On the devastated street, Megumi Fushiguro bit his bloodless lips, staring at the man before him with reddened eyes.
The emotions he had suppressed for over a decade erupted like a bursting dam the moment he learned the truth.
"Since you're still alive... and since you possess this kind of monstrous power..."
Megumi's voice trembled violently with extreme emotion, carrying a hint of an undeniable sob.
"Why haven't you appeared all these years?"
"Why did you abandon me? Why did you leave Tsumiki and me to fend for ourselves like stray dogs in that run-down rental?"
Facing his son's roars and accusations...
This was the Sorcerer Killer, a man who had slaughtered countless on the battlefield, remained unfazed before Special Grade Cursed Spirits, and had even dared to assassinate the Star Plasma Vessel single-handedly.
Yet now, like a child who had done something wrong, he silently bowed his proud head.
Toji Fushiguro did not argue, nor did he get angry.
He simply pulled a flattened pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed one in his mouth.
The lighter's flame flickered in the night wind several times before lighting the tobacco, illuminating his face which was lined with years of hardship.
Yoru sat on a nearby pile of rubble, resting Shiranui across his knees without interjecting.
He simply watched the father and son quietly; he knew that some knots had to be untied by the individuals themselves.
"Phew..."
Toji took a deep drag and slowly exhaled the smoke.
The grayish-white smoke drifted between the two of them, blurring the deep-seated pain and helplessness in his eyes.
"Because I'm a bastard."
Toji Fushiguro's voice was hoarse and heavy, carrying the extreme exhaustion of someone who had seen through the world's vanity.
"Megumi, you have no idea what the name 'Zenin' means to someone without cursed energy."
"It's a garbage heap filthier than hell and more nauseating than a sewer."
Toji turned his head, his dark, deep eyes focusing on his son with genuine vulnerability for the first time.
"In that original timeline, I almost sold you to that garbage heap for money and for some ridiculous, pathetic pride."
"I thought... as long as I sold you to the Zenin family, with the talent of the Ten Shadows Technique you inherited, you'd get the best training and live a life ten thousand times better than following a wretch like me."
"Or, I thought if I abandoned you completely and let you grow up under the wing of that monster Satoru Gojo, you could distance yourself from the darkness of the Zenin family and be a normal person."
Toji laughed self-deprecatingly, a laugh filled with endless bitterness.
"But I was wrong."
"It wasn't until Yoru, that brat, completely shattered my pride with that flaming blade during our death match in 2006 and saved my pathetic life..."
"It wasn't until today, seeing you crushed under that monster's foot, risking your life to protect others..."
Toji's fingers holding the cigarette trembled slightly.
"That I truly realized that so-called 'protection' was nothing more than my own incompetence and avoidance as a father."
He extinguished the cigarette butt and looked deep into Megumi's eyes with an unprecedented sincerity and apology.
"I'm sorry, Megumi."
"I've let you and Tsumiki suffer all these years."
Megumi froze in place.
He had expected himself to charge forward in a rage, to scream hysterically, or even use his fists to vent his resentment.
But when he actually heard that 'I'm sorry' which had been delayed for over a decade...
He found that the long-accumulated hatred in his heart had mostly vanished, like snow meeting the warm sun.
He looked at Toji's face—a face so similar to his own, yet etched with weariness and regret.
He looked at that broad back, which remained as straight as a mountain even while apologizing.
A strange sensation of a shared bloodline quietly spread through his heart.
"You grew up well."
Toji reached out; this time, he didn't pull back. Instead, he heavily patted Megumi's shoulder.
The warm touch of his palm made Megumi's body tremble slightly.
"Far more impressive than the little crybaby I imagined."
Megumi turned his head away, not wanting the man to see his thoroughly moist eyes, much less expose his internal vulnerability.
"Hmph... I already knew that without you telling me."
He muttered stubbornly, but his body no longer showed any resistance as it had before.
In fact, he even adjusted his stance slightly so that Toji's palm could rest more steadily.
"Alright, time's up for the touching family drama."
Yoru slowly stood up, the scabbard of Shiranui letting out a crisp clink against the rubble.
He looked at the pair who had finally calmed down, his gaze becoming more solemn and sharp than ever before.
"As much as I'd like to let you two chat more, Shibuya isn't in a state where we can relax and reminisce."
Yoru looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the layers of night toward the central area of Shibuya, which had completely transformed into a living hell.
"Sukuna has fully awakened."
"That shivering ripple of a curse is continuously devouring every living soul in the vicinity."
Yoru paused, his tone becoming exceptionally cold.
"And... if I'm not mistaken, Suguru and the others are likely about to clash with Sukuna."
Hearing the name 'Sukuna,' Toji's gaze instantly shifted.
The tenderness belonging to a father vanished without a trace, replaced by the chilling, violent killing intent of the Sorcerer Killer.
"The legendary King of Curses?"
Toji snorted coldly and casually pulled a pitch-black blade radiating an ominous aura from the mouth of the cursed spirit on his shoulder.
Special Grade Cursed Tool: Soul Splitter Katana.
"Since I took your payment, kid, I'll naturally help you settle this mess to the end."
Toji turned his head, looked at Megumi who had barely managed to stand straight, and his lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
"Can you still move, Megumi Fushiguro?"
Megumi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and took a deep breath of the blood-scented air, his gaze becoming firm and sharp again.
He didn't speak, but his hands suddenly crossed in front of his chest.
"Divine Dog: Totality!"
Black shadows rapidly converged beneath his feet. A monstrous hound radiating a violent aura let out a low growl and crouched obediently by Megumi's side.
"Of course,"
Megumi replied coldly.
"Let's go."
Yoru transformed into a streak of dark-red light, disappearing instantly from the spot, leaving behind only a cold command.
"Go and end this damn farce."
Toji and Megumi exchanged a glance, a nearly identical look of resolve flashing in their eyes.
Then, two black shadows shot into the sky like lightning, following closely behind.
A father and son alliance.
The ultimate physical body of the Sorcerer Killer combined with the infinite possibilities of the Ten Shadows Technique.
These two bloodlines, toyed with by fate and reunited in the intersection of time and space, were about to stir up a true storm in this catastrophe sweeping the jujutsu world!