The Good Life: Seasoning (ch. 58) (Patreon)

I felt kinda bad for ending my date with Robin early, but out of every weird and interesting thing I had ever seen, a sapient finger had to take the cake. Super powers were normal. After a year, I even got used to the idea of traveling to other worlds. Magic was still new and interesting, but I could understand it. Rationalize it.

A mummified finger with a whole consciousness inside of it was just flat out weird, and I loved it. It just raised so many questions and I couldn't wait for them to be answered.

Which is how we found ourselves in the Institute. The finger itself was in some doohickey that was scanning it while Shaun gazed upon the computer screen with obvious interest. He was a big fan of the HD computer monitors from the Old World, which were a pretty massive upgrade from the old-school analog ones this world never moved on from. I was pretty sure the Institute was developing some kind of bridging tech to make the different computers talk to one another, but I didn't pay much attention to that kind of thing.

“Fascinating,” Shaun muttered under his breath. “I've never seen anything like it. It's clearly biological yet at the same time… it's virtually indestructible.” And, as if to confirm that, the diamond-tipped tool broke with a slow screeching sound when it tried to collect a sample.

“Is it alive?” I asked, because that's what I really wanted to know. I was examining it with my Room at the same time -- it was so weird. It was sapient, though maybe not aware. However, it was rocking some major league bad juju. The finger seemed like it was made out of bad vibes or… negative emotions. Except even that was weird.

It would take thousands upon thousands of people to create that level of concentrated negative emotion. Tens of thousands. But, at the same time…

Terror had a flavor. So did rage, and sorrow. Pleasure and anguish. All of them had a unique feel, a texture, a taste that made them easily identifiable. Over the past year, I had refined my ability to sense and manipulate emotions so I knew that better than everyone. But what the finger seemed to exude was… flavorless. Bland, in the sense that all the negative emotions were blended together so that their uniqueness was lost entirely.

“I would say not. Our scans indicate no vital activity?” Shaun replied, sounding puzzled by the question in itself.

“I'm feeling a consciousness inside of it. Could we make a synth body for ‘em? I got some questions that I want to ask,” I said, leaning against the wall while Robin sat on a rolling chair nearby, as dignified as ever in her yukata.

“Taking a genetic sample is out of the question, I'm afraid,” Shaun admitted. “At least, not with the tools that we have available. The finger seems to be in some kind of suspended state -- further experimentation would be needed to confirm, but my initial estimate is that the finger cannot be damaged. Or, at least, not with conventional means.”

Hm. That was a pain. “Well, that's fine. Are there any synths that you don't need at the moment?” I asked him, cracking my neck and Shaun nodded slowly.

“There is one,” he admitted. “It was slated for recycling but, erm…” He trailed off and I just chuckled, already knowing what synth he was talking about.

I waved him off with a chuckle, “Don't worry about it. Just send it here,” I said and Shaun left to do exactly that. Robin glanced at me, curious about what the issue could be, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise.

And surprised she was when Shaun returned to the room, rolling a medical bed with a familiar face sleeping on it. She circled around, brushing a few strands of dark hair out of the synth's face.

My face.

"How frightening. To think that there could be more than one of you -- I doubt Asami would ever recover if she learns about this,” Robin noted, darkly amused.

“It's a necessary measure, I'm afraid. Law’s power is sourced in his DNA and for Compound V to enhance his abilities any further, it would need to be tailored to those genetic markers.” Shaun explained before looking at me. “Shall I bind the body?”

“Nah. Don't want to give the wrong impression,” I replied before I met Robin's glance with a grin. “Like you said, Robin -- I haven't seen the peak yet.” I didn't need Compound V to give me new powers, though I wouldn't mind a general boost to my body. I wanted it to enhance my powers. To take them further. I'm not even sure what the end result would look like, but it didn't really matter.

Robin reached out and patted my hand, clearly approving. And I dare say interested. I could understand that. Her power was fantastic for recon, but against someone like Rumi, much less Yoruichi, her power lacked oomph. Giving her hand a squeeze, I took a step forward and took in a slow breath.

Closing my eyes, I felt the flickering light that belonged to the synth. A consciousness that hardly existed. It was utterly dwarfed by the roaring sun that was in the finger. Each had their own challenge. The smaller the consciousness, the harder it was to grab. The larger it was, the harder it was to move. But, all the same, I grabbed hold of both and uttered the name of my latest technique.

“Personality Surgery,” I intoned, swapping the two consciousnesses. The larger went into the synth body while the smaller went into the finger. For a painfully long second, nothing happened.

Then the synth began to stir. It was a pretty weird feeling, watching my face and body move. Subtly at first, as if the consciousness was settling in. Puzzled, almost. Then he sat up and I locked eyes with a clone of me that was being puppeteered by someone else.

The synth blinked a few times, his gaze lingering on me. Then Robin. Then the lab. Then, finally, the finger that was still in the scanner.

“You humans really are a fascinating bunch,” the entity remarked with a laugh in his voice. “Last time I saw you, you were figuring out how steel worked. Then you go and pull a stunt like this. I'm almost impressed,” he said, and like the body had always belonged to him, he swung his legs off the bed and stood up.

…I didn't sound like that, did I?

Swallowing my revulsion at hearing myself speak, I watched him curiously as he approached the finger in the scanner. Reaching in, he grabbed it and…

“Ew,” I noted, watching him eat the finger. Whole. He didn't even bother chewing. The effect was immediate, however -- that energy that was concentrated in the finger began to spread out in the body, which started to change. My face seemed to melt away, almost like the body was clay and it was being reshaped. It only took a moment before a completely different man stood before me -- around six foot six in height, early to mid twenties, bright pink hair...

And four blood red eyes that burned with an intensity, all of them focused on me -- one pair in their normal spot, with a second smaller pair of eyes just below. The very last thing to come was thick black tattoos on his face. And his arms. They were weird. Not really ink, but instead more of that negative energy stuff.

Then he spat something on the ground that I recognized as synth components. The components that were supposed to be in his brain.

“I could forgive you for not prostrating yourself, after arranging my incarnation,” he said, thankfully in a different voice. “But your attempt at controlling something beyond your means…” He chuckled, “Your death shall be a quick one. Be thankful.”

As he spoke, the room in the lab began to fill with a tension I couldn't describe. Shaun was the most affected, breaking out into a cold sweat and he barely even had it in him to breathe. He shrunk into himself, like he was trying to avoid notice. Robin was affected as well, though to a much lesser extent.

It was the first time I had ever seen her nervous. Every muscle was tense, her eyes were pinpricks, and she seemed ready to flee as much as she was ready to fight. I was so focused on her I nearly missed what came next.

A… thing came flying at me at high speeds, crossing the distance between us almost instantaneously.

That was until I killed its momentum and froze it in place.

“Huh. Neat,” I muttered, leaning forward to inspect the… thing that would have taken my head off. It was made of that same energy, the same as that invisible monster was made out of. This, however, felt refined. The difference being that of a tree and a plank of wood you built a house with. It was refined until it felt… ‘sharp.’ And, without my Room, I doubt that I'd be able to see it at all as it was barely more than a few atoms thick.

I wasn't the only one that was curious. Big guy tilted his head at me, “You're not using cursed energy.”

“I don't even know what that is,” I agreed, reaching out with a hand before dispersing the cut. The refined energy broke up into raw energy. Cursed energy, I suppose. That name felt a little on the nose but appropriate. “So, you got a name or something?”

That got an amused look, “You don't know who I am? Then why go to such lengths to revive me?”

“We already had the tech on hand, so it was pretty easy. No real challenge there,” I admitted with a shrug. “And you were a finger with a mind inside of it. What else was I supposed to do?” I asked him, crossing my arms over my chest, watching as a sharp deadly smile stretched across the man's face.

“Amusing,” he declared like it was a compliment. “You incarnated me merely to satiate your own curiosity?”

“Pretty much. I had some questions about that stuff- that cursed energy that you were made of, and you seemed like a decent start to get some answers,” I agreed with a nod. “The name is Law, by the way. That's Robin and the guy in the fetal position is Shaun.” I said, glancing down at the aged doctor. He wasn't doing so well. I hoped his heart wouldn't give out because I didn't want to explain to Nora how her kid died of a heart attack.

If I had to put it into words, the big guy wasn't sure what to make of me. He crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head at me once more, but there was amusement dancing in his red eyes. “I've been called Sukuna Ryomen,” Sukuna introduced himself, though I got the impression that wasn't his name.

“Nice to meet ya’,” I said. The name wasn't ringing any bells for me. I opened my mouth to ask him why exactly he had been a mummified finger, or better yet, why he ate the finger, when my phone rang. Homelander's battle theme filled the lab, telling me that it was the emergency line. This ought to be interesting. So, I held up a finger to Sukuna and took the call. “Yeah? What's up? Kinda in the middle of something-”

“We're under attack! Someone came through the Dias-” I heard Cate exclaim before the sound of crunching ice. Pursing my lips, I looked down at the call that was cut out.

“Seems like something has come up. We're taking the show on the road,” I told Sukuna a split second before I teleported him and Robin out of the Institute and down into the depths of Vault 111. I kept a close eye on Sukuna’s reaction, but he didn’t really react beyond mild interest. However, I got the impression he was keeping as close of an eye on me as I was him.

This was fun. I figured I wasn’t going to be meeting an average joe when I used Personality Surgery. But Sukuna was proving to be an intriguing mystery.

Robin was doing better, though she kept close to my side and positioned me between her and him. The panic she felt was fleeting and she was back in control, but she still watched Sukuna much like one would a snake in the room.

But that was for later. Right now, my Dias was under attack and Asami was going to be frothing at the mouth mad if it broke. So, I pressed onward and the bulkhead door opened up, revealing the control room. The very first thing I felt was a bitter chill that had flooded the room and the source of it was already known to me.

A woman. Slight, closer to five feet tall than not, with white hair except for a red strip that ran the length of the back of her head. For all the ice she was throwing around, her expression was one of absolute fury.

The ice itself was more interesting than her presence, if I was being perfectly honest. It was weird -- one part water and one part ‘cursed energy’. The result was the entire command room engulfed in ice, freezing people where they stood. The entire place would have been sealed off with it she didn’t need a way to continue her warpath. As soon as the door opened, her gaze snapped to us and, almost like a light being flicked, the murderous rage vanished like smoke in the wind.

She dropped to her knees, “Sukuna-sama!”

Sukuna looked at her for a moment before he blinked, a wide grin appearing on his face. “Uraume!” He named her while we approached. Tz was okay. So was Cate. Those were the only two that I really cared about, even if the conquistadors were a loss. Mostly. Wasn’t like they were going to be using those limbs much anyway. “I thought you were the one behind this,” he said, gesturing to himself.

The woman looked genuinely crestfallen, “My deepest apologies, Sukuna-sama. I only incarnated as part of a binding vow when a finger you left in my care was removed. There is no excuse for my failure. I wanted to be the first one you met when you were brought back to this world,” she said, and… it wasn’t even love. That was pure devotion in her voice. And there was nothing but the blackest of hate in her gaze when she looked at me, deciding that I was the one to blame.

Interesting. “Snooze you lose, loser,” I replied teasingly and I’m pretty sure she was about to have an anger-induced aneurysm. “Nice as this little reunion is, I need you to undo the ice. This is some delicate equipment, you know?” I said, and I could practically see her considering smashing it all as a matter of principle. But, with a look at Sukuna, she waved her hand and the ice vanished.

I smiled broadly at the sight.

That was almost perfect.

At the very same moment, Sukuna looked down at the magic symbol while Cate and Tz were recovering from the attack. The conquistadors were being annoying, so I silenced them with my Room, preventing their sound waves from carrying. Cate then took that moment, looking at Sukuna with wide eyes and a bloodless face, to up-end and vomit on the floor.

That was a pretty telling reaction, and half the reason why I brought him. Cate didn't even have that strong of a reaction to me and I was partly responsible for the death of just about everyone she knew.

“Why is everyone being gross today?” I muttered under my breath before focusing on Uraume. “Thanks for cleaning up the mess, but you messed with my conquistadors. Tz, is that going to affect their value?”

Tz was recovering much better and he was almost delighted by what was transpiring. As far as he was aware, he was meeting new gods. “The rituals do prefer a whole body and mind, but it is nothing that can't be compensated for.” He answered and that was good to know.

So, I pointed at Uraume, “That cursed energy stuff. I wanna learn it. Seems useful,” I noted because it was almost exactly what I was looking for.

“I'll entertain your questions on the condition that you entertain a few of mine,” Sukuna replied with a downright sinister smile.

The cursed energy went all wibbly. He was invoking something but damned if I knew what it was. “Sure,” I replied, watching as a… string? A connection of some kind. It tried to link us together but something was apparently missing on my end because the connection failed. Sukuna let out an interested hum, and I could sense interest coming from him. “How do I use cursed energy?”

“By harnessing negative emotions,” Sukuna replied blandly, bored with that question. “Why would you want to?”

“My power has a lot of utility, but I'm stuck micromanaging everything. Like the ice stuff -- I can do that too, but I have to still every molecule in the water moisture. So, I'm looking for a macro. That, and you seem to be able to convert energy into substance, which is something I can't do.” I admitted easily enough while I approached the conquistadors. “Does it have to be internal? Because I don't think I'm negative enough to pull off whatever you got going on.”

Robin responded to that, her gaze sliding to me, “Perhaps thinking of your parents would work?” She offered, watching Sukuna and Uraume carefully.

I pursed my lips, thinking about Mom and Dad. I felt… “Nah. I got nothing there,” I said with a small sigh.

That got a flat look from Robin, “Law. They tormented you and left you to fend for yourself as a small child.”

“I mean, yeah,” I agreed, “But all that turned me into myself. And I love me. I'm great. So, I don't really hold that against them. If anything, I'm grateful.”

“You murdered them in cold blood,” She recalled, cocking an eyebrow and I just shrugged with a lopsided grin.

“I told them that I would back when I was a kid so it was more of a social obligation. I always keep my promises,” I said with a laugh. Plus, the whole thing was pretty cathartic. Any bad blood left between us got spilled onto the floor of their trailer. To that, Robin rolled her eyes, more at ease now when she saw my confidence. “But, if doing it internally is a no go…” I said, holding out a hand to the conquistadors.

I tried something new.

I pulled on the emotions that they felt -- the pain, the fear, the uncertainty. It was harder. Honestly, I don't think I could have managed it without seeing how Sukuna and Uraume used cursed energy. It was vastly more difficult without a physical medium to help visualize the entire process.

All the same, the dozen conquistadors stopped screaming as I drew upon their suffering, condensing it into a ball in my palm. It was the raw stuff, so I tried to refine it. Blending it all together so it was flavorless and bland. Once it was more or less mixed together, I tried to mold it. Shape it. Kneed it, almost.

Borrowing the same mixture that Uraume showed me, I added water vapor into the mix. Clasping my hands together, I drew them back and between them an icicle formed.

“Hm,” I hummed, ignoring how Uraume tensed. It wasn't a bad first try, but it could be better. The issue was… “Nah, I don't think this is it,” I declared, letting the cursed icicle fade into nothing.

Sukuna was watching me like a hawk. Measuring and judging. “You're not interested in cursed energy?” He asked, and I got the impression that wasn't the question he was really asking. There was a why in there that went unsaid.

“Nah. I'm too positive a person and harvesting it is too inefficient for me. I'll probably play around with it as a backup of sorts -- can't have too many options, after all. But I'm going to look for better ones,” I replied. I wanted magic. Cursed energy was interesting but it didn't check enough boxes for me. I wanted something that was more internal rather than reliant on an external source.

External wasn't bad or anything, but it was dangerous to rely on. If I was fighting somewhere that had a lot of people around, then it was a great addition. I could use it to take the load off my stamina. But, if I was fighting somewhere isolated, then it became a tool that I couldn't use.

So, cursed energy got a nay from me.

Then I pointed to the portal, “You two can leave now. I don't really need you to stick around anymore, and I'm not interested in going to cursed Hogwarts.” I made a shooing gesture at the both of them, perfectly content to let them both be someone else's problem. After all, I had a dozen more sacrifices, and if we picked a closer world, we could probably find what I was looking for.

A slow smile spread across Sukuna's face. His amusement and joy were equal to Uraume's murderous rage -- and if looks could kill, Fallout would have ended twice over from the glare she was giving me. However, the glare faltered when Sukuna threw back his head and started laughing. It came from deep in his gut and it was impossible to fake.

I smiled back at him when his laughter tampered off into deep rolling chuckles that made Cait flinch with terror. “Your attitude isn't half bad,” he commended and Uraume looked like he was about to start coughing up blood. “But this place has my interest now. This,” he said, tapping a foot before he pointed to the portal, “and that.”

Ahh…

Yeah.

Me and this guy were on the same wavelength.

“You're welcome to stay if you want,” I offered, meeting his toothy grin with one of my own. “But you don't strike me as the type to bow his head so easily.”

Sukuna chuckled heartily, “Neither do you.”

“Winner takes all?” I offered with a cock of my chin, my gaze unwavering as I felt a thrill of anticipation. He wasn't some boring human who had to rely on guns. He had a unique power and, above all else, he struck me as someone who knew how to use it.

“They always do,” Sukuna agreed easily.

I glanced at Robin, and she waved me off. “Go have fun,” she said, “You can make up the date later. Call it a reward for your restraint,” she said and that was the reason why I loved that woman. She understood me in a fundamental way without me ever needing to explain a thing.

“Uraume, wait here,” Sukuna commanded easily. Uraume bowed her head, looking at Robin, who met her glance.

With that settled, I teleported us once more. There was a clap of lightning before both of us found ourselves in the ruined wreckage of downtown Boston. The fire had burnt itself out, leaving behind charred and half collapsed buildings. The entire section was a complete write off, especially now that we had found a better alternative -- El Dorado. It was better to spend resources building up from almost nothing in a pristine world than rebuilding a broken city.

With our arrival, Sukuna reached up and tore off the shirt that my synth had been wearing, revealing more tattoos. He cracked his neck while I Shambled my sword into my hand, and the action didn't go unnoticed by Sukuna. Drawing the diamond blade, I took in a slow bracing breath, feeling an electric anticipation mixed with fear of possible disappointment.

We wore mirroring grins and it was by no signal that the fight began, yet we both moved at the very same instant.

Sukuna made a slicing motion with his hand as I swung my blade, the two projected slashes colliding in the middle.

Mine proved to be the stronger because it shattered the opposing invisible slash like glass before continuing on to Sukuna himself. His four eyes widened ever so slightly a split second before the slash cut off his arm with a spray of blood and bisected the building behind him. The arm was severed at the elbow -- splitting something without actually cutting it was the default for my power, but with a little practice, I had learned how to actually cut instead.

The cut continued on, but when it reached the edge of my Room, I began to circle it around. A little ace up my sleeve.

Sukuna grinned widely before he did something with his cursed energy. The bad vibes of the energy got turned into good vibes and, somehow, that let him regenerate his arm like it was nothing. “Cleave,” Sukuna said, darting forward before a spiraling web of cuts flew at me. He was fast, I noted.

Not as fast as A-Train, but still fast.

I shifted, embracing my Haki -- Observation revealed the steps I had to take. Stepping forward, I slashed through some of the cuts, others behind me slashing into buildings. These were stronger than the opening move, I immediately noticed. Still a few atoms thick, but harder. Faster. Denser. “Calling out your attacks makes them stronger? Sweet,” I said, looking at Sukuna as he made to flank me.

He closed the distance in a near instant and I waited until he was close enough to touch before I Shambled myself to the top of a building. As a Cleave tore through where I had been a moment prior, Sukuna laughed. “That's one troublesome ability you have. I take it the lightning isn't part of your teleportation?”

“Nah -- that's a piece of tech I found in this world,” I confirmed.

“Humanity really does make the most interesting things,” Sukuna noted as we shared a smile. “Like this body. It’s a brother of yours?”

“Clone. An artificial human made with my DNA,” I corrected. “I had a couple on hand for some experiments. That's what you spat out, by the way -- some monitoring equipment for the Synth.”

Sukuna was mulling that over for a moment before he chuckled. “Since you're so generously answering my questions, I’ll repay the favor. Jujutsu sorcery is far more than utilizing cursed energy, though, you are right about it not being much use to you. As you lack the ability to see cursed spirits, it stands to reason that you lack an innate technique as well.”

As he looked up at me, he made a hand sign, “My innate technique is Shrine. Even in a base state, Shrine is multifaceted -- Cleave and Dismantle are derivatives of preparing a meal for charity cases. Fuga is stoking the flames to cook them. Additionally, one may collect tithes or make bargains with a god in the form of a Binding Vow. Such as the one I'm making right now -- by explaining to you how my innate technique works, I'm increasing the risk to myself, thus my techniques become more powerful as a result.”

I mulled all that over for a moment, “Aww… and this stuff is useless to me? That sounds pretty awesome,” I groused, watching as his cursed energy surged.

“It's the first time in centuries that I've had to resort to the Reveal Your Hand binding vow. Be honored,” Sukuna said. “And witness the pinnacle of jujutsu sorcery -- Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine.”

In response to his proclamation, his cursed energy spread out rapidly. It was almost like my Room, I noticed. A thin barrier of sorts that stretched out for about a thousand feet with Sukuna dead center. More interestingly, his cursed energy seemed to solidify behind him.

It looked like one of those shrines Robin and I saw briefly in Japan, only propped up on a sea of bones with gaping maws erupting from the four sides of the Shrine. I felt a shiver race down my spine at the sight of it -- not out of nervousness, but anticipation.

Haki warned me of what was coming, so I beat a hasty retreat. There was nothing to stop me coming and going from the barrier- the Domain, so I Shambled myself outside of its radius as my Room was larger by far. A smart move, because as I stood on the edge of it, I saw what my Haki had warned me of.

An unavoidable attack.

I watched as everything within a thousand foot radius around Sukuna was relentlessly attacked with Cleave and Dismantle. The buildings were breaking apart like someone was taking an eraser to them, vanishing rapidly until no evidence of their existence remained. The cuts were countless. Millions. Billions of them. All of them happening at the same time, cutting apart matter until only individual atoms remained behind.

“Cool,” I remarked before something decidedly less cool happened.

Sukuna took a step forward and the barrier moved with him. With me at the very edge, it engulfed me. Only the slashing attacks never came. Instead I heard Sukuna muttering a word as he clasped his hands together before him, “Fuga.” At the utterance, flames erupted between his palms and, more importantly, the Domain changed.

It was like someone had locked a door, making escape impossible. Even with Shambles.

It was interesting, I decided, a grin growing on my face a split second before my world became fire. The Domain was a stove, in essence. The lid had been closed, and it was time to cook. The fire ignited the lingering dust that had been a city block, exploding while the Domain contained the heat. Oxygen itself ignited, fueling the cursed fire.

Honestly, I think if I didn't have my power… that probably would have killed me.

“Not bad,” I said, carrying the soundwave to Sukuna, letting him know that I was alive and well. “You don't suck.”

With a grin, I closed a fist, drawing upon the heat and cursed energy from the fire around me. I condensed them both into balls that hovered around my shoulders. Interestingly, the cursed energy revealed itself to me -- before, with the conquistadors, I was aware of the ball only because of my Room, but now I could see it with my own eyes. It took the form of a pitch black ball, almost like a black hole.

“You've given me a few ideas,” I commended him, striding forward through the flames that fed into the compressed sun over my shoulder. The fire died around me, doused like someone had poured water on it. Not that it really mattered as with the enclosed Domain, the fire quickly burned itself off.

I had to say, though -- my heart sure was beating a few ticks faster seeing the devastated landscape that Sukuna left behind. The only building left was his Shrine.

“What a bothersome technique you have,” Sukuna said, speaking the words as a compliment, while he watched me approach through the lingering smoke.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it as a compliment before playing around a little with the cursed energy. I split the black ball in two -- one, I fed into the fire, copying what I saw Sukuna do with Fuga, and in response, the sun grew exponentially. The other, I sent flying to the slash I held in reserve. The two merged together, the cut becoming a Cleave, and it was on a hair trigger. “But it's my turn.”

I flung the sun at Sukuna, who made to dodge it. At that same moment, the Cleave enhanced slash raced through a half dozen buildings even before it reached the cleared area that Sukuna made. Sukuna seemed to sense what was happening anyway, so I nudged things in my favor a little bit.

When he made to throw himself back, he didn't throw himself as far back as he wanted to. Or should have.

“What a pain-” Sukuna said with a laugh in his voice, knowing exactly what I did a split second before his legs were cut off by my slash, leaving him to tank the sun I threw at him head on.

The explosion erupted like it was a nuclear bomb. Every bit as intense as Sukuna’s Fuga, only it wasn't contained by his Domain. The shockwave raced out, toppling already half destroyed buildings, and I probably gave the locals a real fright. Ah, I felt bad -- I should have given Taylor a heads up. Oh well.

With the initial explosion over, Boston was once again burning as the buildings ignited like charcoal. A deep crater formed from the point of the explosion and there was something incredible there.

I took a step down to the depths of the crater, looking down at Sukuna. “Still alive, huh? That healing of yours is pretty handy,” I noted, seeing that Sukuna was still hanging on, if only by the skin of his teeth. His skin was charred, his muscles weren't much better, and everything below his ribs was gone with his limbs missing. His eyes must have popped from the heat because one of them reformed to look at me.

Crouching next to him, I considered the man for a moment, “Don't take this the wrong way, but… hm… how to say it?” I muttered, pinching my chin in thought, “You fight like you're used to being… stronger?”

The first clash really sealed that thought for me. Sukuna hadn't been prepared for the disparity between us. Then there was that binding vow stuff to make himself stronger. Overall, the fight was a great warm up. I got some inspiration. But Sukuna himself felt a bit… limited.

It took Sukuna a moment to reply as he healed his lungs, throat, and tongue. “Because I am,” he admitted almost ruefully. “I only had a finger's worth of strength.”

That seemed like a wild metric to judge your strength on, but I understood. There was a lot of cursed energy in that finger that he internalized when he ate it. So… what, I only fought him at a tenth of his full strength?

“Dude. Why didn't you say anything?” I asked him, scratching my head at it.

Sukuna scoffed, “It's pathetic to hide behind excuses. This fragment of me wasn't strong enough. You didn't even bare your fangs once during this fight. You really expect me to lower myself and beg for time to reclaim my power before we fought?”

I just shook my head, “It couldn't have hurt to have asked, now could it?” I said, poking him on the side of the head. I pursed my lips for a moment -- that was fun, but it was a tease. A sample of what could have been a main dish. It was almost enough to wash away the bitter aftertaste of how easily I had defeated Nora. It was a bad idea, I could admit to myself before shrugging with indifference, “Well, hurry it up with that healing stuff you're doing. We have enough sacrifices to keep the portal open for a couple of hours.”

Slowly, Sukuna’s face was healing over, revealing his baffled yet intrigued expression. “What?”

“Come on. Up, up, up,” I urged him, standing up myself. “Let's get some fingers in you so we can have a proper fight. This one doesn't count -- it was just the warm up for the real deal.”

Sukuna held my gaze for a long moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. It was different from the others. Less malicious and entertained and more… genuine, if I had to describe it.

“Same stakes as before?” He wondered and I just laughed.

“Winner takes all. As it should be.”

…

I’m using a personal theory in regards to how Sukuna’s Shrine technique functions. At least for now. I kinda picked a terrible time to write Sukuna into the story lol.

Basically, by looking at one does at a typical shrine, more specifically one during the Heian era, we can guesstimate what Shrine is capable of. Throughout history, religious institutions have generally been heavily connected to charity -- giving out food, providing warmth on cold nights, etc.

So, Cleave and Dismantle stem from a temple/shrine preparing food. Fuga is the fire that cooks it. That’s hardly breaking any ground there, but where my theory picks up is what else you do at a shrine.

You pray to a god and make bargains. ‘God, save me from X and I’ll do Y or give up Z.’ Which, in JJK, functions as Binding Vow. Meaning that Sukuna’s binding vow merchant accusations is more of a facet of his Shrine. At least in this version of him.

Likewise, you toss a coin to the shrine before paying your respects and praying. Collecting a tithe. In practice, for Sukuna, his tithe would be something like the cursed energy from the people he eats. It’ll be expanded more fully in the story itself -- this is just to give everyone a heads up about what I’m doing with Shrine.