November 19th, 2018, Tokyo #1 colony

  Looking down on the battlefield from his vantage point, Higiruma couldn’t help but doubt the success of the plan Amani had proposed; given its simplicity, it seemed doubtful their enemy would fall prey to such a standardized move. Though he admittedly couldn’t think of a better one given the situation the pair found themselves in.

  Higiruma crouched down against the roof of the building. Trying his best to minimize his body mass lest he be discovered by whoever had caused Tokyo to be frozen over. The building he was on was one of the few that hadn’t been destroyed; as such, Higiruma felt exposed taking the high ground on it. His only other options for cover were the massive spikes of ice that stretched into the heavens. Given how one of those pillars had vanished mere moments ago, relying on them to stay concealed was dangerous.

  Higiruma's eyes focused on Amani, who was a dozen or so feet in front of the building Higiruma stood on. Using his technique, Higiruma watched as a tower of Jello in the shape of a cylinder rose up from the ground, growing to a height many times Higiruma’s size before stopping.

  Higiruma looked up after he saw Amani complete his sugar-composed landing pad. Noticing the massive glacier that was hurtling towards the ground from hundreds of feet up had vanished. Higiruma let out a sigh of relief at its disappearance. Either the sorcerer had dispersed it or the person who was being struck by it had; regardless, Higiruma was grateful Amani wouldn’t be crushed by it.

  The duo had arrived at the battlefield a handful of seconds ago, confused when all they found was more frozen scenery. It wasn’t till one of the frozen pillars had vanished and a block of ice as big as an airplane appeared above Tokyo’s sky. Did Higiruma and Amani realize where the two sorcerers were fighting.

  Through the gift that was curse energy reinforcement Higiruma had been quick to see that the massive piece of ice collided with the one they came to help, sending them hurtling towards the ground. Be it through fortune or misfortune, The two were practically directly under where the ice had formed in the sky. So after Higiruma told Amani what he saw, the boy frantically leapt out of Higiruma’s arms. Telling him what he should do all the while…

  For someone so timid, he sure does make decisions decisively under pressure.

  Higiruma let out a sigh at the memory. In mere moments, Amani said he would run over and catch Shinji with his technique, instructing Higiruma to hide somewhere while Amani would tell Shinji to give him an opening to expand his domain. Before Higiruma had a chance to tell Amani his input on this idea, he had already run off towards the site of landing. Higiruma could only do as the boy told him and jumped atop one of the few remaining buildings.

  While he hid, Higiruma couldn’t help but wonder where the terrified boy he had met barely a week ago was. Amani had been so jumpy that a sneeze would probably have set him off. He had been the epitome of everything Higiruma had viewed as weak back then. Yet he didn’t see any of that in the boy now. He had gone from being overtaken by fear to courageously charging into the midst of a conflict well beyond what either of them could comprehend.

  A squelching sound came from down below; upon examination, Higiruma could see Shinji had fallen into Amani’s jello tower. The tower disappeared after it had served its role. Amani ran over to Shinji and placed his hands onto him, the two beginning to discuss something Higiruma couldn’t hear.

  Shinji threw Amani off him; for a moment, a surge of panic flashed through higiruma at what the gesture meant. This feeling only lasted for an instant as Amani shouted something Higiruma couldn’t make out. Taking hold of Shinji’s arm with an authoritative yet gentle posture.

  No… that scared boy’s still there.

  Higiruma couldn’t make out the words that were spoken, but his eyes, which had spent years watching defendants, could see it well. The way Amani’s body quivered, how his shoulders hung low, the way his eyes widened ever so slightly. His eyes could see the fear Amani held through his body's subtle tells.

  Despite that, he’s still giving it his all.

  Amani hadn’t undergone a one-eighty from when Higiruma met him to now; in fact, Higiruma suspected very little had actually changed within the boy. Only now was he able to push the fear he had held aside; he drowned out the weakness Higiruma had seen in him with the desire to save a life.

  If Amani could erase his weakness, then just how many who can do the same have I…

  Higiruma’s thought was interrupted as Shinji and Amani jumped away from where they stood. The reason for their retreat crashing into the ground from up above. Higiruma didn’t move from where they were, only crouching down further into the building's roof to conceal his body from view. The temptation to jump down and provide assistance held steady in his mind, but he knew such a futile gesture would only get him killed. He’d have to wait for the opening Amani and Shinji would create for his domain to work to any effectiveness.

  The sorcerer walked forward from the crater they had created, twin blades of ice rising from the ground as they brought the sabers to their front. Their fury was evident in the aggressive gait they took towards the pair who had leaped away. Only for such emotions to quickly disperse as they stopped in their tracks, their weapons falling to the ground in front of them.

  Unsure on what such a gesture meant in this circumstance, Higiruma looked towards Shinji and Amani to see how they were responding to the sorcerer’s motion. Both of them seemed to be just as confused as higiruma to why they had dropped their weapons. It seemed as if both parties were exchanging words, a dialogue Higiruma could not make out.

  Higiruma stood up after a few seconds went by, conjuring his gavel in his hands as he jumped off the building towards the enemy sorcerer. While he didn’t know what developments had just occurred for their enemy to seemingly lose the will to fight, Higiruma thought it better to be safe than sorry. It wasn’t as if his domain inflicted lasting harm after all.

  “Domain expansion,” declaring his move in a cold voice, the sorcerer whom he ensnared turned to look at him. In which Higiruma saw the look in their eyes for the first time.

  It was a look Higiruma had seen many times before, a look Higiruma had always felt glad to receive. Whenever he told his clients their odds were rather good or that he had managed to get them off. It was the gaze of someone who had found hope after being consumed by despair.

  After Higiruma saw the look in their enemies eyes, a sliver of guilt formed in his heart. Such a slight sliver didn’t affect Higiruma as his domain enveloped them both. He had done much worse things over the course of this game than his current heinous act.

  Uruame looked behind them as they heard the voice of yet another intruding sorcerer. Their eyes darted around as the empty canvas he had encased them in quickly was filled, objects forming as their materials floated into existence.

  The edge of the domain was made up of a wall of guillotines; each of their blades started at the ground and began to rise. The floor was made up of checkered bricks that filled the area. The only objects that appeared in the oval-shaped domain were what looked like a pair of podiums facing each other. Each being built out of white wood and having a railing that reached several feet off the ground.

  The sorcerer who had expanded this domain stood on one of the podiums. He held a gavel in his left hand and wore a black suit. Behind him stood a large Shikigami. Its body was composed of an entirely black material. The being's proportions were off, its torso ballooning to a massive size while its bottom half gradually narrowed into a single thin strand of black. Instead of arms, the black material extended from the creature's sides for a few feet. A scale is being implanted into each of its appendages and hanging in the air. The creature had a face where a normal person could have one. Only this face came in the form of a mask that had its eyes sewn shut, a thin mouth resting below its forever closed sockets.

  Uruame didn’t take much time to look around at the scenery as they jumped backwards, inwardly cursing at having let their guard down. They brought their right hand to their front and crafted the sign necessary to expand their domain.

  “Domain expansion: A so—”

  As they began to say their domain name aloud their mouth was forcibly closed, their hand falling back down to their side without Uruame’s say-so. Their legs began to carry them to the empty podium across from the sorcerer without their volition. Seeking an answer for what was happening, Uruame’s eyes drifted to the domains caster.

  “My domain imposes non-violence on its occupants. I’m afraid opening a domain of your own constitutes an act of aggression.” He spoke calmly as he answered Uruame’s unspoken question.

  “Is that so… is your goal to waste my time then?” Uruame leaned onto the railing after they reached it, having accepted the trap they had fallen into.

  “Not quite. Both you and I will present our arguments regarding a crime you have committed in your life. My shikigami, Judgmen, knows everything about those inside my domain, but I myself can’t view this information. Judgemen will act as a neutral party presiding over our case, determining whether you're guilty or not depending on the cases we make.”

  “For someone who seems to be from this era, your technique is far more akin to the sorcerers of yore,” Uruame stood up after the rules were conveyed.

  He didn’t mention what happens if I’m found guilty, so I suppose that’s all he’s required to disclose in order for his domain to operate.

  “Well then, what crime am I being accused of?” Uruame didn’t bother hiding the impatience in their voice. They had much more pressing issues than this domain.

  I’d like to just plead guilty to get this over with so I can talk to him, but I’m unsure what the consequences are if I'm Convicted. I’ll have to shape my argument around whatever the crime is.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Having committed countless sins throughout their life. Uruame didn’t bother trying to futilely predict what they would be accused of; instead, they resolved themselves to adapt to whatever could be thrown at them.

  “Very well, Judgemen ple—”

  A vanilla envelope appeared in Higiruma's free hand as he spoke, his eyes widening upon its arrival. Uruame raised an eyebrow at his reaction, intent on saying something before the judge declared the case they would be arguing. After which Uruame too could only stand in stunned silence—unwelcome memories flowing into their mind.

  “Uruame Sugawara stands accused of matricide on April twelfth, eight hundred seventy-two.”

  The two sorcerers held a shared breath as they stared at one another, a silence filling the domain as the most heinous action Uruame Sugawara had ever committed was spoken aloud. Their defense to the crime they were being accused of caused the domain's caster to widen their eyes further. It was a response they said aloud nearly as soon as Judgemen announced Uruame’s crime; hence, it had to have been their first thoughts after hearing the crime. Leaving no room for a lie to be present in their words, their words of course being—

  “Yeah, I killed her, and I would gladly do it again.”

  Uruame confessed to both their greatest sin and greatest regret at that moment. They wouldn’t ever deny the things they had done that day, the role they played in the destruction of their family. Denying their role in the massacre that took place that day was akin to blaming Sukuna for the entire event; such a thing was something Uruame would avoid at all costs. He held enough blame as it was; Uruame refused to add more to that incomprehensibly tall pile.

  There was another reason Uruame had for carrying the blame for their families deaths on their shoulders, a reason far more selfish than the first. It was a reason they hid deep down, one they would never utter aloud. For if they spoke it, the many walls they had built within their mind would shatter. Such walls were things Uruame wished to preserve. Even if they were as thin as paper and more flimsy than origami in the rain, they were all Uruame had left to hide from the truth they had always known. A truth Uruame would run from as long as they lived. Where did they run to in pursuit to escape this reason?

  Uruame didn’t want to admit they knew the destination—or rather the person.

  “Guilty. Death penalty.”

  Judgmens voice coldly sounded across the domain. Issuing the sentence of the one who had confessed to their crime. Higiruma, who stood in front of the shikigami, was getting a sense of déjà vu at Uruame’s confession. There was only one other time anyone had confessed to a crime Judgemen had dug up.

  That boy hadn’t been guilty of the crime he had confessed to either. Only admitting to having done such a horrific thing due to his own guilt. Given the evidence that Judgemen had shown Higiruma, he suspected the case was likely the same in this instance as it was the first.

  The barrier that surrounded the two collapsed, both occupants returning to the frozen wasteland that Tokyo had become. The gavel in Higiruma’s hand began to morph after the domain’s dispersal. The ends of the hammer thinned out as a translucent blade rose up from the middle of the gavel.

  It was the executioner's blade, the punishment for being found guilty. A sword that, after piercing a target’s flesh, instantly claimed one’s life. Despite wielding such a lethal blade, Higiruma was well aware he was incredibly outmatched. He was hoping to take their cursed technique, but tossing the blade to Shinji would have to be the extent of his assistance in this battle.

  After exiting the domain, Uruame raised both their hands next to their head, their mouth beginning to move a moment later. That being said they were unable to get a single syllable out. Their voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of ice exploding.

  Smaller projectiles that looked like pieces of stone soared past Higiruma, only being visible to him in his peripheral vision. Each pebble met the same fate as small pillars of ice rose up from the ground. The frozen shields were bisected in two Horizontally at the point of impact. Still standing despite the damage sustained.

  Uruame themselves didn’t move an inch, nor did their expression change besides letting out a slight sigh. Higiruma looked behind them to locate where the person who had launched the attack was. His head only made it about halfway before a sudden rush of wind went by him, the executioner's sword being snatched from his hand in the same moment.

  Higiruma could barely perceive Shinji as he ran past him, feeling him more than he actually saw the boy. Higiruma rapidly swung his head back around to view what would hopefully be the killing blow. By the time his gaze once again fell upon Uruame, Shinji was holding the executioner's blade high above his head only a few feet in front of Uruame.

  Shinji swung the sword down; at the same time, Uruame let out a breath of air. From this breathtaking wave of ice surged out, coating Shinji’s entire body in an instant. The executioner's blade rested a few inches above Uruame, nearly having settled the battle if the ice had come any later.

  The sword vanished from Shinji’s hands as it reappeared in Higirumas, who was wondering whether or not he should charge in while. He didn’t have very long to reach an answer as Uruame took the initiative. They brought their hands down from the sky and bent their legs down till they were kneeling. Bringing their head to the ground resting on their hands. The ice that Shinji was encased in shattered after their gesture was complete. It was a series of events that left Higiruma and all other observers baffled. The next word that spilled from Uruame’s lips only served to add to their shared confusion.

  “Please, tell me what Sukuna was like when you knew him.”

  Speaking earnestly with their head still firmly planted against the ground, Uruame couldn’t help but feel as if they had completely ruined their only opportunity to find out what he had been like before they had crossed paths on that fateful day. If they had known precisely who they were fighting, they never wouldn’t have acted so rashly. Then again, what were the odds Kenjaku had lied about not reincarnating any of his siblings, and then that person ended up finding the finger Kenjaku had let out…

  —I’ll kill him.

  Gritting their teeth at the realization they had been played like a fiddle, Uruame silently swore to end that wretched man's life. Only to remember in the next instance they couldn’t kill him so long as Sukuna wanted the merger to occur. As soon as Sukuna had gotten everything he wanted from Kenjaku, Uruame would rip every last—

  “Huh?”

  Hearing a reply that was lacking, Uruame looked up towards Shinji. Taking note of the confusion evident on his face. They didn't seem angry, which was progress as far as Uruame was concerned.

  “Sukuna, you’re… you are his brother yes?” Uruame asked the question with trepidation in their voice, nervous that his answer would be denying Uruame’s assumption.

  “I am. Earlier you mentioned my… purpose. Just what exactly do you know about me and the others?”

  “Everything Kenjaku told me. Which I highly doubt consists of the full story, but I wager it’s more than you’re aware of at the very least,” Uruame didn’t stand up as they continued the conversation. Content to remain kneeling as they looked up at the man who held the answers to questions they had been wondering about for nearly a decade.

  “... What’s your relationship with Kenjaku?” Shinji crossed his arms over his chest as he asked, his eyes narrowing.

  Uruame looked beyond him for a split second to see how the other two were acting. They were standing next to each other a few dozen feet behind him, whispering something Uruame couldn’t hear. So long as they didn’t interrupt them, they didn’t really care what the two did.

  “Someone I’m unable to kill at the moment because Sukuna wishes to indulge in the merger, along with some other opportunities that cockroach will bring.”

  “The merger?” Shinji’s eyebrows arched upon hearing the term.

  “It’s the objective Kenjaku is trying to achieve and is the reason why he started this game. He intends to merge all the non-sorcerers of Japan with an immortal sorcerer known as Tengen. The culling game is a means for him to gather cursed energy needed to—”

  “Every non-sorcerer in japan?”

  The voice came from the sorcerer who had trapped Uruame in his domain. His voice rose an octave as he repeated Uruame’s words, seemingly confused as to what they meant. Though the look of disbelief on his face made it apparent he understood what Uruame said.

  “That is correct,” Uruame let a sigh leave their lips after they confirmed the price of the merger. Annoyed that the conversation was steering away from what they wished to discuss, but it would be best to indulge them till he was ready to tell them what they needed to hear.

  “Why are you two making that face?” Shinji turned and noticed the shared look of horror his allies had adopted.

  “Japan has a population of over a hundred million. I don’t know how many people have left the country since the Culling game began, but if this merger works as intended, the death toll will be in the tens of millions.” The smaller one answered Shinji’s question. His eyes were wide and his body was trembling, yet his voice was clear; Uruame found it odd.

  “Oh… yeah, that’s bad.” Declaring the obvious in a stern voice, Shinji turned back to uruame and asked an important question.

  “How would one prevent the merger?”

  “I’m unsure; all I know is that he needs to end the Culling game before the merger begins. How he plans to do that is unknown to me. It’s not as if either of us is fond of the other. If I had to make an assumption, killing him would probably stop it. I’ll do it myself after the merger is over regardless,” Uruame shrugged as they expressed their lack of knowledge on the topic. While Sukuna was interested, they couldn’t care less for Kenjaku’s scheme.

  “Where is Kenjaku then?” Uruame didn’t miss the way Shinji’s eyes focused as he inquired into his location. Likely intending to act for reasons that went beyond stopping the merger, reasons Uruame felt were justified if what they knew was even half accurate.

  “I’m afraid I don’t know. The last time I saw him was a few days ago before I left to go retrieve Sukuna’s finger. The player name he’s registered under is Suguru Geto. I’m not a player myself, but one of you should be able to find him through the game master.”

  “Do you know what Kenjaku’s cursed technique is? I assume it’s related to the reason he’s still alive after all this time.”

  Uruame’s eyes widened slightly at the question; out of everything, they assumed he would have told them of his technique at the very least. That seemed to be quite the lofty assumption though. That man wouldn’t say a word more than he needed to.

  “He’s able to take over corpses by transplanting his brain into them and uses the body's techniques. His current host’s technique is cursed spirit manipulation; he told me he was running low on cursed spirits last time we met. I didn’t believe him at first, but he’s only had two years to gather a stockpile and used a fair amount when he sent some to every colony a week ago. So It makes sense he’d be running low on the—”

  “... Why are you being so forthcoming?” The question came from the one who had cushioned Shinji’s fall. He took a step back as Uruame’s eyes focused on him, beginning to talk again after a moment.

  “You’re clearly no fan of this Kenjaku person, but you’re willing to put up with him because his interests and Sukuna’s align. Yet you’re revealing information about him to us that I imagine he’d prefer to keep hidden of your own accord... it doesn't—”

  “Because it doesn’t matter what I tell you. So long as that flea stands beside Sukuna, no harm will befall him,” Uruame shrugged lightly as they remarked on Kenjaku’s current invulnerability. The two sorcerers behind Shinji appeared to not disagree with their statement, given how their eyes wavered. Shinji, however—

  “So that’s where he is? Besides Ryomen,” Shinji spoke slowly as they looked down on Uruame, eyes brimming with a rage that wasn’t directed at them.

  Uruame didn’t take offense to his aggression, calmly blinking before answering.

  “Not at the moment; the last time I saw him was three days ago. He told me there was something important he had to do before leaving. As to what that is, I don’t—”

  “A new rule has been added to the culling games. No new players are allowed to join the culling games.” Echoing itself threefold, the game master appeared to announce the addition of a new rule.

  All four of the gathered sorcerers didn’t say anything to the rule’s addition. The one who could use a domain seemed surprised, the one who had arrived before him seemed confused, and the one who held the answers Uruame sought didn’t seem to care.

  “Kogane, where is—”

  “A new rule has been added to the culling games. The culling games will end when all players except Surgery Geto, Megumi Fushiguro, and Amari Momoe have died,” the trifecta once again sounded as they cut off Shinji’s question. This rule, like the first, caused the group to return to silence for a moment—only for a moment.

  “I believe those two rules are what Kenjaku was doing.” Standing up from the ground, Uruame stretched their arms.

  “Who are Amari Mome and Megumi Fushigiro?” The man wearing the all-black suit stepped forward as he asked.

  “Megumi Fushiguro is Sukuna’s current host. As for Amari Mome. I admit I’m quite unsure myself; I didn’t think Kenjaku had any allies other than Sukuna. If that person was indeed the errand they had to run, he’s likely running back towards Sukuna’s side currently.”

  “What happened to Yuji? I thought he was Sukuna’s vessel,” Taking yet another stride forward. He inquired about another detail Uruame found to be pointless.

  “Sukuna escaped that cage a few days ago here in this colony. now then, I’m—”

  “Wait, that giant bird was him?”

  Uruame’s eyes narrowed as they were once again interrupted.

  “If you’re referring to the shikigami, then yes. It’s his vessel technique. If you’re done asking questions, I’d like to ask him a few of my own,” Shinji tilted his head as Uruame pointed to him, arching an eyebrow at the attention.

  “... I’ll tell you everything I know if you’re that curious. It’s getting late though, so let’s head back to everyone else, and I’ll tell you then.”

  “We can’t just—”

  The sorcerer wearing the all-black suit raised his voice in objection before being silenced by the other boy grabbing his arm.

  “It’s fine, Higiruma… I’m fairly certain she could—”

  “They,” Uruame corrected them softly while glaring icy daggers at them. The boy took a step back before continuing.

  “They could’ve killed us by now if they were going to.”

  “Astute observation. Now then, let's go.” Crossing their arms over their chest. Uruame began to walk in the same direction as Shinji.

  The other two began to follow them soon after. Returning to the place they wished to keep safe at all costs with a sorcerer of untold power.