A new year

In 1017, the barbarian people were forced to band together for survival, and the clan armies lost over ten thousand men.

In the summer of 1017, the barbarian people sought help from curse users and routed the clan armies. The Nomen clan's elite troops were almost completely wiped out, and its remaining defeated soldiers were sent back to the clan.

In the autumn of 1017, Jujutsu Society dispatched people to kill every last curse user. Once again, the barbarian people were slaughtered and routed. In their final desperate counterattack, they stormed into civilians' homes, leaving over a hundred thousand Japanese civilians dead or injured.

All the remaining barbarians were slaughtered, while the hundred-thousand-strong clan armies were reduced to sixty thousand.

"Whew... what a turbulent year this has been. To think it's almost time for me to enter my slumber already. But this slaughter really was satisfying!"

Sukuna looked at the withered leaves around him, feeling a faint touch of sentiment. For nearly a year, he had done little besides stare into space, eat delicious food, and listen to the people outside kowtow.

Nothing sounded better than those kowtows. The so-called imperial relatives took turns coming to kowtow. Although they had already completed the ten thousand kowtows he had originally demanded, he wanted the music to keep playing.

So he had grabbed the Emperor by the collar and made him send those imperial relatives to kowtow. Not forcing the Emperor himself to do it was enough to preserve his last shred of dignity.

"My lord, should we depart for Mount Hida? We don't have much time left."

Uraume knelt behind Sukuna, leaning forward slightly to ask in a quiet voice.

"Don't we still have a few months? I want to watch this farce until it's completely over."

"Yes, my lord."

As always, Uraume never questioned Sukuna's decisions.

"Abe Jinyuan! Where are the reinforcements you promised? Where are those Reclusive Masters you invited?!"

Nomen Weishi grabbed Abe Jinyuan by the collar, spraying spittle all over his face.

The others' gazes were equally hostile. They looked ready to rush over and carve chunks of flesh off him.

They had spent an entire year here without seeing any of the supposed reinforcements come to free them. Instead, they had learned that their clans' elite troops had suffered devastating casualties.

"My Nomen clan's elite troops are practically all dead! Even if I die, I'm taking you with me!"

Nomen Weishi's eyes were bloodshot. He could not accept the news that had just arrived from his clan. Now he wanted nothing more than to strangle the sleazy, goateed man before him.

"Cough, cough... let go of me first! Our Abe clan suffered heavy losses too. Strangling me won't do you any good!"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Abe Jinyuan was being strangled so hard he could no longer breathe, his face turning pale. Someone rushed forward and pulled the red-eyed Nomen Weishi away.

"You were the one who deceived me in the first place! I foolishly waited here for an entire year, only to receive news like this! How am I supposed to explain it to my clan when I return?"

Abe Jinyuan looked equally grim, partly because he had nearly been strangled breathless and partly because his own elite troops had suffered heavy losses.

Although the death toll was not unbearable, many had been seriously wounded or even infected with the plague.

According to the news his trusted subordinate had sent, anyone confirmed to have the plague would immediately be dragged outside and left to fend for themselves.

He was also deeply confused. The Zenin Clan had been on friendly terms with his clan for so many years, so why had no one come to help them escape?

What he did not know was that Zenin Fuguang, the head of the Zenin Clan, had long since forgotten about the matter-or rather, had never cared about it at all.

Although they had looked unhappy a year ago, their faces had at least still been well-fed and healthy. Now, worry was written all over them.

"The war is over now. There isn't a single brainless barbarian left in all of Japan. Surely the Emperor has no reason to keep us from leaving anymore?"

Yoshiko Kawashima spoke cautiously. During her year of imprisonment, someone else had already replaced her as clan head, leaving her with the least say of anyone present.

At the mention of the Emperor, hatred and anger surfaced on the faces of the dozen or so people.

"The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, shouldn't care about us anymore, should he?" At the mention of Sukuna, several faces grew even paler.

Umechuan Kuko in particular glanced at his severed arm with lingering fear. He was deeply relieved that he had not lost his head instead. Otherwise, even stopping the bleeding would not have saved him.

"Once I leave this damned place, I'll drag the Emperor off his throne and hack him to pieces! He never could have imagined we'd still have so many elite troops left."

"If I don't kill the Emperor, I'm not worthy of being called a man!"

"Your Majesty, after a year of training, we now have fifty thousand troops! This time, we will surely secure supreme power for you."

The Guardian General's face brimmed with excitement. This was the first time since taking the position that he had commanded so many soldiers.

A year ago, he had possessed only a dozen or so personal guards. In just one short year, he had recruited fifty thousand soldiers from among the refugees.

Anyone in his position would have been thrilled.

"General! You've done well. Please continue recruiting. All the reports from the front have arrived."

The Emperor sat high upon the Takamikura. His former sleazy air had vanished, replaced by an imposing dignity. He, too, had changed enormously in that single year.

"The allied clan armies have returned. Every last barbarian has been slaughtered, without a single survivor. But they still have an army of sixty thousand left."

The Guardian General immediately dropped to his knees and clasped his hands, vowing, "If they harbor any thoughts of rebellion, I will personally bring their heads before Your Majesty."

"Hahaha, rise. I've seen your loyalty for myself," the Emperor said with a smile.

A year ago, that smile would only have made people think he was a fool. Now, it made them see him as a smiling predator.

He truly had changed a great deal in that short year. At the very least, he had completely shed his role as a mere figurehead.

Although he had not won much popular support, he had at least brought many refugees over to his side. After all, the barbarians had killed countless ordinary civilians in their final desperate counterattack.

His greatest mistake a year earlier had been allowing those so-called clan armies to march under his banner.

The Emperor had thought he could seize the opportunity to win the people's hearts, but instead, he had created a predicament he now had no way to resolve.

The clans remained the clans, unchanged in the eyes of the common people. Meanwhile, he, their former spiritual pillar, had become an object of scorn for many.

Every commoner in Japan believed he had indirectly caused the deaths of well over a hundred thousand civilians.

What a blunder! The thought made his teeth itch with fury. After all, there were no toothbrushes in this era, and as Emperor, he naturally had to keep his teeth clean.

Every morning, he cleaned them with especially stiff thatch grass, making his gums bleed almost every time.

"You may withdraw. Remember what I told you." The Emperor waved a hand, dismissing the kneeling Guardian General.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will not disappoint you."

The Guardian General kowtowed once more before slowly withdrawing from the hall.

"What ignorant fools! It was only a hundred thousand or so deaths. They aren't even willing to make that little sacrifice for the unification of my great Japan."

The Emperor's expression darkened, his disgust for those foolish commoners growing stronger.

"My lord, all the clan armies have returned to their clan bases. The Nomen clan suffered the heaviest casualties."

Uraume reported all the recent developments to Sukuna, who had now spent an entire year here without going outside.

It was not that he did not want to leave. There was simply nothing in all of Heian-kyo that interested him. Rather than waste time outside, he might as well stay in and rest.

He could also savor his memories of how cola tasted. Why am I thinking about cola again? I really must be getting old!

Sukuna glanced at his body. Its outward appearance had not changed at all, but he knew perfectly well what was changing within.

If his body were not aging, he would have no need to sleep for a thousand years. What tremendous resolve it took to spend a millennium bringing a plan to fruition. How much delicious food could he eat in a thousand years?

"It seems this war is over. Next comes the battle between the Emperor and the clan heads." Sukuna rubbed his four slightly tired eyes.

Unfortunately, he might not have enough time. He would soon have to depart for Mount Hida, and he could not afford the slightest carelessness in this matter.

He glanced at Uraume behind him and silently thought, We can only meet again a thousand years from now.

"Uraume, spend these next few days here with me, enjoying the withered scenery."

"Yes, my lord."

Behind Sukuna, where he could not see, Uraume's eyes were filled with tenderness and obsession.