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It’s time.
Yuuji soothes out the wrinkles of his white robes, and blinks back his tears. The winged insignia on his wrist – the holy mark of a saintess – seems to mock him as he pulls down his sleeves. He tries not to look at it, tries not to think. He’s known that this day was coming for a long time, and yet, now that it’s here, there’s a part of him that still can’t believe it.
Is this really how it all ends? With the kingdom in flames, with his holy powers rendered useless, with his life being offered as a sacrifice to stop the slaughter?
Don’t think. He squeezes his eyes shut, tries to steady his breaths. When he opens them, his gaze lands on the ivory veil hanging on the door hook beside him.
Once, he had worn that veil with pride, with love – with his head held high as he bestowed blessings and healing upon the people. Now, as he fixes it upon his hair, it feels as if he’s wearing his own mourning veil.
But this is the only way. Yuuji knows this. As a saintess, he has a duty to protect the kingdom and its people. And yet –
His hands shake. His heart thuds like horses’ hooves against his chest.
I don’t want to die.
There’s a gentle knock on the door. No one calls for him, but Yuuji knows what they want.
He pulls down his veil, and wipes away his tears.
It’s time.
***
Outside the window, dark clouds cover the sky – intermittently lit with flashes of red lightning, and the tails of fiery meteors crashing to the ground. The carriage he rides rattles across potholes and dead bodies, causing the interior to shake. Even so, Yuuji’s back remains straight and rigid, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He can’t allow himself to be rattled, no matter how terrified he feels. Although they have long abandoned the desolate villages and towns, he knows the people of the kingdom have placed their hope and trust in him. Their lives weigh on his shoulders. He can’t let them down.
The minutes tick by. Slowly, the scenery changes – from ruined homes and deserted buildings to long stretches of charred grassland. There are hardly any corpses here – not human ones, at least. Sometimes, Yuuji catches a glimpse of a rotting monster, broken arrows sticking out of its chest. The people had fought hard. When the rift had just opened, and the opening to the demon realm was still small, they had stood a chance.
But then the rift had suddenly expanded, growing far longer and larger than it had ever been in history, and demonic creatures had poured out of it in waves. The royal army, dispatched to quell the demons from the initial rift, had been quickly overwhelmed. By the time Yuuji had gotten the news, it was far too late. The army had been practically wiped out.
He clenches his fist. He should’ve been there with them, from the very start. Even if he couldn’t completely close the opening, he could’ve at least saved lives. Instead, he’d sat unaware in the royal palace, buried in his spellbooks and alchemy.
How useless.
There’s a prick of pain from his hand. When Yuuji unclenches his fist, he notices his nails have pierced his skin, drawing blood. He watches, blankly, as the wound heals, leaving no trace behind.
Useless.
Even when he’d ridden to the front lines, in a desperate attempt to halt the rapidly advancing demon forces, he couldn’t hold them back for long. No matter how many he killed, more would take their place.
“You need to retreat, your holiness!” He remembers a soldier telling him, grabbing him desperately by the arm. “Fall back to the city! Protect the king and the people there!”
“No!” he’d roared in response. His chest had been burning from the smoke, his head swimming from his rapidly depleting mana. He’d wrenched his arm back, his robes dripping red with the enemy’s blood. “I can’t leave. The line won’t hold if I’m gone. You’ll all–”
His next words never left his lips. He did not have time to say them. He did not have time to set up a barrier between the soldier and the fiery arrow that pierced his skull, nor did he have time to cast a healing spell before the life left his body. Instead, all he could do was stare, as the man crumpled to the muddied ground beneath his feet.
When Yuuji looked up, that’s when he saw him for the first time.
Dark pink hair. Blood red eyes. Black tattoos mark skin, a series of lines and patterns that wrap around his arms, torso, and face. Flames gather in his right hand, a dark spell that dances between his fingertips. Though he wears no crown, from the moment their eyes met, Yuuji knew exactly who this person was.
Ryoumen Sukuna.
The Demon King.
Something bursts forth from within Yuuji’s chest – an emotion that he didn’t even know he was capable of feeling until now. Perhaps it was rage. Perhaps it was agony. Perhaps it was desperation, or perhaps it was something else entirely – Yuuji doesn’t know. All he knows is that the leader of the enemy forces, the one who caused all this pain and devastation, was standing right in front of him, and Yuuji had to bring him down.
Power gathers within his palm, Yuuji’s most powerful trump card – an offensive attack that will drain the last of his mana. Yet, before he even has the chance to finish his incantation, Sukuna is gone. Yuuji startles. What is this? He whips his head around, scanning the battlefield for any sight of him. Teleportation? Invisibility?
Then, a whistle in the wind.
He raises his arms, casting a barrier just in time to block the tip of a spear from piercing his heart.
Sukuna stands before him. He grins.
“So it’s you,” he purrs. His voice is deep and rich, a rumble against the backdrop of screams and cries. “The holy saintess.”
The pressure is heavy. Yuuji’s feet dig into the earth, hands straining to maintain his shield. Even so, he refuses to break eye contact, staring defiantly into Sukuna’s crimson irises.
“I swear,” he grits out. “I’ll kill you, Ryoumen Sukuna!”
For a moment, there is silence. Sukuna’s eyes widen, just slightly – then, without warning, he laughs.
Yuuji is so dumbfounded that, for a moment, he doesn’t know how to react. It’s only when Sukuna suddenly leaps back, inexplicably withdrawing his attack, does he take the chance to strengthen his defenses.
But the Demon King does not begin another assault. On the contrary, the three-pronged spear vanishes into thin air, and he stretches out his empty arms.
“Come,” he smirks. “Do your best.”
This time, Yuuji clearly knows what emotion bubbled up inside him.
Fury.
The spell he had been saving unleashes in a ball of blinding light at Sukuna’s figure, all of his holy power condensed into one single strike. There’s a deafening roar when the attack lands – a boom that shakes the earth, causing both friend and foe to scatter to escape it. Even Yuuji must construct another barrier to protect himself from the searing heat that follows.
It’s a direct hit, he thinks, and for a moment, he allows himself to hope. But when the dust finally settles and the light clears, Sukuna remains standing. His robes are charred, his skin is torn, and his hair is ruffled – but the wounds that Yuuji did manage to inflict knit themselves back together in seconds, and he cocks his head at Yuuji in faux pity, eyes narrowed in amusement.
“I’m disappointed, holy saintess,” he sighs. “I thought you’d do better.”
Useless.
Perhaps he should’ve known it then – that no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he was no match for Ryoumen Sukuna. Perhaps he should’ve seen this future unfolding – that the kingdom would fall, that thousands would die, and that he would sit in an empty carriage, being chartered to his death.
Useless, from beginning to end.
The carriage slows to a halt.
“Your holiness,” comes the hoarse voice of the driver from above. “We’ve… arrived.”
Outside the window, the darkness of the rift pulsates like an organ, a stretch of black that stretches as far as the eye could see. Going inside would spell Yuuji’s death… but it would also guarantee the lives of everyone else in this realm.
That was the deal he made – one that Sukuna had also strangely accepted. The Demon King’s ready agreement had made Yuuji suspicious. He was sure that there would be some pushback, especially since the contract was done with ancient magic – meaning breaking it would be impossible without suffering dire consequences. Why would Sukuna accept such terms?
Either way, it was done, now. The contract had been signed by their blood, their souls bound to its rules for eternity. Now, all Yuuji had left to do was enter the demon realm to face his execution.
He opens the door of the carriage, and steps outside. The wind is hot on his face. Ashes crunch beneath his feet as he strides forward, back straight and head held high, towards the vibrating entrance of the pitch-black rift. Don’t think , he repeats, even as his hands tremble and breath shakes. One more step, and it’ll all be over…
“Your holiness.”
Yuuji stops. He turns to see the driver standing next to the carriage, cap in hand. Then, as Yuuji watches, the man bows deeply, a sign of respect usually reserved for the royal family.
“Thank you,” he says, when he straightens his back. His voice is raw, choked with emotion. “You’ve saved us all.”
Misty tears well up in Yuuji’s eyes. His throat wells up, and he can’t speak – all he manages to do is nod in response before facing the never-ending darkness that stands before him. This time, however, his hands have stopped trembling.
With this, he can atone for his past mistakes.
With this, he can finally be useful .
Yuuji steps forward, and lets the darkness swallow up everything around him.
***
He awakens with something soft underneath him.
Yuuji blinks. His vision is blurry for a few moments, but quickly corrects itself. It’s then that he realizes that he’s staring at a ceiling – and that the softness below him is a feather mattress, draped in white sheets.
He jolts upwards so quickly he nearly dislocates his neck.
What’s happening? He racks his brain, recalling his last memories – leaving the ruined capital, travelling across the burnt-out plains, and then stepping into the rift to the demon realm. Which means…
“Ah, you’re finally awake.”
Yuuji whips his head to the side. There, hidden in the shadows, gazing at him with glowing red eyes, stood the King of Demons.
“Ryoumen Sukuna,” he spits out.
Sukuna grins. “I’ve been waiting to hear you call my name again,” he says, stepping closer. Yuuji’s first instinct is to raise his hands to cast a spell, but then a searing pain bursts through his head, a million voices screaming in his ear –
STAY DOWN.
His body slumps against the mattress, like a puppet with its strings cut.
“What–” His ears are ringing. His chest heaves in panic, breaths coming out in short, ragged gasps. He fights against it, tries to summon his magic power once more, but every time he tries the same, mind-numbing pain burns through his skull, leaving him panting and squirming in agony. “What– What did you do to me–”
Sukuna stands before him now, looking down at his sprawled body with mock confusion. “Oh dear,” he tuts. “Did you forget your very reason for coming here, holy saintess?”
And then it hits him.
Ah. Right.
He’s here to die, as a sacrifice.
Yuuji swallows. The pain is slowly fading, though its after-effects throb inside his head. He closes his eyes, tries to calm himself from the initial shock. It’s okay. It’s okay. He repeats those words like a mantra, grounding himself in his mission. This is your duty. This is your role. You have to save everyone.
He opens his eyes. Sukuna stares at him, head cocked to the side, waiting.
Yuuji will not let him have the last laugh. He will not let Sukuna see him as weak and pitiful.
Even if he is to die, he’ll do so on his own terms – with pride.
“Do it,” he snaps, holding Sukuna’s gaze. “Fulfill the contract, and withdraw your forces from the human realm.”
Silence. Yuuji holds his breath, readying himself for the moment the three-pronged spear will appear in Sukuna’s hand and pierce through his heart. He doesn’t care what Sukuna does with him afterwards, whether he destroys or burns or devours his body, it doesn’t matter. As long as he saves everyone, nothing matters.
But Sukuna simply furrows his brow. His gaze searches Yuuji’s own, as if confirming something, before his lips split open in a hearty laugh.
“Holy saintess,” he guffaws, “did you– did you actually think I’m here to kill you?”
Yuuji stares. His mind screeches to a halt.
“What?” he somehow manages to ask.
“The contract was quite clear with its terms,” Sukuna continues. “Your life in exchange for the lives of the humans.”
“I know.” Of course he knows the terms of the contract. He’d spent hours pouring over the magical document to make sure there were no loopholes that Sukuna could exploit after his death. It was only when he made sure that the contract was binding did he sign it, with a feather pen dipped in his own blood. So, why wasn’t Sukuna killing him?
“The contract never stated you were to die,” Sukuna purrs. “It was only written that your life would be mine – and you’re far too precious for me to kill, holy saintess.”
Yuuji’s breath catches in his throat. For a moment, it’s like the world freezes around him.
He’s… not going to die?
Sukuna’s not going to kill him?
“Then…” He glances around at the stone-walled room, the feather bed he lies on, then back at the King of Demons, looming above him. An icy fear grips his heart – not the fear of death, nor of pain. A more primal fear. Something instinctive, an ancient impulse to run as fast as he can.
“What is this?” Yuuji finally whispers.
“What is this?” Sukuna repeats, cocking his head. He leans forward and cups Yuuji’s cheek, black nails dragging against his skin. “Why, it’s our wedding night, my dear.”
The Demon King grips Yuuji’s jaw with an iron-clad force as his other hand rips through Yuuji’s white robes. Before Yuuji could even scream, his lips are smashed against Sukuna’s own in a fierce, hungry kiss. His body is shoved back onto the bed, the mattress dipping underneath both their weights as Sukuna forces himself between Yuuji’s legs.
No. His mind is dazed, confused, panicked – but even in his weakened state he knows he must fight back. He can’t let this happen. He needs to escape, summon a spell–
His brain erupts in flames of agony.
STAY DOWN.
For a moment, Yuuji’s vision goes black. When he regains his consciousness, Sukuna has already broken their kiss, pulling away to loosen his own regal black robes. Yuuji’s lips are wet and bloodied, stinging with pain – it takes a few seconds for him to realize that Sukuna must’ve bitten him.
“You should obey your commands, holy saintess,” Sukuna tells him, voice calm and measured, as if everything that was happening was perfectly ordinary, perfectly normal. “Too much exposure to that spell will drive you mad, eventually.”
“What–” Yuuji touches his bloodied lip, half-dazed from the pain and shock. “Why are you– I don’t—”
“You gave your life to me,” Sukuna interrupts. “It is now mine to do as I see fit. And right now –”
Two hands hoist Yuuji’s supple thighs, spreading his legs around Sukuna’s waist.
“– I really want to fuck you, sweetheart.”
For a moment, the words don’t compute in Yuuji’s brain. This can’t be happening. It just can’t. He had been fully prepared to die, but this? His eyes quiver as Sukuna’s nails cut through the last piece of fabric maintaining his dignity, leaving him exposed. A tear slips down his cheek, then another, then another.
“Why are you crying?” Sukuna asks, his voice tinged with mockery. “Don’t be shy, holy saintess – aren’t you used to performing for others? Besides…” He drags a finger down the soft flesh of Yuuji’s belly, lower and lower until his skin grazes against a place no one has ever touched before. “It seems like your body was made for this task, after all.”
Something inside him snaps. “Fuck you!” Yuuji spits, kicking out his leg. For some reason, Sukuna lets him, looking at him in amusement like one does a disobedient pet. “You’re dead, you’re dead – I don’t care how long it takes, but I’ll–”
“What?” Sukuna interrupts. He presses his thumb against Yuuji's entrance, applying pressure but not forcing in. A warning. A threat. “You’ll kill me? I remember you saying the same the last time we met. How did that turn out for you, hmm?”
Yuuji grits his teeth. His body burns hot with shame and humiliation. He can’t win, he knows. Not right now. Not in this condition. But as long as he lives, as long as he draws breath – no matter what Sukuna does to him, no matter how long he is kept down here, he’ll kill him.
He meets Sukuna’s eyes. “Do it,” he grits out. “And get it over with.”
Sukuna’s eyes narrow. For once, he sees displeasure on the Demon King’s face.
Before Yuuji has a chance to relish in his small victories, Sukuna seizes his jaw in a flash, slamming his head down on the mattress.
“Alright,” he says, with a terrifying calmness. “As you wish, holy saintess.”
There was no preparation. No warning. No ease into his body, nothing that could have readied him for the pain that came next. He sees Sukuna thrust his lips, then feels the intrusion – a large, throbbing, cock being forced inside his untouched, delicate entrance. He thinks he screams. He’s not sure. He knows he’s being ripped apart, that his blood is dripping down his thighs, that Sukuna digs his nails into his waist and cuts vicious lines down his hips. He knows his vision blurs and spins, and it feels like he’s dying.
Maybe he is. Maybe he should.
Somewhere that seems far away and all too close, he hears Sukuna grunt.
“Fuck, you’re tight,” he remarks, a little breathless. “So this is what a saintess’ cunt feels like. I suppose I’m your first? You’re meant to be pure, aren’t you?” He chuckles to himself, then meets Yuuji’s eye. His gaze is taunting, daring him to react. “Though you’re gripping me so desperately, I’m not sure if that’s true.”
Die, die, die, he thinks, but he can’t even scream, can’t even form a proper sentence. All that leaves his lips are tiny, incomprehensible gasps with each violent thrust. His body is pushed back against the bed. The smell of iron is heavy in the air.
Sukuna keeps fucking him. He hates that the Demon King’s right – that his dirty cunt squeezes around his cock like a vice, milking him and keeping him inside. He hates that the glide is easier now, and he knows it’s not just because of the blood. Little sparks of pleasure travel up his spine. He’s wet. He likes this. He wants–
No! He shakes his head, violently biting down on his tongue. The pain jolts him back to reality.
“What –” he spits, glaring at Sukuna above him. “What are you doing to me? Why are you making me feel–” The word ‘good’ goes unsaid, but Sukuna smirks.
“Nothing at all,” the Demon King says. He reaches down a hand and pinches Yuuji’s red, protruding clit. Electrifying pleasure washes over him like a wave. His body convulses, and Sukuna groans as Yuuji’s pussy tightens around him.
“You’re just a natural-born slut, sweetheart.”
"No,” Yuuji gasps, but oh, fuck, Sukuna’s big, and he presses against all the right places, little nodes of ecstasy that Yuuji didn’t know existed inside him. “No, that’s not, um – ah, ah, please–”
The short sounds of rejection are suppressed by his moans. His legs hanging on Sukuna’s waist subconsciously entangle with each other, stimulating the Demon King to penetrate his body deeper and harder.
He’s so full, stretched to his very limit, like he’s about to burst. He sees the skin of his lower abdomen bulge with every movement of Sukuna’s hips, up and down, up and down. His stomach lurches with nausea, but pleasure also. By the end of this, will his stomach bulge with Sukuna’s spend? Or even his child?
He feels his cunt clench uncontrollably at the thought. Sukuna groans. He reaches up to the stiff, pink nipples on Yuuji’s chest, tugging at the little nubs roughly.
“Ah!” Yuuji flinches. It hurts, like an electric current flowing down his spine. He wants to lean back, to escape Sukuna’s touch, but the Demon King has his body interlocked on his cock, and there’s nowhere to escape.
“Whore,” he hears Sukuna taunt. He pinches the swollen nubs, flicking and stroking until the pink blossoms into a swollen red. “You act so chaste and pure, but beneath your holy robes, who knew you had the body of a prostitute?”
Yuuji shakes his head. “No,” he whimpers, but he barely hears what he’s saying. “No, no, that’s not true, I– Hghh–!”
Another twist of his swollen tits sends his back arching against the mattress. His chest and his cunt seem to be connected in a triangular net of pleasure, suffocating Yuuji’s brain, so all he could think about is how good it feels, how full he is, how he’s about to come –
“Oh, fuck,” Sukuna groans from above him. He grips Yuuji’s waist like a vice, pinning him down, slamming into him like a sex doll. Yuuji unconsciously clamped his legs together, pussy squeezing Sukuna’s dick tight. He wants more, more of this pleasure, this pain, this crushing, desperate need–
Something breaks inside him.
Yuuji’s eyes roll back into his skull. Fireworks explode in the back of his head, in the darkness under his eyelids. Saliva drips from the corner of his slackened mouth, his entire body hot, hot, hot – his brain boiling to the edge of overload, a million cicadas buzzing in his ears.
He feels like he’s dying. He’s never felt more alive.
He vaguely feels his body bouncing on the bed, or his trembling calves being hoisted onto Sukuna’s shoulders. His vision spins when Sukuna pushes him back, his lips parting in a weak moan when the Demon King uses the new position to pistol into Yuuji’s gut even deeper. His nerves scream in overstimulation, and his body twitches uncontrollably, but he has no power left to resist. He can only let Sukuna fuck him, and whimper softly when a burst of liquid heat finally floods his insides.
For a moment, they both lay there, gasping and catching their breaths. Wetness pools in the base of Yuuji’s thighs – proof of his desire, and of the Demon King’s, too. He can feel trickles of semen leaking from his ravaged cunt, though most of it remains plugged in him, Sukuna’s thick cock keeping it locked inside his womb.
Gently, he raises a hand, drags his shaking fingers across the slight bulge in his belly. Perhaps he will get pregnant, after all.
He lets his hand fall to his side. All at once, he feels so tired. Exhaustion seeps into his bones. He closes his eyes. He doesn’t want to think, just to sleep, sleep and dream and forget everything…
Teeth sink into his neck – nipping his fragile throat, sucking marks into his skin and jolting him awake.
Sukuna presses a kiss to his cheek. He grinds his hips, and Yuuji flinches, eyes growing wide when he feels his cock grow hard once again inside him.
“The night is still long, holy saintess,” the Demon King purrs. “And I’m not done with you yet.”