture hall Megumi was standing in front of would eventually be filled when the time began for school. The silence was quite enjoyable, and standing in the emptiness of such a large structure was calming in a way.
Closing his eyes, Megumi let his mind wander into the valley of respite, letting himself move away from the world if only for a brief moment.
Despite knowing its impermanence, Megumi found that It was perfect for him.
"Megumi."
A voice came to his right, making the black haired man open his eyes calmly. The pastel lights began to flow into his eyes, granting him sight of the world once more.
"Lin," he turned to the person who called out to him in a calm voice. It was a familiar woman who he recognized at an instant. The pink hair, the mouse ears, the mouse tail, and the black Chinese- Lungmenese dress that she wore.
Fushiguro Megumi hadn't wished to ever forget about his previous world, so he didn't mind if he made mistakes with the similarities his world had with this one. Despite the painful memories that came from Earth, it was still the place where all of the people he truly cared for were.
He could never move on, the waves of Terra would never push him away.
"Have the preparations been complete?" Lin was straight to the point, a business-like tone coming off of her.
"Yes, it has," Megumi gave off about the same tone as her, although slightly more tired. Her appearance was something straight out of an anime. In fact, the Ten Shadows user was expecting to see more eccentric people such as her.
After all, he had already met more people than he can count on his hand that met the standard.
"Thank you, from what I see, you've done an excellent job," a curt yet grateful voice from Lin replied, "I apologize for bringing you here so early, my schedule isn't the most flexible."
"It's no problem, I'll get used to it," Megumi shook his head.
Using Round Deer's Shadow Extension had worked wonders, but lingering effects of mental exhaustion still plagued him. Megumi didn't wish to expend too much Cursed Energy for curing morning lethargy, so he only went halfway through with the extension.
He could've also just summoned Round Deer and saved a lot of Cursed Energy, but cycling it through his own body with his own efforts was far more practical for honing its capabilities.
Who knew Lin Yuhsia would wake up at the same time as Ch'en? 4:30 A.M., but maybe it wasn't too surprising. Considering her occupation of... being the literal backbone of Lungmen's economy and market, the Zalak had her schedule eaten up the majority of the time.
Speaking of Ch'en, she didn't come to attend the lecture to watch him over with Lin, because the LGD officer had more important matters to attend to. Although that also resulted in Megumi having a tracker placed on him.
"I didn't expect Ch'en to not come with you," Lin continued on the conversation. "With how stubborn she is, of course."
"I don't know either," Megumi shrugged, "but I guess I shouldn't cause her much trouble here either."
"To sustain a peaceful life, I take it?" Lin moved to the podium at the front of the lecture hall, "your involvement with the underworld has left quite a mark."
The mouse lady still remembered the panic caused by Fushiguro Megumi killing Hanshi, a man who was seemingly invincible and had the backing of a large Siracusan Gang.
Although Megumi's name hasn't spread far and wide yet, his face was known by the Blood Hounds.
"I'll probably still continue to be involved in them," Megumi had a barely noticeable spite in his tone, "considering I'm also involved with LGD matters."
"I reckon so too, it's very likely," Lin was now behind the podium, picking up the papers that Megumi had settled and organized. "A peaceful life would be a hard option to start from scratch. That's not even including your current situation."
"My current situation, huh?"
"Being watched by the LGD, gaining the ire of the Blood Hounds, a maniacal Lupo is after you, and a Leithanian Sankta is, for some reason, interested in you too." Lin listed out everything she could recall pertaining to him.
Each group or persons listed felt like an arrow stabbing into him, "that's unfortunate," Megumi pinched the bridge of his nose, complexion becoming more irritated. "Was Hanshi that important?"
"He was important, yes," Lin couldn't deny that. "I've done some research on that white haired Lupo, her name is Lappland of the Saluzzo Famiglia."
"...Another big shot?"
"No, she's been exiled, but Lappland is still quite a dangerous individual," Lin recalled her holding off the three top LGD members. "Her roots in Siracusa are evident of that."
"I understand..." Megumi in particular recalled her eating a Black Flash and tussling with Divine Dog: Totality. How did she come out? Relatively fine.
"The Sankta woman, Arturia, has some ties to Leithanien, but that's all we know so far," Lin continued on, "although Lappland doesn't have hard ties with the Blood Hounds, and Arturia doesn't have any at all, we only assume why they're so interested in you."
"And that is?" Megumi could feel his mood dropping.
"The Chimera Bird," Lin finished.
"Of course..." The black haired man could do nothing in response but wipe his face downwards.
"I don't see why that Lupo is so interested in the Chimera Bird, but I assume it must be because she's a thrill seeker," Lin had seen her personality firsthand after all. "For the Sankta woman, she might find you to be of good use to Leithanien, but I'm not too sure."
'What is a Leithanien in the first place...?' Megumi decided to keep silent and not question her on what the term was, slightly fearing that he'd be looked at like an idiot.
"If you're curious, Leithanien is indeed a country, known for once being ruled by the Witch King himself," as if Lin had read his mind she began explaining. "He was also known as the Kaiser..."
With that singular word, Megumi realized exactly what country Leithanien paralleled, Germany. Although it was quite concerning how they were known as the 'Kaiser,' more so than the Witch King one.
That was because it signified that they were still stuck in what seemed to be a WWI era...
Does that mean the equivalent of WWII has yet to happen in this place yet? The time span between the two events was extremely small, and if the title of Kaiser was still being used... 'or... am I overthinking things?'
Having to go through WWII in a world where Arts, basically magic, was a thing did not bode well with Fushiguro Megumi.
"...The Kaiser was also known as the Strongest Caster in Terra, but was overthrown by the Twin Empresses..." Lin was an expert in Social Studies, so the details came naturally to her.
'The Strongest Caster in Terra...? Gojo?' When hearing the word 'strongest,' the black haired man always thought of his sensei. 'I wonder how it'd go if they met.'
"...Excluding the summary, the fact that she uses Arts through instruments signifies that she is from Leithanien and quite a significant asset to them too."
"How significant?"
"Significant enough that grave diplomatic crisis will happen if we do anything to her," Lin responded, "a crisis between Lungmen and Leithanien."
"...Are you joking?" Megumi knew a few things about politics and absolutely loathed it, especially when it regarded the Three Big Clans.
"I'm not," Lin replied.
Megumi let out a small sound of acknowledgement, moving to the back of the front section of the room. There were two chairs there, right below the digital whiteboard. Grabbing the object to pull it further towards him once he reached his destination, he turned around before sitting down on it. Megumi found it more comfortable than standing, letting his spine press against the sturdy backrest.
"That's..." Megumi wanted to say something in regards to Arturia, but the words died in his throat. 'Damn it...' After receiving such a large revelation, could he even defend himself against her?
The rustling of papers on Lin's end continued to echo across the room, before she spoke up again, "although despite your circumstances, I'm still quite curious about something." The mouse lady wanted to move the topic elsewhere. Even the Sankta woman was a headache for her.
"...Shoot away," Megumi slowly motioned her to continue.
"You've attended a college or university before, haven't you?" She lifted the stack of papers, before pressing the bottom to straighten them out. "What do you think of it? This university, I mean."
"It's large, probably prestigious," Megumi blankly replied. "Very different from my own."
"Oh? How much different from yours?" Lin's mouse ears twitched in curiosity.
"...The college I attended was very small, only nine people in total attended it," Megumi pressed his elbow on his thigh, and rested his chin on a closed fist. "My classroom only had three people, including myself."
Nobara, Yuji, and himself, the two troublemakers and the only normal person. Although, a normal person was a thin line whenever they got into whatever goofy acts they did with Gojo Satoru, it was hard for Megumi to keep himself straight.
"That..." Lin looked slightly surprised while setting the stack of papers down, "is quite a surprise."
"At first, yeah," Megumi nodded without much interest, "but you get used to it." Moving from middle school and high school, places which were usually very crowded, to Jujutsu Tech was a jarring shift in environment.
But honestly? The small and empty classrooms were very enjoyable once he got into the flow of the school.
"Hm... is there a reason why it houses so few students?" Lin moved to another part of the front, which had a metal cart that held a few objects for the lesson. "Was it prestigious in of itself?"
"Prestigious? I guess so," Megumi commented, "Sorcerers were rare back home..."
"It was an institute for people like yourself?" Lin held a more interested expression, sending a questioning gaze towards him. Seeing how the man mentioned the rarity of Sorcerers, and how small his school was, she was able to deduce what it was.
"That's about it, yeah," Megumi shrugged, "it was about any college you'd attend, but with Sorcerers."
"I see," Lin nodded, checking out all of the items she needed on the cart, "it may be redundant to say this once more, but you've done quite an impressive job with organizing."
"I had to organize for my sensei," Megumi shook it off, "so I have a bit of experience."
'Higashinese again, maybe his home had some ties to them,' Lin nodded. "That's good to know. Aside from that, please do know you can seek help from me if difficulties arise."
"...Really?" Megumi raised an eyebrow.
"Hm, I believe in your virtues, more than the LGD I'd presume," Lin stood up and glanced at the clock, "after all, despite your abilities; you truly do not wish to cause Lungmen any troubles." From her view, he was an unlucky man who had only recently become an adult.
"I'm... grateful to hear that," his words were sincere, more than they have been in the past few days.
"Please, it's basic reciprocation" Lin shook her head, "besides, the lecture is about to start in about fifteen more minutes, expect a lot of students to come in."
Megumi nodded, feeling a small tension leaving his chest.
***
The lecture was as Megumi would have expected to go, an explanation of the social structures and its differentiations amongst Terra. Some countries' social structures were easily understandable from a glance, but also held some complexities to them.
He realized it was a good idea to listen in on it, even if he didn't understand every single detail and implication. At the very least, he could learn a few things here and there. Being the highest scorer in Jujutsu Tech (an academic score of 9.0) helped him with processing and remembering information.
Overall, it was just as good as taking a swing at a library's books, seeing at how precise Lin was at explaining even the littlest of details. He could see why the Zalak was a Special Guest lecturer for a university such as this.
Although Megumi sat at a corner of the room while listening in on the lecture, he had received a few gazes from the students, even if it didn't last long. Although, he felt a lot of gazes of a certain demographic last a while, it was for reasons he did not wish to delve on.
Moving on, all the terms he had heard mentioned were Siracusa, Yan, Lungmen itself, and Laterano at some points. Laterano was the least mentioned, considering it was just a mere comment on the relationships it held with Siracusa.
Siracusa was the most focused on topic, Lin even pointing out their recent 'inclusion,' of themself into Lungmen. In current day events, it was hard for any of the students to not be aware of such things happening.
She talked about the socio-economic implications of a gang's involvement on Lungmen's grounds for the market. Both the rise of crime and involvement of the LGD, specifically in the slums, have nearly flipped the table entirely.
That wasn't even including the Chimera Bird, Shadow Tiger, and countless rumors about them running around. Overall, Lungmen was most likely at its biggest state of unrest throughout the entire year, evident through even the student's grave faces.
...Megumi couldn't keep a straight face, opting to turn away to hide his expression instead. He wouldn't want anybody to see the strained expression plastered on himself like duct tape.
But aside from that, the lecture had already ended not too long ago, with Lin taking it upon herself to drive him somewhere for a meal.
Thankfully, it wasn't like when Ch'en brought him to a front acting as a restaurant, so he could actually enjoy a bite rather than getting into a dirty scuffle.
It also held a more traditional Chinese air compared to the obviously Siracusan 'inspired' restaurant he found himself at yesterday. It was comfortable, nothing he had to worry about now.
"How is it?" Lin picked up rice glazed with some sort of sauce Megumi didn't know, and popped it in her mouth. "It's one of my personal favorites."
"It's good," Megumi tried to taste anything from the food, but couldn't really get himself to feel anything. Like always, after getting his brain fried by Unlimited Void, everything tasted like... texture.
"...You're quite truthful, but this is one of the moments I'm able to tell otherwise," Lin sighed while taking another bite, "if you don't like it, just say so."
"Oh..." Megumi didn't want this misunderstanding to persist any further, so he decided to curb it, "no, that's not it. It's just that I can't taste anything."
"Pardon?" Lin was about to take another bite with her chopsticks, but paused. However, just as quickly as her confusion came, it ended. "Does it have to do with your...?"
"Brain damage, yes," Megumi took another bite himself, "the portion that controls taste is completely repaired..." but with scarred tissue, "but it doesn't function properly I assume." Unless he found out how to use Reverse Cursed Technique to repair all complex functions of the brain like the neuron make-up and other complicated things he didn't know... then he wouldn't be getting it back anytime soon.
It required the same level of expertise one would need to restore a burnt out Cursed Technique, destroying the portion of the brain that controlled your CT and then repairing it perfectly. The problem wasn't healing it fast enough, the problem was repairing it properly, which is probably why other prodigies other than Ryomen Sukuna and Gojo Satoru didn't attempt it.
For Megumi though, he was glad that it was the gustatory cortex that was destroyed, the portion that controlled his Cursed Technique was only slightly damaged. But even that slight damage led to Cursed Technique burnout on nearly unprecedented levels when he first arrived in this world.
"I... I apologize," Lin sincerely spoke, lightly chiding herself for not taking that into consideration.
"It's whatever," Megumi replied, "I'm just lucky to have..."
.
.
.
.
.
Lived...?
.
.
.
.
.
...He wanted to say he was lucky to have lived, but honestly, he wasn't. Fushiguro Megumi had nothing to truly look forward to, did he?
What was his purpose now? He had no friends nor did he have a dream job. At the most, his goal at the moment was to get stronger. But what would getting stronger do for him? It'd make him more secure, sure, way easier for him to defend himself...
But that was all there was to it, and it angered him to an extent. The despair of having no goals, nor a purpose...
At the moment, everything was just a chore for him to complete. Eating, sleeping, drinking, training, and getting into the worst sort of trouble. That was practically the cycle of his life at the moment, only broken off due to sheer luck.
Even then, he couldn't find any goal for himself, no hobbies to indulge in either.
'...Wait, no, what am I thinking about?' Megumi paused as he stared at the chopsticks in his hand. 'Isn't it just great...? That feeling...' he remembered the times when he expanded the range of his incomplete Domain Expansion, when he tamed Tiger Funeral... It was euphoric.
He needed something to keep himself going, no matter how many leaps of logic he had to take. Within his mind came all the positive feelings he had gained when first arriving in this world.
The sudden surge of strength was a great feeling itself, knowing that he had grown stronger by the second. It was a pure shot of dopamine, the hormone that controlled his satisfaction and pleasure.
Fushiguro Megumi saw himself as a logical and reasonable person, but at that very moment he had to face the facts. Deep down, he was a little bit insane, wasn't he? Gojo Satoru was right in that regard.
Although the security of strength wouldn't bring him much feeling, just the mere sensation of his increased prowess was enough to get him in a nearly psychotic state. Especially when he used the abilities of Ryomen Sukuna-
-What...? Enjoyed using his Cursed Technique? What was he...?
***
"Megumi?" Lin was watching the sidelines, having paused her meal ever since the man had paused his speech of being lucky for something. Although she could connect a few dots of what he would say, the fact that he froze up and stared at his bowl was concerning.
'What is happening with him?' The mouse lady tilted her head with a perplexed look, leaning a bit to the side to get a better look at his face.
It was frozen, the dilation and barely shaking eyes were giving off a visceral message. It was almost certain to Lin that he was undoubtedly in an internal struggle.
It was blank at first, then angry, then sad, and then straight back to neutrality. The everchanging expression was starting to unnerve the mouse lady, wondering if he had triggered something relating to PTSD.
With how functional he was earlier, Lin would have never expected him to have brain damage. In fact, the only reason she even knew why was because of the brain scans she had received two days ago.
Either Fushiguro Megumi was undergoing the five stages of despair, or the lump of scarred tissues that was his brain was making him undergo something akin to a psychosis.
"Megumi," Lin called out again, softly waving her hand in front of his eyes. 'A destroyed home and damaged brain...' Aside from his abilities that seemed like they came from a mythological tale, everything else about him just screamed unlucky.
A light seemed to shine through his eyes once more, signifying that he wasn't a walking corpse that had overstayed its welcome on the mortal plane. His muscles seemingly twitched all at once, regaining its motor functions.
His nerves started to flare up, his physical brain sending the messages needed to get them to do so.
"Ah..." Megumi could feel cold sweat starting to form on his face and palm, his breaths becoming labored. "I'm fine, I'm fine..." he shook his head aggressively, his hair dancing along with the movement. "I just... need a breather," he stood up, his sudden movement skidding the chair behind him.
Lin watched him hurriedly exit the private table they were sitting at, moving through the door with a hand resting on his head.
She kept silent, sighing when he was out of view completely, 'should I assign a doctor to prescribe him medication?' Lin didn't know if that brief bout of psychological problems would be persistent throughout the rest of his life or not.
The mouse lady didn't know him too well either, not knowing how his daily activities are. It was likely the stoic face he holds up like a fortress wasn't as impenetrable as one would think. Lin knew this best, considering how long she had been in her field of work.
...It wouldn't be a bad idea to leave Fushiguro Megumi to himself for 5 minutes, would it?
***
"Seriously... of all times?" Megumi pressed his back against some sort of back alley close by the restaurant Lin took him to. "It's always..." The man wondered why he felt so great when using that bastard's Cursed Technique.
He loathed it, the muddy and grimy feeling of having the King of Curses influence him even after his death. It was something ingrained into his body, and by extension, his soul.
Whenever there was a great surge of power that occurred during his last few battles, it was by relying on Ryomen Sukuna's experiences, muscle memory, and Cursed Technique. The factors that led him to his exponential growth and crawling victories.
Some credit went to Black Flash, of course...
Aside from that, the spark of constant battles and events had left his mind unable to comprehend what exactly he was doing in his life. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, that much was certain. With that being enhanced by his Cursed Energy, there were hardly any regrets he felt for indulging himself.
That was far more apparent when he was in a life or death situation. Not only that, but the paranoia that came with what his actions had caused to happen in this city, news outlets speaking of his notorious actions.
It was only truly in his face when he saw the despair and nervousness of the students in Lin's university. The scene replayed itself in his mind once more, it wasn't like Nue: Totality was an edited, photoshopped, or really well-made CGI placed in a video. No, it was a real thing that hovered over their lives.
They didn't know what it was either, his whims and actions letting Lungmen be left as a place filled with fear and despair. If Cursed Spirits and Cursed Energy in general existed in this world, then he was sure the former would be running rampant.
After the Shibuya Incident, Cursed Spirits have become widespread, and its focus was all placed on Japan. The people that lived in that country were terrified, living in constant fear. Was it that different from the people of Lungmen?
The criminals he encountered in the restaurant from yesterday didn't look like they were afflicted by the events happening around, but that was probably because they had other things to worry about.
Aside from that, Megumi couldn't help but compare his callous actions to a certain King of Curses, the main cause of Shibuya's destruction; and the reason why Cursed Spirits became common knowledge.
Megumi did as he pleased, regarding only his own safety and what affected him. Not once did he stop and think what those citizens of Lungmen would be feeling when he decided to attempt and tame Tiger Funeral.
He could've, instead, just dispelled it with the Inverted Spear of Heaven, and tame it some other time. But what mattered more to him during that time? His growth, his own potential that he was unsatisfied with.
If anything, wasn't he just a calamity walking around this city? The fears of the people weighed on his pleasure or displeasure with himself. Hell, now that Megumi thought about it... he didn't even see the general populace as real people... only when he was seeing them face to face.
This wasn't a problem in his previous world either, even if they were just numbers on a screen, it still held some sort of wretched sense of dread within him.
'...This world...' Megumi heaved a long sigh, letting himself fall down into a sitting position. The cold wind of the back alley helped to cool down his body rising in heat due to stress.
Was this place acting as an enabler for himself to not care what his actions caused? Because he didn't this world was not his own-
"Lost in your thoughts?" A playful voice rang into his ears, along with the feeling of something furry pressing against his back.
Megumi froze, his mind and thoughts being severed immediately. 'This voice, what...?' The noggin attached to his body via the neck turned to who was at his left side, meeting with-
-A white haired grinning Lupo, a black scar tracing down the skin above and below her left eye. Her skin was pale, mixing in well with her messy white hair and black clothes. Two swords laid sheathed by her waist, her overall impression giving that off of a vicious and untamed warrior. A perpetually smug smile seemed to persist on her face, no matter what situation was present.
"Feline caught your tongue?" Lappland tilted her head to the side, a curious look on her face. To anybody who didn't know her well, it would be a cute expression for somebody like her to show...
...But to Fushiguro Megumi?
His mind was struck into a frenzy, having to fight off the spasming arm muscles from dragging together into something that would make the Chimera Bird and Incinerator look like a joke. It was only when his instincts came to reason that he paused and realized at that moment, and opted for a more safe solution.
It was too bad Lappland was quick enough to grab his wrist in a swift movement, one fitting for a wolf like her. Immediately, it slammed towards the silent back alley, the Lupo's grip tightening enough to leave him restrained.
"Ah, those hands of yours summon those interesting creatures, right?" Lappland continued to grin, stomping her foot on his knees, "I wonder what would happen if I ripped them off-"
Shadow Extension - Divine Dog: Totality
The shadows gathered around with the sheer might of his will acting upon them. They coalesced around his hands and head, forming a baleful claw and protruding sharp furry ears above his head. At the behind of his waist, a tail flaming black formed along with all other details.
A great surge of strength started to enter his body, his eyes becoming more ferocious as he outputted as much strength as he could with Cursed Energy reinforcement. Like rising air pressure in a small pipe, he shot upwards and blew Lappland off of him.
"Woah!" Lappland felt herself being completely overpowered, having to fix her position in the air and land on the other side of the alleyway, grasping at a large pipe to keep herself from falling. 'Wolf ears...? Claws? A tail?!' Her eyes widened in awe, never having seen anything like this before.
It was as if the shadows of the void were bending to his will, the black particles heeding to his will like soldiers to a monarch. Fushiguro Megumi's gaze turned upwards, warily meeting Lappland's excited eyes.
"Are you really Texas' brother?!" Lappland shouted out with glee, the words bouncing off the damp walls of the alleyway, 'he's so similar, is he actually a Lupo?! Or is this some other ability I'm not aware of?' The uncertainty and questions only served to make this encounter even more enthralling to her.
Making a quick deduction, she remembered the werewolf creature that he summoned, giving off some sort of primordial and divine presence when it rose from the shadows. Could he be some sort of bloodline of Lupos that could control other wolves and hide their own features?
It was a big ass stretch, but Lappland didn't care much for it at the moment, something else was overtaking her senses.
'Texas?' Megumi regained clarity of mind, keeping a low glare at the woman. He remembered that name, the black haired Lupo of Penguin Logistics, but he didn't know much about her. 'Forget it.'
He needed to find a way out, and seek support from Lin-
A sword stabbed to his left the moment he shifted towards that direction.
It made Megumi halt his advances, and immediately shift to the right when Lappland crashed into the spot where he was at, sending the aching wall nearly crumbling.
Taking this chance, he stretched his right arm back into a claw, swiping it across his body while rushing into her.
Lappland backflipped, grabbing the thrown sword along with her in a laughing stupor, barely deflecting the blow from making contact with her.
"Weren't you just so~ depressed earlier?" Lappland asked out while landing on her feet, "where'd all this spirit come from, hm?" Seeing the ferocious features added to the black haired man made her tail swish with greater fervor.
Megumi narrowed his eyes and disabled the Shadow Extension (much to Lappland's immense disappointment), before leaping upwards. The reinforcement he applied to his legs let him spring up like a board, grabbing onto a large pipe and swinging upwards to get away from the crazy woman.
"Think you can run, little wolf?" Lappland dashed forward into a white blur, intent on pursuing the man.
Megumi continued upwards with the momentum he built up, landing and standing sideways on the wall in a crouch, before running upwards the structure.
"What do you want?!" Megumi yelled back, feeling her hot on his tail. Turning back, he reached into his inventory and pulled out Playful Cloud, blocking a heavy hit that was striking at his body.
He heard the woman was after him because the Blood Hounds paid her to, if he remembered correctly. But the LGD also said she had broken off from them, even killing some of their men. So why...?
"Hah? Wouldn't you like to find out?" Lappland exerted more force, her blades burning the familiar white flames that disabled abilities.
"Ugh!" Megumi felt himself grinding his feet against the wall, sticking to it out of sheer force, but at the same time being pushed upwards because of the damned Lupo.
He was launched into the air completely due to the difference in strength, before Lappland leapt above and past him, catching the Ten Shadows user off guard.
"Surprised~?" Lappland immediately struck at him while he sloppily attempted to shield himself with Playful Cloud.
BAM
He was launched towards the sky at great speeds, feeling the air press against his back while he was ragdolling through the air. Regaining the sense of his surroundings, Megumi realized he was falling deeper into the slums, away from the restaurant that Lin resided at.
It was at that very moment he realized he was on his own with this one, gritting his teeth in annoyance as he landed on the rooftops of another building. Slamming his hand on the ground, while his right held Playful Cloud, he skidded to a halt before landing at its edge.
It was a far less populated area, Megumi assumed this was what Lappland had gone for-
-Being interrupted by something, the black haired man raised his Cursed Tool again, holding both ends while extending it to shield his neck.
SHING
A blade scraped against his weapon, causing head embers to fly. He was once again overpowered, despite his Cursed Energy powered body, 'I'm really lacking in the physical department...'
Before he could complete his thoughts, he moved backwards along with the force of Lappland's blow, watching her hair flow behind her in the air. With his step and the force of the Lupo's attack, he fell backwards and down the gaps of the building.
Seeing how it was a larger alleyway than the previous one they were at, while also being in an area deeper in the slums, Megumi had almost decided to use this as their new fighting spot.
But it was insufficient, he needed a far more less populated area, one where he could demolish without worry. So by breaking off from her again, he could freely start to run away again.
Kicking off the air by using the same application of Ryomen Sukuna, he launched away from Lappland upwards to the building opposite of where they were at.
"Wanna play cat and mouse, huh?" Lappland watched him while resting her blade on her shoulder. That was before she bolted forward once more, jumping off the ledge and advancing.
The scenery around them soon blurred, while Megumi continued to run away, he had to turn around at times and deflect thrown blades his way.
Lappland showed her skill with the blade by grabbing the deflected sword into her hands once more, landing on a building and leaping towards him once more. Right after, she threw her weapon at him again.
Megumi was starting to wonder if he should deflect it to the side, a better idea than knocking it back towards Lappland. Perhaps it was the heat of the battle that had lowered his IQ, but he decided to proceed with that instead-
-If he hadn't seen Lappland's face right in front of him when he turned around once more while in the air, causing his eyes to widen-
No, he couldn't even react, before a slash carved at his arm from Lappland's dual blade, letting him be knocked forward, while barreling towards the ground.
CRASH
His body ripped through an entire building in a curve, before hitting the new alleyway behind it. Megumi could feel his muscles burning, the blood in his body boiling as he stood up with effort. The feeling was akin to lifting a mountain on his back.
Letting out tired breaths, Megumi touched his forehead bleeding, his left arm was shaking from the large gash that appeared on its forearm. "I can't... catch a break, can I?" Each huff seemed to restrict any sense of calm to form in his body.
"I don't get it," the voice of Lappland rang out the new alleyway they had found themselves in, "are you not gonna use your powerful summons, little wolf?"
"Do you always run your mouth?" Megumi couldn't help but growl out, turning his gaze upwards through his blood forehead. His spiky hair flowed in the gale that invaded the alleyway, staring at Lappland's approaching form.
"Oh, oh~! I get it," Lappland snapped her finger as if she had it figured out, "you're afraid of something, right?" She gave him an all-knowing look. 'But what are you afraid of, little wolf?'
'...Has she been stalking me? No, I would've noticed,' Megumi extended Playful Cloud, grabbing the bottom end with his right arm and pulling it back. His left hand extended the other side across his body, as if presenting it towards his opponent.
"Heh~, if you're not gonna go all out in this fight, then I'll just force it out of you-," Lappland surprisingly sheathed her blades casually, "-by ripping you apart with my hands!" She lowered her form in an athletic preparation position for running, before the air behind her blew back.
Megumi tensed his eyes and immediately lashed forward with his left hand, spitting out three quick blows with Playful Cloud at the approaching Lupo.
BANG
BANG
BANG
Each blow from the weapon met the parrying arm of Lappland, the woman feeling the bones and muscles rattling from the Special Grade Cursed Tool. "Nice weapon!" She felt a forth blow coming from the spinning Megumi, the momentum building up for that blow.
BAM
She attempted to grab it, but could feel her body screaming to be launched backwards when Lappland felt it impact her palms. Instead of heeding to its will, she pushed forward and felt her arm sliding off of the object. Despite having broken through it, the air friction scraped off and singed the skin on her hand.
Megumi circled Playful Cloud around the woman's neck, while her hands grabbed him by his own and pushed him down to the ground.
SLAM
The ground below cracked, Megumi bending his knees from the pain as Lappland's hand started gripping his neck, "a-agh!" He attempted to breathe, but his body forcibly held his breath from the woman's interlocking fingers around his throat.
"A-aha~! L-let's see w-who loses f-first!" Lappland was barely able to croak out her words, while Playful Cloud was circled around her neck, the two ends twisted to block her breath from leaving.
"W-what do y-you w-want!" Megumi gasped out that question again in hysteria, feeling the veins on his head starting to pop out and make itself known. The flow of oxygen into his body had been completely blocked off like a dam to a flowing crystalline river.
Lappland simply grinned, not answering the question he had asked again, content with seeing who would make it out of this life or death situation. In fact, her legs started pressing down on his stomach more, causing the man to feel a pained pressure forming at the location.
'Think... think of something!' Megumi's brain worked at full speed despite the loss of oxygen he was experiencing, attempting to find out any plan that he would need.
At the moment, he couldn't summon any Shikigamis due to his hands being occupied with holding Playful Cloud, and neither could he pull out the Inverted Spear of Heaven for the same reason. His options...? Either use Shadow Extension once more, or...
The next option clicked into his mind, like a light bulb being sent electricity through copper circuits, flickering it on. His eyes show the light of inspiration coming to him, all worries vanishing in an instant when the choice to him became clear.
***
Under This Binding Vow:
Condition: Fushiguro Megumi expends more Cursed Energy when summoning Shikigami in an unstable form.
Result: In exchange, Fushiguro Megumi can summon unstable Shikigamis without hand seals, only requiring to call out their name.
***
This flash of inspiration came once again from Ryomen Sukuna, but no guilt or hesitance struck his mind when making such a vow. Fushiguro Megumi knew now was not the time to fall into emotional turmoil, considering how that ended up back in his previous world.
Meeting the woman's eyes with his own, a sense of conviction Lappland hadn't clearly seen before burned in his pupils, letting them both fall into the trance of this battle.
"Nue: Totality!"
Black and unstable wings bursted from Megumi's back, all the while he was still being pushed on the ground. Crackles of purple electricity gathered around those gigantic wings that seemed to encompass the entire alleyway, leaving no spot unturned.
"T-this is n-new!" Lappland's eyes widened further, yet so did her ear splitting grin. Never would she expect he would grow goddamned wings right after sprouting Lupo ears and tails! "C-come then! Spill y-your heart out towards me!"
Megumi when he first experimented with Shadow Extension found out that only the features of Divine Dog: Totality became present on him because their main ability was something that enhanced him physically. For Nue: Totality, its main ability was electricity, so he didn't develop any features from it. It wasn't physical.
With summoning Shikigami in unstable form, Fushiguro Megumi could only keep them up briefly, yet at the same time, it provided him with a way to control them in a malleable shadow like form. With his application here, he could summon a small portion of Nue: Totality for a split second, and utilize its ability, even if briefly, without constraining himself.
This also meant he could summon their features on himself due to their great malleability.
The ripping sounds of purple electricity echoed out, Megumi having his hands free despite summoning his Shikigami in such a way, the Binding Vow taking effect..
Lappland felt her body convulsing from the attack, leaving her nerves paralyzed and shocked, before her cheek was met with Megumi's Playful Cloud slamming into it after he felt her grip leaving his neck.
The wings of Nue already disappeared at the moment, but it provided him with the advantage he needed. Launching her away with his Cursed Tool, he watched her fly to the other end of the alleyway.
"Max Elephant!"
Dropping his Cursed Tool into his shadows, he brought his hands together to form an elephant seal, all the while he stuck his foot to the wall and enhanced it with Cursed Energy. While a black puddle formed on the wall, he continued to scale it and begin the next step of his plan.
First of all, he wasn't going to let the rabid monster rest. Out from the shadows formed on the alleyway walls, Max Elephant leapt out, spraying water from its trunks while cascading down on the Lupo's position.
BANG
Megumi watched on in shock as...
...Lappland literally lifted a falling Max Elephant with her flaming blades, uncaring of the water that splashed all over her and the alleyway. For once, the Ten Shadows user was glad he summoned his Shikigami in physical form, despite the strain on his Cursed Energy.
Forcing himself to ignore the scene, he knew what he needed to do next.
"Nue: Totality."
He de-summoned Max Elephant, not wanting it to be ripped to shreds by Lappland, and summoned Nue once more in incorporeal form, having already made enough distance while sticking his feet towards the wall.
Seeing how Lappland had been splashed with water, which had so much excess it flowed out of the alleyway, Megumi knew it was perfect for improving the electricity of Nue. Through streaks of brilliant light, he fired it off once again.
"Ahaha~! Isn't that an excellent plan?" Lappland called out from below, having felt the weight of a literal elephant crashing down on her. Yet she was quick to recover, raising her blades to meet the electricity that would rip apart even metal.
Her blades disabled some of the streaks of light, yet the wet surrounding started to conduct the electricity and cause her body to be stunned even further compared to the previous bout.
She wasn't one to back down, however, so she continued smiling and pushing through the feeling of her nerves being electrified through sheer force of will.
On Megumi's side, while she was being bombarded with Nue's electricity, he extended his right hand into the form of a pistol, knowing that Nue's unstable form would soon disperse because of its instability.
As if on cue, the black wings on his back started to flicker away, the output of violet electricity fading along with it into nothing more than small motes of sparks.
It didn't matter to him in the slightest, because there was a next step in his plan that he doubted Lappland would have predicted.
Shadow Extension: Tiger Funeral
Orange crackling flames formed around the hand pistol that he made, before he aimed it clearly at the woman down below. The dust caused by her crashing down was a benefit, but so was the electricity of Nue, seeing how it powderized the concrete below her and caused even more to gather around. Not only that, but they were also charged due to being exposed to high electric energy.
It produced a great glow, lighting up the street with a low dim. The flames continued to cascade around his hand, the power becoming more unstable as he compressed it further around his hand.
Megumi felt grateful that Lin Yuhsia chose a district of the slums to bring him to eat, seeing how not many civilians were in the area, especially with how far the distance he was able to make when running from Lappland.
That was when he decided to release the gathered and intensifying heat, unleashing a cascading beam of piercing orange light before the white haired Lupo.
BANG
The flame shot forwards far quicker than he expected, recoiling Megumi's hand while he was still sticking on the wall. He didn't have to worry about falling, seeing how his reinforced feet had an adhesive property thanks to Cursed Energy. The same reason why Sukuna could keep jumping through the air.
On the side of Lappland, she felt the heat increasing despite being covered in pulverized dust and evaporated water, her body still recovering from having its nerves disabled. 'Haha! Is that the same attack from the outskirts?!'
Unfortunately and fortunately for her, it wasn't. Although it was similar, the woman could tell that the orange flames weren't the same purple ones that had nearly taken her life. If she wasn't quick enough with her Arts, then she'd most likely still be recovering from the last battle they had.
BOOM
The alleyway at the bottom combusted, sending a shockwave that forced Megumi to shield himself. As a result, he was sent flying upwards in the air while reinforcing his body with Cursed Energy.
Structures such as the buildings around them started shaking, the building forming the alleyway taking most of the burden. One thing was for certain, the land around them was quaking before Tiger Funeral's power.
A flash of blazing and glittering light emitted throughout the scenery, lighting it up under the late morning sun. The two lights met, as if they were clashing against each other, with Megumi being at the center of such an event occurring.
'Damn it!' He still needed a way to prevent himself from being damaged by his own attack, but due to the nature of a natural chemical reaction occurring, he didn't know what he could do to fix the problem.
After being launched upwards to the altitude he needed, Megumi shifted his position and flipped in the air to gain proper footing for himself to land. The top structure of the building hadn't been destroyed yet, so he was able to step on it and immediately leap away from it before the alleyway completely collapsed.
CRASH
Megumi winced, hearing the sounds of the buildings around him starting to crash down. Thank goodness he found himself back in District 9... as the area had been cleared from Originium researchers after they found the outskirts of Lungmen to be more interesting.
He found himself watching in greater shock when the other buildings around started to collapse, finding it hard to believe it was his own improvised attack that was causing this much damage. Although it didn't compare to Incinerator... he started to see how powerful Tiger Funeral could be.
Landing on the structure of another building that was shaking, he landed and crouched down, keeping his balance and closing his eyes. The building he was standing on this time was less likely to collapse.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Megumi looked upwards to the sky while feeling the wind pass by his face. Right now, he needed to get out-
"Well aren't you just a clever little wolf?"
He turned towards the voice, attempting to keep the straightest face as he could, but the small beads of sweat forming on the back of his neck gave everything away.
Sniff
Sniff
Lappland sniffed the air with a casual expression, while crossing her arms. Her body was singed at some parts, bruises and scratches tracing many parts of her body. Besides that, she looked completely fine with how her mannerisms were.
Megumi's eyebrow twitched, wondering why she was sniffing the air.
"Quite nervous, no~?" Lappland turned her gaze towards him again, "I can smell it coming off of you."
The way she danced around with her words, her Siracusan accent flowing through naturally. It was making Megumi feel uncomfortable. But a greater problem persisted.
"...Arts," the Ten Shadows user knew how she was able to walk out of that explosion without looking too hurt. Megumi glared at her and lowered his hand to the ground while bending his knees, he needed a certain Cursed Tool to deal with her.
SHING
Lappland casually threw her sword, having it barely graze Megumi's arm while he moved upwards and shifted to the side. It was stuck on the concrete structure of the building, the handle portion standing upwards.
A small streak of blood flowed from his arm, almost having had it pinned down like a needle through a doll.
While standing up straight, the black haired man watched Lappland once again fade into streaks of white and black lines, moving towards him and grabbing him by the collar with her right hand.
...For some reason, he felt no danger from her action, the killing intent prominent within her figure haven't long since disappeared after that blast he sent her way.
The white haired Lupo showed her fangs while her left hand grabbed the hilt of her stagnant katana in a reverse grip. It lifted off from the pierced ground and settled it against Megumi's exposed neck, "are you not gonna go all out, little wolf?" The woman was waiting for that very moment, having held back herself and exerting enough strength to push him. It was to see how far he was willing to go in this ordeal.
Megumi felt his eyebrows twitching while feeling the cold steel pressed against his throat. But what bothered him even more was the insane woman's words, wondering if his danger senses were definitely betraying him at this point.
He didn't feel like humoring her, but if he wanted to effectively get her off of his back, then that was the only option he had right now. Attempting to kill her would only cause another Chimera Bird incident.
"What do you want?" Megumi asked for the thrice time today, demanding an answer from her like an interrogator. His voice held no room for arguing.
"Huh?" Lappland shot him an annoyed gaze, "I have my blade against your pretty little neck and you respond with that boring~ line again?" The woman's ears twitched while she spoke.
"What do you want?" Megumi's voice was almost a growl, "if you want to know why I haven't gone all out, then you'll answer that question."
"Hm~?" Lappland pulled his face downwards from the collar, and had him stare deep into her eyes, "are you the one in the position to demand things from me?"
"Yes," Megumi replied, not a hint of fear in his body. 'Don't heal yourself yet, don't reveal all your cards.' Despite his injuries which could be cured by Round Deer, the man didn't want the white haired fox to know about it. Although he was sure she'd seen it once before, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Haha~!" Lappland pulled her head back and laughed, "aren't you an insane bastard, little wolf?" The confidence oozing off of his words like a mauled corpse intrigued her.
He stayed silent.
"Fine~, fine~, I'll give you a little explanation," she pushed him back with a fist against his chest, forcing him backwards, "it's no fun killing a little prey who isn't even trying."
'...So she has some level of reason? Even if it's as low as Yuji's grades?' Megumi was wondering what the hell was wrong with this woman, while he raised his arms to assess the damage.
"You have all those abilities, and yet you're so~ miserable," Lappland turned away and stared at the sky, cleaning off her blades from his blood. "Where'd all that passion go? Hm? Where was that crazed look I'd see on your face?" She remembered it vividly, the black sparkling fist that impacted her face, the self-absorbant expression that didn't care about anything in the world. As if everything existed for only his pleasure and displeasure. That wasn't even including the horizon of corpses she would feel when looking at him.
"...What?" Megumi lowered his arms from analyzing the gashes, "...Is that it?" The man deadpanned towards her, "so you gain nothing from this?" He was honestly slightly nervous talking with this loose cannon that could fire off at any moment.
Immediately, a blade was pointed towards his neck once more.
"A little wolf like you... no, can you even be called a wolf?" Lappland remembered the wings that sprouted from his back, "ah, does it even matter now? Whatever." The woman shook her head, "do you think I care whether what I do has a gain or not?"
"Of course you do," Megumi couldn't shake his head due to the object pressing against his neck. "You want that spirit of mine, or whatever drabble you're talking about." Lin was right, she was a thrill seeker.
But at the same time, it felt like there was something else he was missing.
"Correct answer!" Lappland grinned once more, her tail wagging behind her, "that uncaring expression of yours, yet you truly do care, don't you? You remind so much of a certain somebody..."
"...Texas," Megumi deduced, immediately stating who.
"Bravo! You're even as sharp as her!" Lappland would've clapped her hands if one of her hands wasn't occupied with holding a blade, so she simply clapped her palm against the closed fist. "So, are you going to go with your end of the deal? Why have you been holding yourself back? Don't you just want to let yourself free?"
Despite the infallible expression he was showing right now, and what she remembered, the sight she saw at the alleyway completely shattered all conceptions she had of him. How could somebody as soft as him have such a disgusting aura? One that surpassed anything she had ever seen in her life?
His existence seemed so contradictory, not only in his wide arsenal of abilities, but also in his personality.
Lappland knew very vaguely one of the reasons, but then again, it was something that was only of speculation.
"It's not worth it," Megumi replied, already knowing the amount of damage he had already caused to Lungmen and its security. "It's not worth the problems," he was completely honest with his words.
"Huh?" Lappland raised an eyebrow, "why should that matter to you? So you're caging yourself over such a virtuous reason?" Her voice was sarcastic, disappointment leaking out of it.
She wanted to see it again, the aggression that reminded her so much of that time, that unrestricted freedom that didn't hold any qualms, "do you think you can run away from your action? Settle down with those LGD girls and make yourself obscure?"
...This woman had definitely been stalking him, hadn't she? But when? How? Or was she just making assumptions-
"Haha~! Your expression is giving it all away," Lappland pointed out, seeing the very slightest shift in his facial muscles at her comment. "So? What's it gonna be? You're gonna keep playing pretend, thinking your actions will blow away like that?"
"It will," Megumi felt the wind blowing his black haori, "nothing will change that." His outfit flowed in the air, holding the same air as a flag billowing in the wind.
Megumi felt his muscles tense as Lappland rolled her eyes, before... surprisingly lowering her blade?
"Really~? I guess we'll just have to see then," the woman flashed him another terrifying smile, as if finding what he said amusing. "Two black little wolves, isn't that a sight to see? Killing you right now would be so boring~."
Megumi realized at that very moment, this woman was as delusional as Todo in his schizophrenic episodes. It didn't help that he felt like he was dancing on the thread of life and death at this point.
"Don't go dying out there will you? I need to see as this life you're clinging onto collapses right before your eyes," Lappland grabbed him by the collar again while speaking, 'will Texas be dragged back into that swamp? Or will you be the first to be dragged into your own?' Although she didn't know for sure, it would definitely be a sight to see.
'This woman... is she projecting?' He didn't know which would be more of a pain to deal with, the Lupo or that Sankta named Arturia. Right now, he wished he was far away from Lungmen when facing her, so he wouldn't have any qualms with casting a Domain Expansion on her.
"Oh, one more thing," Lappland let go of him before walking to the ledge of the building, "if you don't attend Penguin Logistics' little idol show today," she found out it was delayed not too long ago, "then maybe I'll reconsider killing you the next time we meet."
With those words, Megumi bore sight to the woman leaping off the building, watching where her body was earlier.
He pinched the bridge of his nose right after, letting out a frustrated sigh, 'why... why...?' Why did he have to attract the worst type of people in his arrival into this world? If it were his sensei, Gojo Satoru, he would be able to breeze through all of these difficulties without so much as a glance of acknowledgement.
But he wasn't his sensei, meaning that if he wanted to resolve this problem, he'd have to follow along with her whims...
...Why the hell did she want him to visit an idol concert anyways?
***
"Megumi," Lin called out to the injured man who was leaning against the wall of the private room she was in, "...what happened?" The man had been gone for about nineteen minutes, yet his body looked like it had gone through an entire building.
"I don't want to talk about it," Megumi was cycling Reverse Cursed Technique through his body at the moment. He was still contemplating what Lappland had said. 'District 9 is really far away from Lungmen and from this restaurant, so Lin probably experienced a small earthquake.'
"Does it have to do with the small earthquake from earlier?" Lin took a cup of tea from her table, taking a sip of it.
Megumi felt like cursing.
"...Your food has gone cold," reading his inner turmoil, Lin decided to leave the subject as is. "I won't tell Ch'en about what happened today."
"I... understood," the Ten Shadows user moved to where he had sat earlier, letting the subject of the white haired Lupo go. He was developing too much of a headache when thinking about it.
He needed to finish his meals anyway.
***
"Breaking news! District 9 experiences what was-"
Megumi watched a screen displaying the news in Lungmen's passing cityscape while sitting in Lin's car. He was glad the mouse lady was taking the wheel, not giving a glance at the objects while driving.
"...Lin," Megumi called out to the woman driving, "could we visit... Penguin Logistics' idol show?" He had made up his decision when mulling it over.
"An idol show?" Lin couldn't face him because she had to focus on the round, "is that what interests you?"
"No, not at all," Megumi's voice was as dry as the desert. He wasn't one to enjoy such things, "it's because of Penguin Logistics, that's the reason."
"...You're planning to hire them?" Lin questioned, "while I do believe in their skills, they are ones to attract... some degree of trouble on their routes to delivery."
"It doesn't matter," Megumi shook his head, it was based on other matters that differed from what Lin was thinking. "Just send a message to Ch'en I'll be over there, you're busy yourself, aren't you?"
For some reason, the mouse lady felt as if something was wrong with the way Fushiguro Megumi was speaking. "My schedule is cleared today, so I don't see why I shouldn't take a visit myself."
"Okay," Megumi tapped his finger against his cheek while continuing to stare out of the window. It seemed like it was becoming a blur with how his focus was waning into his thoughts.
He just had to deal with whatever reason Lappland had for getting him to come to the idol concert. It was far better than having her point her sword at his throat again. Besides, it was just one person he had to deal with.
'Talking with her is going to cause me a migraine again, isn't it?' Remembering the woman who had all screws knocked out of her head, Megumi mentally groaned.
He had to prepare himself.