Metal Slug

Fate was a wondrous thing.

When Xia Xia checked in, he never imagined this hotel was the very place where Megumi Fushiguro had lain flat after Hana Kurusu rescued him in the original story.

Incredible. No wonder the exterior had looked a little familiar.

Now it made even more sense that he had run into Yuji Itadori and Choso here-this was a regular spawn point to begin with.

And to think he had gone out on a whim last night to raise hell. Apparently, he would have met Prisoner Megumi no matter what. The world was a sphere; keep running in one direction, and you were bound to return to the starting point. The long way around was a shortcut. The long way around was his shortcut!

For some inexplicable reason, Xia Xia was in high spirits. Smiling, he pulled the blade forged from "Receipt Guy" out of his shadow and began studying it.

Nothing good ever happened when he smiled, but Xia Xia was always smiling. He was a boy who loved to smile.

Apart from Megumi Fushiguro, this was his biggest haul.

The Demon Blade's effect was simple. Besides [Demon-Repelling Edge], which every Demon Blade came with, holding it let him use [Innate Cursed Technique • Contract Re-Creation]. Unfortunately, he could only use one receipt at a time, and there was a mandatory cooldown of three whole days.

Xia Xia was about to put his brain to work.

If-and I mean if-Contract Re-Creation can materialize the objects traded in contracts and receipts, what would happen if I made Cursed Objects and Cursed Tools the objects of those trades?

For example, if I talked to Tengen and Jujutsu High and got them to agree to sell me the "Gojo Box" for one dollar, could burning the receipt also materialize the Special Grade Cursed Tool [Prison Realm] and activate its intended effect?

Hell yeah. Unlimited boxes.

Imagine fighting Sukuna when a Thunder Prison Realm rolled up to his feet. While the old bastard stood there dumbfounded, his memories would conveniently make a minute pass inside his head, and we could catch a Pokémon on the spot...

Or we could try something even more interesting.

Give Sukuna a dollar and have him fire five slashes at a target for me. When I burn the receipt, could [Contract Re-Creation] materialize those attacks, which were the objects of the transaction, and give them precision guidance?

Anything recorded on a receipt could potentially be materialized.

This was a god-tier conceptual ability.

What a treasure. What an absolute treasure!

Xia Xia could hardly bear to put the Demon Blade down. He sneaked a glance at Megumi Fushiguro with ill intent in his eyes.

"Megumi, how about calling the dogs out for a walk?"

That was his suggestion.

"I don't remember us being that close... Forget it. Do whatever you want."

Knowing Xia Xia was Yuji Itadori's older brother, Megumi Fushiguro had more or less resigned himself. He's one of us. Don't get mad. He's one of us. Don't get mad. Yuji had that sort of personality, so it was perfectly normal for his older brother Xia Xia to be this unreliable.

Besides, did he have the right to refuse?

An ethereal dog's head was already rising from the shadow beneath Prisoner Megumi's feet. All he had to do was give the order-no order was necessary. The Divine Dog materialized from the shadow and trotted eagerly over to Xia Xia.

No matter how many times he saw it, he could barely keep a straight face.

After discussing the possibility of rebooting the ancient Jujutsu Sorcerer Reggie's Cursed Technique and using [Contract Re-Creation] offline with Megumi Fushiguro, Xia Xia traded a bottle of beer on the table for temporary use of the Divine Dog. They even put it in writing.

Then, once the Divine Dog returned to Megumi Fushiguro...

[Contract Re-Creation]

A lifelike shadow Shikigami appeared in Xia Xia's hands. A Divine Dog, identical to the one that had just returned to Megumi Fushiguro, but now under Xia Xia's control!

Megumi Fushiguro could clearly sense that the Divine Dog was still in his own shadow, yet there was no question that the Shikigami manifested before him was the very one he used.

All he could do was watch Xia Xia grin as he played with the identical Divine Dog, which then made an expression in Xia Xia's hands that Megumi Fushiguro had never seen before.

Yes. There was no going back now.

Megumi Fushiguro opened the door and walked out. Standing in the hotel courtyard, he watched the falling leaves, his heart devoid of either sorrow or joy.

"Oh, is that your dog?"

Watching Xia Xia play with the shadow Shikigami, Hana Kurusu came over curiously.

"For the time being, I suppose."

"But I can also make a tiny change to him-how about this?"

Xia Xia stroked the black Divine Dog's head, then tried manipulating it to change it to some extent.

It turned white.

This was more than a change in color. It had become a completely different Shikigami. It was still a Divine Dog, but not the same one as before. This was "Divine Dog • White," another Shikigami belonging to the Ten Shadows Technique.

It was exactly as Hana Kurusu remembered it.

After a while, presumably because [Contract Re-Creation] had expired, the Divine Dog wagged its tail regretfully, then dissolved into darkness and disappeared into Xia Xia's shadow.

Wait, my shadow?

That was right. It had neither dissipated nor gone to Megumi Fushiguro. Instead, it had leaped into Xia Xia's shadow. Megumi Fushiguro still had his Divine Dog, but now Xia Xia had an extra one.

That was how Jujutsu Kaisen worked. Occupy a Jujutsu Sorcerer's body, and you could use his Innate Cursed Technique. Use it enough-and you would learn it.

Xia Xia now had his own Ten Shadows Technique.

Granted, it only contained the Divine Dog, and would only ever contain the Divine Dog. His Ten Shadows Technique was utterly incomplete, with none of the other Shikigami present. But at least, for now, he had this dog-good boy, Bruce.

Thanks, Prisoner Megumi.

Speaking of which, has Prisoner Megumi thanked me?

With a complete lack of conscience, Xia Xia took back the beer he had left on the table as collateral for Megumi Fushiguro. Whistling, he led his own Bruce back to his room.

Then he got blown up by a guided missile.

Artillery barrage ready!

Area smoke ready!

Unlimited resource supply! Reinforcements are on the way!

Kenjaku had a talent for incitement.

He had easily awakened the ambitions of the leaders of the United States, getting these American troops to form modern mechanized units and storm the barrier, intending to capture these Jujutsu Sorcerers and dissect them for research.

Conditions detected as suitable...

All right, debate mode activated!!!

To Xia Xia, this sort of plot was far too boring.

The following was Mr. Xia's opening argument:

As an essential form of political correctness in Japanese manga, failing to take a swipe at America, their big daddy, always seemed to imply a lack of national pride. Yet in everyday life, they still admired strength and yearned for it, embodying a complicated duality.

Put bluntly, their mouths said no while their bodies said yes. They obeyed and resisted at the same time, only to end up having to submit. This country had its own particular circumstances and characteristics. No wonder it had given rise to such a twisted culture.

Let me put it plainly: even aliens and creator gods had to fight the massed armies of the United States when they showed up in Japanese manga...

What a joke.

Now he would have to give Metal Slug a low score.

Sidestepping a bullet, Xia Xia flickered like a phantom and vanished.

The next second brought a slash like a full moon.

Round Dance Slash. A sweep, a low cut-in that fleeting instant, a soldier wearing night-vision goggles lost his field of view. All he saw was himself being dismantled, bit by bit, into minced meat.

Be grateful your author isn't Tatsuki Fujimoto. Otherwise, eighty percent of your body would be sausage wrapped in intestine. Your organs wouldn't be nearly this orderly.

Don't be a Marine in your next life. Show some ambition and try conquering the skies or seas. Otherwise, you'll end up as a stepping stone for the Pokémon Self-Defense Forces in Japanese manga.

"Fire! Fire!"

The rumble of treads came from behind him.

An armed tank. Bringing something like that into the barrier made for a truly punk scene.

Then let's see... My sword is sharp enough, too!

I choose you, Prisoner Deer!

Taking Raikiri out of his shadow, Xia Xia held the sword upright and assumed a highly distinctive opening stance.

Is that all you've got?

My heart is a clear mirror, still water.

My warrior spirit has not yet been extinguished.

You're still far from ready.

Swift as the wind.

Quick as lightning.

"A gay guy's undoing my zipper!" (A misheard line.)

Dragon God's Sword, Genshin's ultimate. This episode was padded. This episode was godly. Where was the god? Right after "Gen."

Wherever the blade flashed, nothing could withstand it.

The tough explosive reactive armor detonated within 0.2 seconds. Amid the smoke and dust, one sword strike followed another, piercing the heavy shell like someone cutting open crab claws with scissors.

Against a Special Grade Cursed Tool reinforced with cursed energy, armor several centimeters thick was hardly tougher than edible rice paper. The only thing worth praising was the driver's courage. He still hadn't fled at a time like this. Now that was a real man!

Oh, he started cosplaying Mr. Satoru Gojo on the first strike? Never mind, then.

What tank driver heads out without a shot of compound V? You people have no professional standards.

Xia Xia casually tossed several Demon Blades out of his shadow.

Shadow Fish, the Cursed Tool forged from that first Snake-Fish Cursed Spirit, could travel freely through space in dark places to attack. Apart from its very limited attack range, it had no real flaws. A must-have for murder and robbery.

Unfortunately, his usual equipment loadout was so powerful and crowded that these unimpressive beginner items had never gotten a chance to shine.

Xia Xia summoned his Bruce and had it hold the short blade in its mouth.

Wherever the Divine Dog went, there were shadows. That meant the Shadow Fish Demon Blade could travel freely through space within the Divine Dog's range of movement, becoming an unstoppable edge.

Meanwhile, the Divine Dog counted as an extension of Xia Xia's own cursed energy, so the Shadow Fish Demon Blade would not lose its effect by flying outside the combat area. It could remain convenient forever and keep working forever.

Never underestimate the astounding wisdom Xia Xia had awakened back when he was a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Raikiri in hand, Xia Xia appeared somewhere else.

The sky.

Up there was the lifelong nemesis of everyone with black skin, a mechanical creation with cross-shaped rotating blades: a beautiful armed reconnaissance helicopter.

Bad review. It doesn't have "24" printed on it, or those beautiful yellow-and-purple accessories. That's out of character, buddy.

Since they had not recreated history, Xia Xia did not mind helping them out. Before the pilot's dumbfounded gaze, this superpowered man, who had climbed into the sky by stepping his left foot onto his right, hung outside the glass.

"1000 − 7 = ?"

Xia Xia breathed onto the glass and wrote the equation.

Then the answer was...

"Man! What can I say?!"

The iron bird plunging downward was left with only a peculiar regret and melancholy, like a clear autumn sky, like the sunlight shining over Normandy at four thirty in the morning.

Kids, Normandy and Ailao Mountain are the same place.

Pay up for the pun!