"Muelsyse, we're breaking the law right now," Saria pinched the bridge of her nose, while pressing her back on top of a structure at Lungmen's walls. "If we get caught, we're bound to be arrested for trespassing."
"Oh, don't worry~," Muelsyse waved her hand in front of her nonchalantly, "you didn't have any rejections when I first suggested it, now did you?"
"...It was because you dragged me along, I didn't had much time to think of it," Saria retorted. The Vouivre had to wonder why Lungmen had to have so many events happening around it while Rhine Lab had just decided to set up here.
"Don't worry, I can get us both out of here without a hitch," Muelsyse held a confident expression while pointing to herself, "besides... This fight is pretty interesting to watch~."
Saria stopped leaning against the wall, peering over the walls to see what exactly was going on. She recognized a certain black haired man being dragged around... By a pink mouse lady. It was a strange sight, especially with the LGD and two other people fighting.
"Wow, I just realized, they're all women~!" Muelsyse placed a hand over her mouth, an idea coming to her mind, "What if they're all..."
"Stop," Saria's expression visibly hardened from hearing her words, a very rare sight to see. "Don't continue any further."
"Ah~, come on, it was just a playful guess," Muelsyse shrugged. "I mean, he is quite handsome... Actually, aren't we also looking at-"
BOOM!
Her thoughts were cut off, while what felt like an erupting volcano bursted upwards into the skies of Lungmen.
The two were in the same position as they were before, having frozen completely from the unexpected explosion that would've thrown them off the walls if not for their distance.
"...Aha~, Perhaps, we should leave~?" Muelsyse asked out, her usual smile becoming slightly more nervous.
Saria felt her own hair blowing against her face from the shockwave, the hyperbolic heat of what seemed like a thousand suns behind her.
She could agree with the water Elf.
***
The world around looked like somebody had poured black soot and it aflame, letting it burn through the arid desert wasteland. Purple sparks and little flames clung onto the scene, an incessant cloud of ashen fog obscuring everything in sight.
He felt grimy, he felt disgusting. Seeing those markings on his skin made him want to claw at his own skin and rip it off. However, he knew better than to let his emotions be a negative influence on his actions, and that there was a situation that he needed to resolve.
By resolve, it meant getting out of it was soon as possible. The problem was that right now, his own attack was damaging him.
Megumi had to wonder, what the hell the King of Curses did to not get affected by his own attack? Those who are hit by their own Cursed Technique don't take as much damage because it's their own Cursed Energy put into it. But at the same time, the combustion Ryomen Sukuna causes with the dust is so extreme it can level an entire city.
So how? How did he walk out of his own attack completely unscathed? At the current moment, Megumi had to shield himself with his arms, being blown back from the searing heat of his 'Incinerator.'
Perhaps it was a Binding Vow? That was the only reasonable way Megumi could justify how Sukuna took no damage from his Furnace.
What made the backlash worse in Megumi's opinion, was that the combustion caused by the dust he had ignited was far more damaging because of a certain something he forgot to do. To be specific, whenever Ryomen Sukuna destroyed his surroundings to create dust, it imprinted his own Cursed Energy to make it more potent.
In his case, Megumi didn't imbue his Cursed Energy into the dust around him, which in turn made it do more damage to him because it wasn't his own energy that was acting against him. Even if the ignition was caused by his own technique.
'Ugh!' His back impacted the ground after having been blown back. Megumi took this moment to reassess his body's condition. His arms burnt black like an overcooked steak and the putrid smell that came off of it made him scrunch his nose.
At the very least, he hadn't lost any limbs, he wasn't confident in his Reverse Cursed Technique to heal one. Not that he had any reserves left for such a draining application either.
His right arm touched the ground, while his left hand was trying its best to support him upwards despite the condition. He panted heavily, trying to get as much oxygen as he could from the air, but only ash and smoke seemed to fill his lungs.
'Apply more Cursed Energy reinforcement...' Thankfully, his temporary Binding Vow made it so that his Innate Cursed Technique burnt out faster to use less Cursed Energy, which meant that using Cursed Energy reinforcement; which isn't an Innate Cursed Technique, didn't cause any complications with his reserves or burnout.
'I don't think.... I can summon another Shikigami,' Megumi coughed into a closed fist, before shakily getting up to a sitting position, turning to the that had been obscured by a smoke of purple embers. 'I need to get out... But I can't move my damn body.'
Painful sensations such as cuts or burns were a very familiar sensation to the man. Due to experiencing it back to back nearly every day after the Shibuya Incident, he had developed a sort of tolerance to it.
But he'll be damned if he said that he completely adapted to feeling pain. Besides, pushing through pain despite the damages was different from suffering so much damage you could barely move.
In his case, the nerves controlling his arm and leg muscles movements have been damaged to the point of not functioning anymore. The only reason why he could even limp was due to Cursed Energy reinforcement.
'Just using the shadows to maneuver about would also completely burn out my Cursed Technique, if I go any further I'd fry my brain.'
Frying his brain would not be a fun sensation, considering he experienced that multiple times while Ryomen Sukuna was using his body. Minus being hit by Unlimited Void. All he could do now was make his way on the ground, praying that his attack had knocked his enemies out of commission.
***
"Shit!" Ch'en let out a pained grunt. She had pressed against Hoshiguma's shield, along with Swire to keep the explosion from completely blowing them all back. 'Bastard could have at least waited until we moved out of the way!'
Actually, does he even know they were his temporary allies at the current moment? THe dragon lady had to reassess that notion, considering he had just woken up. Who knew they would drop Hell of all things on their heads after doing so.
"How troublesome," Lin kept her cracked barrier up, having had to create three different layers to protect herself. She wasn't quick enough to fully shield the other LGD officers, "I wasn't expecting this."
"What do you mean you didn't expect this? You're his ally!" Swire yelled out from beside Ch'en, piercing through the dust cloud that had appeared, "we're sitting ducks now, if we move around we'll get lost in this smokescreen."
The mouse lady wanted to refute her, but decided against it and opted for another option "I can find him, you three keep an eye out for the enemy... If they're still alive, that is." Lin coldly replied to them. Seeing how she suffered the least amount of damage and was the least obstructed because of her barrier; it was only logical she was the one to look for Megumi.
"Tch, no way," Ch'en stood up and glared at the Zalak woman, "I'm coming with you, Swire, Hoshi, can you handle yourselves?" She turned to the other two people with them.
"All good," Hoshiguma nodded, going out of a kneeling position and picking up her shield, "I'm guessing Missy here is fine with how loud she screamed earlier." She craned her neck after putting a hand on it. Her eyes continued scanning through the smoke, "you can go, we'll hold them back if they come charging in again."
"Yeah, what she said," Siwre sighed, picking up her drone which had been busted from the explosion.
They all covered their faces, barring Lin, when a wind seemed to kick up and blew more smoke onto them.
"Let's make it quick then," Lin called out, before turning to where she recalled Megumi had fired off that purple flame blast. 'Another addition to his repertoire... I'm starting to believe this isn't Arts.' The mouse lady started moving.
"Hey, wait up!" Ch'en called out, giving one last glance to the other two before tailing her. The dragon lady soon slowed down to walk side by side with her, the two being separated by her cracked glass barrier that was in the process of repairing itself.
"..."
There was a brief silence, the two moving about, attempting to look for the Ten Shadows user. However, their sights wouldn't turn to each other, not even from their peripherals.
Only the sound of sizzling sand could be heard, the already formed glass melting on the ground along with that. Ch'en had to walk carefully, so as to not burn a hole in her shoes.
Lin, of course, was unaffected.
"...Do you see him?" Ch'en spoke out awkwardly, while the two continued to walk through the area. She was covering her mouth while squinting her eyes due to the smoke.
"I do not," Lin replied with about the same tone as the other woman, glancing left and right. Because she was the least pushed back by the explosion, she remembered Megumi being around the area she was... 'Unless he was launched backwards...'
In fact, the Zalak knew that the man would be affected by the attack too, due to the fact that it was the dust igniting in the air to cause such widespread destruction. Sure, whatever projectile he fired off played a big role, it wasn't the one doing all the heavy lifting.
She knew her subjects well, being the top scorer in her university. It was too bad they weren't there with her...
Lin shook her head to clear her thoughts, it wasn't a good idea to linger on those thoughts, "he should be..."
"There!" Ch'en called out, straightening her posture and widening her eyes, completely ignoring the smoke that would go into her eyes.
"...I see him," Lin gave a glance towards Ch'en after recognizing the outline to be Megumi. Seriously, his hair stuck out like a sore thumb in situations like this. 'Hopefully she doesn't immediately assault him.'
The dragon lady rushed forward towards the man, the smoke that blanketed the place having cleared up to a certain extent. "Hey!" Her voice was loud and authoritative, fitting that of the LGD Superintendent.
The spiky haired man, who had been keeping his arms close to his chest and keeling over while slowly walking, jolted from the voice.
Lin Yuhsia watched him turn around with a shocked expression, pupils dilating to small dots. A few notable things she noticed were the black markings on his face, and his... Red eyes? Did he possess red eyes?
What was most peculiar however, were how they seemed to be fading from his body. Lin could already attribute his abilities to be nothing related to Arts due to the wide variety he has shown, and those changes in his appearance further accentuated that point.
At that very moment, Lin wanted to cuss out Lungmen profanities when she saw the man raising his arms upwards away from his chest, shaking as his hands clenched into fists. He looked the most like a suicide bomber than ever before.
Ch'en at the same time, placed her right hand on the red sheathed blade placed on the back of her waist. Her gaze narrowed as she bit the bottom part of her lip, brows furrowed in a contemplative way.
It looked like an all-out war was about to break out.
Lin wanted to get in front of the two and give them a piece of her mind, but stopped when Ch'en raised her left hand in front of her.
"Stop," Ch'en called out in a surprisingly calm voice, before lifting her right hand off the handle of Chi Xiao. She instead hovered it over, "I'm not here to fight."
By the gods did Lin feel a sense of relief wash over her like a warm shower. She knew that Ch'en was a hotheaded person, especially with the dangers that came from being an officer. But thankfully, the dragon lady was making a logical decision.
"...W-what?" Megumi stuttered out, sweat pouring down his forehead as he turned his gaze upwards. He already had one knee on the ground from the shock of seeing the police officer, and had reacted accordingly to what his senses had told him... If his arms were anything to go by.
"I'm not here to fight, nor am I here to arrest you," Ch'en closed her eyes with a resigned look. "That is, if you're willing to cooperate."
Megumi looked at her confusingly, before shifting his gaze to Lin.
The Zalak crossed her arms in response, "we've come to an agreement, if you come with them and explain your situation well enough, you might not face problems." Lin pointed her chin to Ch'en, "I'll be acting as your... 'defense'." That was the best analogy she could give.
Megumi watched on in confusion, wondering if the police officer (he remembered her name to be Ch'en), knew that she was standing by an underworld big shot. He felt his arms quivering, slightly losing their tensity, "...Really?"
"I keep my words, but will you agree with them?" To show her sincerity, the Superintendent completely lowered the arm hovering over Chi Xiao, leaving herself in a vulnerable position. "Don't get things twisted, though, you're still on thin ice!" However, not before giving off a warning.
Lin gave Ch'en a tired look, 'you still run your mouth even today? Of course, it's still the same even from long ago.' Especially when... Nevermind, she was better off not remembering those times.
Megumi's head lowered, eyes lidding to nearly a slit. The tension left his body as his arms became limped, the burn injuries and bruises in his bodies settling in greater pain after his adrenaline drained. "...That's..."
Plop
He flopped over on the ground.
"Uh?" Ch'en hadn't expected that to happen, but then again, the man's condition was looking absolutely terrible.
Lin sighed, before walking up to him, "we need to get back to the others quickly." she knelt down and grabbed him from under, carrying him on her back.
It was a jarring sight, seeing a 185 cm (6'1) man being carried by a shorter woman.
"...Just so you know, I'm not letting him off lightly," Ch'en crossed her arms before turning to where Swire and Hoshiguma were supposed to be. Surprisingly, there had been no sounds of fighting, especially after the dust had cleared.
Lin Yuhsia rolled her eyes, "I already heard." She turned in the same direction the other woman was. Megumi's weight wasn't a problem for her, considering Terrans had extremely potent physical strength.
***
"...What is your relationship with him, anyways?" Ch'en turned around to ask her with squinted brows. Somebody that had appeared in Lungmen one day in the Slums, wearing Higashinese clothing. Lin also seemed to want them to stay away from matters pertaining to the man...
Could he be working for them? No, that couldn't be plausible, considering she remembered how Lin had said she'd see for herself if he were a danger to Lungmen. Was he hired after then? But then at the same time, why was he so unguarded?
She could conclude at the very least, he didn't belong to Lin or the Rat King. That still left the question of who he was.
"...Perhaps you would understand if you could hold one," Lin shot back, wondering why the other woman had to word her question in such a way.
Ch'en felt her eyelid twitching, before turning back to her, "and what's that supposed to mean?" Her voice had a sharper edge to it.
"We should be returning to our other 'allies,' should we not?" Lin deflected the question better than any Gaul shielder would have in their glory days, "your words, not mine."
The dragon lady continued glaring at the Zalak mouse. She decided to relent, letting out a frustrated sigh, not before sending another glare at the unconscious man being carried. 'I'll find out soon.'
At the same time, Ch'en was starting to wonder why Swire and Hoshiguma hadn't engaged in a fight, did the enemies retreat? They had been keeping their defensive position the same as they had been when she and Lin had separated, after all...
Ch'en shook her head, she should be glad that there were no problems. 'Wait... Won't all of Lungmen have seen this?'
Although there were no cameras or new stations around the outskirts of Lungmen's walls, they steered far away from it... The two explosions that had happened here would have definitely been recorded.
What would that most likely cause? Extreme public unrest.
'...Goddamnit, I should really give him a piece of my mind, huh?' Ch'en could feel a tick mark forming on the side of her head, whenever she thought of that 'Victorian Princess' summoner.
He even matched the goddamned stereotype from those Columbian films, having animals come to his aid whenever he was in danger! His hair that seemed to defy logic... What was practically magic...
Instead of getting saved by a strong man, Lin could be considered a strong woman now that she thought about it, and seeing how she came to his aid first from what Ch'en knew.
'...Am I... Connecting the dots?' Ch'en found it particularly satisfying slandering the man for some reason... No, in fact, she knew all the reasons why.
He had been living rent free in her head for the past few days, so she'd indulge herself in these thoughts for a little while.
Lin, while making her way back to the main group with Megumi on her back, felt him twitching oddly.
The mouse lady didn't know why. 'Are the injuries too severe...?' She could only make assumptions.
***
A certain woman with a black halo and wings moved through the overcast shadows of Lungmen's walls.
Her hair was slightly messy in some places, but overall, she looked presentable enough to attend something like a meeting.
"Haah~," Arturia glanced at her hand, seeing discernable burn markings on her black gloves, "hm, it was quite disappointing I didn't succeed... Still though, how mesmerizing~..."
Although she couldn't get what she wanted, she at least saw something very beautiful. Especially those purple Divine Flames, enlightening the battlefield with its presence. A gift built from true passion...
She saw it before it had detonated, the burning desire in that man's eyes to stand at the very top of the world, one that would burn the entire world to ashes. A resolve to become even the very thing he detested the most in the world...
Arturia had at first thought he had been a suicidal man with far too many bodies to count, but a closer look saw something different, something more majestic. It seemed she had gotten to see it two times today, both dressed in the vibrance of purple.
"Oh, I'll visit him one more time before I return to Leithanien, avoiding those little Shadows were quite a difficulty after all," despite being the focal point of blast, the Lupo she was with was able to dispel most of the concentrated damage.
The after explosions had broken her Arts barrier with ease, but the Sankta was quick enough to avoid any major damage.
Taking a glance at her blackened cello, she would have to tend to it for a bit of time before she went to do anything else. Although it was going to be tedious to fix and clean, the woman was satisfied.
"That Lupo too, she also seems to hold something deep inside," the woman placed the instrument back in its case, before turning to close and seal it away. "Hm~, of course, visiting Lungmen was worth it in the end after all."
Deciding to take things a little more slowly, Arturia remembered that there was going to be a concert of an idol named Sora. Although she didn't enjoy 'modern' music as much as classical, she would be willing to give it a hearing.
***
Lappland had decided to retreat, it was very unlike her to commit to such an act, but the situation desperately called for it. Who knew that black haired guy could shoot another purple blast?
The first time, it was from three of those gigantic birds formed from lightning, this time; it was from his fingertips. She knew they were flames, they burned like flames after all... But the coloring wasn't anything she's seen before.
"Hehe... If only those bastards weren't there," Lappland growled out, that Sankta woman, mouse woman, and the LGD came barging into what was supposed to be her fight. 'But then again... He was pretty tired,' she continued to skulk through the perimeter of Lungmen's walls, ignoring the injuries around her body.
Would she have enjoyed a battle against a half conscious guy? The white haired Lupo would much prefer it if he were at peak condition. That purple explosion seemed to be from complete luck, because her senses were alert enough to tell her that it was the dust gathered around that caused the enormous blast.
'Or... Did he plan it in the first place?' If he had, it made the Lupo even more giddy in prospect, 'oh, and I can't forget...' Lappland remembered seeing a certain white car in the distance, but ignored it because she was engaging with an entire group before.
'It's unmistakable...' Despite the distance away from the car, she knew she saw that black hair and black wolf ears from anywhere. 'Even though I had to back out, wasn't today a great discovery~?'
Although it had driven away, Lappland wasn't at all perturbed because of that. Especially with the concert with that idol named 'Sora,' who was also a part of Penguin Logistics... She knew the exact place to go for their reunion.
It would only make things so much better if a certain black haired man were to appear too.
'Oh, and that stupid Sankta woman, I'll get her back for that,' Lappland felt her ears and tail twitch as she remembered her temporary 'ally.' The woman had made it so that the Lupo had to bear the brunt of the purple flames that black haired man had shot out to pull out the battlefield first.
The moment she saw her, it would be on sight.
Just like back during the times of Siracusa, her opposition would be taken care of as soon as possible.
***
When he came back to his consciousness, by being shaken from somebody unfamiliar. There was a sight Megumi would not have expected to see.
He was sitting on a chair, in some sort of office room now that he had fully registered what it was. The more specific location was what seemed to be in the middle of Lungmen, a structure that pierced up towards the sky.
Although, that wasn't his first sight... it was.
"Huh?!" Some blonde haired tiger lady leaning over and holding his shoulders, for some reason. Well, if it were somebody like Yuji and Todo, Megumi could confidently say he'd enjoy the sight...
Wait, no, didn't they prefer...?
"The hell? Does anything make this guy react?" The tiger lady pulled back, "I shook him awake, but he doesn't feel the least bit shocked," the woman muttered under her breath.
Megumi didn't know what to say, he had enough shit thrown at him today that he could barely respond like a normal human being. If he had to compare, it was when he summoned Mahoraga and woke up after the Shibuya incident.
"Wow~, you're far more docile than I thought," the woman continued talking, placing her hands on her hips. "Somebody who has Ch'en all frustrated for the past few days is like this?" The way she talked was way too energetic in Megumi's opinion.
"...Am I arrested?" He blankly spoke out, glancing at his... Uncuffed hands? "What?" Although his injuries were still prominent, there were some white bandages wrapped from under his black jacket. He would've expected to have restraints placed on him.
"Oh? I thought you were informed about the deal?" Swire raised an eyebrow, her tail moving left and right. "Or did you knock the memories out of your brain with that goddamn bomb?" Honestly, the woman still had a headache from the shockwave of the attack. But thankfully, the enemies had already retreated when the explosive blew over.
Seeing how the black haired man hadn't come out unscathed either, Swire could assume that the attack also afflicted him with some damages too. An attack of that caliber would definitely only belong to a country's special forces Arts caster.
"It wasn't that Impressive," Megumi blandly felt the need to say that, having seen Gojo and Sukuna duke it out in Shinjuku. Besides, the explosion only happened because Nue: Totality had gathered and electrified the dust from the surrounding of the arid desert; making it the perfect set-up for his 'Incinerator.'
"Really?" Swire gave him a deadpan look, before wiping her face with a stressful groan. "At the very least, you seem to be behaving well," the Feline flipped her hair. "Seriously, what is somebody as young as you doing in the underworld with such talents, huh?" The woman had to come to a realization that instead of using his abilities for keeping order or maintaining law, the black haired stranger was strangely a criminal of all things.
That came to a contrast with how well-mannered he was, he would've definitely been able to fit in with society, unless there was a factor that prevented him from doing so. Before he ran away from Ch'en, Swire had to remind herself..
Megumi was starting to wonder if this woman was actually a police officer... In fact, the best description he could give of her was a rich lady with the way she held herself and spoke.
One Swire's side, she kept watching as the man before her held the most done with expression she had ever seen. Perhaps even surpassing that dragon bitch herself... "Hey, are you gonna respond or not?" Honestly, the black haired man was going to be carried to a hospital bed for treatment after, and all the LGD could do was provide basic first aid. But he had woken up too fast, before the others including Lin had returned with the proper professionals.
"Are you my interrogator? Are you even a police officer?" Megumi asked two questions, slumping back on his chair.
Swire felt her irritation rising at how seriously he seemed to take her, "I'm a Senior Superintendent of the LGD, put some respect on my name," she huffed with her eyes closed. "In fact, you're facing a pretty damn light situation with the 'spectacle' you showed off earlier."
Megumi started to realize the things he had pulled ever since arriving in this world. Running from a police officer and resisting arrest, property damage, even more property damage, summoning a gigantic bird twice, and causing a thermobaric explosion outside of Lungmen's walls...
"...You're right," Megumi placed a hand on his forehead, 'should I just go into the shadows and leave...? Leave this country altogether? This might be the perfect opportunity before things go south.'
A hand grabbed his shoulder, causing him to jolt, "if you're thinking of running away, don't think you can sneak past me." Swire commented with a serious look on her face, like that of a ferocious tiger.
In Megumi's case... He had faced off Tiger Funeral, the woman wasn't the least bit intimidating compared to the Apex Predator. "...I won't," he lied as naturally as he breathed.
"Sheesh," the woman shifted back to a tired look, "what were those three thinking, leaving me with a loose cannon like this..." Swire was wondering what was going through Ch'en's head saying that she would be left behind to watch him. She also had to do a double-take when Hoshiguma agreed with her!
Lin was Lin, the dirty rat didn't care much. She'd find enough dirt to arrest her some day. Wait no, couldn't she do some mental gymnastics with her involvement at the outskirts of Lungmen?
At the same time, the pink haired woman was far too professed in things such as the law for Swire to do anything, as much as she hated to admit it. It really was like trying to catch a rat without any cheese traps...
'...I haven't even graduated from College yet,' Megumi would really prefer sparring against Gojo and his Blue-infused fists right now. Having to deal with the police was going to be a complete mess. 'I'm aware of how screwed up Japan's legal system and police can be... It'd be ignorant of me not to assume the same here...'
Worst part was that he didn't have an identification either, the constant problem that had been nagging with his existence in the city... And whatever this world was called in general. At best, he was an illegal immigrant, at worst, a terrorist. Megumi wouldn't let the second part become a non-factor, as his actions could have definitely painted him as one.
Swire continued to stare at him, trying to get a feel of the 'aura' that Ch'en had blabbered on when she first met the man. 'What was she even talking about? He at most feels like a corpse, unnatural, but nothing like a mountain of corpses?' The Feline was starting to think the Head Superintendent had some screws loose.
Megumi, at the same time kept his gaze away from her, checking his Cursed Energy reserves. 'I've recovered some... But it might not be enough to fully escape if the time comes. I've already severed the Binding Vow too... Hold on, my Cursed Technique burnout still hasn't fully recovered either...'
Too many factors were pinning him down at the moment, leaving him with barely any options.
Click
The sound of the door being opened was heard, before three familiar people walked through with what looked to be medical supplies.
"Hey, Missy, we decided to bring medical supplies instead of a-," Hoshiguma raised her hand holding a box, before pausing and registering something else.
"...Oh, look who's awake," Ch'en crossed her arms, looking behind Swire to see a black haired man.
Megumi felt a bead of sweat forming on the back of his neck, the glare of the woman felt like a Cursed Dagger stabbing into his body. 'Is she going to attack me?'
Lin could only send him a neutral yet 'reassuring' gaze, one that did very little to comfort him.
'Fuck...' Megumi cursed out in his mind, 'that Angel wannabe...' The events of today only happened because of that perpetually smiling woman. In fact, she almost looked smug with the way she held herself.