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Glory to my chief Proofreader; Solare for he is the one who points out mistakes and acts as my favourite wall to bounce ideas off of.
As the Title Suggests, Please Play "Rules of Nature Extended" from Metal Gear Rising Revengeance OST for this Chapter.
850 Power Stones = Extra Chapter
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The Rules of Nature dictate many things, foremost among them being:
The Strong Prey Upon the Weak.
The Offspring Will Surpass their Father.
And there can Only be One Apex Predator in an Ecosystem.
…
"...Megumi?"
Megumi paused for a moment, completely taken off guard at the question. And then he started laughing, it was too just too humorous for him not too.
"You're telling me all it took for you to remember I existed was for me to punch you in the face?! Guess we found a cure to dementia! AHAHAHA!" The Lord of Shadows held his stomach in pain as he laughed, after all the build up it seems like his father just needed to be reset through percussive maintenance.
"...How the Hell are you here? How the Hell am I here? I just died." Toji questioned, he was completely out of his element. The last thing he remembered was looking a white haired demon in the eyes before everything went to black.
"I'm here because there's an attack on Shibuya that I'm takin' care of. And I assume you're here because some dumbass tried to use some kind of Séance Technique to summon your Body, not expecting it to overwrite the Soul of your Host." Megumi explained with an assured smile.
Toji had a look of recognition like he remembered something, he stayed silent for a moment as he looked his son up and down.
"You remind me of her… Who took care of you?" He asked a moment later, showing uncharacteristic softness in his voice.
"Satoru Gojo."
The Sorcerer Killer's eyes widened for a moment, his right arm reaching for the left side of his abdomen unconsciously as Megumi continued.
"After Killing You, he came to me and my sister and helped us out a lot – Made sure we had everything we needed and took care of our monetary problems. He even trained me for most of my life, it wasn't easy, but I'd say the results were worth the effort."
Now that made Toji smirk and say, "Oh really? A son of mine with the Ten Shadows was raised and trained by Satoru Gojo. Sounds to me like you had it pretty easy, I doubt you had to struggle a Day in your Life."
However his son's reaction took him off guard, instead of getting defensive or insulted, the sorcerer laughed.
"Pfffffft… Yeah alright old man, why don't you see for yourself?" Megumi chuckled, his legs slightly tensing up for an instant causing the Sorcerer Killer's eyes to squint subtly.
Both father and son disappeared from their place in a gust of wind and rubble, they met in the middle with their fists. The power of their impact turned the ground beneath them into a crater as a shockwave reverberated from it and shattered all nearby glass.
"Huh.. Not bad…" Toji muttered in surprise, it had been too long since he had actually been met halfway in a fight and actually matched in pure physical strength.
"Ya gettin' distracted in a fight, Old Man?!"
The Sorcerer Killer weaved his body to the side at the last second to dodge a brutal haymaker aimed at his skull, he was forced to move again and grab another fist going for his abdomen. His arm shook for a moment as it tried to hold back the fist and then much to his utter shock, the fist overpowered him.
Megumi's fist dug into Toji's gut, causing him to grunt before spinning around in place and throwing a roundhouse kick towards his son's head. The Sorcerer Killer's face was covered with a small grin, a wholly unfamiliar feeling settling in his Heart as it did.
'Ah.. I see. Is this… Pride in Someone Else?'
The Lord of Shadows knew he didn't have a chance to dodge this close, so he raised his right arm and blocked it. The ground beneath him cracked as his feet dug into it from the force of his fathers kick.
The sorcerer shifted his arm down and grabbed onto Toji's leg, pulling him towards himself and going for a haymaker to his opponent's face.
He felt slight shock as he saw Toji inexplicably dodge his attack mid air, press his body against the air itself and spin before using the momentum to crash against him shoulder first.
Megumi dug his feet into the ground as he was pushed a few feet backwards, creating grooves in the ground as he did. He looked towards his father who stood on his own two feet, a satisfied smirk covering his face.
"Looks like you weren't lying when you said you were trained to be strong. This isn't too bad, no son of mine is allowed to be a weakling who can only rely on Cursed Techniques." Toji announced, pulling back his sleeves and rushing in at his opponent again.
The two of them clashed for a few more moments; fist to kick, shoulder check to dodge. And throughout all their exchanges, one thing was truly evident.
"Yo, Brat! What happened to that Geezer Naobito?"
"I Killed Him!"
"HAH! Really?!"
Although they were evenly matched in physical strength, Toji Fushiguro still had the slight advantage in Hand to Hand Combat. His Decades of experience are all too evident in their clash, he landed 2 hits for each of Megumi's own.
However it is because of this distinction, that when the effect of the out of control Séance Technique took it's hold on Toji's mind, he was immediately outplayed and outsmarted.
The Mindless Sorcerer Killer might still be a Beast of Nature capable of Slaughtering Special Grade without issue, but he was merely a moving target to the Lord of Shadows.
Megumi jumped backwards, prompting his hazy father to rush at him with intent to grapple him, playing directly into his plans.
The sorcerer grabbed the encroaching arms with his own, and raised his entire body at the same time. He then proceeded to stomp both his feet into Toji's face, the force of which causing a shockwave to reverberate throughout the street.
A morbidly satisfying crunch entered Megumi's ears as he let go of his father's arms, sending him flying away from him and through an entire building. The Sorcerer Killer's body punctured through a small super store, causing it to crumble in his wake.
Megumi stood for a moment as he breathed in and out with satisfaction, he stared at the fallen building for a moment before laughing and shouting at it with Malice.
"Come on Old Man! Don't tell me that after all this hype and talk, that you're just a Washed Up Has-Been who Peaked when he fought Highschoolers?!"
There was silence for a moment before the rubble of the building shook and exploded outwards, revealing Toji Fushiguro once again. The black haired man stretched his neck to the side, causing some dirt and dust to fall out of his ears before he looked towards his son with a similarly Malicious yet Prideful grin
"Looks like my son has an attitude problem. It's my Duty as your Father to Beat It out of you, isn't it?!" Toji declared, the devastating power of his son's stomp was enough to bring his mind back if only for a few more moments.
"And it looks like percussive maintenance is really what's needed to keep your ageing mind in good form!" Megumi snarked right back, he found himself having fun despite the shit situation he was in, so he pushed back his worries and responsibilities to the back of his mind for a moment.
"This is gonna be hilarious, watch this." Megumi said a moment later as he crossed his arms, his shadow bubbled over to signify him summoning a shikigami but not before he turned on his Tranquil Deer Incarnation.
'Never tried this directly so let's see if it works… What happens when I summon a Shikigami with Positive Energy instead of Cursed Energy?'
"Rabbit Escape."
One small Rabbit hopped out of his shadow, one which he recognised as Subaru. The Rabbit looked at him with ambition and resolve in its eyes, prompting him to chuckle at that.
"Use your ability and see what you can do." Megumi ordered.
Toji watched on in confusion as the small Rabbit that his son summoned proceeded to grow to be 6 Feet Tall and muscular. The giant rabbit charged at him with what could have been considered to be a warcry had it not come from the mouth of a Rabbit.
The Rabbit sprinted ahead like a man on a mission with full intent to kill its opponent, while the Sorcerer Killer shook his head at the childishness of what was happening and prepared to take out the shikigami with one punch.
Yet, ignoring all logic and sense, Subaru dodged his punch by sliding itself into the ground and performing a Move taught to him by 'Itadori Yuji' not too long ago all the while squeaking with its high pitched voice.
"Manji Kick!"
Toji's face was pushed to the sky for a moment from the impact, it wasn't the force behind it that affected him. It was the sheer and utter ridiculousness of him of all people being kicked by a 6 foot tall, muscular white Rabbit.
The Sorcerer Killed grabbed the Rabbit's leg before slamming it into the ground to his right before lifting it up and doing the same on the other side, and then he threw the shikigami back at his son with a small sense of amusement.
Megumi grabbed the thrown Shikigami and set him to the side, proud that his shikigami managed to land a single hit despite being hopelessly outmatched.
"Welp, I kinda expected that. I guess it's not so useful without more practice or having my own RCT make it." Megumi commented as he rubbed his chin in thought before unsummoning the shikigami which he laid out at his side.
"Why make it at all if you knew it would be weak?" Toji questioned, it was obvious that none of this was being taken seriously.
"Just wanted to try something out, besides watching you get 'Manji Kicked' by a 6 foot tall Rabbit was funny as hell." Megumi answered, admitting to just doing it for the hell of it.
Despite himself, the Sorcerer Killer laughed with his head to the sky at that, he then blurred from his place and reappeared before a white Semi-Truck.
Toji Fushiguro proceeded to grab the Truck by its front grills with one arm and heaved his body forwards, before Throwing the Truck at his son.
"Catch Brat!"
Instead of dodging Megumi just stood there and raised his arms, he grabbed the Truck out of the sky and turned with it still in his arms. Using his momentum, the special grade sorcerer threw the truck right back at his father with a small laugh.
"Oh~? What's wrong, Old Man? Is the arthritis finally settling in?! Why did that throw feel so Weak?!" He shouted as he watched his father grab the truck with one hand and set it on the ground beside him.
"Is that so? That's because I didn't put my Back into it!" Toji shouted right back before gripping the truck so hard its front bumper was crushed, he got into a baseball pitching stance and threw the Truck back at his son causing a shockwave to emanate from his pitch.
Megumi met the Truck with a grin before catching it with his hands, moving it to the side he panicked for a moment and pulled his arms up to his face to block an Oil Tanker that Toji had thrown at him while his vision was blocked with the Truck.
"SHIT!"
Unprepared for the sudden weight thrust upon him, Megumi was carried with the force of the Truck and was sent flying backwards into a building. This time it was a coffee shop, which also crumbled when hit with both the Lord of Shadows and the Oil Tanker that pushed him into it.
"How's that for a throw, Brat?" Toji asked with a grin, although that grin slightly faltered a moment later. He could feel something was off, not with the environment around him but with his own stolen body.
He looked back up at where his son was after feeling a disturbance in the air pressure, he watched as the rubble that was on top of his opponent fell to the ground where his son was just a moment ago.
"Where the hell…" He muttered in confusion, a moment later he felt another huge disturbance behind him and he gasped slightly in surprise when he saw what it was.
There was his Megumi, and in his hands was a fucking yellow school bus. The Special Grade sorcerer laughed and swung the Bus at his father, the Sorcerer Killer was taken completely off guard by this act and all he could do was mutter 3 words under his breath before being thrown 50 metres away.
"What The Fuck?"
With that, Toji Fushiguro was sent flying away and landed right in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing. The normally busy area was completely empty due to the evacuation being carried out by Mechamaru and Megumi's allies.
Toji stood back up a moment later and rubbed the back of his head which was aching slightly, he weaved his stolen body to the side a second later and watched as the same yellow school bus which sent him flying crashed where he stood just a moment ago.
He watched as his son came crashing down from the sky with a malicious grin, but that wasn't what made him gasp in surprise. It was what he was Holding.
"Is that a Fucking-?!"
"ROAD ROLLER DA!!"
The Sorcerer Killer gulped in uncharacteristic fear as his son came crashing down at him with a yellow Road Roller in hand, instead of grabbing it he chose to jump backwards to avoid the attack.
Megumi crashed down where he just stood, turning the ground beneath them to dust as it was flattened into a deep crater.
Both fighters jumped from their positions and landed in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing again, they stood opposite to each other with silent smiles. No words were needed.
Eventually, Toji chuckled silently to himself and shook his head, causing Megumi immense confusion at it all coming from seemingly nowhere.
"Hm? …What's wrong old man? Getting hazy in the head again?"
"...No." He answered.
"Then what's wrong?" Megumi questioned, he didn't know what to feel when he saw his father's expression. He had known him for all of 5 minutes after all.
"...I've had enough. I've seen enough. It's time for you to just kill me already. I can feel my mind slipping again, I just want to go see her again." Toji Fushiguro stated, despite the morbid request, all he had on his face was an expression of satisfaction.
Megumi Fushiguro didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed silent for a moment before raising his hand to point a finger at his father's head.
"...I Understand."
A miniscule orb of energy built up at the tip of his finger, a thing so small yet frighteningly powerful. It had enough energy to pierce through multiple buildings without any trouble.
And yet… Fushiguro Megumi found himself hesitating.
"Are You Sure?"
The question prompted Toji to widen his eyes, despite not being able to see Cursed Energy he could somehow feel his son building up an attack and expected to be dead already.
The Sorcerer Killer found himself chuckling slightly, from what he knew of his son in the little time they knew each other, hesitation was the last thing he expected from him.
"Heh.. Yeah, I'm Sure. After seeing you, I know I kept my Promise to your Mother. I have no Regrets."
Toji Fushiguro gave a small Honest smile, he watched on as his son looked at him with confusion. His face was hauntingly familiar no matter how many times he looked at it.
'He really is a Spitting Image of his Mother, Huh?' Toji thought, he could almost see a phantom of his wife's face right next to his son's.
And then, he spoke words that even he himself didn't think he was capable of.
"I'm Proud of you Meg-"
His confession was cut off by a Bluish Black Beam of Cursed Energy piercing straight through his forehead, Toji Fushiguro's eyes rolled to the back of his head before his body lost all strength and fell down like a puppet whose strings were Cut.
Megumi Fushiguro stood in place for a minute, not moving an inch as he felt the Cool Autumn breeze flow through his hair. Although his face held no emotions, his stretched hand was subtly shaking.
And then he spoke but one word, a shaky whisper barely perceptible to all.
"...Asshole."
…
5 Minutes Later, Shibuya Crossing.
Megumi sat on a stray piece of rubble in the middle of the street, in his hands was a butterfly knife which he was swinging between each of his fingers with terrifying grace and accuracy.
"-The Evacuation is at 88%, nearly every part of Shibuya has been cleared. Only the people trapped in the subways remain. It also seems like the battle between Sukuna and the Disaster Curse 'Jogo' is reaching its Climax." Mechamaru informed him.
He had just emptied his entire inventory from anything that wasn't a Cursed Tool, he felt light and airy. As if he had been completely unburdened, as for the first time in a long time he had practically nothing weighing him down making him feel like his body was made of feathers.
Yet despite that, his heart still felt heavy enough to ground him.
BOOOOOM
A shockwave reverberated from afar, an explosion rose into the air a second later with Orange flames lighting up the Heavens above with their Malevolent power.
It was a reminder. A symbol that his work was not done yet. He couldn't rest yet as the world still needed him one more time.
"Sir… I believe you saw that as well?"
"Yes." Megumi answered solemnly.
"It seems that it is the time we both dreaded. The Fate of all of Shibuya, if not the World, rests on you now."
To that, Megumi Fushiguro sighed.
"I Know."
The Lord of Shadows stood up to his feet, he closed his eyes and breathed in, a small ritual of preparation for the battle to come.
"Sir.. For your sake, for the Sake of All of us, I Pray that you Win."
"...So Do I."
Megumi Fushiguro breathed out and opened his eyes, before unleashing the entirety of his Cursed Energy reserves.
It was a Signal. No, A Provocation. A Challenge.
One which was Gleefully Answered by its Target.
Evil.
Evil Beyond all Measure and Logic appeared before him within two seconds of his Signal.
A Devil that wore the Skin of an Innocent Child.
"How Bold of you to announce your Presence so wildly to me, Brat."
It was Ryomen Sukuna, his stolen face being covered by a Grin. One filled with so much Depravity and Wickedness, it would haunt the Nightmares of any man.
"I didn't expect to get control of this Vessel again for a while, but it seems that Fate is on My Side Once again." Sukuna chuckled, his voice filled the air with so much Sadistic Glee it could be cut with a knife.
"But 19 Fingers worth of my Soul are more than enough! AHAHAHAHA!!" He laughed, the sky itself shook in the wake of his proclamation.
For The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna was Nearly Whole Once More.
"I'll be taking that Body now. Rest Assured, I'll be using it much better than you have." Ryomen Sukuna announced, his confidence and arrogance was palpable. To him, victory was but an eventuality, not a possibility.
The Lord of Shadows was quiet for a moment following his monologue, despite the words being enough to send shivers down the spines of any Human alive.
The Shade Lord Stood Unmoved.
Megumi Fushiguro raised his hands together at an angle, fists closed so hard his knuckles turned white. His Cursed Energy burned, lighting up the entirety of the Shibuya Crossing like an Obsidian Bonfire.
And then he spoke, a Declaration so Raw and True it made everything else he had ever Spoken until that moment feel like a Lie.
"WITH THIS TREASURE, I FUCKING SUMMON-!"
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850 Power Stones = Extra Chapter
Author's Note:
P is for Priceless, the look upon your faces~!
…
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Next Chapter Title: Red Sun Over Paradise.
…
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