The Shibuya Incident, Part 31 (
Summary
Megumi has been separated from the others and forced to fight someone he has no chance of defeating. Unbeknownst to Megumi, this adversary is his own father! As a vessel of carnage, Toji instinctively attacks Megumi. Before father and son are forced to kill one another, Toji recalls an important memory of the past that restores some of his humanity and uses the chance to atone.
Plot Details
"Vizualize winning..."
The streets of Shibuya are much emptier than earlier in the incident thanks to Toge Inumaki's efforts. The civilians and the transfigured humans are gone, so Megumi can focus on the opponent in front of him.
Megumi tries to visualize winning, but Toji is far too much of a monster to even fathom defeating. Megumi activates Rabbit Escape but both fighters notice Sukuna's presence suddenly appearing in Shibuya.
Megumi uses the torrent of rabbits as a distraction to create distance from his adversary. He also summons Toad and asks himself why he just felt Sukuna. Toji instinctively charges into the swarm of rabbits and nearly stabs Megumi with the sharpened Playful Cloud. Megumi dives on the ground to avoid it, surprising Toji.
Megumi uses all the tricks he has to avoid certain death.
Running low on cursed energy, Megumi's sole advantage is that Shoko is stationed somewhere in Shibuya. She's in a tent at a toll gate on the Metropolitan Expressway being guarded by Principal Yaga and his cursed corpses. Shoko tells him to join the fight but Yaga refuses, claiming that she's extremely crucial to the operation. So much so that the enemy would undoubtedly head straight to their position if they learned Shoko was in Shibuya.
Ijichi and Ino would both have perished if not for her. Shoko says that's only thanks to the Principal's quick thinking. They set up this station before Nanami contacted them, freeing him up to help with the mission. She states all this while smoking, confusing Yaga who believes she quit a long time ago. Shoko puts out the cigarette and reveals that she's just feeling nostalgic about her student days right now.
"Not Zenin huh? Good for you."
Toji chases after Megumi and nearly stabs him from behind. Toad's tongue pulls Megumi down an alleyway to avoid the attack at the last second. Megumi understands that Toji made short work of a special grade and his shikigami are no match for him. He needs to focus on sacrificing his body rather than his shikigami and decides it's best to limit any injuries to something Shoko can handle quickly.
As Toji stands at the end of the alleyway, Megumi surmises that he has to predict his opponent's timing because of his speed and understands that any flaw in timing will surely result in death. Toji suddenly blitzes Megumi and nearly stabs him again, but his foot is submerged inside Megumi's shadow. This throws off the trajectory of Toji's attack, preventing a fatal injury. It ends up just being a flesh wound, allowing Megumi to grab his opponent.
Megumi's battle comes to an abrupt end.
Megumi summons a sword from his shadows and attempts to stab Toji with it while they're wrestling. However, Toji disappears in an instant, avoiding it with incredible speed despite it being at point-blank range. Megumi believes that he's out of options and Toji suddenly recalls a memory of his past. It was the time when Toji agreed to meet with Naobito in order to sell Megumi to the Zenin Family. Toji believed that Megumi would have potential and he could possibly make something of himself in the Zenin Family.
Toji never fit in but he thought that would be the best way to take care of him in the long run. After not speaking a word since Megumi met him, Toji suddenly asks Megumi what his name is. Megumi answers "Fushiguro." Proud that his son chose Fushiguro over Zenin, Toji stabs himself in the head, killing his vessel in order to save his son from this mindless rampage. His body collapses, shocking Megumi with the outcome of it all.
Characters in Order of Appearance
- Megumi Fushiguro
- Toji Fushiguro
- Toge Inumaki (Flashback)
- Masamichi Yaga
- Shoko Ieiri
- Kiyotaka Ijichi
- Takuma Ino
- Naobito Zenin (Flashback)
Battles & Events
Locations
- Shibuya
- Outside Shibuya Station
- Metropolitan Expressway, Route No.3: Shibuya Line
- Shibuya Tollgate