🌕 Jujutsu Kaisen: Moon of the Fallen King
Chapter 39: "The Sovereign's Silence"
The shoreline lay desolate, but the air still hung heavy with the crackle of static and the bitter scent of scorched sand. From the shifting shadows, Arkais (The Demon King) and Zelos (The First Demon Lord) reappeared, standing exactly where Lucius had been moments before.
Arkais stared at the empty space, his voice like cold stone.
"They took him. The sorcerers believe they have 'saved' him. They are blind to the fact that they have stripped away the only shield that kept him hidden from the Devil King's gaze."
Zelos knelt, his gloved hand brushing the blackened sand.
"My King, Lucius's half-soul is screaming. It is a fire the sorcerers cannot quench. They think they have brought him to a sanctuary, but they have only moved him into a cage without bars."
Suddenly, a crimson stain bled across the far horizon. The presence of the Devil King still lingered in the distance, a colossal predator circling its prey, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Arkais looked toward the blood-red sky.
"The Devil King will not strike directly yet. He is patient. He is waiting for the sorcerers' fear and arrogance to do his work for him. He wants them to distract us so he can quietly extract the shard of Sukuna's soul from within the boy."
Deep within the ancient halls of the Jujutsu Stronghold, torches flickered violently against the damp stone walls. The leaders of the five great clans sat around a massive table, their eyes fixed on Lucius. The boy sat at the center of a complex ritual barrier, unconscious, though the two black markings of Sukuna on his forehead pulsed with a faint, malevolent light.
The Zenin Clan leader slammed his fist on the table.
"We snatched him from the Demon Lord's clutches! Now is the time to end this before the monster within him fully awakens. We must execute the boy now!"
The Kamo Clan leader narrowed his eyes in disagreement.
"Foolish! If we kill him now, that half-soul will simply break free and seek its original host. We must seal him and harness that power as our own ultimate weapon against the demons."
Gojo Shinra stood in the corner, his Six Eyes scanning Lucius with an intensity the others couldn't fathom. He saw things the others missed—the way the cursed energy was twisting unnaturally.
Gojo Shinra (thinking):
Strange... when he was with Zelos, his cursed energy was stable, almost suppressed. But here, within our 'protective' barrier, the soul is furious. It's as if it senses a threat from the outside. Are we really saving him... or are we inviting disaster?
Shinji Hashimoto approached Shinra, his voice like grinding iron.
"The clans believe Zelos and Arkais will come to reclaim him. They are preparing for a total war. If the Demon King arrives here, this place will become a graveyard."
Inside the dark abyss of Lucius's subconscious, he felt himself drowning in a lake of black, freezing water. Suddenly, a hand gripped his throat, pulling him toward the surface. He looked up to see a terrifying silhouette with four glowing eyes sitting upon a throne of bones.
Half-Sukuna leaned forward, a jagged, mocking smile on his face.
"Look at them, Lucius... your 'protectors' are already debating how to carve you up. They fear Zelos, but they hate me. Do you truly think they will let you live?"
Lucius screamed internally, his mind reeling.
"Leave me alone! I am not a part of you!"
Half-Sukuna let out a chilling laugh that echoed through the soul realm.
"You are me. Those people out there... they aren't yours. They are slaves to their own fear. When the Devil King arrives, they will be the first to sell you to him."
Back at the shore, Arkais and Zelos prepared to vanish into the shadows once more.
Arkais spoke one last time, his gaze fixed on the distant fortress of the sorcerers.
"Let them go, Zelos. When the pride of the sorcerers finally shatters and the shadow of the Devil King falls upon them, they will scream for the very King they today call a monster."
Final Caption:
The heir was now in the hands of the sorcerers, but the true game had only just begun. The fall of ancient kings and the rise of modern curses... all of history was now balancing on the edge of a single, fractured soul.
🔚 End of Chapter 39