Chapter 205: Clouds Leave No Trace 『 Part Four 』
〜Monogatari World〜
"Perhaps this is the trigger for her becoming Mara-Struck?"
Koyomi Araragi sighed with emotion.
"Baiheng died in battle, and Dan Feng desecrated her death, twisting her into a draconic abomination… Never mind Jingliu, just thinking about it makes me want to have a mental breakdown."
"Dost thou pity her?"
"No, I just think… she's too tired."
Araragi shook his head.
"The longer the Xianzhou natives live, the more they carry on their backs. For someone like her, living over a thousand years, it must feel like carrying a mountain every single day."
"However, compared to her, I believe there is one yet more tragic,"
Shinobu Oshino whispered.
"Who?"
"Jing Yuan."
Shinobu sat by the rooftop railing, her pale calves swinging gently, golden eyes gazing into the distance.
"His mentor, Jingliu, fell to the Mara. His comrade, Baiheng, died in battle. Yingxing and Dan Feng—fellow members of the High-Cloud Quintet—committed a grave sin… He bears the burden of the General, guarding against the Denizens of 『 Abundance 』 without, and maneuvering against the Six Charioteers and the Alliance high command within…"
"Ah, enough, enough!"
Araragi interrupted hurriedly.
"Just listening to it is exhausting… To sit in the General's seat for centuries without becoming Mara-Struck—that guy is the real monster, isn't he?"
"Heh. One cannot be General without a will far surpassing the ordinary."
Shinobu smiled faintly.
"That is why I found that pink-haired runt named Fu Xuan too green when she expressed her desire to become General… Though she handles Xianzhou politics well enough, to sit firmly on that throne for the long term without weathering centuries of storms and forging a mindset like Jing Yuan's… she is far from ready."
—
「 Jingliu walked to the starskiff and placed a wine flask—one that should have belonged to her—inside.
"Baiheng, I've brought your flagon... This was a gift handmade by him, though he never got the chance to give it to you in person."
"I am sorry. I only retrieved it recently. Only by returning it to your side can my nightmare be quelled for a moment." Jingliu looked up at the azure dome of the Xianzhou. "And what you asked me to do, I will accomplish. Even if I must slice the stars from the sky to do so, I will never break my promise."
Jingliu watched the starskiff carrying Baiheng's relic slowly ascend, turning into a faint point of light before finally vanishing into the Jade Gate. 」
「 .....」
〜Akame Ga Kill World〜
"That flask was carved by Yingxing, right? Their relationship… has it reached the point where they won't even speak each other's names?"
"I remember Blade also referred to Jingliu as… 'that woman'."
Mine recalled the battle between Yanqing and Blade. When Yanqing had manifested that gigantic ice sword from thin air, Blade's expression had clearly shifted.
…Originally, he had only intended to test Yanqing, but after witnessing that technique, the urge to kill him could no longer be concealed.
The grudge between these two seemed far more complex than just the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae.
"So you were discussing this?"
Najenda walked up slowly from behind.
"Rather than the grudge between her and Blade, I'm more concerned about the changes in Blade himself."
"Changes?"
Najenda nodded.
"According to Luocha, Blade—one of the High-Cloud Quintet—was originally a short-life species, with a lifespan of merely a hundred years. But after the Sedition, he became a long-life species, unaging and undying… His vitality and regeneration far exceed that of the average Xianzhou native."
"The source of this change isn't just Dan Feng's Transmutation Arcanum, but something hidden deeper within… It likely involves the Emanator of 『 Abundance 』, Shuhu."
—
「 The next stop was the Artisanship Commission. Arriving at the department and looking at the abominations everywhere, Jingliu was reminded of an arrogant old friend.
"If he were to witness this mess in the Artisanship Commission, I fear he would laugh aloud at the incompetence of the Xianzhou people."
Jingliu looked around, her gaze finally landing on Yanqing. "Little brother, how about another contest like last time? Let me see how much your prideful swordsmanship has improved."
Yanqing was reluctant but agreed. They arranged to meet at the Creation Furnace. After sending Yanqing away, Dan Heng asked in a low voice, "What is your purpose in deliberately sending that child away?"
Jingliu's intent was simple: she merely wanted to see how many traces of her old friend remained in Dan Heng's moves.
Using the Mara-Struck along the way as practice, watching Dan Heng's familiar spear technique, Jingliu took a long time to come back to her senses before asking calmly, "This spear still recognizes you as its master. Imbibitor Lunae, do you remember the one who forged it for you?"
"Since my exile, it has been by my side… I do not remember when I started wielding it."
"Your spearmanship is identical to the techniques used by Imbibitor Lunae," Jingliu spoke faintly. "'Combat is like forging; use the intense flames to melt away impurities and reveal one's true nature'—the person who forged this Cloud-Piercer for you once said that. Do you remember?"
"Among the few of us, the one closest to him was you. How strange—that an arrogant fellow would chat so happily with another fellow who looked down on everyone else."
Dan Heng tried hard to recall that experience. The name of the person in Jingliu's mouth danced like fallen leaves in the wind, stirring up blurred voices.
"I would rather flash like a firefly and fade than remain evergreen like the ailanthus. I will let all Xianzhou natives know that Yingxing's fleeting life holds more value than their long, useless lifespans." 」
「 .....」
〜Jujutsu Kaisen World, Future Timeline〜
"Rather flash like a firefly than remain evergreen like the ailanthus… Hmph."
The corners of Ryomen Sukuna's mouth curled up, forming an arc that held a hint of appreciation.
"A truly fine sentiment."
From just this understated sentence, Sukuna could almost picture the expression on that high-spirited white-haired man's face when he spoke those words.
The Yingxing of the past is the Blade of today. Thinking of how he is now an undying body, possessing not only the endless lifespan of the Xianzhou natives but a regenerative power even more exaggerated than his own Reverse Cursed Technique… Sukuna felt only an inexplicable sense of irony.
"Fine?"
Kenjaku did not agree with Yingxing's philosophy, shaking his head gently. Compared to the fleeting moments of a few decades, Kenjaku looked forward more to the long span of millennia—even if the journey was terribly boring at times.
As long as one lives long enough, time will always bring interesting things. He looked up at Jingliu's sword-like silhouette on the screen.
"If I had died a thousand years ago and missed such interesting things, I would regret it even in hell, wouldn't I?"
"That is true."
Resting his cheek on one hand, Ryomen Sukuna unexpectedly recalled the myriad of emotions that surged within him when he first saw Nanook, the Star God of 『 Destruction 』.
Insignificance, shock, terror, resonance…
And countless other things he could hardly express in words.
That was a novelty he had never experienced in a thousand years. It crushed down on him in an instant, nearly grinding his bones and soul to dust. It left him in a momentary trance, a chill permeating his limbs and bones.
For a thousand years, countless people called him a battle-crazed maniac, the incarnation of violence. But Ryomen Sukuna understood himself: he only sought intense stimulation through combat to make this boring life less tedious.
But those humans—whether strong or weak—passed through his body like water, turning to rot, leaving nothing behind but the color of blood.
And that pervasive scent of blood would silently dissipate under the sun at dawn. Like mayflies, born in the morning and dead by dusk. Awaiting him was still only that unsatisfied emptiness.
But in that split second of locking eyes with Nanook, that emptiness—vast as a behemoth, deep as an abyss—was satisfied in an instant.
Truly… incredible.
—