Chapter 1
Chapter Text
Life is a cruel joke, and often, jokes have meaning. Unlike mine, however, as my own life barely means anything in particular. Working in customer service at the store, 4:2, 12 hours a day just to feed myself and my ever growing anime and game addiction is not what I imagined I would do as an adult.
Nothing good ever comes out of life like this, but I couldn't care less, because it doesn't matter if it's meaningful or not. In the end, I'm happy I got to do stuff I enjoy. I live separately from my family, don't have a girlfriend or a lover, and I barely leave my home on my free days. After clocking out from work, all I want to do is lay in my bed, either reading manga or novels, watch anime or write something no one will ever see, either because I can't finish what I started, or because the work turned out to be so cringe I turned it down.
Hello there, my name in Y/n L/n, I'm 18 y/o, college graduate that couldn't find a job fitting the profession he studied for, and now waste my life appreciating little joys I got to achieve. I just clocked out from my last shift, and i barely have any more strength to even think of anything meaningful after spending 12 hours in this hell people call "work".
- At least new chapter of jjk just dropped. A shame Megumi keeps making me want to revaluate what I thought of him and his usage of his own CT. Man, what a waste of potential. He was such a loved character of mine. - With a tired sigh, I put the phone back into my pocket, only to hear the screeching of tires and blaring horn of a several ton truck moving in my general direction. My mind just completely froze then and there. I could only stare at the approaching truck, like a deer on a highway, trying to desperately move my legs to avoid certain death that was about to come.
Unfortunately, life had other plans on me, and in the end, I couldn't do anything to even move a single muscle. The truck tried to avoid me, as seen by the trail of the burned tires on the road, but it was not enough. Judging by the liquid leaking I could observe before I was hit, something happened to either brakes, engine or radiator. It doesn't matter, because next thing I knew, I was laying on the groung after flying back from impact, pain surging through my entire body.
"It hurts...it hurts...it hurts so much..."- My only thoughts were filled with unimaginable sensation of pain. Never in my entire life have I felt so bad I did now. I could feel my own bones breaking with the impact, my hands unmoving in front of my eyes, twisted in an angle they physically shouldn't be allowed to, because it the last possible moment, I tried to shield my face with my hands. Blood was leaving my body through all the gushing wounds I got after my bones broke, tearing the skin and muscles they were under.
My own blood, leaking under me, felt so warm, but I, on the contrary, started to feel cold. This was terrifying, I couldn't tear my eyes from the blood on the ground, outside my own body, getting colder and colder with each passing second. My phone, cracked from the impact, was now on the ground, and, even through all the ringing in my ears, hazy gaze and my brain shutting down, could see the last notification before I closed my eyes from the wave of fatigue hitting me.
"New chapter has been released."
- What a way...to die... - I couldn't smile anymore, as my muscles stopped listening to me a while ago. Even so, I felt so delighted. At the verge of death, I finally understood what Gojo meant in his second encounter with Toji. I didn't bear any hatred towards anyone. The world, truly, is beautiful. In this very moment, my heart, has finally, made it's last beat.
***
I never expected to open my eyes again after such a painful death, but, somehow, I did. Not because I got miraculously patched up by doctors, I was more than sure there's no way I would ever survive with those wounds before doctors arrive, but because someone, something dragged me out of the place I called home.
My brain couldn't comprehend what it was seeing, but, after sitting in the same position I woke up in, I started sorting my thoughts one by one. My certain death, unknown place, a chair I'm sitting in, a rather starry, blurry background and floor, and a chair in front of me, empty from anyone.
"I'm more than sure I died. Is that what believers call afterlife?" - I thought, looking around for anyone to explain what is going on. Gladly, just as I thought of trying to look around this place, a gold, truly divine light has lit up above the second chair in front of me. Before I could comprehend what was happening, a figure materialized just where the light was shining, and now, a divine being sat in front of me.
A woman of unparalleled beauty, clothed into a purple gown, with white hair and purple eyes. Her hands laid on her knees, gaze pointed at me, with a little smile adoring her pretty face. I can't, for the life of me, remember anyone coming even close in terms of beauty to this truly divine woman. There was no need to guess, it was a Goddess, and the divine light above her head could no do anything but confirm my thoughts.
- Y/n L/n, welcome to the afterlife. Your journey on Green Earth had, unfortunately, ended. - She slightly lowered her head, then raised it back to look at me. - I'm Eris, the Goddess of Luck, guiding people who died in Japan to the new beginning.
- So I was not wrong...i really died back there, huh. - With a tired sigh, and a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a few second, and opened them to look at Eris. - It's a pleasure to meet you, Eris-sama. What should I do next?
Being polite is only natural, given I was sitting in front of a deity of luck. She's polite herself, waits for me to sort my thoughts, and is not dumping information on me without any preparation time. She clearly knows how to deal with people who died.
- In the process, you have two choices. First of all, you can get reborn back on earth, with no memories of your previous life. This may not sound so appealing, but you will get a little better life than you had before. Second, you can go to heaven, basking in the sun with other people who ascended there. - She raised two fingers, and patiently waited for me to think it over.
- Admittedly...i don't want neither. Is there any other option? - Life on earth was harsh, nerve-wracking, annoying and boring most of the time, and basking in the sun with other dead people is not a part of my dreams. It sounded more like hell than anything else.
- I think there is, indeed, an option we can discuss. - She stretches her hands, standing up, and slowly walks to me, while the light from above follows her every step. - In the faraway world, filled with magic and adventures, a Demon Lord is causing chaos whenever he and his army appears. He terrorized generations of people so much that people that died never wanted to return back to their world, thus decreasing the population. In order to fight back against the terror of the Demon Lord, we decided to bring people from other worlds to help in ending his reign. You will be given one ability, power or item of your choice to help you, and if you succeed in defeating him, you will be given one wish that can grant you anything. - When she got closer, and stood right in front of me, she spread her hands, telling me a tale of another world. This, indeed, sounded dire, but the prospect of getting an ability AND a wish if I succeed did indeed sound thrilling. - Do you wish to help the world in need of a hero?
- Do I get to understand the language of this world?
- Of course. - Out of thin air, on the palm of her hand, a book appeared, flipping through pages by itself. - This book will fill your brain with the information needed to blend in, such as currency, language and basic understanding of prices for some items. While it cannot help you with cultural differences, it should be enough for you to start your journey. What is your answer?
- Yes, I would love to go there. Demon Lord or not, a new world is full of possibilities and places to explore. - I couldn't contain my smile, and, seeing this, Eris levitated the book to me, only for it to glow brighter, as I could feel a slight headache from the new information filling my brain at once.
- For starters, you can pick something from the list before you, or think of something specific that you want. It all depends on you, but take your time, as you will be bound to your wish. Wouldn't want to regret the choice you made later, do you? - After she said that, several pieces of paper appeared on the floor, and I quickly scanned over them to see anything worthy. And, to be honest, the choices weren't half as bad. Sacred Sword of Seven Stars, Cursed Sword Masamune, Ice Magic, Water Magic and so on. Unfortunately, over-specialization is something I don't want to be a part off. Being a one trick pony is good at times, but it sucks when you're in a situation your ability or item can't do anything.
With this thought in mind, I sat back in the chair, and put a chin on the hand, thinking of something that won't be outright boring to use, such as Saitama's broken limiter. First of all, I needed the ability to have multiple things that can either help in attack, defense or support, not be limited to a one time use, and not be straining on my body. A large amount of possible abilities appeared in mind, but only one stood out among others, because it was one of the things I have thought about before I died. The choice was made long time ago.
- I wish to obtain the Ten Shadows Technique, with large reserves of Cursed Energy to boot it up. Is that possible? - Eris looked conflicted for a second, until I saw her face brighten in realization.
- While it can count as two wishes, we can do it in the other way. The technique is the base, but the energy it the mean to use it, so it doesn't matter which size reserves I can grant, as it should come with technique itself. Your wish has been granted, Y/n L/n.
If I could, I would've hugged her right here and right now. This is the best possible Goddess I have ever seen...not that I saw any other than her personally, but my gut tells me she is the best.
- Is there any churches dedicated to you, Eris-sama? I will pray every day for such generosity.
- There is, in fact, a church of Eris cult in every major city. Even the starter city for adventurers has one. I would be delighted to have you there. - I could only nod, making sure I keep my promise. Wish a deep breath, I close my eyes, anticipating the moment I will be sent to a new world.
I could feel my legs letting go of the ground, and the feeling of levitation takes over me, as I float to the sky, feeling changes in my body, as well as even more information on the Technique I just obtained.
- Good luck in your adventure, Y/n-san. I will pray for your success. - With the final words from Eris, I could feel my consciousness fading away, meaning I would soon be in the new, unexplored world.
***
Eris: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
My consciousness returns in a flash, and as I slowly open my eyes, I could see giant plains full of grass, a city in a relatively small distance away, and a few trees, one of which I was transported under.
I could instantly feel the difference in clothes I was in, as the sensation was way more different than my normal clothes I died in. Looking at myself, I could see a Jujutsu High uniform, and, as it appears, those clothes are no different from what Megumi and Yuji were wearing. It's light, easy to move in, and, of course, is the most needed drip.
- Now that's what I'm talking about! - Deciding to check the pockets, I find a small pouch with some coins, and a small note inside.
Dear Y/n L/n,
As a bonus to your adventure, I gave you a small capital to start with, which is 10 000 eris. 1000 eris will be needed to register in the adventure's guild, and I suggest you do so as soon as possible. Everything else is for you to eat and get a place for a living, so try not to spend everything too soon.
Since it seemed like a good idea, I gave you a place to check out your newfound ability, and a new clothes to match it. Do be careful with them, as if they will get torn, it will be up to you to fix it, and it might cost you a pretty coin.
Signed, Eris.
- She keeps proving that she's the best. - Putting a note in the chest pocket, to keep it as a precious reminder of her generosity, I dig through my new memories, to understand how to move and use cursed energy first, and how to use Ten Shadows Technique second.
With the memories implanted in my head, it was no problem to channel the cursed energy through my entire body, creating a protective layer and boosting my overall strength and durability. The only problem was the fact that it felt sloppy, because my body itself was not yet used to the newfound energy inside of me. I can't use Reverse Cursed Technique yet, and I'm not sure how to use it, even if I understand how it works from watching and reading the show. I will have to experiment and train to get it eventually.
And now, for the CT itself. The user of the technique obtains his first summon, two Divine Dogs, as a start, and has to proceed with a ritual to obtain other summons, which means 9 other shikigami. In order to obtain them, user not only needs to summon them, but to defeat them in battle, alone with his summons, and no outside help whatsoever, because in other case, the ritual will be null, and I won't obtain the summon.
-Divine Dogs.- Making a gesture with my hands, matching that of a dog head, I channel the cursed energy into the technique, watching as my own shadow extends in order to materialize two wolves, black and white, with their size being that of a huge wolf. Even thought they are called Divine Dogs, they are actually wolves. Both of them have 3 red dots on their forehead, each connected to each other with a line, making it a triangle. Other than this, they look relatively normal, and if you don't know much, you can mistake them for domesticated wolves.
As both of them materialized from my shadow, they turned in my direction, looking over me, as this is the first time they are actually summoned. Kneeling in front of them, I stretch my palms to them, and, before I realize it, they start to sniff it, immediately getting used to my smell. After they were done, I place a hand on their heads, and pet them, seeing barely any reaction from them. It seems they just try to understand what it means, but they will grow to like it later.
- My name is Y/n, it's nice to meet you both. Hope we get along nicely.
- Woof. - They responded to me without any expression on their faces, and as I stood up, and looked at the tree, I had an idea.
- Slash at that tree, both of you. I want to see how much damage can you deal. - Without any other notice, they both, at breathtaking speed, ran at the tree, extending their paws to slash it with their claws, only for the tree to start falling immediately, because they cut right through it, and I can't even hug the tree whole with both of my hands. Tree trunk was way too thick for that, and yet, with them slashing it both at once, they cut it down like it was a piece of paper. As the tree fell to the ground, I stood there, amazed at their physical prowess, until they came back to me, wagging their tails. I couldn't resist, and pet them again.
Once I was done with that, I went to the tree, picked up one piece of the branch that broke after the fall, and got it closer to my shadow, dropping it right in. It did confirm my theory. I can, indeed, store items inside my own shadow. I do feel the weight of this branch, so I can't just put a whole chest full of gold inside and hope not to feel a thing. I have to bear the weight of the things I put there, which is still nice.
- Alright then. Time to move to the city, where the beginners start their journey. Axel, wait for me!
***
As I was approaching the city itself, I could see some adventurers of different kind walking out of the city, be it alone or with parties, probably on to finish their quests. There were girls with mage outfits, warriors with swords in plated or leather armor, I could see a few people in robes with daggers on their belts, probably assassin's or thief's, I even saw a priest with a cleric staff walking out with a party. As I walked past them to enter the city, I caught some stares, but they didn't last long, as it's probably just new to them to see someone walking with 2 big wolves of such exotic appearance. The guards at the gate didn't even ask anything, and just stood there, unmoving, only taking a look at me and my shikigami. It was unnerving, since I could potentially be a threat, and they wouldn't even suspect it.
Security measures aside, the town itself looked nice. The main streets were clean, houses were good as new, the people on the streets were smiling as often as I could see, and adventurers were walking around as if nothing in this world matters.
"And where is the Demon Lord everyone talks about? This place is peaceful as it could be. Maybe the army have yet to get to the beginners town?" - I wondered, looking around. Since I could read anything that was written here with ease, I immediately noted some places for myself to use in the future, such as the inn, blacksmith, and, looking for a guild, I even saw a potion/magic shop, which was owned by someone named "Wiz", judging by the sign.
Gladly, my memory serves me good, and I returned to the main street, from where I easily found the guild, since it was one of the largest building in the town, as well as the big sign at the entrance pointing to it. I could already hear a commotion inside, be it either a fight, an argument or a celebration of something.
*Crash*
Judging by the sound, and the body that flew outside, it's a fight.
- What a day to become adventurer. - With a smile, I pushed the door open, witnessing a few adventurers fighting without their weapons, be it either because someone stole their mug of beer, or anything else, really. Give man a reason, and he will throw hands.
Once I entered, everyone suddenly fell quiet, either because a new face showed up, and they wanted to see who is that, or because two giant wolves are not the crowd they seek to fight around. It didn't matter, really, because once I walked past them, Divine Dogs following me closely behind, all of them calmed down and sat back to drink and eat whatever they were having.
It was no brainer to guess that guild was sharing their place with a tavern, since I could see a registration booth not far ahead, and approaching it, I immediately took out a single gold coin, which is 1000 eris, to pay for the fee, just like Eris warned me about.
- Welcome to the Adventures Guild. A new face, I see. How can I help you? - The guild worker with a blonde hair and a pretty face asked, looking up at me from the documents she was sorting through. She leaned a bit forward, opening a room for her bountiful chest to be shown, and it was either how her clothes were made, and she didn't intend to do it, or it was a way to dumb down male adventurers to make it easier to work with them.
- Good day to you as well. I want to register in the guild. What's the procedure I need to follow? - Before she could ask, I placed the coin on the counter, and she cut herself in attempt to ask for a fee, silently taking it and standing up from her chair.
- First, let me formally explain the base of the adventurers work. Adventurers are responsible for the extermination of monsters wandering outside of the town walls. They're the people who get rid of danger that may harm the citizens. Someone calls them Jack-of-all-trades, since there is a big variety of missions, starting with extermination, dungeon exploration or resque missions, ending with personal missions someone may request from certain Adventurer, - she took out a blank card, placing it under a blue crystal, and looked at me. - This is your Adventurer Card. It keeps track of everything you've done as Adventurer. Your level, stats and how many monsters you've killed. When you raise your level, you gain a skill points that you can use to obtain new skills of your class or learn a new ones from other adventurers if it suits your class. Now, please, place your hand above the crystal. - While she was explaining the base to me, she took out a blank card, placing it under a machine with a crystal above it, urging me to do as she told me to.
I placed a hand above the magical crystal, which started to spin in a rapid motion, writing the information it was reading from me with a laser, imprinting it into a card. I could immediately see the changes, as I saw it writing down my name and my stats, which I couldn't really see due to the crystal itself blocking the view. One it stopped glowing, I removed my hand from above it, and saw the guild worker taking the card from under the crystal itself.
- Y/n L/n-san, correct? Your stats are, indeed, impressive. Strength in the average zone, endurance above average on pair with your defense. Your agility is impressive, nearing the limit. Wow! That magic and intelligence stats are enormous! This luck is also top notch, a little lower than our other adventurer with high luck stat, but still! Which class are you, even? You can pick anything magic related, be it arch-wizard, arch-priest, spellsword or an Arcane Caster! - Her shouting did, in fact, gather the attention of everyone in the guild, and now, aside from people getting closer to listen in, I could feel their gazes eating me whole.
- I'm a summoner. Those boys are of my summoning pact. - Petting the wolves that kept wagging their tails, I let her know of them as my "familiars". If there is indeed a summoner class, I could power up my shikigami to make them even stronger.
- A rare class, indeed. Summoners rely on their summon's strength in order to fight and do other dangerous jobs, and it seems you're a good one as well, seeing as you already have not one, but two summons by your side already. - She nods her head, using the card as a touchscreen to select a summoner class for me, and once it was done, I could feel the changes in my understanding of magic and abilities of the class, and then she gave the card to me. - Make sure you don't lose your card, and keep it close to yourself. We wish you good luck in your future endeavors, and hope to work with you until the very end.
- Thank you, I will make sure I will. How may I call you, fine Lady? - I smile, taking the card from her, putting it in the chest pocket, where I keep note from Eris.
- My name is Luna. It's nice to meet you. - She smiled back, returning to her documents as soon as I decided to go look around the guild. Of course, the board with quests and notes from another adventurers caught my attention, so I decided to go take a look at it.
"Pack of wolves terrorizes local farm and it's livestock, track their lair and hunt them down."
"Griffin took over the mages tower at the west, need a mage for a party of 4 to take him down. Advanced level magic only."
"Be careful around the swamps. Alligator activity has been high since recently."
"The giant toad mating season has started. Take down 10 to prevent them from causing troubles before it's too late."
- Interesting. It can be not only for quests, but also for warnings from scouts that wanted to contribute to others. - I hummed, inspecting other requests, warnings and party recruitment posts. For now, at least, I noted a few Icouldtake alone, but it all depends on circ*mstances. Divine Dogs are strong, fast and smart, but there's only 2 of them. If something happens, and they both will be busy with something, I will be left defenseless due to me not having much of an experience with fighting. The most I got in my entire life was a few fist fights that either ended because someone stopped us, or because we understood that if we hit each other once again, someone will pass out. That's it.
Sure, I got cursed energy, but the only things I learned on practice right now is how to imbue my body with it, and it won't help me much if my opponent has high attack power or can ignore defense completely. I don't have enough money to buy a sword that I can use in tandem with my Shadow Storage, and not that I have experience in using any, anyways. I have a lot to learn in this new world, it seems.
"I should probably take a look at my card, at least." - With that said, and card now in hands, I scanned through the information written on it, to confirm what Luna told me before. My stats, just as she said, were kind of a big deal, but my strength and defense are lacking for now, given I only got so much on me. I will change it with time. For now, I need to see my limits. Looking at the skills tab, I could instantly see the "Ten Shadows" skill, which was leveled 1/10. It had another tab to show more info, and I could see that everything, apart from Divine Dogs, were grayed out, showing me it's unavailable, although all of them had an orange dot near them, which I presumed was indicating I can still summon them. Divine dogs also got the orange dot, but they also got a green one, indicating they are tamed.
I needed to up my arsenal as soon as it's possible, but for now, at least, I had to test myself in an actual combat scenario to see if I'm even capable to subjugate any other shikigami. Toad, at least, will be my first target, that much I can tell.
Other than listing my shikigami, the skill section provided me with the skills I can unlock in the future. First four skills are related to buffing my shikigami, be it raw strength, durability, speed or magic attack. After them, goes skills locked after specific shikigami I will subjugate later, but I can't see the possible effects or even the name of the skill before I tame the shikigami itself. Then, comes protective or maneuvering skills that will help me or my shikigami during battle. For example, switch, which should allow me to switch with my summon as long as I have enough mana to travel both of us through the range between me and shikigami itself. At least thats how I see it will work, I can't really know the effect of the skill before I unlock it.
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to take the quest to kill the toads, since first off, they're the closest available monsters in the area, being just outside of the city walls in the plains I appeared in, second, they're pretty slow, from what I found out reading the notes left by other adventurers, and third, they are resistant to blunt damage, and slashing with piercing attacks are the most effective against them, aside from fire and ice magic, which I do not possess. Divine Dogs have enough attack power to slash them open, or, at least, I believe they do.
I took the paper with a quest to kill 10 toads outside of city walls, and brought it to Luna to review it. Maybe I will get more Intel on them while I'm talking with her.
- Hello again, Luna. I want to try myself at this one. - Handing her the quest notice, I saw her face darken for a second, as If she remembered something disgusting, only for it to return back to normal. - Is there a problem?
- It depends on you and your summons. They're huge, bigger than some houses, believe me on that. While they are slow, their size and long jumps do make it up for them. If you're faced with a need to run from them, then it will be a difficult time for you, because in a mating season, they eat anything they come across, be it a livestock or humans. Their tongue are not to be underestimated either. It has long reach, huge speed and if you got caught, it's hard to get out due to all the slime. I recommend you get a party, but if you are sure you can handle that, I won't stop you, they are the issue that we can't ignore. - Honestly, I didn't expect her to tell me that much, but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the information. Maybe I'll treat her to something later, but right now, I'm tight on cash to do so. I need to feed myself first and foremost.
- I'll need to at least see what it's all about. Those two are strong, and I'm pretty sure that if it comes to me needing to run, I will be out of battle in no time. - I could see a relief on her face, as if it's way too common for people to underestimate the toads that are bigger than a house, only to get killed in the process.
- Alright. Do be careful, I wish you the best.
- Thanks, I will make sure to get back here to see you again.
***
Luna: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
While I was outside before, I didn't encounter any toads that quests kept talking about, nor did I see any before in the distance, but now that I'm looking for them specifically, they keep appearing anywhere I look. Most of the time, I just see them hopping around at the edge of my vision, being too far for me to actually see their zise, but now that I got farther away from the city, I could see in person that Luna was not sugar coating it. Those things are huge!
It would take at least 4 of me stacked atop of each other to reach it's head, and it's an achievement in itself, given I'm not the smallest fish in the pond. It still didn't take away the fact that yes, it is, indeed, slow. Not slow it terms of speed, mind you, if they chase you, they will most definitely catch up to you, they are slow in terms of doing stuff. They take a lot of time to jump after landing, and each attempt at attacking anything with their tongue leaves them vulnerable for attacks, because it takes some time for them to retract it back.
Observing them for a little while gave me just enough information to proceed forward, because I can't just barge into a fight I have no idea I could win in, and possibly lose not only my shikigami, but my new life as well. Roughly doing some math in my head, I calculated that I can, potentially, outrun it's tongue if I try hard enough, so I can act as a bait while Divine Dogs fight it.
-Divine Dogs. - Summoning my shikigami, I glared at the toad in front of me, who was jumping randomly to find some food. It didn't noticed me yet, so it was a perfect chance to sneak attack it. - I will distract it. You two get it from the sides and slash at its stomach or head if you can jump high enough. Go! - As soon as I said that, they ran to the side to flank it, while I, boosting my agility with cursed energy covering my entire body, ran forward to catch the attention of the distracted frog. - Hey you, look down there! - As predicted, it noticed me, turning its head in my direction. Immediately, it decided to cover the distance between us in order to catch me with a higher chance, and once it landed after jump, I sprung into action with more speed that I had moved in my life.
As it shot it's slimy tongue in my direction, I made a sharp turn to the left, leaping out from it's range, buying time for my shikigami to get it in one hit. They already got into position and started accelerating, and once toad has retracted it's tongue and attacked me again, I ducked down, successfully evading the slimy tongue, and jumping to the side, I was looking at the jump Divine Dogs has performed, readying their paws and claws to tear the frog apart, and as they got closer, I could see that the frog noticed them way too late.
- Take it down! - I yelled, and even though I was sure they can tear it apart with ease, it didn't stop me from worrying over them. What if it's skin prove to be too much for their claws? What if it survives and attacks my precious shikigami? My worries proved to be nothing but a sudden burst of panic, as Divine Dogs slashed at its stomach, splitting the skin apart, tearing it's insides with a single strike, and after they landed, they jumped off of the ground, going for it's head to land a sure-kill attack. They were able to jump just high enough to hit its brain, and once it was done, the frog, now permanently asleep, fell down with its weight not being supported anymore.
I sighed with relief, seeing as everything turned out just as planned, and moved closer to the body of a dead toad. First thing first, it stinks. The slime that was covering it's insides was now outside of its body, leaking from its wounds mixed with blood, which was not a smell I would describe as even remotely nice. Gladly, the eyes were unharmed, so I, gathering all the courage I could muster, covered my body in a protective layer of cursed energy to protect myself from all the slime, blood and brain parts covering its body, plucked it's eyes out with my bare fingers. It was disgusting, but it had to be done. Eyes, while being one of the most expensive part of giant toads, was also one of the way of confirming a kill. It does show up in my adventurers card, but more money won't hurt. I was going to originally try and take their legs as well, but sadly, I forgot to take into the account the amount of weight I can carry alone.
I can place one leg into my shadow, and it will already be a lot, so I can't carry a second leg to get more bonus reward, which is food. Still, it didn't mean I will just leave it there to decay, because now, after a fight, my Divine Dogs deserved to be treated to some food they had hunted.
- Dig in, boys, the second leg is yours. - Patting them as a gesture of appreciation, and smiling at the first sign of them getting used to it, which is tail wagging, I let them freely eat the fold they had deserved.
***
After hunting toads until it was late evening, I was spent. I made at least 4 trips back to back, to carry the toad legs back to the guild, sell the eyes, and finally, after everything was done, I was back into the city, smelling of grass after all the rolling I had to do to avoid getting caught, and a slight smell of my sweat. Fortunately, the reward, while being pretty average from what I understood of this world's economy, will be enough to make me a living for at least a few days of luxury, or one trip to the blacksmith to get at least some sort of weaponry. I still have the gift I got from Eris, which isn't a lot, but I have yet to fully finish the quest. I only managed to kill 5 toads, and I need 5 more. I hope I can get a sword, spear or anything that may help by tomorrow, before I will hunt the remaining toads. It will be way easier to hunt them if I have a weapon on my own, instead of always relying on my shikigami, which isn't bad, but it can turn into a bad habit.
Each toad was worth 5 thousand eris, which is half of what I got from Eris herself as a starting bonus, eyes were sold for 5 thousand for one pair, and legs were not sold, but instead donated to the tavern's kitchen, which was suggested to me by Luna, and the bonus for doing this is as follows: 50% discount for buying fried toad legs for 5 servings(Each serving is enough to feed an average person for half a day), or 20% discount for the next 5 meals I want to order. This is a nice deal, and given that I heard that those legs are delicious, I couldn't refuse.
Now, for the amount of money I got. 25 thousand Eris for killing 5 toads, 25 thousand eris for 5 pairs of eyes, which amounts to a total of 50 thousand eris. 10 thousand eris is enough to amount for a few days a single person can live in a tavern and eat cheap food with some alcohol to boot, and those 50 thousand should be enough for some starting equipment. I wont spend all of it in one go, of course, but I will have to make sure I buy quality equipment instead of a cheap stick that will break from a single swing.
After a quick trip to the shower to get the disgusting smell off of me, I went around the city, looking for a church of Eris cult, which was not that hard to find, given there were only two churches, one of which is closed. I arrived to the church when the sun was beginning to set, and after greeting a few priests and priestesses that were on duty, I went to the altar, kneeling in front of it, tossing a single coin in the fountain as a donation to the church itself.
- "Eris-sama, I hope this prayer reaches your ears. I thank you for your gift, and wish you many blessings for what you've done for me so far. The day I spent here was very productive, and I started grasping the iceberg of ability I had asked for. I want to buy myself a weapon soon with the money I've gotten, but I'm not sure how will I fit with it, given I have no one to teach me how to fight with any of the weapons I might find useful. A sword, a dagger or anything that can cut and stab. If it's not too much to ask, please, help me find someone who is willing to teach me the basics. Thank you."
At first, I was not sure if it even worked, but the coin I had tossed into the fountain had glowed with a golden light, and I saw Eris herself, which was engraved on the coin, blink at me, which gave me the guarantee that she did, indeed, hear me. With a smile on my face, I left the church, going to the guild to eat something and turn in for the night.
***
The guild hall was very loud tonight. A lot of drunkards, which were mainly adventurers, were drinking as if it was their last day on this green earth, eating until they blow up and singing until they rupture their throat. While it was annoying due to my newly enhanced hearing after getting cursed energy, I did have fun listening to the songs and stories told by people around me. I was just eating the toad legs I ordered, and while they were a little tough, they are, indeed, delicious. I did not order any alcohol tonight, and not because I don't like it in particular, but because I had a long day of hunting toads tomorrow as well.
Walking through the crowd, I noticed something...different. A boy, wearing a clothing which were alien for this world, drunk to the point of barely being conscious, dancing with other adventurers, while a girl next to him had her hand around his neck, dancing with him while holding a mug full of beer. What was alien in the boy was not hard to guess, but what was so special about the girl next to him? Her beauty. It was not something I saw in this city, no matter how little I had spent here. She had a beauty only comparable to Eris, and it's not something I would speak of lightly. No one in this city had come close to her in terms of natural beauty yet, but looking at her red face, drunk movements and her loud mouth which she couldn't close for a single second, it was hard to even think of her anything else but a girl who was lucky with genetics.
"I will think of this pair tomorrow.I'm too tired to deal with drunkards." - With that thought in mind, I went up the stairs to the room I had rented, summoned my Divine Dogs to sleep next to the bed in case of anyone trying to get inside, and went to sleep as soon as I got changed into a pajama like clothes I had gotten for a low price into the clothing store next to the guild. Today was a good day, and it might be even better tomorrow. Only time will tell.
Chapter 2
Chapter Text
Waking up in the morning was never my strong suit, but regardless of that, I woke up just as the sun began to rise. It always felt out of place to be awake so early, because why bother waking up in the morning if you can sleep as much as you need. Sadly, the world required me to wake up early to work, and this world will not be an exception, given that I now have much more to strive for, and everything to gain. Being an early bird in this scenario will, indeed, grant me the first worm.
My shikigami were still awake, guarding the door and the window to my room, and as soon as I woke up, they left their position, assimilating themselves back into my shadow. Walking around the tavern full of people with 2 big wolves is not as easy, and while I was fine with that, it may and will cause a commotion. Better summon them back when I'm on the streets.
With a quick breakfast that consisted of a portion of toad legs, some tea and a quick grab of a piece of a small cake to fulfill my need in sugar, I was out to the blacksmith to get myself my first actual weapon. Thankfully, I found the shop yesterday during my travels through the city, so I had no problems with navigating back to it, and as soon as I arrived, I could see that it was already open, with smoke going out of a chimney.
As soon as I entered, I saw the man himself inside, who's muscles were seen beneath his thin shirt. He has a short, brown beard and hair of the same length and color, and upon hearing as I entered, gave me a side glance, not turning away from the piece of metal he was hammering at, only to turn back to it, not bothering to look in my direction.
— G'day, boy. Ya need somethin' from me goods, or ya just lookin' around? — While he kept hammering the piece of metal, I took a look at the weaponry that was on display right now. While it did have a weapon that was good of a quality, as far as my unprofessional eye can tell, it was not something I was looking for. All the weapons there were either made to be sold for as high price as possible, or were just something to be shown and never sold. They were sharp, could cut most of the materials and won't break as easily, but their weight, balance or even design weren't to my liking.
— I'm looking for a sword or something similar, dagger will be fine too. Ideally, I would like a double edged sword, that's about this long. — Mimicking the lenght of a blade using my hands, seeing as he gave me a side glance to see what I was talking about, I let him know what I'm looking for exactly. — I can make a drawing if It's not enough of an explanation to picture it. I've got around 40 thousand eris on me. If you don't have anything of sorts, I would like to order a custom one.
— I see ya know what yer lookin' for. Them days, them younglings only want a sword for show, and don't get what it means to use one, so havin' people like you showin' up once in a while is refreshin'. I reckon I've got what ya want, but lemme take a look at it first. — With a sigh, he put an unfinished metal product in a forge, to keep the heat up, and wiping the sweat off of his forehead, went to the storage room. I could hear metal rustling sounds, as if he was digging through countless weapons he made in his life. It took him about 3 minutes to look through his goods, and when he came out, he was holding what I could describe as a masterpiece. It was not ideal, of course, since even I, although sharpening my sight with cursed energy, saw imperfections there and there, but for my current financial state, that was more than enough. — Made this one a few years before gettin' to Axel. Reminds me of good times, with so many memories to boot. It's not perfect, and it got a little dull over time, but if ya take it now for full price, I'll get it back in shape for free. How does it sound to ya, kid? 40 thousand eris is a good price for this good little sword.
— We have a deal. — Barter was successful. I was expecting it to cost higher, given the quality of his other goods, so I said that I have only 40 or so thousand eris to lower it to my current maximum. I will still have some eris to spare. — Mind if I sit there while you work?
— Ya can sit there till I finish it. If someone comes in, tell 'em to wait. I'll be in the storage room. — As soon as I handed him the money, he went back to the storage room, while I sat on the chair that was closest to the window. A fresh breeze of air was blowing into my face, and I was enjoying my time, waiting for the sword to be fully ready for battle test.
Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, a pair people, a boy with a girl, who's face I remember from yesterday, went inside of the store, only to be met with my gaze. While the boy shivered at my gaze, either because he's not used to communication, or because I was looking way too menacingly with my poker face.
— If you're looking for a blacksmith, he's a little busy, and will be back very soon. — I said, pointing in the direction of a storage room, then at the display stands. — If you're looking for something to buy, you can take a look at the stands there. Maybe you'll find something to your liking.
— Uhm, thanks. By the way, have we met each other before? — While the girl was looking around, checking everything on display, the boy, who was still in the clothes he was a day prior, was looking at me, as if trying to remember who I was. Now that I have a better look at it, it's a tracksuit. Way too uncommon for this world.
— Sorry, but I don't recall meeting you before. You've probably mistook me with someone else. — Dismissingly waving my hand, I pointed it at his clothes. — Although your clothes look kind of familiar. It there a specific region, city or country perhaps, where it's from? I don't recall seeing anything close in Axel. — I decided to play it safe, because while it was, indeed, a tracksuit, jumping to a conclusion that this guy is also reincarnated is pretty dangerous. Maybe this world actually has them and I'm just overreacting?
— Uhm, well, it's a suit from my homeland. I don't think they do it in Axel. — He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something, but sighed, giving up. — Actually, I remember where I saw you. You're the new summoner guy with two big wolves that registered yesterday. Did you arrive in the Axel recently?
— Yeah, I got to Axel just a little while ago. Name's Y/n L/n. Pleased to meet you. And you are?
— Kazuma Satou. The pleasure is mine.
— ...
— ...
— Let me guess, Japan. — After a short period of silence, I decided to finally ask the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
— I had to guess you're just the same as me. — He laughed a little, taking a seat a little bit away from me. — Came out of nowhere, unbothered by everything, accompanied by two giant wolves and got massive stats as soon as you joined the guild. People all around the guild were talking about how rare summoners actually are. — He laughed a little, remembering the past day. — So many clues around, and I hadn't bothered to pick up any of them. At least now I know I'm not alone here.
— What about the girl? Isn't she with you? — I wondered, seeing as he deflated at the question.
— She's a wish that I asked for. Her name's Aqua, and she's a goddess that was annoying me to no end in the afterlife, so I snapped and picked her as my blessing. Other than healing and fighting undead, she's absolutely useless. — I could see how much he regretted his decision, but I'm not the one to judge, really. If she was as annoying as he says she is, it might be deserved.
— I won't call it useless, really. That's just heavy case of overspecialization. Someone who is good at fighting undead and healing you? I'd call it a win, unless you have no one to do damage to other types of enemies. Having a healer in your party is essential to your survival, and unless she actually is sercretly bad at healing, I'd say you picked a decent wish. — As soon as I finished speaking, I saw a blacksmith walking out of the storage room, seeing 2 new customers and me, sitting in silence.
— Yer sword's now in the best possible shape as of now. Had to go a little rough on it, so take care of it after each battle, ya hear? 'Twould be a shame for such a good sword to break one day. — As I took a sword from his hands, and traced my palm on its flat side, pulsing cursed energy through the entire length of it, I smiled wider, feeling my energy tracing through it with no troubles, which means it won't be that hard to imbue it with cursed energy to improve its stats. — Ya need a scabbard?
— Nah, I got a better place for it. — With that said, I put my new sword in my shadow, which prompted everyone to look at me in confusion, before they shrugged, as if it's something normal. Maybe they just decided not to think much about it. — See you around, old man.
— Take care, boy.
***
Just as I was about to leave the city gate to finish my quest, I heard two people running in my general direction from behind, and turned my head around to see what's happening, until I saw Kazuma with his partner running to me. I decided to stop to see what it's all about, and as soon as Kazuma stopped, he took a moment to catch his breath.
— Thanks for waiting. How about we team up, at least for a bit? We took a quest to get some toads, just 5 of them, to be exact, and I'm not sure we will fare against them. — Kazuma admitted, placing a hand on his hip, where I noticed a short sword, which he most likely got from the same blacksmith.
— What are you talking about, Kazuma? We don't need anyone else. After all, I'm a goddess, no problem will be unsolved as long as I'm near. — The girl, Aqua, as I recall, bragged, only to be met with 2 sceptical gazes.
— Kazuma, did she hit her head, or is she just delusional?
— I think it's both. Don't mind her, she goes on this rant sometimes. — He picked up my teasing, and hiding our smiles, we looked back at Aqua.
— What is that look on your face?! You don't believe me? Just wait and you shall see me in full grace! — Clenching her fists, she ran ahead of us, eager to prove both of us wrong. I didn't care much, because as long as she's not useless in every aspect, it's up to Kazuma to deal with it.
— I don't mind tagging along with you. I got 5 toads to kill as well. Might cover your back and give you some tips while I'm at it. — Shrugging my shoulders, I started walking in the direction Aqua took, with Kazuma following me close behind. — Whats your class?
— Adventurer. The basic class anyone can get. Everyone I asked before told me it's a bad class, but I don't think so. I can learn any skill from any class if they teach me. The skill I learn from them will be weaker, but I can easily multiclass. — He was looking kind of sad upon mentioning his class, so I didn't push it, and decided to have a little chat.
— Seems kind of nice. Being able to use multiple skill trees without any other requirements other than having enough skill points to learn it is useful. You can literally be Jack-of-all-trades while being master of none. — We were getting closer to the place I last saw toads at, and upon noticing one, I saw Aqua running straight at it. — Let's watch the show in the meantime.
—God blow!— Her fist lit up with rainbow light, the one I saw back then when Eris cast her magic, and as she was about to hit the toad, I remembered that blunt attacks don't work on toads. Too late to warn her now, isn't it?
Just as predicted, the toad, who's belly received a punch that did nothing, lowered her head, opened her mouth and closed it on Aqua, who's body was now half inside the toad, with only the legs being outside, as it was slowly trying to swallow her whole.
— Hey, don't eat her! — Kazuma, upon seeing his teammate in such predicament, ran ahead first, taking his sword from his hip to fight it.
We both noticed one interesting thing about this whole process. If the food toad tries to swallow is too big, it stops moving to try and get it inside fully, which is a perfect time to strike. So, even though Kazuma doesn't know a thing about using a sword, he had no troubles getting behind the toad, and poking it with a sword in the legs, until it fell and he got a chance to stab it in the head. Even though with the help of such a bait as Aqua, he still killed a toad.
— Congrats on your first kill. I advice you take its eyes and legs, if you can carry them of course. They cost a pretty coin, if you know what I'm talking about. — Getting closer, and patting him on the back to reassure him after witnessing his face full of shock, I gave him a piece of my mind, before taking out my own sword from the shadow, and slashing it at one of the toads legs, covering it with a layer of cursed energy first, which made it sharp enough to slice the leg from the body instantly. Unfortunately, cursed energy cannot fully protect the sword from blood and mucus that toad has inside and outside, but fortunately, the same toad can be used to clean it, since the skin, while thin enough to be cut with a regular knife, was thick enough to use it as a cloth to wipe it from its insides.
This little demonstration was enough for Kazuma to understand what to do next, but it did not mean it did not disgust him, just as the fact that, when toad finally died, it opened its mount, revealing Aqua, fully covered in mucus, crying at her own misery.
— Thank you...thank you, Kazuma... — She kept crying, trying to get the mucus off of herself, without success, and leaving her to it, I noticed another toad in the distance, and this time, I decided to take it down myself, rather than being a bait for my shikigami.
—Divine Dogs.— Calling out their name, I let the shadows extend from my own shadow, materializing two wolves that, upon seeing the toad, already knew what to do. — Boys, distract it. I want to get it with a sword this time. — Noting the change in strategy with a woof, they ran as their full speed, closing the distance between them and the toad in no time, and when the toad noticed them, it, of course, tried to catch them with its tongue, unsuccessful, of course, which gave me the opportunity to run up and finish it.
Letting the cursed energy run through my entire body, I ran full speed ahead, catching a glimpse of a surprised face Kazuma made upon seeing my abilities, and once I was close enough, I jumped as high as I physically could, which was still enough to get to the neck level of this toad. With a quick spin, I sliced it's neck with my sword, barely get out of the way, before all the insides got onto me. A bit of slime, unfortunately, still got onto my right arm, but it was so insignificantly low that I could just wipe it with a bit of cloth or grass. As soon as the toad was dead, I plucked it's eyes out, placing them in my shadow, and made the same with its legs. Normally, I would've only taken one, but given my need in more money, I decided to carry more than I could carry without much troubles. And boy is it heavy. It felt like a boulder was laying on both of my shoulders at a time, and my normal walking speed turned into a slow pace one would be using after a long marathon.
I could not run with such weight currently being carried in my shadow, so all the way back to Kazuma and Aqua, I was walking. My Divine Dogs kept me company while I did so, just in case any other toad shows up out of nowhere. Only then did I noticed that one toad, that was laying on the ground near Kazuma, had now turned in two, with even more slimy Aqua. It seems she tried to take down another one, but failed miserably, and they got 2 toads killed in one go. 10 thousand eris is 10 thousand eris.
— Seems like you got a gist of it. It seems we both start to get used to our new weapon. — Pointing at Kazuma slowly cutting the leg off of a dead toad's body, I gave him a little smile. — I will be going to the city. I need to dispose of those legs and eyes.
— Don't you have a storage in your shadow? Why bother going back if you can have in there? — He decided to ask, as if it wasn't obvious by how slowly I was walking.
— Everything I store into my shadow remain the same weight, and I feel each gramm of it. If I put too much inside, I can literally get crushed by the weight, and having two giant legs inside of it is more than enough, thank you. — Walking past him, I heard his steps approaching, but I didn't bother to look back, knowing he will most likely head back to the city to get his teammate back on track, as well as reconsider his tactics. He seems like a smart guy.
***
— 152 thousand eris for completing the quest, 25 thousand eris for 5 toads, and 50 thousand eris for 10 toad legs, as well as 25 thousand eris for 5 pairs of eyes. Your total is 252 thousand eris. Thank you for your hard work. — To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that much. When I killed the toads, I completely forgot that I not only get money for them and their parts, but the quest was already paid for and had it's own reward, which is 15,200 eris for a single toad. Either the one who commissioned the quest hates their guts, which increased the reward of the quest, or their overpopulation is such a huge problem that guild takes higher payment for a quest to pay adventurers who exterminate them. Either way, I'm happy with what I got. I got enough money to guarantee myself another weapon, or I can look into the magic shop I saw earlier. Maybe it has some magic weapons that will help me as well. I need to increase my arsenal just as much as I need to tame more shikigami.
Megumi, while relying on his shikigami to fight, didn't neglect the hand to hand combat and usage of weapons. He had jet black sword, playful cloud(which he didn't like, it was just for Maki to use) and a little handful of other weapons to use as well. It would be perfect if I find anything like the cursed tools shown in the show, but I really doubt anything as good as them will appear here. Instead, I can get more ranged weapons, or something to restrain the target to hit them while they can't resist. Spear, bow, dagger, three section staff, maybe something akin to a throwing daggers. I have so many options to pick from, and I hadn't even touched magic tools, because I don't know any from this world.
While thinking of this, and looking at my adventurer card, I couldn't concentrate on what was in front of me. Apparently, I leveled up three times after killing 10 toads in total, which made me from freshly made level 1 into a level 4 summoner. This, in turn, granted me 3 points, 1 for each level. I expected it to be around 3 or 5 points per level, but oh well.
Sadly, my cheapest skill right now, which is boost to my shikigami's abilities, is 5 points. I need to level up two more times to be able to boost them, other than supplying them with more cursed energy, which doesn't give much results, given that I have yet to understand how cursed energy works with my shikigami's.
— Now that I think about it, what is your ability? You have a shadow storage, and two wolves that you can cast from your shadow. That's more than 1 ability. Did you get two or what? — Kazuma looked offended for a second, but he was looking at Aqua in that moment, which I presumed was because he thought she scammed him. We were eating toad legs in the tavern after we completed our quests(he still needs to kill 3 toads, but still), and we're picking up some random themes while eating.
— It's all part of 1 ability. The name of it is Ten Shadows. I won't go much into details, but think of it as 10 different summons with some other parts booted into shadow manipulation. The wolves you saw before is the first summon, with the name "Divine Dogs". In order to get other ones, I have to summon them, and beat them in a battle, alone or with my current summons, before I can summon them as allies. That's the basics. — Munching on a toad leg, I was observing how his face changed.
— That's...actually balanced. You get a shadow inventory, but you feel all the weight, you get insanely powerful or useful summons, but you have to beat them first, and it's all a single ability? Man, why did I have to pick her over everything else! — While Aqua went to get more beer for herself, Kazuma went on a rant about his misery. — If not for her stupid remarks, impatience and an actual sympathy for the dead, I would've been basking into glory!
— If you want to, you can go with me to the church of Eris this evening and ask for advice or guidance. Eris was the one to reincarnate me, and she's the sweetest goddess I've ever met, and I've only seen 2 so far.
— You know what? I will take your offer. I need to rant to someone. — He lifted his mug, and took a big gulp of the liquid inside, while I finished what I was eating, and stood up from the table. — How about joining our party? You will be insanely helpful with your summons.
— Sorry, but I'll have to refuse. I'm not against hanging out with you and your party on occasions, maybe a few times a week, but I don't want to take all your fun in this adventure. Believe me, when I get more summons, there will be close to one, if ever one, to stand in my way, and it will be insanely boring if I do all the work. Have some fun, feel the thrill of battle and enjoy the sights the new world has to offer. If you need help, call out to me, and I'll come, but you have to find yourself a company you can rely on, even if I'm nowhere close to you. — I said, with a genuine smile, even as I saw that Kazuma was a little depressed over my words. — Sorry to ruin it that way, but as thrilling as it might be, traveling with another reincarnated will get boring if we see each other every day on quests. Let's take it easy and enjoy what we got, alright? — Giving him a fist to bump, I waited for him to react, and when he finally sorted his thoughts, and, with a weak smile, gave me a fistbump.
— Alright. I will take you on your word. Do come with us on some quests once in a while, alright? — As we both laughed, he raised his head to the ceiling, then looked at me. — In that case, I will be looking up for party members tomorrow. Can I ask you to be our backup this one time if the newbie is not able to help us much? I will probably put them to test on the toad quest.
— Sure, I will be there to help. See you in the evening, Kazuma.
— See you in the evening, Y/n.
***
Kazuma: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
Outside of the city walls, when the sun was beginning to set, was very peaceful. Toads were going to sleep, so none were seen on the horizon, which made it perfect for the event I had planned to do today.
The magic shop was closed, since, apparently, owner of the shop went to complete the quest from the guild, and blacksmith was way too busy to deal with me this evening, so I had to forget about new weapons, at least for now. I still have to get used to the sword and how to properly use it. Just because I can swing it and hit my target does not mean I'm good at using it.
Back to the event at hand...
I was about to do a summoning ritual to subjugate a shikigami. It was stressful, because starting the ritual means I set myself to a death battle. Either I win and exorcise a shikigami, or I fail, and it kills me. There's no in between. If I already started the ritual, I cannot stop it until one of us dies, so I only have one chance at succeeding, unless someone else gets into the ritual and forcefully ends it by killing the shikigami, which will not grant it to me as a summon. Unfortunately, I'm alone, and I have no one but myself to rely on to subjugate this one.
—Divine Dogs.— Summoning both of my wolves before the rituals starts, I guarantee that I'm prepared to fight in the second I summon the shikigami, and the only thing left is handsighs, and incantation.
With a nervous sigh, I practice the motion of taking the sword out of my shadow to do it as fast as possible, while Wolves observe my actions. They already know what I'm preparing for, and they are as ready as I am. With the last sigh before the battle has started, I made the handsign.
—With this sacred treasure, I summon...
*Bleep*
*Take 2*
—Toad! — A mass of shadow rushed out from my own shadow, and in a distance, just a few leaps away, formed a shadow of a toad, which was more related to a common frog, with green skin and a symbol on its stomach, which was resembling Ten Sacred Treasures of Buddhism which Ten Shadows is based on.
It wasn't big, at least, not bigger than me, but it was bigger than Divine Dogs. First second after it was summoned, it leaps into the air, aiming straight at me, and while I grabbed my sword with a quick motion of my hand, Divine Dogs sprung into action. White wolf jumped in front of me, slashing at the tongue that was aimed at my head, while Black wolf started going on to the other side to catch it off guard.
After White wolf blocked the hit, damaging toad's tongue in the process, I ran in a curved line, which the White wolf mimicked, running just a bit away from me. As soon as toad hit the ground, we all ran at it, with White wolf keeping a bit of distance to change position if toad decides to run away. And, just as planned, the toad, seeing us surrounding it, leaps into the air to the side, exactly where we expected it to be, and White wolf instantly charged in that direction, leaping into the air and hit it with it's claws right into its leg, rendering it useless.
Toad croacked in pain, and after it landed, it lashed with it's tongue at the approaching Black wolf, and while it was distracted, I ran at it from behind, only to be met with resistance. It's tongue had retracted from Black wolf faster than I expected it to, which prompted me to miss the timing, and I got hit with it right in the face, while also having the tongue itself wrapped around my head, blocking my view. While it didn't hurt, at least not much, the force with which it started to pull me back was enough to break my neck if I didn't reinforce my body with cursed energy beforehand.
Swinging the sword right in front of me, I managed to cut right through it's tongue. As soon as my vision were clear, I could see both of my Shikigami biting into toad's neck, starting to rip it with furious motions of their heads. The toad resisted with all its might, but the force of two jaws full of fangs was not a trap it could escape.
It kept thrashing around, left and right, trying it's best to get them off, but resistance quickly shown itself as useless. Even the kicks with its strong leg didn't make Divine Dogs let go of its throat, and soon, with just a little push from a slight boost to their stats with cursed energy, the toad's throat was completely torn to shreds.
The toad, who's durability proved to be good enough to withstand some serious damage for a short while, was now subjugated. It turned into liquid shadow, moving right to me, and as soon as it connected, I could feel it. I have successfully tamed my first Shikigami. I can summon it at any given moment, and now, it will be fighting on my side.
— Good job, boys. We did it. — As soon as it was over, Divine Dogs came clother to me, and I gave them a bear hug to spoil them for doing a good job. Our first ritual went without much troubles, and it was all that mattered. — Now then.Toad. — Doing the handsigns, and summoning a toad from my shadow, I let it look around for a bit, before it jumped closer to me. — Hope we get along. — Toads have dry skin, but this one has it a bit slimy, which renders it more like a frog, and I found it out by giving it a headpat, which It seemed to like from a get go. — Maybe I should give all of you names... — Thinking about it, I always called Divine Dogs "wolves", "boys" etc. It's time to give them a name. — Alright then. You will be Dawn, — Pointing at the White wolf, I made it clear that it will be his name from now on. — And you will be Dusk. — Then I pointed at Black wolf, who was now happily wagging it's tail. — You will be Gamamaru. — The toad was also happy with its new name, given that it gave me something akin to a smile and closed it's eyes. — Alright, thank you all for being there. Time for you to get back. — As I said that, they assimilated back into my shadow, and I started going back to the city.
***
As I was walking through the streets of Axel, I decided to look through the alleyways to see if there's any more shops I could visit. Axel is a big town, and I wouldn't be surprised if there's some hidden places where you can access the goods other people won't even know about.
And oh boy, did I find something. "Dream House", which appears to be a café, given the sign at the entrance. I might visit it later, but for now, I'm not into the mood. Passing by it, and going deeper into the alleyways, I found nothing worth of attention.
— Man, that little trip was boring. — With a sigh, I kept walking forward, before I felt my pouch with a single coin set for distraction disappear from my pocket. I normally carry all valuable items in my shadow, but having a distraction like that is helpful for catching thieves. —Toad. — Making a hansign, I summoned Gamamaru, who, upon seeing me gesturing him to catch the thief, instantly jumped high in the air, and shot his tongue out of its mouth.
— Eep! — The surprised sound of someone who was caught was the indicator that it was a success, and so, jumping on the roof, I saw the restrained girl, who was trying to escape from the grip.
— Good job, Gamamaru. — Giving it a headpat, I walked closer to the thief, who had a black mask on his face. From the stature, it appears to be a girl. She was wearing a hood, and as soon as I took it off, I could see short, light purple hair on her head, with her eyes being purple in color. Even with a face mask covering half of her face, I could see a scar on her right cheek. It was looking like she was injured by dagger or a short sword. — Now then, care explaining why did you took something that's mine?
— ...I just wanted to teach you something. — Was all she could say, which made me confused.
— That "something" being? I'm pretty sure I know how to not get robbed of all my stuff, as you can say by a single coin in the pouch. Be more specific, and I might let you off the hook.
— I saw you buying a sword earlier, and you looked so clueless when holding it that I wanted to at least give you some tips in using it. — She averted her gaze from me, as if trying to evade eye contact.
— Oh, really? Out of goodness of your heart, without knowing who I am, completely for free? I'm really doubting it, unless... — Now that she mentioned it, I did ask Eris to find me someone who can teach me at least the basics. Could she be the one sent by her? — Are you, perhaps, believer of the Eris church?
— I am. What's about it? — With the way she said it, it was hard to understand if she's lying or not, but I decided to believe her for this one.
— Forget about it. Gamamaru, let her go. — He retracted his tongue back, and then assimilated back into my shadow, which seemed to surprise the thief. — If you're able to teach me, I'll even pay you, no need to steal. Good lessons cost money, and I'm not about to waste your time for nothing. Any place you have in mind for that?
— Nah, the roof will suffice. You won't have flat surfaces everywhere. There's always a need to expect the unexpected, so let's start with that. Hold out your sword for me. — Just as she said, I took the sword out of the shadow, and held it as firmly as I could. — At least you know how to hold a sword properly. Although, your footing is awful. Spread your legs a bit, you need to have something to hold your balance when you swing. You don't want to fall to the ground once you swing, don't you?
With that said, she took out her own weapon, a dagger, and pointed at me. It was no wonder what she expected me to do, so I ran forward to attack her. She's not a toad that will stand still when I attack it, so, obviously, she evaded my attack, and hit my wrist with a base of her dagger, and I barely held my sword not to let it go from sudden attack. I turned around, about to attack again, and had to stop for a moment to get my footing right, since I was about to fall from the roof. Her giggling was a little annoying in that moment, but as soon as I charged at her, she became serious again.
Swing from the left to the right, attempt to land an overhead strike, even the upwards slash were not enough to get close to hitting her, since she was faster in evading than I was in attacking, but if the opponent was slower, I was sure I could hit them. After a little while, she started deflecting my attacks, hitting my arms each time I did some sort of mistake, and the next time I swung my sword, I was sure I changed the way I attack to have less openings to exploit. I couldn't see her mouth due to face mask, but I could swear she was smiling.
Attack after attack, I was getting closer to hitting her at least once, and, after several more minutes of trying, I caught the moment she was vulnerable after dodging, and swung my blade to her throat, stopping just before I hit the target. I was getting tired, since I was just freshly after my Toad subjugation ritual, but I still had a smile on my face. I did improve, and it was a noticeable change.
We lowered our weapons, and while she put her dagger on her belt, I put my sword in the shadow. Taking a moment to catch my breath, I put my hand in the shadow, and counted 10 gold coins to pay for this lesson. Tossing them to the thief, I put a hand on my hip, seeing how she easily caught them.
— That concludes it, I guess. Thanks for the lesson. — Getting closer, I held out a hand for her to shake. — Name's Y/n L/n, summoner class. Pleased to meet you.
— Chris, thief class. The pleasure is mine. — She lowered her mask so I could see her face better, and for a moment, I was sure she reminded me of someone. For some reason, it was hard to think of any resemblance her face gives me, so I put it away. — If you need something, don't be afraid to ask for help. I spend time in the guild or on the quests, so you won't have much troubles in finding me. — Walking closer to the edge of the roof, she waved me goodbye. — See you around! — And jumped down, running away as fast as she could.
— You got her smell? — With a head of Dusk sticking through my shadow, I was making sure I can find her anywhere she is. With a confirmation from my shikigami, I let out a silent laugh, and jumped down from the roof, going to the Eris church to complete my daily routine.
***
Just as I was about to turn the corner and enter the church, I heard a commotion and two familiar voices. Getting closer, I saw Kazuma and Aqua bickering over something, with Aqua holding Kazuma by his clothes to stop him from moving forward.
— I won't allow you to pray to her! She's my junior, I'm her senior! If you want to pray, pray to me! — Hearing that, I understood the problem. Aqua found him walking to Eris church, like I suggested him to, and since she's a "self proclaimed goddess", she won't allow her "patron" to pray to other gods.
— Yo, Kazuma. Fancy meeting you here. — I decided to help out my newfound brother, and, as if Aqua didn't exist, freed him from her with a light shove to the side, putting my hand around his neck, speedwalking into the church, before Aqua understood what is happening. Priests won't let her in if she's going to act like she acts now, so we are save. — I see you've got a headache over there, so let's find a better place.
— Where do you think you're going?! — Aqua finally snapped out of her confusion, but it was too late, and after we went inside, a Priest that was near the entrance stopped her, and the only thing I could hear was her distant voice.
— Thanks for helping me out. She's been really annoying after the toads tried eating her. — He sighed in relief, and after I let him go, he looked around the church. — Never visited a church in my entire life. This, actually, looks amazing.
— I know, right? You don't need to pray if you don't want to. I'm sure Eris-sama appreciates you just being there. If you're up for it, though, you can join me. — Walking to the altar, and dropping a coin into the fountain, I stood on my knees, starting the daily prayer.
— "Thank you, Eris-sama, for finding me someone to learn from. I met Chris today, and I have to say, she's a nice girl, albeit a little clumsy with the way she tried to approach me. I started developing my ability more and more, and now I've completed my first ritual to get another summon. Thank you for your blessing, and I hope my words reach you once again. Many blessings upon your kind soul."
The coin in the fountain, just like the last time, winked at me, so I was sure she heard me. With a little smile, I stood up, seeing Kazuma silently appreciating the church's interior. When I finished, he looked at me, and nodded with the same smile.
— I would feel a little bad to pray to Eris after Aqua so desperately tried to stop me, but with the way I saw you pray, I'm now sure that Eris is just as nice as you describe her. — He rubbed the back of his head, unsure of what to say next, so I picked it up.
— Don't worry about it. Eris-sama heard my prayer, and I'm sure she saw you appreciating the place her followers built in her name. — Patting him on the back, I started walking to the exit. — Let's go, Kazuma. It's time to leave.
— Yeah, you're right. Let's go and eat something nice. — With a smile, he followed me to the exit, where we saw Aqua, sulking at the exit. It was, indeed, funny to see her like that, but deep inside, I did feel a little bad for the way she's trying to hold Kazuma from leaving her. She's desperate for attention, after all.
The end of the day was just me finishing the dinner, and going up to my room to sleep. Tomorrow will be the day Kazuma tries to get himself a party member, and I'm no exception, given that I will need a party for myself. Maybe I join someone else, maybe I find people willing to join me instead, and only time will tell what will turn out of it. I was looking forward to tomorrow, since I will be backing up Kazuma's party in case something goes wrong. Tomorrow will be busy, and I knew it. Bless this wonderful world and it's unexplored sights.
Chapter 3
Chapter Text
The warm rays of the sun shone through the window of the second floor of the tavern, directly into the room in which I slept. Once the sun rose higher, it was now illuminating my face, which didn't last long, as I opened my eyes, being woken up from slumber, only to realize that the Toad, which I decided to take out for the night instead of Divine Dogs, has caught yet another mosquito that decided to try and get me through slightly opened window. It was enjoying itself, while also making sure none of those little critters touch me while I sleep.
After standing up from the bed, and stretching my limbs, it was time to get myself ready for the day. Thankfully, the room had a running water in the sink, so I was able to wash my face with cold water, instantly making myself more conscious of everything around me. Just because you managed to stand up from your bed doesn't mean you're awake, but getting hit with a cold water in the face does make wonders.
— Good job, Gamamaru. — Patting the toad for doing a wonderful job at keeping me safe from mosquitoes, I let him assimilate into my shadow, and after wearing my clothes, locked the room, and went down the stairs. I had a lot of things to do today, and first thing first, I bought a few sheets of paper with a pencil to write. After all, I needed to get people into my own party, and instead of asking each adventurers if they want to join, I better post a recruitment poster to see who's willing to join.
Early morning was good for a few things. Fresh air and less people everywhere. The tavern, as well as guild hall, had little to no people, so I was free to do whatever I want in silence. Gladly, they still served food this early, so I was not writing a poster with an empty stomach, and instead was eating while writing. Kazuma would probably show up later, and it will, most likely, take a while for anyone to even respond to our posters.
"Looking for members in a new forming party."
"Are you ready to embark on a thrilling journey through the world?"
"It does not matter what is your class, if you possess the courage and prowess to face the unknown, then we want YOU to join the party!"
"The leader is a summoner, who's summons are able to take down various threats, no matter the shape and size."
"Whether you excel in combat, support, or defense, your skills are invaluable to our cause. Together, we will conquer dungeons, vanquish monsters, and unravel the mysteries of the world."
"If you're interested, find the leader of the group. Time he will be available is as follows: Early in the morning in the tavern, during the day on quests if you're able to catch up, or in the evening in the guild hall. You won't miss him, given that his summons attract a lot of attention. We will be waiting for you!"
With the poster ready, only thing left was to draw a few pictures to give some sort of image for other people to navigate. First thing first, Divine Dogs, who's the main source of attraction of mine, since I have at least one nearby almost all the time. Second, my own face so people could recognize me if I don't have any shikigami out, and third, a little propaganda image, that being the man himself, Haisenberg, a.k.a. Walter White, telling people "We want YOU in our party".
With that, the masterpiece was done, and hiding it in my shadow, I was waiting for Kazuma to show up, since he will, most likely, need my backup in case his new recruit are not able to help whatsoever. Running from toads is hard, so I will probably have to kill them myself.
***
— ...It's almost the noon, Kazuma. I was expecting you to show up no later than late morning. I was sitting here since the sun has risen. — Seeing as Kazuma walked in my direction when the sun was already at its peak, I couldn't hold my frustration over the fact I had to wait for so long instead of doing something productive. It felt wrong to leave before he arrived, so I was going to wait, but I had no idea he will take so long to show up.
— I'm terribly sorry! This excuse of a Goddess wouldn't wake up, and I had to wait for her to get here. She will get lost without me, I swear. — He rubbed his forehead in frustration, while Aqua was near the board, looking at other examples of party recruiting posters to write their own. She took a sheet of paper and a pencil, and ran to the table we were sitting at to write.
— It's going to take a while for you to find anyone who is willing to join the party, anyway. — I pointed out, and he nodded to my words.
— What do you mean it will take time? I'm an Arch-priest! People will be pushing each other to join our party first when they find out, just you see! — Just as I stood up to leave them be for a while, I decided to take a look at what she was writing, only to make a pokerface from disappointment.
— You sure do have high standards for a party members, don't you? Advanced classes only, for a party of 2 who haven't even finished a single quest yet? — Kazuma, who heard that, did take a look at that as well, but he just sighed, as if he didn't care in the slightest how much time will he have to wait to get anyone. — I will spend some time looking through the magic shop or go to the blacksmith. Find me there when you get a candidate, alright?
— Of course. Thanks for help yet again. I will make sure not too waste any more of your time like that. — Kazuma replied, waving his hand to me as I was walking out of the guild.
Now, I was walking in the direction of the magic shop I saw on my first day, hoping it wasn't closed this time. Given that the owner is an adventurer as well, it was hard to guess if she was busy or not. Maybe she's out collecting materials, brewing potions or making artifacts. Who may know?
Luckily, the sign on the door was stating "open", so I pushed the door open, hearing a bell ring as I entered the store. The interior inside was pretty, with shelves full of potions, items and small bags with something inside, presumably seeds for ingredients or something else entirely. Some items were hanging from the ceiling, some were placed high on the bookshelves mixed with books, and so on. Given that the store itself isn't that big, it was still packed with different things I was looking at. Sadly, none of the items had anything indication about it's use, maybe to stop people from stealing something they don't know about, or just because no one cared to make any.
As I was looking at bottles with potions, I heard a commotion in the back of the shop, and once I was going to look what has happened, the answer came itself. The door to the staff only area has opened, and from it, a woman in a mage robe has fallen down, breaking something she was holding in the process. Immediately, I could smell something akin to a medicine, but I couldn't put my hand on what could smell so similar to this. Instead, I walked closer to check if she's fine, because it's already been a few seconds, and there was no reaction from the shopkeeper whatsoever.
I was met with a woman, probably in her twenty's, with fair skin and a curvaceous figure. She has brown eyes and straight brown hair reaching down to the front of her shoulders, further behind her back and slightly curling at the tips. She also has a single ahoge that arcs off the top of her head, which is usually called "idiot hair".
— Ma'am, are you alright? — Looking over the counter, I saw her slightly raising her head, and gladly, she was fine, from what I could see so far. It seems she broke the potion she was holding, but none of the sharp pieces has touched her. The glass was scattered across the floor, and the liquid was now staining the wooden floor. — Do you need some help over there?
— A-ah, no, it's alright, thank you! — She responded in a rushed tone, standing up and dusting herself, before taking a broom from the counter next to herself to take care of the mess. — Welcome to my humble shop, I'm Wiz. How can I be of help to you?
— It's nice to meet you, Wiz-san. I'm Y/n L/n. I was just looking around, and decided to visit your shop. I'm a new adventurer and just recently arrived in the town, so I was going to look out for magic related shop soon. Do you, perhaps, have any magic related weapons, enhancement or artifacts that may be of help? — When Wiz finished cleaning the mess she created by accident, she returned to me,
— Unfortunately, weapons are out of stock, and I'm not good at enchanting, but I do have a few artifacts that may be of help in adventures! — She quickly rushed back the the storage room, digging through, I believe by noise I hear from outside, ton of different stuff. She came back with a bunch of items, placing all of them on the counter. — Here's the beast-attracting potion. If you drink it, the Beast-alike monsters will be attracted to you for a while. I heard it helps with quests that require you to look for beasts that hide in the forest.
— Well, that may be of help sometimes, but I have a summon that can help me find beasts easier. What does this one do? — Pointing at the other potion, I wondered about it's effects based on color, but nothing came to mind.
— This is a stat-up potion that can raise one of your stats randomly.
— Wow, that one is actually huge.
— It's side effect is that it lowers another stat in exchange.
— ...I changed my mind, it's pretty damn bad. It's random, and will drain my other stat in exchange for stats I may not even need? No, thank you. What this one does? — I pointed at the necklace with a gem in the center.
— It's a Monster-warding necklace. It can ward off low level monsters like goblins, but will release a scent that can lure other types of monsters instead.
— Useful only for very-specific cases. What about this one?
— Food-attracting item. It will help you in getting fed for a week by attracting edible animals, while also attracting monsters and bugs. All you need to do is blow into this horn and it will start working. — She held out an item looking like a cow's horn, showing it to me.
— Well, that one is not that bad, I can find it some uses. How much for it? — I took out a pouch from my shadow, which surprised Wiz for a few seconds, before she regained her composure.
— 25 thousand eris.
— Not bad, a week's worth of food and monsters to kill without a need to walk in their direction will prove useful in a long journey for an affordable price. — Paying her the amount needed, I took the horn, put it in my shadow, and looked at the last object she had yet to explain. — And what it the world is this one?
— Ah, it's a portable toilet. It's equipped with flushing and noise generation capabilities. Though, the noise will attract monsters, and excessive flushing system will flood the surrounding. — I could feel pain in her voice, which probably means she was scammed when she bought it herself. I feel bad for her, really.
— Sorry, but this is plain useless. The only time I would want to flush a surrounding is when I need to put out a forest fire. — Putting my pouch back into the shadow, I took a look at the items behind her, only to realize that most of them, if not all, was useless. Some items did actually have a sign saying what it is, but only the ones on the shelf. Wiz, with a defeated look on her face, took other items I didn't like, and went to the storage room to place them back. — It's not my job to intrude, but can I ask you something, Wiz-san?
— Yes, what is it, Y/n-san? — She poked her head back from the storage room, waiting for my question.
— How much profit did your store made in the last month or so? Don't take it as offense, I'm just curious. — I could instantly see the changes in her in this moment. She mentally deflated, started fidgeting, and became all shy and timid.
— W-well, including sales, purchase of goods and payment of rent...I made zero Eris. — She started fidgeting even more under my unamused, disappointed even, gaze, before she spoke again. — It has been like that since I opened my store...
— Wiz, are you, perhaps, in need of a manager for your store? Sorry for being rude, but you're garbage when it comes to business. — While it was hard not to notice how happy she became in this moment, it was no wonder I could see the moment she flinched at the insult I had thrown. — Part time, maybe. I was working in customer service before, and while I'm not the best when it comes to business or it's strategies, I will, most likely, do a better job at handling the finances and managing your store's assortment than you do.
— "I need to learn how to use binding vows as soon as possible if I need to make sure she doesn't start recklessly spending money on useless stuff. If I can help her at least a bit, it will help me in the long run as well. I need magic items, and If I have to travel to other city to just take a look, it will be such a waste of time. Better manage this burning yacht and get profit off of it." — I thought to myself, waiting for Wiz to think of what to do.
— W-well, you're right, I'm not good at this whole thing, but I don't know if I can trust you...
— Well, was good to see you, then. I'm off...
— I didn't mean to say no, please wait! — She said in a hurry, before I opened the door to leave. — Two days! I will give you two days to see how you perform, and then we can discuss it, alright? — It seems she was desperate for someone who can deal with this mess, given how quickly she responded to me leaving. Just hearing that she made 0 money since opening, I felt pity for her.
— Sounds good enough for me. I will spend a little while today with you, since I have urgent business to attend, so let's get it over with basics real quick. Can you show me the documents containing your transactions, items you sold, items you bought and who is selling them to you? I need to see what is wrong with the way you handled things first. — Walking behind the counter to access the staff only zone, I watched as Wiz quickly ran somewhere to take all the documents needed.
It took her a while, and I was about to go look for her, before she ran out of the staff room with a huge pile of documents, which I instantly recognized as unsorted documentation, given that first paper sheet was about buying something, and second being the payment for the rent.
— You could've at least sorted your own documentation. Geez. — Taking all the documents she brought before she fell with them, I sighed, and took the nearest table with a chair to start sorting through them to make something out of this mess. — You manage the store for now. I will sort through this, and call you if I need to ask something. Alright?
— Yes, of course. Take your time. — She gave me a weak smile, then went back to the counter, cleaning the dust from the bottles and books.
Looking at the pile that was half as tall as I am, I sighed, wasting no time in starting to sort through all the documents I needed to review to see the problem with her management. It will take a while, but I was sure I could handle it, no matter how I hate working with documents.
***
Wiz: Kono!
Y/n: Suba...
***
It took me 4 hours just to sort through all of those documents, and I haven't even began to actually review them. I sorted everything by date, type of the documentation and those I needed to review first.
—"Finally, some sort of order in this mess." — With a heavy sigh, I finally began to review the documents that I wanted to see since the beginning.
"Order Confirmation"
"This document confirms the payment made by the "Wiz Magic Goods Shop" to the party producing the product, that being "Hyoizaburo Productions", and the product will be delivered by Friday of the following week."
"Order: Magical Toilet."
"Order amount: 100(One hundred) units."
"Order price: 1,000,000(One million) eris."
"Signed: Kingdom of Belzerg Central Bank"
— ... — The amount of disappointment I have felt in this moment couldn't be described by words. I decided to leave this document for a second review later, to talk with Wiz about it, but the second document made something snap in me.
"Order confirmation"
"This document confirms the payment made by the "Wiz Magic Goods Shop" to the party producing the product, that being "Hyoizaburo Productions", and the product will be delivered by Thursday of this week."
"Order: Magic Underwear That Makes Others Fall In Love."
"Order amount: 10(Ten) units."
"Order price: 500,000(Five hundred thousand) eris."
"Signed: Kingdom of Belzerg Central Bank"
— Wiz, come here for a moment. — With the most stern tone I could even muster, I called out to her, and I swear, I could hear her jump after I said that.
— Y-yes! — She ran into the room, to be met with two documents I was holding in my hands. — Is there something wrong?
— What's this? — Holding two documents containing the order information for two most useless products I've seen as of now, I started shaking them in front of her. — What's this, Wiz? Huh? What's this my dear boss? — Placing the document in front of her so she could read it, I pointed my finer on it, lightly hitting the table a few times. — What's this? Can you explain what thoughts did you have when you were buying this? — Upon finally reading the document, she became even more pale than she usually is, which means she understood why I'm mad.
— I-I was thinking from this as a perspective of adventurer...There are c-countless times you need to satisfy your basic needs, b-but there's nowhere to do so privately, and I thought it w-would be a good idea to order them for others to use in long travels... — She began fidgeting, and her eyes were running around the room not to look directly at me, but I placed a palm of my hand on her head, stopping her from doing so.
— Now, look at me, — As she did, albeit hesitantly, I continued. — I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. I understand the motive for this one, but you needed to think of the usage first. Had you thought that this item may be unusable normally? Being a one time use, for example? Why order 100? Why not 5 or 10 to see if people will buy something like this? If it were one time use, and I had to pay 10 thousand eris just to take a piss in the woods once, I'd better do so on the tree in front of everyone. — Putting the document away, I brought a second one to her face. — Now, what about this one?
— I just thought that some people might need it, and find it some use, so...I did it... — She lowered her head in shame, and I had to yet again stop her from doing so to look at me.
— Tell me, what happens if you "accidentally" tear this pair of underwear?
— U-uh, I guess it will become a regular, more durable piece of underwear due to the magic strings used to produce them? — She was unsure herself, but now that she said that, I had an idea.
— Wiz, are you knowledgeable in the art of sewing?
— A l-little, I'm slow when it comes to it, but yes, why?
— Close the store, and start tearing it and sew it back. I will visit you next morning, or even this evening, and we will start selling all the useless things you have bought. You hear me?
— Yes!
— Then get to work. There's a long road ahead, and you don't want to waste any more time.
— Yes, I'm sorry! — She jumped up to her legs, and ran ahead to start doing what I told her to do. I, on the other hand, walked to the exit from the store, only to be met with Kazuma, staring at me from the other side of the door.
— How long have you been waiting? — I wondered, given that he was staring at Wiz as if he saw a ghost.
— A few minutes, don't mind it. We found an arch-wizard who is willing to join us, and we are about to leave to finish the toad quest. You're still up?
— Yeah, let's go meet up. — With that said, I started following him, wondering what is about to happen.
***
As we reached the gate, I saw Aqua with another girl waiting for us to arrive, and before we got closer, I examined the girl into red robes, big wizard hat and a staff with a blue stone on it's tip. She has dark brown hair, Crimson red eyes, black fingerless glowes on her hands, and an eyepatch on her left eye. She is pretty small, presumably being either 14 or 15 years old, and I could see her only visible eyes sparkling when she was looking at my clothes. Did she like them this much?
— Yo, Aqua. It seems your prediction was half-correct, you didn't have to wait too long. — I gave her some sort of a praise, given that she was, it seems, pretty good in healing capabilities, so it's better not to get on her bad side. At least until I get RCT, that's it.
— Ha! Just like I told you! Don't underestimate a Goddess ever again! — She puffed her chest in pride, raising her head higher to look more...I don't know, high? She's high on that copium, alright.
— Anyways. — Turning my attention to the new girl, I gave her a little smile, waving my hand in a greeting. — My name's Y/n L/n, I'm a summoner. It's nice to meet you, young lass.
— My name is Megumin, user of the finest magic crimson demons possess! My calling is that of an arch wizard, one who controls explosion magic, the strongest of all offensive magic! — She stood in a dramatic pose, with the sudden gust of wind picking up her cloak, before it settled down. A true chunnibyo, I see.
When I heard her name, a sudden flashback of the show came to me in a second of wonder. The time where Toji Fushiguro, the mage killer himself, suddenly remembered that he, of all people, has a son, who he named Megumi. Her name was enough of a trigger for me to remember a lot, and without even knowing it, I gave her my best smile.
— You have a nice name, Megumin. The pleasure it mine. — The confusion on her face in that moment made me wonder if I said anything weird.
— You really think so? You don't think it's weird? — Her response made it even more sad to me, because the tone she used was disbelief. Like every single person who knows her name thinks it's weird.
— Why should it be weird? "Megumi" means "blessing", and the -n suffix is used to make names cuter. Your name is beautiful, and don't you ever let other people tell you otherwise. — Coming closer, I sat on my knee to be on her eye level, which made her make a step backwards out of confusion. — Be more proud of your own name, alright?
— A-alright. — She coughed in her fist to get rid of confusion, but I can still see some red flush on her cheeks. It was amusing, to say the least.
— Wait until you hear her parent's name. — Kazuma added, and I glared at him for a moment, before Megumin spoke.
— My mother's name is YuiYui, and my father's name is Hyoizaburo! — THAT was when I got triggered, not in the absolute insane way, but enough to make my face darken for a second.
— Hyoizaburo, what a familiar name. — Placing my hand around her neck, I gave her a weak smile. — You just HAVE to introduce me to your father. I think I got a few things to tell him. Will you?
— U-uh, w-well, it might be a little troubling, because he lives in the Crimson Demon village, our home, and it's a long way from there, but If we travel to it once, I'll let you know! — She misunderstood my intentions, but it was still a winning situation. I have a bone to pick with her father, and this one will not be so short.
— Alright, let's move out, we don't have all day, unfortunately! — Kazuma clapped in his hands to gather our attention, and once we heard it, we began walking to the plains. Megumin was in the center of formation, Kazuma was in the front, I was behind Megumin and Aqua was behind me.
It took a little while to arrive to our destination, but it didn't take long for us to notice a toad in the distance. Megumin, upon noticing it, walked a bit further from us, pointing her staff at it.
— While explosion magic is the strongest offensive magic, it takes time to charge. Please, keep this toad in place, while I'm chanting it. — Kazuma, upon hearing that, took his sword sword from the hip, getting ready to fight.
— Alright, I'll do it.
— Kazuma, there's another one! — Aqua warned, pointing in the other direction where another toad, who actually noticed us, was quickly approaching.
— Two at the same time? Megumin, the furthest one's on you.
— Got it!
— Let's go, Aqua, we take the closest one. You're the formeryou know who. Show us something from your former abilities. — He taunted her, and Aqua, being Aqua, took the bait.
— I'm still a Goddess! Right here and right now! — She clenched her fists, glaring daggers at Kazuma.
— Goddess? — Megumin, upon hearing that, perked up for a second, getting distracted from the toad.
— Don't mind her. She's a bit delusional and probably hit her head when she was little, so she keeps saying things like this from time to time. Poor girl. — I wiped the nonexistent tear off of my cheek, giving Aqua a sad look.
— How sad... — Megumin turned away upon hearing that, getting her attention back to the toad.
— W-what?! Just because those toads have good blunt attacks resistance doesn't mean I'm a liar! This time, I will show you my true power! Look closely, all of you! — Gripping her staff with all her might, she ran ahead, ready to take on a toad she couldn't take before. — I will send you to eternal slumber! God Requiem! Ability that takes it's power from God's sorrow! Now die!
Sadly, as powerful as attack might have looked, she couldn't even land it before the frog ate her. Only legs were now sticking from it's mouth, and the history repeated itself yet again.
— As expected of a Goddess. She sacrificed herself for us to win time. — Kazuma stated with a blank face, unamused by her another fail. I was about to summon Divine Dogs, but before I could do that, a strong gust of wind picked up, and even I, a person who hasn't used actual magic in this world, felt the large amount of mana surging through the air.
—Darkness blacker than black and darker than dark, — Megumin started the chant, and the amount of particles picking up around her was tremendous, flowing right into her staff. —I beseech thee, combine with my deep crimson. The time of awakening cometh. Justice fallen upon the infallible boundary, appear now as an intangible distortions! I desire for my torrent of power a destructive force: a destructive force without equal! Return all creation to cinders, and come from the abyss!— As she kept chanting, the wave of realization, imagination and memories hit me like a truck, as I remembered the chant for one of the cursed techniques a proper sorcerer should know about. It's simple enough for even newbies like me to use, but it's also helpful in many cases. Before I could actually try to perform it, though, Megumin has finished her chant. The wave of mana gathered above the toad, creating several orange mana circles, which, upon materializing, started spinning, and glowing even brighter. —Explosion!
That's when it finally hit, and the magic power, that was gathered in the air, trembled with the beam of explosive force, which shook the earth and air, with the shockwave being strong enough to reach us from such distance, and even the toad, which was eating Aqua, flew from strong gust of wind that picked it after the initial explosion. The amount of dust, smoke and debris flying around was tremendous, and to protect Megumin just in case, a ran in front of her, holding my sword near my chest to block any projectile coming at us, but thankfully, nothing came, and all I could see was a smoke that was slowly fading away, revealing the smoking hot crater left, with no toad left in its radius. It was literally wiped from existence, given that I can't even see ashes of it left behind.
— So this is magic... — I was in awe, truly. This explosion was akin to a nuclear weapon being unleashed so close to us, and given that toad just evaporated, I believe the heat in the center is just on par with the nuclear bomb. This was amazing, and yet, I still was a bit sad over the fact that no one will get bonus reward for toad parts that got sent to shadow realm.
Sadly, this was not the end, since I heard the earth rumbling, revealing the toad that buried itself underneath to sleep, but was woken up by the explosion. Then, something hit me, and I turned around just in time to catch Megumin, who, despite being fine just a second ago, was now falling on the ground, before I caught her after her head bumped into my back.
— Megumin, are you alright? — I wondered, seeing that she's still conscious, but was, for some reason, unable to move.
— Explosion magic has a tremendous power, but it also takes tremendous amount of mana to use, so now I'm drained, and can't even move a muscle. — I didn't expect her to use all her mana on a single attack, but it did remind me of some video game skills or attacks that was normally called "Death or glory", which gave you tremendous amount of power, but in return gave you such a strong debuff or took all your power to use, that if you failed to take down the enemy before it ended, you would most likely die. — I did not expect a toad to be this close. Can you please take care of it before it eats us?
— Alright, don't worry about a thing, I got it. — Putting her on the ground for a moment to free my hands, I made a hand sign, summoning shikigami I needed to take care of Megumin. —Toad.— Gamamaru came out of my shadow, and, upon noticing Megumin lying on the ground, looked at me for confirmation. — Take care of her. She can't move, so be careful when you transport her. — Gamamaru gave me a sound of confirmation, and, using his tongue, pulled Megumin inside his mouth to safely transport her, while also giving her enough view to look at what was happening. — Now then, time to try this out.
Megumin gave me inspiration to upgrade my understanding of my cursed technique and it's ability with her chant, and now, that two toads were out for us, I had to limit the area so none other will suddenly ambush us. Raising my hand in a hand sign, I made the chant.
—Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.
I could feel it, the drain of my cursed energy needed to create this protective technique. Veil, the technique created to hide what should not be seen by non-sorcerers and prevent everyone from leaving or entering the area. Upon finishing the chant, a black spot appeared in the sky, and started to spread in a sphere like shape, creating a black barrier which was darker than darkness itself.
Some light were still shining through the barrier, but it still did the area darker than it was before.
— Now then. Let's take care of it, shall we? Kazuma, you take the toad that tries to eat Aqua, I will take the other one!Divine Dogs!
— Alright!
As Dusk and Dawn materialized, seeing a toad just ahead of us, they instantly ran ahead, flanking it from both sides, while I ran forward with my sword in hand. The toad, of course, decided to eat me, by catching me with its tongue first, but after a little lesson from Chris, I was now able to do more than just swing my sword. Suddenly stopping, and dodging a tongue that was sent in my direction, I instantly made a move with my hand, swinging my sword with enough precision and power to cut off the tongue of the overconfident toad. It croaked in pain, and while it was distracted, Dawn and Dusk, who got close enough to it, jumped at it from the sides, biting into it's throat, tearing it up as fast as they could. I didn't stand still while it was happening, and ran ahead, jumping high enough to get to where it's heart is, and pierced it's skin, until the edge of my blade hit something, and the toad went limp. I jumped back, and as the toad began to fall, Dawn and Dusk jumped off of it, getting closer to me.
Before cleaning my sword, I cut out it's eyes, cut it's legs, and leg Dawn and Dusk eat the second one, while I placed the first leg into my shadow. They deserved some snacks, after all. Turning around, I met gazes with Megumin, who was inside Gamamaru's mouth, confortably resting. I bet it's warm inside, but I don't want to check it right now. Maybe another time when I need to get warn or sleep outside. He can be used to travel in safety, carry the wounded, or act as support in battle. This guy can multi-task, and I was all for it.
— That was cool. Your barrier looks amazing, and your summons are nice. It's so warm and soft inside... — Her face was full of bliss, so I couldn't hold my smile any longer.
— Your explosion was also amazing. — I returned the praise, but instead of stopping there, I went two steps ahead. — The power, the shockwave, everything about it was breathtaking. I've seen a lot of skills, magic and abilities, and you're not bad compared to those I consider a legend. — Putting my hands in my pockets, and giving her the best smile I could muster, I said the phrase remembered by many. — So stand proud. You're strong.
With the way she flushed from my words, I determined that she likes it, and, instead of saying anything else, went to Kazuma, who was now talking with Aqua, looking at my veil from time to time. My shikigami was following me, and before Kazuma or Aqua tried to attack Gamamaru, I spoke.
— It's done now. Also, meet my new summon, Gamamaru. — Pointing at him, I let them know who not to touch, and they seemed fine with it, although Aqua did give him a stink eye for just being there. — I'll lift the veil now so we can leave. — Making a handsign, and wishing for it to disappear, I lifted the veil, which slowly dissipated into nothing.
— When in the world did you even learn something like that? — Kazuma proceeded to ask, and I smiled, pointing at Megumin.
— She became my inspiration. Her chant resembles the one I needed to use to cast it, and it managed to push my imagination just a bit forward to unleash it. — As I began walking back to Axel, my shikigami, Kazuma and Aqua followed, with Aqua softly crying from getting all dirty and sticky again. It was a nice hunting experience with a group.
***
Megumin: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
As we were walking through the streets of Axel, both of my shikigami were present, with Dusk and Dawn protecting Gamamaru, who was still carrying Megumin, who, albeit not fully, but could now move a little. People were often looking at this scene, and even if they got used to me walking around with Divine Dogs, it still did wonders on their mind, given than I'm the only summoner in town.
— From now on, you're banned from using explosion magic until absolutely necessary. Use any other types of magic. — Kazuma decided to pick up this theme with Megumin, and I decided to listen in, even if it wasn't my worry, as Megumin was the candidate to his party, and not mine.
— I can't. — Was her reply, which made all of us stop.
— Huh?
— I can only use explosion magic and nothing else.
— For real?
— For real.
In the complete silence, as uncomfortable as that, I noticed a girl running after a goose, crying for it to stop, and I barely held back my laughter after remembering one game about chaotic evil goose.
— If you have such high level and can use explosion, how comes you can't use any other type of magic? You should have at least one, right? — Aqua decided to ask, which I presumed was because they saw her adventurer card.
— I'm an Arch-wizard who loves explosion magic more than anything in this world. Anything that doesn't create an explosion, I don't count as magic! Only explosions, only hardcore! Of course, it would've been easier if I used any other magic, but I won't! I live with explosions! Even though I can cast only one explosion a day, even though I lay there, unable to move after using it, explosion magic will be the only magic I will use! I became arch-wizard for the sole purpose of using explosion magic! — Megumin yelled her lungs out, expressing her passion toward her most loved magic, and I could, honestly, respect that struggle.
— I respect the Dark Souls way of approaching things. Although, if you don't have enough mana to cast it more than once, why not upgrade your reserves? — I asked the most sane question in that case, given that there's no need to try to ban her from using the only magic she can and will use.
— If I spend any points to upgrade magic reserves, I waste points I can use to make it even stronger! I want to make it so strong no one could resist it! — Was her answer, and it still made a bit of a sense, even if it was distorted. If no one can survive a nuke, why drop a second one?
Kazuma sighed in frustration, as much as I can see by his tired face expression, and while Aqua was expressing her support to Megumin, I was wondering what would Kazuma decide to do. He then, suddenly, made a cheerful face, which pushed me to the right conclusion on what he was about to do.
— That so! Your path will be thorny, but give it your best! As soon as we reach the guild, we will share the reward, and then we will go our separate ways like ships at sea! — I observed Megumin's face expression, and it was filled with desperation known to people who were rejected more than once. It was a crazy gaze of someone who did not want to be left behind.
— All I can do is blow up stuff. You don't even need to pay me. You can get the power of arch-wizard if you just provide me food and a roof for a living! How about we make a contract and you accept me into your group? — She tried her best to try and get out of Gamamaru's mouth to try and grab Kazuma, but given that Gamamaru's grip strength is enough to hold a wounded person stable, she was welcomed to try.
— No-no-no, it would be such a waste ofpotentialif you will hang out with such newbies like we are! — In this very moment, my brain shut down just for a single second upon hearing the words "waste of potential".
That's right. Megumi, who's potential was wasted by him and the author himself, was akin to Megumin right here. She's an arch-wizard while being so young, with a spell able to obliterate almost anything in it's path, and she has the name that rings the bell in my head. Her passion toward her goal is up to my liking, she's cute, maybe unreliable in most cases, but she's still a companion that could save you many, many times over.
— Kazuma, I think you should reconsider what you're doing right now. — I told him, utterly serious. Even my Divine Dogs, who was just waiting for my commands, were now on the edge, as if ready to attack.
— Why?! Just think about it yourself, who needs a mage who can only cast their magic once a day?!
— Any human with a brain bigger than a pea. Kazuma, she's the walking embodiment of the phrase"I cast nuke", "f*ck everything in that direction"and"I dropped the sun on them"in one single person. Yes, one explosion a day is not much, that is understandable. She can't cast it in tight spaces or dungeons, I perfectly get you. But if you meet something, someone you can't even scratch or damage enough to kill, she is the one up for the job. You saw it yourself, her explosion literallyEVAPORATED THE f*ckING TOAD WITH THE GROUND IT WAS STANDING ON!— In the end, I couldn't hold my rage over it, and yelled at him to finnaly see the point. — If you do not want her in your party, I will take her, and show you exactly why you're wasting such a chance. What is your final decision?
The atmosphere became tense. Kazuma was shaken by my words, and even though Megumin couldn't do anything by herself, given the state she was in, she still tried her best to convince Kazuma to take her in. It didn't matter what Kazuma will chose in this very moment, because no matter what, MeguminWILLbecome part of a party, his or mine.
We actually gathered the crowd with the commotion, and I could see some rumors already spreading through the crowd, all berating Kazuma for leaving such a small girl after giving her hope. That was cruel, but it was, partially, the truth. As I was about to turn around and leave with Megumin, he, finally, made a decision.
— Alright, alright, fine! I will take her in! — He finally gave up his resistance, and this, in turn, made me smile. Even though I put him under pressure, even though he's stressed due to the crowd surrounding us, he still made the right decision.
— You made the right decision, Kazuma. You may curse it more than once, reconsider words I said before, but believe me when I say this. When it matters the most, you will never regret the choice you did today. — Finally, I gestured for Gamamaru to let Megumin go, and as she freed herself, I walked closer, putting a hand on her head. — Megumin, don't think low of yourself. Partially, both of our statements are true, there's no escaping that, you understand it without me telling that. Even then, you're not useless. You're not a deadweight. You are an arch-wizard capable of turning to dust whatever you want, whenever you want. Remember, you have the right to stand proud, because you are strong, and you deserve to be treated with respect. — Slightly moving my hand through her hair, I kept smiling, looking into her Crimson red eyes, seeing as she began to tear up. — If you, one day, would like to go on adventure with me, I will welcome you with open hands. I may not be the funniest person to be around, or the strongest, at least not now, but believe me when I say this. With me, you won't feel useless ever in your life.
She barely held tears in her eyes now. It was a wonder how she still didn't cry her soul out before, but now I could see it clearly. Her eyes were shining with determination, figuratively and literally, and once I removed my hand from her head, I gave her a little push in Kazuma's direction.
— Now go, welcome your new party the way you want them to welcome you. Make sure you do your best, alright? — She smiled wider, wiped her tears with the sleeve of her robe, and nodded her head, running to Kazuma and Aqua. While Kazuma was still sceptical, I could see that something in him changed in this moment. It may not affect much, or even be enough for him to instantly accept her, but as everything in this life, it takes time to progress.
With the case now closed, the crowd started to dissipate, and I, standing there for a little while, before Megumin's back disappeared behind the corner, went outside of Axel, to do what I wanted to do for a while.
***
I was in the same place I defeated Gamamaru before, and now, with the addition of a new technique to my name, I was about to try another subjugation ritual. This time, with Gamamaru on my side, it was time to take down a serious opponent. Nue, the owl who's wings produce lightning.
— Alright, listen up. This is very important. Nue can fly, and fly really fast. It's bigger than me, strikes hard, and can make thunderbolts from it's wings. Be very careful and do not get attacked as hard as possible. I will cast a veil so it can't go too far from us, but it will still have enough place to maneuver. Gamamaru, your job it to catch it and bring it down to the ground if it flies too high. Use your tongue to wrap its legs, don't go for the whole body, it will hurt, especially the wings. Dusk, Dawn, your job is to attack it whenever possible. It will try to harm your if you get close, so always aim for the head. If you catch it mid flight, try your best to damage it's wings first, and don't stay close to it more than a single second. Even that may be enough for it to attack. I will do my best to support you and attack it, but I don't think I'm fast enough to help you out at the fullest. — Petting my shikigami before the start of the fight, which is tenfold more dangerous than a fight with Gamamaru, I sighed, and prepared for summoning. —Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.
With the veil now set, no one could interrupt our fight, and no one could leave it before I finish. Readying the hand signs, I noticed how all my current shikigami took a defensive position first, ready to attack or get attacked at any given moment. I was no exception, given that I was about to take the sword out of my shadow the moment summoning will be completed.
—Nue!— The moment this name was said, my shadow extended, giving birth to a huge, own like creature wish a mask on its face, huge wings and body, with orange feathers all around it's body. Nue, upon manifesting, looked around, noticing the cage it was summoned it, with the user of Ten Shadows being ready to take it down.
As Nue descended with a deafening roar, unleashing thunderbolts from its massive wings, Divine Dogs sprung into action. Dusk and Dawn charged forward, their claws ready, as they lunged at Nue's towering form. With their incredible reflexes, they dodged the crackling bolts of energy, becoming blur for a single second they spent to carefully dodge the attack.
Meanwhile, Gamamaru, who was jumping around the battlefield, was ready to take action at any moment. As Nue attempted to ascend higher, until the very veil, Gamamaru's tongue shot forth at incredible speed, wrapping around Nue's leg with a vice-like grip. With a grunt, Gamamaru pulled with all its might, forcing Nue to get back to the ground, and before Nue could counterattack with lightning, he let him go just as he was about to hit the ground.
Once I got the chance, I ran forward as fast as it was possible, with cursed energy covering my entire body for both empowerment and protection, and once I was near falling Nue, I slashed my sword at its wing, instantly jumping backwards when I felt that my attack did, indeed, connect with the desired target.
Dusk and Dawn, seeing my success, ran to wounded Nue, about to attack it before it got back into the sky, only to jump backwards when Nue charged it's wings with electricity to ward them off. Dusk, who was closer, got hit with electric discharge, but gladly, most he got was a slight confusion. Gamamaru, upon seeing Nue fully discharging it's electrical charbe, shot its tongue in his head, wrapping it tightly, and then raising Nue just enough to hit it's head at the ground surface, which discouraged Nue enough to continue our attack.
As Nue thrashed and roared in anger and confusion, I ran through the chaos it was creating by thrashing around, striking it whenever I saw any opening, only backing down when it was showing any signs of charging another attack like before. With each strike, from me, Dusk and Dawn with Gamamaru combined, Nue was getting weaker and weaker each passing second. The amount of wounds it was receiving was increasing with each second, and being unable to fly anymore, Nue could only kick, thrash around and try to get us with electrical discharges, seeing as we did not stay close enough to hit us dead on.
When Nue was about to be defeated, it finally snapped, and flapping it's wings, which it was no longer able to use to fly, unleashed a series of thunderbolts, which were able to hit Dusk with Dawn, and one was even able to hit me, which felt like getting fried from the inside. I couldn't move for a few second due to paralysis from the lightning hitting my nerves, and in this second Nue saw me unable to move, it gathered last remaining power in order to take me down, getting closer and closer while charging it's wings with even more electricity. Dawn and Dusk tried their best to regain their senses before it was too late, and before Nue was able to take me down, Gamamaru managed to grab me with his tongue by my torso, and get me to safety just a moment before I was hit with an attack that would've most likely killed me.
Nue was left stunned after it's own, failed attack, which gave me and my summons time to get back to fight and attack it with all our might. Dawn and Dusk bit into it's wings, thrashing them left and right in order to inflict as much damage as possible, whole I tried my best to cut it down before it came to senses. It's less durable than a toad, given that it has hollow bones, but his amount of feathers made it hard for my sword to reach any of the vital organs.
— Just die already, dammit! — Putting all my cursed energy into the last swing, I aimed straight to the neck, and with all remaining powers, with the sword cutting through flesh, I was able to finally cut through it's defenses, beheading Nue that was about to recover.
Falling to the ground, I observed how it's body turned into liquid shadow, assimilating with my own, before I felt a new connection forming through my technique.
— We did it, everyone...we did it... — Raising my head to look at my shikigami, I couldn't hold my smile. Toad placed my hand on its head by going beneath it, and both Divine Dogs started licking my face. — Stop it, guys, you're making me sticky. — Laughing from the heart, at the verge of falling asleep from fatigue, I looked at the toad. — Gamamaru, pick me up, and carry me back to the tavern. The window should be open, so try to get me inside...I will...take a little nap... — As the strength left me, I entrusted my well being to my shikigami, and before I fully blacked out, I removed the veil that was blocking the way to safety. I was sure that my shikigami will make sure I'm safe, so I could fall asleep without any care in the world.
I knew that tomorrow, no matter what, will be another big day, given that I have yet to recruit anyone in my own party.
— "Sorry, Eris-sama. I just...want to take a short nap...
Chapter 4
Chapter Text
I woke up in my bed, feeling the comfort of the blanket that was beneath me. It was a bit hotter than usual, but given that I felt my Jujutsu Sorcerer clothes on me, it was no wonder why.
Gamamaru, just as instructed, brought me to the inn, and was now laying near the bed, enjoying his morning breakfast in the face of flies or mosquitos he caught that was attracted to my body's heat. Dusk and Dawn were guarding the door and the window. After I stood up from the bed, stretching my sore limbs, I went to the bathroom to start my daily routine of getting freshened up.
After combing my hair, washing my face, and getting rid of the remnants of drowsiness, I assimilated Gamamaru and Dusk into my shadow, leaving Dawn to be with me today. First of all, I had to go to the church, because I missed my visit to it yesterday, and I had to make up for it.
Without any delay, I arrived to the church of Eris, giving a nod to the priest and a priestess that were inside, and went to the altar, tossing two coins into the fountain.
"Eris-sama, good morning and thank you for your blessing. I'm sorry that I missed my visit yesterday. I was unable to arrive after the fight I had, and had to be dropped into the tavern by one of my summons. I was able to subjugate another shikigami, and your blessing played a little role in the end. If not for the luck and my shikigami doing a good job, I might've died yesterday." — Stopping for a second to think of what should I say next, I smiled. — "Yesterday, I also encountered an interesting arch-wizard, who's passion is explosion magic. She's pretty young, but she has a lot of talent, but because of her passion toward her only magic, she was rejected for, I believe, dozens of times over. I managed to help her get into a party my friend leads, but even if he didn't accept her, I would've taken her either way. If it's not too much to ask, please, grant her a little blessing so her life won't be as harsh as I imagine it already is. Thank you for your kindness and I wish many blessings upon your kind soul." — Both of the coins I tossed in the fountain gave me a thump up in response, which I think was a gesture of a praise towards what I did. It was nice to know she instantly answers to me, and I was even more grateful for that.
Standing up, I left the church to eat something and, of course, check on Wiz and her progress with what I told her to do.
***
— Wiz, I'm here. — I announced my presence, entering the store through the backdoor I saw yesterday. I could see Wiz, sitting on the chair, sewing what seems the last bit of the clothing that I told her to rip and fix. I gave her a little more time, and once she finished, I came closer to examine the result. — You're pretty good at sewing, you know?
— A-ah! — It seems I startled her, given her sudden reaction to my presence. — Y/n-san, I didn't hear how you entered.
— Sorry, I did call out to you, but you were so busy you probably didn't hear me. — Taking a pair of the underwear that was laying near her, I checked their durability by slightly tugging on them, and it was pretty good, given that this material was as soft as a silk. — Now that's what I'm talking about. You did a good job.
Placing it to the other pairs, I took the price list that I set aside for today, and went through it to see what can be made cheaper to sell faster, because, from I what I saw in the documents yesterday, she's on the verge of getting kicked out due to problems with paying rent.
— Now then, we shall start selling all this crap. Wiz, I need you to bring a wooden plank or several pieces of paper and something to write with. I'm going to make labels to show the prices of each item, and from now on, we shall start a sale phase by setting a discount of the most useless items you have here, starting with Portable Toilets. Their price will be 1 thousand Eris for a single one. Getting 100 thousand eris is better than getting none, and if I advertise it correctly, they will start selling in no time.
— I-isn't that a bit too much? It's already low in price, given that the price is exactly how much one costs. — Wiz was confused, but given she herself said she doesn't understand anything in business, I was not as harsh this time.
— 10 thousand is a lot for a defective product, so we will have to sell it for such low price to get any sort of money to order stuff people actually need. Think of the many potions, ingredients for them, other magic items that will help instead of causing trouble. You already have a few items I see a lot of use in, like this one box with divine energy inside that will repel undead's for half a day once opened. It's not cheap, but this is very useful. If you had more items like this, it would've been enough for you to get profit. — I explained, but once I mentioned the box with divine energy, she trembled in fear for a few seconds, which made me suspicious, but it might be an old trauma from adventuring for who knows how long, so I shrugged it off.
— A-alright, I understand. I will believe you in regulating the prices, but please, make sure you don't set them too low. Most of them have cost a lot to order. — She pleaded, and I nodded, looking through other items.
— There are some other defective products I see in here, so we will have to start sale on them as well. Maybe make this one cheaper, this one can sell for more than you set it for. — While I was wondering, Wiz went to bring me what I had asked for. And it wasn't long before she brought me sheets of paper, a few feathers with ink, and a pair of scissors to cut them. — Alright, time to make this business boomin'!
***
Wiz: Kono...
Y/n: Suba!
***
Once I made the signs, labels and changed the prices, I finally set the shop open. Given that people were already curious about what's happening inside, given that I hanged the sign about sales in magic shop, people were already swarming the shop to see what it's all about. It seems Wiz has many fans, some regular customers, and just adventurers that are happy to buy something for a low price.
Wiz was handling the counter, and I was bringing the items from the storage room, because once we started, she already broke two vials of potion, so I gave her an easier role to handle, which is still debatable, given how shy she is, so I was running in both directions to both bring items needed and to advertise or explain the need in the items most would find useless.
Even the toilet, which I expected to still be less sold than some of the more interesting items, was getting sold quickly, given that I gave a few suggestions on how to use it in a fight, which intrigued some of the mages who can control thunder or electricity, since flooding the area and then using their spells to fry anything that got into the water was a valid strategy. 59 of them were already sold, and that was already half of what we needed to pay rent, but given that it was not the only item getting sold, we already got money for the rent, and were only going further so I can see what can we order to sell for a higher price. Maybe I can find some instructions on how to brew potions and make my own, selling them to Wiz so she can then sell them to others. If I was an alchemist, it would've been easier, but I didn't find anything mentioning that you can't brew potions without this class. It seems you only need knowledge, materials and golden hands, but your potions will be weaker than those made by alchemists.
It didn't take long for me to get most of the stuff sorted and placed on the shelves, but even then, they were emptied in no time, so I had to restock it. Four hours into the work, and everyone has calmed down, with amount of money on the shop's balance now being manageable to do actual magic related work. We had to close earlier this day in order to sort through everything, but Wiz was now happier than ever. The storage room was more spacious now, given that we managed to sell half of the production present.
— Business is boomin'! — I exclaimed, looking through the assortment list to check how much can be sold. Although, I wanted to check the list of things that we can order, I wanted to finally get back to adventuring. — Wiz, go pay for the rent, and don't open until tomorrow's morning.
— Alright! Do remember that tomorrow is your last day of practice, but even then, I'm now more than sure than you're capable of handling things!
— Don't worry. I will prepare everything for us to make it official if you're so sure, so rest easy. See you tomorrow! — Waving my hand, and walking out of the store, I finally went to the guild.
Once inside, I could see a lot of people, drinking and having fun, and the answer as to why was found quickly. Aqua was performing party tricks with fans, water and flowers. It was, indeed, interesting from one point, but it was more akin to children's party tricks than anything.
Ignoring this show completely, I went to the quest board, and took my own recruitment poster from the shadow, nailing it to the board, and went to the side to look at my adventurer's card.
— Huh? I'm level 8 now? I killed a single toad since last time, how comes I leveled 4 times? — I was surprised at this turn of events, since I now had more points to spend.
— I might know why it happened, Y/n-san. — Luna, who overheard me talking to myself, called out to me, and I came closer to talk with her. — There was a rumor long ago that, while summoners take longer to level up than other classes, they start getting more exp with more summons they tamed. There might also be exp gain when you tame another summon, but that is unconfirmed, given we can't ask any other summoner.
— So that's why I only leveled up 3 times when killing 10 toads. I tamed 2 more shikigami after that, and it was added to my exp pool. You might be on to something, Luna. Thanks for the information!
— You're always welcome! — We smiled to each other, and I went to an empty table to wait for someone to answer my recruitment request, looking at the skill list.
— Huh? — Looking through the skill list, I saw one new skill among other ones that were locked. Before, I could only collect points to get ability to boost stats of my shikigami for a set duration of time, but now, a new skill was added to the list. — Fusion? If that's what I think it is, I need it right this instant! — Unfortunately, once my eyes landed of the amount of points I needed to spend to get it, I lowered my head. — 10 skill points. I only have 7 and I need to level up 3 more times to get it and 5 more times after that to learn boost. This sucks...
Hearing steps approaching me, I raised my head to look at the newcomer, to be met with a familiar face.
— What's the matter? You look like a sack of potatoes right now. — Chris, who was now without hood and a mask, was standing in front of me.
— Ah, Chris, haven't seen you for a while. Nothing much happened, it's just that my skills cost of lot of points to learn, but they are awesome and I need them all, but I'm only level 8 and I need 3 more points to learn the most needed one for now. — I waved my hand, greeting her, before gesturing for her to take a seat. — How have you been?
— I'm doing well, and it seems you're doing just fine. — She giggled, taking a seat. — What are you up to? It seems you're not doing anything today.
— Nah, I'm just relaxing after a long day. I was helping with magic shop, I think you know of it. A lot of people came after I decided to manage this burning boat. — Shrugging my shoulder, I leaned forward. — Other than that, I'm waiting to see if anyone responds to my recruiting request.
— Ah, so you're the one who posted this one? — She pointed at the quest board exactly to where my poster was. — I took a glance at it, but I didn't read much of it.
— You have your own party?
— Nah, I'm just not a person who will stick with one party for long. I either work alone, or stick with a party for a bit and then go where I was headed to. Disappointed? — She teased, but I only shook my head, giving her a little smile.
— Not really. I did want to invite you at one point, but if you're not for it, then I'm ok with it. I do hope you will be joining my party at occasions. You seem like a seasoned adventurer, and I wouldn't mind having you around. — Dismissively waving my hand, I put my head on my my hand, looking her in the eyes. — And what are you up to? You look like you came for something.
— Well, I'm here with a friend that tries to get into Kazuma's party. She's has a specific set of..."quirks" that make it harder for her to talk to people, but she's a nice person to be around, and she's pretty strong, so I'm here for emotional support and to teach Kazuma a few skills in exchange for letting her in.
— You will go as far as to teach someone else a skill to let your friend a chance to join a party she's looking up to? You are pretty nice, you know that?
— Flattery will get youeverywhere, — She giggled at my words, hiding her face behind the palm of her hand. — But yeah, I hear that once in a while. — Looking at Dawn, she smiled wider. — Can I pet him?
— Go ahead. He's getting used to headpats, so no harm in doing it. — As she began to pat Dawn, he sticked his tongue out, acting as if he was just a normal dog in that moment. It looked adorable, and I didn't want to stop it. They both seemed to have fun.
— How exactly does your ability work? I saw you using your shadow to store things before, then you can summon your summons from shadow and you can boost yourself. What is it all about? — She asked, and I saw no harm in telling her that.
— It's all a part of my ability called Ten Shadows. Once the user gets it, he is granted two shikigami, Divine Dogs, with Dawn being only one of the pair. Once they get them, they are now able to walk the harsh road to get all ten summons. In order to get new one's, they have to defeat them, one on one or together with other summons, because if someone else participates in a battle, it will be null and summon won't be granted. Other than that, it grant me minor shadow manipulation abilities, like the shadow storage you saw before. — Phasing my fingers through the shadow on the table, I gave her the demonstration. — That's basically how it works. Crazy, right?
— Yeah, that IS pretty crazy. Never thought such ability ever exists, and I saw a lot of crazy stuff in my life.
— I can imagine. — Giggling with her, I noted something different about Dawn that was sitting there, taking the headpats he was granted.
He was now a bit larger than I remember him being a little while ago. I don't remember sending any more cursed energy to him to gain any sort of boost, but after getting distracted, I felt something, a connection that formed just a moment ago while I was talking to Chris. In this moment, while explaining my ability to her, I received a boost to my cursed energy output.
I just made a binding vow with my own self, which is called "Revealing One's own hand". If you explain your technique to someone, you boost your own cursed energy output, which both gives you an advantage and disadvantage. Binding vows work in the way that you give something, but lose something in return, at least if you make binding vow with yourself. If you want to make a binding vow with someone else, it needs to have conditions that benefit both parties, and breaking the conditions has drastic effects, which can and will most likely lead to your death.
Now, once I felt what it's like to have a binding vow in effect, I had a rough idea on how to perform one on practice, but I needed a target to check if it's working.
— Chris, can I test something with you? I need to confirm one thing about my ability. — She stopped, and removed her hand from Dawn, becoming serious in a moment. She placed her elbows on the table, supporting her head in the process.
— It depends. What exactly do you need to check?
— Nothing crazy. I just understood how to make a binding vow, that being a benefitial for both parties contract, but I need someone to test if I can perform it. Let's do it like this, you won't tell anyone about my ability until I allow you to, and I won't tell anyone you tried to steal my stuff that one time?
— I didn't try to steal it from you, I was going to return it anyways. — She defended herself.
— If I steal a sword from royal family and then return it after a little while, it's still considered stealing. Your point being? So, how does it sound?
— Alright, alright, I agree. What nex-
Then we both felt it. Invisible chain has been set around our neck, and we didn't need to even try and guess what it was about. The binding vow we made between each other has now been set to effect.
— ...Were you really going to tell anyone I tried stealing from you?
— Not really, I just don't have anything else on you to make this contract benefitial for both parties, because otherwise, it wouldn't have had any effect. As I said, it's a benefitial contract you can't lie to. Both parties must understand what each other want from them, and agree to the terms. — Giving her a little smile, I patted Dawn, who was only happy to get some attention.
— I see... — She sighed, and shook her head, before standing up from her seat. — How about I introduce you to my friend?
— Sure, lead the way. If she will be in Kazuma's party, I will eventually run into her anyways. Better earlier than later. — Standing up as well, I followed her to Kazuma, who was talking with a tall women, almost as tall as I am, with light blue eyes and straight, long blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail tied with a braid and red hair clips secured on both sides of her bangs. She was wearing yellow and black sleeveless dress with silver trimmings, black chainmail, and a silver armor composed of metal greaves, sabatons, tasset, shoulder plate on her left side, wing-like cloth perched upon her right shoulder and a cuirass with a red bow.
When I saw her, one word immediately appeared in my head, "Crusader". Her armor, her stature, appearance and gestures with a noble charm instantly gave me an impression of a noble warrior following the teaching of their God, and this was just enough to spark interest in me. As we approached the group, interrupting their conversation, Kazuma, who's face was full of relief as we appeared, gave me an impression as if he was talking to a demon.
— Darkness, meet Y/n, he's someone I ran into a while back. He's a summoner, and will most likely keep joining Kazuma's party on occasions. — She introduced me to her friend, and taking a look at her face, I was stunned for a moment, before coming back to senses.
— It's a pleasure to meet you, Darkness-san. I hope we can get along, given that we may cross paths more than once. — Giving her a hand to shake, I saw her smiling a little, and shaking my hand in return. Her grip was strong, very strong, actually, and even with a boost I can achieve now, I don't think I could overpower her. That's a Crusader for you, alright.
— The pleasure is mine, Y/n-san. — She nodded, and released my hand, then she looked at Dawn with interest, and some sort of a glint in her eyes that I couldn't quite understand. — Does he bite?
— Worse. He judges you. — And after that, she noticed his stare, as if Dawn was asking her "Are you dumb?".Given that it's a big wolf, who is calmly following his summoner all around the city without causing any troubles, it was a wonder how she even thought of that.
— Ah, the stare he gives me is so judgemental! I feel like I'm being torn from the inside by his sharp gaze! — Her cheeks went red in an instant, and the image I already buily for her was ruined.
— "So that's a quirk Chris told me about, huh?" — I wondered, trying to understand what exactly was it. Autism or Masochism? Hard to say, since I will need to see more to judge.
— Well then, I will leave you to yourself. I have something I want to finish, so I will see myself off. See you around! — And with those words, I went outside to clear my head and think of what should I do with what I had achieved so far.
Since no one has approached me to join the party yet, then it means they are not interested, or the one who wants to join hadn't shown up for now. Leaving the guild for a little while won't hurt, given I just needed to breathe, and whoever might seek for me will probably ask someone if they saw me in case I will be needed.
— "I need to do quests to level up faster and gain more skills to get an upper hand over my other shikigami, get more practice with usage of Cursed Energy, find something useful for Wiz's shop to order and make her business even more profitable, and so many more. Just the Cursed Energy practice will give me such a massive boost that I can't even begin to comprehend how much stronger I will get. Black Flash, Reverse Cursed Technique, Domain Expansion. The possibilities are mind blowing." — While I was brainstorming what I should do next, I decided that I had enough air for now, and decided to return to the guild.
The atmosphere, before I even entered the building, was tense, and I could feel that something was wrong.
Entering, I instantly saw crying Chris, which already was enough for me for start worrying. Coming closer, to find out what is going on, I was welcomed with Darkness, who started taking.
— She's in depression, because after Chris taught KazumaSteal, he stole her panties, and then scammed her into giving him all her money. — Kazuma's face was enough of a confirmation in that moment, because even if he was looking horrified, it was face of someone who was caught, instead of someone who was falsely accused.
— Hey, what are you talking about?!
— He said that returning his pouch is not enough, knowing that I will do anything to return my panties... — Only now did I see Megumin and Aqua, who's face was full of disbelief and disgust, and I was not far off from them. — And then he said that I should name the price myself!
— Hey, wait, just wait a moment! I mean, it was like that, but not like that at all!
— And if he didn't like it, he would keep them as a relic! — I was about to do something to Kazuma, given that he didn't outright deny doing any of that, but then, when I was about to approach them, I saw Chris pulling her tongue out in a mocking gesture, decided to stop, because she already paid him back in full volume. Everyone in the guild heard that, woman included, and his reputation is now falling, and falling fast.
— So, Kazuma, you managed to learn thief skills? — Megumin decided to ask for confirmation instead of asking for anything else, and Kazuma, upon hearing her question, turned around.
— Let me show you instead! Get ready! — Pulling his hand forward, he aimed at Megumin. —Steal! — In that moment, a bright light emerged from his palm, indicating the activation of the skill, and when the light died down, I swear I was about to knock him out cold.
—Toad. — Summoning Gamamaru, I pointed him to grab Kazuma's hand, which he did without a second of delay, shooting his tongue forward and grabbing his hand, pulling it with all his might until we heard him screaming in pain. Moving as fast as I could, I grabbed the item he was holding, and before anyone could ask what it was, I placed it in Megumin's hand, and looked at him. — Kazuma. — With Gamamaru still holding his hand, it was hard for Kazuma to not listen to me, so, bearing with pain, he focused on me. — If I see you using Steal on anyone but your enemies or opponents, I will take out my sword, and make something that will shake your entire foundation as a man. We have an understanding?
— H-Hai! I'm sorry, it won't happen again! — His confirmation was enough, because even if my respect for Kazuma dropped, I still knew he was a smart guy who understands what would happen if he keeps doing something like this in my presence. After Gamamaru let him go, I assimilated both of my shikigami back into my shadow.
Megumin, despite having her "possession" stolen, didn't say anything, and silently went to the bathroom to fix the problem, although she was as red as tomato. Of all people he could've used for demonstration, he used Megumin, probably the youngest person in the guild.
I wanted to went my frustration on something, so I went to the quest board to look for something to kill. Although I didn't notice new quests, there were the old one's that I saw before, and I was about to pick up a quest to track down the wolves that terrorized the farm, I noticed one important thing. Luna was nowhere to be seen, and without her signing the quest notice, it won't count for me even if I complete it. Just as I was about to look for her, I heard a loud siren, with my newfound instincts told me to run outside to look what's happening.
EMERGENCY QUEST!
EMERGENCY QUEST!
EVERY ADVENTURER MUST COME TO THE MAIN GATE!
I REPEAT! EVERY ADVENTURER MUST COME TO THE MAIN GATE!
— "What the hell is even happening?! Who is attacking?!" — I had to find out an answer, but every civilian was running away in a hurry, hiding everything they own, and with no time to spare, I ran at breathtaking speed to the main gate, feeling the wind hitting my face with full force. I was faster than most adventurers present, but given that a lot of veterans were still in Axel, I wouldn't arrive first to witness the enemy.
After I arrived to the main gate, and had a chance to ask someone what the hell is happening, seeing no enemy in sight.
— What is approaching? — Was my question to the nearest veteran, who had a huge greatsword on his shoulder.
— Has no one told you, boy? It's cabbage yearly harvest. Each year, cabbage flies through the continents and oceans, ravaging through city and villages it comes across, and in the end, if no one caught it, it goes to the undiscovered land, and withers away. This will be one hell of a battle... — His response only made sense after he told me that cabbage, it seems, has learned how to fly, but it still was one hell of an answer.
Looking ahead, I finally saw it. With thunderclouds blocking the sky, it was way easier to see a cloud of green entities, which, after getting a bit closer, was identified as an actual, living and flying cabbage. I couldn't believe my eyes, but, after all, this is a fantasy world with new and unseen before creatures.
— I see...Then, it seems, I will have to trap them so they can't reach the city. It might cause a problem if they get inside. — Walking ahead of everyone, I caught attention of each adventurer standing behind.
— Hey, boy, do you know what are you even doing?! — The same adventurer yelled to me, but instead of stopping, I walked even further, making a handsign, and waited for cabbages to get closer. Some of them are behind the others, so I had to pick the right moment to use it.
— Hey, you! Get to safety! Don't think you can take it alone! You're not that guy!
People kept yelling for me to return, but, in the end, no one was brave enough to come closer and get me to move.
In this very moment, when I was in front of everyone, standing alone against the horde of enemies, cabbages or otherwise, I felt like the main character of an anime.
— They're getting closer! Move already!
— "Almost enough. I should make it bigger to catch them all, and leave some space for people to get inside the walls in case of emergency." — The cabbage was getting closer, the wind was getting heavier, and the tension only rose higher. Everyone readied their weapon, mages prepared their grimoires and staffs, and those without a weapon got in a martial stance to fight with their bare hands. — "Not enough...not enough...almost...Now!" — With a mighty yell, I warned everyone of what I was going to do.
—DON'T TRY TO LEAVE THE VEIL ONCE IT WILL BE SET! THE WOUNDED CAN BE DELIVERED TO THE GATE, AND THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO FIGHT WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT THEM AND SLAY THE CABBAGE!
—EMERGE FROM DARKNESS, BLACKER THAN DARKNESS! PURIFY THAT WHICH IS IMPURE!— A giant veil, of the size never seen before, has started to descent from the sky. It's sheer size was enough to cover half of a city, but right now, it was used to trap the cabbages specifically so they won't reach the city at all. The city gate was still in the area of the veil, but if someone wanted to leave, it was too late to do so. Those who doubted my abilities was now opening their mouths in awe, seeing the barrier technique no one has ever witnessed. —CHARGE!
With a battle cry, adventurers started their attack, and, before I summoned my shikigami, I heard Luna yelling into a megaphone.
— This year's cabbage has turned out to be amazing, and each head costs 10 thousand eris! Bring those you caught to the cages set near the gate, and put them inside to store!
This gave me enough motivation to bring out 120% of my potential, because while there's a saying that money won't solve your problems, it's wrong, because those who said so just didn't have enough!
—Divine Dogs, Toad!— Summoning both of the shikigami, I quickly gave them instructions. — Gamamaru, catch every cabbage you can and bring them to the cages! Dusk, Dawn, you can slash them apart at any opportunity, kill as many as you can! — They gave me a nod of understanding, and immediately charged ahead, while I made the last summoning handsign. —Nue!
Upon materialization, Nue wasted no time in looking around to understand the situation, given that it was summoned as ally for the first time, but even then, it was ready for battle.
— Welcome to family, Nue. It's time to show off your skills to others. — Jumping onto it's back, and slightly tugging on its feathers to make it understand that it needs to start flying, I pointed at the cabbages ahead of us. — Fly as close to the cabbage as you can, hit them with the lightning, and I will catch every single one I can. If I missed any, kill them without hesitation. Let's go! — With a roar, Nue rose higher into the sky, and, like a fighting jet, flew ahead as fast as it could, immediately charging it's wings to electrocute any cabbage it comes across.
I could see that Dusk and Dawn already started the slaughter, and Gamamaru was bringing his first group of cabbages to the cages. Once we got close enough to the cabbage, and the first pack was stunned by the thunderbolts, I immediately caught four of them when we flew nearby, and put them into my shadow, barely feeling any weight, given I didn't have to support myself by standing on the ground, and was using Nue for transportation.
— "Four done, a lot more to go!" — I never felt myself so free, and now that I was soaring through the battlefield on the back of a giant bird that is able to produce thunderbolts from it's wings, I both felt the most powerful and the most free person to ever exist.
The wind was whistling when I was flying closer to the ground, the currents messing my hair, but nothing in that moment mattered, because no matter what, the cabbage won't escape, as it has nowhere to run. It was locked in here with me, and none shall be left ungathered.
Although, when I saw some people getting hurt while fighting, I saw Darkness protecting them like a wall. Some cabbages literally broke trying to hit her, which further proved my point of her being strong, both in physical abilities and defense. That's a crusader for you, alright. Sadly, I finally got an answer to the question I asked before. She's a masoch*st...
— Oh crap! Nue, fly to the gates, faster! Dawn, Dusk, Gamamaru! Run to the gate before you got hit! — Megumin was casting her explosion, and good thing that I was keeping an eye on her in case that happens, because ten seconds later, after she finished her chant, we were in the safe zone before the explosion hit the remaining cabbage.
***
Megumin: EXPLOSION!
Y/n: KONOSUBA!
***
— Man, this cabbage has a heavenly taste with this toad. Good thing I had one more left after last quest. — Munching on the food I had ordered, I was in pure bliss. The amount of money I got for all the cabbage was unimaginably high. Due to my high luck stat, me and my shikigami collected a lot of high quality ones, and their quantity was well over a hundred heads. Two and a half million eris in a single quest!
And that is not over either. With the amount me and my shikigami killed, I instantly leveled up 5 times! With the card now in hands, I selected the "Fusion" skill, and applied it to myself, as the information filled my brain on how to use it. Once summoning any of my existing, tamed shikigami, I can fuse them into one without a need for any of them to die to do so. This. Is. Awesome! I even have 2 points left, which is not much, but hey, I'll take whatever I can to become stronger! I'm level 13 now, and this is already something to be proud of, given I'm in this world for less than a week.
Even so, it doesn't mean I will stop there. While Demon Lord is not my main focus as of now, I won't abandon the goal to exterminate him one day, be it earlier or later.
Being done with the dinner, I went to the church, and, greeting the usual priests and priestesses I saw on my way, threw a coin into the fountain, beginning the prayer.
— "Eris-sama, thank you for the luck you had granted me. With the cabbage harvest being my most profitable quest as of today, I was able to collect a small fortune, enough to start looking for a better gear. I also understood the limits of my mortal body, and has now decided to start training in order to raise it higher, so that I can get on the level of legends I know of. It won't be easy, it will take time, but I'm sure than one day, I WILL defeat the Demon Lord. Many blessings upon your kind soul."
This time, however, I didn't see any reaction from a coin, which probably meant that Eris was busy, and I was honestly a bit sad over this unfortunate fact, but duty is a duty, and I had no right to judge her for that.
Leaving the church, I headed outside of the city, in order to train physically, mentally and better understand the way cursed energy works.
I had a long way to go, and slacking was not an option, given how many things I had to improve. First things first, I was running instead of just walking, and continued to do so, running laps around the entire city several times before I finally felt exhausted. My cursed energy amount made it physically hard for me to get tired, and with this advantage, I could train way more than I could dream of.
I was training my body muscles with all the ways of physical activities I could honestly remember, and even then, I didn't remember much, given I was not the most physically fit person you would see. I was not fat, I had some muscles due to physical activitied I had to do while working, but it was not an impressive result, but now I could change that, and change for the better.
After I was done with the physical activities, with the moon being at highest point in the sky, I finally decided that it was time to start training using the cursed energy. I had to go into the forest at night, and had Nue patrolling the area around to warn me of any monster lurking around just in case, so I can have a free place, empty of any entity who will disturb me.
— Alright, let's try amplifying my hits with cursed energy. I don't have that many ways of using it right now, anyways, so the basics it is. — Covering my fists with cursed energy was easy, but maintaining it for a continuous amount of time was harder, given that my control was average at best right now.
First hit proved to be effective, but after the second, the layer of cursed energy became thinner, and I had to take time to get it back into shape, and only then did I get the same result. I was trying to maintain the layer of cursed energy amplifying my attacks at steady value, but right now, 6 hits without it dissipating was my limit. I will have to use cursed energy everywhere I go if I want to get a better control over it, because sadly, I have no tools to train it, and the only way I can go with it is by hard practice.
That still didn't stop me from trying to get at least some results in using Reverse Cursed Technique. Cursed energy, by itself, cannot heal the user. It can improve physical ability, but it's useless when it comes to healing, no matter how small or big the wound is.
The only way to heal by using it, is to transform it into positive energy by multiplying it by itself. Take the cursed energy as a minus(-), and positive energy as a plus(+). When you multiply minus by minus in math, you get a plus, and the same happens with cursed energy. If you smash it together, it should happen naturally, but it's easier said than done, and even after trying to do it for an hour on end, I only exhausted my reserves, which, I remind you, are huge, but sadly, I can't compare my reserves to people like Yuta, since I don't know how much do they actually have. If I saw them in person, then I would most likely understand it.
Exhausted beyond limits, I took a ride on Nue all the way back to the tavern, set the guard, and fell asleep, happy with some sort of a progress made on my ability to use cursed energy.
***
— Morning, Wiz. I've got everything ready for the contract. — As soon as morning came, I went to Wiz to finalize our contract, now that I can use binding vows.
— Ah, Y/n, good morning to you as well! — She greeted me from behind the counter, taking a sheet of paper and an ink with a feather, thinking I will write a contract using the laws of Belzerg.
— We won't be using the standard contract scheme here, it's unreliable
— Eh? — Was all Wiz could say, before I put the paper away, and sat her on the chair behind her.
— We will use a binding vow, a magic contract beneficial for both parties that, upon breaking, will lead to very heavy consequences, which will guarantee none of us betray each other's trust.
— B-but doesn't magic contract costs a lot of money to sign? — Given that she said that, it seems something similar exists here. — I don't think we have the money for that right now.
— Don't worry, I have an ability to create magic contract without anything needed for that. All I will need is your agreement to the terms I will state to you right here and right now. Do you understand?
— H-Hai.
— I will not, under any circ*mstances, try to ruin your business, intentionally or unintentionally. I will not spend the money gained by the shop for my personal gain, unless I order something through the connections you have, and in that case, I will return the money I have spent this way no more than 3 days after doing so. I will not lie to you about anything that happens inside the shop. I will complete the job as a manager at least 3 to 4 hours a day, be it by working a few hours in the day and few in the evening, full 4 hours at once, or bit by bit each part of the day. I will manage the finances of the shop in order for it to progress. I will manage the item prices as long as it will bring stable profit to the shop, be it by making it cheaper to sell it before expiration date or by making it more expensive if the need for it rises. Everything I order through the stop and it's money will be under my care, and if I do something wrong, those money wasted will be given from my own pocket, and defective products will become mine unless I want to try and sell it through the shop. If any legal crysis suddenly happens to the shop, I will try my best to deal with it, or you can deal with it yourself if you are sure you can manage it. You will be paying me for the hours I have worked by the end of the month, and failure to pay me in time will add 10 thousand eris for each day you failed to show up to do so.
— Now, onto your part. You will not, under any circ*mstances, use the money gained by the shop that is not part of your own paycheck you give yourself at the end of the month. You will not lie to me regarding anything that happens inside the shop, be it about customers or your own self. You will not manage the orders the shop does for any items, excluding the necessary tools for keeping it clean, stable and secure, and even then, you have to consult with me to make sure you don't buy anything useless by doing so. You will not try to distrupt me from completing my work, unless I'm in no condition to complete it. You will not manage those I order supplies, goods or ingridients from, and I can freely chose those who will be the one to supply the items. You will keep the shop clean, manage the counter, serve the customers, and defense measures, be it mechanical or magical traps, as well as be the one to pay the rent. If any trouble on the financial front happen to the shop while I'm not inside, be it because I'm on quest or because I have finished the quota, you have to send someone to look for me so I can deal with it. If the customer breaks something, uses it even once, intentionally or unintentionally, you have to make them pay for the damages, and if they refuse to do so, you have to inform me so I can collect the money from them. If you find another candidate for the manager position instead of me, I will be the one to check if they're suitable for the job by giving them one week of practice, and then comparing the sales and gains they got versus the one I got. If their numbers are lower than 25% of my own value, they are not suited for the job and will be kicked out. If you, at any point in time, decide to fire me, you will give me 3 days to finish the preparations so I can leave the shop without causing it to crash without me, which will in turn fully void this binding vow after I leave the shop.
— Do you agree to those terms, Wiz?
I could see how hard her brain was working to proceed everything I just said, and after rebooting several time in order to understand it, she, after a few minute pause, finally gave me her answer.
— Yes, I agree.
I shook the hand she gave me, and now, after the invisible chains hung around our neck, I was full fledged manager of the magic shop. Wiz looked surprised when she felt the connection, because she didn't expect it to be actually a full fledged contract that will force both of us to do our role, and not just a farce to make her scared.
— Alright then. Time to make orders!
***
I spent the next 4 hours looking through the things we could order with the money we had, and I found some useful stuff that will certainly help us. The most important part was, of course, a pretty expensive set for brewing potions, the entire tome about potion making and the ingredients to brew at least the basic ones, and some artifacts that will keep them fresh for longer.
After making sure I wrote everything correctly, and adding a magic sigil on the letter that, from what Wiz told me before, allows to transfer money directly to the central bank that transfers it to the one making the product, I sent the letter with the help of the one of a few pigeons Wiz was keeping for that job. With that part of my job done, I left Wiz to manage the shop, and went to the guild to take some quests, given that even though I had the money to live stable for a while, I needed levels.
When I arrived to the guild, I noticed the lack of people, and given that it's always crowded at this time of the day, it was worrying. Even then, I decided to shrug it off, and walked to the quest board, only to be met with barely any quests requests, and all of them had so many skulls on them inscribed, that I just wanted to turn around and walk out of the guild.
— Luna, say, what happened to the quests I saw yesterday? — Seeing that Luna was not really busy, I decided to ask her about it, given that she most likely knows the cause. — I was going to take the wolf hunting quests today, but it seems someone beat me to it.
— Yes, unfortunately, all the low level quests were already completed. The only one's left are high level ones, and that's because all the weak monsters hid away, and no quest on their extermination has been posted. That is because one of theDemon Lord Generalshas occupied a territory somewhere close, and his mere presence terrifies them to no end. — She kindly explained, and I sighed, hearing about the Demon Lord General.
— "Someone that strong near the beginners city? That's no good. Either he's up to something, or came for his personal business. No matter which one is it, I have to quickly get stronger if he decides to show up." — Looking through the quests, I tried to find the easiest one between all the dangerous monsters who people ask to exterminate. — "Huh? One Punch Bear? Is this what I think it is?" — Grabbing the quest paper from the board, I started reading through it to find out what it's all about.
"One Punch Bear extermination request"
"A group of ten One Punch Bears has occupied the forest near the village, and thus endanger the locals. Exterminate them."
— Luna, how strong are those bears? — I went to Luna to confirm something, and seeing the quest note in my hand, she, with a look of uncertainty, opened a book, which seems to be a bestiary, to look for more information.
— It's said that their attack is high enough to kill a human in a single punch. They are big, about 3 to 4 meters tall, and have a durable hide. I, personally, wouldn't recommend you to take it, given that even one can pose a significant threat to lone adventurers. — She warned, and I clenched my teeth, contemplating how should I approach this situation. I was just about to refuse, given her warning, but then, I noticed a lone figure walking inside the guild.
— Yo, Megumin! — Upon seeing her, I was overjoyed. She was just the person I needed for this, and she arrived just in time. — Come here for a second, I want to ask you something.
— What a coincidence. I was going to look for you too. — She came closer, with a slight smile on her face.
— I'm going to take a quest to take out a group of One Punch Bears, but I'm not sure I can take down all of them without at least weakening them first. My summons are strong, but if those bears are as strong as Luna says, they might cause me a lot of trouble. Are you busy, by any chance? I want to steal you from Kazuma for a day or so.
— He-he-he! — She spread her hands, in a chunni like manner, and then takes a Jojo pose. — Hearken, for I doth perceive thy quest for the might of an Arch-Wizard to help thee on thy journey. Fear thee not, for I, Megumin, wielder of the strongest magic, explosion magic, shall lend thee my aid!
— I take that as a yes. Luna, sign us up for this quest, we will get it done by today's evening. — She shook her head, sighed, but complied regardless, giving me the quest paper as confirmation.
— Be wary of the surrounding. This is not your normal quest, and if you're not careful, you can die easily. Safe travels to you. — She nodded to us, and as we left the guild, me and Megumin were walking to the gate to leave the city. It would take half a day to arrive to the village that was stated in the quest...Normally.
— So, why were you looking for me, Megumin? Something happened? — I decided to ask, given that I didn't before.
— I needed someone to come with me to practice my explosion magic. Aqua is working, Kazuma is helping on construction site, and Darkness left to her family to train. You're the only one I could ask for help.
— Perfect. You need to practice with explosions, and I need you to blow up a pack of strong enemies. Although, I will need you to make your explosion weaker so you won't evaporate them in an instant, given how strong is your explosion. Can you do that?
— Nuh-uh.
— ...The hell you mean "Nuh-uh"?
— I can't control the power of my explosion. It always comes out as maximum, which is why I'm always drained. — She shrugged her shoulder, and I started massaging the bridge of my nose.
— "Think Y/n, think. Is there any way I can make her limit her explosion power?" — Brainstorming was always a good solution when I needed to find out an answer, and, fortunately, it was found. A binding vow. There were several cases of using binding vow to temporarily limit your power and in return gain more power under certain conditions. They were even able to limit power of others, such as Mei Mei and her brother. It was a perfect solution.
— In that case, let's make a contract. When you're on a quest with me, be it official or unofficial one, you will not be able to unleash more than half of the power of your explosion magic, but, in return, when I say the word "Nuke", you will be able to unleash explosion with 150% of its original power. This contract can be nullified by me anytime, and everything will return to normal.
— How will this work if you can't control my stats? Is it some sort of magic?
— It is. It's called a binding vow. Benefitial contract between one or more parties that can also give you power boost under certain conditions, and this is one of them. You limit your power, but can unleash more than you normally can when this condition is met. Do you agree?
— Well, if it helps to make my explosion stronger, then I'm in! I agree! — Her eyes shone with anticipation, and when I felt a chain between us forming, I smiled, given that now Megumin possibly will be able to unleash two explosions instead of one, since with half of the power, she will only use half the mana needed to cast it.
— Do take note. It will only work when I'm with you. If you're with Kazuma or anyone else, you will still be able to use 100% as always. — Patting her on the head, which she didn't seem to mind, at least much, we finally left the city walls.
Since it would normally take half a day to arrive to our destination, I would've prepared more proviant for both of us just in case but...there was no need to travel that long.
—Nue. — Summoning Nue, and jumping on it's back, I looked at Megumin, who was in awe from seeing my newest shikigami so close. She only saw it when I was flying on it during cabbage extermination quest, but barely, because of the speed I was flying at. — Hop on. We will be there in no time if we use this guy.
— So cool! — Even though she was admiring the beauty of my summon, she still complied, and climbed, sitting behind me. Once I tugged on Nue's feathers to start flying, she grabbed me by my torso, and as we ascended into the sky, Nue started gaining speed, before we were nothing more but a blur in the sky.
— Hold tight, Megumin, it will take at least an hour at this speed! — I couldn't hear her response, but given that she tightened her grip, I took that as a response nonetheless.
***
It has been a little while, but now, as we were approaching, I made Nue slow down, to look around beforehand. The area was full of forest, with barely any plains or open areas. In the distance, I could see a village deep in the forest, with only a few buildings being higher than the biggest trees. The village itself posed no interest to us, but in case we need something, we might as well visit the area.
— I've never been so high up in the sky before. — Megumin said, and I felt her lightening her grip on me, instead gently holding into my torso. — It's beautiful. The clouds, the forest, the many animals I see from up there. It's just like a miracle, being able to see so much without a need to travel from place to place. — I turned my head in her direction, to look at her face, which was directed to the forest. She was sightseeing with a face full of bliss, and I smiled, agreeing with her on the fact that it was, indeed, beautiful.
— We will be there very soon. Nue won't be able to help us much in such a dense forest, so we will have to rely on my other summons and your explosion magic. Once we find their lair, it's up to you to blow it up before I attack. You will most likely be able to stand after you cast the explosion, but even then, don't be scared if my toad picks you up to get you safe, alright?
— Understood. I will be relying on you to keep me safe.
— Likewise, I rely on you to do as many damage as possible.
Once we reached the area that I marked on the map, we started our descent, and when Nue finally landed, we jumped off of it's back. Patting Nue on the back, I let it know it did a great job on carrying us all the way here, before dismissing him to rest.
— Now then, it's time to find out where they live. — Making a handsign to summon Divine Dogs, I smiled, imagining the face Megumin will make when she sees that one. —Divine Dog: Totality.
A larger portion of my shadow extended in front of me, quickly transforming into a new shikigami I had decided to summon. It was as tall as me, twice as large in the size as normal Dawn or Dusk, with larger limbs, huge claws, two colored fur and much more strength compared to normal. Since it's base is set on Dusk, it has more black fur than white, so I decided to keep calling it Dusk.
— Dusk, start looking for a smell of a monster. Around 10 of them should be present in the forest. Large bears, around 3 to 4 meters in height. If you find them, don't engage, they might harm you heavily, so once you do, just stay with me and wait for a command. — Dusk nodded at me, and, with a howl, ran ahead of us, not too close and not too far away, looking for monsters I had described.
— Wow! That's a new one. How long did you have it? It's so cool! — Megumin was in awe, and I couldn't blame her. I was in as much awe as she was, given that Dusk was now much stronger than he was before.
— After the cabbage quest. I got enough points to learn a skill needed to combine my summons. This is the result. — I proudly declared, walking in the direction Dusk has taken. Given that is has much better detection capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if he found them already.
— You just keep getting more awesome summons each day. Where did you even find them, exactly? I can understand the dog, and even toad, but how did you find a bird this big?
— Oh, you misunderstood something. I'm not exactly looking for them, or even summon them with blind luck, not knowing who will appear. They are a part of my ability called Ten Shadows. To keep it brief, there's ten shadows, which are called shikigami, that I can summon, but only Divine Dogs are given once I awaken it. After that, if I want to tame more, I have to beat them in a battle, and the bird, Nue, was the latest one I managed to beat. I plan on getting more soon, but I need more training to be able to take on next ones. I will probably try my best to tame another this week, because the more I have, the more exp I get for killing monsters. — The moment I explained the ability, binding vow that is based on me revealing my hand took effect, and I heard Dusk howling, calling out to me. — Let's go, it seems we found them.
— Alright!
We ran full speed ahead, and it was not long before we caught up with Dusk, who was standing near the clearing in the forest, where I could see a bear's lair. It was big, clearly made to keep several big creatures warm, and it was pretty deep in the ground.
— Good, we found them. Megumin, prepare the cast, I will keep guard in case they try to get out. Once you cast a spell, I will prepare a toad for you to get out, since I will set a veil to fight them head on. Understood?
— I don't have much of a choice, do I? — She teased, and gave me a little smile, making me laugh.
—Nuh-uh, you don't. — Shaking my head, I made a handsign to summon toad. — Do it.
—Oh, blackness shrouded in light. Frenzied blaze clad in night, In the name of the crimson demons,
let the collapse of thine origin manifest. Summon before me the root of thy power hidden within the lands of the kingdom of demise!— Just as I expected, the bears, which was hiding in their lair, hearing the voices, as well as the mana in the air, ran out as soon as it was possible, but, before they could escape to safety, Megumin was done with the chant. The rings in the air spun, and a beam of light was about to descend. —Explosion!— Orange beam, heated enough to vaporize the land itself, descended on their heads, creating an explosion loud and strong enough to shatter the trees, and yet, with the help of binding vow, it was half as impressive as the first explosion Megumin cast in my presence. It worked just like a charm.
—Toad! Get Megumin to safety, faster! — Just as Gamamaru manifested, catching tired Megumin with his tongue, he placed her in his mouth, and started jumping as fast as it was possible to get away from us. —Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.— Veil started forming immediately, and once it fully descended, the cloud of dust caused by explosion has settled down. What I saw was not a happy family, or even dead bears. They were damaged, to the point that I saw two smaller bears having a limb torn from their body. All of them could be seen bleeding, some worse than others, and none of them were happy. What Luna told us was partially correct, because bears I saw in front of us were not 4 meters tall, they were at least 5 meters in height if they stand on their back legs. Dusk was ready to fight, and I was not going to stand still either, taking a sword from my shadow.
I needed to upgrade my weapon arsenal as well, but for now, a single sword should be enough. Once One Punch Bears started moving, we, too, rushed ahead to take them head on. Divine Dog, totality version, could easily wound a Special Grade curse, such as Hanami, who is way tougher than any other Special Grade curse, so those bears would stand no chance against it's claws, as well as his speed. Dusk should be faster than them, but we will have to see the result.
Sliding beneath the clawed paw of a bear that was about to hit my head with a force enough to obliterate even seasoned adventurers, I covered my sword in a layer of cursed energy, slicing it's paw just enough to make it limp. Sadly, I couldn't cut deep enough through, which still meant he had a limb, albeit barely working. Jumping away from it's attempt to stomp me, I landed on a bear who's front leg was torn away from explosion, and plunged a sword clean into it's brain, rolling away from another bear that was about to hit me.
Dusk has already took one bear that was unable to move as well, and was fighting with another bear that was still standing, before he overpowered him, slicing his head off of his shoulders. That makes 3, 7 more to go. Running forward, and stopping just before the paw was about to hit me, I grabbed it with my free hand, and swung myself over it's massive body, getting enough momentum to slice it's face with the edge of my sword, which was able to cut deep enough to damage the brain and kill a bear on the spot.
Unfortunately, their thick skull, which is still easier to cut than other parts of their body, made it hard for me to pull my sword out in time, and I had to abandon it before I got obliterated by a punch of an angry bear that wanted revenge for his dead brothers. Without a sword to cut them down, I was left with my bare hands, and even though having a fight with a bear hand to paw sounds badass, I'm not strong enough to be able to kill them in one attack like they can.
Dodging a strike, and then another one, I jumped high off of the ground, and spinning around, hit it in the head with my leg, causing a slight reverbation with cursed energy, which sent 5 meter tall bear tumbling a few steps back. Once I landed, and pushed myself forward, Instead of dodging an attack, I grabbed his paw, and getting through the other one he used to try and hit me, dropkicked him in the face with enough power to cause some of my cursed energy to find a way through it's thick skull and come outside from the back of his head like a burst in a pipe, which also caused internal bleeding, given I could see blood dripping from it's ears.
— Just die already! — Before I let him go after such devastating attack, I spun around, using it's hand as support, and hit him in the left side of his head with enough momentum to make it fall to the ground after impact, and, once my cursed energy layer was renewed, hit it again and again, until a piece of it's brain literally flew out from its ear. Once I saw that, and a foam forming in it's mouth, I knew it was dead.
Looking in the direction where Dusk was, I instantly ran ahead to help, seeing 3 bears surrounding him, and given that he killed 2 bears, just like I did, those were the last ones.
— Jump away from them! — Warning Dusk about it, and landing on the head of one of the bears, I punched him to the thinnest part of the skull I noticed when hitting the last bear, making it stumble back, then hit it again before jumping off of it not to get hit by him after he decided to swat me away like a fly. — Get around them, their neck and back of their skull is their most vulnerable places! — Dusk roared, and ran ahead to the last remaining bears, while I was wrestling with the other bear, who, while still being confused after I hit him in the head, was still willing to fight with me. They all took explosion to the face, some got hit in the head several times and still were standing. The only one I could think of being tankier than those guys in this world I saw thus far was Darkness, given that she got hit with full power explosion from Megumin and still stood strong. That was impressive.
Taking a fighting stance just a bit ahead of a bear, I prepared for it to attack me, but instead of that, he ran full speed ahead at me, aiming to splatter me with it's weight, and, instead of standing still and waiting for this moment to happen, I jumped to the side, not aiming to stay for long in the air to have a chance to maneuver in case it tries to grab me with his ability to get on his legs and stand as tall as 5 meters in height, and hit him in the side with my leg, seeing absolutely no reaction. Their body was full of fat, muscles and thick bones, so it was no wonder I did no damage, but it was frustrating nonetheless.
As it stopped and tried to change directions, I grabbed his thick hide, boosting myself up on his back, and made a wheel to get enough momentum for my leg to hit his skull with enough power to make it fall to the ground.
—Graaah!— It roared even louder than it did before, resisting my kick sent at full speed, and, shaking me from it's back, stood as tall as it could, walking straight at me.
Even my strongest attack barely had effects on it, and it was, honestly, horrifying, but I did not try to make a step backwards, which will show my fear, and, instead, focused on getting back into fight and finishing it with all I had.
— "Think...Ponder it...Focus your mind..." — Clenching my fists, and clearing my head from all the unneeded thoughts, I set my mind to do a single thing. Defeat the last remaining bear.
We both ran ahead, stretching our weapon of war forward, and just before the bear's attack reached me, I weaved to the side, and in that very moment, my perception of time became as thin as a thread. Everything felt slow, and I could clearly see what I was aiming for. I was too low to reach it's head, but it's belly, while still being pretty high, was just enough for me to reach.
My fist kept getting closer and closer, and just one moment before it connected, my mind went blank, clear from any thoughts, any emotion, and only pure instincts were guiding my body.
When cursed energy impacts within a trillionth second of a physical hit, the space itself gets distorted, and cursed energy flashes black...it creates an unimaginably powerful effects, knows as...
—Black...Flash!— I yelled, feeling how pure my cursed energy became in that very moment, as One Punch Bear stumbled back in pain, I could see it's hide getting ripped just as I hit my first ever Black Flash.
Once Sorcerer hits a Black Flash, they enter the state called "Zone", which amplifies their understanding of cursed energy and it's output, making it easier to hit the next Black Flash, while also making each following one stronger than the last. This system is basically a crit attack in a video game, and right now, after landing a crit, I was not about to stop until the bear was dead.
—Black Flash!— Following with my second attack, the space was yet again distorted, creating the next Black Flash, with bear being unable to gain balance after the first one. —Black Flash!— Turning around and using my leg to hit, I rose high into the air, hitting it's chest with a third one. —Black Flash!— Another kick to the chest produced fourth crit attack, and I could clearly see it's insides rupturing from my hit, with his hide getting torn to shreds. I rose even higher after the kick, and was now high enough to reach it's head with my last attack... —BLACK...FLASH!— With the final hit reaching the target, I could say for sure. The great enemy has been fellen.
Five consecutive strikes of Black Flash was too much for it to handle, and, with it's head now blown open from the impact of a space distorting ability, it was now permanently asleep. I fell to the ground, hardly breathing, trying to regain my stamina as soon as possible. I could hear Dusk running to me, without any more sounds of battle, so I was sure that now, we have finally won.
— Hey there...don't be so aggressive, I know you did amazingly well... — Petting his head after he licked my face, I laughed, and stood up, looking around the battlefield. Every single bear outside was dead, that much I could see. But it didn't mean much if I didn't check the lair itself, given that it was still standing, although heavily damaged. — Be ready to fight... — I instucted him, and walked inside, looking around the lair, only to be met with a sight I didn't expect to see.
A dead bear, clearly a female, surrounded by rocks that fell from the ceiling, shielding it's cub from harm with it's body. She was long since dead, given it's head was bleeding heavily, but the cub was still trying to shake her awake, roaring with all it's baby might.
I stopped then and there, contemplating my actions before, but sadly, I had a quest, and they were the part of it. It couldn't go other way...But it didn't mean I had to kill the last remaining bear after the quest was completed. It was still young, maybe two weeks old or so, given that I saw that quest before I even became adventurer, so there was no need to kill it.
Slowly, trying not to scare the cub, I walked closer until it smelled my presence, turning in my direction to roar at me. Although it tried to ward me off, I didn't do so, and came closer and closer until it was scared to continue trying to intimidate me. Instead of immediately reaching out for the cub, I placed my hand on the hide of it's dead mother.
— You did well protecting him.Rest easy now. Even though it's my fault, I will take care of it.— Only then, after paying my respect to the mother who protected her family, I reached for the cub, who was not angry this time. It accepted that it no longer has a mother, but instead, it decided to come with me. It had a long life to spend, and his end will not be today. — Let's go, little Saitama, I will bring you home.
***
After collecting everything I could from the dead bears, that being their livers, and getting my sword back, we were finally flying back to Axel. It was a long day, and I'm sure it will just get longer with each passing day.
Being a summoner class, I could tame any creature and make it a part of my team, and having a bear as a part of it doesn't sound so bad. Megumin was holding my torso for balance, and I was holding a cub in front of me, giving it free space to look at, given that it had yet to see the world. It didn't seem hungry, and didn't act out of place, so the only thing left for me was to find an actual place to live instead of a tavern, because, sadly, it's too small to contain a cub that will rise to be as tall as the last bear I had fought.
— Why did you decide to take it? — Megumin asked, because she was too stunned before to do so. Now, after she calmed down, she gathered the courage to do so.
— I felt bad for doing what I did, and the scene I saw touched my heart, so I decided to take care of. It. Other than that...I love bears and have my...reasons...to take this one. It reminds me of a thing from my past. — I replied, slowly patting Saitama Jr.
— I see. He's cute, when you actually look at him this close.
— Yeah, he is. I saw a lot of bears, of different colors and breeds, and this one might just be the cutest one.
The rest of the flight was completed in silence, and once we landed in Axel, just outside the guild, I raised a little commotion by being on Nue, and then, after that, by holding One Punch Bear in my arms.
— Luna, we're back.
— Aah! — She was taken aback after she tore her gaze from the documents only to be met with a bear I was holding, only to realize it was me. — Goodness, don't scare me like that, will you? What's with the cub?
— Decided to take it in. He will grow to be a perfect companion. Other than that, we finished the quest. Here you go. — Giving her my card, I let her confirm my amount of kills, which was exactly 10 bears, and Megumin had 1.
— I-I see. Well, congratulations on successful hunt. Let me bring you your reward. — With that said, she gave me the card back, and went to fetch my reward for the quest. She returned short after with a small pouch filled to the brim with coins, and gave it to me. — 500 thousand eris, plus 30 thousand for each one. Your total is 800 thousand eris. Thank you for your hard work.
— I was not alone here. Megumin deserves a praise as well. If not for her explosion, I would've had much harder time in dealing with them all. — Pointing at Megumin, I gave her a credit she deserves, as well as a second pouch with half of the reward for the quest. — Thank you for helping me, Megumin. It was fun.
— Y-yeah. Thank you as well. It was fun, very fun indeed. — She smiled, and, hiding her face by tugging her hat down, ran out of the guild. I smiled, and placed the pouch in my shadow, before leaving the guild to enter the church. I left Dusk in his totality form to look after Saitama Jr. while I visit the church.
— "Eris-sama, I pray that you hear my words. I have done something unimaginable today, something I considered a goal I will spend months to reach, but now, once I reached it, I know everything will be possible. I defeated several One Punch Bears, with all of them being no smaller than 5 meters in height, and now I adopted a cub that I found after the hunt. One day, he will grow tall and strong enough to face any enemy, and he might be one of the one's who will help me in a fight against a Demon Lord. Speaking of. One of his generals appeared near Axel, and now all low level monsters hid from us, which is why I took someone as strong as One Punch Bear as a target. I hope you are not overworked, given that I didn't see your response to my prayers for a while, and I hope everything turns fine for you. Many blessings upon your kind soul." — This time, the coin I have tossed into the fountain responded, that being the clapped together hands, as if she was apologizing for not answering me before.
With a smile, I walked out of the church, seeing that a little crowd has gathered around Dusk and Saitama Jr. to look at them, and once I approached them, they decided they have much more serious tasks to do.
I picked up the cub, patted it on the head, and decided to finish my day by feeding every one of my shikigami. The day was long, and they will get longer.
Chapter 5
Chapter Text
The morning routing of a newfound sorcerer was now much more complex than it was before. I started waking up earlier in order to train, like running around entire Axel several times, training my muscles, and then practicing in usage of cursed energy everywhere I go. Other than training, i went to the shopping district to get a lot of salmon for Saitama Jr., given that he's still a cub, and will require a lot of food to grow. Thankfully, it didn't hurt my pouch much, given that the liver I collected from other bears cost a lot of money, since it's a high grade alchemical ingredient used almost everywhere in high grade potions. I did keep a few for myself just in case, but I still gained a lot.
Given that this is also a special, monsterized type of bear, his growth is much higher than a regular bear. Normally, cubs can only eat solid food once they are about four to five months of age, but those ones, it seems, can eat it once they hit two weeks of age, which was perfect, because I don't know what to supply to it instead of milk from it's mother. Cubs of a bear also become big enough once they reach a year, but given that Saitama Jr. was already as tall as Dusk or Dawn in their normal form, I'd say he will be as a normal bear in about three or so months.
Although, if I throw aside the problem it may cause me if he grows too fast, and the problem of looking for a house big enough to house him at full size, with enough place to move around, I still have at least a few left. There's no more quests that I can manage to complete, even with Megumin. The veterans, seeing my example of taking down One Punch Bears, decided to shake their old bones, and took the ones I would've been able to manage, leaving only quests who's difficulty was so ridiculously high that I refused to even look at them.
In the end, I decided to spend some time in Wiz's shop, thinking of what should I do now that I have barely anything to do. Customers were now coming very rarely, given that they didn't need anything if they can't use it on quests, and I could only sigh, looking through the tome about alchemy that arrived just yesterday. Sadly, the set for alchemy itself has yet to arrive, and only thing I could do was study the recipes, while also making an order request for ingredients I will need to practice with potion brewing. Even the basic thing, like health potions, will be in high demand, no matter the season or the need in quests. Mana potions come second, but they will be more expensive, given that materials needed for them are pretty rare.
Wiz was spending time in the shop, but instead of managing the counter, given that no one was coming, was cleaning it from dust. Once the clock hit 3 hour mark, I decided to leave, since there was nothing for me to do, and went to sulk a bit in the guild. My cursed energy reserve was only half full after the training, and 3 hours was clearly not enough to get it full after emptying the reserve to near zero. I could see Aqua working in a cabbage shop while passing by, Kazuma walking around, thinking of what he should do, and the guild hall was almost empty, with only a few people drinking and eating. Although, there was only one person, who, upon seeing me, decided to approach.
— Good day, Y/n. — Megumin gave me a smile, and giving her one back, I waved my hand in greeting.
— Good day to you as well, Megumin. — Patting Saitama Jr. that stood near my leg, I looked back at Megumin. — Are you waiting for someone?
— Yes, actually. I was waiting for you. Would you like to help me with magical training? — She asked, slightly nervous. I couldn't understand exactly what was the reason she was shy about it, and given I had nothing to do until my reserves are full, the answer was obvious.
— Sure, I'm down for it. You want to practice your explosion magic, right? — Turning around to walk outside the guild, I heard her follow me in a hurry to catch up.
— Yes. I won't be able to move after I cast it, so i need your help to get back. Plus, with the magical contract me made, I want to see the newfound power of explosion magic I have obtained! — She was very, very enthusiastic about this whole idea, and, smiling at that, I moved her hat to the side, ruffling her hair just a bit. — H-hey! Don't treat me like a child, you ruin my hair!
— Do you mind it? I can stop if you want to. — Teasing her a bit, I couldn't hear her answer, but seeing her face, it was not hard to guess that she didn't mean for me to stop, so I gave her a few gentle headpats, and put her hat down on her head. — Don't mind me acting this way. It just feels like you're my younger sister when we talk casually like that, enjoy things we do together and plan things we do. Just yesterday's trip to our quest was good of an example. It really did feel like you were my younger sister I didn't knew I had.
— ... — Megumin didn't say anything, but given that she hid her face beneath her hat, I knew she was blushing. It was, honestly, really cute, and I barely resisted the urge to pat her again. —Is this how Komekko feels...?— She whispered, and she probably didn't expect me to hear it, but I did.
— Komekko? Is this your sister's name? — I decided to ask, because the tone that she used was new to me. It seems she cares for her a lot, and this is very sweet of her.
— E-eh? — She stuttered, surprised I heard her whispering, but after taking a moment to think, she returned to the tone of someone who is proud of someone else. — Yes! She's my beloved younger sister, and she's everything to me! — Even then, she suddenly started to sulk, as if something bad has happened to her.
— What's the matter? Did something happen?
— ...My... — She stopped for a moment, as if thinking if she should tell me the what worries her, but, in the end, she decided to give it a go. — My family is pretty poor. I read in a book that I'm smaller than others because I'm malnutritioned from childhood, and as of recently, my father, who is an inventor of magic artifacts, didn't had any of his items sold, because even the only magic shop buying his products turned away his latest invention. He is famous for his mastery, but the stuff he adds to his inventions either make it impressive, or outright useless, more so of the latter. No matter how much money I send to the family, he spends almost all of it trying to create something that will sell well, which leaves barely anything for the food. I worry for Komekko, because if she grows up like I did, I won't ever forgive myself.
It stung right where it matters, because I was the one to turn down Hyoizaburo's invention he tried to sell to us. It was absolutely useless, and I couldn't find it any use even if I tried, because it was soft-locked by its gimmick that made it's main use absolutely worthless. I know I was the one to make it happen, leaving her family without food by doing that, but I can't and won't make an exception if her father is an idiot who can't think straight.
— Megumin, I need to tell you something. — Turning my head to look at her, I made an eye contact, trying to keep at least a little smile. — It was me who turned down his request. Since as of late, I became the manager for magic shop you're talking about, and I had to do so because the owner didn't make a single eris after opening, which was partially because of your father's inventions she was buying and couldn't sell after. This was the reason I asked you to introduce him to me once you get a chance, given that I wanted to ask him about his barely useful artifacts. I wanted to beat it into his head that this is not how one should make something for people to use, and if he wants his stuff to be sold, he needs to stop adding something that will completely nullify the effect of the item, like his latest item he tried to sell. He has bright ideas, given I saw some of his oldest inventions which have a lot of use, but his newest one's are useless to the core.
— ...I don't blame you for doing that. My father is an idiot at times, but he has a kind heart. He doesn't do it because of malice, but he just can't do it otherwise, just like I can't live without explosions. Maybe, just maybe, you will be the one to beat him into understanding. Until then, I hope nothing bad happens. Traveling back to home will take me at least a week, and I can't leave for that long unless it's absolutely necessary.
As we kept walking through the forest outside of the city, I was keeping an eye on Saitama Jr. He was running around, examining everything he could, smelling every type of berry and chasing rabbits or squirrels he occasionally saw. It was cute, and both me and Megumin could agree on that.
— Say, why do you want to go that far from city? There's an open plain that no one but toad uses. Why not blow it up instead?
— I can't. The guards will be mad at me again if I don't get far enough. They already ate my brain with a spoon, and I don't want to listen to them anymore. — She complained, and, as we made it out to the cliff, we saw something. — Is that...an abandoned castle?
— Dunno. It seems pretty old to me, and I see that a roof on one of the towers is gone. It may be several decades old at this point. — I waved my hand, as is showing uncertainty. — Given that I didn't heard anything about it before, and Nue didn't saw anyone entering or leaving, I'd say it's abandoned.
— Then it's settled! If it's abandoned, no one's gonna come to complain about me blowing it up!
— For safety measure, do fire it to the edge of the cliff. If no one comes the next day, we can count it as abandoned.
— Yeah, let's do just that. — She began to chant her explosion, looking at me for confirmation, and I nodded, showing that I will say the phrase for her to unleash her maximum. —Crimson-black blaze, king of myriad worlds, though I promulgate the laws of nature, I am the alias of destruction incarnate, in accordance with the principles of all creation. Let the hammer of eternity descend unto me!
—Unleash the Nuke.— As I said that, I could feel the rise in the mana around Megumin, with her eyes lighting up from overflowing mana that was gushing out of her. The rings in the air, just at the edge of the cliff, instantly changed their size, with a purple hue forming around them, indicating the amplification of its power. Megumin's eyes were shining brighter and brighter, and I could see her face showing a lot of anticipation for what is about to come.
—Explosion!— As the beam of light descended from the sky, heading straight for the cliff, it was already too late to do something about it, and once the beam hit the ground, and explosion of size I had no expected to see was unleashed at the piece of a mountain high above the water level. The shockwave reached us in a matter of seconds, shaking the trees and making it hard to stand, but, holding tight, I managed to withstand the explosion wave, holding Saitama Jr. who was not able to keep his ground, looking at the explosive mushroom forming after the initial explosion died down.
Megumin, with stars is her eyes, stood still for a second, before her legs gave up, and she fell to the ground, fully exhausted. It was not hard to guess if she was satisfied, given that she was giggling every few seconds. I smiled, looking at the mushroom cloud yet again, and sitting on the ground next to Megumin.
— Fantastic show of power. I felt my bones shaking from the shockwave, and the radius of it is enormous. A solid 8 out of 10. — Patting unmoving Megumin on the head, I laughed after she grumbled at my show of affection, and sighed, waiting for anything to happen after the explosion, but nothing came, and even Nue, who I unleashed to look at the castle to find anyone running around to see what happened, didn't see anything unusual. That concludes that no one was inside, because someone who would've heard something like this close to their home would've at least taken a look before hiding in a bunker or something. We shall see actual result tomorrow, but for now, we concluded that no one was there. —Toad. — Calling Gamamaru, I let him pick up Megumin, and, as we started walking back to Axel, I took a salmon out of the shadow, and tossed it to Saitama Jr. to eat. Today was pretty fun.
***
Megumin: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
Radiant sun, which was warming me this whole day, has now been completely gone beyond the horizon. The wind was picking up with clouds that were beginning to block the sky, indicating the oncoming rain. I held my adventurer card in hand, looking at my current amount of skill points, which was 10 in total. After I had finished the One Punch Bear quest, I have reached level 21, which gave me enough point to learn ability to boost my shikigami's strength. 4 skills that in total costed 5 points, but gained signifact boost once I learned all of them at once, because If I know only one of the four, it will only have 25% of efficiency. With all of them learned, they were giving out their maximum, 100% boost in their respective stat categories. Now, after I was able to boost my shikigami, I also learned another skill I had plans to learn for a while.Switch.5 points of cost is high, but given that this skill might save me and my shikigami lots of times, it was worth it.
While I was standing in the fiend, with a clear signs that battle has been something that took place before, I was as serious as ever. I left Saitama Jr. in Wiz's care, because while I wanted him to grow strong, this was not something he should be a part of.
That's right. The time has come for my next subjugation ritual, and this time, I will be conquering theGreat Serpent.A giant, truly giant snake who's length is no joke, with a great jaw power and impressive ability to move through any solid surface to reach the target from beneath the earth. The only reason I didn't try to conquer it before was my lack of mobility and way higher damaging options, but now, with the addition of Nue and Totality form of Divine Dog, while it was also about to rain, it was a perfect opportunity to take it down.
— Dusk, Nue, keep constantly moving and don't stay in one place. Once it emerges from the ground, and fails to catch you, attack it with all your might. If you can't reach the head, go for the body, if you can't reach it at all, better keep running until you get a better opportunity. If it does catch you, try your best to break free and help each other. Gamamaru won't be much of help here, as he's the slowest one of us, so we will have to do it without him. I will support you with my new skills, and if you will be in trouble, I will try to switch you either with each other, or with myself. Stay still for a second. — Approaching them, and placing a hand on their head, I sighed, and activated my skills. —Defense up, strength up, speed up, dexterity up.There you go. Those buffs will last as long as I have mana, and I have a lot, so don't hold back when hitting, and hit as hard as you can. Snake is not the tankiest, and probably has much less durability than both of you, but it has enough attack power and jaw strength to grab you and hold you without letting go.
They nodded in confirmation, with Nue spreading his wings, getting ready to take off at any given second. Dusk was as ready as ever, and with a slight shining aura they were now emitting due to overlapping buffs on them, they were looking mad cool.
Holding out a single hand for a handsign, I was ready to summon Great Serpent. To summon it, I only need one hand, given I only needed to shape my hand in a snake head in order to summon it, and, with it's ability to come from underground almost instantly, it can be used as a surprise attack, given that opponents might not even see it coming, with all other shikigami requiring two hands to summon.
—Great Serpent.— Calling out it's name, and grabbing my sword from the shadow, me and my shikigami got outside of the range just in time, before we got devoured by a snake dozens of times larger than any one of us.
Megumi's Serpent was big, but his reserves weren't as large as mine, and with my recent trainings, I was able to boost my output, which made Great Serpent way larger than I ever expected him to be. He might not have much defense, given it's scales only exist for a purpose of digging through materials and not withstand attacks, but he was still intimidating with it's size, appearance and huge fangs. If he bites me, i might become a meat on a stick, and that's understatement.
— Let's go! — Nue instantly flew as high as it was possible, Dusk ran to the side to evade his underground attacks, and I, not being an exception, ran as fast as my legs could carry me, trying my best to feel the sensation of the ground beneath my feet to evade sudden attack in case it aimed for me. Nue was waiting for his chance to attack, observing the situation from the sky, and, once me and Dusk felt the sensation of the earth moving beneath our feet, we jumped to the side, evading the attempted bite that would've most likely damaged us to no end, if not straight up killed immediately.
As it missed, closing it's mouth, Nue flew at it, forming electricity layer from his wings to cover it's entire body, and me with Dusk ran ahead from both sides, slashing at it's skin with our weapons. My sword cut through it's scales and skin with ease, given that it was covered with cursed energy, and slashing three times before it started moving, I ran away, before it had the chance to hit me with it's tail or head. Dusk did much more damage than I did, given his advantage in speed, but even then, we both did our part, while Nue, hitting Serpent's head with its wings on top speed repeatedly managed to prolong it staying above the ground for us to do as many damage as it was possible, because it's hard to move when your nerve and brain gets fried repeatedly second after second.
Once it hid beneath the ground, we, yet again, began running for our own safety, trying not to run in a straight line to let it ambush us with ease. The rain, finally, had started, and was drastically getting heavier and heavier each second, making it harder to hear what was happening underground, only giving us a room for feeling everything with our legs.
Once I felt the movement, I jumped to the side, looking at Dusk to confirm he did the same, only to see him running in the same direction he did before, and then, it hit me.I was played like a fool.
The ground beneath was torn from inside out, and a huge fangs inside of a large mouth was pointed directly at me, with me being in the air from trying to get away in the last second. I could see it's yellow eyes full of malice, and, when a single second passed, it rose high into the air, with me hanging on my sword I managed to stab deep into it's lower jaw.
I was fooled by the sounds it made when moving underground, and as it listened to the sound of rain hitting the ground, it noticed a moment when I moved to the side to evade it, and not hearing how raindrops hit the ground where I have been, it deducted my actual location with a precision of an actual predator.
— Nue, don't! — Warning Nue not to hit it, so I wont get electrocuted as well, I spread my legs to hold myself on it's throat walls, I grabbed my sword harder, plucked it out of it's jaw, and started slashing it from inside, trying to make it bleed as much as it's possible so it will have to gag me out instead of trying to swallow. I was lucky I didn't get impaled on it's fangs, and instead managed to only get into it's mouth. It's tongue was not able to reach me, and even if it did, it's not strong enough to get me out, given I can use my sword as a hook and still damage it in the process.
I could hear Dusk howling, ripping apart it's lower body, with Nue flying around and trying to get me out. As I kept slashing it from inside, I had to pierce it's throat to get balance, because it started to shake it's head to make me lose balance.
My hands were getting wet from the saliva it was producing, and it was getting harder to hold myself any longer, so, picking the right moment, I swung myself by using sword as a base, and ripping it out with myself, flew out of it's open mouth.
— Oh crap! — I knew I will most likely be high into the sky when I get out, but this was way higher than I expected it to be. I was about 200 meters in the air, give or take 10 meters, and this was not the height I expected to find myself at after getting out of a giant Serpent. He was way longer than I initially thought, but, even then, I knew I was safe, given that Nue, who was trying to get me out, got the chance to save me. Grabbing my hands with his legs, he carried me away from the snake, which started gagging out the blood that started collecting it it's mouth, desperately trying to breathe. — Nue, get me closer, I will jump down and slice it's entire body! — With a roar, Nue complied, speeding up to get closer, and, once we did, it let me go.
I was in a free fall state, approaching the Serpent that still could not stop the bleeding, and, positioning myself correctly into the air, let my sword do the job, stabbing it into his body, slowing down my fall, while also making a huge amount of damage by doing so. The blood was all over me, but this still did not stop me from landing on my own, while running around and slicing it until it bleeds out to death.
— Nue, hit it while you can! Fry it's brain! Dusk, keep going, we're almost there! — Nue, once again, hit him it the head, and I jumped high into the air to do the trick. —Switch!— Yelling out the name of the spell, I switched positions with Nue, being once again high into the air, landing on Serpent's head, stabbing a sword deep into it's head to gain balance. Raising my leg, and making my cursed energy surge through it, I hit it in the head with enough force to make it lower it's head closer to the ground, and did that again for yet another time, which lowered it's head enough for Dusk to reach it without troubles, slashing it's eyes by jumping high into the air. — Come on, just a little more! — Hitting an axe smash with my leg raised high enough to gain momentum, I made the Serpent's head hit the ground hard enough to shake it's entire body, and, plunging my sword out, started carving it's head open to locate the center of the brain.
Desperately running around and tearing parts of it's skin from it's head, I tried to get it in time before it wakes up and starts thrashing around, and, just as I was about to just start beating it to death, I found it. Raising the sword high and swinging it down, I focused on ending it with a single strike, feeling myself reaching for the core of my cursed energy to finish the job I had started. The cursed energy flashed red once my sword was about to hit, and I knew that I, finally, succeeded.
—Black Flash!— Crimson lightning has flashed with me slicing it's brain, shredding it apart in the process, and with a last convulsing move, the Great Serpent has, finally, fallen.
I jumped down from the dissolving body, with the blood staining my clothes turning to a liquid shadow, disappearing into my own, and as all of that was happening, my brain was being filled with information I needed to know of my newest summon. Dusk and Nue got closer to me, and while Dusk was licking my face, Nue sat down, as if offering me a ride back to Axel. I smiled, and patted both of them, letting Dusk assimilate with my shadow.
— You did well, Dusk, rest easy. You did amazingly as well, Nue, good job. — Forming a handsign, I summoned my newest shikigami. —Great Serpent. — Limiting my output for a while so it won't be as huge as when I summoned it to fight, i was met with the eyes of a snake I had subdued. — Welcome to the family. From now on, your name isOrochi. — As it got it's head closer, I put my hand on it, petting it's scales which, upon touching, became more durable, which is presumably how it was able to tear through materials underground. They only harden in response to physical interaction, but don't have time to do so if the hit happens too quickly, which is why they can't give much protection against actual attacks. — You can rest now. I will call for you when your help will be needed. — Sticking it's tongue out, Orochi make a hiss of approval, and dissipated into my shadow, leaving me with Nue. As I got on top of it, and tugged it's feather, we began to return back to Axel. This was one hell of a battle, but the outcome turned out to be the one I preferred. It was a nice evening.
***
—"Eris-sama, I hope you're doing well. Yet again, I managed to succeed in subjugating another one of my shikigami. It was hard, given that it tried to eat me, but I was able to manage just fine. A huge 200 meter long Serpent is one hell of an enemy, you know? Other than that, I have started looking for a better place to live than a tavern, given I now have a companion I have to take care of. I'm hoping to find something before he grows up to be too big for a tavern, and given he's already this big, I don't have that much time. Many blessings upon your kind soul."— My evening prayer went as calm as always, and given that Eris gave me a response, I was sure she is managing just fine.
Feeding Saitama Jr. took a little while, but once he ate everything, he went to sleep, and I left both Dusk and Dawn to look after him, heading to the tavern to finally celebrate my achievements. So far, I already got 4 shikigami, and with Orochi now added to my party, I was a force to be reckoned with. With such strong shikigami, I could now take onMax Elephant, Round Deerand evenPiercing Ox. Although, my next summon will beRabbit Escape, given that now I have someone to deal with them in a single attack, since Orochi can instantly eat all of them, no matter how many it will be.
That will leave only two shikigami...and both of them worry me to no end. While I know what to expect fromEight Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, I know nothing of theFuneral Tiger, who's ability has not been shown ever, due to Sukuna formingAgitoand it getting killed by Gojo. If only I had known what can it do, I wouldn't be as troubled, but given I had absolutely no information, I could only hope everything will be fine.
— A cold bubbly and a board of meat for me please! — I ordered, getting myself an empty table in the tavern that now had more people than it had this entire day. Bubbly is this worlds drink that is basically beer with foam resembling bubbles, and, from what I keep hearing all around, it's one hell of a drink. I had to try it at least once, given that I did not drink a single drop of alcohol after arriving to this world.
— Coming right up! — The closest waitress who heard me made sure I understand that she heard me, and left to the kitchen to inform the chef and get me the beer. While I was waiting, someone I know decided to crash by, sitting in front of me.
— Fancy meeting you here, Chris. How's life?
— Life's doing fine. Looking fine yourself. Didn't see you getting anything to drink before. What, something big happened?
— Well, remember about me telling you about needing to beat my shikigami to tame them? I just beat another one, and it's time to celebrate it. — I said, spreading my hands. — Let's make you a part of this. Drinking alone is alcoholism, so order anything you want, it's on me today.
— Ooh, I like that one! Hey, the usual for me, and make it double! — She yelled, receiving her response, while I smiled at her rise in mood. — I don't remember last time someone celebrated something with me, y'know? How about we make sure you don't forget it?
— Oh? You want to propose something? What do you have in mind? — I leaned closer, looking her in the eyes. That's some mischief I'm sensing, and I'm all for it.
— The first one to pass out from drinking too much loses, and the loser will have to complete one wish, — She raised her index finger, giving me a sly smile. —Anywish. How does that sound?
— You sure you want to bet so high? I'm not a pushover, you know?
— What, our summoner is so scared to lose? — She teased, which made me irk just a bit.
— Alright then, binding vow it is. If I pass out from drinking too much first, I will do one thing you ask me to. If you pass out first, you will do one thing I ask. This can be anything, and the pact will be completed once the wish was fulfilled. Do you agree?
— W-why go so far for a simple challenge?
— Oh, is our thief scared of losing? — I copied her manner, teasing her into submission.
—Why you...I agree! — The pact was sealed then and there, and given that we can't break it until the loser completes the wish, we had to start drinking today.
— Alright then, dig in! — First rule of drinking with someone. Never do it with an empty stomach. The less you ate, the faster you will get drunk, I learned that into my previous life, and I'm not about to break the rule. The food was already in front of us, and so, before we even touched our bubbly, we started filling our stomach. Not even a few minutes in, and we already got our share of meals, but, given that mine was bigger in size, I had an advantage.
—First one!— We declared, drinking the first mug in a single gulp. It went smoothly, given that it was bittersweet, bubbly and actually easy to drink. —Second one!— The challenge kept going, and we had yet to feel the effects of alcohol. The waitress was now busy with us, and seeing that, other adventurers decided to spectate our alcoholic duel. It seemed like it was a usual occasion for people to drink until passing out, and, given that some people were yelling to bring us more and more, I knew it wouldn't really end until one of us throws up in our sleep.
The third, the fourth...the tenth mug was emptied, and I was starting to shake after drinking the last one. Chris seemed worse, given that she was splattering some of her own bubbly when trying to drink it, so people had to pour more in her mug to compensate for what she didn't drank. After all, people wanted a fair battle, and if I drink 10 mugs, she must drink 10 as well. Eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth. The world is getting blur, it's getting hard to see past all the pixels I began to see, and it felt like I was in an 8bit game where I could count each pixel on the screen. Chris was barely holding, with her hand barely able to hold her own mug at this point.
Fourteenth, fifteenth...The world was spinning. The lights were getting brighter, everything was getting too loud to comprehend. Chris, after finishing her mug, finally gave in, falling with her face into her empty bowl of food, with her mug falling to the floor. Someone raised my hand, making me stand up to dance with them. I couldn't hear anything, but now that people started to shake me, it felt worse. Dancing was not one of my better abilities, but in this moment, it didn't matter.
I barely remember doing theHakari Dance, saying something aboutSacred Treasure Swinging and Ringing, but, in the end, after the entire adventurer guild was drunk, they fell to the floor, and I was the only one to remain standing, barely conscious. The only thing I registered was picking Chris up to get her and myself to fresh air, and walking her to the back of the alley, stumbling a few times on the way there. She was very light, as a feather, so it was easy to get her outside, but once I was on the fresh air, I could finally breathe in to clear my head, at least a little.
Under the moonlight, Chris was looking beautiful, just the perfect image of beauty in it's purest form. Her fair skin, white hair with a hint of light purple, her thin lips, her beautiful legs, soft hands and moderate chest. I couldn't think of much in that moment, but she reminded me of someone I appreciate much, but couldn't remember who. When I tried to remember, I could only see white noise, and my headache was only getting worse.
Once Chris regained consciousness, she started vomiting from all the alcohol she drank, and I patted her on the back to make it easier.
— Easy *hic* there, you *hic* drank a lot tonight. — My speech was barely comprehensive, given that my tongue was playing tongue twister with itself, but, even then, Chris relaxed her shoulders, and kept emptying her stomach until she was no more unable to do so. Her legs couldn't hold her, and since I was the only one who could walk, I picked her up, walking to the tavern to get her to bed. Given that I don't know where she lives, and me not knowing where is her house, I decided to bring her to my room. I had only one bed, but given that I can summon Nue to be my soft feather pillow for the night, it was acceptable, even if I had to sleep on the floor.
Once I was back into my room, Dusk and Dawn, seeing my state, didn't try to approach me, given that I needed to sleep, and Saitama Jr. was still asleep. As gently, as my drunk body could manage, I laid her in bed, and covered her with a blanked.
—Nue... — Forming a handsign was hard with hands that barely listen to you, but third time's a charm, so after Nue appeared, confused as to why I called him, I just fell on his back then and there, falling asleep. He didn't mind, given that he doesn't even feel my weight, but it doesn't mean he was not surprised by me and a female laying on my bed. This evening was...eventful, to say the least.
***
Chris: Kono *hic*
Y/n: Suba *hic*
***
Chapter 6
Chapter Text
I expected to wake up in such pain that my actual death would feel like a blessing, but after I opened my eyes, I couldn't care less about the pain, because I didn't feel it. In fact, I felt as good as ever, which is probably the effect of Cursed Energy on my body. Even though it can't heal, it can amplify my natural processes, such as toxin filtration, natural regeneration, and even blood flow. All that combined, and I have a clear head even after the heaviest alcoholic duel in my entire life. Speaking of a duel...
- Oh crap... - I almost forgot about Chris being there, given that I carried her all the way to the tavern after letting her vomit her stomach out in the alley. She was still sleeping, with a bit of saliva leaking from her mouth straight on the pillow. It was funny, but as amusing as it was, I needed to wake her up. Dismissing Nue that was asleep, I carefully approached the sleeping thief girl, shaking her shoulder. - Good morning, it's time to wake up. - She mumbled something incomprehensible, and turned away from me. - Come on, open your eyes, sleepyhead. - Shaking her harder, I got the same result as before, and, with a sigh, opened the door for Saiamta Jr. and Dusk with Dawn to leave the room so they can wait for me in the tavern.
Grabbing the sheets on the bed, and stretching my arms to do the trick, I tugged on it as hard as I could, and then a human learned how to fly. Chris, with her nonexistent weight, literally flew a meter high into the air, which was enough to wake her up.
- AAAHHH! - She screamed, falling back on the bed, only to be met with my amused gaze after she managed to sit down. - Y-y/n?! W-what are you doing in my room?! How did you even get there?! - She pointed her finger at me, blushing from embarrassment, and trying to cover her body with her only hand, as if she was naked this whole time.
- This is my room, Chris. - I pointed at the room itself, then at the bed. - You passed out from drinking too much, and I brought you there to sleep. Couldn't leave you sleeping on the streets, you know? Other than that, here, have some water. You probably feel drained. - Given that I had some useful items in my shadow at all times, a water jug is not as bizarre as it may sound. Chris blushed even more after she did indeed see it's not her room, and gratefully accepted the water I gave her. - Let's go eat something. You had to vomit your entire stomach, I bet it's empty now.
Just as I said that, both of our stomaches rumbled in frustration, indicating our rising feeling of hunger. Chris could not stop the blush from getting even deeper, because for her, it was probably one of the most embarrassing things happening in her entire life. She quietly left my room, following my steps, and as we reached our table that was reserved for us by my shikigami, we sat down, ordering whatever we decided to choose.
An awkward silence was set between us, as we were eating our food, until she decided to break the ice with her words.
- What do you want to ask me to do after I lost? - I could see a few drops of sweat forming on her forehead, since she was nervous when thinking of literally ANYTHING I could ask her to do, given our binding vow. Anything mischievous, dangerous, downright stupid or criminal. But, alas, her worst assumption didn't come even close to what I had in mind after brainstorming the answer from myself for a little while.
- Let's go on a date. - Was my answer, with the most honest smile I could offer. Taken by surprise, Chris, who's brain was now rebooting with a windows XP sound effect, took her sweet time to proceed the information I just dumped at her. Once she did, she became as red as a tomato, with comical steam coming from her ears.
- W-w-whad do you mean a date? As in, a date date? I've never been invited to one, a-and I don't even know what to respond, oh geez, what do I do what do I do... - She began panicking, and it was clear it was a situation she was not ready for. I giggled, stopping her in her tracks.
- It doesn't have to be exactly today. Take your time, proceed the information and go with the flow. I honestly want to get to know you, understand what you think about, how you operate. Find out your likes, dislikes, your favorite food, your favorite place to sit at to gaze into nothing. It will come eventually. - Clapping my hands into an apologizing gesture, with a slight smile, I stand up, off to leave to my work. - Take it easy, alright? Even if the concept of a date is new to you, I will just do my part and help you have fun. See you later, Chris. - With that, me and my companions left the guild, going straight to Wiz's shop to get my shift done.
Given that no quest still appeared due to a threat of Demon Lord General being around, we only were getting adventurers once every several hours, and most of them were either here to gaze at Wiz's breasts and go away after I gave them a death glare, or buy something that they needed for daily things, be it a new pair of magical underwear that won't tear easily, or a bracelet that keeps getting you warm if you charge it with mana, but only at slightly lower temperature than that of a normal one for humans, about 30 to 32 degrees Celsius. This was one of the few actually useful things that she managed to buy a while before I arrived, and it wasn't selling very well due to the fact she forgot it existed, and only remembered it when asked specifically about something close to it. I did get one for myself as well, given that the winter was approaching, and it would be a worthy investment.
Saitama Jr. was sleeping next to my leg, with a plate of bones next to him, indicating he had ate all the food I had left for him. He sleeps at least half of the day, given he was growing, so it was easy to take care of him, given he was awake for only about 6 or so hours, all of which he spend following me around, playing with me on occasions when he felt like it, or chasing my summons.
About half of my shift in, maybe 2 or so hours, and I heard a bell as I was sitting in a storage room, learning other recipes in the alchemy book, itching to try and brew something already, but, without a set for doing so, I was unable to do anything but cope and seethe. Although, when I heard the voice of the customer, I decided to come out of my (un)official office(read as "storage room"), to greet the one to come, with Saiatama Jr. waking up to follow me all the way through.
- Hello. Is Y/n here? - The one speaking out was none other than Megumin. After I mentioned that I work in the magic shop, it was no wonder she would come to pick me up so I could pick her up after her explosive routine. Given that no one came to complain about the noise or property damage, it was safe to assume that the castle was, indeed, abandoned. Any sane person, who's property was damaged, be it a surrounding or the property itself, would come to find out who has caused that, and given that no one came, it was either abandoned, or the one living there is an idiot who is too scared to come out and complain.
- Ah, yes, give me a second, I'll get him-
- No need, Wiz, I heard the bell myself. - Coming out of the storage room, and giving Megumin a little smile, I walked past Wiz, patting her shoulder. - I'll come out with her for a few hours. I'll get back a bit later, maybe in the evening. See ya, Wiz.
- Safe travels, Y/n! - She said, waving her hand, and as me and Megumin left her shop, we started walking outside of the city.
- How about we travel to the castle on Nue? - I suggested, but Megumin instantly rejected my idea.
- Crimson Demons don't have a set destinations. Only a path. - Was her actual answer, and I deadpanned at her response.
- Then where are we walking to?
- To the castle.
- You just said Crimson Demons don't have a destination.
- Yes, but a journey to the castle is just yet another path in our life. Our path is full of dangers, adventures and tragedy, but despite this, we only become stronger by overcoming it! No matter how far we have to go, or how high we need to jump, I, Megumin, the strongest of the Crimson Demons, the one who controls the strongest magic, explosion magic, will not fall in the face of difficulties! - She gave me a long ass speech just to try and defend herself on slipping on her own quote, but given that she was looking anywhere else but at me, it was not hard to guess she was red from embarrassment about her being caught.
- We literally walk the way we used yesterday. There's no fallen trees, stray monsters running rampant, or even wild animals in sight. Saitama Jr. is itching to chase some stray squirrel, but, as you can see, he can't do much but chase my shadow under those conditions. - I said, unamused by her attempts to redirect my attention from her failure, only for her to point her finger at me in accusation.
- You just don't get the whole point of the adventure! What's the fun if you know what's going to happen? Where else can you get a dose of adrenaline after a dangerous walk in the woods, where anything can appear! A mysterious abandoned castle in which life does not exist, and the foot of those who enter its lands will never be outside! So many undiscovered part of the forest to see, so many mysteries to solve! - She kept her act, and, although I knew she tried her best not to mess up this time, she did so at least two times by now, but I decided not to point it out. While it would be amusing to see her angry, because she's cute when pouting this hard, I did not want to ruin this peaceful walk in the woods we were experiencing.
Instead of saying anything, however, I just put my hand on her head, gently patting her. She did jump a bit from my sudden touch, but she didn't try to get out of it, and instead leaned more into my hand to feel it better. She liked my gestures of appreciation, and, given how she smiled during that, I sometimes mistook her for a kitten.
Once we reached the place she fired her explosion from the last time, we didn't notice any changes in the surrounding around of the castle itself. It was just the same as it was yesterday, so we were good to fire explosion at the castle itself this time.
Megumin, who was now chanting her explosion, most parts of her chant making absolutely no sense, kept charging up the magic power needed to successfully fire her explosion, and stopping only to wait for me to say the word.
-Nuke. - Her smile could not get any bigger in this moment, because after that, with magic power overflowing through her entire body, she charged it all into her Explosion, which made her magic circles even bigger than they were before.
-Explosion!- This time, her explosion, for some reason I have yet to find out, was stronger than the last one. We didn't kill any new monsters, she didn't level up herself or her explosion, she doesn't have any new equipment to boost her strength, but, even so, I could clearly see her getting stronger. Maybe using magic time after time actually given you a boost, or you get a better understanding of how to use it to it's fullest?
I have a lot to learn, find out and understand, and the power scaling and leveling of this world is just one of those things. I fully(almost) understand the system of power in jjk, and can project my own power level at around semi grade 1 sorcerer to a grade 1, and not higher, given that I have yet to obtain RCT or a domain, but I can say for sure. I'm close to surpassing Megumi in terms of both combat abilities and power. My shikigami are stronger than his own, I move faster, hit harder, and understand more about Ten Shadows than he does. Although he has 2 more shikigami than I do right now and has a Domain Expansion, albeit incomplete, if we were to fight, I would, with a 90% chance, win, no matter what he does, because even if he tries to summon Mahoraga, I'll just rip his head off before he finishes the chant, just like how Sukuna stopped him from Summoning Mahoraga by showing his finger down his throat.
Ah, I got distracted again. I was staring at the explosion mushroom left after the explosion, with a little smile on my face. Megumin, barely standing, sighs with a relief with a hint of pleasure, before falling down, with me catching her last second before her face hits the ground.
- That was stronger than the last time. Good job. - I gave her an honest praise, summoning Toad to carry her yet again. Given that she likes the feeling of warmth and the soft insides of Gamamaru's mouth, she was all for it.
- Haa...I'm drained. Let's go back, I want to rest. - She sighed, lowering her head while closing her eyes, as if getting ready to sleep.
- ...How about we do something else. - I said, raising my fingers in a handsign. -Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.- Normally, veil can't be seen by non-sorcerers, unless they get close enough for distance to stop being the only thing limiting them from seeing it, so using veil not only to limit the battlefield, but also to hide us, was a good strategy. - Remember how I explained my ability to you?
- Yes, I do. What's about it? - Looking at the forming veil, she couldn't stop staring at it, only to look me in the eyes after it was fully set. - Are you gonna summon someone?
- You've got it right. Recently, I got myself a new summon, which I will show you in a bit. For now, though, I will repeat a part about getting new ones just in case. To get new summon, I must start a ritual which will call out for that summon, and then I will have to fight it to the death. Once it dies by my or my summon's hand, it becomes mine. Right now, I will start a ritual, and you shall see the process itself. Sadly, you won't really see much fight happening, given I'm not gonna summon any of the shikigami that can fight back with you nearby, but I will show you something beautiful. - Making a handsign to summon a shikigami, I smile at her. - Are you ready?
- I am. Go for it! - She exclaimed, with her eyes shining with excitement. She was eager to see what I have in stock, and given that she just loves my summons, I bet she's gonna love those 2.
-Rabbit Escape. - Large portion of my shadow extended forward, with a huge amount of rabbits appearing in a split moment after a single one was summoned. They look just like an ordinary white rabbits, with red eyes, being only a bit bigger than a normal rabbits.
The way the Rabbit Escape works is really simple. It summons a single rabbit, who can instantly multiply up to hundreds in a split second, and, if buffed, probably even thousand, and it's main purpose is to distract the enemy, block their view and cover up the summoner to hide their escape path. It's just like theGreat RabbitfromRe:Zero, without the eating anything that can be eaten part.
While Rabbit Escape is purely a support technique, due to rabbits basically doing no damage, due to their lack of strength, it doesn't mean they can't actually fight. They do it more for a show or to intimidate/confuse the enemy, because the only thing they can probably kill is something small, like a mouse, cat or a bird. They are fast, certainly, but they lack the punch itself.
To defeat them, you need to either kill all of them at once, or find the original rabbit that summons all of them, and kill him instead. Normally, a Ten Shadow user will always keep the original rabbit in his shadow to prevent him from dying at all cost, but in that case, when it's summoned as an enemy that tries to run away from you, it will be outside for you to kill him.
- Wow! So many rabbits! That's so cool! They all look so fluffy as well! - It was evident she wanted to hold at least one of them, but, given her state, she could only watch as Rabbits escaped in several directions at once, trying to find the escape path, only to realize that the veil I set won't let them do it. It was big, certainly, but not big enough for me to lose them.
- Alright then. Time to gather them in one place.Divine Dogs, Nue. - Summoning three shikigami to do so, I smiled, about to unleash hell on on those rabbits once they gather. - Split up and chase those rabbits to a single point. I'll let our new family member to deal with them after. - Without a need to repeat myself, my shikigami took off at great speed, chasing after the rabbits that desperately tried to escape. Unfortunately for them, my shikigami, being buffed up by my Cursed Energy, were faster, so it was only a matter of time before they get gathered in a single point beneath the veil. - Megumin. What you will see after will most likely be brutal. My new summon is huge, dangerous and terrifying. Be prepared for what you're about to see, alright?
- You're saying it like it's something bigger than what I saw in my entire life. It can't bethatbig, alright? I'm not a little girl anymore. - She pouted her cheeks, only for me to give her an amused smile. She will be in awe after she sees Orochi.
As I was waiting, looking in the direction where I expected all rabbits to arrive to, I was not disappointed to see my shikigami doing an amazing job in luring them to where I was expecting them to. All rabbits were now in one place, ready to be slaughteres in a single moment. When Megumin saw it all happening, she looking at me expectedly, as I made a handsign with just a single hand, pointing it at the rabbits.
- I guess I'll go a little rough then, can't let you win this one. - In order to show Megumin how wrong she was, I decided to give the chant I was thinking about for a while a go.
Given how a technique can be powered up by chants, like Sukuna's Cleave or any of Gojo's limitless techniques, I wanted to find a way to amplify my own. And I found a way, in the beginning, one might say. Buddhism is what made the Ten Shadows, with it being a reference to Ten Sacred Treasures, and it's only natural I will start there.
-Shadows deep, ancient and prime,- The first part describes the shadows as profound, old, and fundamental things that hold a lot of significance. -In sacred light, they intertwine.- Shadows are not separate entities but are interconnected. The "sacred light" represents a divine or mystical force that binds the shadows together. -With treasures ten, I summon,- This part represent Ten Treasures itself, being the final and the last part of the chant. I have never tried doing it before, but, in order to impress someone, I was willing to go this far. -Great Serpent.
I could feel my reserves draining more significantly than if I summoned Orochi without a chant, which mean, in the end, it worked like a charm. Upon getting out of my shadow, Orochi, who's size was now at least 250 meters, was looking at rabbits with a hungry gaze. It was no wonder, given how tasty they looked from his perspective, so I smiled, giving him a go.
- Orochi, destroy the Rabbit Escape. - Without any need for waiting any further, Orochi moved faster than one would expect for a being of such massive size, but, being powered by my cursed energy, chant and willpower, it was no wonder he was such a beast right now.
Megumin, however, was pale as a chalk, with her face expression just being(OxO), since she was impressed, scared and was being in awe. She did not believe me when I said the truth, and now, not being ready to my summon, she was sweating intensely, trying to move inside Gamamaru's mouth.
- What's wrong, Megumin, did itscareyou? - I teased, knowing it will most likely snap her out of her fear. She doesn't like her authority being challenged, and doing so will most likely wake her up.
- N-not at all! I, Megumin, Greatest of all Crimson Demons, can not and will not feel fear! - She replied, almost instantly, with her woice cracking for a second. - I was just impressed that you were able to actually summon a being this big-
Megumin cut herself off, seeing a scene in front of us. We turned around for just a second, and the ritual was already completed. Rabbit Escape was successfuly eliminated, with Orochi just waiting for me, with Dusk, Dawn and Nue as well. Dismissing everyone but Orochi and Gamamaru, I made a gesture for Orochi to get down, and, when he did, I stood on his head, dismissed the veil, and, with Megumin inside of Gamamaru's mouth, and Gamamaru himself near me, we were now traveling to Axel on Orochi's head. At least, until forest ended, and I dismissed him. I wouldn't want to cause such a commotion by everyone seeing a snake about one fourth of a size of Axel, maybe less, maybe more, I didn't check how big Axel really is. Good thing he lowered his head to the tree level so no one would see him before I decided to show him to anyone else.
- You know, even if your Serpent is huge, he's cute. His scales look majestic as well. - Megumin said, enjoying the insides of Gamamaru's mouth. We returned back to Axel, and the only thing left was to get Megumin to the tavern so she could rest.
- You have a good taste, given that all my summons either look intimidating, cute or majestic. I have yet to show you the rest, but when the time comes, you will see all of them. - I smiled, lifting her by holding her waist, and laid her on the bed in her room. Gamamaru was dismissed, and Megumin was now going to sleep to regain energy and mana, so I had no other business with her, and yet, I decided to be with her just a bit longer.
- Hey, Y/n, can you tell me a story? - She asked, tilting her head in my direction.
- Depends on what do you want to hear. I don't really have much to say about myself, if you're asking for stories of my adventures. - I replied, unable to think of anything interesting of my own life to tell her about.
- How about some story you heard about? Maybe about knights, dragons or heroes? - She listed things she might be interested to hear about, and then, I smiled, knowing what to tell her about. Taking a seat across her bed, and looking in the window, I decided to tell her a story of a hero who's name put fear in the soul of his enemies.
-In the first age...in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. Burned by embers of Armageddon, his soul blistered by the fires of Hell and tainted beyond ascension, he choose the path or perpetual torment. In his ravenous hatred, he found no peace, and with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. He wore the crown of the Night Sentinels, and those that tasted the bite of his sword named him...the Doom Slayer.
***
It was already dark, and finishing my shift in Wiz's shop, I decided to turn in for the night. Although, before doing so, I went to church, said my usual prayers, got an answer, and went for a little walk across the rooftops to get some fresh air.
-Rabbit Escape. - With the original rabbit who summons the other hidden in my shadow, and a single rabbit summoned by the original on my shoulder, I jumped from roof to roof, looking through the city to see if anything happens. Given that it was late in the night, and most people were sleeping, the only people I saw outside were guards, drunkards walking through alleys, looking for a path to their house, and a single thief who walked by them to get some pretty coin.
It was no surprise to see Chris stealing from drunkards, and I don't even blame her for that, at least not much, because the strong preys on the weak in this world. If you got robbed, it's your problem for looking anywhere but after your own pockets. Although, I did not intend to let her escape before I got to her, so, with a devious smile, I let a rabbit on my shoulder jump down the alley, running to Chris so fast she didn't even notice anything before he was already close.
Before she understood what happened, rabbit grabbed the pouch in her hands with his teeth, and ran away through the alley, with Chris following him with all her might, lagging behind due to the lack of speed. The chase kept going, with her trying to get what she stole back, and the rabbit kept evading her attempts to catch it, jumping on the roof when he got to the dead-end.
-Gotcha!- She yelled, jumping on the rooftop, only to see an unusual sight of me, holding my summon, petting him on the head with a pouch full of money in his mouth.
- Fancy meeting you here, Chris. Did you decide to get some fresh air so late at night, or did you have moreinterestingthings to do? - Taking a pouch from rabbit, and holding it in my hands, I took a guess at how many eris was inside. - Around 100 thousand or so eris. Not a bad catch, you know? - With a teasing smile, I shook it in front of her face, seeing an irk mark on her forehead.
- I did not expect you of all people to rob me of something I stole. - She commented, holding her hand out to me. - Can you kindly give it back to me?
- Is stealing something from someone who stole it can be called stealing? - I kept teasing her, shaking the pouch. - What if I decided to return what is not yours?
-You wouldn't dare.- She said, making a step closer to me, only for me to remain still.
-What if I do?
-Steal!- When Chris used her skill to get the pouch back, I threw it high in the air for the target to be out of range, and, instead of stealing a pouch of money, she was now holding my rabbit. She was confused, until she sighed, hugging him with both of her arms. - He's surprisingly much more fluffy than he seems. - As I caught the pouch she failed to steal, I came closer, putting it on her head like a little hat.
- You're welcome. - Her pouting was really cute, and I couldn't hold myself back from laughing a little. - You should smile more. It really suits your pretty face, you know? - Taking rabbit from her hands, I observed three stages of understanding on her face, with her blush getting redder and redder. - Well, it was nice seeing you again. Do remember that we still got a date planned,sweetie. - Giving her a smile, I jumped off the roof, covering my escape with a wave of rabbits appearing from my shadow, and after they disappeared, I was nowhere to be seen, leaving flustered Chris standing on the rooftop. It was a nice evening.
***
-Explosion!- My daily routine kept going as usual. Trainings, playing with Saitama Jr., work in Wiz's shop, Explosive training with Megumin and playful teasing of Chris every evening. She had yet to work up her courage and finally go on a date with me, but I did not push her, giving her time to think it over. She's a nice girl, and pushing her forward when it wasn't necessary is not something I would do. I have some time to spare, and given that women are complicated beings, it's better to let them be until they're ready.
- 10 out of 10. Shockwave hit me right to the bones, and the mushroom cloud is the biggest we've seen yet. You're totally improving, you know? - Before Gamamaru put Megumin in his mouth, I gave her a headpat, before taking off her hat to put it on Gamamaru. He looked adorable in her hat, and given that Megumin laughed as well, she thought as much.
- You're finally getting used to my Explosions as well. If you appreciate the beauty of my art, how about walking this path together? I can teach you explosion as well, you know? - She said, as I laid her inside Gamamaru's mouth to rest.
- I can't learn magic of Arch-Wizard class, or almost any, by that definition. I'm a summoner, my list of spells I can learn is really small. No point in trying to teach me something If I physically can't use it. I already have my summons, support magic for them and my sword...speaking of, I need to finally get to blacksmith, I'm in dire need of a weapon I thought about for a while. - Walking to Axel was such a usual part of my day that I could walk back to it with my eyes closed, so, while we were going back, Megumin decided to speak.
- Why do you need another weapons, anyways? Sword is most likely enough, and your summons do a good job at dealing with anything you come across. - She asked, tilting her head to the side, as we walked through the gate to the city.
- Sword might not be enough, and I can't always rely on my summons, no matter the case. For example, take the giant toad. It's resistant to blunt damage, and you can't really take it down without weapons or magic unless you hit it where it doesn't matter if you hit with fists or hammer. Imagine, if you will, an enemy resistant to slash or piercing damage. Let's take Darkness, for example. Her defense and armor make it harder to damage her with swords or spears, as well as arrows, given most of them will break from impact. To deal with her, you either need more powerful sword to penetrate her defense, which is nigh impossible with my current sword, or use blunt damage weapon, such as hammer, mace or morningstar. I have a weapon in mind that also has a blunt type damage, and I need it if the need arises for me to use it, because those types of weapon exist to deal with armored enemies. You might be safe from getting injured from outside, but your insides will be a mess if you get hit even once.
I explained the need for blunt damage weapon, and she nodded her head in understanding, turning her head in the direction of guild.
- How about we eat something? I'm kind of hungry right now.
- I've worked up my appetite as well, so yeah, I'm down for it.
We changed our route from the tavern to the guild, and as we went inside to eat, we could see Aqua performing party tricks, Kazuma face-palming at her usual behavior, Darkness sitting near Kazuma, excited from him calling her out for something she probably did not long ago, and so, we decided to take a seat near Kazuma himself. Gamamaru let Megumin go by sitting her near me, holding her waist with his tongue, since she still had yet to recover her mana to even hold her own weight. She could move her arms, but sitting by herself was out of option.
- Yo, Kazuma. Long time no see. How's it going?
- Indeed, long time no see, Y/n. I'm doing just fine. It's boring, because we can't even go on a quest, and working on a construction site is getting more annoying by the day, but hey, at least it's peaceful. - He said with a little smile, holding a mug of bubbly. - How about you? I saw you going in and out of the city there and there. Are you hunting monsters or something?
- Nah, I was just going out with Megumin so she could train her explosion magic. She's doing wonders in her progress, given that her explosion got stronger two times over. She keeps evolving from a usual bomb to a portable Tsar Bomb. I'm sure that one day, she would be able to fire explosion way stronger than any nuclear warhead could even hope to be. - Biting into a meat steak I ordered, I leaned a bit backwards, looking at the ceiling. - I also keep getting better with my abilities, two summons in the span of last week. I want to get another one today, and order a new weapon.
- Man, I'm so jealous of you the more you talk about your ability. Don't you have anything to teach me so I can get stronger?
- ...I mean, I have a locked skill that is needed to summon random animals from the wild so you can tame them after, since my Ten Shadows block it, but I can probably teach you that if you want to, given that it's useless to me. I can't summon anything but my shikigami. - I said, looking at my skill list. - If you do manage to learn it and tame someone, you can also learn swap from me. It will let you swap places with your summon as long as you have enough mana for that.
- That'd be awesome! Please do! - He took his adventurer card from his pocket, turning to me.
- Alright, here goes nothing.Summon from the wild. - I chanted, trying to activate the skill, but, obviously, it failed due to the fact it was locked. A bit of light still did emerge from my hand, which was enough of a demonstration for a skill to appear in Kazuma's card.
- 3 points for such a skill? Hell yeah, just what I needed! - Kazuma instantly learned it, and I could see him freeze for a moment, with his brain getting filled with information. - I see. It would be better to summon something outside of town. They might fight me if I summon them. I can either get them to work with me by providing mana, food or by beating them in a fight, or they can willingly follow me. It's like an actual summoning pact, huh?
- Sounds good enough, if you ask me. Imagine summoning something strong and making a pact for summoning? That'd be awesome. - I smiled, seeing Kazuma way happier than he was before.
- Bro, you're just the best! - We made a fistbump, and as I finished eating, spending time with Megumin and Kazuma after, it was already evening, and I decided to do what I needed to do.
- Alright, see you around. I will go to blacksmith and then to start a ritual. Wish me luck!
- Good luck bro!
- Good luck, Y/n.
With that, I left the guild, getting to Wiz's shop first to feed Saitama Jr., and then left to the blacksmith I bought my sword from. He was still there, forging something that looked like a tip for either a spear or an arrow, and, hearing me enter, turned around, placing unfinished product in the forge to keep it heated until we talk.
- Aye, boy, ye' came for business, or ye' need ya' sword fixed? If it's the latter, it'll take from 15 minutes to an hour, dependin' on how damaged it is. - He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel, and leaned on a wooden table beside.
- I need a custom made weapon, made from finest materials to hit hard, be durable and not weight a thousand kilograms. I've got a blueprint here, take a look. - As I passed him several papers with blueprint for a weapon of my choice, he furrowed his brows, thinking hard of how he should approach this. - You think you can do something like that?
- I surely can do this, but I'll need at least a week to forge it, seein' as it's somethin' unique I've never laid me eyes on before. If ye' want a sturdy material for it to hit hard, I'd recommend adamantium, bein' one o' the finest materials for such a thing, but it'll cost ye' a pretty coin. Don't be expectin' a price lower than a million eris, since I'm runnin' low on adamantium and can't get any more cuz' o' the darned Demon Lord General roamin' round'. So, you got what it takes, boy? - He put the blueprint aside, looking at me, waiting for an answer, as I did some brainstorming to see if I can afford it and not become unable to do anything after.
I've got 2.5 or so million eris on me, given I tried to spend as little as possible, excluding the money for food needed for Saitama Jr., because he needs the best to grow strong, but if I have to spend at least a million, 1.5 million maybe, it will leave me with 1 million only. It's enough money to live for a while, but if that darned General doesn't leave, I will be broke in no time.
- We've got a deal, old man. I've got the money, so I'll come to you in a week or so to check the progress. - I shook his hand, and turned around to leave. - Paint it in red after you're done with it, alright?
- Ye' got it, boy. Don't expect anythin' but a perfect result. - He took a piece of some grass in his mouth, and started chewing on it, while looking closely through the blueprint, and, with a smile, I left him be, summoning Nue to get to the plains as fast as possible.
It was a short travel, given Nue's speed, but as soon as I landed, I was getting ready for the fight.
-Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure.- Veil was set immediately, so I only had to summon my shikigami to start. -Shadows deep, ancient and prime, In sacred light, they intertwine. With treasures ten, I summon: Divine Dogs:Totality, Great Serpent, Toad, Rabbit Escape.- Summoning every single one of my current shikigami, I felt a drain in my reserves, but it was a given, because the one I was about to summon would be a pretty hard one to subjugate with just a few of them, since I'm stronger than I initially thought.
Using both of my hands to form a handsign for practice, I prepared to take out my weapon, as well as start moving at the slightest movement from the shikigami I will summon.
- Alright, everyone. Be careful. Orochi, try to be underground, and attack only from beneath the ground. Try to bite it and hold it from moving at all. Nue, attack it in short bursts, don't stay in one place, and if aims at you, fly as high or as far as it's possible. Dusk, try your best to maneuver on the ground and don't let it hit you with it's weight or water. Gamamaru, you can easily avoid water and the pressure, and you're one of the few who can swim with ease, just be careful and support others. Rabbit...i'll give you a proper name. From now on, you'reBlitz. Blitz, you keep creating clones to act as a distraction for others to have better chances to attack. I'll keep you in my shadow for safety, so don't be afraid to do anything. I'll give all of you the buffs, so do your best. - Touching my shikigami to apply the buff on them, I put original Blitz in my shadow, and made a handsign again. -Max Elephant.
It took more time for the shikigami I had summoned to materialize, and given how powerful this one can be in the right hands, it also would've taken at least 25% of my reserves or even more to summon it, but it was also enormous. Due to my cursed energy nature being stronger, as confirmed by Nue and Orochi with his size, it was no wonder that the Max Elephant, who I had summoned, was looking more akin to a mammoth. His tusks were longer, curved and as he finally appeared, he was just a bit above the ground, but the moment he had landed, he created a small earthquake, which prompted me to jump backwards, grabbing my sword.
His skin was pink, and he had golden marks all around it's body. I remembered how both Megumi and Sukuna summoned him, but mine was bigger, didn't had those ugly hollowed out eyes, and was actually looking badass.
- Spread away, right now! Attack it as soon as possible and don't get caught in his attack! When his trunk starts filling with water, hit it before it unleashes it, or run away before it's too late! - As we ran in different directions, I noticed Max Elephant standing on it's rear legs, about to stomp the ground as hard as it could with it's weight. - Orochi, get to cover! - Just as I said that, Orochi dug deep beneath the ground as fast as it could, before Max Elephant stomped the ground with such force it actually created high magnitude earthquake, which, gladly, didn't reach Orochi that deep underground, but me, Gamamaru and Dusk felt full force of it.
Being unable to stand on the ground due to some parts splitting apart, I jumped high into the air, followed by Gamamaru and Dusk, who had the same idea as I did. Clones summoned by Blitz were immediately killed, but, as soon as I landed on the ground, he started creating more and more, until the numbers hit hundred of clones, who started circling around the Elephant, who couldn't concentrate on anything due to being surrounded by fast moving targets. It started filling it's trunk with water, but, before it could hit us with his attack, Nue descended from the sky with a speed of a fighting jet, hitting it right in the head, which stunned Elephant for long enough for the next attack to come.
- Orochi, grab it! - Hearing my yell from so deep underground, Orochi emerged from beneath him, coiling around it's body several times, tightening the grip with each coil formed, and then bit into it so hard I could hear a bone breaking. Orochi's tail was still underground to have an anchor if it tries to escape the grip, so he was now unable to move.
Max Elephant cried in pain, with its overwhelmingly loud roar deafening me for a second, before I concentrated on getting back into the fight.
- Gang up on him! - Running ahead, I jumped from behind it, getting beneath it's belly, slashing it, only to find out that my attack can't damage him. My sword, enhanced by cursed energy, still wasn't enough to pierce or slash him to damage his skin, and it was disturbing. Placing it back into my shadow, I jumped higher, and hit it in his belly with my fist, trying to do some sort of damage, only to feel pain after hitting him once. - I can't damage him! I will support you from backlines, keep going!
As I retreated to a safe distance, Nue, who descended from the sky yet again, hit it right into its head, with Orochi being unaffected by electricity due to having his tail anchored to the ground, with Dusk slashing at it's head, drawing blood in the process. His claws were enough to damage it, but, sadly, it was not a deep wound, so he had to keep going. The only one's actually able to wound Max Elephant right now is Orochi and Nue, with Dusk being the third one who can damage him, even if not much. It's much more durable than I initially thought.
Blitz was running around, distracting Elephant from trying to stomp it's legs in attempts to damage my shikigami, but, when Nue hit it yet again, it filled it's trunk with water, with Nue still being far from it to stop the attack. It calculated the moment it could get rid of Nue to attack, and now, it unleashed it.
Large wave of water started emerging from it's trunk, flooding the area with so much water it even reached me on the backlines. Dusk was not hit directly, but was swept away by the wave. Gamamaru caught him, and brought him to safety, with me coughing the water I was unfortunate enough to swallow, given that I was deep underwater until it got away from me. Orochi was not hit at all, but the ground he was in was now wet, with the water reaching deep underground through the cracks, which made it harder for Orochi to anchor himself to hold Max Elephant from moving, so, after that, he made it's first step, coming in my direction. Nue finally reached us, and hit him in the head so fast it stumbled, albeit forward, creating a small earthquake enough to make me and my summons feel it.
Orochi tried to affirm his hold again, with his tail slipping on the dirt that started forming beneath the ground, but seeing that he can't do so when nothing can hold him in the ground, he removed his fangs from it's body, and bit into it's leg, snapping his bone in the process, repeating it with the second leg. Orochi has the highest attack in close combat as of now, so it was only natural he was able to do the most damage it that situation.
- Everyone, keep distracting it! Orochi can deal with it, just give him time to fully immobilize it! He can't bite into it's head if it keeps moving! - I yelled, making sure they heard me. Dusk ran ahead, jumping as high as he could, and, grabbing his face with his claws, climbed higher, slashing his eyes with enough force to blind Elephant for good. - Good job, keep going! He can't see what's happening now! Nue, keep hitting it's head to paralyze it! Blitz, yell as loud as you could, don't let it hear any other of you! Gamamaru, grab it's trunk and tug on it, he needs to fall to the ground faster! - I kept giving orders, observing the situation. while Max Elephant tried to fight back, it was unable to even move properly, because after the latest attack, Orochi snapped his third leg, with it now barely standing. As he bit into his last leg, snapping it, he tightened his grip, making sure it hurt the Elephant. With the art of jumping, we brought Max Elephant down, with it being unable to move.
Nue hit his head yet again, Blitz kept yelling, Dusk hit his face with claws, drawing mode blood, Gamamaru kept holding it's trunk, and now, with Orochi free to move on his own, it was over. Orochi opened his jaw as wide as he could, and bit into it's head, closing his jaw slowly, but with enough force for all of us to hear it's skull breaking from overwhelming power. Max Elephant tried to move it's head to prevent his inevitable death, but it all was for naught. With one last push, Orochi, who's jaw was now closed tightly, had crushed it's skull and brain.
At last, with collective efforts of every single shikigami of mine, we fellen down a great enemy. Max Elephant was now, certainly, dead. His body, turning to liquid shadow, flowed to me, and I stood still, processing information I had received. With a wide smile, I walked closer to all of my shikigami, who were lined up, waiting for me to come closer.
- All of you did a great job. Blitz, dismiss the clones. - As ordered, closes disappeared into liquid shadow, and I took the original Blitz out of my shadow, petting his head between the ears. - You did a wonderful job distracting it. Rest easy now. - Dismissing him, I moved closer to Dusk. - You were flawless as well. Even if you couldn't damage him much, you took out his vision, which made it easier for us to deal with him. I'll treat you to some good meat later. - Petting, and then dismissing him, I moved to Gamamaru. - Thanks for holding him for us, you prevented him from using water again, and saved Dusk from getting swept by a tsunami. You deserve to rest. - Petting him as well, I smiled, and dismissed him. - Nue, your attacks were just what we needed to stun it, if not for you, we might've not been able to hold it for so long. I still need you to travel back, so stay here, you did a wonderful job.
At last, moving to Orochi, who lowered his head to the ground so I can reach him, I smiled, and used both of my hands to pet his head, given how huge he was after I summoned him with a chant, as well as others. After a little while, I let him go, and looked him in the eyes.
- You was our main source of damage for this one fight. You managed to grab it, snap it's legs in two, and dealt the last blow. Without you, I don't think we would've even be close to beating it. Thank you for being so wonderful. Rest easy, I'll try to find something nice to feed you as a thank you later. - He made a low hiss, as if thanking me, and as I dismissed him, I turned away, forming a handsign to summon my new family member. -Max Elephant.
I felt a huge toll on my reserves, and this took more than I imagined. It took solid 30% of my reserves to summon it once, and that's without a chant, mind you. Max Elephant was now bigger than he was as an enemy, because now, powered by my cursed energy, he was enormous. 10 meters tall Elephant, with pink skin, huge and dangerous tusks, and who weights several tons. This is the power to be reckoned with, and, given the summons I have yet to conquer, I was sure that with this guy added to the family, only two could pose a threat to me now.
- Welcome to the family. From now on, you'reGoliath. - Placing a hand on his trunk, I gently moved my hand through it's length, as if petting it, because due to it's height, it was hard for me reach his head. - Nue, sit on Goliath's back. We will ride on him until we get closer to the city. - Jumping on Goliath's back, with Nue landing behind me, we started moving in the direction of Axel, so I can finally rest after this hard fought battle. This evening was eventful, and something, maybe my gut, was telling me that tomorrow will be way busier.
***
Another day has came. I finished my training, finished my shift in Wiz's shop, and was sitting in the guild, looking through my adventurer card, as Luna, who was near the quest board, gathered our attention in an instant.
-Attention! Attention! Every adventurer, take your weapons and head to the gate! Get ready to fight!- This was uncommon. Luna didn't use the sirens, speakers or anything else. She was announcing it directly, which was even more of a trigger for me to instantly rush to the front gate.
The weather today was awful. Thunderclouds were covering the sky, no sun in sight, with wind getting stronger by each passing minute.
As I got to the front gate, with my sword in hands, I could no keep my face straight, seeing someone I could instantly recognize as a strong entity. Headless warrior on headless horse, with a greatsword on his back, standing at some distance away from us. He was wearing full black armor, with his head in his hand, and a pair of red eyes peeking through the helmet. Undead warrior, Dullahan, was standing in our way.
Kazuma and his party arrived shortly after, with entire adventurer guild behind us, ready to take on any threat, until they saw the threat itself.
- I am theDemon Lord Generalwho recently settled nearby. - He announced, and even though he was so far away, not speaking loudly, we all could hear him perfectly fine. Hearing the title of the enemy, I gripped my sword harder, making a step forward to get a better stance. Such an enemy are not to be underestimated. He began to shake, and I could clearly see it was from rage, given that, after that, thunder struck nearby several times. -Day after day, after day, after day and after day!- His serious facade has fallen, and he started yelling at the top of his lungs. -Who is the imbecile who keeps blowing up my temporary base, my poor castle every single goddamn day?!
The thunder struck yet again, and I grit my teeth, cursing our luck. Of all places where a being that strong could hide, it was the exact castle we used as a target for practice.
Forming a handsign, I summoned Blitz, who hid in my shadow, and, seeing Megumin walking forward, went with her, shoulder to shoulder, holding my sword near my hip. We both kept walking forward, with every adventurer behind us gazing at our backs, with Kazuma's party being the most shocked of all. If she's going to face him, I, as the older brother, had to protect her.
-So it was you two.You're the imbeciles that kept blowing up my poor castle every single day?! If you wanted to fight with me because I'm a Demon Lord General, then face me, you cowards! If you're too weak to face me, then keep trembling in fear in your goddamn town! Just tell me why the hell would you attack me like a coward?! Just because we didn't touch this town because there's nothing to take doesn't mean you can just "boom boom boom" my base every single day! Are you out of your f*cking mind?!- He pointed his finger at us, and I could see Megumin reaching her boiling point. She was sweating like crazy, fearing what would come next because of her exploding his castle every single day, so I, as a responsible adult and an older brother, placed a hand on her shoulder, and made another step forward.
- Just because we did blow up your place for two weeks straight doesn't mean it's all our fault. - I said, which made General gaze at me. - Remind me, where did first explosion went?
- Edge of the cliff.You ruined my darn garden first, then you went for my castle next!
- Even if we did ruin your garden, we couldn't see it from another side of the valley.We're sorry for that, but you're also the one to blame. No one knew where you settled, and, after we made a test explosion to see if the castle is abandoned, and no one showed up on the next day and the day after, we went for the castle itself as a target of training. We kept using it as a target precisely because no one said that it was not abandoned, no one showed to complain or ask for compensation for damages. We kept blowing it up for two weeks, and you showed up only after you reached your boiling point. Why wait so long? Even if you were busy, why not send a minion, a letter or anything?You just sat there, complaining to your own self like a darn loser because you couldn't face anyone to tell otherwise.- I defended us, and, as I can see by his rapidly moving eyes, I hit right where it matters.
-Even if I didn't show up after that, it still doesn't mean you can ruin someone's property, even if it's abandoned! You ruined several of my towers, destroyed my dinner hall and my precious garden! All of that because you kept doing it for two goddamn weeks!- He accused again, but, as I was about to reply, Megumin walked ahead of me.
-My name is Megumin! Arch-Wizard controlling the strongest offensive magic, Explosion magic!
- ...What the hell is "Megumin"? Are you kidding me? - General replied, with a confused and offended tone.
- N-no! I'm one of the Crimson Demons, best mages of this town! Those explosions were a part of a plan to lure you, Demon Lord General, out of your castle! You fell for it, and came here alone, just as planned. - Megumin made stuff up on the fly, with me about to face-palm myself from embarrassment, gripping my sword even harder than I did before.
-Well then, - Demon Lord General spoke again, unamused by her statement. -I did not plan to stay here for long, but it seems I will have to change my plans.- I did a step forward, barely holding my rage inside, given that he is the main problem of us not being able to get any quests. Yes, some started appearing recently, but as soon as they get posted, someone takes them immediately. It's infuriating, and I can't sit any longer, knowing the problem is right in front of me. -Just try not to blow up my castle again, alright?
- I can't. - Megumin replied before he left, which made him stop. - If we, Crimson Demons, don't fire off at least one explosion each day, we will die.
-H-hey! I never heard of such thing before!- He retorted, and I was about to as well, given I never heard something like this from Megumin's well, but he beat me to it. -So you say you won't stop blowing up my castle?- Megumin just nodded, which made General glare at her in frustration. -Even if I'm evil, I was a knight in my previous life.It's not in my rules to attack the weak, but...- He was about to do something, something that could hurt Megumin, so I acted faster than my mind registered.
My sword slashed through the air with such force it created gust of wind, and in a mere moment, I was in front of him and his horse, stuck in a sword lock with his own greatsword he held in a single hand. The ground beneath our feet cracked from the impact, with the wind blowing in every direction after our weapon collided.
- If it's against your rules to attack the weak, then we have to move the scales aside. If you dare do something to her, I swear on my life,I WILLkill you, even if it will be the last thing I do. Your mere presence nearby made it impossible for adventurers to do their job. - None of us could overpower each other in this moment, and I could see interest in his eyes.
-So this town does have some adventurers who could fight, huh? Very well then.- He pushed me back with his horse moving forward, before I jumped aside, slashing at him again, only to be met with yet another block. -Your strength is admirable, but...you're weak when compared to me.- Before I realized it, my sword flew out of my hand, and all I could see was blood. My own blood, leaking from my chest that was slashed open by his greatsword. I failed to react to his speed, even with Blitz being ready. He couldn't react as well, but, as soon as I was hit, a huge horde of rabbits blocked the view of everyone present, carrying me far away from the Demon Lord General.
Our level difference was greater than I expected it to be. He was fast, too fast for me. He's more proficient with weapon as well, and it was a miracle I was still alive, even though I felt weaker with each passing moment. His sword may have had some enhancement on it, and it was making me bleed more than I should've.
"Ah, such a familiar feeling..." - He did not try to approach me, seeing hundreds of rabbit appearing out of nowhere to save me, but he also did not let anyone else to approach me, leaving me on the ground, bleeding to death. He pointed his finger on Megumin, but I couldn't stand up to protect her. I couldn't see much, but a ray of violet light has escaped his hand, reaching for Megumin, only to hear a scream full of pain afterwards. - "No...no no nonononono! I need to stand up! I need to get up before it's too late! Megumin, Megumin! I need to protect her!"
***
- Kazuma, what do we do?! I can't get to him, he keeps me away every time I try to get close! I can't heal him from such distance! - Aqua cried out, holding her staff at the ready, with Darkness kneeling from the curse she took defending Megumin. Darkness, while weakened from the curse she took upon herself, held Megumin from running to Y/n in order to protect her.
Kazuma was also not in the best state of mind, given that his friend, no, bro even, got injured so badly, with his wound gushing blood all over the ground. He was not moving, but he could see a slight rising of his chest, indicating he was still breathing. Although Kazuma didn't knew what to do, he knew one thing. He had to do something to save him.
- Aqua, do something about it! We can't keep standing there! - He yelled, but Aqua knew no more than he did, but, as he took his own sword to attack in order to move Dullahan aside for Aqua to heal Y/n, everyone looked In shock as he, all by himself, stood up, quietly laughing to himself like a madman, while his wound was closing all by itself, right in front of their eyes.
-Ha, Ha-ha-ha-ha, Ha-ha-ha-ha!- Y/n was now standing upright, with his wound gone, laughing louder and louder, with Dullahan staring at him as if he was a ghost. -Ah, the world truly feels beautiful right now!
-How did you even heal?! My sword literally curses the wound so it can't be healed before lifting the curse!- He yelled, only for Y/n to stare at him, with a manic smile on his face.
- After you slashed me with that sword, I stopped fighting back, and concentrated on healing myself withReverse Cursed Technique! It sounds so simple, to multiply cursed energy by itself, but I have never succeeded before, no matter how hard I tried! It's so hard to master that I thought I would die in that very moment! - He kept on and on, with no end to his speech.
-Are you high or what?! Why the hell do you keep talking even?!You should be dead!- Dullahan yelled again, pointing his finger at Y/n, who looked at him.
-Just before death, I grasped the core of my own cursed energy, and now, that you've shown me your cards, you will die here!- He took his sword from the ground nearby, pointing it at him, before Dullahan laughed.
-No, I will not be the one to die in this goddamn beginner city. This Crusader is already cursed to die in a week, and if you want to have that curse lifted, come and fight me in my castle.- He turned around, with Crimson fire lighting up beneath his feet. -Until we meet again.- And with that, he disappeared, leaving all of us standing there, gritting our teeth.
***
-Tch. - Clicking my tongue, I ran to Darkness to check on her, only to be tackled down by Megumin, who's eyes were red from tears. She held me tight, not letting me go for a single moment, until I calmed down, and hugged her back. - I'm sorry, Megumin. He was faster than I expected him to be. I should've been more careful.
- ...You idiot...I thought you were dead! You shouldn't have gone this far to protect me! It was all my fault, I kept using my magic on his castle, I'm the one to blame! You shouldn't have been wounded on my behalf!- She cried yet again, with her eyes getting redder by the second, before I lifted her head, wiping her tears with my sleeve. My uniform was now torn, and I had to repair it, and it hurt when he hit me, but, in the end, I finally learned Reverse Cursed Technique. While I can't say it was worth it, it was an acceptable sacrifice.
- Don't blame yourself. I'm also at fault here. I didn't properly check the castle after we bombed it the first time. I failed to protect you, and now, because of my stupidity, Darkness suffers from a curse that will kill her in a week. - Standing up, holding Megumin, I gave her a weak smile. - I shall fix my mistakes. I will go to his castle, and beat him into submission. It that will lift the curse, it will be worth it. I shouldn't let Darkness suffer. - Letting Megumin go, I made a handsign, summoning my shikigami. -Nue. - As I was about to take off to his castle, Megumin jumped behind me, and, unexpectedly, Kazuma did as well.
- I'm the leam leader, after all. I can't let Darkness die, and if you two are going,then so do I!- I smiled, seeing my little bro being such aChad. We almost took off, before we saw something we never expected to see. Aqua was useful.
-Sacred Break Spell!- Darkness, who was now standing and yelling, had a divine light above her head, with two little angels lifting a deadly curse that was placed on her. She was now free from such a cruel curse, and Aqua, who proudly puffed her chest, spoke again. - Lifting Dullahan's curse is a piece of cake for me!
- ...Aqua, you were useful for once?- We all said at the same time, jumping off of Nue, with me dismissing him, now that we don't need to go anywhere.
-What does it mean "for once"?!I'm a Goddess, of course I'm always useful! - She yelled back at us, only for us to start laughing, with all adventurers cheering for our "victory"...
- "Even so, I will keep my promise." - I made a promise to myself, and, walking back to town with Kazuma and his party, clenched my fist in anger that I was not able to take him down today. I will be sure that next time he shows up...I will be more than ready to kill him.
Chapter 7
Chapter Text
I couldn't stop moving forward after my recent failure in bringing down Demon Lord General Dullahan. His speed was something I couldn't react to, and even my Rabbit Escape, which exist for this sole purpose, couldn't react fast enough for me to get out of his range.
All sorcerers of the grade 1 and above have a reaction time that makes it nigh impossible to ambush or surprise attack them, and it made me rethink almost everything I thought about cursed energy. I may be fast physically, but my reaction speed is lagging behind.
It was not hard to guess what was the reason, given that only one organ in human body is responsible for reaction speed. I needed to boost my brain with cursed energy for it to work faster, but I never did so out of fear I might get brain damage in the process. Now that I can use RCT, I was willing to try that out.
With a long sigh, I let cursed energy move through my entire body, getting adjusted to the feeling first, and then, after I was ready, I moved cursed energy to my brain, feeling a slight tingling, as if my brain was getting tickled from inside, until the feeling disappeared, with me already feeling changes. The world became slower for me, which was a result of me perceiving it with a better brain power, rection speed and increase in my vision. I might not be a hawk, but brain is also responsible for what an eye can see, aside from eyes itself. I did not dare to try and improve my eyes as well, since I could see just fine, but with brain boosting my vision, I was more than happy. I will need to walk, run and do basic things in this state for a while, because before, my reaction speed was slower than my actual speed, and it can be reverse for the reaction speed being faster than physical speed, and I need to get used to the feeling.
Aside from getting my reaction speed to a proper level, I started learning an ability I will be using for a while, which was only available to me after I subjugated Max Elephant. This ability is called "Piercing Water", which Sukuna was able to use after he got Megumi's body and figured Max Elephant. I couldn't shoot water under high pressure from my hands just yet, but I was able to create water, at the very least. I will need more training to get it right, but I will get to it eventually. Given it's almost been a week since the incident, my progress couldn't be called small.
I couldn't look Megumin in the eyes after I failed to protect her and Darkness, and so, I refused to go on explosive walks with her, even if I felt bad about it. She will most likely find a new place to train, with someone else helping her out, but, for now, I spent the day training, taking care of Saitama Jr., who was steadily growing. His rate of growth made it an urgent task to finally find a house for me, but, given that I had a very limited budget, I couldn't afford anything that I saw on the market that had suited my needs.
The next day, though, I decided to finally go and get myself a quest, and, just as I walked into the guild, I saw Aqua and Kazuma bickering over a quest she had picked.
—Manticore and Griffin fights over a territory. Please, kill them both.Reward is 500 thousand Eris. Are you dumb?! — Just as he was about to slam the quest notice back on the board, I grabbed it from his hands, and headed to Luna. — Y/n? You're going to take that?
— I need to get more exp and level up as fast as I can. I recently hit level 26, but It's clearly not enough for me to deal with Dullahan. I can, most likely, kill him if I use my summons to their best capacity, but in order to do so, I need to get better grasp at my abilities, strength and reaction speed. He's faster than I am, and if I can't react to what he is doing, my summons will not be able to receive better orders than just "attack it". This quest will be a good test of what I did recently. — I said, reading into the quest better. Village to the north, with those two creatures fighting over a piece of land near a farm because there's food right under their nose. — Good luck with the quest you're getting. I will go for this one instead.
As I waved my hand to him, and went past Aqua, I approached Luna, who looked at the quest I picked, sighing in the process.
— Are you sure? I know you managed to kill 10 One Punch Bears before, but this one is still ridiculous. Both Griffin and Manticore are dangerous, and they can fly as well. — She warned me, looking through bestiary, before I took the one I bough from my shadow, showing it to Luna.
— No need to worry. My summons can deal with them with no problems. I will be done by the time dinner starts, so please, approve of it. — I said with a little smile, and Luna, seeing my honest smile, couldn't keep herself from sighing, signing the quest sheet.
— You know that I can't refuse when you give me that smile. — Giving me the quest sheet, she smiled a little, waving her hand at me.
— And I'm using it to my advantage, — I smiled wider, winking to her. — Dont worry, I will treat you to something nice for that one. Thanks a lot, I'm off! — Running out of the guild, I quickly summoned Nue, jumped on his back, and flew in the direction of the North to arrive to the village. It was not that far honestly, and something tells me I will complete my quest faster than whatever Kazuma has picked for his party.
Even though the flight took me 30 minutes, my eagerness didn't vanish, since fighting two enemies of such caliber, even though it will most likely be easy, was exciting. As I flew last the village, seeing people hiding upon seeing my Nue, I knew I arrived just where I needed. I saw a few windmills in the distance, with cows and goats in their pasture, and, traveling closer, landed a little bit farther, jumping off of Nue's back.
—Divine Dogs:Totality. — Summoning Dusk for the purpose of looking for both Griffin and Manticore, I took out my sword, walking further into the forest I landed nearby. — Start sniffing for enemies. We have two beasts that can fly, one of them has lion head, wings and a scorpion tail, and one has a head of an eagle with wings wings, body and legs of a lion. Start howling when you find them, they will cone to fight us themselves. Go. — Dusk ran ahead of us as fast as he could, and, while he ran ahead, I sighed, and turned to Nue. — Nue, take off and help Dusk find them. If you do, don't immediately attack unless they go after you. I will summon backup after they show up. — Nue nodded, and flew into the sky as fast as a fighting jet, flying above the forest to look for both nuisances. —Rabbit Escape.— With original rabbit in my shadow, I let two clones sit on my shoulders, in case I need to retreat, and ran into the forest myself.
Given that the forest might be their lair, and the plains nearby their fighting spot, there was a chance they still were here. It shouldn't take long with my summons, but it still didn't take out the fact it might be dangerous. As I was running, looking in every direction, I finally heard a howl of Dusk that was just a kilometer or so ahead of me. With a smile, I sped up, running as fast as I could to arrive before anyone started a fight.
— Good job! — I yelled after getting to the cleaning in the forest, where I could see two monsters staring at us, as if thinking of what they should do after we arrived. Manticore roared, with Griffin screaming like an eagle in an attempt to scare us, only for Nue to arrive on the sound of they battle cry, and roar back at them.
Both of those monsters were twice as big as Dusk, and almost the same size as Nue, with him having advantage in size. Both Manticore and Griffin, after seeing Nue, recognized us as enemies, because, given how intimidating is Nue, they could no longer ignore our presence.
—Great Serpent!— Summoning Orochi, who, upon seeing two monsters, let out a loud hiss, making both of them tremble upon seeing such a huge being, and, before they decided to flee, I yelled out my order. — Orochi, take down Manticore! It's poison won't work on you! Dusk, Nue, kill Griffin! — Running ahead to Griffin, with my summoned shikigami taking action, I jumped high in the air to catch it when tried to take off, and, landing on his back, plunged my sword as deep as I could into it's hide, making it scream in pain, flapping it's wings in attempt to shake me of. — Gang up on it!
Kicking it in the head with my leg covered in cursed energy, i jumped down, and in that moment I was out of range, Nue hit Griffin with full force, knocking him down from the sky back to earth. Dusk, upon getting closer to the fallen monster, slashed it's head, drawing out a small fountain of blood.
On the other side, Manticore also tried to escape, but was unfortunate enough to underestimate the length and size of Orochi, who lunged at it with a lightning speed, biting into it's body. Manticore stabbed it's scorpion tail into Orochi, only to realize it had absolutely no effect. This small wound only angered Orochi, who, still holding it in his jaws, closed it with full force, and thus, Manticore let out a scream of pain, with it's body breaking in two almost instantly upon making the serpent angry.
Orochi, looking at me for confirmation, saw me nod my head, and after throwing the body of a dead monster high into the sky, caught it, swallowing it whole. I did promise I would treat him to something nice, and I bet this Manticore was tasty, given how Orochi started hissing in a low tone.
Griffin was out of the fight just as fast, with Dusk slashing his throat open and Nue ripping it's wings off with his clawed legs, which, while brutal, was done perfectly. I smiled, walking closer to the body of a dead monster.
— Dusk, I will get some body parts, and then you can eat it. Just wait a bit. — I picked up the wings, put them into my shadow, and then, dirtying my hands, started digging through it's insides, taking out the heart, the liver and it's kidneys. Given that those materials cost a lot, and me being tight on cash, it was the most important part of killing any monster. Knowing what is valuable and what is not is important, and me studying bestiary for that information was well worth it. — Alright. Dig in!
Dusk happily wagged his tail, and started ripping chunks of meat from it's insides, eating as fast as he could, knowing we will be returning back very soon.
The fight, while being shorter than I expected, still left a good impression, and, petting all of my shikigami, took off back to Axel after they were done with their food.
***
Y/n: Konosuba!
***
When I was approaching Axel, I saw an unusual sight from the height I was flying at. Kazuma and his party with a cart moving a cage where Aqua was sat, looking so depressed I felt bad for her. They weren't in the city yet, so I started descending, and, upon noticing me, Kazuma, Darkness and Megumin shielded their eyes from dust that started flying everywhere once I landed.
— Sorry for intrusion. I just noticed you getting back, so decided to greet you. How did your quest go? — I asked, walking closer to the group, specifically to the cage Aqua was in. Her eyes were like that of a dead fish, she was sitting with her legs close to her chest, not reacting to anything around. It really hurt to look at her, and, even though I didn't knew what happened exactly, it was not hard to see it was a trauma. —Rabbit Escape...— I summoned dozens of rabbits, who surrounded Aqua, with a few getting their way onto her hands. They were making some quiet noises to make her relax, and given a glimpse in her eyes in that moment, I knew it was working. She then, getting some of her consciousness back, started petting them, enjoying the warmth they were providing.
— You can kind of see the result. Aqua picked a quest to purificate the lake alligators was in, and they appeared later to chew on her cage when she was doing it. She refused to get out until she completed the quest, and now she's got another trauma. — Kazuma said, and I sighed, walking away from cage, to let Aqua have some free space with rabbits. — We did suggest several time to save her, but well...
— Don't worry, I get it, you did what you could, — I pat him on the shoulder, and dismissed Nue, patting the horse that was pulling the cart. It wasn't scared from seeing Nue, given this horse was probably trained by an adventurer before, but some affection won't be a problem. — Here, big guy, have some carrots. — After feeding the horse, I moved forward, with horse now following me. — Let's go, Kazuma. I'll accompany you on the way back. Aqua is getting better by second, so I imagine her being fine after we reach the city.
— Thanks, bro, I appreaciate it. — He smiled, and we, finally, moved to Axel. As we got through the other gate to town, we started getting a lot of attention, given that Aqua was still in a cage, playing with rabbits to calm down.
She was quiet, but her appearance of a broken maiden was still not a pretty sight to see. She was akin to an exotic animal in a cage, and, given the rumors of Kazuma being a brute, people were blaming him for something he didn't do, this time, at least. It was not something I could help, given my words would mean nothing, but it doesn't mean I didn't try to cheer Aqua so she would get out of the cage. I was behind everyone, just near the cage.
— Aqua, there's no point in being depressed over something that's already passed. You did a good job, you completed the quest by your own self, you showed everyone you're not useless. Cheer up. — I tried to reach out to her, but she didn't react, playing with rabbits and trying to keep smiling. It was depressing to see her in this state, but she needed time to recover. I couldn't do much to help. —Rest easy now, you're safe. — As I was about to let her be, I heard a steps of an armored person approaching us fast, and turned my head in the direction it was coming from, seeing a guy in a purple armor.
— Goddess-sama! Goddess-sama! — He ran to the cage, trying to get past me, but, before It happened, I grabbed his arm, swiped his leg with my own, and, grabbing his neck while he was falling, pinned him to the ground with enough force to crack the road we were waking on.
—Get your dirty hands off of our teammate, brat.— I tightened my grip when he tried to stand up, and, when he tried to reach for his sword, I raised his head, and slammed it into the pavement. —Don't you dare to even try.
— Release me this instant! Goddess-sama, i will help you, just you see! — He yelled, and, tired of his annoying voice, I slammed his head into the pavement again, and kicked him in the stomach, making him hit the ground several meters away from us. His forehead was now bleeding, his hair was a mess, and his nose was cracked.
—Stay put, brat. — I got my sword out of the shadow, holding it near my hip. — Who the hell are you and what do you want?
— Hey, Aqua. Do you know this guy? He keeps calling you a Goddess. — Kazuma approached the cage, and spoke to Aqua, who turned to him upon hearing him speak.
— Goddess...? — She let go of the rabbit, and took a little whole to proceed what he said, before get the light returned to her eyes, with a cheerful expression. — That's right! I'm a Goddess! — We all wondered if she hit her head to forget it, and, as Kazuma opened the cage, she got out, looking at this weirdo that was now holding a hand near his sword. — So what do you have to do with me? — She asked, before waiting a second. — And who are you even?
— That's me, Mitsurugi Kyouya! The one you reincarnated and bestowed this cursed sword, Gram! — As he said that, he took the sword from the sheath, and I almost scoffed upon seeing it. After seeing an actual Gram from Sigurd in Fate, this sword looked like a cheap knockoff.
— Ah, this guy! Sorry, I forgot, I reincarnated so many people that it becomes hard to keep up with everyone! — She scratched the back of her head, before jumping to the ground.
— Long time no see, Aqua-sama. I was working hard every day to become a hero and slay Demon Lord. — He said, and then changed his tone to a more concerned one. — If you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in this cage?
***
Aqua: Ko!
Kazuma: No!
Y/n: Suba!
***
— Whaaat?! You dragged the Goddess to this world, and then closed her in a cage to soak in the lake?! What the hell were you thinking about?! — As he was about to grab Kazuma, I put a sword to his neck, making him step backwards.
—Try to touch my little brother again, and your hand will be staining the road.— I treatened, letting cursed energy through the sword to intimidate him even more. —Know your place, fool.— He glared at me, but didn't take action, given the threat I have given was more than real.
— Aqua-sama, where do you live?
— In the stables.
— Ha?! Do you have no shame?! — He pointed his finger at Kazuma, who had this "I'm done with everything" face.
—Kazuma, Kazuma, can I blow him up?— Megumin asked, and, honestly, I would love to see him just blow up to pieces.
—Even though I prefer to defend, rather than attack, I still want to punch him in the face.— Darkness was with us on this, and I smiled, seeing everyone was on the same wave with me.
— You're...Crusader and Arch-Wizard? I see, you have a strong teammates. And even with that, you still let Aqua-sama live I stables. — He turned to Darkness and Megumin, offering them a handshake. — How about you travel with me,Swordmaster? I can even buy you a high level equipment.
— It doesn't seem like my teammates want to join you. Bye then. — Kazuma, with all of us turning around, started walking away, only for this guy to run in front of us.
— Wait! I can't let Aqua-sama live like this! — I sighed, and, for the first time in this world, I was thinking of summoningMahoragajust to tame it and make a thin layer of this guy on the surface of this earth. He has this "annoying background character" type of face, personality of a burning trashcan and an ego of a rich kid that knows no bounds. It's like he exist for the sole purpose of getting his ass beaten. — Will you fight with me?
— I'll gladly handle you your ass on a silver platter, — Before Kazuma could answer, I stepped forward. — If you want to fight, fight someone of your caliber. Picking a fight with a newbie adventurer, and then asking him if he has no shame?Quit with your bullsh*t.— Forming a handsign, I prepared to fight him. —Arm yourself.
I could see a sweat running down his face, and, taking out the sword from his sheath, he prepared to fight me head on. Kazuma and his party moved backwards to avoid us, and, counting to three, I summoned my shikigami.
—Rabbit Escape.— With dozens of rabbits appearing in a single moment, I ran ahead, which confused Kyouya, who swung his sword upwards, trying to get rid of the horde of rabbits that blocked his view, only for me to appear right in front of him, punching him in the face so hard he flew backwards.
Everyone on the street made several steps backwards, avoiding our fight, before Kyouya hit the wall of a building, making a wall crack under his weight. Before he got up, I was near him yet again, kicking him upwards so hard he became a bird for a few seconds.
—Toad, Nue. — Summoning two more shikigami, I aimed at his sword, and made Gamamaru steal it from him, with Nue following close behind, hitting his head on with wings charged with electricity. — I know you can take more beating than that! — Jumping forward, and catching him mid flight, I flung him to the ground, and, landing right on top, hit him in the gut with my leg, producing a flash of red light. —Black Flash!— He spit blood from his mouth, given that his armor couldn't protect him enough against the effect of a space distorting attack, and, as he laid there, trying to get up, I stomped on his wounder stomach yet again. — Come on, keep trying. I will keep going on and on until I get tired of you.
Letting him get up by kicking him upwards, I started approaching him with no weapon in hand, and, given that his sword was now hidden in my shadow by Gamamaru, he was without weapon as well.
Speeding up, with him walking toward me, i patiently waited, before he threw a punch at me, which was easily dodged, since his movements without a sword were sloppy at best, I punched him in the chest, and grabbed his collar so he won't fly backwards, hit him again, producing yet anotherBlack Flashupon impact. I can't produceBlack Flashat will, but when I make one, I know exactly when I can hit next.
— Is that all you've got? — Spinning around, with him in hand, I threw him in the air, and, as soon as he was high enough, Nue hit him again, making him scream in pain. Gamamaru caught him before he hit the ground, and threw him up again, making a combo attack with Nue to keep him up in the air. Nue was hitting him each time he was high enough, and Gamamaru was making sure he was in the air all the time. — Gamamaru, dismiss. — As he disappeared in the shadows, Nue hit Kyouya once more, before I dismissed him as well, walking up to unconscious Swordmaster who couldn't even land a single hit on anyone but rabbits who were clones and were made for the purpose of dying so that they create a distraction. —Pathetic. — Spitting on his face, and walking over him, I went back to Kazuma, who looked at me with a shocked face expression, given he never seen how I fight before. Megumin was in awe, with stars shining in her eyes, Aqua was just curious, and Darkness was panting, as if imagining me hitting her just as hard.
— You went nuts on him, you know? — He stated, and I smiled, seeing him smile back.
— That's exactly what I was planning to do. Given that he will be the one to pay for damages made to the streets, he will have to pay a pretty coin. It's just like an American joke. If you beat someone up, call an ambulance so they not only have to cope with failure, but have to pay a huge bill as well. — We laughed, and, as I was about to leave, two girls, who, I presumed, were his teammates, yelled at me from sidelines.
— You cheater! You stole his sword mid fight!
— That's dirty!
— As if I care. If he's useless without his sword, then he doesn't deserve it. — I took his sword out of my shadow, and swung it once, cringing in disgust. — It's dull, unbalanced and ugly. What the hell?
— Only Kyouya can use it, you bastard! — They yelled back, only for me to turn to Aqua.
— Is that true? This chunk of metal is useless if it's not in his hands? — Placing it back into my shadow, I looked at him, still unconscious.
— Yeah, an item blessed by Gods can't be used by anyone else but their original user. It's basically a toy at this point. — She confirmed their words, and I hummed, turning around to leave with them.
— Let's go, then. All of us have a quest to finish. — As me and Kazma's party started moving, we were stopped yet again.
— Return his sword, coward! — Those fangirls yelled, blocking our way, and, with a sigh, I barely contained the urge to summon Orochi.
— I won't even consider returning it unless he comes to me personally andbegs me for forgiveness. — I turned to them, and went closer to look in their eyes. Given I was at least a head taller than them, it was intimidating enough. —Know your place, fools.
With that, we, finally, left to the guild, able to collect our rewards. Aside from getting 500 thousand eris for killing two monsters, I also got 300 thousand more for heart, liver and kidneys of a Griffin. A shame I didn't take a tail from Manticore, but hey, Orochi is happy, so I'm fine with that.
Aqua got her 300 thousand eris for a quest, but they had to pay back 50 thousand because the cage was damaged by alligators in the process. Still, 250 thousand is a good catch, aside from getting PTSD.
Before I went to eat with everyone, I went to the blacksmith to pick up my weapon, given that it was already a week, and he should be done with it by now.
As I stepped inside, I could feed the heat radiating from the forge, with the man himself hammering at my weapon, which was close to a perfection. Even when it was almost completed, I could still feel the power it was radiating.
With the last swing, he took the tongs, and grabbed it, putting it in the water to cool down, before taking it out, and drying it up with a wind magic. I decided to stand in the corner, silently waiting for him to do the finishing touch, and, after he painted it in red, I could see his proud smile. He made something worthy of a finest warrior, from the finest materials, by his own, truly golden hands. As I clapped my hands, smiling, he noticed me, and gave me his best smile.
— Ah, well ain't that a sight for sore eyes! Back again, huh? Ya come 'round just in nick o' time. This here's my masterpiece, I tell ya. I've been burnin' the midnight oil for days on end, but by golly, it's finally come together. And let me tell ya, I'm feelin' mighty proud of what I've made. — As he held the three sectioned staff I had ordered, modeled after the one Toji Fushiguro used originally, I couldn't tear my eyes off of it.
— I can see that, old man. This is divine, if I might say so. You did a damn fine job out there. — As I approached, and took a pouch out of the shadow, I prepared to pay. — How much do you rate your work, old man?
He rubbed his chin in thought, and set my weapon aside, until he smiled again.
— Tell ya what, with all the joy I got from hammerin' away at this beauty, I reckon it's only fair to pass some savings on to ya. Considering' the effort it took, I'd say this piece oughta fetch a hefty price. But for you, I'll knock off a good chunk. How about this: if you let me use your blueprint moving' forward, I'll slice off 10 percent from each order ya place with me. Comes to 990 thousand eris with the discount, or 1 million 100 thousand without. So what's the verdict, boy? Shall we keep our little partnership rollin'? — He extended his hand to me, and I, without a second of hesitation, shook it.
— We have a deal, old man. Expect to find yourself working with Wiz's magical shop later, because oh boy, when I learn how to enchant things, you will be burrowed in orders. — We both laughed, and, as I paid the price for my weapon, I took a piece of magical paper I found in Wiz's shop to name your weapons, and stuck it in the center of the three section staff. — From now on, you will be called "Playful Cloud". — With a hiss, magical paper imprinted my words on the now called "Playful Cloud", and, with a smile, I went to the guild to join Kazuma.
***
I was eating the food I had ordered, talking with Kazuma about stuff we had to say. He had yet to see my new weapon I want to show him, but we decided to pick a different theme.
— You didn't use the summoning skill yet?
— Nah. We were busy with the alligator quest, construction works and such, because as much as I want a summon soon, I need a full party behind me If I want to tame someone aggressive. I can't exactly chose what will appear, you know? — He replied, chugging his bubbly with a bowl of salad.
— Makes sense. I tamed toad only after I killed 10 giant toads, and if I wasn't careful, he would've snapped my neck with his tongue.
—Ouch, I can imagine how that could've go otherwise.
As we kept talking with each other, an annoying voice of a brat I had beaten reached my ears.
— Y/n L/n! — Mitsurugi Kyouya, an annoying background character, has appeared yet again. — I was searching for you! A girl I know who is a thief told me where to find you. You're the one taming monsters, the one to bring One Punch Bear to the city walls, and the one disturbing peace whenever you appear with them nearby. "Y/n the Reckless!" — He kept spouting nonsense, coming closer and closer, and, as he stopped, I gave him a smug smile, hearing the word "Reckless". — Aqua-sama, I promise, I will defeat the Demon Lord, so join my party, and we shall conquer him together.
—Get lost already. I'm not interested in joining your party. — She turned around, glaring at him, and this, finally, made him back down for a second.
— Uhm... — He faced me, coming a bit closer. — I know I'm asking a lot but...can you give me my sword back? I will buy you any other one in exchange. — He lowered his head a bit, and, with a sigh, I smoothed the hair on my head, lifting it slightly, looking at him.
— You're holding your head a little too high, don't you think? — As I said that, Blitz jumped at Kyouya from behind, about to hit his head, before he pressed his head against the ground, and I caught the rabbit, rubbing his head between the ears. — If you want something back, isn't it natural you show an actual respect instead of coming to me, spouting all this nonsense before even approaching, and then thinking you can buy it back? I was thinking of giving it back to you if you act properly, but now, after you decided to act like a fool, I'm gonna do something better. From now on, your sword will be with me until I see changes in you for the better. Until you act like a "hero" you keep calling yourself, you won't hold Gram like an actual hero, Sigurd the Dragon Slayer of Norse Mythology, did. If you're nothing without this sword, then don't ever come back asking it back. Find yourself other weapon, learn how to hold it properly, and then, when you're ready, come to me, and I shall be the judge. I'm both your judge and executioner. If you come to me without any changes to fight me with a hope to get it back...you'll be jealous of the dead.
Leaning forward, and grabbing his hair to lift his head and look him in the eyes, I glared at him.
—Now you better scramble like an egg, before I fold you like an omelet.— With a tug, I made him stand up, and turned him around, kicking him in his armored ass, before he ran away from me in fear.
The silence in the guild was deafening, but, given the context, no one questioned why. Megumin, who was silently eating this whole time, turned to me, giving me a thumb up.
— That was badass. You should do it more often, Y/n. — She smiled, and so did I, sitting back to where I was sitting.
— I might do just that when the next chance comes. I'm not evil, you know? He just deserved it. — Drinking the mug of juice I got for myself, I was thinking of what should I do next, until a siren in the city started wailing.
"Attention! Attention! All adventurers, arm yourself and immediately come to the front gate! Especially Y/n and Satou Kazuma with his party! As fast as possible!"
Furrowing my brows, and jumping into action, I ran ahead of everyone, ready to fight the one that finally showed up. There was no need to guess who it was.
After all, Dullahan, the Demon Lord General, has returned.
He was standing at the same rock his horse stood on before, in the same exact pose, with wind picking up his cloak. Dullahan returned, and he was, by definition, angrier than he was before.
—Why you...— He started, trembling in anger. —Why none of you came to my castle?! You cowards!— Purple aura radiated off of him, as his horse stood on it's rear legs.
— E-eh? We're not blowing up your castle anymore... — Kazuma said, but before he finished, Dullahan interrupted him.
—Don't blow it up, you say?! What a blatant lie! This crazy explosion girl keeps coming to my castle everyday!
...
We all looked at Megumin, with different kind of reaction, and I, as the older brother, had to take initiative.
Placing two knuckles on her head, I started grinding them, with an amused gaze of everyone present. Megumin was pleading to stop, but I didn't.
— I expected you to stop after he left. I know I refused to go on explosion walks with you after, but that's not a reason for you to do something that showed bad results. You have high intelligence, use it for good, not for stupid! — After scolding her, I sighed, and saw Kazuma doing the same with Aqua, given that someone needed to pick up Megumin after she casts her explosion.
—LISTEN UP, IDIOTS! My name is Verdia. And explosion is not the only thing that offended me. Why did left your ally to die with such ease?! Even though I'm evil, I was a knight when I was alive! In my opinion, watching the death of an exemplary knight who shielded an ally from a curse is just...Huh? — As he kept talking, Darkness, who had to fix her armor on herself, came a bit late, only to walk out from the crowd.
— Uhm...Hello. Exemplary knight, you say? — Darkness said, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.
—A? A? WHAT?!— He yelled, not believing his own eyes after seeing Darkness being perfectly fine. —Y-you're alive?
— And what's about it? Did Dullahan really wait for us this entire time, not knowing that I lifted the curse long time ago? Ha-ha-ha-ha! — Aqua laughed at him, and I could see some other adventurers laughing with her. — My goodness, that's hilarious!
—I think I need to reduce the population of this damn city!— Dullahan had enough, and so did I. Forming a handsign, I summoned Rabbit Escape, and took my new weapon, Playful Cloud, out of my shadow.
With a dash fast enough for almost everyone to lose a sight of me, I was near Dullahan, who took his sword, about to block my strike, only for me to hit his horse instead, which, upon contact with adamantium forged weapon, disingegrated into particles of light, given that I used my cursed energy to boost the strength of the hit. Verdia, upon losing his horse, was forced to take a stance on the ground, and, getting closer to him this time, used my staff to go around his block, hitting him in the chest hard enough to send him skidding through the ground a few meters back.
—Are you actually a newbie?! Shouldn't there be only weaklings in this city?!— He yelled, blocking my second strike, which still sent him back a few steps.
— Not for f*cking long, you piece of sh*t! After you defeated me back then, I took it upon myself to get stronger to send you back to God! — Jumping in the air, and swinging Playful Cloud at him, I made him stuck in a deadlock, unable to back down, and, as it happened, horde of rabbits came out of my shadow, pushing Dullahan backwards, which made his grip loose, and I was able to hit him right in the chest, sending him flying ten meters backwards. —I keep my promises, and when I said that you will die here, I meant it!
—So you're a summoner, but still go after me yourself?— He mused, gripping hi sword tighter. —Against me, you will stand no chance, if that's the case. Undead knights!— As he swung his hand sideways, he summoned a small army of undead warriors, who, upon materializing, gazed past me, as if looking at someone else.
— Let's have a contest of firepower, then. — Making a handsign, I prepared the chant. —Shadows deep, ancient and prime, In sacred light, they intertwine. With treasures ten, I summon: Divine Dogs:Totality,— As Dusk appeared, he howled as loud as he could, seeing an enemy ahead. —Nue, — With a mighty roar, Nue ascended to the sky, with electricity running through it's wings. — And finally, — I grinned, unable to contain my smile full of malice. This will be the first time other people, aside from Megumin, will see it. —Great Serpent. — From beneath the ground, Orochi cracked the ground, rising from the depths of the earth, hissing as loud as it could. Just the image of him showing up put fear in everyone present. With how huge he was, even Verdia, who was calling me weak before, couldn't stop the trembling in his voice.
—J-just what the hell is this?! Where the hell a low level summoner even found a snake this huge dammit?!— Even though he shook, he quickly calmed himself. —Undead knights! Take down those summons! I will take the snake!
— As if I will let you! — With speed faster than one would expect from me, I appeared close to Verdia, hitting him with Playful Cloud before he was able to react, and sent him straight to Orochi, who caught him with his tail, and bit into his armor, trying to damage it, which, sadly, proved unsuccessful. It appears it has enhancement against piercing and slashing damage, given that Orochi tried his best to make him from an armored entity into a can. — Orochi, drop him to the ground, don't try to bite him, it won't work! — While Dusk and Nue were dealing with undead army, who, for some reason, were also trying to reach the city gate, I was dealing with Dullahan himself. — Keep grabbing him and hitting against the ground!
With some strategy at play, I kept running around, trying to catch Verdia together with Orochi, but he was constantly moving around, evading Orochi's tail at all cost, knowing it will hurt if he gets hit against the ground. Letting Blitz run rampage, I limited his vision, and snuck from behind, surprising him with how fast I was in that very moment.
When Playful Cloud was about to hit him in the chest, I saw a spark of red and knew. This.Will.HURT!
—Black Flash!— With Playful Cloud being my only weapon of choice against his armor, it was an amazing outcome that, while using it for the first time, I managed to hit a Black Flash. Verdia cried out in pain, absolutely feeling the impact of a space distorting hit, and I could see a crack forming on his armor.
—WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT BLACK LIGHT?! WHY DID IT HURT SO MUCH?!— Verdia, who flew dozens of meters back upon impact, managed to stand up relatively fast, and, while he was talking, I noticed Dusk and Nue heading in our direction, done with his army. —So you managed to beat my army...alright then, I will show you exactly why I'm the Demon Lord General!— As all of us were approaching him, I could see in slow motion how he threw his head to the sky, and fear crawled up my back.
—Everyone, dismiss, now!— With everyone but Blitz clones disappearing into shadows, I saw an eye opening in the sky, with Verdia's body moving faster than it was before. I saw him swing at me, and managed to block the hit with Playful Cloud, but then, when I was about to deflect his next attack, he instantly changed the angle he was attacking me at, and, barely blocking the hit, i felt the flat side of his blade hitting my head, before losing consciousness from a hit that was too strong for me to handle.
***
"Why is it not working?" — I kept wondering, trying to understand what I'm doing wrong while trying to summon a Totality version of my other shadows. While Dusk was powerful, his Totality version is, sadly, not the strongest among my other shadows. When trying to combine any other known combination, nothing happened, no matter how hard I had tried.
Piercing water barely had any progress as well, but, even so, I didn't stop trying. Reverse Cursed Technique is a powerful addition to my deck, but it alone won't be enough for me to win every fight.
I was looking for an answer to my problems from my memories, for something that could give me an inspiration as to why I can't do it, but nothing came to mind.
"Maybe I'm not trying hard enough? Not reaching for a better result? Impossible, I'm always trying to reach new heights, so why is it not working?"
Then, I remembered what Gojo said to Megumi after he asked him for a spar.
"I'm not saying you are not trying to give it your best. I'm saying that you can't. Remember this, when you will be dying, you will be alone. You can't imagine a stronger future version of yourself, and that's what holding you back. Understand?"
***
— "...How many seconds have I been unconscious...?" — I wondered, looking at Verdia with a blurry vision, as he was standing in place, holding his head yet again. His sword left a circle mark on the ground, and my Playful Cloud is nearby, with me laying against a rock that flew out of the ground when Orochi first emerged. — "It doesn't matter. The fight has yet to end." — I grabbed Playful Cloud, and, using it as support, stood up, shaking from suddenly waking up from a memory trip. — "Aqua is nearby, she's castingTurn Undead, but it barely has effect on Dullahan, given he is only screaming and rolling on the ground..."
I started wondering what should I do, and before I did, I ran some calculations in my head. My cursed energy output is 115 percent by default after I learned how to amplify it, when hitting Black Flash, I raised it by 20 percent, which raised it to 135 percent. I needed to get a boost, and with Aqua close to me, I could ask her to buff me, which may cause output to rise higher.
—Aqua!— I yelled, catching her attention. — Use Blessing on me! I have a plan! — She stood there, trying to get what I meant, before she beamed with understanding, running in my direction.
—Blessing! — She chanted, pointing her staff at me. — That should do it! What do you have in mind? — She asked, but, before I did anything, I let Blitz clones to pick up Aqua and carry her back to the gates, standing up straight in order to continue.
With Aqua's blessing, my output instantly rose to 180 percent, which, while being a lot, still was not enough for me to do what I had in mind.
— Hey, Verdia. — I called out, placing Playful Cloud back into my shadow. As he turned to me, trying to understand what I wanted from him, I started the formation of binding vow. — My Cursed Technique, Ten Shadows, allows me to summon ten different kinds of shikigami.
—Why the hell are you even explaining that? Are you dumb or what?
— Upon obtaining it, the user only gets two divine dogs as a start, and has to participate in a ritual in order to defeat the other shadows to get them under control. To do so, he has to defeat them alone, with no outside help. And while it is not impossible to get other people into the ritual, it will be voided if I get any outside help, which is bad for summoner. It might seem useless, but it has it's uses in some cases, because while it won't get granted to me as a summon, I can summon a shadow as many times as I need. That is to say, I would've summoned someone strong enough for you to not being able to defeat, but I'm not suicidal today. So, we are going to go a different path today!
Forming a handsign, and smiling like a madman, I finally felt the 200 percent output of my cursed energy, and, with it being constant, I felt myself stronger than I ever was before.
—Imagine a future version of myself who's freely surpassed my limits.Oh, I can do that!
"With a strong foundation, and a little bit of sense and imagination, it just takes the slightest trigger to change a person."
—DOMAIN EXPANSION!— A mass of liquid shadow emerged from beneath my legs, spreading through the surrounding territory at such fast rate that a flooding caused by Goliath was looking like a child's play! Dark shadow liquid covered the ground, catching Verdia in it as well, and, while he was looking at me with a horrified gaze, I kept smiling like a madman. —CHIMERA SHADOW GARDEN!
— "I'm not able to make it complete from the first try. Calling it ugly would be a compliment even, but for now, that's fine!" — With my incomplete Domain, I didn't get a sure-hit effect, but, even as ugly as it is, Domain Expansion raises my stats to another level, which should be enough to doTHIS!
—Hey, you damn bastard!— I spoke again, as a huge amount of toads grabbed Verdia's legs, because he tried to leave my domain without my permission. —While we're at it, let me show you the peak of Jujutsu Sorcery!
Forming a handsign to summon Nue, I grinned even more, pulling a lot of Cursed Energy into summoning it.
—Shadows deep, ancient and prime, In sacred light, they intertwine. With treasures ten, I summon: NUE!— Around half of my cursed energy reserves were gone in a single instant, with Domain spending 15% of my reserves, and spending more each second it was materialized, so I wont be able to stand for long, but I have to make each second count! —TOTALITY!
Not even from my shadow itself, but from the materialized Domain, a chunk of shadow as huge as the Domain itself started taking shape, rising to the sky with the speed faster than anything I had seen before. I never managed to summon it before, given my lack of understanding, but now, after I reached the peak of my Jujutsu, I finally could say that I am the one who makes the rules on this battlefield!
Nue:Totality, finally finished taking shape, and everyone who saw him, was frozen in absolute terror. He was huge, absolutely massive, and even Orochi summoned with a chant weren't as big as this one. Nue closed the sky with his wings, and was now waiting for my orders, ready to annihilate anything and everything.
It was a Totality between Orochi and Nue, and even though I couldn't pull it off before, if I had to do it again, I would be able to even without a Domain! While it looked like Nue, it had Orochi's tail, wingspan of around 350 meters in total, and a more refined body for a flight, given it's size. I was proud I finally got to summon it, because, even though it was shown only once, Totality of Nue instantly became my third most liked shikigami.
—Nue, show him hell!— Nue:Totality stretches its enormous wings, casting dark shadow over the battlefield. With a thunderous roar so loud it deafened half the city for a few seconds, Nue: Totality channels the raw power of the storm through its colossal form.
The air crackles with electricity, and, suddenly, bolts of lightning illuminate the dark clouds, casting an eerie glow across the landscape. Bolts of lightning cascade down from the heavens, each one more ferocious than the last. The ground trembles beneath the onslaught as the lightning strikes with unrelenting fury with deadly precision at Dullahan below. The ground trembles beneath the onslaught as the earth is scorched and charred by the intense heat of the lightning strikes.
—Gyaaaah! — As the first lightning reached Verdia, who was unable to move faster than the speed of light to escape the onslaught of Nue, he started screaming in absolute pain. With each successive strike, his once-mighty defenses crumble, leaving him vulnerable and exposed to the relentless assault. His armor, once impenetrable, was now melting from the heat, showing an ugly pieces of undead flesh that Dullahan was under his armor. Each bolt of lightning that hit him sent shockwaves rippling through the terrain.
The sheer magnitude of its attack is awe-inspiring, striking fear into the hearts of all who witness its destructive power. Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin and even Darkness, who I imagined would be the first one to try and be hit by Nue, trembled in fear, because, as much as it will hurt Darkness, there's a chance she will die from a single one, and dying is not something she would enjoy. Other adventurers, while terrified beyond what's normally possible, cheered with all their might, knowing I fight for them and for the sake of the city.
When the dust settled, Dullahan, once mighty and arrogant, was in a crater created after lightning hit the same place over and over, with him lying on his back, unable to stand up. His head was near his body, his hands destroyed while trying to protect himself, and his sword, which was nearby, was untouched by anything ever thrown in his direction. His terrified gaze was pointed at Nue, who finally stopped the assault, and then at me, as I made my presence known.
— It's over, Verdia. I have the high ground. — I said, coming closer to finish him off. Even though he used underhanded means, such as curse Darkness before, he didn't try to attack those outside of our duel, even though Aqua casted Turn Undead on him and then buffed me. He deserves some respect, no matter if I hate him or not. — Even though our fight can hardly be called fair, I can still respect the level of power you have achieved. You were the one to push me beyond my limit by becoming a wall I couldn't jump over, and I thank you for that. In my time as adventurer, I fought many foes, including my own summons. One Punch Bears, Manticore, Swordmaster of Axel...among them, you're the strongest I had yet to fight.
Reaching for his sword, and putting it in my shadow, I came closer to his body, holding hi head in my hands. His gaze was relaxed, he did not bear any hatred toward me after he had lost. It was respectable, and I smiled at him, taking out Playful Cloud to finish him off.
—So stand proud, Verdia. You're strong.— He closed his eyes, awaiting his death, and, once he was ready, I threw his head in the air, and hit it as hard as I could. —Black Flash!— With the final Black Flash, which completely destroyed his head, I looked at his body, which started disappearing after his head. His soul already departed, and so did his body. It was a complete victory, but I couldn't find power in my own self to celebrate it. I was happy, yes, even so, I had a lot to learn.
My Domain, which was still active, started dissipating as well, and, releasing it, I looked at Nue high in the sky, and smiled wider, seeing the results of my hard work. Nue was looking back at me, waiting for following orders, but, once Verdia was defeated, I didn't need it.
— Nue, you did a good job. Rest easy, you can dissipate. — And so, closing it's eyes, Nue turned into a liquid shadow, hitting the ground, and disappearing in my own shadow. —We did it, everyone...we truly did.— I whispered to my own self, and then, the cheers of every adventurer in town were heard.
Everyone ran up to me, and before I realized what were they up to, they picked me up, and started throwing me in the air.
— You crazy bastard, you did it!
— I knew you had it in you when I saw you for the first time!
— Y/n, good job!
— Aye aye Y/n!
— You just set the first stone in your journey to defeat the Demon Lord, boy!
I couldn't find much words to say, but, seeing as everyone cheered for my success, I couldn't hold my smile. Megumin, Kazuma, Darkness and Aqua were cheering from sidelines, and waving to them, I jumped off of the hands of other adventurers, and went ahead to them.
— Thanks everyone for being there. I know it's improper of me to say you helped me a lot, given I fought by myself, but knowing you were behind me, ready to support at any given moment, I had enough strength to fight. Aqua, I'm sorry for calling you useless a few times, because today, you proved me wrong. Your Blessing was just what I needed to unleash my full power, and I will treat you and your whole party to a feast tonight. You and only you, because you deserve it. — With a smile, I closed my eyes, feeling several pairs of hands around me. I was pulled in a group hug by Aqua, Megumin and Darkness, and, although reluctantly, but Kazuma joined as well, laughing and smiling.
My journey to defeat Demon Lord has officially started, and won't stop until I succeed.
Chapter 8
Chapter Text
After defeating Verdia, the Demon Lord General I had encountered, everything returned to normal. Quests started appearing yet again, and the winter season has finally began.
On to the best possible news...
— Ah, Y/n-san, I was waiting for you! — When I appeared in the guild next day, Luna, who was behind the counter, went ahead to greet me, which was something new.
— Ah, Luna, it's been a little while since I saw you. — I greeted her back, giving her my signature smile. — What do I owe to your visit?
— Quite the opposite, it's me who owes you this time. I have a a special reward just for you.
— Special reward, you say? Is that for defeating Dullahan? — I said outloud, given that I was unaware if he had any bounty on him. Logically, he should have, but given that I heard no rumors of anyone ever trying to fight him before, it was either because there was literally no one strong enough to challenge him, or those who tried died in the process.
— Yes, that's right. You were the one to defeat him. — She said, and, before she continued, adventurers all around the guild gave their opinions.
— Of course he did! He literally wiped the ground with this guy, after all! I felt shivers through my entire body when those lightning bolts hit him right in the face!
— That bird was huge, and that snake as well! Man, I'm so jealous! He has such great summons!
— For Y/n and his feat! — They raised their mugs, and drank from them together, which honestly made me smile.
— Ahem! — Luna reminded everyone that she's still here, and, with a smile, continued. — And so, In recognition of your great feat,I present you with 300 million eris!
I choked on the air upon hearing the sum I has been granted, and had to cough for a bit to not die on the spot. It would've been embarrassing, defeating Verdia and then dying from choking on air.
—T-this much?!Man, talk about big shot! — As I took the card from her hands, I saw the logo of Belzerg Central Bank that I got accustomed to after dealing with all the documents in Wiz's shop. It seems she registered me an account through my adventurer card info, and now the money was on the bank account itself. This was convenient, more so, I don't need to worry about carrying this much money in my shadow all the time. Wiz had one registered for the shop as well, so I knew how to use this system, and, after picking several options on the card, I now held 4 pouches full of coins, turning to Kazuma and his party, who curiously looked at me. — Kazuma, Aqua, Darkness, Megumin. — As I said that, and came closer, I held out the pouches for them to take. — This is a token of appreciation for your hospitality and help before. Aqua helped me with her blessing, Darkness gave me the reason to fight, Kazuma gathered all of you, and Megumin, — Coming closer, and placing a pouch in her hands, I looked her in the eyes. — Even though you acted rash back there, your power, your goal and motivation truly inspired me. Make sure that Komekko and yourself get fed properly, okay? — Standing up, and backing down, I took another pouch from the card, and threw it to the waitress. — Kazuma, each of you got 5 million eris. Now! There's 2 million eris at stake! Drink and eat a whole lot, let's celebrate the defeat of Demon Lord General!
—Hooray Y/n!
—May Eris bless you!
—Let's drink to your health!
—Just because you've drunk your health doesn't mean you can do the same with mine!— I joked, and laughing with the entire guild, took the mug of bubbly from the nearest waitress, and raised it in the air. — For the sake of defeating Demon Lord!
—For the sake of defeating Demon Lord!
I spent 22 million eris in a span of 5 minutes, but it was well damn worth it. Kazuma and his party deserved the reward, and throwing a party once in a while wasn't half bad. Megumin was the happiest of them, given that she now had enough money to send to her family, and she will make sure her little sister gets all the food she can eat.
I didn't stay for long, though, given that I had a few matters to attend to. First, church, second, Wiz's shop, third, a house.
***
Standing on my knees in front of the altar, I began my daily prayer, given that I had yet to tell Eris a story of my recent exploits. I'm sure she will be happy with the progress I've made.
"Eris-sama, I hope this prayer reaches your ears. Last few weeks, I did nothing but give you a short prayers, given my busy schedule after what has happened to me and the entire city. Demon Lord General, Dullahan Verdia, has shown up to city, and defeated me after I tried to take him down. He retreated, but came a week later, which gave me enough time to train in order to take him down for sure. With the help of my allies, after a hard fought battle, I emerged victorious. I defeated one of the strongest, once feared being who's mere presence scared other monsters from showing up. I finally unlocked my Reverse Cursed Technique, which can heal without outside help, and unleashed my Domain Expansion, reaching 200% percent of my potential. My newest summon, Nue:Totality, is truly a beast when it came to firepower. It didn't matter how durable Dullahan or his armor was, how high was his magical defense an such. His armor melted, his body got destroyed, and he couldn't do anything but scream in pain." — Stopping for a moment to think, I smiled. — "And, even then, there's something I'm still missing. I'm sure you remember Chris, the thief girl that taught me the basics of a sword. This silly little thief got into a competition with me, and lost after boasting a lot, and now she owes me something I'm still waiting for. I didn't saw her in a while, but I hope she's doing alright, given all the stuff happening recently. If it's possible, please, tell me if she's safe. It would be a shame for such a nice person to be hurt. Many blessings upon your kind soul."
Several coins I threw into the fountain gathered together, and all of them at once shown her in full height, giving me an "ok" gesture, as if letting me know she was alright. After that, reading by her lips, I gathered the meaning of her words. "I'm proud of you", which was the last thing I saw, because the coins stopped glowing, leaving me alone with my thoughts yet again. With a smile, I left the church, going to Wiz's shop to fulfill the part of my vow, as well as order a few things I wanted to order before.
— Hey, Wiz, I'm here. — Greeting Wiz, who was standing behind the counter, I couldn't help but smile. I had yet to see the progress of selling our items, given that Verdia was defeated only yesterday, but, as adventurers now got work to do, they will need items to support them.
— Ah, Y/n, welcome back. — She greeted me, waving her hand, and gave me a cup of tea she brewed recently, expecting me to show up soon. — I heard you defeated Verdia-san. I'm sure it was a tough battle, but I'm very happy you succeeded. Even among other Generals, his swordsmanship was truly amazing, so congratulations.
— Sounds like you know of him well. — I pointed out, taking a sip of tea she offered, and sat down on a chair, looking through the list of supplies we can order.
— Ah, that's because I'm one of the eightDemon Lord Generals.— In this moment, I stopped drinking my tea, placed a teacup down, and turned to face her.
— ...Why didn't you tell me before? — I asked, knowing she won't lie. She has no reason to, and she can't, given that binding vow prohibits her from doing it. — Listen, I'm an adventurer. My goal is to defeat Demon Lord, and I already set my first stone by defeating Verdia. I know you're as pure as you can be, but being a General of Demon Lord is something that I hardly find something not worth of attention. — Standing up, and coming closer, I put a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eyes. — So please, tell me. Why are you a General, what is your goal, and why did you open a shop in beginners town?
— E-ehm...you never asked me who I was, so I presumed you don't want to know... — She replied, averting her gaze from me, but still kept going. — I swear, I didn't hurt anyone since I became a General. My only purpose is to hold a barrier around his castle, and I opened a shop here because I wanted to create a place where me and my previous teammates could gather in if they wish to visit me one day. — She started twirling her hair around her index finger, looking anywhere but at me. — I really have nothing to do with Demon Lord other than keeping a barrier up, that's literally all I do.
— ...Alright, Wiz, I understand. — I sighed, sitting back on the chair to think. — You have your reasons to be one of his Generals. Maybe it's something private, maybe you have an agreement, it doesn't matter much. As long as you don't intend harm to anyone, I'm fine with that. You're a nice woman, and I like your company. You're a dummy most of the time, but I genuinely enjoy spending time in your shop, with you around. — Closing my eyes with a palm of my hand, I looked at the ceiling, making a deep breath. — Now that I know about you being a General, do confirm something for me. You're not a human anymore, are you?
— That's right. I'm aLich. — She confirmed, and I sighed yet again.
— Should've guessed as much. Lich doesn't necessarily mean a skeleton with no organs, but can have a human form as well. Do you perform any rituals to keep your form?
— Not really. All I need to do is eat from time to time to stop myself from turning into a skeleton, and I only send deceased souls to heaven on the local graveyard as a ritual, given no one else does that. I feel bad for them, so I do it roughly once a week. This evening I will do so as well, it has been a while. — She picked her own cup of tea, drinking from it, sitting across me.
— I see. That's very noble of you. — I nodded, and placed my teacup aside. — Alright, that aside. Tell me, did our order finally arrive? It has been two weeks already.
— Ah, yes. It arrived this morning, I already placed the alchemy set in a free corner in the storage room. I think I didn't mess anything up, but I hope you will like it! — She beamed me a smile, and once hearing it, I stood up, walking to the storage room.
— Wow, it's bigger than I had expected it to be. — Given how much it has cost us, I shouldn't be as surprised, but it was still amazing to see all the parts being put together into a single set with glass pipes for filtration, cauldron, all kind of tubes of different shapes and sizes, mortar with a pestle, with a heating system powered by magical fire that starts working once you power it with your own mana or manatite crystal. Everything was looking perfectly, and, looking at the guide on how to properly set it up, I found no mistakes, given that Wiz was taking a good care of such expensive equipment. — Alright, I'm eager to try this out. I couldn't stop repeating the recipes to myself from time to time, and today, I can finally brew something.
First thing first, I took a book with recipes, went to get the ingredients I ordered before, and, with Wiz nearby, started preparations to brew my first potion, which was a minor potion to cure light diseases, which is recommended for starting your journey to become alchemist. It's a base that you should learn, and, if you mess up something as simple as that, you can't even call yourself a failure,you will be way worse than that.
Grinding several types of medical grass with a pestle and mortar, pitting the wild berries I had previously seen in the forest, and igniting a magical fire by feeding mana into a miniature manatite crystal, I poured distilled water into the reservoir, ready to start my "magic". Given how easy the recipe was, I didn't even need to filter any waste produced by ingredients, given those ones don't give any, and a pure potion shall come out no matter what you add afterwards.
Berries came first, coloring the water in a slight red, giving their juice into the water, and, once the water began to boil, I put grinded grass inside, which started giving out the liquid with a green color, and I felt the smell I could remember feeling in my previous life from a few types of medicine against headache and fever, which confirmed the fact that it was a cure from minor diseases, given headache and fever were things people experience when they get a disease, which is a reaction of a human body to fight it.
Stirring the resulting liquid for a couple of minutes as the magic fire faded, I prepared several test tubes, waiting for the liquid to cool down before pouring it into the test tubes, sealing them with a wooden stopper. Given I had yet to use the other methods to seal the tubes so that air won't be inside, preserving the resulting potion for longer, I decided to at least see how long can this one be kept with such crude method.
Although it was the easiest potion even a monkey would find hard to fail, I was proud of my first achievement in the field of alchemy.
— Even such a low tier potion should bring us a lot of profit. The winter is starting, and some people might catch a disease, and this will be their way of getting back on track faster. Considering the price of ingredients, test tubes and production, I think 5,000 eris would be a fair price. What do you think, Wiz? — I asked, turning to her.
— I think so as well. It's a little above 10 percent of what was spent on ingredients, but it's fine. — She gave me a smile, and walked outside a storage room to get something done. I, on the other hand, decided to keep going through other recipes to get a better gist on how to brew them better.
After spending hours on end trying out different recipes and spending 1/4 of all our ingredients, I was happy. I failed to brew health or mana potion, given they required more mastery over the process with mana manipulation, which I had yet to achieve, but I did manage to understand how to vacuum the tube with potion so it won't spoil as fast, as well as brew more cures in case we need them for selling.
Other than doing so, I finished my shift, and, with no destination in mind, decided to walk through the city to think of what I should do. Once in a while, I caught civilians looking at me and Dusk with Dawn walking by my side, with their kids pointing at me, whispering something. There was really no need to guess. Even those who hid in their houses during Verdia's attack heard my Nue, and most likely saw it, given that it's impossible to miss no matter where you was in the city. It was admiration.
I did ignore them, however, because even if they idolize me, I had better things to do and think of instead of looking for fame.
— "It's unfortunate Wiz knows no one who can enchant weapon or items. I will have to look for people like that myself if I want my weapon and clothes to be stronger. If possible, I want to make Playful Cloud as close to it's original variant as it's possible, given that it's power is not to be underestimated. I don't think I will find anyone like that in Axel though." — With a sigh, I suddenly remembered something.
— I need a house. A big house. — Now that I got the money needed to buy...even build my own house, I started thinking hard of what should I make. I had a lot of ideas about the design, but all of them had something in common. They have big rooms, specifically made to house entities that are a part of my team. Saitama Jr. would love it, and so will my shikigami.
With the amount of money I got, I can spend around half of it to commission the building. 150 million Eris is not something to scoff at, and given that a villa of average noble costs 100 or so millions, my own will be a grand scale. Winter is already very close, the snow is slowly falling, but, given that no one but me and Kazuma with his party gotten a reward, other adventurers were looking for all kind of jobs. Construction works, thankfully, are one of a kind, given that normal monsters in the winter just disappear, leaving only something low level adventurer might not even take on.
I knew a few places where I can commission one, but, thankfully, I had someone who is also able to help with the paperwork. A short trip to the guild later, and I was now standing in front of Luna, who was sorting through her own documentation.
— Hi, Luna, can I have a bit of your time? — Distracting her from her paperwork, I smiled a little, seeing how tired she was after spending her entire day working. I should probably fulfill my promise and treat her to something nice after I'm done.
— It's a pleasure to see you again so soon, Y/n. What is it that you want to ask? — She put the documents aside, and looked at me with a tired smile.
— I wanted to ask you for a favor. I know bare minimum of the legalization of some matters in Axel, or anywhere else in that case, to order the construction of a villa, and thus I need your help to get the legal matters sorted, such as buying the land and contacting someone who is able to review my project to build it. It's a big project, so I don't think I can do it alone before it's too late. I'll fulfill my previous promise several times over if you help me out. — I said, leaning on a counter in front, to see Luna brainstorming what I just told her. She turned around, massaged the bridge of her nose, and stood up, walking to the drawer with some documents sticking out of it, opening it and taking out several of them before walking back to me.
— You picked "perfect" time for that, you know? — She bitterly smiled to me, given that I disturbed her when it was almost over for her shift. I would feel myself just as she does in this moment if I was tasked to do something when it was time to clock out. — I'll do it just for you. First, I need to understand the size of the work you're planning to do. How big is the villa you're going to build, which budget you'll provide for architect and the workers, and so-so. Do you have any plan of the building, scheme or a rough picture at the very least?
— I do, actually, — With that said, I took out several pieces of paper out of the shadow, placing them in front of Luna. — The project will be bigger than you might expect, honestly. I need a lot of room for my summons, especially for One Punch Bear that will grow as tall as 5 meters, and a lot of rooms. I don't plan to always be alone, and I'm still looking for teammates, but, it seems, other people are either terrified of me, or just don't want to switch parties. Party base is what I need to live, plan things and so-so. — Luna, upon reviewing the schematics, furrowed her brows, thinking of something, before putting it aside, and moving her own documentation to me.
— This should be enough. Given the size, there are just two places administration of the city can sell for your needs. First one is near the edge of the east wall, the other one is closer to the other gate through the city. I would recommend the second option, given that it gives you better view and more availability to the stores and such, but it's also more expensive than the first option.
— How much are we talking about?
— 15 million eris for first option, 25 for second option. Given it's a big piece of land suitable for your backyard, as I can see by schematic, I'd say that's a good price if you're willing to stay there for long.
— This is...acceptable. — I thought, looking at the schematic of the land Luna adviced for me to buy for my villa. — I'd like to take the second option, then. It's also closer to the guild, has more roads around it to take, and is in a nice area.
— Then let's talk about the budget you're going to use to build all of that. Including the land, it might cost you from around 120 million to 150 million eris. Of course, prices may wary, given that you will have to consult with the architect to see if anything is wrong, and if he needs to change anything, but I think this should be enough. — She brought another document, and gave it to me. — If you're willing to do so right now, sign this document, and I'll send the letter to the city administration, as well as the one to architect. As long as he doesn't find any problems in your own schematic, you won't even need to see him personally, given that you provided a lot of details here.
— Just the way I like it. I was going to spend around 150 million anyways, so I'm all for it. Let me check it first. — Reading through the document of the land ownership, at least, the copy of it, because I will get the original once I buy the land officially, I found nothing outrageous, and signed it, giving it back to Luna. — Money will be taken from my bank account, right?
— Yes, that's right. Your signature and the city administration stamp will be enough for bank to provide the costs you stated can be taken out of your account, and no more than stated will be used. It's all controlled by the people trusted by the King, so you don't have to worry about anything. — She took the document, and placed it aside for herself to send a letter later. — Is that all you wanted to ask me?
— No, one more thing. How about something nice to eat? I'm paying, you can take anything you want. — Winking at her, and catching her smile, I couldn't hold a chuckle escaping my lips. We did have fun this evening, given that we has a lot to talk about after.
***
Next day started as always, except for the fact I was now in a set of new clothes, aside from my Jujutsu High uniform. Gladly, Wiz was able to repair it after my fight with Verdia, and also used magical strings to make it more durable. Back to the new clothes, they were made specifically for winter season, given that this night was especially cold, with snow falling down tenfold more times than before. A warm jacket with fur collar and black gloves, as well as a black face mask to keep my face away from the cold wind. While the chill was nice, I preferred to have my face safe from cold.
Training, training and more training, with Saitama Jr. being by my side, trying to copy my behavior, while playing in the snow. Given his thick fur, he couldn't care less about the cold environment we were in, and I couldn't stop myself from smiling, playing with him by making snow angels, and a makeshift snowball fight, given he can only throw a pile of snow at me with his paws. He was active as ever today, and I was glad, since I wasn't able to spend much time with him lately. Wiz was taking care of him while I was away, but it didn't make him any more sad, given that Wiz is a nice woman who likes pets, no matter what species they are.
Today, after a while, I was going to subjugate another shikigami. I had 2 options I know for sure I can take, and 2 options I would rather not pick now. That's right,Funeral TigerandMahoragaare out of option right now. I may stand a chance against a shikigami I know nothing about, but facingMahoragawhen I'm so weak? It would instantly kill me and my entire set of shikigami. So, right now, I was going to subjugateRound Deer, given that I have many uses for him even outside of battle.
First off, he can heal anyone who I want to just by standing nearby, with the best healing coming when you stand under his neck or touch his nose. Yes, RCT is great, that is undeniable, but it requires you to spend a lot of Cursed Energy, and I'm notGojowho can heal infinitely because ofSix Eyes, and I have my limits. Huge, but still limits. That's whyRound Deeris so useful, he can produce positive energy for RCT to function infinitely after getting summoned, I don't need to spend anything aside from cost for his summoning. In battle, he would be a must have in case opponent is too strong to handle without injuries, and outside of it, he can help with my muscle trainings, given that muscles grow by getting teared during the training and then healing to get stronger.
His positive energy is so strong, in fact, that it makes it harder to use any cursed techniques around him, since he just interrupts it if you can't control your own cursed energy to perfection. Maybe, just maybe, it can also work against mana based attacks, but I have yet to find out.
— Alright, Saitama Jr., I will show you some new friend you will have soon. Don't approach him yet, because he might be aggressive, and I have to defeat him first, alright? — Holding his head between my palms, I smiled, giving him a loving rub. He roared a little, indicating the understanding, and i let him go, walking aside. — Stay still for a while, I will do the work. — We were far away from Axel, in the snowy mountains, because the plains I was using before were occupied by hibernating toads, and it was a hassle to deal with all of them, so I let them sleep peacefully, finding a better place to do the ritual. —Nue:Totality.
I knew for sure that Nue would be able to defeat it no matter what, but I didn't want to spend more cursed energy than necessary by using full size Nue with the chant. Regular Totality should be enough. After it materialized high into the air, looking down at me, as if asking for a reason to be summoned, I made a handsign to summon a new shikigami, which was enough for Nue to understand why it was needed.
—Round Deer.— With that, a portion of my shadow emerged in front of me, 10 meters away, forming a carcass of a huge entity. Muscular body, huge, fine prolonged antlers, ears at the top of his head and 4 pairs of eyes on his muzzle. The symbol of Ten Treasures was set on the left side of his neck, and, with a snort, it looked at me, not moving an inch after witnessing Nue high into the sky. With 4 eyes, it can clearly see everything around it, but it refused to move, probably to concentrate on healing itself instead of trying to move away from me.
Saitama Jr., after seeing a new shikigami, perked up, examining it, but, just I instructed him to, he didn't try to approach before I do the job. Seeing that Round Deer still didn't do anything even after half a minute of waiting, I came closer to it, putting my palm on his nose, feeling the positive energy all around. It was hard to even keep the cursed energy layer around my body, given how strong it was, so I knew for sure, it would be really hard to use any magic around him. I'm not a mage, but even my own mana was not listening to me.
— You're a tame one, aren't you? — Smiling a little, seeing absolutely no reaction from him, I walked to the side, moving my hand through it's muscular body with fur, before jumping on his back to confirm something. — Can you move, at the very least? I suppose you do, given how strong you are, but it doesn't seem like you want to attack me. — Just as I finished it, Round Deer made a few steps forward, and shook it's body so I get off of it, and, as I did, I smiled wider, confirming my theory. — So you can, after all. That's a relief. — I walked back to Saitama Jr., who was waiting for me to do something, and I did just that, closing his ears with my hands to protect him from the noise. — Sorry, little one, but you'll have to die.Nue, Nuke him.
Just as I commanded, Nue, charging it's wings with electricity, started the thunderstorm that was sent in the direction of a single entity. The first lightning that hit Round Deer made a huge part of it's back to get burned and torn from it's body, but it regenerated almost instantly, before the next lightning hit again. The next one hit him in the head, which stunned him enough for Nue to send a next one, before Deer regenerated it's head and kept healing as fast as it could. Nue kept attacking, and Deer kept healing, but, after Nue hit his head twice, it was basically over. Deer could not regenerate fast enough after it's brain was fried several times, and the next several lightnings that hit him were enough to do the job. Sadly, while the Deer is not aggressive even during the ritual, it felt bad to end him like this. I could've summoned Orochi to crack it's head open, but, given that Deer could probably regenerate even something like that, I decided to play it safe. It's tanky, can heal at insanely fast speed, and doesn't care if it's hit, it keeps regenerating.
Turning to liquid shadow, Round Deer made it know that it was subjugated. I let Nue disappear as well, given that it certainly made it known I'm here to everyone around, and, as I removed my hands from Saitama Jr., I made a handsign to summon my new shikigami.
—Round Deer.— Even larger portion of my shadow started taking form, and, as it materialized, it was not hard to see the changes. It was not only much bigger, but it also had more muscle mass, bigger antlers and stronger legs. As I moved closer, putting my palm on his nose, I felt positive energy running through my body, making me feel the relief of Reverse Cursed Technique taking action. It was akin to taking sedatives, and it was divine. Removing my hand from his nose, and placing my hand on his side, patting him, I smiled wider, coming up with a name for such a Divine being. — From now on, you'reMiracle. Welcome to the family. — Miracle snorted in satisfaction, and, as Saitama Jr. came closer, Miracle look at him, moving his front leg as if to pet it's head, which he did, as gently as it could. — I see you took liking to Saitama Jr. That's good, I hope you get along just fine. — Picking up the contented bear cub from the snow-covered ground, I sat him down on the back of the deer, jumping in after him, holding both him and on to the Miracle's back. — Let us move now. Nue saw something ahead before it disappeared, so let's take a look at what's happening there. — I was expecting Miracle to move slowly, or at my normal speed, but, as it started moving, and then increased it speed until it was running as fast as a speeding car, I felt that I underestimated my own shikigami.
With the cold wing hitting half of my face, and the surrounding slowly becoming a slight blur, I felt satisfied with what I got from this ritual. Nue can't carry me everywhere due to limitations of forests, dungeons or anything else, in that matter, but now I have a shikigami that can move through those types of terrain as well.
— Eh? What's that? — As we got closer to the area Nue saw unusual activity in, I saw some sort of snow spirits flying around. As we got past them, I caught a few, and they felt cold to the hands, even when I was in gloves. I did put a few in a jar I got out of the shadow, to study them later, but it still didn't take away the fact that this was unusual for me. A lot of them were casually flying around, and, as I was about to leave to the city, I saw a group of people far away, killing those snow spirits. — Is that...Megumin's chant?
— EXPLOSION! — Before I realized that, explosion magic was already in action, sending a beam of explosive spell in the center where several spirits were gathered, only got explosion to kill barely 5 of them, with Megumin still standing after the initial explosion. I could see her confusion from afar, but, as she realized what happened as well, with her party looking confused as to why her explosion was weaker, and she could still stand, Megumin, focusing her gaze, started looking for me, only to see me rapidly approaching on Miracle's back. — Y/N! — She called out to me, and, once I approached, with Miracle stopping just a few meters away from them, I smiled, waving my hand. — I knew you were somewhere close! My explosion was weaker than usual due to contract!
— Eh? Which contract are you guys talking about? — Kazuma asked, confused over the whole situation around.
— We made a magical contract. When she's close to me, on official or unofficial quest, her explosion cannot be fired at full power, but when I say "Nuke", she can unleash 150% of it's power. She wasn't able to unleash it at full power since I was close enough for contract to take effect. — Getting off of Miracle's back, I walked closer to Megumin, taking her hand and walking her to Miracle.
— E-eh? What are you doing, Y/n? Why did you take my hand? — She asked, with her legs shaking from large usage of mana, but, before I answered, I made her stand below Miracle's neck, with his Reversed Cursed Technique taking effect on her, making her moan in pleasure from the sedative effect of posivite energy flowing through her entire body.
— I learned from Wiz one thing about mana. If you don't have enough mana to use a spell, it compensates in turn by using yourvitalityas a source, which is exactly why you can't move after your explosion. Since your explosion was weaker this time, you have just enough to barely stand, but you still are weak from spending more than you have. — Once I could see her recovering just enough, I patted Miracle on his neck, making a gesture for him to stop, I lifted Megumin off of the ground, and sat her on his back. — This is my newest shikigami, Miracle. His main ability is to heal anyone I wish to, myself included, and it so happens that I just finished my ritual a bit ago before finding all of you. This healing might not restore much of your vitality, but it sure will help with your weakness.
Turning to Kazuma, and walking forward, I extended my hand forward, taking my glove off for a handshake.
— Nice to see you again, Kazuma. How's it going? I saw those weird snow spirits nearby, and was about to go back to the city to study them, but since you're already killing them, maybe you know a thing about them? — As he shook my hand after taking his own glove off, we nodded our head, and out our gloves back on.
— Well, we kill them for a quest, because each sprite killed gives you 100 thousand eris, and it is said that each one killed makes spring come half a day earlier. — He scratched the back of his head, and nervously smiled. — We're only here because Aqua already spend all her money, and is now in debt, so she pleaded for us to take any quest so she could pay it back. — As he looked at Miracle, he put a hand around my neck, whispering so Aqua won't hear us. — And what the hell? You alone is enough to replace Aqua. This guy is amazing! — Before he could continue, I laughed a little, and sighed.
— Maybe in terms of healing. He can't really deal damage, other than disrupt usage of magic and maybe damage cursed beings or evil spirits with his positive energy. He can't deal with undeads as easily as Aqua can. Plus, Aqua is Arch-priest that knows revive spell. Miracle can heal you even at the brink of death, but he can't heal death itself. Aqua may be dumb most of the time, given that she somehow spent5 million erisin a matter of a few days, but her abilities are not to be underestimated. Her blessing alone is already enough to call her a top tier support. — Patting him on the back, and walking a few steps back, I sighed, and looked around. — You did kill a lot of those spirits, though. Why no one else picks this quest if the reward is so high? — Just as I said that, a wave of cold wind struck me head on, with snow flying from the top of the mountain in our direction. — ...Something wicked this way comes.
— It's here! — Darkness yelled, picking up her sword and holding it with both hands. Judging by her facial expression, something strong and heavy hitting approaches, because she only reacts this way when she imagines how painful it will be.
— What is here?! — Kazuma yelled, walking backwards a few steps, holding his own sword ready. Megumin, on the other hand, kept her eyes open, furrowing her brows while sitting on Miracle's back. It seems she knows what is coming.
— Let me tell you why no one else picks this quest, Kazuma. — Aqua spoke, standing on her knees, with a net she caught sprites with laying nearby. — You lived in Japan, so you should've heard his name at least once, in the weather forecast. He is the ruler of snow sprites, and the one often associated with the winter...Yes, that's right.Winter Shogunis approaching!
As the snowy fog dissipated, it revealed a monster, who was wearing a Shogun armor, with a katana on his hip. His entire body was glowing with a cyan light, showing his nature as a spirit, and I walked a few steps back, putting my hand on Miracle, who snorted upon seeing Winter Shogun. If he attacks, my main concern will be Megumin, so I decided to guard my position here.
—Winter Shogun!A special type of monster that has a huge reward for killing it! — Darkness uttered, but, before she began her ramble about her masoch*stic nature and what she wants the Shogun to do with her, I sighed, and took Playful Cloud out of the shadow, given that his armor is made to withstand attacks with a blade.
As Kazuma yelled about this whole situation being stupid, Winter Shogun took his katana out of the sheaths, and holding it with both hands, rushed forward to Darkness, breaking her sword with a single swing. I was not worried for Darkness in the slightest, given that even without her armor, she can withstand attacks of such a monster.
— Spirits read the thought of people they met, and take the form they imagine. — Aqua continued her explanation about Winter Shogun's origin, and I kept listening, intrigued to hear the rest. — But, usually, the only people arriving to the snowy Mountains are in this part of the year are the reincarnated people from Japan.
— So you want to tell me that some degenerate thought of aWinter Shogunwhen walking in this area and it created this monster?! Was there nothing else for him to do?! — Kazuma complained, freaking out at the prospect of having to fight it.
— Kazuma! — Aqua called out to him again, holding a jar full of Snow Sprites. —Winter Shogunis generous! If we apologize, he will let us go! — As she released the sprites, Winter Shogun looked as they flew high into the air, and then looked back at Aqua, who made a dogeza, pressing her face lower to the ground. — Quickly, fall to the ground! Throw away your weapon and apologize!
Kazuma, seeing Darkness still standing, with her broken sword in her hands, ran up to her, pressing her face against the ground. He was on his knees as well, and as he threw away his own sword, Winter Shogun looked at me, as I still stood high, holding Playful Cloud.
— Y/n, what are you doing?! Come on, apologize! — Kazuma, seeing me unmoving, tried to make me do so as well, but I smirked, placing Playful Cloud on my shoulder.
— I have nothing to apologize for, and I won't bow in front of a monster.The only people I will bow to are my own mother, Eris and my future wife.— Looking straight in Shogun's eyes, I made it clear that I won't show any respect to him. —If you want to attack, go ahead and attack. I will take you head on.— As Winter Shogun prepared to rush at me, with his sword ready to slash at my head, I failed to notice one thing out of pure wish to fight this monster.
Kazuma, who was holding Darkness from moving, was now in the path of Shogun, who, upon noticing an obstacle between me and him, switched targets, slashing Kazuma's head clean off of his shoulders.
The fountain of blood from his neck was not something I expected to see today, and, freezing in place for a moment upon seeing death of my little brother, I let my fury take place, rushing ahead faster than the sound, creating a sonic blast, which blew the snow behind me, and, as I hit Winter Shogun's chest with Plaful Cloud, which dented his armor, I sent him dozens of meters backwards.
— Okay.Let's dance!
Winter Shogun, upon landing, and gripping his sword, rushed to me, and, as he approached, I let Playful Cloud wrap around his katana, tugging it as hard as I could, and, as he stumbled, unable to tear his weapon from me, I unwrapped Plaful Cloud, and hit Winter Shogun in his head, making him kiss the snow several times while he was rolling.
Before he regained his footing, I was already above him, swinging my weapon at him, and, once my Playful Cloud and his katana collided, it produced a Shockwave strong enough to push both of us back. Once I landed, and prepared to attack again, I had to dodge the sword that flew centimeters away from my head. While being close to the ground from dodging, I pushed myself upwards, hitting him in the face with my legs. Before he got flung away from my attack, I wrapped Playful Cloud around his head, and hit him in the face again, with my cursed energy flashing black upon impact.
—Black Flash!— As I hit black flash, which sent him flying into the nearest tree, I stood up from the ground, observing the state Winter Shogun was in. His armor was dented in several places and his chestplate was cracking with each movement, revealing ectoplasm which he was made from. — Come forth! — Without stopping, both of us ran ahead, and, as I parried his upwards slash, I was about to hit him in the head, before he managed to parry my own attack. — So you can still dance, huh?! — Before he counterattacked me after the parry, I slid aside, hitting him in his leg, making him stumble, and after he lowered his head, I hit him in the face yet again. —Black Flash!— This time, he managed to keep his footing, and, swinging his blade at me, managed to hit me in the arm, but, gladly, the layer of Cursed Energy protected me from getting any wounds, making his sword bounce off of it with a clang.
When he got staggered by his own attack, I jumped in the air, and swung Playful Cloud, hitting him at the side of his head, making him eat the snow once again. A huge column of snow rose after he hit the ground, and with my eyes covered by the palm of my hand, I jumped back, parrying the sudden thrust of his sword by sending it upwards, and hit him in the chest, shattering his chestplate once and for all.
—Keep 'em comin'!— Putting Playful Cloud back into my shadow, and taking out Verdia's sword, I parried his overhead attack, and slashed at his chest, making a deep cut that started bleeding ectoplasm out of it. —Yes, that's it!— Given that Verdia's sword has enhancement to curse the wound and make bleeding much more severe, I was not about to throw such weapon away. Using it against such entity was a given.
As Winter Shogun made a step backwards to regain his balance, I waited for him to attack me, and, as he did, I parried his attack, and he parried mine after I was unable to slice his head off. He threw another attack, which I parried yet again, and we kept exchanging parries until I got tired of this, and put more cursed energy behind my attack, hitting his head so hard his helmet got destroyed in an instant, revealing a blob of cyan light instead of a head. Kicking him into the face, and destroying his katana with overhead swing, I pointed my sword at his face, seeing as he stopped moving entirely, waiting for me to finish him.
— This will be your execution for killing my brother. — Raising my sword high, and sighing in the process, I swung it down, slicing his head clean off of his shoulders. His entire body started glowing, slowly disappearing into particles that flew with the wind.
Putting my sword back into the shadow, I walked to the party of people who were putting Kazuma back like a Lego set. His head was reattached to his body, and, while laying on Aqua's thighs, was getting revived. Aqua's face expression was changing constantly, as if she was talking with someone, and, as I got close enough, I saw Kazuma opening his eyes, looking at Aqua.
— Welcome back to the world of the living, Kazuma. — I said, bringing the attention of everyone present back to me. — I'm sorry, Kazuma. I never expected you to jump in front of him to try and save me. You do realize I killed Verdia, right? What's some Winter Shogun to me? In fact, I just finished him off, he is dead. — Coming closer, I put two fingers on his forehead, pushing his head backwards. —Dont you ever do something as stupid as that ever again.You can rely on my strength in cases like this, alright?
— A-alright, I'm sorry for making you worry. — He stood up, and patted the snow from his back. — Now I understand why you adore Eris so much.
— Oh, so you saw her? — I said, giving him a smile. — She's really nice, isn't it?
— Stop talking about this inferior goddess! I'm still here, you know?! — Aqua cried out, and, ignoring her, we kept talking.
— Yeah, she was so nice to me all the time I was there. A shame I'm stuck with her instead.
— And this is what I get for reviving you?! Fine then!I'll send you back to Eris if you want it so much!— She threw a punch at him, but, before she succeeded, I tripped her, sending her to eat some snow to cool down.
— Anyways.Nue. — Summoning Nue in order to transport everyone back to Axel, I smiled, and took Kazuma's hand, helping him get on Miracle's back. — Kazuma, Megumin, Saitama Jr., you will travel back like that. Aqua, Darkness, you're going with me. — Helping Aqua, who was now red from embarrassment and cold snow on her face before, and Darkness to get on Nue's back, I sat in front of them, tugging on Nue's feathers. — Let us safely return to town!
With that, the day of yet another adventure came to an end. I tamed another shikigami, defeated a dangerous monster, and now, with my level hitting 35, I was sure that it will be not so long before I finally reach the peak ofTen Shadow Technique.Just you wait, Demon Lord. I shall take you down!
Chapter 9
Chapter Text
— Goddamit. — Yet another attempt to brew a healing potion was a failure. I just couldn't properly fill ingridients with mana so they won't just dissipate into the liquid, so instead of a potion, I just got a soup from leaves, grass and mushrooms with toad eyes. Not the most tasty combination, I know, but given it's one of the cheapest and not the worst healing potions available, it will be our main source of profit for a while until I learn how to brew better ones. — f*ck it, I'll get back to you later. — With a sigh, I went out of the storage room, and sat in the chair, reviewing latest documents we received after I ordered new products. Adventurers finally got back into business, so we started getting more money to do our own stuff, and 15 or so percent of what we got went into my tries to brew healing potions, with 0 percent success rate.
— I'm sure you'll get it down soon, Y/n. You're a fast learner, I can assure you. — Wiz tried to cheer me up, and I just nodded, instead of trying to prove her wrong. No point in arguing over it.
As soon as I put down the documents, we both heard a bell, turning to face the visitors. Seeing a familiar faces, I decided to observe what was going to happen, given that Kazuma and Aqua both visited the shop. Kazuma, even though he knew I was working here and saw it himself before, never visited the shop to buy anything, but Aqua never ever came close to this place. Judging by the look in his eyes, it doesn't seem like he came to buy anything, nor did he came here for me.
— Ah, Kazuma-san, welc- — Wiz was about to greet him, but, as she spoke, Aqua interrupted her.
— You're that undead! You even opened your own shop here?! — When Aqua tried to get close to Wiz to grab her, I grabbed her neck, pressing her face against the wall.
— Don't you dare touch my employer. — I said, pushing her back to Kazuma. — I won't allow anyone to cause ruckus in this shop, even if it's any of my friends.
— You're working for that undead now?! — She accusingly pointed her finger at me, and I pointed my middle finger at her, while holding a pen I used to write.
— I started working for her even BEFORE I found out she's undead. It's a mutual relationship to keep this ship from drowning, and I did a damn fine job at rescuing it. — I said, going back to the document at hand. The taxes are pain to deal with, no matter the world.
— Yo, Wiz. Long time no see. — Kazuma made his presence known, moving his hand from his hip, given he was about to beat the crap out of Aqua for trying to attack Wiz. Speaking of her, she now sat on one of the chairs for customers to wait in case the line of waiting is too long, glaring at Wiz.
— This store doesn't even offer tea to its customers? — Aqua asked, seeing that we have our own teacups with hot tea ready, trying to get free stuff, as well as to annoy Wiz. Before Wiz tried to apologize, however, I threw a cookie in Aqua's face, which made her grab her nose from pain.
— We only offer tea to people who are either sick, bought something or act properly while waiting. You don't fall in either category, and this cookie to your face is the best you will get if you don't stop acting like a spoiled brat. — Throwing another one for good measure, I moved documents aside, taking a sip of my own tea just to annoy Aqua.
— You just want to make fun of me, don't you?! — She yelled back at me, and I nodded, unamused by her response.
— Certainly. You disturb the peace, and I don't like it. — Was my response, as I made another sip of tea. — So, Kazuma, what are you after?
— Well, I got some skills points to spend after our last quest, so I wanted to learn some useful skills from Wiz, given she's a Lich with strong skills. — He said, and I raised my brow at this.
— Don't you still have to summon a familiar? — I asked, and his face became full of disappointment.
—I did use it a while back. Summoned a crow, tried to negotiate for partnership, went on a discussion, and failed. It literally said "f*ck you" in the end. It hurt more than it should.— He said, and I felt that. Must've really hurt to have your first attempt fail on such note.
— Well, I do have some skills you might find a use for. Most of them require direct physical contact to work though. — Wiz went closer, and as I stood up, coming closer, she turned to me. — May I demonstrate it on you, Y/n?
— Sure, go ahead. As long as it doesn't kill me, I'm fine. — I extended my hand, letting her touch it, and, as her palm lit up with a purple light, I felt a drain in my mana and vitality. Not much, but enough to feel a slight weakness. Maybe a normal person would feel worse than I do, given I have high endurance stat, but that is irrelevant. —Drain Touch, huh. Pretty useful, if you ask me.
— Just 3 skills points? That's one hell of a jackpot! — Kazuma said, looking at his adventurer card. — It can be useful in both support and attack. Thanks, Wiz.
Just as Kazuma was about to leave, a man, who I remembered visiting the shop several times after I got to manage this place, entered the store with a distress being clear on his face. It seems he needs Wiz's help with something out of his control.
— I'm sorry for intrusion. Is Wiz-san here? — As he saw Wiz, he got closer, slightly bowing. — Thanks goodness you're here, Wiz-san. We need your help with a very urgent matter.
— Huh? — Was our identical response, and, as he went deep into the story, I was prepared to help with the problem as well.
***
Me, Kazuma, Aqua and Darkness with Megumin all stood in front of a mansion, the gate to which opened by itself. Aside from me, no one paid the mind to this fact, but, as soon as we arrived, I could feel a lot of negative emotions coming from this place. To be honest, this was the first place, aside from graveyard I was nearby a few times, that had anything that was coming close to having cursed energy background. It was filled with different kind of negative emotions, and this, in turn, made me, as a user of Cursed Energy, feel it.
Long story short, a noble who lived here couldn't get rid of spirits that haunts this place, no matter how many times were they exorcised, because they always come back. If Kazuma, who officially picked up this request, completes the mission by exorcising all the spirits, he with his party could live in this mansion for absolutely free. For a moment, I did feel jealous, but, given that the villa I had ordered to be build for myself was in progress, I calmed down.
— The owner of this manor is a rather good-natured noble, if he gives us the opportunity to live in it for free in return for cleansing it of spirits. — Darkness said, and, as I made my first step on the territory, I could feel the sense of dread that I felt at the cemetery before. It felt as if some of the spirits here are from there, and somehow got all the way to a mansion.
— That's kind of odd, if you ask me, — I decided to insert my own coin in the slot, given that Wiz asked me to accompany them, even if I was going to anyways. — Yeah, having spirits in your mansion is bad, even worse if they come back after you exorcise them, but giving it away after the job is done? Never heard of such things happening.
— Relax, maybe he's actually that generous. I wouldn't mind a warm place to live in through this winter. Living in stables was disgusting, and tavern gets colder and colder each passing day. — Kazuma waved his hand dismissingly, walking after me, Megumin and Darkness. Aqua started doing her "former-something-something" magic, and, collectively ignoring her monologue, went inside to look around and investigate. — Wow. Feels as if no one has ever cleaned this place for years. — Kazuma ran his finger through the surface of a fireplace, with a layer of dust being a centimeter in height. — Yeah, no, that won't do. Let's clean it up at least, shall we?
— Man, that would take a lot of time. — I sighed, clapping my palms together. — Bring the buckets, sponges and all you need to clean. I'll get you the water and then look around this place to find anything out of place. Deal?
— Deal. — They answered, and went to the storage room we saw before to get all the cleaning tools ready. As they got 3 buckets to the main room, I got closer.
—Piercing water. — Clasping my palms together, and putting cursed energy into the technique, I filled three buckets with water, and, as I saw them gaping at my new ability, I smirked, and went to look around the mansion.
A lot of rooms, a huge bathroom, kitchen, dining room and the main hall. Not much for an eye to desire, given the lack of any fancy furniture, but given that it's a mansion Kazuma and his party will use for a living, it was more than enough. I scouted other rooms for any unusual activity, but, given that even Dusk with Dawn couldn't sniff anything off, then there's no way I can as well. It just stinks with negative emotions, but the issue is not yet clear.
By the time I ended the scouting of each and every room, it was already evening. Kazuma and the party cleaned just enough to get comfy, given that one day is not enough for 3 of them to clean such a mess, but it was still way better than it was before. All of us got into the dinner room to discuss what to do next, but the answer, during our dinner time, was obvious.
— We should end for today. Aqua's still talking with herself, and it's already late. Pick a room, go to sleep, and if any spirit shows up, call for Aqua, she should deal with that. — Kazuma declared, standing up first to pick himself a room, given that they had yet to unpack their luggage, as small as it is, really.
— I will pick the guest bedroom I saw on the way. Don't feel like going to tavern this late in the evening, anyways. Thanks for having me. — I stood up as well, going to the room I decided to stay in for this night.
— Good night, Y/n. — Megumin called out, and I nodded to her, walking further into the hallway. Once I reached the room, opening the door, I sighed, and took my uniform off to get clothed into my other clothes to sleep in comfort. In this guest room, only one bed and bedside table were present, aside from mirror near the exit and a window with a balcony. It might not even be a guest room, but a room for a butler or a maid even, given how little it offered in terms of comfort, because there was no chairs or even a little table to write anything.
With a sigh, I laid on the bed, covering myself with a blanket, slowly drifting to sleep. This day wasn't as long as others, but it sure was interesting nonetheless. Closing my eyes, I let out a final sigh, and slept in peace.
***
Waking up at night, when moon shines through your window, sometimes feels poetic. When I kept waking up in the middle of the night back in my own world, I either checked if I forgot anything, such as putting my phone to charge if I fell unconscious with it in hand, went to drink water or just went to the balcony to look at the moon. Very rarely, I would take my phone with me, sit on a couch at the balcony, and stare at the moon, writing something that came to mind during my sleep or moment of peace.
This time, however, I woke up feeling because I felt like I'm being watched. Given I didn't want to summon any of my shikigami in other people's house, I decided to sleep by myself, but now, with the feeling of being watched, I couldn't sleep anymore. Removing the blanket, and sitting upright, I sighed, turning my head to look at the floor where a new item has appeared, staring directly into my soul. Or, more specifically, three plush dolls.
—Is that a f*cking fumo set? Reimu, Cirno and Nazrin? What the f*ck?
As I walked closer, picking up Nazrin's plush, I looked into it's unmoving eyes, only for it to focus it's gaze on me, moving it's plush hand to grab my finger.
— ...Y'know, I didn't expect a spirit to possess a doll and stalk me at night, but everything must happen at least one time eventually, right? — With a sigh, I looked around, seeing other dolls appearing, but, rather than other fumo plushies, those were made from wax, and their eyes were much more creepy at night. I was surrounded by dolls, and, instead of panicking, which, I admit, was going to happen if I didn't see fumo set beforehand, I just put Nazrin's plush on the bed, and made a handsign, summoning the only shikigami in my set that can currently help with spirits. —Round Deer.
As Miracle formed out of my shadow, he immediately started producing positive energy, which filled the room to the brim, and the dolls, aside from fumo plushies, started scarring away, trying to leave the room. They weren't being exorcised as fast as I hoped, but this amount of positive energy in the tight room made wonders to start doing that. Some dolls stopped moving at all, leaving only a smoking husk of their remaining body, meaning that some spirits actually got exorcised for good. Some managed to open the balcony and escape, and only a few were still trying to find a way out, leaving the mortal realm one by one. Only three plushies remained, with wax dolls either being a husk or escaped prisoners, and, picking the fumo's, I put them in my shadow, given that spirits inside of them escaped at the first sign of trouble.
— Good job, Miracle. — Patting his head, I let him get inside my shadow, and walked outside the room, with Miracle's head sticking behind me, in case he will be needed to exorcised any more of spirits inside the mansion.
—AAAAAA!— I heard a pair of screams ahead, and walked faster, knowing that more spirits have appeared. I turned around the corner, seeing a literal army of dolls marching nearby the door to the storage room, and given the scream I heard before, it's probably Kazuma and Megumin hiding inside of it.
— Time to go a little rough, then. — Letting Miracle out of my shadow, I did my best to infuse positive energy from my own RCT in the sword I took out as well, and went ahead, hacking and slicing at each and every dolls that desperately tried to run away from me and my shikigami. None of them escaped, and given the lack of resistance due to their fear, the job was done in less than a minute. Given how fast I was moving, I don't think Kazuma or Megumin even heard anything, but, just to be careful, I walked closer to the door, and knocked on it lightly a few times. The reaction was minimal, given that I only heard slight footsteps nearing the door. — You-
Just as I was about to ask if they are alright, the door swung open, with me barely catching it right in front of my face. Kazuma fell right beside me after pushing the door open, and, seeing Megumin behind him, I unamusedly stared at the lack of lower half of her pajamas.
—Did I interrupt anything?— I asked both of them, with a slightly teasing tone, given their face in that moment was begging for me to joke about this.
—N-nothing happened!
—D-don't get the wrong idea, we were hiding from the dolls, that's it!— Kazuma and Megumin yelled, with their faces getting redder and redder each passing second of my silence.
—Sure thing, whatever you say.— I answered with the same teasing smile, patting Miracle who walked closer to me. — Good thing Miracle can kind of exorcise those dolls. Where's Aqua, anyways?
— Right here with me. — Darkness announced, walking with Aqua in our direction. — We were dealing with spirits on the other side of the mansion, and it seems you dealt with the other half. Your summons are as magnificent as ever at dealing with problems, Y/n.
— Thanks for the compliment. You seem to have made a good job at dealing with them too. — I nodded, and dematerialized Miracle now that Aqua was with us. — Aqua, do you think they're gone now?
— I don't sense any more of them nearby. Maybe some got away, but it doesn't seem like mansion has any spirits now that we've dealt with them. — She confirmed, and, with a sigh, I turned around, walking back to my room.
— Well then, I'll get back to sleep. If any more show up suddenly, either go to me or to Aqua, I will keep my shikigami out just in case. Goodnight.
This evening got crazier once the midnight hit, but it was kind of fun, and I acquired a new toys I will put into my room in the villa that will be built in a month or so. Given how fast adventurers work, they will finish before the snow disappears, and I was glad it was the case, seeing how Saitama Jr. was starting to grow rapidly due to all the expensive food I provide for him.
***
The day started just as any normal day, aside from me waking up in Kazuma's new mansion. He went ahead to the guild as soon as he woke up, with Aqua in tow, and I was left with Darkness, who was going to depard to get something.
— Y/n, if possible, visit us this evening. My family will send me a big present to celebrate our housewarming, and I would like to invite you to be a part of it. You did help us several times, so it's only natural you should be rewarded at least a bit. — She finished putting her armor, and, as she was about to leave, she looked at me with a smile. — Will you?
— I'd be glad to be a part of your celebration, although it wasn't necessary, I barely did anything deserving of attention. — Seeing Darkness in such a noble manner for me was very rare. Although I don't see her very often, nor do I speak with her as much as I would hope to, she's acting on her prevented side most of the time. With her smiling like a lady from a noble family, it was hard to even think of her as masoch*st, really.
— Don't be so modest. You did a lot in such a short time, you know? — She put a hand on her chest, and, as she turned around, I walked past her, opening the door.
— Well, you praise is appreciated nonetheless. I will visit you in the evening. Have fun, Darkness. — With that, I left the mansion, going through the city to prepare for my day.
Normally, I would go to Wiz's shop first, but, given that she closed for today to do her own tasks, our binding vow won't target us due to shop not functioning. If the shop is not open and Wiz is not here, there's no point in going to work.
Walking through the town, I remembered that I once wanted to visit a Cafe I saw on my second day after arriving to this world. "Dream House", was it? I did feel a bit hungry, since I didn't eat any breakfast with Kazuma or anyone else, but, given that I didn't want to go to guild yet, I decided to give it a try.
Walking through the alleys, dodging the drunkards walking there and there, I managed to find the right path, seeing the same logo on the wall I saw before. Although it had a weird design with a silhouette of a girl in a succubi uniform on it, I didn't question it much, thinking of it as a way to advertise the establishment that is so deep inside the alleys.
Opening the door, I was met with a short corridor with wooden interior, a curtain that blocked the view on the place inside, and, as I walked further and lifted it, I was met with something I...did not expect to see.
First of all, the interior was nothing like a cafe. Don't get me wrong, I saw some food on improvised tables, meat, vegetables and stuff, but it doesn't automatically make it a cafe. Male adventurers and civilians were sat everywhere they could sit, writing something on pieces of paper laying in front of them...
And walking around, were demons, often called "Succubi", inVERYrevealing outfits, with larger or smaller forms, either holding trays of food, papers or male arm to guide them somewhere. I stood still for a few seconds, with my brain trying to comprehend what's happening.
Don't get me wrong, I did not get flustered like a Highschool boy on hormones, with blood leaking from my nose and my eyes bulging at the sight of female body. I saw my fair share of erotic content of every kind, and over time got some resistance to such displays of nudity, but it doesn't mean I'm completely immune. I could feel my cheeks getting hotter by seconds, but I could control my other urges just fine, given that I had to also control my adrenalin rushes in battles and so-so.
I was stunned more by the fact that literal demons were in the town of beginners, walking around adventurers as if nothing ever happened, and they were either charmed and couldn't fight back, or they had some sort of symbiotic relationship I'm not yet aware of. Given that no one reacted to their presence as if they want them dead, I resisted the temptation to pull out my sword, but I was still on the edge, ready to summon anyone I deem necessary to fight.
Seeing a newcomer, that being me, one of the girls, more mature than others, walked in my direction, with her movement and gestures being as sexy as she could muster, but, given that she ran her hand through her body every time she made a step, it made me cringe more than appreciate it. She did move her hips in an appealing way, with her legs moving like that of a professional dancer, but everything else about her movements were giving me urge to cringe. Seeing my reaction, she stopped moving at all, confused by my behavior, before smiling and walking closer normally.
— Welcome to our establishment. I take it you're new here? — She asked me in a soothing tone, and I nodded my head, putting one hand on my hip.
— I am, and I'm confused by the whole thing. Mind giving me a rundown on what is happening here and why is succubi so natural here? I don't want to jump to conclusions or draw blades. — Given my reaction, that of a man who doesn't think with his other head, she nodded, giving me a serious gaze.
— In that case, please, follow me to take a seat. It would be easier to explain if we won't be on edge, alright? — I nodded yet again, and she made a gesture for me to follow her to one of the tables, away from others, and, as I sat down, she presented me a piece of paper like the one I saw on other tables. — We, succubi, established a relationship with all male adventurers in the town. A lot of them live in the stables, and are unable to relieve their urges, or copulate with their female partners, because if anyone hears them, they either will get beat up, or have their "male companion" cut off by a hidden dagger in their sleeve. Do you agree?
— That's probably the case, but, given that I never slept in stables, it's hard for me to relate. So, where does this establishment come in?
— That's the interesting part I'm coming to. We, succubi, provide them relief by giving them the "dreams" of their desire, which help with their urges. We provide the dreams, take a bit of vitality as a payment, and take so little you won't even feel it in your everyday life, given adventurers need all their vitality to complete quests. Taken, we also serve food here, for an actual payment of course, but you can guess which service is more popular. — She winked at me, and I nodded, finally getting what it's all about.
— Alright, I got it. — Relaxing after her explanation, I sighed, and looked at the form she placed in front of me. — Huh. A lot of things you can put on in here. Preferences, gender, location and so so. I take it custom dreams can be as detailed as possible.
— That's right. There's no limits to what you can put in there. It's a dream, after all, no one would blame you for what you put in here. — She smiled wider, and I put the form down.
— What If I put a goddess in the form as a partner, then? — I asked, curious about their reaction.
— W-well, sadly, we can't do that. While there are no limits, gods and goddesses are out of the list, given they can feel if we use them in the dreams we provide. We still value our life, so please, don't do so. — Just as I expected, I just had a feeling something like this could happen.
— Alright, now, for the question I want an answer to more than your usual services. — Leaning forward, I put my chin on my hands, looking her in the eyes. — Is it in your power to give me a dream that doesn't consist of erotic fantasies? — Her confusion was not unexpected, so I kept going. — I'm not interested in the erotic component, but I'm interested in the possibility of ordering dreams about what I need to simulate. Let's say...I need to fight something, something you know nothing of, with my powers you know nothing of. Can it still be fulfilled?
— It certainly can be done. While unusual, it's not impossible to do so, given we just access a part of your memory to take the information out of there if we know nothing of the person, monster or creature we haven't seen before. If you don't want us to remember the information after the order is completed, then don't worry, we don't remember anything after we provide the service, only remembering what was written in the form. If you want to fight a dragon, demon lord or anything else, it's within our power. — She explained, and I smirked, knowing what to do now.
— Alright then, I know what I want to do with that information. — Taking a blank sheet of paper, I started writing all I needed, while she kept going.
— I also advice you not to drink any alcohol before going to sleep. If you sleep while being drunk, dreams won't be realistic and will cause you trouble after you wake up, alright? — Once I finished, I gave her the sheet, and stood up, giving her a nod.
— Alright. Thanks for explanation and service, I will probably visit this place again in the future. — And, with that said, I left the place, barely noticing Kazuma sitting in one of the corners, writing on his own sheet, fully flustered and seeing nothing but what's in front of him.
***
What a nice weather outside. Snowflakes are falling, the ground shines white, and the bird are soundly asleep. Riding on Nue's back, I could observe everything in several kilometer radius, and, given they I was flying away from Axel, it's not hard to guess what I was going to do. As of now, I possess 7 shikigami, and I have a few more to subjugate. Today, I will leave with 8 of them.
I mentioned before that only 3 of them remain undefeated, and those 3 arePiercing Ox,Tiger FuneralandEight Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga. Last two are out of option, either because I can't defeat them yet, or because I know nothing of their abilities, so that leaves only one. Today,Piercing Oxwill be added to my collection.
— Nue, descend. This place will be just fine. — Just as commanded, Nue descended to the ground, and, as I jumped to the snow covered ground, I made a deep breath of relief, making Nue dissipate. Nue is one of those who has weaker defenses, and I don't want to endanger it by fighting such opponent as Piercing Ox.
It's time I should explain what he can do, isn't it? Essentially, Piercing Ox hits really, really hard, but there's a condition for it to work. The longer it runs, the harder it hits, with no limit to how long he should run. The catch is, he can't turn while doing so, at all. It runs in a straight line, but if you overlook it, get caught off guard or just forget about it at all, you will be no more but a piece of a brain on the solid ground. If you let it run for long enough, it can evaporate anything standing in it's way, and I bet if you somehow make it run into the ground, the earth itself can be destroyed.
He's a force to be reckoned with, but alone, he doesn't pose much of a threat, given it can't do much if you stop it from moving. He shines best when used in tandem with other shikigami, and, given my set of current shikigami, he will go down in no time if I stop it from moving.
—Shadows deep, ancient and prime, In sacred light they intertwine. With treasures ten I summon: Great Serpent, Rabbit Escape.— Summoning two of my shikigami that will be best for this situation, I looked at both of them, while holding the original rabbit in my arms. — Listen closely. Piercing Ox can only run in straight line, but it will hit harder the longer it runs. Don't let it hit you under any circ*mstances, no matter what. Blitz, create as many copies as you deem necessary, you're buffed, so don't hold back, I got enough cursed energy to provide for you. Confuse it, make a wall, don't let it concentrate and so on, you name it. I will keep you in my shadow, but you shall see just fine. — He moved his ears up and down, indicating understanding, and, smiling, I put him in my shadow. — Orochi, you know the gist. Either grab it from beneath and hold him in the air so it can't move, or coil around it until you break him in two. Try your best to stop it from moving just like Blitz does.
Orochi hissed in agreement, and, as I stretched my hands, walking further away, I made a handsign, mentally preparing for a fight. With a deep breath, and a long sigh, I made handsign more clear, and uttered the name of the shikigami I was about to subjugate.
—Piercing Ox.— My shadow extended forward, forming a large, robust ox with short curved horns, white fur around its mouth, and a long thin tail. On its forehead is a symbol that resembles the Cloth of the Bees. The muscle mass on it's body would make strongest of bulls and stallions envy, with it's heigh being two times larger than I am, and a very, very angry gaze pointed directly at me.
Before I realized that, I already jumped aside, dodging the first charge of the Piercing Ox that ran ahead at full speed, and, when it realized that he missed, he literally drifted after slowing down, turning in my direction to charge yet again.
Blitz immediately made as many clones as he could, blocking his vision, and, after I got out of the way, Blitz's clones swarmed around Ox, circling around him as fast as they could, sometimes hitting him with their legs to distract him more, because, just as It was about to attack, Orochi emerged from the ground, with his teeth barely piercing through the skin of the raging Ox, who was now in the air, roaring in anger more than it did before.
Orochi's grip tightened, but as he was about to break him in two, Ox kicked his legs strong enough to reach Orochi, and, as his jaw got hit, he was forced to release him, dropping it to retreat beneath the ground.
— Blitz, cover him! — Just as Ox was about to hit Orochi's body as he was retreating, Blitz made the wall of rabbits as thick as it was possible, which slowed speeding shikigami just enough for Orochi to escape with minor injury. His jaw got kicked so hard I could hear the crunch from there, but he should be fine, considering I saw how he closed his jaw after letting Ox go.
Blitz was yet again circling around raging Ox, not letting it see me or Orochi, and, as the time came again, Orochi emerged from beneath it, hitting it's unprotected belly with his head so hard he sent him flying high into the air. As he was falling, Orochi opened his jaw, catching Ox when he got close enough, and bit him as hard as he could, trying to instantly break it before it got out, but, alas, Ox was too strong to hold after an injury, and a second strike to his jaw proved that, even a titan like Orochi, can, unfortunately, sustain a huge injury. Orochi hissed in pain, throwing Ox into the nearest rock, getting behind me, indicating that he can't hold Ox tight enough to kill it before it injures him. Tail is also out of option, given that Ox can just reach it and injure Orochi even more, and so, once I saw it running in my direction, about to ram us at full speed, I jumped high into the air, with Orochi getting away from the straight line it was running at, getting behind me yet again.
—Round Deer.— Summoning Miracle to patch up Orochi, I ran ahead, with Blitz covering me, while we were waiting for Orochi to get back in shape. Taking out Playful Cloud, I hit the Ox that stopped to turn around right into it's head, which made it stumble backwards a step, only to hit me with it's head, sending me backwards, giving it a moment to start charging straight at me. — Blitz! — With clones of Blitz blocking it's view, Ox had no idea if I'm even in the same direction, ramming a horde of rabbits at full speed, only stopping after he felt nothing but rabbits dying after his attack, with me hitting him from beneath with Playful Cloud, sending him a few meters in the air, with a Cursed Energy infused kick to boot it up. — Orochi, try again! — Seeing as Orochi was now back in shape, I observed how he grabbed the falling Ox with his tail, throwing him high into the air, and then chomping down on it as he fell, and, for the first time, I heard a crunch of a bone into Ox's body, who, while now injured, still managed to get out of Orochi's grip by kicking it's legs and thrashing it's muscular body.
Gladly, Orochi didn't get injured this time, but he had to drop Ox back to the ground not to get out of the fight again. Seeing as we won't prosper with only 3 shikigami, two of which act as support, I decided that it was time to go all out. I didn't summon my other shikigami either because they lack defense to survive even a single hit, or because I might spend too much Cursed Energy and then lose a fight because I can't even fight back. Summoning Totality of Nue would cost too much, and Max Elephant alone is almost as costly as Nue, given their sheer size and power.
This time, however, I was prepared to do something that does not require me to spend as much cursed energy to summon them. While they require almost half of my reserves to summon, they posess enough power to make it worth it, but, in cases where I need to preserve energy, only one thing can make me summon them without wasting nearly as much.
—Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!— Clasping my hands together, with liquid shadow extending all around the battlefield, I laughed, jumping high into the air, evading the charging Ox that started slowing down due to the property of my liquid shadow domain. As soon as it stopped, each of his legs were held by dozens of toads that didn't let it go, and as Orochi finally got a hold on it with his tail, I pointed my finger above the Ox, grinning like a madman. I didn't even need to say the name of the shikigami I summon inside the domain, because, when shikigami is summoned inside a domain...I can summon infinite copies of them as long as I have cursed energy to power up the domain.
Chimera Shadow Gardenis, unlike most domains, doesn't have a sure-hit effect, due to my CT being the ability to summon shikigami. Instead of that, it allows me to summoninfinitenumber of shikigami I subjugated, and, even if you kill them inside the domain, they won't disappear from me forever due to the fact they are copies. Downside of my domain is the fact that everything within the radius of my domain now adds to the weight I feel, which means that it's better to be used away from structures that can fall or large and heavy objects, but, if I summon my other shikigami, it splits the toll between us, or even places full toll on them to handle it, so, by summoning a copy of my physically stronger shikigami, I can nullify that downside completely.
Goliath, after appearing above the raging Ox, roared loudly, falling down on top of it with several tons of weight, enough to crush a person into a paste. As he fell, another crunching sound was heard, indicating yet another set of bones into Ox's body breaking, but, before it could even try to escape, Goliath jumped upwards, stomping on it yet again, strong enough to make it unable to stand up after yet another sound of breaking bones.
— Finish him! — I yelled to the summoned shikigami, who began their final assault. Goliath used his massive tusks to pierce Ox's underbelly, with blood sputtering all around, and Orochi, who held it with his tail, bit on his head, doing his best to crush it with the power of his jaws. Even through his fangs reached deep enough, it was not enough to instantly defeat a shikigami of such caliber, but, even so, when Orochi thrashed around, with Goliath attacking Ox non-stop, it finally gave us the result we had wanted. Loudest crunch yet was heard, and once mighty Ox was now half of a shikigami he was before, with his head getting ripped by the power of the Great Serpent. His body instantly converted to shadows, flowing to me, and, once I absorbed the information, I sighed in relief, feeling the drain on my reserves.
Given that Domain Expansion, unlike the shikigami itself, takes energy for being out, and each second counts toward it, I needed to release it soon, but I knew as well that, if I release it right now, all my shikigami will be dismissed, and my Cursed Energy will be uncontrollable for a while after the usage of such high grade technique like Domain. While it gives tremendous power and extends my usage of CT, it also makes it almost impossible for newbies like me to use CE after, with only people like Gojo and Sukuna to use it with no trouble, while also being able to spam their Domains until their brain gives out.
So, before this moment came, I looked at all the shikigami present, and gave them my best smile, indicating our success.
— You all did well. Rest easy now, you deserved it. — And, with that, I released the Domain, with liquid shadow dissipating into nothingless, leaving me with the feeling of being unable to control my source of power. All my shikigami were dismissed, leaving me alone in a snowy plains, and, as I sighed in relief, I barely stood up, looking in the direction of the city I came from. — I shouldn't have used Nue to fly so far from Axel dammit... — Alas, what was done cannot be undone, and all I could do was mindlessly walk back to the city until I can feel my CE getting back to being controlled. Maybe using Domain was not the brightest of my ideas, but it was well damn worth it.
***
— Sorry for intrusion. — I greeted everyone after arriving to the mansion, seeing Darkness, Megumin and Aqua in their pajamas, with Kazuma wearing his tracksuit instead. All of them were near the table, and what I saw on the table itself was very fascinating.
— A crab? — There were several huge crabs, already cooked to perfection, with their intoxicating smell tickling my receptors. It looked just like Kamchatka Crab, with near identical shape and size, and, given that it's an expensive delicacy I haven't even laid my eyes on in my previous life, seeing something like this so close was akin to seeing a dream. I walked closer to the table, and looked at Darkness, who found my face expression amusing, judging by the way she smiled.
— This is the present from my family I told you about. Fascinating, isn't it? I hope you enjoy it. — She said, moving her chair and sitting on it, waiting for us to do the same.
— How good is it, anyways? — Kazuma asked, looking at the crab as if he didn't even knew about any other crab in general. I did try a crab meat before, don't get me wrong, but it was just a normal crab with such low amount of meat it's not worth mentioning. This thing in front of us costs a small fortune.
— It's better than anything I've ever tasted! If someone told me I could eat Marbled Red Crab if I don't use explosion for the entire day, I would gladly eat it first, and then use explosion afterwards! — Megumin states with stars in her eyes, and I looked at her with an unamused gaze, given that she literally admitted she would break such promise.
Seeing as Darkness kept looking at us, waiting for us to try it out, I decided to go first, taking a crab leg and breaking the joint, seeing a white, almost Marble like color of meat that was dangling from the leg. It's smell got even better, and, dipping it into soy sauce on the table, I bit into it, trying my best to fully savor the taste.
It was delicious, heavenly even, compared to anything I've eaten before. It's texture, slightly sweet taste with the meat that melts in your mouth like a piece of hot cheese was nothing I could compare to. Instead of eating like a barbarian, just like Kazuma with Megumin started, I did my best to savor it's taste as much as I could, given that one crab like this must cost at least a million eris, and I might not even get a chance to eat it again in the nearest future.
Aqua showed all of us a new way to eat the crab by making a sort of a soup by boiling the meat into a liquor that was sent as present as well, but, instead of drinking, I took one of the three bottles, and put it in my shadow to drink later, given that two large bottles will be enough for three people to get drunk beyond any reason.
— You're not going to drink, Y/n? Is it not to your liking? — Darkness asked, with a tone of slight disappointment, probably in herself, but I smiled back, slightly waving my hand.
— No, it's delicious, really. I just don't think it will be good for me to drink today, given I returned straight from subjugation ritual exhausted beyond normal. I will try it another time, I want to have a taste of this liquor, given I did drink a few different ones before. — Upon mentioning the ritual, everyone looked at me with a curious gaze, stopping whatever they were doing.
— You got a new shikigami? Can you show it? — Megumin asked, standing from her chair to walk close to me with a pleading gaze.
— W-well, I did say I will show you all of my shikigami, but I just don't think it's a good idea to summon it indoors. It's twice as tall as me, you know? — I warned, but the Aqua herself waved her hand, standing up as well.
— No need to worry. The mansion is big enough to house small elephant. Just show us what you've got this time. — Given that even Aqua was interested, I sighed, and walked farther away from everyone.
— Alright then, if you want it so much... — Making a handsign, with everyone trying to guess what can it be based on the shadow puppet sign, I relaxed, and did what I needed to do. —Piercing Ox.— I completely forgot that, upon subjugation, my shikigami get stronger they were before I summoned them, and this time, Ox was 2.5 times larger than I am, with much more refined body, stronger legs and more muscular body. It probably can reach 100 km/h faster than any car, and if it hits you, you know that it most definitely will hurt. A lot. — Welcome to the family, from now on, your name isTaurus. — Placing a hand on his head, I rubbed it's forehead, and Taurus breathed a small amount of steam from his nose, looking at everyone present in the room.
— Huge! — Kazuma woke up from shock, coming closer to see my newest shikigami up close. — Wow, he looks strong enough to move a mountain. What's his ability?
— The longer it charges at something, the harder he will hit. There's no limit to how much can it stack, and it can destroy literally anything if you let him run long enough. Downside is, he can only run in straight line, and can't turn at all when doing so. — I explained, removing my hand from his head, letting it rest on my hip.
—Ah, it must feel divine to be hit by him.— Darkness whispered, with her cheeks flushing red, but, it seems, no one but me heard that.
— ...You can probably go and destroy Demon Lord right now if that's the case. — Kazuma said, but I shook my head.
— Maybe, but first, barrier around the castle, second, magical items that might help them with defeating me, third, unknown powers of other generals that might counter me completely. I don't want to take the risk before I conquer my strongest shikigami.
— Speaking of, you never told us what can it do. — Kazuma kept going, but I just gave him a bitter smile, which he noticed instantly.
— And you don't want to know until I defeat it, which might not be the case for at least a week, maybe month or even longer. It's so strong, in fact, that even if I throw all of my other shikigami, it will just destroy them, no matter what. Just the attempt to summon it will put a fear of unimaginable scale in you, and Nue I summoned to fight Verdia will look like a joke compared to it. — Dismissing Taurus, I put my fists in front of me, about to give them a demonstration, and, as shadows swirled around me, Aqua, feeling the power she would rather not deal with, put a hand on my shoulder.
— Just...don't. Whatever it is, I don't want to even feel it's power. Let us meet it as someone who won't attack us at the first sight, alright?I mean, I'm a goddess, I can defeat anything with no problems, but it would be a hassle to do so.— She began confidently, only to become more shy and unsure near the end. I smiled, and threw my hands upwards in a gesture of surrender, looking at everyone present.
— Alright then, no demonstration it is. I'm going to sleep, then. It was a nice dinner, and I hope for even a better night. Sleep tight, everyone.
Waving my hand, and walking up the stairs, I felt several gazes pointed at my back, and felt a bit guilty, given I was about to scare them to death just by trying to summon it.
In the guest room, I put my pajamas on, and, remembering about the barrier Aqua set against undead and demons, summoned Miracle to disrupt the barrier near my window so succubi can arrive with no problems. It would be a problem if they got caught, and I didn't feel like dealing with Aqua when she catches the intruders.
***
Far, far away from Axel, and even from this world I started calling home, I was standing still, with the streets of large city being completely empty.
The signs glowed with neon lights, there was no life in the windows of any house, and the silence was accompanied by howling winds and falling debris of buildings. The city was in shambles, with barely anything being undamaged by the catastrophe that happened here not long ago. I could feel the heat coming from a different direction, but, even so, I stood where I did, looking at my own hands, one in front of the other, tightly gripped in knuckles, with blood leaking from under my nails.
Shibuya, City Centre, 23:05.
I was completely alone here, no one to talk with, no one to interrupt my silence. Everything was perfect for what was about to happen.
My knees were shaking, but, steeling my resolve, I made a deep sigh, uttering the words I feared I will say one day, and this day, has finally, began.
—With this sacred treasure, I summon...—Shadows under my legs swirled in a tornado of power, accompanied by the flickering of each and every piece of electronics and light in the vicinity. Nothing that was present hadn't feared what was about to come.—Eight Handled Sword... — I could feel the presence of unmatched power forming behind me, with divine dogs and toads howling and croaking to signal the arrival of the Strongest Shikigami. —Divergent Sila Divine General...— The chains holding a cocoon let loose, letting the untamed shikigami fully form, and, as I uttered it's name, I was overcame with a sense of dread. —Mahoraga.
I could not turn my head, something was preventing me from doing so, and, as I heard the approaching steps, something tugged on my consciousness, removing me from the realm of sleep so harshly I felt headache I had never felt before.
—Aah! —I woke up with a cold sweat running down my head, with a woman I never saw before trembling in fear on top of me, hugging herself in tears. She was wearing the succubi outfit, with little wings behind her back and a teal colored hair and eyes to complete the image.
—I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry...— She kept repeating the only phrase she could think of in this moment, looking at me with terror in her eyes.
My hazy consciousness returned to me in a flash of understanding, and, as I realized what happened, I sighed, moving my hand to rest on top of her head, patting her as gently as I could.
— Don't be, I requested something I shouldn't have, because, as it seems, even in dreams, it still can terrorize you and me at the same time. — She kept crying, but, with me soothing her, she stopped apologizing, and instead kept silent until I started talking again. — Go ahead, take the payment and go before you got caught. Our Arch-Priest probably felt you after you terminated the dream, and she will be coming here any moment now.
—Thank you...— She said, and took my arm, using drain touch to get the payment for the job. She took just a little bit, and, as she finished, she jumped out of the window, just moments before Aqua barged into my room through the door, seeing me wide awake, with Miracle nearby.
— Y/n, good thing you're fine! Kazuma got mind controlled by succubus, this dirty wrench, and we just knocked him out before he did something stupid! — She hastily said, coming closer to grab my hand and force me out of bed to follow her. — You should see it for yourself.
— Why though? If you already dealt with the problem, then why do you need me? — I wondered, given that Kazuma probably got into some embarrassing situation and failed to get out of it without trouble.
— So you can see how dangerous demons really are. Although, with your shikigami, you might not be in danger, but still! — As we turned another corner, I saw Kazuma, with a towel around his waist, laying on the ground, beaten so badly his head was more akin to a mushroom. It seems he resisted more than they expected.
— Seems painful. — I walked closer to Kazuma, observing his state. I did not feel the usage of mana on him, which seems he didn't got his dream, and, given that Aqua said he was mind controlled, I made a conclusion that his succubi got caught in Aqua's barrier, and Kazuma defended her so she could escape.
Kazuma, you son of a mother, I'm so proud of you.
***
— So, you thought that your bath episode with Darkness was a part of your requested dream, went on with it, and when Aqua yelled she caught the intruder, you realized it was all real? — I asked, with Kazuma being flustered beyond reason. He was as red as the crab we ate yesterday.
— Yes...
— And you tried to protect the succubi so she could leave before Aqua exorcised her?
— Yes...
— You do understand you're an idiot, right?
— Yes...
I sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me, and I smiled, and so did he.
— At least you did what was deserving of respect, by protecting the succubi because you made a mistake.I'm proud of you, Kazuma. — Patting his shoulder a few more times, I turned around, opening the door to leave the mansion. — Be careful next time when you get their services. Don't want to get caught in the act again, don't you?
— Yes, I'm sorry. — He sighed, waving his hand to me. — See you around, bro.
— See you around, little brother. — And, with that, I left the mansion, leaving Kazuma and his party to reach the guild, and finally start grinding to level up as fast as possible.
When I entered the guild, ready to take the quest, someone near the board, holding my own recruitment post in front of my face, said something I didn't expect to hear anytime soon.
—Please, let me join your party!
The day had started unusually, and it will go just as well. Bless this wonderful world.
Chapter 10
Chapter Text
— Please, let me join your party!
— ...Huh? — My confusion was justified, given that no one has approached me to ask this since I posted the recruitment post.
My early visit to the guild was for a very simple reason, I needed to get as many quests as possible to grind, because I needed to tame my last 2 shikigami, and while I'm still rising higher, breaking my own limits to achieve the level of power I never dreamed of before, a party member is not something I would mind, given that any support counts.
— Ah, sorry, my bad, I was just confused for a moment. — Returning back from the clouds to refer the situation, I examined the girl standing in front of me.
She is a young girl with crimson-colored eyes, which, I presume, is a mark of a Crimson Demon, with a determined and quiet look, and longish dark brown hair tied in two twin-tails with ribbons that lie on her shoulders. She is a little taller than Megumin, but it's hard to tell if she's the same age as her, given her more developed body. Her clothes consist of a black robe and mantle, similar in design to Megumin’s. She wields a silver wand and wears a dagger on her hip. Underneath the mantle, she wears a low-cut blouse, and an ultra-short, pink miniskirt as well as a pair of dark toned pink stockings and brown boots. Either she likes how it looks, or someone told her it's something nice.
— I'm Y/n L/n. You can call me Y/n for short. It's nice to meet you. — I extended my hand, and, as she looked at it, in utter bewilderment, she grabbed it with both of her hands, shaking it vigorously.
— I-it's nice to meet you as well! — She let go of my hand, made a step backwards, and coughed in her fist, standing in a pose, akin to Megumin during her first introduction. —My name is Yunyun! An Arch-Wizard and master of advanced magic! She who will one day lead the Crimson Demons!— I could feel her embarrassment in that moment, given her flushed cheeks, and ears were as red as her eyes, but it didn't matter, given that it looked kind of cute.
— Nice to meet you, Yunyun. Let's get to important part, shall we? — I said, walking to the quest board to check on the quests. — As stated on the poster, I'm a summoner, and I possess 8 different summons, with my collection still progressing. I defeated Demon Lord General a while ago, and I hit level 40 just yesterday. I was just about to take some quests to level up, and, seeing as I need to see what you're capable of, let's lower the difficulty level a bit. — Taking a poster with the difficulty level being that of a 15 level adventurer or so, I showed it to Yunyun. — This one shall do for starters. Can I see your adventurer card? Here's mine for examination.
— A-ah, yes, of course. — She stuttered a bit, taking out her own card, and then accepting mine, looking at my stats with amazed gaze. I did level up a lot, and, as well as rising my stats through leveling up, I went further beyond by practicing more and more with Cursed Energy and enhancing my body with physical training with the healing from RCT. If I were to meet my level 1 self, I would end myself with a slap, that's how far I've come in my journey.
Yunyun, for a mage, was actually pretty strong physically, given her strength stat was higher than Megumin's. Her defense was low, endurance at the average zone, and her luck is pretty low, with intelligence slightly lower than Megumin's, which is also lower than my own. Although, her dexterity is nice, she can run and dodge fast enough, which means I won't have to worry about her all the time. She knows a lot of spells of all elements, some weaker and some stronger, but the variety was actually something that I appreciated. In terms of level, she's level 16, which is still impressive, considering that Aqua, who helped in dealing damage against Verdia, is level 21.
—Ten Shadows?— Yunyun asked, looking at my skill list, which only showed Ten Shadows(8/10), Swap, Fusion and enhancement skills for my shikigami. I gave her adventurer card back, and took my own, petting Dawn that was with me.
— Ten Shadows is my ability which, as you can guess by it's name, it ten different summons. This guy is one of the ten, and as of now, I possess eight summons out of ten. I wanted to get ninth today in the evening, but I might delay that to tomorrow. If you do actually join my party, you will eventually see all of them, but for now, you can give Dawn a good headpat if you want to.
— C-can I really? — She reluctantly pulled her hand toward Dawn, who sat calmly, waiting for Yunyun to do something, and, as she put her hand on his head, I saw stars forming in her eyes, and she began patting Dawn as if she never touched any animals in her entire life. It was adorable, really. — T-this is so great. No animals ever let me touch them, let alone pet.
— Glad you like it. For now, though, let's go to and complete the quest. I will be relying on you, and you rely on me, alright?
— Y-yes, let's do this!
***
Yunyun: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
— They're ahead of us, around 10 units or so. Let's see how they fare against you. I'll back you up at any moment if needed. — I said, seeing as Dusk pointed his nose in the direction he sniffed the enemy.
— Of course! I won't let you down! — She cheered, holding her wand in her hand, holding second hand near the dagger. We both walked forward, and while she did make sound by stepping on the fallen leaves or bushes, I was as silent as a shadow, being just a bit behind.
With Dusk close, and Blitz on my shoulder, I was ready to make a saving rush in case something unexpected happens, and, after a while, as we approached a hole that was dug underneath a huge tree, we knew for sure, this was their hiding place.
No sounds were heard inside, but, as we got even closer, we saw a huge amount of wolf tracks, which clearly showed us that it was what we were looking for.
Yunyun took a deep breath, holding her wand in front of her, and, as she let out a sigh of relief, as if getting ready to cast a spell, she let her mana flow in a torrent of power, which was about to destroy her enemy.
—Inferno!— A hell flame lit up on the tip of her wand, and, as she directed it to the wolf lair, it shot forward, spreading each second it traveled further and further into the lair, incinerating everything inside, until we heard a whimper of the surviving wolves rushing to the surface after they got an opening to do so. 4 surviving wolves, seeing Yunyun standing at the exit, gnashed their fangs at her, with their face having burn marks, which gave them even more of a terrifying appearance, and, although I was expecting Yunyun to panic, she, holding her wand with a steady grip, casted another spell, aiming in the air. —Light of Saber!— Countless swords stitched from the light appeared nearby her, rushing forward at the surviving wolves, who, although barely able to perceive the attack, could do nothing about the speed of a spell that sliced them in half in an instant, leaving behind only bodies with blood and guts splattered all over the ground.
Her spells were impressive on display in her adventurer card, but seeing them up close, I couldn't help but smile. She is, indeed, strong. In order to dodge her spells, you need to have some serious speed, and, although it's not much for me, other enemies will find it troubling to even fix their gaze on the attack before they get killed. Even at level 16, she performs incredibly well, and I wouldn't mind having her as a support for my party. Although, at first, I expected to be support myself before I get more shadows, none decided to team up with me, and now I'm the leading force. What a turn of events indeed.
— Fast, effective and clean. You just completed the quest meant to take half a day for most people in just a minute. You've got impressive firepower, dare I say. — Getting closer to Yunyun, I stood nearby, observing the scene of a carnage she left behind. Fortunately, not a single drop of liquid got onto her or her clothes, and, as I turned to look at Yunyun, I noticed a dazed face expression she wore.
— Y-you mean it? — She said, as if doubting my words, and, as I nodded, confirming my previous statement, she smiled brightly, pressing her wand closer to her chest. — I-I'm glad I was of use. Thank you for having me.
— Don't mention it. You really did an amazing job. Welcome to the party, Yunyun, I hope we get along just fine. — Holding my hand out for a handshake, I shook hands with her, and, as we let go of each other, Blitz's clone jumped on her shoulder, pressing his nose against her cheek, in a welcoming gesture, while Dusk rubbed her hand with his cheek. — They're happy as well. — With an embarrassed expression on her face, and her eyes shining like stars, she patted both shikigami, slightly giggling as they tickled her. — Now then, let's get back to the town, shall we? — Yunyun nodded, about to start walking to where we came from, only for me to hold her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. — We shall use a better way. — Making a hansdign, a smiled. —Nue. — As Nue took shape, spreading it's wings with wind picking up, Yunyun gazed at it, with her eyes wide from amazement and surprise. — Hop on, we will take off now. — As I got on his back, I held out my hand for her, and, as she reluctantly took my hand, I yanked her up, sitting her behind me. She instantly, on instinct, wrapped her hands around my waist, with Nue starting to rise high into the air, with Dusk sitting in front of me, with Blitz on my shoulder.
— I-I've never been so high in the air before! — She let out a surprised yelp, looking around the area to gaze at everything she could observe from such height, and I couldn't help but laugh a little.
— I hope you like it. Nue is certainly fast, so hold tight, we will be back in no time! — Nue, hearing my words, started speeding up, and Yunyun, yet again, yelped in surprise, tightening her grip around my waist, closing her eyes for a second, only to open them again, seeing as forest and land became but a blur from the speed we were moving on, screaming from excitement.
— T-this is incredible! — I could hear her yell, and, observing the area in front of us, I saw Axel getting closer, so, as Nue slowed down, I let it slowly start to lower so we could land. — We're already back? It's barely been a few minutes! We spend several hours walking, that's faster than I imagined!
— Of course. Having such a quick method of transportation, you won't be late anywhere. That's exactly how I travel most of the time. You shall get used to it as well, given we will be on quests for the next few days. I want to help you level up, and I need to level up as well. — As we finally landed, I helped Yunyun get down from Nue's back, and, as it returned to my shadow, we started walking back to the guild.
— U-um, I kind of forgot to ask...but do you have any particular goal you want to achieve by being adventurer? — She suddenly asked, I turned my head to look at her, with a slight smile.
— I do, actually. I want to evaporate Demon Lord from the face of the Earth. Aside from that, I want to conquer all of my summons, which no one of the Ten Shadows users ever did. — Slightly laughing, I sighed in the end, leaving the fact about Sukuna being the first to do so, but, if we count him out due to him possessing several techniques aside from Ten Shadows, no one has truly conquered all of them.
— T-thats one big goal that you aim to achieve. Why, though? D-don't get me wrong! Demon Lord did many terrible things and I'm not telling you it's bad to fight him! But, why such a goal? Did he do anything to you particularly? — She inquired about it, and, as I slowed down a little, I pulled out a necklace with a green gem that symbolizes my connection to the Eris church.
— I'm doing it for the Goddess of Luck, Eris-sama. Not only did she bless me with her luck, but she is also the reason I'm alive in the first place. If not for her, I'd be somewhere else entirely. — The look on Yunyun's face was that of a slight relief, since, when she saw necklace, she may have possibly thought I'm a part of a sect or something.
— I-I see. That's very noble of you. — She smiled yet again and, as we entered the guild, she asked something I didn't even think about in the first place. — Do you have any name for the party?
— ... — I froze then and there, realizing the sole fact that a party, usually, needs a name. Yes, there exist nameless parties like Kazuma's, which is just called "Kazuma's party", but most of the other adventurers have a party name that makes them recognizable.
"Arcane Assembly? No, sounds cringe. Millennium? We won't last that long. Pandemonium? Nah, I'm not that crazy yet. Jujutsu Sorcerers? I'm literally the only one in this world who can use jujutsu. Stardust Crusaders? We have no crusaders in party, would be questionable. Just what do I call us?" — Brainstorming, as always, was a good idea in such case, so I started thinking of what can make a good name for our party. — "What is our goal? Defeat Demon Lord. Where is Demon Lord? Probably deep in hell. What do I need to do to reach him? I need to dive deeper." — Then, an idea struck my mind, and I realized what I should name us.
— We are the "Helldivers". — Yunyun's eyes shone brighter when I finally came up with a name for our party, and, as we went to Luna to confirm the completion of the quest, I picked another one from the board, getting ready to dive.
What a beautiful day in this wonderful world.
***
Yunyun: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
For Democracy!
***
— On your left! — I warned Yunyun, slashing open the throat of a Kobold that was running at me with a makeshift club. We were on our 10th mission for today, and, given that normal adventurers can only get at max 3-5 missions a day due to transportation limits, we were the exception.
— Got it! — With a swift movement of her hand, with the dagger tightly gripped, she severed the hand of the Kobold, and, with a second swing, cut his chest open, kicking him forward to get more free space to move around.
Yunyun, after getting so much combat and kills in a single day, leveled from 16 to 22, and it was impressive, given that her exp multiplier is 1x.
I, on the other hand, have 8 shikigami, which raises my exp gain to 4.552x. When I started, with Dusk and Dawn, my multiplier was 1x, and each shikigami after that added 0.444x to the multiplier, so, even when farming low level quests, I can still level up decently quick. From level 40, I was already level 42, and was only getting more, given how big this Kobold camp was.
Amount of xp needed to level up raises exponentially the higher your level is, that is the basic of all RPG's, be in Western or Eastern RPG's, and this world, which is based on RPG, is no exception. Yunyun, with the same amount of work put into killing Kobolds, raised 6 levels, and I did only 2, with a multiplier being almost 5x. She will level up quicker than I do in a short term, but, when it comes to long term, I will be way ahead of everyone.
When we killed the last Kobold in the camp, we were finally done for today. Sun was beginning to set, and Yunyun was getting tired, given that she spent lots of mana and stamina to fight. I barely felt the drain of my reserves, given I was mostly fighting in close combat with my weapons, only using Nue and Miracle when they were needed, so I was still good to go, but I had to take her to town to rest.
— Alright, Yunyun, we did very well today. You can rest now, I will take you back to town, alright? — I approached the young Arch-Wizard, and summoned Nue 20th or so time for today. — Take Yunyun back to town. I will stay behind for a while. Dematerialize after you're done, alright?
— S-shall we meet in the next morning? — Yunyun asked just before Nue took off, and, as I nodded, she smiled wider, waving her hand at me. — See you tomorrow, Y/n! — With a gust of wind, Nue flew up in the air, reaching maximum speed in a matter of seconds, leaving to Axel. Now, with me being completely alone in the plains near the forest, it was, finally, time.
—Great Serpent, Piercing Ox. — Summoning My shikigami, I went a bit farther, and got ready to spend some of my reserves. —Max Elephant. — As all of them materialized, without a chant, sadly, I waited a bit, before sighing. Orochi, Taurus and Goliath were ready, given they understand why I summoned my currently strongest shikigami meant for offense without an enemy in sight, but, today, we had no information on the enemy. — Listen carefully. We know nothing aboutFuneral Tiger, absolutely nothing aside from the fact it's probably a humanoid tiger with unknown abilities. Don't be reckless, observe the situation and make sure that if you get damaged in any way possible, you retreat to make sure you are safe. If it comes to it, I will call Miracle, and until Nue gets back, it will be only you three and Blitz. Speaking of,Rabbit Escape. — Calling out to Blitz, and sitting his clone on my shoulder, I pat him, knowing for sure he heard what I said before. Before we started, I went to each shikigami present, and used my buffs on them, because I won't be able to do so if battle will be too fierce. — If things get dire, he will help you get out of trouble.
Orochi hissed in confirmation, Taurus snorted steam from his nose, and Goliath blew with his trunk, which meant that all of them understood what I needed from them. Blitz thumped his leg on my shoulder as well, and, as I turned around, everyone got ready for battle.
—Tiger Funeral. — As all of us watched with anticipation, a figure started forming, slowly but surely taking a humanoid shape, which started resembling a tiger as soon as his tail was seen. Black lines all over the body, orange fur, large muscle mass, and black pants. If you take away the humanoid shape, it's just a tiger, with nothing else to add to the image, but it doesn't take away the factor of danger. Tigers are dangerous creatures, and so is Funeral Tiger.
(Art by Reddit user Qitard, found it in r/jujutsufolk)
I took my sword out of the shadow, tightly gripping it's hilt, ready to attack at any given moment. Funeral Tiger stood there, observing us, but, just like every untamed shikigami, he was looking for a fight. He saw 4 shikigami other than him being present, with me ready to fight as well, and, as he bent one knee to rush, we all knew, it was time, to finally, attack.
— Go! — Goliath stepped forward, with his weight creating a small earthquake to disrupt Tiger's advance, but it was not enough, and, with a roar, Tiger was already near me, swiping his leg under me to try and get me down on the ground, only for me to kick him in the shin, slashing my sword at his head. With the back of his paw, he deflected my sword, and pushed himself off of the ground with his second hand, aiming to kick me in the face, and, barely getting out of the way, I was forced to block his jab. We were stuck, trying to overpower each other, and I was losing, but, before I lost the contest of physical power, Taurus came to rescue, hitting Tiger head on with so much power he was sent flying to the other side of the plains. We all heard the bones cracking, but it didn't seem like Tiger cared about it.
He stood up, growling in anger, stretching his body to find any sort of movement hindering damage, and, as if finding none, he took a stance, akin to a martial arts master, and what I witnessed next, was fire. Red hot flames, that lit on his palms and tail, getting hotter and hotter with each passing second, until it got so hot I could feel it from such a distance. Taurus snorted, getting ready to charge yet again, but Orochi got ahead, swiping his tail, throwing huge rocks he got from the underground directly at the Tiger.
With a fluid movement, as if flowing with the wind, Tiger put one hand in front of the other, and hit the first rock coming at him, splitting it in two, with both parts being sliced clean, with a trail of magma being left behind, given that temperature was so high it melted the rock instantly. The second rock that followed met the same fate, and as the last rock got split in two, he charged at us, leaving a trail of burned grass behind with each step that followed. Taurus charged forward, and Goliath started filling his trunk with high pressurized water, in order to put the flames out. Orochi can't get close due to danger of the flames, with him having the least amount of defense out of the three, but Taurus and Goliath could take it head on with barely any trouble.
As Taurus got closer, Tiger jumped out of the way, hitting him in the side, leaving a burn mark on his body, which did nothing aside from angering Taurus. As he drifted to a stop, turning around, Tiger jumped forward, hitting him in the nose, which made Taurus make a step back, but, before Tiger could try to land another hit, Taurus hit the ground, shaking the terrain around himself, which staggered the Tiger, and seeing the chance, Goliath launched a wave of high pressurized water at him, which instantly put out the fire on him, and we'll as sent him to swim in the uncontrollable stream of water. Orochi, finally seeing an opportunity, hissed, digging underneath the ground to reach Tiger, diving from underground right at him, biting into his body.
With a roar of pain, Tiger, who's belly was pierced by Orochi's massive fangs, grabbed the fang that pierced him, and slid down from it, coating himself in flames yet again, which made Orochi squirm in pain. The moment Tiger saw that it was working, he, with a bleeding stomach, grabbed Orochi's tongue, and wrapped it around his arm, but, before any permanent damage was done, the positions were switched.
Using the skill to switch with Orochi, I grabbed Tiger's head, wrapping Playful Cloud around his neck, and hit him in the head with my legs so hard I saw his nose cracking. Blitz's clone jumped forward from my shoulder, punching Tiger in the eye, making him roar in pain, and, as Blitz retreated back to me, I let go of Tiger's neck, swinging Playful Cloud, and hit him straight in the chest, with my cursed energy flashing black.
—Black Flash!— With enough power to shatter a small hill, my hit produced black flash stronger than any I did before, not only because I became stronger, but also because I was angry. Orochi suffered more damage than any of my shikigami up to this point ever did before, and I had to instantly deploy Miracle to patch him up. This was unacceptable, and now, when I personally got closer, it was time to fight seriously.
As Tiger landed with an explosive boom, shattering the ground and raising dust cloud, I landed, and ran at the speed of sound to catch up. Tiger stood up, taking a stance while yet again coating his paws with fire, rushing at me to exchange blows. He threw a jab at me, and I blocked it, throwing him off balance, but he took advantage of his momentum, kicking me in the chest, managing to send me skid a few meters away. I quickly regained my balance, grit my teeth, and put Playful Cloud in my shadow, taking a stance to concentrate on my fists. We instantly cowered the distance between each other, and, as he threw a winded up punch at me, with an idea to do as much damage as possible, I slipped last his hand, feeling the scorching heat of his fire, I punched him in the face.
—Black Flash! — I hit the second Black Flash, which teared a part of his chin and made the blood leak from his broken nose, but he didn't retaliate from my punch, and, keeping his footing, he turned his head sideways, which made my fist slip off of him after the impact, and tried to grab my face, only for me to lean backwards. Taking the advantage of myself being in the movement, I flexed my arms, and touching the ground with them, flung my heel upwards, hitting his throat. —Black Flash!— Tiger got staggered after such a destructive hit that caused damage to his throat, but he instantly recovered from pain, grabbing my leg with his tail, bringing me closer to himself, and with as much force as he could muster, hit me in the chest with his flaming paw.
It hurt, a lot, but the damage was minimized due to layer of Cursed Energy around my entire body. It still left a nasty burn mark, which I instantly healed with Reverse Cursed Technique. Getting my leg out of his grab, I pushed myself upwards, and swung my leg in axe like motion, hitting his arms he used to protect his head.
—Black Flash!— The ground underneath cracked from overwhelming force of our punches, and, as I landed another Black Flash, I grabbed his hand with both of my legs, and swung myself sideways, releasing my grip and kicking him in the neck. —Black Flash!— Fifth Black Flash in a row was already a lot, but it didn't mean much if the Tiger is still standing. He was damaged, indeed, but he was still fighting as if it didn't matter in the slightest. Blood was leaking from his wounds, which only got worse as our battle progressed, but his pain tolerance was on par with my own. His martial art potency is also high, maybe higher than my own in some cases, but it's nothing when his speed is barely reaching my own. As I landed to his left, blocking his overhead kick, I had to instantly dive under his tail, grabbing it when he was most vulnerable, and tugged at it with all my might, spinning around in circles to gain enough momentum, which was enough to send him flying. Following my throw, I sent Blitz clone after him, and, while Tiger was flying, Blitz's clone got behind him, and I smiled, swapping our position, clenching my fist, hitting him in his back. —Black Flash!
Beating my record of Black Flashes landed in a row, I felt that I can't go more than that in this fight, and, as Tiger landed far ahead of me, Nue, finally, returned to my arsenal.
— Jump him! — Taurus instantly charged forward, Orochi dug underground, and Goliath ran full speed ahead, causing earthquake with each step. —Nue! — Jumping on Nue's back after summoning it, I rose high into the sky, observing the situation following. Taurus hit Tiger when he was unable to stand back up after falling due to earthquake, directly into his stomach, where a hole from Orochi's bite was, making the wound even worse. Roaring from pain, Tiger tried to land on the ground, but, before it happened, Orochi rose from underneath the ground, biting into Tiger once more, and, before Tiger could use his flames to get out, Orochi lowered his head, turning to Goliath, who sent a wave of water directly onto him, while not only extinguishing the flames, but also making it drown by filling Orochi's mouth with water. It didn't hinder Orochi, given his large body and stomach, but Tiger was not happy, given he couldn't breathe underwater.
I jumped off of Nue's back, and, just like I expected, Orochi held his head high for Nue to hit the Tiger, which he did, electrifying it's wings and hitting it head on with all it's might. It did hurt Orochi a little, given all the water in his mouth, but he was able to endure it, which could not be said about Tiger that was still drowning, with his internal organs getting fried as well. As Orochi thrashed his head to make Tiger's wounds worse, he threw him to the ground, directly to where Taurus was headed, and, given that Taurus was running all this time, what happened next, was not unexpected.
With a direct impact, Taurus, who ran long enough to hit as hard as a several thousand ton train running into you, not only sent Tiger flying. He hit him so hard, that each and every part of Tiger's body got separated from each other, with blood splattering all around the terrain, with a faint roar of pain lingering in the air. The remains of the Tiger Funeral laid far from each other, slowly fading into shadows, indicating our victory. I spent around 45% of my reserves in a single battle, but, although it was harder than most of the battles I had before, with so many shikigami taking place into the battle, it was barely troubling. Miracle ran up to me, coating me into Positive energy to relieve my tired body, making me sigh from pleasure.
Orochi, who was damaged by Nue's attack, also got healed, and after every shikigami that sustained the damage was healed, I dismissed them, leaving only Nue to carry me back to the Axel. Although, before I did go back, I made a handsign, summoning the new family member.
—Tiger Funeral. — The shape of the shadow, just as always, became bigger after getting subjugated, but not much changed into Tiger itself. His muscles was more defined than before, he got taller, and was now towering over me two times over, his flames, which he lit on his tail, was hotter than I felt when fighting it, and his fangs and claws, presumably, got more durable and sharper. Although he is a martial fighter, it doesn't mean he can't slash or bite his enemies. Looking over the new form, which I wasn't able to observe well before while in a fight, I nodded my head, looking into his eyes. — Welcome to the family. From now on, you'reProwler. Hope we get along. — Prowler, who got a new name, nodded his head, snorted in understanding, and looked around the terrain, seeing only Nue, who was patiently waiting for me. Given I didn't have much to do with Prowler for now, I let him get back into the shadows, and walked to Nue, sitting on it's back to finally get back to town. — Let's go. It's time to go home.
***
Y/n: Konosuba!
***
A new day started with a cup of fine tea and a piece of cake in the tavern
Now that I'm back in Axel, I was free to think without a need to concentrate on my surrounding. I understood the reason why Funeral Tiger's ability is fire. Japanese funerals go by the traditional Buddhism way, which is cremation. 99.8 or so percent of people who died in Japan are cremated after their death, and this is the reason he can use fire. If you ask me, I've got pretty solid deck already. I got electricity, water and fire, which is enough to obliterate almost any issue, and with 9 shikigami, it would be no problem to dominate the battlefield even if I get outnumbered 10 thousand to 1.
After my daily prayer to Eris, I went to the guild, given that I agreed to meet with Yunyun here, but I saw no sight of her, at all. I decided to wait an hour or so, but, even then, she didn't show up, so I was concerned. I got Dusk to look for her, since he remembers her smell, and while searching for her, I arrived to the same tavern I live in right now. I went to the door nearby mine, and lightly knocked on it, hearing the rustling of some sort of clothing. I knocked once more, and the same sound repeated.
— Yunyun, it's me, Y/n. Is everything alright? — I asked, given that she might be changing, and I was not about to trigger a cliche of entering girl's room when she's changing. I didn't receive answer yet again, so I decided to play it safe. Stretching my shadow underneath the door, I let Blitz's clone to appear, to investigate the matter, and he came back to the door a few minutes later, opening the locked door for me to enter. What I saw, was a pretty unusual image of Yunyun laying on her bed, shivering from cold, with her face being as red as her eyes. — Yunyun, are you feeling sick? — I slowly approached, seeing as she is not asleep, but unable to speak. She meekly nodded her head, averting her gaze from me, which made me smile. With a swift motion, I took out a potion from minor diseases I brew, and went to get her some tea to refill her need in warm liquid.
It's possible that she caught cold after she was exhausted after out quest rush, so it's only natural that as a party leader, I will at least take care of her health, even if not much. With a cup of warm tea in hand, I poured some potion inside, given that it might be too bitter for her to drink without it in this state. I sat on the chair on her bedside, and gently lifted her head, helping her to drink little by little. She seemed flustered by that, but it was only a guess, given her face was red before I even began to do anything. Blitz sat on her lap, and waited for me to finish, and, as I let her head rest on the pillow, he went to her, and pressed his cheek against hers.
I went to the bathroom, took a towel to make a compress, and laid it on her forehead. She went asleep right after, and, waiting a bit longer, I decided to leave her be, given that she needed to rest. She already had food prepared, so I didn't need to worry about that, but what I did already should be enough.
— I hope she gets better soon. — I whispered to myself, sighing, and made a handsign to summon Nue. No other words were needed, Nue perfectly knew where I needed to go, and so, we did. As far away from Axel as possible, so no one would suddenly show up, to interrupt what I was about to do.
Today is the day I prove everyone wrong, I will show everyone that, no matter what, Ten Shadows can be fully conquered, with only one technique, no outside help or any bullsh*t abilities aside from what I already have in this world.
After defeating Funeral Tiger, my level hit 50, and this should be enough for me to get going. Nue, feeling my dread, slowed down, so I can think about everything before it happens, but, as I tugged on it's feathers, we sped up again.
I arrived to the desolate wasteland, possibly made by a mage using huge area fire magic, or it could be one of the places Megumin used her explosion on, given the state. It didn't matter, because after I will be done, this place will no longer remind anyone of what it used to be.
I dismissed Nue, and instead, made a hansign to summon a different shikigami that will be my trump card to defeat this one.
—Piercing Ox.— My reserves were almost full, but even after summoning Taurus, I barely spent anything. As Taurus appeared, he looked at me, waiting for my command. — Taurus, run. Run as far as you can, as long as you can. It doesn't matter if you don't hit anything, it doesn't matter even if you miss. All I need you to do, is gain as much distance as possible. Run in that direction, there's nothing in a way, but, even if there is something...then I hope it won't be a human. Go. You are my only way to finish this. — Blowing hot steam from his nose, Taurus turned around, and started running, as far as he can, until I can no longer see him. I sighed, and turned around, looking into the sky. The cloud were almost nonexistent today, and the sun was shining brightly. On this bared wasteland, on this day, a legend will be born.
My very soul was trembling, but my body did not fear. I steeled my resolve after the dream succubi gave me, but it didn't mean I still don't fear what is about to come. Today is the day...the final shadow...will be subjugated. One hand in front of the other, my breathing is steady, and the shadows are swirling all around me. Any plants in the vicinity that are still alive were now slowly dying from the aura surrounding me, and even though I knew what was coming, it still send shivers down my spine.
It will be hard, the hardest fight in my entire life, but, if I succeed, I will be practically unstoppable, with nothing being able to ignore me and my power.
—With this sacred treasure...I summon...— The swirling of my shadow got even stronger. The air was filled with the sense of absolute dread, and the atmosphere grew heavier with each word I said. —Eight Handled Sword...— 6 wolves and 6 toads appear on my left and right, howling and croaking, louder and louder, as white cocoon, suspended by heaviest chains, forms behind me. —Divergent Sila Divine General...— Slowly, almost agonizingly, chains let loose, breaking with a sound that would've defeaned me if I wasn't ready. Cocoon, upon being freed, started taking shape, becoming the one I fear, and the one I wish to defeat. —Mahoraga. — Before turning around to face it, I jumped as far as possible, and only then, when I turned, I understood why, even though I was ready, my fear did not disappear, no matter how hard I tried to subdue it.
It was a towering, muscular humanoid figure, with 4 wings growing from the place where it's eyes should be, a snake like tail coming from the back of it's head, and a golden, divine wheel of Dharma above it's head. It was wearing black pants, just like Prowler does, and it had a chain like pattern near the neck.
Mahoraga, upon noticing me, didn't immediately rush in my direction, simply observing me, but, as seconds passed, it was already in motion, with a blade that appeared from it's right hand, and did an overhead swing at me, which I dodged, not about to give Mahoraga an upper hand this early in the battle.
Mahoraga, while being the strongest shikigami physically, has an ability that makes it the powerhouse of the Ten Shadows cursed technique. Wheel of Dharma over it's head allows it to adapt toANYandALLphenomenon, and when it spins, it adapts to specific phenomenon it interacted with. Be it a punch, a slice, or even it attacking me and me being able to block it. If I had blocked the hit instead of dodging, it would've started adaptation to my layer of Cursed Energy I use to protect myself, and would've used cursed energy itself instead of positive energy the blade on it's hand emits.
The more complicated the phenomenon, the longer it takes to adapt, and it can take multiple turns of the wheel to be able to adapt. It took Mahoraga 4 wheel spins to adapt to Gojo's infinity, and 5th to be able to slash through the world itself, which shows how overpowered it can be in the right hands.
And that's not over yet. The blade on it's hand is an artifact called "Blade of Extermination", which emits so much positive energy, that even Miracle can't come close to it. If a curse, cursed spirit, regular spirit, demon, undead or anything related to death or spirits will come in contact with this blade, it will instantly die. That's how strong it is.
For now, I needed to stall for time, but, even though I was uncertain I could even survive this battle, I wanted to see for myself, how long it would take me to be pushed to the corner and use my strongest technique to win this fight. So, as Mahoraga missed me, I instantly appeared beside it, hitting it with my leg on the head, producing Black Flash as soon as the fight started.
—Black Flash!— Mahoraga sustained some damage, getting slightly staggered, and, as I landed on the ground, I rushed ahead, evading the second strike Mahoraga sent in my direction, and hit it's gut with my fist. —Black Flash!— Then, it happens. The wheel on Mahoraga's head made it's first turn, and, as I attempt to dodge it's attack again, Mahoraga instantly changed the direction it was attacking from, which made me come in contact with Mahoraga instead of dodging it, and, as I parried the hit itself, I hit it's face with my leg. —Black Flash!— Sparks of red flew everywhere, and Mahoraga yet again sustained some damage, but the damage of my first attacks were already gone, because, when adapting, Mahoraga instantly heals any damage it sustained before.
I got some distance away from it, trying to come up with a plan on how to face it in close combat, but, before I could proceed the information I received, Mahoraga was yet again on my tail, punching me in the chest when I tried to protect my face, sending me flying through the entire wasteland, and this felt like being punched by a several ton kettlebell. My ribs cracked, but, due to Mahoraga not being able to use Cursed energy yet, I instantly healed the damage with RCT, landing on the ground, and grabbing Mahoraga's head when it landed at me from the sky. Stuck in a deadlock, not being able to push Mahoraga even an inch backwards, I maneuvered around it's hand, making it hit the ground as I slipped from under it, and, still holding it's arm, swung my body upward, hitting it's face with both of my legs.
—Black Flash!— The more Mahoraga gets hit with the same ability, the faster it will adapt, but, given that it's still adapting to my layer of Cursed Energy to be able to hit me and cause some REAL damage, I should worry about Black Flash not working when it adapts to it. Before getting away from it, I juked it by attempting to hit it again, and then canceling my attack to come from a different direction, I hit it's back with my leg yet again. —Black Flash! — Being in a state of "Zone", I was as concentrated as ever. My cursed energy output was 135%, and the more Black Flashes I hit, the stronger they became, and the last Black Flash truly showed the result. Mahoraga's back had a rupture on it, with blood gushing from it's wounds, but, even so, it was not enough to even make it tickle. It was tis' bit a scratch for a being this strong. As I managed to juke it a second time by pretending to attack from one direction, to switch to another, I hit it's hands it used to block my hit with my right hand. —Black Flash!
I could feel that I'm still good to go. My "Zone" state is still active, I can still cause enough damage, but, as I landed on the ground, Mahoraga swung it's fist at me from below. I attempted to parry it, just like before, but, as it was about to hit, the adaptation process yet again was compete. The wheel has spun. It instantly broke through my defense, sending me flying into the sky, and for the first time, I felt Cursed Energy from a being other than me. Mahoraga learned how to use Cursed energy, and now, the hardest part begins. It hit me right into my chest, breaking all my ribs in a single strike, and I felt like fainting, coughing out blood that got into my lungs. It took a solid second to heal myself from the damage, but, as I looked around, I felt earthquake from Axel, and, when I turned my head in it's direction, I saw something I could not recognize. A giant spider like creature, moving closer and closer to Axel with each step, and it didn't look friendly in any way possible.
"Just what is happening in Axel?!"— I asked myself, looking down at Mahoraga, who jumped at me, holding it's fists locked together, doing an overhead attack on me. Before it hit, however, I grabbed Playful Cloud from my shadow, and blocked the attack, hitting Mahoraga in the face with one of the sections of the staff. —Black Flash!— Grabbing Mahoraga's hand with Playful Cloud, and swinging myself over to it, I used the momentum to reach it's face to hit it yet again, sending it crashing to the ground. —Black Flash!— Gritting my teeth, and spinning in a wheel like motion, I landed on top of Mahoraga, as it put it's hands in front of it to block my attack, but, before I hit it, I delayed my hit, and, moving Playful Cloud out of the way, hit it in the chest with my leg. —Black Flash!— I that very instant, as I hit my 9th Black Flash in a row, Mahoraga's wheel, yet again, spun.
In stood up so fast I couldn't properly realize it, and bitch slapped me away like a fly. I couldn't feel anything for a second after the hit, but, after my brain proceeded what happened, the pain I felt was more than anything I felt before. If not for my durability, my neck would've snapped in this exact moment it hit me, and I was glad I made so many preparations before this fight. Reverse Cursed Technique yet again saved me from my brain shutting down, but now I knew for sure. Black Flash is now useless against Mahoraga. It got hit 9 times in a row, and even if I hit another one, effect of the hit will be minimal, if visible at all.
It can predict how I will dodge, it can parry my parry, and juking it will no longer work. The adaptation speed of Mahoraga never ceased to amaze me, and now, I fully understood why only Sukuna and Gojo, the strongest people in the Jujutsu World, could defeat this monster.
As I landed, diving into the shadow to evade Mahoraga's attack, I got out to the real world like a dolphin jumping out of the water, and holding my sword, slashed it's hand off by imbuing it with both Cursed and Positive energy to confuse it. Losing a hand with the Blade Of Extermination on it, Mahoraga attempted to block my next shash, which only damaged it's chest, but aside from that, I couldn't do much damage to cut it deeper.
Kicking Mahoraga with all the force I could muster, I sent in flying into the air, and, hiding my sword, clasped my hands together, looking at Mahoraga, as it started falling back to the ground, directly at me.
—Domain Expansion! Chimera Shadow Garden!— Opening my domain in an instant, I let shadows flood the entire area, but, instead of trying to close the border of the domain, I let it open to get more range, because no matter what, Mahoraga will soon adapt to everything I will throw at it from my Domain. While it became almost impossible for Mahoraga to move inside the domain when it finally landed, it won't be a problem once it adapts.
Clones of Gamamaru held it's legs, Orochi that appeared had coiled it's tail around Mahoraga, tightening the grip with each passing moment, Goliath with his weight exceeding 170 tons appeared just above Mahoraga, falling on top of it to try and crush it with it's weight, but, being able to pull it's hand out of Orochi's grip, Mahoraga held Goliath with barely any struggle, preventing it from falling on top of it. As the wheel on it's head spun, Mahoraga became bigger in size, getting triple as large as it was before, and, as Orochi's grip loosened due to the change of size, Nue:Totality, appeared in the air, and hit Mahoraga with the biggest thunderbolt Nue ever made. Second Orochi appeared, helping the first Orochi in holding Mahoraga, and, as things started to heat up, with Mahoraga slowly taking control of the situation, Prowler appeared from domain's shadow, hitting Mahoraga's chest with a firestorm from it's hands, with the fire only getting hotter with each passing moment.
It could barely move, it was getting attacked from several directions at once, but, even so, it was still getting an upper hand, because, as the wheel spun, it freed itself from Orochi's grasp, ripping them apart, along with Goliath, who was first thrown hight into the air, and then slashed in two in a single strike. Nue, upon witnessing the change in the battlefield, unleashed a barrage of lightning onto Mahoraga, who put his hands in front of itself to minimize the damage. Prowler, who saw this, rushed ahead, hitting Mahoraga with a blazing fist right into the face, making it withdraw the defense, which allowed Nue to continue attacking, but, as the wheel spun again, not even a moment after, and Prowler was already out of the battle.
Nue, being too high for Mahoraga to reach, kept attacking it, but, being finally free from the assault of other shikigami, Mahoraga jumped in the air with such velocity, that just the collision with Nue instantly killed it, given that Mahoraga aimed to hit it's head to get rid of Nue.
Almost all of my arsenal of shikigami was destroyed and adapted to, and, even if I summon those it already killed, it will kill them in an instant, because it already adapted to their abilities and powers.
—Well then, let's see how you like this!— I rushed ahead, and used Piercing Water, which pierced through Mahoraga's arm, and as the beam of high pressure water hit it's head, I saw blood, and, as Mahoraga held it's head so less blood would leak from it, I used it again, hitting it's neck, keeping the flow of water and moving my hands to reach the head, only for Mahoraga to move out of the way, with the wheel turning the second it got out of the range. All the damage it sustained was now gone, and even more of my abilities were now useless against it.
Mahoraga attacked me, slashing my body in two with it's blade, but, as I gave it a crazy smile, my body turned into a liquid shadow, because, when the domain is opened, my body simply becomes a shadow puppet that can appear and disappear in the domain as much as I want to.
With domain costing 15% of my reserves to be opened, and taking 1% each second it's opened, which means, that after opening it with full reserves, I have 85 second to defeat my enemy before my reserves will be dried out. I don't spend any energy inside domain to summon my shikigami, I don't need handsigns, and hitting me inside my domain becomes impossible.Which means, that for the next 1 minute and 25 second, I become effectively...IMMORTAL!
—TURN UP THE VOLUME! BECAUSE THIS IS THE FUNERAL FOR THE LIVING! LET'S GO, MAHORAGA, THIS IS THE DAY YOU WILL TASTE DEFEAT!— I screamed my lungs out in extasy from this fight, because, even if I'm practically losing, I feel the thrill of this battle. It's much more intense than any battle I have fought, it's much harder than any Dark Souls game, and here, death is not just a possibility, it's a reality I will face if I won't kill it in the next 60 second.
To kill Mahoraga, you have to hit it with an attack it hasn't adapted to yet, and instantly kill it without a possibility for it to survive to adapt to it. Almost everything in my arsenal that I have used now can be countered. I can't kill it with black flash, piercing water, thunderbolts, fire, by punching it, slashing it, trying to squish it to death by Orochi, flatten it with Goliath, hold it with the help of Gamamaru, and now, I only have two shikigami who's attack it hasn't adapted to yet. Miracle...and my trump card.
As Mahoraga tried to kill me countless times over by slashing my shadow puppets over and over, I waited for the slip up of Mahoraga to exploit, and, once I found it, I smiled like a madman, letting Blitz's clones fill the entire space of the domain to confuse Mahoraga, which stood still to understand what is happening.
—Swap. — Space around me distorted, and 1/4th of my mana reserves disappeared. I was in a location way too far from battlefield, but, not even a second after I swapped places with Taurus, I used Swap again to replace one of the Blitz clones, witnessing the moment that will forever be engraved into my brain. Mahoraga, which stood still, trying to understand what is happening, with Taurus being just a centimeter away from hitting it. Each decimetre was agonizingly slow, and once the hit connected, all I saw was a mist of blood.
With the amount of time, distance and speed Taurus developed by running this far, Mahoraga didn't stand a single chance at survival. Once Taurus's head collided with Mahoraga's body, it was already over. Nothing, aside from the wheel of Dharma, was left from Mahoraga, who's gigantic body seemed impossible to harm anymore. It didn't get torn to pieces, it didn't just get damaged. It was straight up evaporated, without a chance to recover. I won.
I finally won.
This is not a dream, I succeeded.
—Ha...ha-ha-ha...HAHAHAHAHA!— My hysterical laughter echoed through the terrain. My tears of joy made it hard to see, and Taurus, who saw my state, snorted proudly, given he was the one to deal the fatal damage to a being which none of the Ten Shadow users managed to defeat before.
My domain closed just as my reserves hit 20%, but, despite it closing and putting my Cursed Energy into state of chaos, I managed to keep Taurus summoned, by the sheer force of will taking control of my source of energy. Today, officially, I became aSpecial Grade Sorcerer. If I'm going to call myself the Special Grade, I have to be able to control my energy, no matter what. Sukuna, Gojo, Jogo and even Mahito could still control their Cursed Energy after opening domain, several times over even, so, if I want to be the strongest, I have to keep improving myself.
Even though euphoria after the defeat of the Strongest shikigami, I still remembered something I saw.
— Taurus, run to the Axel, quick! — Jumping on his back, and using my Speed enhancement skill, we took off, leaving behind a wasteland that no one could recognize after this fight. It was wiped clean off of the face of this earth by everything that happened here.
***
Y/n: Konosuba!
***
— Just where the hell is Y/n when we need him the most?! — Kazuma yelled, faced with Destroyer approaching Axel, destroying everything in it's path.
All of the adventurers in Axel, weakest or strongest, we're positioned in front of the gate, getting ready to lay their life for the city they live in. Darkness, Megumin, Aqua, Kazuma, Wiz, and even Saitama Jr., who was waiting for Y/n to return, were ready to fight, even if there's no chance to win.
Destroyer is a disaster weapon that lost control, killing anything on it's path, with the creators of this thing perishing first. It's a giant moving fortress resembling spiders, shooting lasers and protected by a shield that none has even been able to breach before. Kazuma was standing on the tower with Megumin to support her, Wiz was on another tower with Aqua, and Darkness was ahead of everyone, with the tip of her sword piercing the ground. Other adventurers lined up in front of the gate, terrified of a being that terrorized the entire continent since the moment it was built.
— I-it's alright...I'm strong. I'm strong... — As if reading a mantra, Megumin kept repeating her own words, shaking like a leaf on the wind. Kazuma, who stood beside her, came closer, putting his hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
Destroyed got close enough, and now, as Aqua caught her staff that fell from the sky, she chanted her spell to break the barrier.
—Sacred Break Spell!— 5 rings of magic appeared in front of her, sending a powerful, magic nullifying beams that collided with Destroyer's barrier, pushing it back, but it was still not enough to break it. —AAAAA! — Screaming her lungs out, Aqua put more mana into her spell, making 5 separate beams into one, which drilled right through the Destroyer's barrier, which was the signal for two Arch-Wizards to use their strongest magic.
—EXPLOSION! — Megumin and Wiz chanted, sending two beams of destructive magic that hit Destroyer's legs, destroying them entirely, which made it lose balance, falling to the ground, and sliding through it until it came to a stop right in front of Darkness, who was unfazed by everything that was happening.
It would've been a wonderful victory, if not for the fact that it initiated self destruction mechanism. Kazuma and his party, aside from Darkness and Megumin, went inside the Destroyer to try and stop it, now being faced with the core of the Destroyer.
— This coronatite is out of control. — Wiz stated, looking right at the core of their problem. They can't stop self destruction, but they had to do something. — I could've teleported it, but...I don't have enough mana to use it. Kazuma-San, can I take some from you?
— Of course. Take as many as you need. — Normally, Wiz would've been way more awkward with this situation, but, after spending so many time in the recent months working with customers and dealing with Y/n, she became more confident in herself, which led to the fact she was on the Frontline, remembering her days as adventurer.
As Wiz used Drain Touch on Kazuma, she got just enough mana to use it, but another problem resurfaced.
— I can't properly control it, and if I use it, it will teleport randomly. I don't know where it will appear. — She said, and Kazuma, holding her hands, smiled.
— Just use it. I will take responsibility if anything happens. My luck is high, after all. — Just before coronatite exploded, Wiz used teleport, stopping the process of self destruction.
Yet another flawless victory...ruined by the internal heat of the Destroyer leaving the shell. It started heating from the inside, and if no one does anything, it will turn Axel into hellish land that will burn to the ground.
Everyone quickly left Destroyer, ready to escape to save their lives, but, as Kazuma was transfering Aqua's mana to Megumin so she can cast another explosion...something unexpected happened.
—LEEEEROOOOOY JENKINS! — Out of absolutely nowhere, Y/n, on top of Piercing Ox, ran into the Destroyer head on, and, as it was hit, it flew high and far into the air, getting dented so much it was now half of the size it was before, and, as the heat left the hole that was torn out of it's body, it landed far away into the plains, now unable to do anything but lay there, until someone decides to take anything useful from it. Megumin, Aqua, Kazuma and the entire adventurer guild, who was expecting Megumin to end it, were now flabbergasted beyond what's humanly possible, given that Y/n, finally, arrived to finish it.
***
— I know, I know, I'm late! — I stated, patting Taurus on the head, and jumping off of him to approach Kazuma and his party. — I was stuck in a fight to death, and, as I was thrown in the air, I saw that you guys are in a fight as well. Good thing I finished before you. — Saluting them, and smiling, I felt exhausted beyond what was normally possible, but I didn't show it on my face, instead showing them my cheery attitude. — I'm glad all of you are fine.
— Just what the hell were you fighting that sentYOUof all peopleFLYING?! — Kazuma asked, but I didn't want to answer yet, instead laughing it off.
— Don't worry about it. — Waving my hand, I looked at Megumin, who was pointing at me, looking angry and cute at the same time. — How are you doing, Megumin? You're looking refreshed. Something good happened?
— You took my moment of fame! I wanted to use my strongest Explosion on the Destroyer! — She yelled at me, and I came closed, patting her head.
— You'll have more chances to do so, don't worry about it. More than anything, I'm glad you're unharmed. — I decided to play it safe, given that angering a woman, a girl even, is not a wise choice.
And I hit the target. Megumin went red in an instant, averting her gaze from me, so I laughed a little, and picked her up to carry her to the guild. I dismissed Taurus, and, with everyone else following me, we declared our victory against this thing called Destroyer. A shame I came to see it so late.
***
Aqua: Ko!
Wiz: No!
Megumin & Kazuma: Su!
Y/n: Ba!
***
A few days passed peacefully. With a newfound motivation, I started training even more than I did before, to truly call myself Special Grade Sorcerer. Wiz's shop, due to our hard work, got more profit than ever, and I brew my first successful healing potion. Everything was going fine, until one day, me and Kazuma were confronted by knight from the capital and Royal Prosecutor.
— Sato Kazuma, Y/n L/n. You are accused of terrorist activities against our country. You'll both come with me. — Royal Prosecutor, who held a letter with a stamp of kingdom of Belzerg, made her statement clear.
— May I ask what is the reason I'm being accused? — I decided to ask, given all I did was fight Mahoraga and defeat Destroyer. I don't remember blowing up a castle or anything.
— Unknown summon, who's appearance fully matches the description of the one you used to defeat Destroyer, ran into the mansion of Alderp-sama, destroying half of it in a single attack. — I whistled, from surprise, of course, given that I don't remember seeing any mansion in a 50 kilometer radius from where I was fighting. Just how long did Taurus ran actually? — And the Coronatite, teleported by the order of Kazuma Sato, got teleported right into damaged mansion, fully evaporating it after the explosion.
— Man, talk about the universe hating this one guy. — I said, looking at the Royal Prosecutor. If she wants to arrest me and interrogate me to find out my motive, I'll let her do it, given that Taurus did damage someone's property. I'm at fault, so I will take some responsibility.
— My name is Sena, Royal Prosecutor, and by the authority given to me by the Kingdom of Belzerg, you're under arrest for investigation. — She declared, and 4 knights moved forward, with two pair of handcuffs in hand. Kazuma, who tried to run, got caught almost instantly, but, instead of running away, I let the aura of dread, like the one that appears by trying to summon Mahoraga, to terrify them, and just walked forward, until I was faced with Sena.
— I will walk myself. If you try to force handcuffs on me, someone will be in trouble, and this someone is not me. Go on, I'm waiting. — It was clear that she wanted to say something akin to "How dare you threaten the officials from royal palace" or so, but aura of dread of too much for her to handle.
Without a word, gesturing the knight following her to take Kazuma, she walked toward the carriage she arrived in, with a cage covered by cloth sat in the back of it, clearly for me and Kazuma. I got in first, and Kazuma was thrown inside. The door to the cage was locked, cloth put down to cover the cage, and, as Sena sat inside the carriage, we started moving. What a way to start my day.
***
It has been two days since I was thrown into jail for the act I didn't know even happened. I don't think my crime is that big compared to Kazuma's, but none of us did that intentionally.
Kazuma was in the cell different from mine, but I was sat into higher security cell, given that my achievents go far and wide. They didn't put any handcuffs or chains on me, but it was still boring to be inside of a cell for several days, so I was entertaining myself by playing with Blitz.
For two days, Megumin kept exploding area nearby the prison, and Aqua came to try and rescue Kazuma from his cell, which she failed miserably. It was funny to observe it, since I can escape at any given moment, but I didn't do it just because I'm a responsible adult that compensates for his mistakes. As long as the person who's house I damaged will accept my compensation without anything hidden underneath, I'm fine with following the law. It still means that I will break it if I see the need to do so.
— Y/n L/n. — The door to my cell was opened, and Sena was standing there, looking me, covered by shadows from the moon, while I was playing with Blitz.
—A visitor? Hm. Indeed, I have slept long enough. The Kingdom of Belzerg has long since forgotten my name, and I am EAGER, to make them remember.— I stood up, letting Blitz hide in my shadow, and walked closer to Sena, who, with a confused face, stepped aside, letting me out only to close the cell again, motioning for me to follow her.
She led me to the room, with 2 tables, three chairs and another person, who probably is there to write whatever I say. With a motion for me to take a seat, I did as told, and leaned backwards, with little to no care about the atmosphere.
— Do you know what this is? — Sena put a bell, which is, judging by its mana signature, an artifact, and given we're in the interrogation room, it was an easy guess what it is.
— Probably a lie detector. — I said, receiving a nod of confirmation from her. — So, what's the questions you want to ask me?
— Where did you came from and what did you do before you became adventurer?
— I'm from Japan, and I was a low wage worker before coming here after unfortunate accident. — The bell did not ring, given that I said the truth. Interesting, can it differentiate half truths?
— I never heard about Japan before, but you're not lying. Let's move on. Why did you decide to become adventurer?
— I wanted to get stronger to fulfill my promise to Eris-sama that I will defeat Demon Lord. — I answered yet again, and it didn't ring. — Does it even work? Let's see, I'm a terrorist. — Now it was the reaction I was looking for. It rang when I lied. The guy behind me started frantically writing, and Sena's eyes went wide for a moment.
— I see. How do you feel about the Lord? Did you have any malicious intent towards him?
— Not really. I only saw his name once in a document I was working with on my part time job, but that's it, so i don't feel anything towards him.
— Did you intend to destroy Alderp-sama's mansion? Why did your summon ran into it?
— I did not intent to hit anything, really. I was in a fight with a strong enemy, and my Ox was my trump card to win. His ability works when he runs longer, but he can't turn when he uses it. In 50 kilometer radius from the place I was fighting at, there was nothing, and when I finally got to use him, I didn't even see anything. I found out that he destroyed something only when you came to the guild.
Given that the bell kept being silent, Sena started doubting I even have to do anything with this case. I confirmed I'm not a terrorist and had no malicious intent, as well as confirmed my goal to defeat Demon Lord.
— I-I see. I'm sorry for doubting your words before, it seems I was wrong about you, given your reputation.
— Oh? What is that making you doubt me?
— Y/n the reckless, adventurer who brought One Punch Bear into the city, endangerer of city streets...
— Hey. Just because Nue lands in the city doesn't mean I endanger it. I never hurt anybody in the city when landing, did I?
— T-thats not my words. I just told you what I heard from locals.
With a sigh, I yet again leaned back on the chair, and heard her sigh in relief.
— I will ask that just for the protocol. Do you have any relation to the Demon Lord or his army? His Generals, perhaps? — Now that's the question I was not sure I can answer to without ringing a bell.
I sat there for a second, coming up with an answer, and, as I sighed, I decided to try.
— I don't have any relation to Demon Lord, nor do I intend to work with him, for him or together with him. I came here to defeat him, and that's it.
— What about his Generals?
"Crap, she found the loophole." — I cursed in my mind, trying to find a way to evade that question, but nothing came to mind.
— I don't have any relationship with the Generals of the Demon Lord that fight against adventurers. I don't collect any information to help Demon Lord Generals in their fight, or to help them infiltrate in any of the cities. — I kept my act, but, as it seems, Sena is smarter than I gave her credit for.
— But do you personally know of any Demon Lord Generals?
— ...With this treasure i summon!
***
Take 2
***
— I personally know of one, but this General Means no harm to anyone, and only exists for the purpose of keeping the barrier around his castle.
— ... — Sena went wide eyes when hearing that, and, after the initial shock went off, she leaned forward. — This is still a treason if you know of them, but don't report about it. Will you tell us who that is?
— Absolutely not. We have an agreement of non disclosure and I swore to protect their life as long as they don't harm anyone.
— Then you will be judged for your crime against our Kingdom. Do you have anything to say in your defense?
—Your honor, league of legends.
— Death Sentence it is.
***
— Let the trial begin against the defendants Sato Kazuma and Y/n L/n. — The judge that came to the Axel announced, and, as the entire adventurer guild gathered behind us, I was standing in the defendants podium, uncuffed, unlike Kazuma, who shook like a leaf on the wind.
The judge was in his late 50s or early 60s, and beside him, was, presumably, Lord Alderp. He looked like your typical aristocratic scum, and his smirk didn't make him look any betters. To tell you the truth, he has a very punchable face.
I couldn't care less about the trial, but one thing that did caught my attention, was Chris, who was standing with other adventurers, looking at me with wide eyes. I waved at her, with a little smile, which did make her ease a little, even if it was barely noticeable. Her cheeks flushed red, and she hid it by turning sideways to me.
— Royal Prosecutor, a word for you. — Judge announced, and, as Sena came to the center, she held a stack of paper, presumably with evidence.
— Crime against the Lord - crime against our Kingdom. Thus, Sato Kazuma and Y/n L/n are accused of state disruption and terrorism. Bring the witness. — As she said that, Chris, who looked nervous, walked on the stage, and I raised my eyebrow at that.
— W-what an unexpected meeting, Y/n. Nice to see you again. — She said, scratching her cheek, and I gave her a reassuring smile.
— Chris-san, is that true that Kazuma Sato used "Steal" in public and stole your underwear? And Y/n L/n who made you drink more than you can handle and brought you to his room when you fell unconscious?
I raised my eyebrow at the question Sena raised, and as Chris flushed red, it confirmed my suspicion that something here is not right.
— W-well, that's true, but... — She began, only to be interrupted by a female mage adventurer, who I saw a few times before.
— I saw that! I saw both of those cases! Kazuma stole Chris-san panties and swung them in the air! And I saw Y/n carrying unconscious Chris to his room!
"...I'll make this girl pay, later."
— Those, witnesses words are confirmed as truthful. Thank you very much! — Sena said, dramatically walking back to her own stage.
Then, Kyouya Mitsurugi, who, from what I see, did change in his behavior, and I saw a new sword on his hip, was called to the stage. It seems he really wants to improve.
— Mitsurugi Kyouya-san, is that true that Y/n L/n stole your magical sword without intent to return it?
— W-well, that's true, but we had a duel...
— Thank you very much!
— Wai-
Sena just completely ignored what he tried to tell her, and now, I started glaring at Sena, which she noticed, but didn't gave it any thought. She was purposely not letting others speak the truth, which means she hates our guts, or she's corrupt. Maybe both.
— Is that true that you tried to return the magic sword, but Y/n L/n threatened you when you tried to do so?
— Yes, that's right! He came so close to us, and gave us that menacing glare! Like that one! — Two girls, which were Mitsurugi's party, were called to the stage. It was clear that all this trial is bullsh*t, and I just wanted to see if they play by their rules, or they actually uphold the law.
— That's enough. Let's pass a verdict already. — Lord Alderp, who sat quietly before, decided to speak his mind, but Megumin, who, along with Aqua, decided to take the role of lawyers, spoke up.
— I object! I agree that Kazuma's and Y/n's character may not be ideal, but nothing yet has proven what you accuse them of! — With that, Megumin decided to interfere, giving me a slight smile. As the defendant, I can't speak unless spoken to, so I decided to see what happens next.
— Yeah, what's your proofs?! — Aqua added, standing up from her chair.
— You want proofs? Alright. First! Although he defeated Dullahan, he endangered local wildlife with how he carelessly used his summon to cause earthquakes and wake up all the frogs with those thunderbolts we could hear from the capital! Second! Usage of Explosion magic in the city vicinity not only changed the terrain, but also endangered ecosystem, while also not giving people ability to sleep peacefully at night! And third and most important, both of you confirmed in the interrogation room that you know of Demon Lord generals and are somehow related to them! Do you need any more proofs?! — Sena kept talking and talking, and, with a sigh, I leaned on the podium, finding it amusing how she fully ignoredEVERYTHINGI had told her before I said I know of a General.
— Alright, that's enough. We already got proof they are related to Demon Lord army. Just give the verdict. — Alderp yet again decided to speak, driving an amused chuckle from me.
— I am not related to Demon Lord army, not am I a terrorist. — I spoke, with barely any emotions behind my voice, and, since bell didn't rang, everyone went silent.
—Y/n! Thanks for the idea! — Kazuma said, turning to the bell and taking in more air in his lungs. —I am not related to Demon Lord army, nor am I a terrorist!
Silence fell upon the court, and, as Sena looked at us, with unbelieving gaze, she looked at the judge.
— Y-your honor! What do we do?
— Since your evidence is disproved now, we can't hold them accountable for something they didn't do. — Judge said, and I smiled, seeing some justice in this system. I was wrong, after all. — Thus, Kazuma Sato and Y/n L/n are proven not-
— No, your honor. — Alderp said, stopping the judge from making a decision. My patience was running out, but I wanted to see what he has to say. — What is that that you are trying to do?
Judge looked conflicted, because, it seems, his entire family will be in danger if he doesn't do as this noble says him to. I take my words back, this justice system is rotten.
— Hey, you can't do that! — Kazuma protested, looking at Alderp with disbelief.
— You're just an adventurer.
— ...The defendants..are guilty...Their sentence...isdeath.
Before the judge hit his mallet, I walked forward, with a confused gaze of everyone present, with my hands behind my back, and an aura of dread following each of my steps.
—I will kill. I will let live. I will harm and I will heal. None shall escape my grasp.— Reciting first few sentenses from Kyrie Eleison, I looked into the sky, and held my hands in prayer. —Eris-sama, grant me some of your divinity, even if not for long.— Now, with me saying that, everyone was in shock, with Chris being the one to scream in confusion first, with everyone else following, as divine light covered my body. I could feel it. The divine energy, which Aqua used to revive Kazuma. Eris heard me, and Eris supports me. —This justice system is built on corruption, and even if the judge is fair, people like you, Lord Fat Bacon, exist to ruin it even more. I shall be the one to pass judgement on you, based on the word of Goddess Eris-sama herself.
Holding one hand in front of the other, I smiled, looking directly at Alderp, who was visibly shook by my actions.
— Out of all the users of Ten Shadows Technique, there exists 10 shadows a summoner can get. Out of those, exists one that none other user from generations upon generations could defeat. Up until now, it was a wild card, used only as a self sacrifice tool to die with your enemy, but, just recently, I became the first one in history to subjugate it. Now, let me show you, who will be the one to judge you for your sins.Shadows deep, ancient and prime. In sacred light, they intertwine. With treasures ten, I summon. Eight Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General...Mahoraga. — Out of my own shadow, with the addition of Divine energy from Eris, my shikigami, which was much more magnificent than ever...was truly Divine General.
Everyone present, who could feel it's might, with the addition of Divine light covering it, could not help but kneel in front of it. Aside from those who were already sitting, or Aqua, who was a divine being.
— Lord Alderp, your sins against the people of this kingdom are clear as day. As the one who felt injustice from your hands, and the one who got in favor of Goddess Eris-sama, I shall be the one to decide your fate. — Concentrating on the Divine energy lent to me by Eris, I looked into his soul, and saw a large tint of black all over it. Given I don't know the context, nor do I want to find it out now, I have decided what to do. —Corruption, false accusation, manipulation of government officials. For your crimes, your left hand will forever be severed from you.— With a swift motion, Mahoraga, from a huge distance away, swing the sword of extermination, severing his left arm from his shoulder, making sure it can't be healed by damaging his soul in the process. With divine energy, it was a piece of cake.
Walking forward a bit more, I jumped into the air, and, using the ability I learned a few days ago when training, which is, hovering in the air by using Nue's ability to fly, I started hovering in the air, radiating divine light from my body.
—Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one.— Descending back from the sky, I felt divine energy leaving my body, which meant Eris saw enough, and thus, was satisfied. — "Although...why is Mahoraga still radiating it?"
The wheel of Dharma on it's head spun twice in a row...and it became clear what happened. Eris did take the divine energy from Mahoraga, but it just adapted to the fact it was taken away, and simply adapted to have it again. Wow. Just...wow. I'm sorry, Eris, it seems Mahoraga will stay Divine General forever.
***
Chris: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
Mahoraga: *Wheel spin*
***
—U-uhm, with the display Y/n-san showed us just now, I declare him and Sato Kazuma not guilty. Thank you for attending, I shall go to fulfill my obligations! — With that, the judge ran away, and Alderp was taken away the moment I made Mahoraga retreat, so now, with our name cleared and the actual criminal punished, the justice was prevailing.
— Now, with that sh*t show over, how about we go do our own things? — I said with a smile, giving Kazuma a thumb up.
—You still have to explain what the hell was that!— He accused me, pointing his finger at me, and I gave him a little smile.
— Maybe later. I feel like doing something enjoyable after this case. — Shaking my head, I sighed, and walked to Chris, who stood still, waiting for me to finish whatever I was doing. — Shall we go, Chris? — She had a conflicted look on her face, but she nodded, nonetheless, holding my hand, as we walked further into the Axel streets, until she suddenly stopped in the middle of an alley.
— Y/n...I have to confess something to you.
I think my heart has skipped a beat.
Bless this wonderful world.
Chapter 11
Chapter Text
— Y/n...I have to confess something to you. — Chris, who held my hand tightly, looked at me, with her beautiful purple eyes looking into my own. Her face was showing a pinkish blush, which almost reached up to her ears, and, as I tilted my head slightly, I gave her a smile.
— Is there something bothering you, Chris? — I leaned closer to her, staring her in the eyes, which made her blush even deeper, but she didn't move away from me. She was nervous to say whatever she wanted to tell me, but I was patiently waiting, given that she probably had to gather enough courage to speak up.
— I wanted to tell you that... — And, as she was about to tell something, the universe decided to screw me over, that being Luna, who saw me on the street after the trial ended, getting closer to announce something.
— Am I interrupting something? — She meekly asked, given how close I was to Chris, and how red she became when we were spotted. She held a pile of documents in her hands, as if eager to give them to me.
— Kind of. — I instantly replied, but, as I was about to turn back to Chris, she sighed, shaking her head.
— It's nothing. Maybe I'll tell you later. — She stuck out her tongue in a teasing manner, closing her left eye to look at me. We still held hands, so she would not be able to escape, because it has already been a lot of time, and I want to finally hang out with her.
— Fine. Jeez, you little tease. — Chuckling at her response, we approached Luna, who smiled at our interaction, now holding out the documents for me.
— Everything regarding the legal matters was established. You mansion has been finished, and here is your ownership documents. You can get the key when you arrive, you will find it with no problem. — She said, and, lightly bowing, looked at Chris. — You're lucky, Chris-san, to have such a wonderful partner. — Just as she said that, Chris covered her face with her free hand, as if trying to escape from embarrassment.
— W-we're not that close! We're not a couple! — She dismissed, but I grinned, eager to tease her just she did tease me.
— Not a couple "yet", my dear. — Holding her arm higher, I spun her around, and grabbed her other hand, making her face me, holding her back while leaning her lightly to the ground, as if I was dancing salsa with her. — You're not going to back down on your promise, are you? — Luna, who observed the scene, had a slight tint of red on her face from embarrassment, but she held a stoic fade expression, and, as I let Chris stand up again, I took all the documents from Luna, placing them in my shadow to review later. — Thanks Luna, you helped me a lot.
— This is the least I can do after what you did for the city an the guild as a whole. — She smiled back, and bowed again, waving her hand. — I shall leave you to your matters. Have a good evening. — She winked at me, with a hint of a teasing smile, and left us to ourselves. Chris, who was as red as a tomato, looked me in the eyes, and, as I raised her arm, I pulled her closer to me, putting my hand on her back.
— Shall we go? I know a few places we can visit. Or would you like a dungeon raid date? — Asking her the question I wanted to ask for a while, I received a sigh in response, and, as she smiled back at me, she giggled in response.
— I prefer adrenaline rush over walks more than anything, really. — She freed herself from my grasp, and, holding my hand, started running in the direction of a city gate. — I know some dungeons we can check out. Come on, follow me! — Smiling at her childish behavior, I giggled, and picked up my pace, running with her, because today, will be my date with Chris.
***
Chris: Kono!
Y/n: Suba!
***
We were already far enough from the city, several hours away from it, actually, and, given that we ran so long, it was natural Chris had to take a break. I could run and run as long as I wanted, but she's a different case from mine, so, as we made a camp in the forest we ran through, we decided to eat something.
— I got the sticks from the forest and some herbs with me. — Chris came back from her trip to get us fuel for the campfire, and, as she brought them, I put them in the center of the rocks I set to limit the spread of fire, with a few branches set as a way to hold the pot, and, holding my index finger, sent a wave of Cursed Energy to it, igniting a small flame on the tip, holding it to the sticks until they lit up.
— That shall do it. I got some wood ready, and I got plenty of meat with me. — Taking out the ingredients for our food, and adding the water to the pot, I started the preparation of the said Ingridients. Potatoes, onions, a bit of barlic for the taste, salt, herbs that Chris gathered in the forest, some toad meat I was going to roast on the sticks, and, of course, some delicious fish I had bought on the market. While I'm not the fan of fish, I tolerate some types, like salmon, pike, redfish and a few other types I can't name because I forgot. I especially like sushi, because man, those are delicious if made correctly.
Chris helped me with chopping the vegetables, and, while she was finishing with potatoes, I was already halfway through roasting the toad meat above the fire, waiting for water to boil. It was getting late, with the sun setting lower and lower beyond the horizon, so I was sure that, when the night fully comes, we will already be finished with the dungeon, no matter what awaits us here.
— Say, Chris, what is that you dream about? Your goal, ambitions? Is there anything you would like to do if you get the chance to? — I decided to ask, given that I didn't knew much about Chris, aside from a few things we talked about before. I don't know why she became adventurer, what goals does she have, which dreams does she pursue, what is her favorite food and so on. She stopped in whatever she was doing, looking into the sky, as if looking for an answer.
— I'm...already doing something I enjoy, so I don't really dream of anything else...but...I do wish to go shopping with friends, visit fancy restaurants, buy a lot of clothes...I like to have fun, feel the thrill of a good battle, and I...often donate money to the Eris church to help those in need. My...friend...told me a lot of stories aboutPhantom Thief, and I decided to become just like them. — With a faint smile on her face, she kept telling me about herself, and, looking at her, being at peace with her own self, I couldn't stop appreciating her beauty.
Her eyes, like two precious gems, shone with a faint light, her thin lips, pressed together in a smile, so captivating and beautiful, her modest chest that rose with each breath she took, her well toned legs, clearly being used to running a lot...everything about her was perfect. Looking her in the eyes, I smiled, turning around to keep an eyes on the meat.
— I'm not far ahead of you in that regard. I don't have much goals, given I already achieved one of them, and I wish to defeat Demon Lord for good. I like the feeling of adrenaline coursing through my veins, the feeling of ecstasy when I win a hard fought battle, the feeling of landing a good attack, and so on. I like eating without a need to concern myself over gaining any weight, enjoy a good piece of meat any time of the day, sweets, something cold to drink and many more. I like teasing people once in a while, cracking jokes, take care of those I adore, and, of course, I desire to protect those who I care about. — Taking a stick with toad meat away from the fire, and placing it atop of a wooden bowl we got for ourselves, I turned around to face Chris, who was looking at my face, as if eating me with her gaze. We sat in silence for a few more seconds, before she shattered the silence between us once again.
— I...saw you often coming to Eris church, and I saw a glimpse of the pendant used by her believers on your neck before. — She admitted, playing with a strand of her hair, averting her gaze. — Why did you decided to join it? What is that you found in Eris that encourages you to come every day to pray?
— ... — I looked into the sky, observing the stars that began to slowly lit up on this cloudless night, and thought about her question. What is it that I adore about Eris? What is it that makes me appreciate every second I remember her? It was simple, really. — Eris-sama gave me a chance to achieve a dream of mine, to reach the full potential of the ability that was wasted by others. Her kindness, her beauty, gentle nature, captivating eyes...when I saw her, I knew for sure, that she's worth following. I was not a religious person before, maybe a few festivals or occasions could make me pray to someone, but Eris-sama is different. Everything I saw from her makes me feel better, and my daily prayers are just a way to thank her for what she's done for me so far. — I could feel Chris looking at me, but, as I kept looking into the sky, she moved closer, sitting by my side, as we both looked at the stars.
— I see. You have a kind heart, you know that? — She asked, placing her palm on my own, with none of us looking at each other in that moment.
— I do hear that once in a year. I do bet that you get a lot of compliments, though,Ms. Hot Legs. — I gave her a teasing smile, and, as she turned to face me, her face was red from embarrassment, and she was pouting at me, as if offended. — You do have a beautiful legs, you know? They're slim, but well toned, smooth, but you can see the outline of muscles. They're just perfect. — My words did make her stop pouting, but her embarrassment was still clear as day. She's probably not used to receiving such compliments, and I'm glad they made her happy, in a way.
— I...did get some compliments, but most of them were from girls that mistook me for a boy and asked me out on a date... — She admitted, and this made me smile wider, given that reason why did this happen was simple. Chris has this superior "tomboy" energy, and the only thing that may give out her gender aside from her hips, legs and face, are her chest that, while small, still shows a little because of her clothes.
I decided not to tell that outloud, given she might actually get mad at me for that, so I just sat there, appreciating the night in the woods, with the water that started to boil. It was time to make some food, eat and then move out. After all, the dungeon won't conquer itself.
***
— Remind me, why did you put this weird wheel above your head? — Chris, pointing at the wheel of Dharma above my head, decided to ask a simple question.
You see, there are two ways to summon Mahoraga. One is by just summoning it, the second one is by saying the chant, and taking the wheel itself from my shadow to put it above my head like a halo. This way, not only will I make my Big Raga stronger, but will be able to summon it in an instant even without a chant later. Even if Mahoraga is not out, as long as I have wheel equipped, it adapts to attacks I receive, which is pretty overpowered, considering that anyone with a brain will try to take Mahoraga first, due to it being more dangerous than I am in the long run. I'm way harder target to kill than my shikigami, because most of them can't heal or move as fast as I can, and this gives me an edge in a battle where odds are not in my favor. As long as Mahoraga gets adapted to my enemy attacks, there will be no problem afterwards.
— This is a failsafe in case something suddenly goes wrong, don't worry about it. I doubt there will be anything even relatively strong, and even if something shows up...good luck to them. Nothing goes past me and you. — I did take a look at her adventurer card before we entered the dungeon itself. As expected, she's a thief, who has many useful skill for dungeon raids.Lurk, enemy detection, trap detection, treasure detection, bind, steal, lockpickingand so on. Her stats are also pretty high, but her Luck stat glitches when I try to inspect it. I can't find reason for that, but maybe, just maybe, her luck is so high that it can't properly indicate it. It's like Fate Servants having EX stat, which can either be for Phantasms that are so powerful they can't be properly ranked, or for something that just normally is not possible, like Sherlock Holmes being able to discover any truth, even the world's, which places it in such category. Aside from that, the only problem is us being unable to see in complete darkness of the dungeon, given that none of us have night vision, and we can't exactly light up a torch, given it might invite enemies in our direction. While it's thrilling to fight something, fighting in a tight area of dungeon halls is not the most pleasant of experiences.
The only reason we are still moving forward in almost complete darkness is Blitz. His clones, who were sitting on my and Chris heads, coordinated our movement by slightly thumping their legs to warn us of anything ahead or tugging on our hair to redirect us in other direction. It kind of reminded me how Remy was tugging on the hair of that one chef to cook 5 star dishes in his stead. I didn't dare to send any more of them ahead, given they might accidentally trigger some traps, but it was already enough.
As we were moving forward, avoiding one trap after another, we arrived to the room that was slightly lit up by glowing moss on the wall throughout the hall. The roof was supported by four massive pillars, with two rock statues of a thinker, which were holding a sphere in their hand. Between them, there was a massive double door, which had a text carved on it's surface.
— "Abandon hope all ye who enters here"? — I read the text, given that it was written in Japanese and not this world's language, so I thought that Chris can't read it. This room reminded me of something, but...I can't put my finger on it.
— Huh? Is that what it says? — Chris said, looking at the door, as if confused. Massive doors were several times larger than we are, and pushing them open is probably impossible, unless I summon Goliath to do so, but, as we approached to look for something, Chris grabbed my shoulder, jumping back and grabbing her dagger from her waist, and, as she armed herself, I grabbed Playful Cloud, looking at her. — Myenemy detectionwent off. Those statues are alive. — Just as she said that, two statues started moving, slowly breaking out from their sitting position, before standing upright to look at us. They had no face, no weapon, but they had a sphere made of solid stone in their hands, and they would gladly share it with us.
— Move! — I dashed to the side, which prompted Chris to do so as well, moving out of the way from the attack that was sent in our direction. Upon touching the ground, spheres shattered into tens of sharp rocks that flew in each and every direction, making it harder to dodge. —I knew he had a sphere in his hands, but I did not expect him to dunk that sh*t!— I said, running on the wall to quickly cover the distance between me and the statue, which, upon noticing me move closer to it, charged in my direction, trying to squash me like a bug on the wall. I quickly jumped higher, sticking myself to the ceiling, preparing to dive.
— They're moving fast for golems made of solid stone! — Chris commented on our situation, and, as she got closer to her statue, I pushed myself off of the ceiling, and, avoiding the narrow uppercut sent in my way, hit it's head with Plaful Cloud, shattering half of it in a single strike. Chris, upon noticing my performance, smiled wider, and gripped her dagger tightly, jumping at the statue, maneuvering between it's rapid punches, getting closer and closer to it's face. — Eat this! — Slashing it's face with all her might, she managed to made a deep cut wound, which, for some unknown reason, started bleeding. Looking at the statue I just attacked myself, I also saw blood that started coming out of it's wound, and it clicked why.
— Those are artificial golems! There has to be a core somewhere in their body! If they bleed, then something has to pump this blood! — I quickly analyzed the situation, and, jumping away, using it's hand as a jumping point, made my way to the other side of the room to prepare for another attack. It's harder to fight it because it's so big, but it's slower than I am, so it makes it no problem to maneuver between them.
— Got it! — Upon hearing me, Chris used rope from her bag to wrap it on statue's hand, swinging herself upwards, closer to it's chest. She pushed herself away from it's torso, and, using the momentum given to her when she started pulling the rope, hit it's chest with her legs. — It's there, I can feel it's pulse! Hit it in the right lung! — When I heard that, I gave her a toothy grin, bending my knees to jump forward. Chris released her rope, tugging it right back, and kept her distance to give me a room for maneuver so I don't accidentally hurt her. As the statue I attacked before raised it's foot to create a shockwave by stomping the ground, I jumped forward, aiming my weapon at it's right lung, before my vision flared, and I saw the core of this golem.
When Eris-sama granted me her divinity, I was able to see the soul of everyone I looked at. Even with this divinity gone, I retained this ability, which is, while pretty rare, is not something impossible to have in Jujutsu World. Toji, Mahito, Yuji, Gojo, Sukuna and Maki could observe the shape of their or other people's soul, and when I first saw the soul of other people, I realized how it's done. While I don't see the souls all the time, when I really concentrate on it, I can clearly see it. This golem had a soul, animalistic, but still a soul. It's only reason to live is to protect this door, and so, I had no reason to spare it.
— Get dunked on! — With an eardrum shattering strike, I hit the core of the golem, which, upon getting damaged, exploded the insides of the golem by splattering the blood coursing through it's body in every direction, while also painting the other statue, that was still alive, red with the blood of it's fallen comrade.
Landing on the ground, and looking at the second statue, I saw it freeze for a moment, before raising it's hands in the air, and hitting the ground so hard it created a shockwave huge enough to send me and Chris in the air slightly, which stung a little, given we both were still on the ground. With an imitation of rage over seeing it's comrade dying in a battle, the statue, which was seeking for vengeance, tore a piece of the pillar it was standing beside, launching it in our direction.
I got out of the way, with Chris following me close behind, and we both jumped in the air, as the statue stomped it's leg on the ground to prevent us from running away. Seeing us in the air, it saw a chance to attack us, and charged head on, about to hit us with outstretched elbow. Grabbing Chris, and tossing her aside so she could avoid getting hit, I blocked the punch, which sent me flying in the opposite direction. Upon hitting the wall and making it shatter it the process, I quickly got out, avoiding barrage of punches sent by the statue which kept pursuing me, as the killer of his comrade.
*CLANG*
The wheel of Dharma spun once, and, as the statue was stunned by the sudden sound that resonated through the room, I grinned, and slammed it's hand aside, running along it's second hand before I got close to it's face.
— That's right, seethe in anger! — As the statue got back to it's senses, imitating the scream of rage yet again, I narrowly avoided it's headbutt, and hit it in the neck, with the strength of my hit making it's knees bend. The statue started falling face flat to the ground, and, as I got away from sudden counterattack with it's leg, Chris overtook me, and dove down from the ceiling, stabbing her dagger into statue's back, with blood splattering all over her face. The rumbling of the rocks it was made of became louder, and, with the core damage, it's functionality was no longer stable. Chris, jumping away from the statue that was about to blow up, observed with a feral smile how, in the next second, the blood splattered all across the room, with some droplets getting to us, painting our clothes with red dots all over. — Liberated. — With a grin, we both jumped down, looking over the remains of the statue, seeing nothing of worth from them. Their core was the only valuable thing for experiments, but it was hard to extract it without breaking them apart.
— Liberated? — Chris asked, tilting her head in confusion. Ah, that's right, she doesn't know of my party yet.
— That's what I started to say after defeating my enemies. I finally got my first party member, she's from the Crimson Demons, and I decided to name the party "Helldivers". — Upon hearing that I got a party, Chris perked up, although I could see some disappointment in her facial expression. — Are you jealous you're not the first to enter my party? — I teased her, wiping the blood from her face with a handkerchief.
— I-I'm not jealous! — She shouted, while remaining still for me to help her clean the blood. — I'm just surprised it took you so long to find a party member.
—Oh, I'm sorry that people are actually scared of my company, I'll try to consider that in the near future.— I slightly mused, messing with her hair for a bit. — How about you change your mind and join us? We could do so much together, don't you think? — Pointing at the dead statues, I smiled wider. — We already are a good team. Look how cooperated we were during this fight.
— ...I'll think about it... — She pouted, and, as we turned around, the room shook, with the door to the next room opening with the screeching of the stone rubbing against stone. Slowly, It fully opened, showing us a staircase leading deep down.
We looked at each other, and, with two clones of Blitz jumping out of my shadow, we started moving forward. The staircase was darker than other rooms, but, as we went far enough, torches, that were set along the walls, started lighting up one by one, prompting us to get ready for anything, with Blitz clones returning back to my shadow once we got some visibility.
Yet another room was seen ahead of us, and, as we stopped in front of the open door which was inviting us to enter, we turned to each other, raising our fists for a fistbump.
— Whatever is hiding here has to be a boss. — I said, taking out the sword, observing how Chris took a second dagger in her hand.
— Thanks for pointing out,Mr. Obvious.— She said with a teasing smile, walking into the room first, with me following close behind. As soon as we were past the door, it immediately closed, getting locked by a huge slab that fell from the ceiling.
— Well well well...What do we have here? Invaders, perhaps? — A voice from deep within the room inquired, coming from behind the glass panel that was above us. A man in a robe, which was colored dark blue with yellow stripes on it watched as we came closer to the center of the room, slowly reaching for the staff that stood beside him.
— Liberators, if you may. — I said, holding my sword near my hip. — Are you a dungeon master, a guy who decided to mess with golems or...perhaps...someone in need of Managed Democracy? — As I kept coming closer, with the intent to charge at him if he keeps being silent, he fully grabbed his staff, pointing it at the ceiling.
— Whatever you decide to call me doesn't matter. — The ceiling shook, revealing a new type of golem that dropped down a fair distance away from us. He held a sword, and he was, presumably, made from metal. Iron or maybe iron alloy, I'm not the best when it comes to identifying materials from a single glance. The golem has a skeleton features, like a skull head, but it mostly consists of a humanoid parts, that being legs, arms and torso. Aside from the sword, it has a shield in it's second arm, but, given it's relatively small size, it shouldn't pose much of a problem for me or Chris. — What matters, is that you overstepped your boundaries by coming to my workshop. I'm tired of people like you, coming here and trying to take something that belongs to me. So, be so kind and just die!
— We shall see who will die right now. Chris, I'll take the Golem, go ahead and deal with this nuisance. — Nodding to Chris, who nodded to me as well, I rushed ahead to the golem, and she rushed to catch the guy, who, upon seeing Chris running to him, decided to use secret Joestar technique called "Nigerundayo!".
As me and golem clashed swords, it was instantly seen who has an upper hand. I had much higher physical stats, which prompted me to use it to my advantage, and push golem backwards, swinging my sword downwards to hit it.
Suddenly, it's small shield glowed green, growing in size until it was akin to a riot shield, while he still held onto a sword with his second arm. He swung at me, attempting to hit me in the arm, until I parried his attempt to damage me, slicing off his own arm in the process. Losing his arm and a sword, golem held tightly onto the shield, blocking my kick, which still opened him for the next attack.
His arm, which was sliced of, grew in an instant, and he grabbed my sword while I swung at him, attempting to overpower me, until it was proven futile, and I sent him flying with a heavy kick to the chest.
— Making a mother of all omelets here, Golem. Can't fret over every egg. — Reaching the fallen golem in an instant, I grabbed him by the neck, lifted it in the air, and, as it struggled to get out of my grip, I pierced it's gut, which contained the core that I instantly destroyed.
While this golem is made to fight smaller enemies, it felt...lacking. As if unfinished product that was sent to fend me off. With that thought in mind, I rushed to where Chris ran, making my way through long corridor which was in shambles from all the furniture that was flipped and broken. I saw Chris in the end of the hall, slashing her daggers at the guy that ran away from us, destroying his staff that he tightly held in his hands. Spider like golems, which tried to reach Chris, fell from the ceiling, as if puppets whose strings were cut off, unable to move anymore.
— Damn you! — Golem master, who lost control over his own golems, grabbed Chris's outstretched arm, attempting to hit her in the face, before he was flung into the wall from the force of my dropkick into his back.
— Thanks for assistance, but I was fine. — Chris said, nodding to me with a little smile, wiping her dagger from blood. Now that I looked closer, I saw various cuts all across his body, which were heavily bleeding. He started coughing, quickly losing blood, and, as we came closer, he raised his eyes to look at us.
— Looks like it's not your day, bud. — Pointing the tip of my sword to his face, and smiling, I let him know he won't come out of here alive. — Pray tell me, why did you take this dungeon, decorated it and made it your workshop to create golems? You know that overtaking the dungeon, no matter your occupation, is punishable by death by royal prosecutors?
— Kha... — Coughing blood from his mouth, and looking me in the eyes, he gritted his teeth. — Those bastards overtook my workshop before. This bitch, Sena, kicked me out of my own house, because of those darn "illegal experiments". Just because I used dead adventurers heart as a core to make my golems to gain the skill they had in life doesn't mean I have to be kicked out from what's truly mine!
— Well, all adventures have to end. Tell me your name. I would feel a bit better knowing the name of someone I have to send to Eris-sama with my own hands.
— ...That should do it... — He chuckled, with his gaze becoming more hazy by the second. — I don't have a name. Just call me "That should do it", it was my motto my entire life, as rotten as it was. — With his shaking hands, he took off his hood, revealing red hair, which was messed up from the blood he had on his hands, and, as I took a look at his face, I gave him a little smile.
—You may think this was your unluckiest day, that just for this moment, you got 18 carats of bad luck...— Hiding my sword in the shadow, I clasped my palms, aiming at his face. —But the truth is...the game was rigged from the start.
With a swift movement of my cursed energy, Piercing Water hit his head, immediately ending his life. He shouldn't have felt any pain, but deep down in my stomach, I felt disgusted. By his confession of using other people hearts to craft his golems, and by myself, for finally crossing the line normal people would never cross. Killing monsters, robots and golems, are not the same as killing a human. I was already used to blood, gore and the smell of iron in the air, but it still felt wrong to kill him. It was deserved, and he would've been killed either way, but even so...
— Are you alright? — Chris placed her hand on my shoulder, seeing my expression that indicated I was deep in thoughts, and, as I forego any other thoughts from my mind, I shook my head, giving her a faint smile.
— It's alright. Thanks for being there. — With a sigh, I looked at the remains of the golem master, and lit a fire on top of my palms. — He doesn't deserve proper burial, but, even so, I shall give him at least something. — Coming closer, and putting my hand on top of his head, I let the fire burn, until it covered his entire body, slowly burning it to ashes. — May your souls be cleansed by the flame. Return to ashes, and pray for a better next life. — Turning around, and giving his burning body a last glance, me and Chris walked away, taking the same way we entered to exit the dungeon that we, successfully, defeated.
***
— This is...something. — Chris commented, given that none of us expected to see what we saw today. Even though we expected to meet enemies, maybe undead, kobolds, goblins or anything else, but not what we did. Although it was not the only reason she said that. I decided to do something very crazy this time, so, with Nue:Totality summoned, and me with Chris sitting on it's back, we were just a bit away from the city.
I had to impress her, and the best way to do so, is not only by showing my shikigami, but also the way to use them. With my adventurer card in hands, and a huge smile on my face, I picked the new skill from my skill list, which was called "Multi Summon".
What it does, in essence, is very simple. It allows me to summon my shikigami several times, but not in a way you would expect. If I summon any Totality version, I won't be able to summon shikigami it was made from separately. For example, Nue + Orochi is Nue:Totality that we are currently flying on, but I can't summon Nue or Orochi because they're already in use.
Learning this skill will allow me to summon as many totalities as I need, and I would still be able to summon my base shikigami, although in a single exemplar. I can create Agito, Nue:Totality, and, if I want to, I can even make "Well's Unknown Abyss " which Megumi relied on from time to time.
Pressing the "Learn" button, I grinned, feeling my reserves jumping higher in capacity, as well as the knowledge of my skills updating. With Multi summon learned, I could now do something I couldn't try before.
— It's time to Helldive, Chris. — I came closer, putting a hand on her shoulder, making her look at me in confusion.
— What do you mean? Should I worry about it being dangerous? — She asked, unsurprisingly frightened by the possibility to jump from so high without any backup, but I just smiled, and summoned Blitz clones, which, upon materializing, clung to Chris in a huge fluffy ball that protects her from outside damage, and, getting ready to dive myself, summoned a merged shikigami I didn't had the need to use before.
—Well's Unknown Abyss. — A combination of Nue and Gamamaru, which has small wings on it's back, and a smaller body size, while still remaining mobile enough with enough strength to lift several people at once, which was more than enough for what I was going to do. On top of that, Well's Unknown Abyss can be summoned as many times as needed, because the only limit is how hard you can ball, or how large your reserves are, his clones are still as formidable as he is. — Gamamaru, sit on top of Blitz's clones, and start slowing down the fall when you will get closer to the ground. Make sure Chris is safe. — Croaking, Gamamaru and three more of his clones did as instructed, and, with Chris saying something from inside the fluffy ball, I slightly pushed it off from Nue's back, and it started to fall with increasing speed.
Smiling, and covering myself in a fluffy ball as well, I pushed myself off of the edge, and, with Gamamaru and his clones sitting on top of this improvised capsule, I initiated my own helldive.
—For Democracy.
Residents of Axel, who looked up in the sky, saw two objects falling from Nue, who still remained high in the air, even as we initiated our helldive. With the speed we were going on, the outside layer of the "Hellpod" started heating and producing a trail behind it, but, gladly, Blitz's clones couldn't feel anything. They are made for purpose of dying, and using them as a shield is the most optimal choice, even if cruel. They are able to withstand our fall just fine, so even when slowly burning from the heat produced by us falling through the atmosphere, they still held tight, protecting us from what they were experiencing for themselves.
Once we started approaching the ground, Gamamaru and his clones spread their Wings, instantly slowing our fall to the minimal value. Before we hit the ground, however, the top of the "Hellpod" opened, with Blitz clones moving out of the way, and, as Gamamaru wrapped his tongue around our waist, he raised us from the "Hellpod", launching us slightly into the air, which prompted both me and Chris, who, while being in shock about what was happening, to land safely beside me.
— ... — Chris was still in shock from such sudden way of getting back to the ground, and she was shaking, albeit weakly, but I could see excitement in her eyes. It seems that diving in the center of any encounter will be our new method of arrival. Perfect. — Don't do this without warning ever again. I thought my heart will give out when you pushed me down. — She pouted, lightly hitting my chest with her fists, more out of obligation to complain instead of actually wanting to scold me.
— Alright, alright, I'll warn you next time. — I raised my hands in a surrender gesture, smiling at her antics. She was as cute as always. — Let's go, I will buy us something nice to eat. — With her following me, I made my way go the guild, opening the door to see the normal picture I observed every single day. Drunkards, dances, songs and bets on who can drink more. Kazuma was, of course, a part of that, given that he was still celebrating our victory in court. He, Aqua and other adventurers were having lots of fun, but I was not in the mood for drinking, so I led us to the table in the corner to eat in peace.
I'd say that it was a nice evening meal, given that all we did was chat about what we had done on our date. Kind of hard to call it that, but oh well, I take what I can get.
***
— I told you to stop, didn't I? — Slowly rubbing her back, as she puked in the alleyway, I kept my smile on, with the intent to tease her a little. Chris, despite my many warnings, didn't stop drinking. Her alcohol tolerance is not the worst, she can probably outdrink Aqua before falling unconscious, but she doesn't know when to stop.
— I-Ihicguess... — She could barely utter a word with the way her tongue was playing twister with itself, but she managed to reply. It still didn't stop her from puking afterwards, and all I could do is stand there, helping her with what little I could do in this situation. Summoning Miracle in the alley was not the best idea, and my proficiency with using RCT is not enough to cure her, and all I could do was ease her pain from head and stomach ache.
— There, there, take it easy. — After Chris finally was done with puking her guts out, I gave her a flask with water to regain water balance, and, helping her to drink it, I led her to my mansion. Given that I still don't know where she lives, my only decision was to bring her to me, like that one time bringing her to the tavern. After arriving to the part of the city where I bought the land, I witnessed what was, certainly, one of the biggest mansions built in Axel, if not the biggest.
It fully matched the design with the one I drew in schematics, was larger than Kazuma's mansion, and it had a backyard that was big enough for several elephants like Goliath to walk freely. It had a fence made from stone that was 3 meters tall all around the territory, and a few magical lanterns at the entrance to the main gate. Just like Luna told me, finding a key was very easy, it was inside the mail box, chained to the insides with a sigil that opened after I put my hand on it. With the key in hand, I opened the main gate, set Dusk and Dawn to guard the perimeter, along with summoning Dusk in Totality form just in case, and walked inside the mansion itself.
Following the map in my head that I had for this place, I reached the guest bedroom, and, seeing as it was already set with furniture, helped Chris to lay in bed. I didn't cover her with the blanket, given that she was still wearing her normal clothes, and it would be too hot to sleep like that, so, leaving window slightly opened, and setting one of the clones from Well's unknown abyss to guard her from mosquitoes or flies, left her to peacefully sleep.
Looking around the mansion before going to sleep, I analyzed what was done inside. Nothing outside of ordinary things were added, with some decoration choices there and there, but it looked nice. Magical lanterns were off, but, when I clapped my hands three times, they turned on, just like the ones on Wiz's shop. Nice little addition to the interior. Master bedroom, several more bedrooms for other future members of the party, kitchen, bathroom, big and small, storage room, staff bedrooms and so on. Cleaning this entire mansion would be pain to deal with, so hiring maids and possibly a butler would be something I will think of later.
Since it was already late in the night, I decided to finally go to sleep. Master bedroom was huge, with a king sized bed with several pillows, which was to my liking, given that I prefer my bed softer so I can relax. Taking off my Jujutsu uniform, and putting on my pajamas, I let my fatigue take over, falling right into the bed to finally rest.
It was a nice day. Bless this wonderful world.
***
—AAAAHHH! — I woke up from a sudden scream coming from the guest bedroom I put Chris in to sleep. With my mind still hazy from waking up, I rushed out of my own bedroom, opening the door to her room to see what has happened.
— Chris, are you alright? What happened? — Chris, pointing near the window, was looking at Gamamaru's clone, freaking out with a haze in her eyes. It seems she's as much of a morning person as me. We both can't wake up so early to start our day without a cold water in our face. — Chris, it's alright, nothing is out for you. — Coming closer, with my hands raised in front of my chest, I let Gamamaru disappear into the shadow, taking the hands Chris kept pointing at the window into my own. — Look at me, you're safe. We're in my mansion, you just woke up, everything is fine. Take a deep breath, alright?
With a ragged breath, she did her best to wake up and calm down, and, as her sudden fear subsided, she looked me in the eyes, and then looked around the room, trying to understand what happened.
— T-thanks. I think I had a bad dream... — She sighed, and, as she sat on the edge of the bed, she looked in the window. — So, this is your mansion, huh?
— Yeah. You drank too much again, so I took you here. Are you feeling well? — I asked, sitting beside her, with a hand on her back.
— Yes, I'm fine. — She waved her hand, and looked at me. — ... — She kept looking me in the eyes, and I kept waiting for what she had to say. — Do you...remember how I wanted to tell you something after the court?
— I do. You cut yourself when Luna showed up.
—I...want to confess one thing to you...— With a deep breath, she stood up, and walked in front of me, holding her hands together, as in a prayer. —I'm Eris, Y/n. The Goddess Eris.
My brain seems to have short circuited for a minute. The haze over my mind became less noticeable, and, as I looked at her, I noticed the similarities with the one I adore. The thing is...As my eyes wondered lower, to look at her chest, I wondered what was wrong. Chris, upon noticing my gaze, covered her chest with her hands, and turned sideways.
— T-this is just my vessel! I'm still in the same room you met me in for the first time! — It seems I made her flustered with my intense gaze. My eyes wandered to the scar on her cheek, and, as I stood up, walking closer to her, I cupped her cheeks with my palms, looking her in the eyes.
Her cheeks became redder when I stared at her face, but she didn't try to move, instead looking me in the eyes.
I kept looking her in the eyes, until I saw that similar glint in her eyes I saw back in heaven. It was a warm gaze of a person who actually cared for your death. Corners of my lips slowly turned into a smile, and, as I let go of her cheeks, making a step back, I sighed, looking in the window.
— So that's why i couldn't remember who you reminded me of. Possible measure for reincarnated people to not recognize the one who reincarnated them? — I wondered outloud, and, as I sighed yet again, I looked at Eris, who was now holding her hands on her hips, as if scolding me with her gaze. — Tell me, Eris...did you give me your divinity because of your own decision, or because of the binding vow?
— ...I was forced to give it, because binding vow took that as a change in your wish. — She turned her face to the window, with a look of defeat.
— I see. — Walking closer, and hugging her with one hand, I held her chin up to look me in the eyes. — That means, that you didn't have to go on a date with me, yet you still did. — I said with a teasing smile, seeing as she became flustered yet again. Seeing her like this won't get old, she was just so cute.
— I-I needed to keep my disguise for a while longer! You would instantly recognize me if I denied it!
— Yet you still did that on your own volition. And you liked it, after all. — Moving a strand of her hair away from her eyes, I kept smiling. —And I thank you for that.— With that, I released her, and went to the door. — I'll get us something to eat, alright? Let's talk over some breakfast.
— ...Thank you.
***
— I'm lucky none other gods besides Aqua-senpai noticed me giving my divinity to you. I would've been in a lot of trouble if that was the case. — Chris...no, Eris said, as we slowly walked on the empty streets of a morning city of Axel.
— You're the embodiment of luck, of course you got lucky. — I lightly joked, walking into the guild. — So, how about joining the Helldivers?
— I...don't mind it. I had fun yesterday. I do have to work still, but when I have time, I'll join you anytime. — She replied with a smile, and, as I nodded, I noticed Yunyun, sitting in the corner, looking at me and Eris.
—Yunyun, good morning!— Approaching the shy girl, who kept staring at us, I waved my hand to her. — Meet our new party member, Chris. She's a thief. Chris, this is Yunyun, Arch-wizard. Hope you two get along!
— It's nice to meet you, Yunyun. — Eris extended her hand, and, looking over her, Yunyun gave her a shy smile, shaking her hand in return.
— I-it's a pleasure to meet you! I hope we can become friends! — With a beaming smile, Yunyun stood up, lightly bowing to her. — Please take care of me!
— Let's keep each other's back on our missions, alright? — Eris replied, with a little smile on her lips. Yunyun couldn't stop smiling, and, by the shine in her eyes, I could clearly see that she is more than just happy.
— Alright girls, it's time for us to pick a mission. Actually, no, it would be wrong to say we need to pick up the mission, we have to do one of the emergency ones. Due to the recent events with Kazuma and his party, giant toads all around the Axel started waking up earlier than they should, and they damage current ecosystem by eating those they're not supposed to this time of the year. Lower level adventurers already took care of the ones closer to the city walls, but none has ever wandered farther to get those who are big in numbers. While toads prefer single hunter approach, they do gather in packs to gain advantage over unprepared groups or take care of the feeding grounds faster. Our job for today will be to dive right into the most heated zone and defeat them all before they gather enough food to lay eggs. — Thankfully, we didn't need to take the quest personally, because emergency quests do not require you to gain approval as long as you fit level/profession criteria. As we walked out of the city walls, I stopped, looking at the sky shrouded in thunder clouds. They were thick, with barely any light getting through, but there was a reason that only one such cloud was standing among any other. — And when I say we will dive, I mean it literally. Yunyun, I hope you are not scared of heights, based on our flight before?
— E-eh? I-I think I'm not? I'm not sure I understand what are you implying. Are we going to fly on Nue to our destination? — As Chris and Yunyun stopped behind me, I smiled, pointing directly at the cloud that stood out from the mass.
— Yes, and we shall make it double. Regular Nue will help us reach our main transportation method from now on. — Making a handsign, I summoned Nue to assist us. —Nue. — Stepping on it's back, and helping Yunyun and Chris get on, I tugged in it's feathers, and we started ascending. — Chris already saw it, but it will be the first time you will see one of the bunch of summons I possess. Maybe you've heard of it from other adventurers, I know they tend to talk bad about some of my summons, but don't be scared from what you see next, alright? — Seeing as Yunyun nodded, I smiled wider, and, with a final push through the clouds, Nue rose high enough to reach above the clouds, revealing Nue:Totality, that was on standby.
While summoning Nue in Totality form, escapically with a chant, like I did this time, takes half of my reserves, today, it had a mix of other shikigami merged together. Normally, it would only be Orochi and Nue, but this time, it was a combination of Orochi, Nue, Prowler and Miracle. 75% of my reserves was the price I had to pay for such firepower, but, if I summon it beforehand, then I can keep it out as long as I want to, because my energy doesn't stop regenerating after summoning my shikigami.
Now, you might ask, why such combination? My answer is very simple. Nue now has antlers growing on it's head, which, albeit not that huge, were still noticeable on top of it's head, which will help Nue with healing itself in case of any injuries, as well as heal allies that will be sitting on it's back. Seeing as Nue:Totality will be our main transportation method, having the ability to heal there is a must. What does the Prowler add, you want to know? It makes Nue into a Super Destroyer. Nue's belly now possesses a fur that is orange in color, and from there, Nue can fire projectiles made of fire, be it a short bursts of fireballs that can evaporate smaller enemies, large area barrages to take out large groups of enemies, or even an orbital laser if i so wish. Of course, there's always a drawback. Nue can't fire constantly without any delay, because if it heats too much, it will kill itself and everyone sitting on top of it. The more powerful the attack, the more it needs to rest before firing the next attack. It doesn't stop Nue from firing it's thunderbolts, but in contrast to the fire powers it inherited from Prowler, they are a child's play.
Once we approached it, Yunyun's eyes went wide from amazement and shock, and the glowing of her eyes became more evident. It seems she already loves what we will be doing from now on.
— Calling out for two Nue's during combined missions will be harder, so, when we are in a missions where those two are together, we will refer to them asNuefor original, andSESfor Totality, which stands for "Super Earth Starship". SES will provide us with a variety of different attacks from above to help clear out the enemies we are fighting against, be it large horde of small enemies, enemy rangers, or heavy armored units. Any of you can call out for the support, but keep in mind thst SES needs time to help between different types of attacks. I will show you exactly what I mean when we approach the Toads that swarmed the plains, swamp and forest area.
— You want to tell us that we can literally call for a support fire if we can't keep up? — Eris asked, looking at SES as if she saw a miracle. We finally got close, and, as Nue landed, we got off from it's back, walking on top of SES's head to look forward, with clouds making way for us to see what is down below.
— Isn't that...amazing? — Yunyun answered, uncertain, looking down on the swamp terrain that Toads occupied.
— N-no! I mean, yes, yes it's amazing! I just didn't expect us to be...you know...control it to an extend? How will it hear us, anyways? It's so high in the sky that even shouting won't work. — Eris corrected herself, looking at the swamp with a concerned face expression.
— As long as I'm anywhere near you, in, say, 100 meter radius, it will hear you. I have a connection to all of my shikigami, and they hear me from anywhere they are, and they hear what others say this same way.
As I walked to the edge, with SES, aka Nue:Totality hovering over the mud filled terrain, with about 20 to 30 toads in the area, eating anything that is alive, I smiled, and put my hands behind me back, turning to face my party members.
— Now, Helldivers, allow me to demonstrate you... — Spreading my hands, I let them observe what I call...spreading freedom to the enemies you face on your way. —SES "Star of Destruction". Orbital 120mm Hight Explosive Barrage.— Upon hearing the name of the attack I wished it to perform, Nue looked down at the Toads, and, with a few seconds to charge, it started raining hell upon the Toads, who, unsuspecting of the upcoming danger, kept eating whatever they could find.
Fire charges that were sent one after another quickly reached their targets, and, before Toads realized what is happening, at least 7 of them had died in a horrifying picture of gore, blood and heavy ordinance fired upon them. The explosions that occurred shook the ground, sent vibrations through the air, and made everyone in at least 50 meter radius feel not only the heat, pain and temporary/permanent hearing loss, but also made them taste "Freedom" at it's finest. Barrage continued for 15 seconds before Nue started overheating, and so, after the barrage ended, all we could see was just 10 surviving Toads, which were now frantically jumping around, as if still trying to evade whatever was thrown at them. Eris, Yunyun and me had different reactions to seeing such a display, but we had one thing in common.
Awe.
— Time to dive, girls. Hellpods ready. — With a snap of my fingers, Blitz covered all of us in a protective layer, and Well's Unknown Abyss sat on top of the pod, rising in the air to throw the pod from SES.
Yunyun managed to hold her scream, instead being thrilled to feel such a bizzare experience, and Eris, who already experienced her first Hellpod launch, clenched her teeth, holding her daggers tight to prepare for a fight.
Our landing proceeded smoothly, and as we all got out of the Hellpod with various degree of success, all of us now stood in front of a terrain that had many steaming holes from explosions that occurred before. Toads, upon noticing us, forgot all the fear they experienced before, and, moving in our direction, prepared to engage.
— Now then... — With a smirk on my face, a sword in hand, Dusk in Totality form standing by my side, with Eris and Yunyun behind me, I couldn't help but say something that sounds much better in my head instead of being said out loud. —Let's make them taste some Liber-tea!
Chapter 12
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
— Well, that was a nice hunt, don't you think? — After we killed all the toads in our designated area, we arrived back to our SES to get back to city. After all, with a huge size comes huge wings, so traveling on Totality of Nue was faster in a long run, while regular Nue is better for short distances.
— It was a welcomed new experience. With such aerial support, any mission on the surface will be like a walk in a park, don't you think, Yunyun? — Eris asked, standing just beside me, while Yunyun sat herself, hugging her knees to look in the distance.
— Of course. Even though it was scary when some shots landed close to us, it was fun. I never expected I'll experience something like this. — Yunyun smiled, trying to see past the clouds. We were high in the sky, and with a thunder cloud covering SES completely, it was hard to see what was in front of us or even below us.
— We should probably check the surrounding of Axel just in case. I heard Megumin's recent explosion woke up toads living in the plains. — As I said that name, Yunyun suddenly turned to me, with stars in her eyes.
—You said Megumin?!— Eagerness in her voice was a sudden change for me and Eris alike. Yunyun is energetic only when she fights, given that she's shy to the bone, but hearing the name of fellow Crimson Demon she fired up.
— Yeah, I did. Why? You are her friend from the village? — I looked past the clouds, trying to spot any unusual activity from a huge distance, but, sadly, my eyes are not that of a Hawk, so all I could see is blur in the distance.
— W-well, I wouldn't call us friends but...we're rivals. I want to prove that I'm the strongest Crimson Demon in the village, so I often challenge her to duels...but I won only one so far. She's much better in everything I tried to beat her at. Except magic, that is. She only knows Explosion, and she rejects challenges based on magic every single time. — She explained, standing up to stand near me, gazing at the Axel from afar as well.
— I wouldn't blame her. Her explosion is strong enough to blow up a mountain. If it hits you, you're a goner with an 80% chance at minimum. She doesn't want to harm you, that's my guess at least, because well, I got to know her good enough to understand what she's thinking about. — Patting Yunyun, I let out a sigh, turning to Eris. — How about we look for Kazuma's party, in that case? He might have money to live for a while, but he should've picked the emergency quest anyways. A bird chirped me the news of Royal Prosecutor forcing him and the party to take care of the Toads.
— I don't mind. We already got a lot of them, what's a dozen more at this point? — Eris agreed, and so, given that we were rapidly approaching Axel, with the plains clear in our sight, we knew what to do.
— Alright then, we're close enough to drop. Get ready, Helldivers, it's time to dive. — Calling both Blitz and Gamamaru, I encased them into Hellpod, slightly pushing them off of SES, dropping right after them as soon as I saw no problems with the fall. We rapidly approached the ground, and, as I saw a clear enough zone without enemies in sight, we landed without a hitch, jumping out of our Hellpods. — Yunyun, backline, Chris, with me. We will clear the area from any Toads we encounter. If you don't see anything, then make sure everyone around is fine.
— Roger that! — Eris took her daggers, rushing ahead with me, and Yunyun, who was now faster due to her stats rising with her level, did her best to keep up with us, lagging behind due to difference in speed. To make up for it, I summoned Nue, which picked her up on it's back, and now, Yunyun was akin to a pilot ofEagle-1.
— I'll support you from the air! — Holding onto the feathers, and watching from above, Yunyun rose higher in the air to scout the surrounding. — I see 4 toads ahead! There are people, and it seems they're in trouble!
— Alright, charge! — Taking my sword out of the shadow, both me and Chris ran faster, now that we knew that enemies were ahead, and, not even a minute after, saw the toads Yunyun told us about, with Kazuma's party present at the scene. Megumin was inside toads mouth, Aqua was dangling inside, Kazuma was holding a bow, aiming at the Toad, Darkness was fighting against the tongue that wrapped around her...and Sena, who was here, for some reason, joined Megumin and Aqua not long after. 3 toads were immobilized, with one going after Kazuma and Darkness. —Divine Dogs: Totality!— Calling out to Dusk, I ran to save Megumin, Chris took upon herself to help Darkness get out of Toad's grip, and Yunyun, chanting Light of Saber, flew to save Sena with Aqua.
As I approached the Toad holding Megumin, they finally saw our party, rapidly approaching, about to help them out. Kazuma, who got confused, stopped firing his bow, holding the arrow between his fingers, looking at us. I jumped high into the air, and, aiming at toads head, landed just behind Megumin, who was possibly unable to move after using explosion, stabbing my sword into it's head, with Dusk slashing open it's stomach, ripping it's leg with one sweep of his claws to make it lose balance.
Grabbing Megumin by the collar, and seeing her staff in Toad's throat, I took it out, jumping away, seeing as it started falling, dead on the spot. Dusk, who was still busy with the Toad, munching on it's leg, gave me a look, and I nodded at him, giving him a go to eat the whole toad. He deserves some treats.
Yunyun, descending from the sky, aimed her magic attack at Toad's stomach to avoid accidentally damaging Aqua, ripped it's stomach open, cutting it's legs in the process to ease Aqua the troubles of getting out, and, seeing as Sena was trying her best to escape, caught her slimy hand, flying at high speed, then threw her in the air, with Nue catching her by her hands to stop her fall.
—Light of Saber!— Without anyone inside, Yunyun was free to rampage, and, with a swift motion, sliced it's head off with a massive barrage of sword, instantly ending it's life which ended in explosion of the Toad from the inside, flying to the side to drop off Sena, who was screaming her lungs out.
Eris, seeing Darkness in a pitch, trying to break out from Toad's tongue, sped up even more, zooming past me and Dusk with Megumin, delivering a clean slice to cut the tongue holding Darkness. After being freed, Darkness held her sword in her hands, tightening her grip, looking at Eris with a thankfull smile.
— Thank you, Chris, I never would've expected a toad to be that strong. — Running alongside her, Darkness took the role of a bait, directing the attention of a toad on herself, while Chris took a sharp turn to get the Toad from the other side.
— You're welcome, Darkness! Just keep going, one good strike is all I need! — With a bright smile, Eris sharpened her turn, and, jumping forward, impaled her dagger deep into Toad's eye, which dug deep enough to reach the brain, while Darkness deflected the tongue that tried to catch her yet again. Toad, experiencing excruciating pain, croaked in surprise, falling on it's back to endure the pain, because, while her attack reached the brain, it was not enough to kill it on the spot.
Seeing that, she smiled, and, gripping her daggers into the reverse grip, jumped in the air, and, descending like a hawk, hit it in the second eye, hitting her first dagger with the other one, digging it deeper into it's head, until she finally landed a fatal strike that killed the struggling toad. Tearing her dagger from it's head, and shaking off the blood from it, she looked at Darkness, and, with a kind smile, ran up to her, jumping in her arms for a friendly hug.
— Long time no see, Darkness, — Darkness, clearly expecting that, caught her mid air, returning the hug as gently as she could, given her gorilla like strength.
— Indeed it was, Chris. How have you been? I barely heard anything of you as of late. Well, besides the prosecution incident, that is. — It was clear as day that they missed each other, so, seeing that, everyone gave them some space.
As I went to Kazuma, holding Megumin in a princess carry, I looked her in the eyes, slightly cringing from all the Toad slime on her and me after I decided to hold her.
— Megumin, you need a bath. — I joked slightly, knowing it will for sure make her angry, and I didn't miscalculate.
—And that's what you decide to tell me after all this time?!— She puffed her cheeks like a hamster, giving me a cute glare, as I laughed it off. — That's it, I'm going to strangle you! — She reached her weakened hands to my neck, half jokely half seriously trying to strangle me, holding onto my neck as gently and as hard as she could. I pretended to choke, playing it off with her, and, as we finally approached Kazuma, who was dumbfounded from everything that is happening, I looked him in the eyes.
— Yo, Kazuma. — Putting Megumin down for her to rest, and holding my fist for a fistbump, I smiled, seeing as he responded to it, even though I was slightly covered in slime.
— Yo, Y/n. It seems I owe you one now. — Putting the bow on his back, he smiled as well, helping Megumin replenish her mana withDrain Touch,looking at everyone present. Eris and Darkness finished their friendly talk, Yunyun finally landed, walking to us with Nue, Aqua and Sena, and, as everyone gathered together, we went silent, as if examining each other, until Megumin stood up, because she saw someone she knows.
— M-megumin, I finally found you! — Yunyun quickly approached her, holding her hands near her chest, as if relieved she finally found her friend. — Long time no see! Today we can finally continue our rivalry! — Megumin, turning her head to meet Yunyun's eyes, gave her a blank stare.
— Can you introduce yourself, weird stranger that never gave us her name?
"Ouch. Even if it wasn't addressed to me, I still felt the sting." — Seeing such treatment from Megumin to her "rival"(read as "friend"), I understood why Yunyun was so shy to talk to people.
Even thought Yunyun looked embarrassed beyond what's normally possible, she had us nearby, and she got some confidence from being with both me and Eris for a while. She spread her hands immediately, which caught Megumin off guard, as if she expected her to be all shy immediately, and gave her introduction speech.
— My name is Yunyun! An Arch-Wizard and master of advanced magic! She who will one day lead the Crimson Demons! Pleased to meet all of you! — She beamed a smile to Darkness, Aqua and Kazuma, because Megumin already knew of her. They all nodded, giving her a smile in return.
— Pleased to meet you, Yunyun. Thanks for helping us. — Kazuma said, approaching her and extending his hand for a handshake, which she returned, albeit with a slight hesitation. — My name is Kazuma, leader of this disastrous party. I hope we get along in the future.
— My name is Darkness, I'm grateful for your help to save my party member. I'm hoping we will be seeing each other more often. — Darkness approached Yunyun as well, shaking her hand with a gentle smile on her face, letting it go after a few seconds. — It seems you're together with Y/n and Chris. Are you, perhaps, a party now?
— T-that's right! I'm a part Y/n's party since a week ago! I'm glad to meet you all! — She responded with as much enthusiasm as she could, and, seeing such a new side of her "rival", Megumin couldn't believe her eyes.
"She changed so much..." — Was her thought, and, hiding her smile beneath her hat slightly tugged down, she approached, looking her in the eyes.
Yunyun, looking her in the eyes as well, stared, as they kept examining each other, until Yunyun let out a little chuckle, seeing Megumin covered in slime.
— You haven't changed one bit, Megumin. — Yunyun commented, holding a hand near her heart, and, while she made a small talk with Megumin, I was away with Kazuma, with our hands wrapped around our necks.
— Oi, since when did you got not one, but two party members? I thought you will stay a lone wolf forever after you got that huge summon you showed on our trial. — He didn't want to accuse me of anything, but he was curious, slightly jealous and, of course, a bit hurt I didn't tell him of it earlier.
— Yunyun found my poster in the guild a week ago, and after a trial quest, I took her in and we started going on quest raid for a few days to level up. It was before the destroyer got to the city, 3 or so days before that. Then, after the trial, we went on a dungeon raid with Chris, and she accepted my invitation to join my party. I decided to name our party "Helldivers", because our main goal is not only to clear the world from danger of the monsters and live dungeons, but also reach into hell to defeat demon lord. — Pointing in the sky, to where SES was hiding, I waited until Kazuma looked up, only to see a thunder cloud that was thick enough to hide it well. He probably used his foresight skill, because his face paled after his eyes shone with a green hue a bit. — And this is our ship,SES Star of Destruction.
— Don't you think you've gone too far? I mean, having this thing out at all times has it's uses, after I saw what it can do against Verdia, but damn, talk about overpreparation. — He was both terrified and amazed by the news. But, even so, he was showing a happy smile, knowing I began socializing with people other than him. He knew I had close relationship with Chris, him and his party, but given that Kazuma has friends with other adventurers as well, it was no wonder he was awestruck when I told him I got a party.
— Nah, it's fine. Not only can I call in airstrikes at any given moment now, it's our main way of transportation to missions, as well as our point of diving.
— What do you mean diving?
— Have you seen 3 objects falling from the sky at high speed, creating a trail of fire as they approached the ground? Yep, that was us diving into the combat zone. Amazing, right? — I slightly nagged his side with my elbow, giving him a smug smile in response to his wide eyed shock.
— You're nuts, man. Why are you still in the beginners city if you're doing something like that on daily basis? — He questioned, but I knew he didn't mean it in a bad way.
— I want to raise my party's level a bit. I'm above level 50 now, but Yunyun just recently hit level 27, with Chris being level 35. They're way behind my level, so I want to help them get stronger before we go to other places. Plus, something might pop up in Axel while I will be gone, so I personally want to stay a bit longer, maybe until Wiz finds someone to replace my manager role. After all, leaving her to manage things is a guaranteed disaster.
— Yeah, I can see that happening. She's sweet and all, but damn, is she bad at basic math. — He agreed with me, sighing, and removing his hand from my shoulder. — How about we get something to eat in the guild? I'm so damn hungry right now.
— How hungry?
Reader. The horse is here.
***
Take 2.
*Clang*
***
— Sure, I'm down. — Turning around to look at everyone present, I clapped my hands to gather their attention. — Alright, everyone, settle down your rivalry and small talks. Megumin, Yunyun, especially you. I won't let you fight covered in smile, I'll wash you with high pressure water if needed. — Everyone instantly stopped whatever they were doing, and, walking closer to me, waited for what I was going to say. Sena, for some reason, included. — Food and drinks are on me for you today, go nuts and eat as much as you can. Think of this as a gift to a friendly party from a newly formed one. Helldivers, Kazuma's party, move out!
— Hooray!
***
Y/n: Konosuba!
***
— No, you're not drinking any more than that, Chris! — I grabbed the cup of bubbly Eris was drinking, holding it above my head to prevent her from getting any more alcohol to drink after several times she showed me how bad it ends. — Drink some juice for once!
— B-but *hic* it's sh-o-o-o-o good! — Given her current state, even a single drop of alcohol could make her vomit, and I was not about to summon Miracle to help her out, she has to understand that drinking more than you can handle is bad. —J-just a bit *hic* more! — She leaned over the table, reaching both of her arms to me, in an attempt to grab the cup, with her jacket slipping off of her as she progressed forward.
I was about to press my hand against her face, in an attempt to stop her, but the sight I was granted to behold made my brain shut for a few moment, which was enough for a drunk thief to steal something that I was trying to get away from her.
...A fair trade, must I say.
As soon as her hand got a hold of the bubbly, she downed it all in one go, grinning at me like she won a lottery. Her drunk face made her cuter, but more tedious to look after. It's hard to keep track of her after she gets so drunk, so, with a sigh, I picked her jacket, easily lifted her in a bridal carry, and walked out of the guild, going home.
Yunyun was already asleep inside, given that she did fulfill her promise to Megumin, and they actually fought to the point they couldn't anymore, with a clear victor being Yunyun, given her newfound strength. I have never seen her as happy as I did today, because this is her second victory, as well as the first victory she gained without any handicap.
I got sidetracked again, didn't I?
Eris was cute, no matter the state, but while drunk, she shows her true colors she never showed me before. She's clingy in a way, she's embarrassed of her own actions after getting sober, and, of course, she shows her tomboyish side more often this way.
— Sleep tight, Eris. I'm sure you'll have busy days ahead of you. — Tugging her in the bed, after slightly healing her with RCT to make it easier to handle aftereffects of getting drunk, I went out of the mansion to get a breath of fresh air, walking forward without a destination in mind, only stopping twice, first, to put a wheel of Dharma above my head, just because it's cool, and second, to pick up Saitama Jr. from Wiz's show now that I prepared everything for him to live comfortably. — Hey there, Saitama Jr., how have you been?
Before I even got close to him, after waking him up by accident, he jumped at me, excited to see me after a long while since my last shift in Wiz's shop, pinning me down to the ground with his weight, licking my face as if he was a dog excited to see it's owner after several years.
— Easy there, big boy, I'm back. I finally got what was needed for you to move in, now we can be together more often. — Laughing a little, lifting a huge bear cub that managed to mature enough to be half my size already, I sighed in relief, seeing him growing steadily. — You're all big and strong now. How about a night hunt for something tasty, hm? A fish, perhaps?
As I put him down on the ground and we headed toward the city gate, barely manned at this late hour, I watched Saitama Jr. move with the grace of a natural predator. His paws barely made a sound on the frozen ground, his breath visible in the cold air. He had a grace of a being that was born to become strong one day, while also remaining gentle enough to barely produce any sound while moving. His fur got much more thick with time, which was the main reason he didn't care about the temperature, which, at night, was cold enough to freeze a cup of water solid in a matter of minutes. This is the reason adventurers start racking quests in winter season, to get enough money to live in comfort of the warm rooms until winter passed, because if you stay in stables, you will most likely die of hypothermia.
We kept walking further, and I didn't stop until I was out of Axel, walking through the plains where giant toads once lived, with the snow crunching beneath my feet. The closest river was several kilometers ahead of us, closer to Verdia's now truly abandoned castle, and since I wanted to teach my precious companion about the art of hunting, it was the only way we could go.
Once we were far ahead of the city, we started running, looking around from time to time to see if we encounter any other wildlife that was still up at this time of the night. With the moon high in the sky, it was easy to see everything around, so we had no troubles orienting through the terrain. Once we heard the sound of a running river, we changed our direction, running at full speed to reach it. Once we approached the sound, we saw a wide river, deep enough to reach my shoulders, with boulders in the middle which probably fell from a mountain nearby. We carefully navigated our way through the rocks that were leading to the middle of the water stream, and, once we got the best spot, we could easily observe the situation.
— It seems some fish is still trying to reach the ocean. — Seeing as lots of fish were swimming up the water stream, I grinned, walking closer to the water source which was covered in bits of ice that managed to form on top of the running river. Saitama Jr. stood near me, observing the fish with his keen eyes, eager to catch some. — Alright, let me give you an example. — I stood on the edge, and to make it more comfortable for myself, took both of my gloves off so they don't get wet, and, with my hand outstretched, fingers pointed like claws, was ready to catch whatever fish decides to swim near me. The chill in the air made it harder to keep my hands out of warmth of my gloves, the sound of running river made it easier to concentrate, and once the moonlight fell on the fish, they glistened in the water, giving me an easier time to see what I'm going to catch.
As they swam near me, none has suspected they are in danger of being captured, but, as soon as one fish got close enough, my hand lunged down like a snake at it's prey, and, even through it was slippery, I caught a fish with my bare hands, throwing it to Saitama Jr., who caught it without any trouble, instantly devouring the catch I have gotten. It was amusing, and, after I washed my hand in the river, I motioned for him to come closer and try it.
— Come on, big guy, you can do that. — The reason why I decided to teach him how to hunt in the fist place is simple. When wild animals get a taste of human food, they get tempted by it, and start associating humans to a food source, which makes it harder for them to survive. A bear can spend up to 13 hours a day looking for food, and if they don't get any, it will be troubling, to say the least, so, in order to avoid Saitama Jr. getting lazy, expecting everything to come to him without any work, I had to teach him the way nature works. He's now strong enough to hunt on his own, and I'm here only to supervise the process and show him the basics, like bear family does to their cubs.
He's strong enough to take a pack of wolves on his own, but if he's not getting any training in basic combat, then he's just gonna become a prey for other monsters, and I can't let that happen. While I don't expect him to fight on the level of my shikigami, having him on the front lines with me will be one hell of a sight.
As Saitama Jr. neared the river, observing the fish, who's scales were glistening in the moonlight, he readied himself, eager to get his first catch.
One by one, fish swam near him, but he was still waiting for a perfect opportunity to show up, so he has less chance to fail. And then, when the mood shone brighter after getting out from behind the cloud, he saw his moment, and put his head under the water, with bits of blood now covering the top of the river. He has caught what he was looking for. Raising his head from the water, he showed me a fish that was trying it's best to escape his deadly jaws, and, as I smiled, seeing such a big fish as his first ever successful hunt for food, he started chewing on it, devouring everything this fish could offer.
It was a sight to behold, and both of us were happy to be here. I sat on the rock, which was, fortunately, dry, even though it was barely above the water level, giving Saitama Jr. a well deserved headpat.
— Good job. You're all ready now for the most part. From now on, I'll be taking you on some of my quest. We shall raise your level as well. — Cupping his cheeks, and giving him all the love and affection I was unable to provide before, I couldn't stop smiling. This bear cub started his travels with me just barely a few months ago, and he was just small and adorable little cub. Now, he's all big and strong, and even though he has yet to enter the adult stage, he's already tall enough to reach my height if he stands on his rear legs. While he's yet to become strong enough to kill a human in one punch, he's on the way there.
While we were still fishing in the river, with me giving all my attention to my precious companion, I felt...someone's gaze on me.
*Clang*
The Wheel of Dharma suddenly spun with a metallic clang, alerting me to imminent danger. Instincts flaring, I grabbed Saitama Jr. and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding a rain of arrows that pelted the ground where we had been standing. With a swift motion, I took Playful Cloud from my shadow storage. Spinning it rapidly, I deflected the incoming projectiles, breaking some in the process.
From such a sudden attack, I couldn't concentrate on the surrounding for a second, but when I finally did, I had to deflect a bolt from a crossbow, which was ten times heavier than the arrows I had deflected before, which made me take a step back from the force it was launched with. It bent under the force of my hit, and, once I finally found the one who decided to attack us, I leapt forward, hitting the tree our foe was hiding behind, destroying it in a single strike.
— Who the hell are you and what do you want?! — A figure, clearly a woman, wearing all black uniform, potentially Assasin, landed a dozen of meters away from me, holding a crossbow she used just a moment before, with another bolt ready to be launched at any moment.
When she landed, she stood in a way that allows her to move in any direction in an instant, while also giving her enough footing to fire such a heavy crossbow. Once the moonlight fell on her, I could finally see her features, which were long, pink hair, golden eyes with a bestial pattern of the pupil, and a pair of fox ears a top of her head.
— "A beastman? I heard of them being a part of Belzerg population, but aren't they from the other region, far away from here? What is she doing here?"
— Ah, what a shame, it seems my plan had failed miserably. — She sounded more amused than disappointed, but I could see a glint in her eyes when she laid her eyes on me. — Let's say that you have angered someone important, and this someone hired me to take something from you. No hard feelings, It's just a business. — With that, she leaps into the air, aiming her crossbow at Saitama Jr., who was still in the safety of the forest trees, but, as if pinpointing his exact location, even though he was hidden, she took a shot, which prompted me to summon my shikigami to assist.
Orochi burst out of the ground, intercepting the bolt with a snap of his jaws, coiling protectively around the cub.
— Orochi, protect him. I'll deal with the rest. — Receiving the command, Orochi hissed, glaring at the Assasin that threw the crossbow aside, which, upon landing on the ground, disappeared into golden particles, leaving nothing behind. The moment I took my eyes off of her to see what was that all about, she already had another weapon in her hands, which was a slingshot, which she fired at my head with insane accuracy.
I immediately dodged, catching a glimpse of a metal sphere she used as a projectile, which could've dealt a significant damage had I not reacted in time. With a manic grin, feeling the tension rising, I sprung into action, chasing after her before she got away.
I launched myself at her from the branch I landed on, closing the distance with every heartbeat. She switched weapons with incredible speed, throwing daggers and firing smaller crossbows, but I deflected or dodged each attack. The forest blurred around us as we raced through it, her lithe form darting between trees and over rocks with an experienced precision of someone who does this for a living.
Suddenly, when we turned another corner, I felt my leg tripping something I couldn't see in the dark after the moon hid behind the clouds, and paled for a moment, before a catastrofic explosion shook the entire forest.
It was a trip wire, which triggered a trap she set beforehand. I didn't have enough time to prepare for the explosion, and when the explosion occurred, I was thrown backwards, with pain shooting through my legs as soon as I landed. This trap was specifically made to target my legs, since explosives were set under the ground, but after a second of struggling to break out of confusion caused by a minor concussion, I finally healed my legs with RCT, which only left a nasty mask which I don't have time to deal with.
The Assasin, clearly surprised that I healed almost immediately after causing her trap to trigger, stopped moving to look back at me, and this was enough for me to finally catch up with a final leap. While I was faster, something about her made it impossible for me to catch up so easily, and it's probably the effect of one of her skills.
Swinging Playful Cloud at her, I grinned when she tried to block the hit with her bare hands, instinctively trying to protect her head from damage, and when the hit connected, I heard a sickening crunch, caused by her bones breaking in an instant.
Her eyes went wide from shock, she resisted the urge to scream by biting her lip until it started bleeding. She leaped back, her arms hanging limp, and lashed out with her tail. I dodged and swept her legs out from under her, driving my knee into her back as she fell. Pinning her to the ground, I pressed my weight against her, one hand ready to deliver a lethal blow.
— Who sent you? — I asked, feeling Orochi approaching me as I spoke. It means he saw that commotion was ending, and it was safe to approach.
— Oh, wouldn't you like to know? — She spat, with the blood trickling from her lip as she spoke. Despite her broken bones, she attempted to twist free, her movements were sluggish, but she most likely had enough experience in escaping to know what she was doing, so I tightened my grip, pressing her face into the dirt.
— You're not in a position to be coy. Either you talk, or I'll make you regret coming all the way here. — She hissed at me, with her breath coming out with ragged gasps, trying her best to keep her emotions in check.
— Ah, such a shame we have to go through all of this. It's someone you know, but...a contract is a contract, even if I'm not gonna finish it. Good luck finding out who is the client. — She smiled, with her eyes glowing yellow, and before I understood what is happening, a thick, black smoke filled the area, which was probably the effect of her skill. Coughing, I tried to keep my hold on her, but she twisted free, agile even in her injured state. Even with my senses, the smoke was too thick for me to actually see anything, and, by the time it dispersed enough for me to see her, she was at the edge of my vision, fully healed and ready to escape. — I will meet you later. I do hope we can welcome each other without a need for violence next time. After all, past target can become your most precious ally, dont you think?
— At least tell me your name before you waltz away. — Seeing as she has no more intentions to attack me or Saitama Jr., I decided to stop playing cat and mouse, even though it was fun to chase her, until I triggered her trap, that is.
— Oh? Daring today, aren't we? — She laughed, turning around to leave. —Koyanskaya. A pleasure to meet you,cheat user.
With the echo of her words being left behind as she left, I was stunned, hearing her last words.
— "Cheat user", huh? That's a term locals use to refer to people with special abilities. Koyanskaya, a name I haven't heard in ages. Possible cheat user, a descendant of one of them, or just a coincidence? — Having so many food for thoughts, I barely noticed how Orochi got closer, lowering his head to let Saitama Jr. get down, and, as he did, I nodded, dismissing him after a short praise for a job well done. — Let's go, buddy. We might have busy days ahead of us.
***
Y/n: Konosuba!
*Clang*
***
— Yo, Wiz. How's it going? — The next evening, after Wiz returned from the capital after buying the stuff she couldn't normally obtain, she opened the shop once again. I was happy, since it means I get to see new artifacts she found, and thus, my day became brighter yet again.
— Ah, Y/n-san! I'm doing fine, thank you for asking. I brought new items for sale, I'm sure you'll like them this time! — With that, she presented me with a shelf full of artifacts, two of twich stood out more than the rest. A box that felt full of magical energy, and a crystal sphere with purple color, which, for some reason, felt odd to my senses. Something was...different...about it.
— Let's see... — Walking closer, and picking a sphere which was full of magic power once I got a better gist of it, it also emitted bits of cursed energy. — What does it do, exactly?
— This artifact allows you to look through space and possibly even time to find a soulmate of yours, which can help adventurers and just curious people find either their best friend, or a love of their life. It didn't work for me, because my mana clouds it, but it works for other people. Do you want to give it a try? — She walked closer, putting her hand on top of the sphere, putting some mana inside to show me the fog that appeared when she tried to activate it. It's possible that her magical energy is dense enough to overload it, so she can't use it on her own.
— I don't see why not. Let's give it a try... — Channeling my mana and cursed energy into the crystal sphere, my mind felt hazy for a moment, but, after the fog left from Wiz dispersed, I saw a dungeon, probably, which was covered in moss, stone brick walls, filled with traps and monsters. — Hm? It seems like a dungeon. Wiz, does it look familiar to you?
— I remember seeing this exact corridor in Keele's dungeon. It's a newbie dungeon that was cleared long ago. — She was able to identify the place, and, as I kept looking around by rotating the sphere, I saw something I did not expect.
A trail of cursed energy, a powerful one at that, which kept going further into the hall, and, following it, I saw a person, wearing the same clothes I do, walking through the hall with dead bodied, possibly monster corpses, with his hands in his pockets. His white hair was being held by a blindfold, and, once I laid my eyes on him, he took off his blindfold, looking exactly in my direction, as if seeing me through the artifact. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did, given that a pair of sky blue eyes were looking into my soul. Wheel of Dharma above my head was furiously gnashing, as if attempting to make a turn, for some reason, which I could tell was the effect of this person looking at me.
It was not a hard guess, honestly. Mahoraga was angry, because the man looking at both of us...was a cheat user, just like me, and instead of Ten Shadows, he wields Limitless cursed Technique. It seems the artifact found the other user of cursed energy, and thus, shown me someone capable of using it, but I was more than sure...it was not our world. Keele's dungeon is the place Kazuma and his party went to yesterday, it's absolutely clear from anything now, even corpses shouldn't be laying like that, Aqua had to purify them so they don't wake up.
Then, out of sudden, a picture changed, switching to a place I once saw before. A heavenly plain, divine hall of reincarnation where I met Eris. There, she sat, looking at the book in her hands, reading it with the ever present smile on her face. It seems she's taking a break after working tirelessly, given that a pile of neatly stacked documents are laying in front of her. It's possible that she already dealt with all the people that had died, and now, with some time to rest, decided to read stories left by Aqua.
— I-is that a Goddess? — Wiz, who stood nearby just a moment ago, was now in the corner of the room, trying to look as small as possible, as if at any moment she will be found out.
— Don't worry about it. That's Eris, Goddess of luck that helped me arrive here. She can't see what's happening here, nor will she care about it. You can relax. — Putting a crystal sphere back on the shelf, I looked at the box, then back at Wiz. — Say, what does this box do?
— Ah. This box is an artifact capable of transporting you to a place far away from here for 12 hours, and after time runs out, you will return, forgetting everything that happened on your journey. Curiosity got to me, so I spent my own money to get it instead on spending our budget. — She explained, and, as I picked up the box to look at it, I didn't see anything specific about it. A simple box, white in color, with no runes, indications or circles. Just a box. — The manual says it transports the user to "Japan".
...
— Wiz, I'm buying it from you right now. — Slamming my money on the counter, I picked it up, and immediately hid in my shadow to use later. For one, it's dangerous for locals, because if they use it, they will get sent to Japan and will most likely be killed by authorities after they start causing ruckus and resist arrest, or die because they walked on the road with cars running through. Even if I personally will forget what happens, I have my shadow storage I can put a diary in where I can write what happened to remember it after I return. Wiz, although slightly terrified by my sudden change of attitude, picked up the money, and apologized for something, even though I'm not sure of the reason.
When I turned around to look at her, I heard a bell ring above the door, and looked at the newcomer, to find out it was Kazuma, alone this time, most likely in a hurry, given that he was slightly panting.
— Yo, Y/n. We've got a problem on our hands. Sena said that Keele's dungeon we were in yesterday suddenly started spewing out unknown type of monsters. Aqua set a magic circle preventing monsters from coming inside of it, so they most likely run away from it to reach the surface. She's got PTSD after I left her in the dungeon last time, and I can't rely on Megumin inside the dungeon. Darkness is...you know, Darkness. Are you willing to hang out? — He was in such a hurry that I barely caught the gist of what happened, because he was spewing words faster than a machine gun.
— Alright, I get what you mean. Is everyone there, or do they need transportation as well?
— They should be on their way to the dungeon.
— Then it simplifies things. — Walking out of the store, and summoning Nue, I motioned for him to get on. — Let's go. We will be there in no time.
***
— So this is the place, huh. — We arrived to the dungeon just when everyone else did. Sena, with a few other adventurers I saw before as her bodyguards, Megumin, Aqua, Darkness and...a cat? — And who is this little fella? — Picking up the cat with wings, which was hella cute, I looked it in the eyes, giving it a scratch on the chin.
— That's Chomusuke. — Megumin approached me when I asked the question, which prompted me to believe this cat is her's. — She followed me from my village, so I picked her up when I found it. She's cute, isn't it?
— Cute is not enough to describe that appearance. Look at those eyes, those wings, those little legs. This is just beautiful. — Holding Chomusuke in a way I can give her a belly rubs, I promptly did so, enjoying a moment before everyone got ready. After Chomusuke showed a sign she wants back on the ground, I let her go, looking at Megumin. — It seems you had a lot on your plate since I last saw you. Is it me, or you grew a little?
— Ho? So you've noticed? I'm not surprised, you have always showed that you were keen enough to pick such crucial details. That's right! I, Megumin, have grown taller! — She did a Jojo pose, with her eyes shining red from excitement, and I couldn't help but put a smile in my face, giving her a hetpat.
— Good girl. Now, let's check out what it's all about. — Leaving Megumin to blush, I walked to Kazuma, who was looking at the entrance to the dungeon. It was getting darker, given that we started moving when it was evening, but I could still see perfectly fine. — So, anything interesting that you can see?
— Those things... — Kazuma pointed at a dolls with a mask painted in black and white marching out of the exit, walking roughly in our general direction. — They give me creeps that I just can't explain. MyEnemy Detectiongoes off, and I can tell for sure those things are enemies but...look at them. They look harmless.
— I agree, they look harmless, but my memory of anime and manga reminds me of several entities of great danger that look as harmless are those little lads. Let's see what they can do. — Making a handsign, i smiled, eager to see what those things are about. —Rabbit Escape. — Once Blitz appeared inside my shadow, with a clone ready to act as a decoy, I let him move forward, until one of the dolls noticed him.
Clone moved forward, up to the point until the doll was just a meter away from it. They looked at each other, unmoving, until the doll started moving again, with a smile on it's face, spreading it's hands to hug the clone. We just observed the situation, and, once the doll hugged blitz's clone, we just waited, and waited...nothing was happening.
— Maybe they're actually not a threat we thought they are? — Kazuma inquired, moving out of the bush to approach it, until I felt a surge of mana from the doll.
— Kazuma, stop! — Once he heard my voice, he stopped, looking around in confusion.
— Why? Nothing is happening anyways.
— Don't make even a step closer...or you'll get caught in it. — Blitz's clone, upon seeing my reaction, punched the doll in the face, sending it several meters into the air, before it, suddenly...exploded.
The explosion itself was not that strong. In fact, even if the clone didn't punch it in the face, it would still be alive, just highly damaged. Given the number of those dolls present, they probably exist for a purpose of swarming the enemy and then exploding together. This way, they will more than likely destroy the enemy when it gets caught off guard or get surrounded.
— So, you've shown your true face. — Now, don't get my wrong. I'm not a monster, especially not the one that will send even a clone of my shikigami to die. Their purpose is exactly that, but even a clone means a lot to me. If something tries to harm them...they will taste my wrath. — Well then. Time for me to get serious. Kazuma, I presume you're going with me?
— Well...I need to erase the circle Aqua put inside. I can't let Sena find out about it, or she will somehow tie that to me creating those things. — He whispered to me, and, as we moved closer to the entrance, Darkness decided to tag in.
— I hope you don't mind If I go with you? My defense is high enough to withstand those explosions. I can go first if you want. — She took her blade out of their sheaths, getting closer to us.
— I don't mind, personally, but there probably won't be a need to fight if those things are the only threat that's coming from inside. — As I made my way through the entrance, I grinned, eager to do what I had in mind for a while.
— What do you mean? If you don't fight, then those dolls are just going to swarm us and explode in our face. — Kazuma asked, seeing my grin as I turned around to look at him. Darkness was just as confused as he was, given her face expression.
— Oh, you misunderstood something. There won't be a fight...it will be a massacre. — Making a handsign, and putting in roughly 15% of my current reserves, I started the chant. —Shadows deep, ancient and prime. In sacred light, they intertwine. With treasures ten, I summon. Rabbit Escape...— The power of sorcerer can be measured by his cursed energy reserves and the feeling it gives off. One's cursed energy can be rough, another can be as calm as water in the windless lake, but when it comes to emotions...someones energy can be truly malicious, which affects the techniques they use. That's exactly why, when I started the chant, everyone felt the need to run for their life. —Totality.
Normally, rabbits from Blitz's horde are deceptively innocent and delicate, with a pristine coat of pure white fur that glistens softly in the light. They are small, fast and mostly harmless, since their purpose is to cause confusion to distract the enemy...
But today...things are going to be different.
A horde of rabbits that appeared from my shadow were nothing like the one Kazuma and his party saw before. Those ones were the absolute beasts, powerhouses of their own, with huge, sharp teeth, long, razors sharp claws, huge size and a sense of smell that rivals bloodhounds and a single horn on their forehead.
This Totality came to mind first when I remembered a Great Rabbit from Re:Zero, but today...it's not just an idea. Because those boys...are much worse than it was. A combination of Divine Dogs, Round Deer and Rabbit Escape. Divine Dogs gave them claws and teeth, Round Deer gave them ability to heal and disrupt enemy from using mana or cursed energy while also giving them more eyes to observe their surrounding, and Rabbit Escape allows for an ability to copy each other until the original dies.
— Kazuma, Darkness... — Turning around to look at the horrified adventurers behind my back, I gave them a smile, putting my hands in the pockets. — Try not to get behind too far if you want to keep up, alright?
***
Blitz's clones were going rampage on every single doll they encountered on the way, tearing them to shreds with their claws and teeth, turning them into a clay once they were destroyed. Kazuma didn't want to do anything with the fight, but Darkness, to our combined surprise, was able to easily hit those dolls, and this is the first time she ever, on my watch, hit her targets constantly. She was beaming with happiness, and so was Kazuma, but I was concentrated more on the fact that we were approaching the end of the dungeon halls.
The final room had more dolls than the other ones, but it meant nothing when my new Totality was running rampage on them the moment they came into our field of vision. Those dolls couldn't even explode near them, because their mana flow was disrupted by the combination of Round Deer and Rabbit Escape, so it was truly a massacre instead of a fight. The only thing I know for real is that there will be bloodshed.
— Halt. — Raising a palm of my hand to motion for everyone to stop, I turned around the corner, feeling a large mana signature in the final room. It was different from the divine energy Aqua gives off, and felt as malicious as my own in that moment.
There, I saw an unknown figure, sitting on the floor, forming the same doll we kept killing for the past 10 minutes with his gloved hands. He had the same mask on his face that those dolls had, with a butler like suit and white gloves. His dark blue hair was neatly combed, and once he saw me entering the room, with Kazuma and Darkness following close behind, and a few Rabbit Escape clones near my legs, he stopped forming new dolls, finishing the one he was working on before we entered.
— So it's you who creates those dolls. — As I came closer, he got up from the ground, looking me in the eyes...well, as far as I can tell. I can't really see his eyes behind that mask.
— Oh? Moi was not expecting anyone to come that far. Honestly, moi is impressed you managed to reach this point without much noise following. — He spread his arms, as if showing off his creation. — Welcome to moi dungeon, adventurers. Moi is the root of all evil, the source of your problems.Demon Lord General, Duke of Hell, leading the Demon army, Archdemon known to the entire world, Vanir. — He bowed to us, finishing his introduction, and, honestly, seeing the third demon lord general after so little time passed after meeting other two, it became hard to react to them in any significant way. Either they follow each other, or it's just a coincidence.
— There's no point in running, Kazuma. If he dares to attack, I'll take him out. After all, I did promise Eris I will deal with Demon Lord and his Generals. — Taking my hands out of my pockets, I walked closer, staring directly at him and his soul.
— Oh? You're challenging moi, Vanir, the one who, by rumors, is stronger than Demon Lord himself? — This did make me tense a little, but it still meant nothing until I face him in battle. — Although, they're false. Even if moi is a General, all moi does is keep a barrier around his castle. "General" is just merely a title. Moi is only here by his order to find out what happened to Verdia.
— Then you don't have to look any farther. I killed him. — I admitted, putting a hand on my hip, still relaxed, but ready to fight if he dares to start.
— Hm. Certainly, an interesting information. While moi was there, moi also wanted to visit this idiot of a shopkeeper who has a strange talent of losing more money the more she works.
— If you're talking about Wiz, then she's fine. I'm managing her shop and finances now. The business is boomin', if you get what I'm talking about. — I smirked, seeing his confused face expression. He probably didn't expect anyone to ever help her with her humble shop.
— Well now, that's surprising. So surprising, in fact, that moi felt a beast like hunger. And the best food for demons...are negative emotions of humans that are so ashamed of them. And in a city that big, moi can start an entire banquet for moi own self!
— Ah, so that's why you made those dolls? So they could cause us problems?
— For real?
— For real. They are walking outside of the dungeon, exploding anyone they find on their way.
— Moi only created them to get rid of the monsters inside of the dungeon. If they're walking outside, then it means all of them had perished. — He pointed his hand forward, with some mana flowing out from his fingertips, which made the doll he made just a minute ago crumble into the dust, which, I presume, also made other dolls disperse. — It's time for the second part of moi plan, then.
— What's your goal?! — Kazuma, who was hiding behind me and Darkness, decided to show himself again, pointing his finger at Vanir, who did not like such treatment, as if he's a disabled man being pointed at by a child.
— How rude is it to hear that from a boy that wanders around his room late at night when armored girl arrives late! — Vanir pointed back, with irritation clear in his voice. It seems he read his emotions and probably his mind to find out this information, given that he's a Duke of Hell, and, to be honest, I was impressed. Having such an ability must be very useful in a lot of situations when you need to find out something important.
— H-hey, stop it! Why are you talking about it as if you was here when it happened! — Kazuma was embarrassed, by a big margin, because I only saw him acting like this when I threatened him after he used Steal on Eris. He then noticed Darkness blushing as well after he confirmed Vanir's words with his own. — Don't go blushing in a such a cute way dammit!
— You see, moi has a dream of moi own about how moi wants to die. — Vanir, ignoring him completely, kept talking. — Moi wants to build a big dungeon, fill each room with demons and traps. Numerous adventurers will gather in order to clear the dungeon, and fight their way through countless obstacles to reach the end. Once they do, they will meet moi personally, where moi will be waiting for them with an excited smile! "You did so well to reach that far! Now defeat moi, and receive unimaginable treasures you've never ever hoped to see!", and then the final battle will start! — He suddenly started emitting a malicious aura in large quantities, just like I did when I first summoned Blitz Totality, leaning forward to show his excitement. — AndTHEN! After the hard fought battle, with lots of spilled sweat, blood and tears, they find a treasure chest! When they finally open it, after walking through hell itself to reach it, they will find a piece of paper stating "You lose". And then, as moi dies, I will look at their confused faces, cackling with laugher from the overwhelming sense of disbelief and dread they would feel in that very moment! This! Is the way I want to die. — He ended his speech by spreading his arms and leaning backwards in extravagant manner, to empathize how much he desires it.
— You know, I get what you mean. — I honestly understand his desire. If his ability as a demon is to feed on emotions, then dying when having such a feast just before you die must be heavenly. — Although it could get better, it's still good enough. For example, you can fake several moments of weakness for them to exploit it, fake your inability to keep fighting and then swoop them down, only to fake that you used so much power that now you can't fight, and even in a weakened state, you still wipe the floor with them. Then, after they, tired, bleeding, slowly dying from the fight with you, manage to defeat you, their dread of finding out they gained nothing from this will be much more bigger.
After I said that, everyone, including Vanir, looked at me in shock, as If I was actually theAll of The World's Evil.I understand why they did that, I know I'm insane at some point, but man, can they at least make it more subtle?
— ...Ahem. Even though moi wanted to use this woman's shop profit to build a dungeon that fits my desires, moi found this one when moi was heading to Axel. It filled most of moi criteria, but the magic circle in the next room made it impossible for moi to do anything.
"Ah, Aqua's doing. She messed up again, isn't it?" — I thought, looking at the wall with invisible door behind Vanir. Just when I thought of it, I felt intrusion in my own soul, as if someone else was trying to reach the core of my being, to find out something I would never allow.
Grasping the connection that established between us, with my knowledge of the souls I obtained after Eris gave me her divinity, I tugged harder, pulling the intruder deeper into my domain of the soul.
***
"What...is happening?" — Vanir was confused. He, naturally, tried to gather information after revealing a part that was annoying him, because when you ask something from someone, like asking "what's 2+2", they will, naturally, think of an answer before saying anything, and this allows him to read their mind, but, as it happens, mind is a part of a soul, because the soul information, in 99% of the cases, is tied to your brain, where all the thoughts go through. When reading their mind, something Vanir never experienced before took place. He never tries to dig too deep to avoid seeing something he doesn't need, because human mind can produce thing even he, an Archdemon, would prefer not to see. He remembers reading a mind of the person called "Cheat user", only to find out what is aFurry, Cthulhu, and many, many more nasty things he wishes he could forget. Just hearing the words "Russian Sleep Experiment" made him shiver.
But this time...he got pulled inside of a soul he tried to invade. It was a very, very unpleasant feeling, when the core of your being is being dragged through the darkness as deep as a bottomless swamp, with the feeling being similar to actually drowning in this shadow like substance.
When he finally got a grasp of what was actually happening, it was too late. He was too deep inside to be able to escape without the permission of the one this soul belongs to. Of all the people in the room...he picked the one he did not want to mess with from the first glance.
Insides of his soul were pitch black. Like an abyss staring right back at you, but much, much more malicious than what you would expect from nothingless.
When he finally got a hold over his emotions, he looked up, to see a throne made of liquid shadow, constantly moving around and changing forms. Right beside it, stood 10 figures, each different from the other. A pair of Dogs, Toad, Owl, Rabbit, Serpent, Elephant, Bull, Deer, Tiger...
And right behind the throne, towering above everything present inside the souls...stood a Godlike being, radiating divinity at full volume, which made Vanir choke for a moment. A being huge enough to stand above giants of previous era, strong enough to shatter mountains...and definitely strong enough to squash him like a fly. The wheel above it's head turned once. Then, after a minute of Vanir staring in shock at what was happening, it spun once again. Finally, after the second turn of the wheel, he looked at the one sitting on the throne, only to see a boy...a man even, staring at him with boredom, with his head resting on his palm as he leaned on his throne.
—You dare look inside my soul?— He finally spoke, looking at him, the Duke of Hell, as if he's not worthy of his attention, and the only reason he chose to do so was because he invaded his domain, his territory. —Since we both have an amusing way of torturing people's mind, I will allow it once.— Once he said that, he leaned forward, to stare directly into his own soul. —There won't be a second time. Know your place, fool.
In that very moment, Vanir was thrown out from the domain of the soul with such force he wished he could empty his nonexistent stomach to get rid of this dizziness.
***
I felt dizzy after returning back from the depts of my own soul, but it was more than worth it. Seeing his face full of fear, confusion and understanding of how insignificant he is in front of me truly awakened something deep inside of me. Not even a second passed since we both traveled inside, and once we returned, I could observe a scene Darkness made.
— I'm tired of your annoying words, Demon! — Darkness swung her sword at Vanir, who, regaining his composure after getting Mahito's treatment, easily dodged her strike, laughing as if nothing ever happened before.
— Ha-ha-ha-ha! You pack quite the punch, but none of your attacks seems to land! — Darkness kept going further, trying her best to reach him with her sword, but no matter how hard she tried, the only thing she could hit was the walls of the dungeon itself. Kazuma, using hisLurkskill, hid behind a pillar, waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike, while I stood there, enjoying the show.
Kazuma, as lucky as he is, seemed to run out of his daily dose of luck, because he stumbled on a rock that fell after Darkness did unlicensed renovation on the dungeon, and pushed Vanir forward with his body, which, luckily for Kazuma, made Darkness, who was about to miss, land a direct hit on his chest.
— That...can't...be... — Vanir, clearly struggling to say the words, clumbled into the dirt, unable to hold his form after such a devastating hit from Darkness. His mask hit the ground, and as a person who knows of SCP, especiallySCP-035, I knew what was gonna happen, but let it happen anyway. Because, after all, where's the fun in ruining the show that was set specifically for you to witness?
Darkness, who got careless, got possessed after Vanir's mask flew onto her face, and, instead of talking any further, ran out of the dungeon, probably to kill Aqua for setting a magic circle. I did wipe it out with a full force piercing water, and after that, run after him and Kazuma.
— Hiyaaah! — It seems Vanir got hit by a perfectly castSacred Turn UndeadAqua casted when he walked out from the dungeon. He was on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, first from getting a treatment from me, then getting hit by Aqua head on. He was barely even moving, even in the body of Darkness, but, given that he's Archdemon, it was to be expected.
— Aqua, Darkness got possessed by Demon Lord General! — Kazuma shouted, and, once I arrived, I saw several adventurers hired by Sena as her bodyguards getting bodied, hard. They were being beaten like bling kittens, unable to land even a single blow, while getting hit with the force of the strength stat Darkness possessed.
I sighed, walking out of the dungeon gates, looking at everyone present. Vanir was still fighting against adventurers, but, after the last hit he landed, they fell on the ground, unable to move from the wounds they have gotten. Nothing lethal, gladly, but without Aqua, they will be unable to move for several days. Kazuma was freaking out, standing near Megumin, possibly thinking of the way to deal with it, Sena was terrified after nothing yet worked against him, and Aqua, backed into the corner, was crying for help.
— Talk about difference in categories. Yare yare. — With yet another sigh, I walked closer, facing Vanir, and, after circulating cursed energy through my body, sent all of it directly to my hand, to pull out the trick I wanted to try before.
With a loud click, and sharp edge of a blade slid out from my knuckle, emitting massive amount of positive energy upon being released from the seal. Mahoraga holds Blade of Extermination as artifact, and this artifact is tied to the soul. Since Mahoraga, after subjugation, became a part of my own soul, I got access to the Blade of Extermination as well. While it's a weapon many would kill for, I didn't want to use it often, because the battles with anything evil will become a matter of a single strike.
This time, however, Darkness was held hostage, and I did not want to see her suffer any more. She loves getting hurt, but I don't want to see her lose her mind from pain. She's a good comrade, and I would love to have her around more. With a single step, I covered the distance between me and Vanir...
...and sliced his mask in half with a single strike.
— What...has...happened...? — His last words were that of confusion. Everything happened so fast, to the point no one else saw what even happened. Vanir himself didn't understand how can he be defeated so easily, but, after the eyes of his mask laid on the Blade of Extermination, every piece fell into it's place.
—Goodbye, Vanir. It was a pleasure to meet you.— With a simple push of cursed energy, I made the blade disappear, turning around from his mask, which faded into dark particles of mana, disappearing into the night. —I hope to see you again once again. Even though our meeting was short, it was a relaxing experience.
Walking away from the scene, I picked Chomusuke, who walked to me to comfort me over a loss of a newfound soulmate, I started walking back to Axel, ignoring everyone else who tried to shout out to me.
— What an eventful evening it was...See you tomorrow, everyone.
***
Y/n: Konosuba.
Chomusuke: Meow!
***
Notes:
If you're confused about Gojo cheat user sequence, it's because it's an inside joke from Wattpad.
Chapter 13
Chapter Text
Visiting Wiz's shop next day was a given, since after most of our troubles have been dealt with, it was time to get back to work. I wanted to see the rest of the artifacts Wiz has brought before, but since I went to Keele's dungeon to help Kazuma, I missed such opportunity.
With a sigh, I pushed the door to the shop open, waving my hand to Wiz who was managing the counter.
— Wiz, I'm back. Good morning. — I walked closer, walking behind the counter to go to my table with documents, but stopped when I felt familiar aura. — ...Wiz, where is he? — As I looked at Wiz, everything clicked together. With a mental push, I made Blade of Extermination appear on my wrist, and, with a glare, pointed it at the disguised Vanir. — Stop playing games with me.What did you do to Wiz?
— Ho-ho, moi didn't expect you to figure out moi trick so fast. — With a bit of purple smoke clearing out, Vanir, Duke of Hell, has taken off his Wiz disguise, standing before me in his outfit I saw before. Aside from that, I noticed a roman number II on his mask, and it was obvious it was his second life, given that he's not dead after I killed him yesterday. — Worry not, for moi did not kill this failure of a shopkeeper. She's alive and kicking.
—Where. Is. Wiz?— In a blink of an eye, I was in front of him, with the blade scratching the surface of his mask, which made him sweat a little. I could tell that he did something to Wiz, and I was not about to let it slide. If he hurt her even a little, he's going to suffer.
— The shopkeeper is in the backroom. — He finally answered, and, holding him in an iron grip by his mask, I dragged him behind me, opening the door to our storage room.
What I saw...made me furious. Wiz was laying there, half-transparent, with burn marks all over her body, clearly exhausted from whatever Vanir did to her. She did not move, her face expression was that of a pain, and she was trembling, even when unconscious.
Slowly turning my head, I looked Vanir in the eyes, with my cursed energy running rampant, full of malice. Within a single heartbeat, Vanir was on the ground, his face facing the floor, with Blade of Extermination in his back, being stabbed right into his soul. He screamed from pain, with his scream being full of agony, because you can endure physical pain when getting tortured, but being hit directly to your soul? That thing is unbearable.
I slashed his soul millimeter by millimeter, aiming to make him endure as much pain as he can before he becomes dumb from it. The entire time I did that, he screamed, begging me for mercy, but I did not listen. He hurt my contractor, he hurt my friend, he hurt Wiz. He WILL suffer.
— Y-y/n-san, I beg of you, please stop! — Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and, with my hand now frozen, I looked at the one distracting me, to see Wiz, still shaking from exhaustion, trying her best to stop me. In a moment, all of the malice I felt in this moment dissipated, and I sighed, heeding her request. Blade of Extermination retracted back, and I finally stood up, ignoring Vanir squirming on the ground. His soul was damaged, but in a matter of a few minutes, it will be back as new, given I started using my cursed energy to regenerate it.
— Wiz, come here. — Embracing her in a hug, I sighed, catching her surprised yelp. Forming a handsign, I summoned Miracle, and made him start the healing process on Wiz. Normally, any evil being would feel pain in the presence of such pure Positive energy, but, as long as I do not want it to hurt them, they won't be. Thus, Wiz was getting the treatment she needed, with her skin getting less transparent each second. —What did he do to you?
— W-we had an argument over the matters in the shop...a-and it got heated when I mentioned I can't hire him without your permission when he said he can help me. — She confessed, and, yanking Vanir from the ground, I gave him a savage grin, looking him in the eyes.
— I see. So you want to help Wiz with the shop management? — Seating him on my chair, in front of the documentation I had to review today, I sat beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder. —Consider yourself lucky, for I will be the one to check how you manage things. You will have one week of practice, under my and Wiz's supervision.If your sales by the end of your practice will be lower than mine own by 25% or more, I'm going to kick you out, if not outright kill you for what you did to Wiz.— Patting him on the back, in not so friendly manner, I grinned even more. — Now, onto the rules you will follow...
— What have moi got moi own self into...?
***
Wiz: Ko!
Vanir: No!
Y/n: Su!
*Clang*
Mahoraga: Ba! Suwoop bitches, big Maho here!
Author: How the hell did you adapt to 4th wall to jump into the 5th dimension?! Get back here! Konosuba!
***
After mentally torturing Vanir with rules he has to follow and the line of his work, I dumped all the projects I wanted to start on him, this including some things I wanted to re-invent from earth, starting with heaters on magic stones, following with kotatsu. The winter is still in effect, and with how chilly it becomes sometimes, they will sell like freshly baked buns. I had confidence in Vanir, and me torturing him was just a way to keep him in check, given that he attacked Wiz after he ran into a problem of not being able to start working as full time employee immediately. I will place him under a binding vow in the end, but until then, I'll let Wiz take care of him.
In worst case scenario, Saitama Jr. will bite his face off if he dares to try something funny, given that I gave him his first serious mission. Protect Wiz at all cost.
Yunyun, from what I could gather in the guild, went with Megumin and Kazuma's party to help them with their recent mission, and Eris is busy in the heaven's right now, so I was left practically alone. Koyanskaya didn't show up yet as well, so, with barely anything to do, I put my hand in the shadow, taking out a white box I bought yesterday, placing it on the table in my room.
— ... — Looking at it, with a doubting face expression, I was concerned of what to do with it. For one, it transports people to Japan, albeit only for 12 hours, which is not much, but enough to cause some ruckus or do something funny. I doubt I will be able to do anything productive in the meantime, but, given that manual says I will be able to recharge the artifact and reuse it in the future, it should be enough. — I should use it, even if it's a stupid idea. I have enough potions, food and everything I might need, even if apocalypse takes place. As long as I don't start going insane, it should be fine. — With a long sigh, I approached the box, placing my hand on top of it, feeling a slight sensation of mana surging through it.
"Now or never." — I thought to myself, pushing my mana inside, until the world around me started to shift. My vision began to blur, and as my entire soul got pulled into the rift in the space the artifact created for me to enter, I closed my eyes, deciding not to resist the pull, and thus, my entire being got sent to yet another world.
***
I opened my eyes immediately after I felt the pulling on my soul stop, putting the Wheel of Dharma above my head as a precaution. The reason I'm so cautious after just entering? The cursed energy background. Back in the world I got sent to, it was non-existent, and that was rare to feel cursed energy in anything but my own self, but here, it was everywhere. Everything around, to my senses, was akin to a beacon, and it was very, very hard to concentrate on anything after having to deal with no background like that.
I was in a city, with no people around, because it was dark. Either everyone was asleep, which is unlikely...or something has happened. Thus, I started getting higher, jumping from the smallest to the highest building, until I reached the top, seeing something I did not expect.
First of all, the city itself was empty from people. No one in sight, as if they just disappeared entirely. Second...amount of cursed energy concentrated in different points of the city clearly showed me...that this is Shibuya. Some streets had a signs of battle, destruction or a little slaughter. That's right.
I have arrived just in time to witness the Shibuya Incident.
— That is...interesting. — I was both excited and terrified at the same time. Excited, because I can affect the outcome of this incident, see the characters I love, and maybe even fight them, and terrified specifically because I might fight them. I never had to fight any other sorcerer, let alone of the grades present in Shibuya, but, given that I tamed Mahoraga, I should have barely any troubles with any other grade but Special Grades, not including Cursed Spirits, due to their grade mostly being lower. You see, Special Grade curse, most of the time, is equivalent to a grade 1 sorcerer, sometimes even grade 2, since Megumi defeated one by himself.
This is because Cursed Spirit, while being of the same rank as a sorcerer of the same rank, will be weaker than they are. This doesn't imply that grade 1 sorcerer will definitely beat grade 1 curse, but their chances are bigger, depending on cursed technique or abilities they have at their disposal.
Right now, seeing no veil above Shibuya, I knew for sure. This is the second phase of the incident, maybe even after Gojo was sealed. Thus, smiling, I jumped off of the building, heading to the building that had the most sorcerers in, with the amount of cursed energy either giving high reads due to special grade curse, or because sorcerers inside were just that malicious.
When I was near the building, I realized which one was it. This is the exact building where Dagon was fighting Maki, Nanami, Megumi and old man from Zenin clan. Storming through the halls of the building at blinding speed, I finally reached the source of the cursed energy, seeing a black sphere formed inside. Specifically, it was a Domain, and it was Domain formed by Dagon himself.
— Their fight must be in progress. There's a lingering feeling of cursed energy much like my own, so Megumi must have entered just a bit ago. — I hummed in satisfaction, approaching the barrier of the Domain. — Time to infiltrate it.
My Domain, Chimera Shadow Garden, is able to infiltrate domains of other sorcerers from inside without troubles, and they can't do anything about it. So, clasping my hands together, and taking Gojo's teaching into account, I open my domain to make an entry.
—Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden. — Once the territorial mark of my Domain touched the wall of the Domain, I slipped inside, grinning to no end.
***
"The situation is critical. I can't hold my Domain for much longer. If I fail, and my Domain gets closed, everyone will die. The sure hit effect of this octopus is only nullified because I'm fighting against it, and if it gets back at full power, not even our numbers will save us. Fighting inside Domain of your enemy will never get in your favor, unless you're ten times more powerful than the user, and even that may not be enough if the Domain gives the user an ability to wipe him out in a single move."
"Nanami-san, Maki-san, Naobito-san...all of them are fighting for us to get out safely, but I can't hold much longer if this keeps going. They're making progress, but I will fail faster than they will deal with it. I have to make an exit, escape from Domain is our only...option..." — Megumi Fushiguro, grade 2 Sorcerer, and the only one present except the Disaster curse to have a Domain Expansion, was their trump card at winning. But, even so, it was not enough. He spends a lot of cursed energy just to maintain this little piece of land he had conquered inside of the Domain, but he knows he has no chance to win the tug-of-war against it. If his Domain was complete, he might have had a chance, but his cursed energy reserves were always lacking. With Domain Expansion taking so much, and mentally and physically tiring him, his nose started to bleed.
When he was about to ask Nanami, a grade 1 sorcerer beside him, to call everyone so he can make an exit, something unexpected has happened...another hole has appeared inside the Domain, and a figure of an unknown sorcerer, in full glory, has appeared...
He opened a hole in the domain from outside for just 0.2 second, closed it, and, as he got a better footing atop of Megumi's domain, he looked around, grinning like a madman.
"Who...is this sorcerer? His cursed energy reserves are high, unimaginably high! It's so dense it's hard to concentrate!"— Megumi, upon seeing unknown sorcerer that was wearing Jujutsu High uniform, tensed up, because there was no guarantee it was not an enemy, even if he wore the same uniform he did. First and foremost, he had never seen nor heard of this guy, even once, and he knew all of his upperclassmen.
— You did a good job holding out this long. — Calming down, and removing a mad grin from his face, an unknown man reassuringly smiled, slowly walking forward, with everyone present looking directly at him.
— Who...are you? — Nanami Kento, the leader of the group in this very moment, asked, looking at him, tense as Megumi was, holding his cursed tool in a steady grip, trying his best to not succumb to the wounds. — I don't recognize you...but...if you're here to help us, then we will be in your care. We're not in a position to be picky right now. — Even though all of them wanted an explanation, this was truly not a moment to be picky about their comrades. Disaster curse could start attacking at any moment, and if that happens, they might die instantly.
— Worry not, for I have came to assist.My name is Y/n L/n, Special Grade Sorcerer, albeit self proclaimed, as I'm not a part ofJujutsu Society. If you wish to, you can call me aCurse Userfor a time being, but I'm here to assist with this nuisance. — He turned around to look at Megumi, slowly walking to him and Nanami, which tensed even more when he started approaching them, even if he had no ulterior motives. — Megumi-kun, thank you for holding your Domain open. Keep going for a bit more. Nanami Kento-san, I leave him in your care. For the time being, I'll patch you up. — Megumi observed with a great shock as Y/n, the self proclaimed Special Grade, made a handsign of a shadow puppet he knew all too well. —Round Deer. — With a push of cursed energy, so powerful it could disspel his own Domain, he made something unimaginable.
He used the Ten Shadows Cursed Technique no one besides Megumi in current era has possessed. From what he heard, no member of the Zenin clan besides himself for the past few generations could use it, and there, in this very moment, he found himself not believing his own eyes. Round Deer, a shikigami Megumi, unfortunately, didn't knew much about, aside from the fact it was not a combat oriented shikigami. A majestic deer with huge antlers, muscular body and 2 pair of eyes. The moment it appeared, it slowly walked forward, as if not to scare both him and Nanami, and then, they both felt it. Positive Energy generated by Reverse Cursed Technique. Their wounds they both got while fighting were getting patched in just a matter of second, no matter how badly they were in need of medical help. Even Shoko-san, who was the most proficient user of RCT who could heal others could not close such wounds in so little amount of time. Y/n just kept smiling, looking at both of them with a glint in his eyes, as if looking at the treasure.
— I think that explanation might be in order, but let's get back to it once I'm done. — He then turned around, leaving them both with a round deer, walking past Naobito, who kept staring at him the entire time he was talking. He stopped for a moment, looking at his arm, and then, with a motion of his head, said.
— Go near the deer. It will get your arm back. — Without any words said, Naobito complied, given that first, he was offering help, and second, he was the strongest person present in this very moment. Even though he had many question, he can ask them later.
— Maki-san, follow him as well. I'd like to ask for aPlayful Cloud, but I better leave you with a weapon in the meantime. — With that, he pulled the exact same looking Playful Cloud, albeit all of them could feel it wasn't the same in terms of ability. It was strong, no denying it, but it lacked what original Playful Cloud was capable of.
With this, he slowly walked forward, looking straight at Dagon, a disaster curse they were unfortunate enough to face unprepared, holding a copy of a Playful Cloud, clearly thinking of something.
— Dagon, Special Grade Curse. Under the regulation of Jujutsu Sorcerers, and my own judgement, I will end your life here and now. — Taking a stance, and making a shadow puppet, which Megumi also knew, he grinned. Dagon, even though he could feel the power of the sorcerer in front of him, didn't make a move first, either terrified, or completely sure he can take him down. — I don't have much Shikigami to fight in the water, and I clearly can kill you without them, but just for it to be a little fair, let's rack up those numbers, shall we?Nue, — A fair bit of shadow from under his legs formed a figure of an Owl, which immediately took into the sky, and Megumi, for God knows which time in those few minutes, stared in awe, seeing the Nue he knew all too well about, being so, so much bigger than his own, with the power to obliterate anything inside of this domain. —Great Serpent. — Then, making another handsign, he summoned Orochi, a shikigami Megumi, unfortunately, lost ability to summon after his fight with Sukuna. — Let's get this started.
Megumi had never expected to see another Ten Shadows user fight, but now, after he witnessed just a fraction of the power of another sorcerer using the same technique he had since he was 5 years old, had truly understood...why Sukuna and a few other people called him a waste of potential. Even with only 2 shikigami present, everyone knew...this fight was already over. The Great Serpent, which was underwater at the time, was at least 150 meters long. This was unimaginable for Megumi, because even his own could barely reach 70 meters in length. From now on, if he survives...no, he willdefinitelysurvive, he will keep training in order to reach his full potential.
***
Dagon was silent, taking into account my presence. Even if I'm inside his Domain, it doesn't matter to me, because for now, he has no sure-hit effect. I can't use Simple Domain, Hollow Wicked Basket or Domain Amplification to fight against it, but with Megumi holding his Domain open, and me not needing to open my own, I was completely sure I will win. Not because I use Blade of Extermination or Mahoraga to fight, not because I have so many shikigami at my disposal...but because I went through hell to subjugate all of them to reach this point. Even if I'm nervous to the point I went full main character mode just now, mumbling all this nonsense, even if I'm excited at the prospect of fighting someone strong, I'm keeping my cool to the best of my abilities.
Behind me are people I want to protect, and I will not fail, no matter what. So, with my thoughts now sorted, Playful Cloud in hands, Nue in the sky and Orochi underwater, strangling huge shelled curse to death, I made my first move, which might have been the last had Dagon been weaker.
With a single step, I covered the distance between us in a blink of an eye, hitting him in the face with my own Playful Cloud, sending him flying through the water created by his own domain. The power of my hit not only sent him flying, but also created several waves to rise as his body flew through it, which made me grin wider.
Even if Dagon didn't speak in my presence, I knew for sure, that he has a lot of thoughts on his mind right now. Thus, instead of speaking convenient Japanese, he spoke one of the many languages I speak.
Violence.
And oh boy, am I going to have a conversation with him.
— That's what I'm talking about! — Lunging at him at full speed, I was met with a swarm of flying fish going in my direction, which were the creation of his, clicking their jaws full of teeth, trying to reach for my face and neck. Swinging Playful Cloud once, I sent a shockwave by hitting the water, which hit the fish directly, making some of them into barely a piece of meat from the force of collision, with even more coming for my flesh. I kept swinging my weapon, but instead of the hits being random, each one was directed to obliterate as many fish as possible in a single strike. This might be most extreme fishing method I've used so far, but it was the most effective nonetheless.
I kept getting closer to Dagon, who tried to get as much distance from me as it was possible, trying to stall the fight until Megumi can't hold his Domain anymore. When I got bored of endlessly slaughtering the fish he kept sending after me, I made a silent gesture for Nue to bring him down to the ground, since he was floating, but the nature of his Domain was far too inconvenient for me to start floating as well, given that there is no wind for me to move around, as I can only float, instead of truly flying.
Nue, upon charging it's wings with electricity, lunged at Dagon at blinding speed, hitting him head on, sending him back to where he belongs, that being, in the water. There, Orochi finally dealt with his shelled curses, which were almost the same size as he was, and seeing a new prey underwater, lunged at Dagon, biting into his flesh with his fangs, piercing him in a single bite. Given that Orochi understood that Dagon actually poses a treat to his life, he released him after making sure he was unable to fly anymore, throwing him in my direction from beneath the water.
There, when Dagon's body was within my reach, I hit him in the chest, producing yet another shockwave from the impact, and, before he flew away, I caught him mid air, punching him in the face with full force.
When I was about to do it again, an eel formed from his stomach, wrapping around my hand, but, before it tried to drag me under the water, like it did with Toji, I ripped it in two with my other hand, and chased after Dagon, who started running from me on the surface of the water.
— You can run, but you can't hide! — Forming a single pole from all three sections of the staff, and pushing myself forward by using Orochi as a platform, I flew into the air, catching up to Dagon in a single second. He looked behind, and in that very moment, as he turned around to look at me, shielding his face with his hands, it was already over.
With a squelch, the edge of the sword I took out in the last possible second slashed through his hands, instantly separating them from his body, but, of course, it didn't stop there. Once his defense was gone, I made a step backwards to gain a bit more of a momentum, and spun around, making a step forward, with a trail of cursed energy left behind, which, in the last possible moment, sparked red.
—Black Flash!— With a single slash of my sword, Dagon, the silent Disaster Curse, has been sliced in two, with his head flying backwards from the rest of his body. Just for a fraction of a second longer, the Domain was maintaining itself, but, once Dagon was dead...his Domain disappeared without a trail.
Even so, the fight was not over, for there stood a ghost of the past...the one to almost kill the Strongest of the Modern Era...Sorcerer Killer, Toji Fushiguro. He, with his lifeless, black eyes, stood still, observing the situation, looking at me, and at the Playful Cloud Maki was holding. For one, he is just a vessel, with the only purpose of his existence being to fight the strongest person present. And, in that very moment...it was me.
Even so, I couldn't just leave everyone here, because I can feel another Disaster Curse approaching us. That's right, Jogo, the Volcano Head, was nearby. If I leave all of them right now, they will die.
— Rabbit Escape: Totality! — A swarm of rabbits, which were multiplying to the point there was no more room for any single one, started dragging everyone away, excluding Megumi, Toji and me. Maki, Nanami and even Naobito...all of them were getting transported to safety. No curse, even as strong as Jogo, will be able to catch up to them. — Megumi-kun, I know it's not a proper moment to do so, but right now, I will be teaching you the ways of the Shadow Sorcerer! — Grabbing his collar, and jumping out of the building, just in time for Jogo to appear, only to see a hall free of people, with remainings of Dagon fading away. Even though he was mourning his death, there was another task he had to complete.
— Y-y/n-san?! — Megumi, upon seeing the light flashing in his vision as we traveled at this speed, was barely able to see anything at all. We were chased by Toji, who was slightly lacking in speed to catch up, so, when it came to it, he picked up random objects that were heavy enough to deal some damage, and threw them in our direction.
Clicking my tongue, I pointed my hand at the car he threw, and, with a blue flame lighting on the palm of my hand, I released a torrent of fire, melting the car in barely even a second after the fire touched it. Normally, it wouldn't be even possible, but the flames I'm able to use thanks to Tiger Funeral is around 10 thousand degrees Celsius in heat, and this is more than enough to melt a car in such a short amount of time. Megumi, looking at the remaining of the car which were now but a puddle of metal and glass on the road, couldn't hold a straight face, but he did his best to remain calm in such situation.
Once we were far enough from the zone where Jogo was, I, finally, decided to stop, and not even a second later, Toji arrived at the scene. He was holding a piece of metal railing that he broke with his bare hands to make a makeshift sword, taking a stance in front of me.
— Megumi-kun, allow me to introduce you to the man that almost killed your Sensei in his teen years. He's known as theCurse of the Zenin clan, the bearer of the Heavenly Restriction, Sorcerer Killer...Toji Fushiguro. — Megumi, understandably, looked at me and Toji with eyes full of shock, unable to believe he heard his family name about another person but himself. — That's right. You're a family. Specifically, this man...is your father.
—Y-you're kidding, right?!There's no way that's him! — Megumi kept staring at Toji, noticing the similarities between himself and the man. He had the same eyes, same hair, same face. They were almost identical in appearance. Ignorance is a bliss, but when everything is pointing at the truth, it's hard to ignore reality. — There's...really? — After all these years, even if he didn't want to know about his own father, thinking he left him, he was now facing him in a fight.
— He didn't leave you out of his own volition. For one, he died after Gojo Satoru took his revenge on him. Second, he was going to sell you to Zenin clan so you will have a better life than he did, because you have the Innate Technique of the clan. He, on the other hand, doesn't even have cursed energy, at all. — Toji, while listening to us, lunged forward, with the tip of his "sword" pointed at my neck, but, holding Megumi, I got out of the way, parrying his attack with my Playful Cloud, deflecting the second slash instantly, feeling the weight of his attacks in full volume. Physically, he's the strongest human I had to fight yet, but sadly, Mahoraga packed a way stronger punch. — Right now, he doesn't even have consciousness, because he was revived using a cursed technique, and only fights because of his instincts, aiming for the strongest, that being me at the moment.
*Clang*
— Ah, it seems it's getting used to his fighting style. — As the Wheel of Dharma spun, I could only smile, seeing Megumi's face only getting more confused each second he was with me. — I'm not a fan of close combat with weapons, because I'm still getting used to using them, so let's teach you what it means to use your shikigami. — While talking, I did my best to "dance" around Toji, with Megumi in hand, while I kept talking about everything I wanted to say to him. — Tell me, how much do you know about "Totality" and "Merging"? — Throwing Megumi in the air to avoid getting hit by Toji's slashing attack, I jumped in the air, catching Megumi yet again, retreating to the heights of the buildings behind us. We needed a bit of space to maneuver, so it was the best bet.
— When shikigami dies, their ability can be transfered to the other shikigami, as far as I understand! — Megumi, even though concerned about his own safety in this chaos, decided to believe in the Special Grade Sorcerer, and left himself in his care. He didn't want to be useless in this moment, but seeing this man...his own father being this strong, he knew he couldn't even land a single hit on him. — I'm not sure about merging, but I can merge Toad and Nue without them dying for that!
— Good, at least you know the gist of it! Now listen, the possibilities of Totalities are vast, same goes for merging! Merging requires you to fully understand what you're trying to do or have at least a gist of understanding to try and merge any of the shikigami, but those merged will be weaker than Totality versions of them due to their powers not being fully transfered! Totality, on the other hand, while requiring shikigami to die to use in for other purposes, gives much more power as a final output! Even if your shikigami is alive, you can merge them if you understand what the final result will be! — Dodging yet another projectile thrown, that being a darn truck, which I burned to the crisp once it flew past me as a revenge for killing me, I landed at the highest point in Shibuya, forming handsign of Nue. — There's a drawback in using Merged shikigami! While they don't require you to kill them, if the merged shikigami dies,ALLof the shikigami merged into it will die as well! So let me show you what it really means to understand your shikigami!
With a push of my cursed energy, knowing full well what I'm doing, and kicking Toji's leg in order for him to back off, I grinned, jumping off of the building, with the shadow figure flying from under me. With a sound of electricity, a shadow formed a beast, with a mask on it's head, feet of a tiger, tail with a snake on the end, antlers on the head, feathered arms with claws, and a current of electricity running through it's entire body. That's right. This is...
—Merged Beast Agito!— With a roar, Agito, which punched Toji, who was forced to block attack charged with electricity, flew forward, grabbing Toji's weapon, throwing it away. —Look closely, Megumi-kun, because in just a matter of minutes, you will learn more from me than from the entire Zenin clan and Jujutsu High combined!— Forming another handsign with a single hand, and summoning Orochi, I landed on his back, catching falling Megumi, and making him stand near, made Orochi rise higher, seeing as Toji was exchanging attacks with Agito.
Agito, blocking hit from Toji by creating a barrier of electrical currents, circled around him, punching him in the back with a flaming fist, parrying attack Toji threw as a counterattack after Agito landed the first hit, sending Toji flying in the air. Orochi, within half a second after Toji was launched in the air, lunged forward, grabbing him mid flight, throwing him back to the ground, specifically, to fall from 40 story building.
— In a fight that includes your shikigami, you need to combine their abilities to create a combination that counters their own abilities.Orochiis able to freely move around and has a strongest bite force of all shikigami,Agitois a combination ofOrochi,Nue,Round DeerandTiger Funeral.NueandTiger Funeralcounter his close combat, which is all he has,Round Deeris a way to heal even if he gets hit, andOrochion his tail prevents him from attacking from behind. Even if he is strong, fighting both of them without any preparation or weapon is impossible for him. — Smiling, seeing how Megumi was absorbing the information I gave him, I kept going, while Agito was fighting Toji faster and faster. — Your may think that your main goal in reaching the full potential of your own technique is to subjugate all of the shikigami...but the truth is, the only limit is your imagination, or, using slang, is how hard you can ball.
Jumping from Orochi, landing on the ground, I observed with great interest...as Toji Fushiguro was tightly held by both Agito and Orochi, unable to move a single muscle. His vessel was getting cracked, and since he can't heal it, he will be gone very soon. As me and Megumi walked closer...we both felt it.
The most malicious energy I had ever felt, strong enough to reach us all the way here, at the edge of Shibuya...this was what every single sorcerer knew about.
Sukuna, has finally, awoken.
Me and Megumi exchanged glances, with both of us knowing full well what had happened. Toji, feeling that as well, turned his head to look in the direction the feeling came from, but, as he looked at Megumi, he froze, with a glint of consciousness appearing in his black eyes.
— You... — He, referring to Megumi, looking at him with sympathy, asked the question I knew all too well. — What's your name?
— Fushiguro... — Megumi, hearing the question from his father, was stunned, but, nonetheless, he answered, with his voice trembling.
— Not Zenin, huh? — With that, Toji Fushiguro, father of Megumi Fushiguro, smiled, looking at his one and only son. He was relieved to know that his son didn't have to endure the curse known as Zenin family. —Good for you.
After that, Orochi, while holding Toji's body with his tail, bit his head off, which, while gruesome, was the most painless way to end the life of a vessel for a person known as Sorcerer Killer.
— Farewell, Toji Fushiguro. — With a short prayer, I lowered my head, dismissing both Agito and Orochi. —May Eris give you salvation you seek.
— What do we do next? Sukuna has awakened. — Megumi, looking in the direction I can see explosion from, looked back at me, clearly wanting to learn more, but also being concerned over the safety of the people in Shibuya.
— Sukuna is fighting a Special Grade Curse right now, so as much as I want to go and look, interfering in such a fight might be dangerous. Sukuna will be done in no time, so the best we can do right now is help evacuate whoever is still in the area. I can feel a few sorcerers still being nearby...that includes...you. — With a single step, I covered the distance between myself and the blonde kid hiding around the corned, grabbing him by the neck, lifting him in the air, and planting a clear hit in his stomach, making him vomit from the force of the punch.
The person hiding...is Haruta Shigemo. Also known by aliases given to him by the Fandom. Femboy, Taylor Swift, piece of crap...you name it.
His cheeks had a marks on it, which were already depleted. A single strike would be all I needed to end him. If his technique still had a few spare chances, I would've killed him a few times to be sure. Right now, however, this idiot, with snot all over his face, looks at me with eyes full of horror, holding his hands on mine to relieve the pressure and make it easier to breathe.
— Now, it's your chance to pick your fate.Tell me, who do you like more, astronauts, scuba divers or miners?— I grinned, looking at his face, waiting for his answer.
— U-uh...miners? — He stammered. Grinning wider, I turned back to look at Megumi, nodding as if to say, "observe."
With that, I ran at my maximum speed, dragging his face through the concrete, asphalt, and dirt. His skin peeled away in layers, revealing raw muscle and bone beneath. The trail of blood became a river, splashing against my legs as I pushed him harder into the ground.
His face dug a trench from the force I exerted, pulverizing his skull with each meter. Teeth shattered, embedding into the dirt, while his eyeballs burst, leaving streaks of viscous fluid. His screams were muffled by the ground, turning into wet, gurgling sounds.
By the time I stopped, I was holding a mere stump of his neck. His brain, once housed in a shattered skull, was a smeared mess of gray matter and blood. Bits of scalp and hair clung to the ground, mingled with fragments of bone and flesh. The trench stretched far behind me, filled with the remnants of his face, now unrecognizable.
—My-my, you're such an excellent hoe! Look how big of a trench you dug with your face! Every miner in the world is so proud of you!— Grinning to myself, witnessing the horror I just caused, I looked back at Megumi, who was terrified of what I just did, and I can't blame him. I just murdered this guy in cold blood, and even if Megumi would've done the same given the chance, it was different when seeing it and doing yourself. — I'm sorry you had to see this, Megumi-kun. At times like this, seeing idiots like him...I become...a bit violent.Just a little bit.
...
*Clang*
— I'm not sure what it just did, but it did. — Looking at the Wheel of Dharma, I approached Megumi, who, looking at the Wheel, raised his eyebrow.
— What is that, exactly? Cursed Tool, Artifact? — As we ran through the streets of the city, in order to evacuate whoever was still in Shibuya, he started this conversation.
— This, Megumi-kun, is what you tried to use several times by now. — He was confused, but as gears in his head clicked, I saw a horror of realization on his face, because, when I grinned, seeing his face, I kept going. — That's right. That's the Wheel of Dharma, artifact possessed by the one and only,Eight Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga.
—HOW?!— He couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. —No one in the history of Ten Shadows users ever Managed to subjugate it! It's impossible!
— Very much possible if you know what you're doing. — As we kept going, the fight in the distance was only getting closer, and it was just a matter of time before we see Panda and Kusakabe. — Tell me, how many shikigami do you have at the moments?Nuh-uh, don't answer, it's only 6. For once, before I even fought it, I had 9, and I knew of all their abilities to plan my way around it.Piercing Oxis the reason I won in the end, but to reach this point, I had to use every single shikigami, open my Domain, waltz around it until Ox was ready, hit9 f*cking Black Flashes, breaking every existing record, and the record that will be broken in the future, and then made them collide. I will explain later what happened, but what you need to know...is that Mahoraga is subjugated.
As we turned the corner where I felt several Cursed Energy Signatures, I pointed my hand upwards, shooting a torrent of flame at the Curse Users that were about to attack those we came to save, burning them to a crisp in a single moment.
—Kusakabe-san, Panda-senpai! Move, Sukuna and Special Grade Curse is running rampage! Evacuate before it's too late, we will deal with the rest!— Megumi yelled, getting their attention, and, without a word, Kusakabe ran first, with Panda stopping for a moment to observe me, and then looking at Megumi.
— Good luck, Megumi-kun, keep yourself safe. — And, with that, they ran, evacuating as fast as it was possible. Toge must have already finished evacuating civilians and is now with them, keeping guard, Maki, Nanami and Naobito is out of range, and now...the only thing left...is to wait for Sukuna to finish with Jogo.
Looking up, I saw a meteorite forming in the air, and, before Sukuna arrived to our position, I grabbed Megumi, jumping from building to building to avoid the explosion caused by the Maximum Meteor.
Just when we were out of the range, the explosion that caused the entire Shibuya to shake, with debris of buildings flying all around, happened, and extending my hand in front of Megumi to keep him safe, I kept looking forward, until I saw another trail of fire forming.
— This...is getting out of hand. — He said in a rather worried tone, looking upon the destruction caused, tilting his head to look at me. — If you both were to fight, who would win?
— Hm, if he uses his Domain Expansion during our fight, it might get troublesome. — I answered, picturing the possibility of that happening.
— But would you lose? — With the faithful question asked, I couldn't hold myself from smiling, with a face full of determination.
—Nah, I'd win.
The silence ensured, and, as the surrounding got louder, I looked back at Megumi, pointing my hand in the direction where Sukuna and Jogo fought.
— Megumi-kun, have you ever seen 2 Special Grade Sorcerers fight between each other? — Smiling, watching as the pillar of fire rose where meteor has landed, I knew for sure. Sukuna has finally finished the battle.
— No...?
—Would you like to?— I looked at him, pointing my gaze at the direction Sukuna was in, and both of us could feel it...he was coming closer.
— ...yes.
With my smile getting bigger, I ruffled his hair, making him grumble for a second. With that, as I dropped to the street oh so familiar to me, exactly where Sukuna vs Mahoraga battle took place, and, keeping Megumi close, stood silently, feeling the aura of absolute malice and terror mixed into one approaching us in a slow pace. The steps reverbated through the silent Shibuya, and Megumi tensed, which I did as well, albeit not as noticeably as he did.
*Clang*
The Wheel of Dharma above my head spun yet again, but I was not sure what Mahoraga was adapting to. I thought that in my brawl with Toji it adapted to his fighting style, but since adaptation process keeps going, it has to be something else.
When the steps stopped, a figure was already close to us, just barely 50 meters away, looking at us with interest. A judging gaze of the King of Curses swept through both of us, examining the people he had faced, with his gaze now lingering on me.
— And who might you be, brat? — His question was directed to me, and so, as a polite gentleman without any mental problems that I am, I responded.
— Y/n L/n, leader of the "Helldivers" party and The Strongest Adventurer of another World. What an honor to witness theKing of Curseshimself. — I said, smiling upon seeing his face, and stopped Megumi from trying to move backwards, keeping him close. — Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep you safe. Just stay close to me, or just jump into my shadow and look from here. — Following my advice, Megumi, jumping into my shadow, stuck his head out just a little, so he can see what is happening, and then, when I made a step forward to slightly approach Sukuna, I had to instantly take out my Blade of Extermination, slicing the air in front of me, only for the buildings behind me to get split in half from the Dismantle Sukuna had used.
— You can see it. — Sukuna, emotionless before this very moment, instantly changed his mood upon witnessing the action I just performed. His grin widened, his cursed energy levels rose, and I deflected yet another wave of dismantle, leaving buildings behind me to collapse after they got sliced until the very foundation. —You can see my Cursed Technique!— He started laughing, seeing the first ever Sorcerer that could perceive his invisible slashes. The reason I could see them is very simple...after my senses went rampant upon feeling such a huge cursed energy background, everything to my senses felt like a beacon, especially cursed techniques used by people like Sukuna.
It's not really a matter of me "seeing" his technique, but "feeling" and predicting it. While I do see an outline of his technique when it's used, it's so insignificant that counting on it is suicide. Another matter helping me to distinguish fake slashes from genuine was his soul movement. When he uses his technique, his soul gives out a slight pulse, as if a submarine using a sonar to find out what's around it.
"Mahoraga, whatever you're adapting to right now doesn't matter. Start adaptation to this cursed technique, I will need you in this fight." — The Wheel stopped moving for a moment, and then, turning once, turned once again, which indicated the start of a new adaptation process.
— Ho? You did something there, didn't you? — Sukuna, clearly amused, started walking forward, and, following his example, I started slowly moving forward, knowing full well...that it will be a massacre of a fight.
— Who knows?Care to find out?— We both taunted each other, and, once we were just one hand of a distance away from each other...we declared war, without saying a single word.
The Strongest Sorcerer in History vs The Strongest Adventurer of Another World.
With a burst of speed, we sent our punches, with our fists colliding, creating a shockwave strong enough to send both of us flying backwards. We collided the buildings, but, instead of getting buried inside of them, we landed on our feet, holding onto the surface of a building with our cursed energy.
Feeling a surge of cursed energy from Sukuna, and seeing an outline of the cursed technique used, I imbued Blade of Extermination with cursed energy on top of positive energy, which, in turn, was enough for me to not only deflect his dismantle...but to also send it backwards. Sukuna, clearly surprised, moving just a step away to avoid his own technique, made even crazier face, lunging at me at full speed.
I moved sideways to avoid him touching me, because while I'm able to deflect his Dismantle...Cleave is another matter. I can't deflect something that appears on top of me, and it also adapts to my cursed energy density to fully ignore my defense, thus making it the most dangerous technique in his arsenal at this very moment.
Moving forward, we started our exchange yet again, and I'm ashamed to say...right now, I was playing it defensive. I need to get used to how he fights, get used to his speed...because right now, he's the fastest opponent I had to fight, ever. Toji doesn't stand close, Verdia in a snail compared to them, and even Mahoraga before all the buffs, was slower than he is.
He is an expert of hand to hand combat, with much, much more experience than I will ever get, and he has enough experience fighting other Sorcerers to know how they operate. Gladly, I'm not your regular sorcerer...so I had a few tricks up my sleeve.
I sent a kick to his leg, receiving a kick to my shin in return, I tried to punch him in the chest, and had to disengage because his open palm got dangerously close to my own. I tried to make him get closer by stepping backwards and then moving forward to slash, but in turn, he did the same, catching me off guard with his sudden change of pace.
He dashed around me, sending dismantle to my back, forcing me to deflect it, then turn around, and do the same.
He was dancing around me, showing that his speed is slightly superior to mine, sending dismantle after dismantle for me to deflect, until one moment, I didn't feel a pulse of his soul when he motioned his hand in my direction. Grinning, I rushed forward, landing my first ever attack against the King of Curses, a sucker punch straight to the face, which sent him flying through a building.
*Clang*
Mahoraga completed the second adaptation stage, given that it already had the first stage after my fight with it with a sword. It might honestly take 2 more turns to fully negate any slashing attacks. But you know what? Given our current pace...I think I will handle it.
His bluff attempt was a failure, but it was only the beginning of our actual exchange, because when I landed in front of the building, waiting for him to get out, he did so, holding a can of cola and a bag of popcorn in hand. He was trolling me, and I, honestly, didn't even feel insulted by that, even though I should.
— Disgusting. — After trying the popcorn, which, to his dismay, was an utter garbage, he was about to throw it away, but, before he could react, a blue flame, with a temperature of 10 thousand degrees Celsius hit the popcorn, which made all of it turn to the crisp, with a soda cup in his other hand exploding in an instant from the heat nearby, splattering all over his face.
— Oh, my bad, I overdid it, didn't expect it to be done already. I thought of you as the type of a guy to eat his food raw. — With a smile, I taunted him yet again, responding to his own taunt this way. Two can play this game, and I was all for it.
— Do you have a huge wish to die, brat? Then you picked the right address, because today, I'll deliver you the gift of death personally. — Healing the burned arm with RCT, Sukuna, with a grin to his ears, slashed the air, sending the biggest Dismantle wave yet to evaporate me in the form of a net.
Planting my feet into the ground to get a better footing, I waited for the last possible moment, with the Blade of Extermination ready, holding my breath, nor daring to let it go. My concentration was so deep, in fact, that I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears, barely able to ignore it. I could see the area around the invisible attack dissolving like a mirage, akin to a heat from the flame distorting your view...
And when the time came, I struck at the speed I had never achieved ever before in my life. The invisible attack sent by the King of Curses got split in two, and the ground all around me got sliced into small cubes, until there was nothing left from them. The building behind me began to collapse after the second part of the technique that got split hit it, and, not turning around, I jumped higher, evading another invisible attack aimed to catch me off guard.
*Clang*
The Wheel of Dharma made it's second spin, which prompted Sukuna to stop his attack, to find out what has happened, because I have yet to show him my technique. He should be thinking that Mahoraga's Wheel IS my technique, and Sukuna, being Sukuna, first analyzes the cursed technique his opponents uses before finally ending them if they are worth his attention. Until them, I was going to fool him by pretending that the Wheel spin gives me new abilities.
— What's your game, brat? — He asked, unsure of what keeps happening with the Artifact above my head. — It seems like you're all bark but no bite. Where did all that determination go, I wonder?
— Well, does it truly seems like I'm going all out? You study me, I study you. Isn't it obvious by now? — I gave him a mocking smile, lowering my gaze a little to check on Megumi, seeing that he was okay, but clearly scared.
—You lack the strength to play big. Know your place.— Sending yet another Dismantle, he expected me to block it, but then, when it was about to hit, I grinned.
The wave of electricity spread in every direction from me, deflecting dismantle with an attribute of positive energy running through the thunder barrier, and Sukuna was forced to send another Dismantle on top of the one deflected by me to not get hurt in the process.
—So you want to play it this way, huh?!— Sukuna, grinning wider, pointed his hand in my direction, sending a truly huge wave of dismantle to where I was and was going to be the next moment, forcing me to move faster to avoid getting hit. The buildings started to crumble, getting sliced in half with each new attack, revealing their insides that were nothing more than a piece of a building that was getting demolished.
Instead of running away this time, I used Nue's electricity to my full advantage, getting to Sukuna's side with a thunderclap, punching him in the block he had set to avoid taking damage. I sent him through a few building from the force of a punch sent at the speed higher than I moved before, and, after he had stopped flying, we were yet again near other other, exchanging punches and techniques.
He punched me in the face, with his hand colliding barrier, getting burned to a state of burned toast, but the dismantle he sent along with his punch went through the barrier, hitting me in the chest, cutting deep into my flesh. Blood splattered, I arched my entire body backwards from the impact, gritting my teeth from pain of my muscles getting torn in an instant. It didn't cut deep enough to reach my ribs or lungs, given that I had a layer of cursed energy on top of the barrier to help with stopping attacks, and, not even a second after I got cut horribly, it was gone without a scar. Sukuna, clearly amused by my proficiency with healing my own self, repeated the attack, this time, however, aiming to my gut.
I blocked his punch myself, which, with my footing ruined by the previous dismantle wave cutting the ground I stood on to no more than a piece of dirt, was forced to jump backwards to avoid getting sent flying, and let the barrier deflect the dismantle he sent after me. After I made a backflip in the air from the leftover energy of the punch, I was face to face with Sukuna, who tried to grab my hands after he disabled my barrier of thunder by sending a sphere of dismantle to attack me from all sides, but, instead of letting him get a hold of me so he can perform Cleave, I grabbed him by his own arm, spinning rapidly and gliding through the air with my ability granted by Nue, threw him as high as I can, way above Shibuya's highest building, and, barely even aiming, sent a rapid series of fireballs after him, seeing him grin in the air.
The battle was getting hotter and hotter, streets, districts, aleys and overall the entire area around us was getting destroyed to barely recognizable state, but we didn't care, given that our current battle was taking all our concentration, and even if we were checking our surroundings with our senses between punches, it doesn't mean we would instantly notice any outside intervention...not like there would be any to begin with.
Dozens upon dozens of scorching blue fireballs got sent into the atmosphere. Some were cut in half after approaching Sukuna, some flew past, but the results were the same. None had hit him, with some getting close enough to melt his upper clothes and damage his face and hands that were the closest to the heat of the fire that was twice as hot as the surface of the sun. He was clearly in ecstasy, because even when attack itself didn't land, he was hurt, even if it didn't affect him much, with RCT healing all the damage he sustained.
When I stopped sending any more after him, I jumped to him, and we threw our strongest punch to each other, with our fists colliding and creating a sonic boom, sending both of us flying backwards. It didn't matter how far both of us were sent after the impact, because a second later, we were already back near each other, this time, closer to the ground, exchanging a barrage of punches. Sukuna, while having an upper hand in close combat, was now the one lacking in speed from the fact that coating myself in layer of cursed energy and electricity gave me a boost in speed to match his own. While both of us were in disadvantage in something, we both held our ground, with each our punch strong enough to destroy a building.
Each attack was sending us flying, and the next attack would happen in the next building, repeating the process for as long as we kept exchanging our attacks. Building were collapsing, with rubbles flying all around the deserted area of Shibuya, anything around us that didn't get destroyed by the force of our attacks was getting split in two by Dismantle that he used after every attack or by getting melted by the flame I coated my hands in like Tiger Funeral did in our fight. I decided against covering my feet in flames, first, because Megumi was still in my shadow, and second, in would mean I will burn the surface I'm standing on to the ground. After the last punch, he didn't approach me, and instead, pointed his hand in my direction, and I prepared for the worst.
He decided to go all out, not holding back the power of his slashes anymore, and so, I had to take it head on. I stopped moving entirely, and took a stance with my Blade of Extermination, coating myself in layer of electricity to help with deflecting his attacks.
One miss, a gushing wound on my leg. Another, and I lost my right arm. Heal it with RCT. Blocked and parried many more, and yet, I still kept missing some parries due to the issues with my senses getting numb from pain.
Yet again, I missed the parry, and lost my footing, which forced me to jump in the air, making myself vulnerable. When Sukuna noticed that, he used the building he was on as a jumping platform, lunging in my direction at the speed of sound. I met him head on, and, as our palms met during exchange, he used the technique I hoped he wouldn't have the time to use in this entire fight.
—Cleave. — He uttered, and I felt my insides sunk from the wave of cursed energy he used in order to use his technique. The first slashes that appeared on top of my skin were met with electricity layer, creating an explosion comparable to a bomb going off, but Sukuna, even when the left side on his body got instantly charred from the explosion of electricity, still held to my hand, keeping the flow of his technique. The next slashes, which were met with a layer of cursed energy, didn't do anything, but then, a second later, they started adjusting to the density of my cursed energy, and then, I felt pain.
Pain so unimaginably strong it was a miracle how I hadn't screamed. The surface of my skin had a spiderweb of slashes on top of it, and my insides didn't feel any better. My liver was sliced in four equal parts, my stomach got torn open, and I had to instantly slice open my skin to let all the liquid from it out of my system, my heart, which I protected at all cost, didn't get damaged, but my lungs, in turn, received the most damage out of my entire body. They got torn to shreds, and I couldn't breathe anymore, with some leftover oxygen traveling through my undamaged blood vessels, and whatever oxygen was still in my brain.
*Clang*
Immediately after the Wheel of Dharma made a turn, I closed my palm, directing the hole between my thumb and forefinger to his face, with a surge of water sent at high pressure. Sukuna, after hearing the wheel spin and seeing my new technique, couldn't react fully, and instead of having his brain cut open by the stream of high pressurized water, only han the arm he held me with cut off, which finally released me from this torture.
We disengaged to heal the damage we sustained, and immediately used RCT to get it over with. With the damage I sustained, I barely got to heal my lungs in time before my brain shut down from the lack of oxygen, and then, after the most essential organs in my body healed, I was able to sigh, healing any other damage that I got. The surface of my skin was good as new, but all the blood on top of it was still there, and, essentially, I was covered in my own blood.
"Finally." — Once the Wheel has spun, I knew, it was time.
Mahoraga's adaptation works pretty easily. When it gets hit with an attack or experiences a phenomenon, it starts the process of adaptation, and the more it experiences the phenomenon, the faster it adapts to it. The more complex the attack is, the longer it takes to adapt, but since Mahoraga already had a basic level of adaptation to slashing attacks from the time I used my sword to fight it, it only took 3 turns for it to get fully adapted to all slashing attacks in general.
In the manga, it took Mahoraga just a single turn to adapt to Slashes, Cursed Energy and to heal itself, all in a single rotation. Here, Mahoraga needs more time, but is generally stronger. Now, when I was sure Mahoraga can stand his ground against King of Curses, I grinned, turning my head a little backwards to look at Megumi, who was white as a chalk.
— Now, Megumi-kun, what you saw was but a little brawl. Sukuna is the only one to use his true CT, but now, after the process is completed, it's time for me to get serious. — Taking out a Playful Cloud, with Blade of Extermination still visible on my hand, I hit Sukuna in the face as he approached, sending him in the building he just destroyed, with the building crumbling on top of him akin to a card house.
With a sigh, seeing as Sukuna was getting annoyed by me, which was a feat by itself, I retracted the blade and got Playful Cloud back into my shadow, standing on top of the building that was about to collapse.
— Listen closely, Megumi-kun. The tenth shikigami, the one which was not conquered by everyone but me, is not just a convenient suicide tool. It's a powerhouse on it's own. Some people even say that Divine General is the only reason Ten Shadows is any good, and I disagree with them. Mahoraga is the strongest shikigami, that's undeniable, but Ten Shadows is all about strategic decisions, multiple combinations and your own imagination and capabilities. We both differ in how we operate, we have different circ*mstances, and even different set of abilities, because I'm literally built different. Even then, people that told you that you have a potential to become one of the strongest are not wrong. Right now, you have no way to defeat your own Mahoraga, let alone the one I had fought. But, if you plan around what you will see today, if you subjugate all the rest of your shikigami...you will become a Special Grade capable of bringing the biggest threats to the ground if you try hard enough. — Deflecting a dismantle wave sent by Sukuna with a wave of electricity, I grinned wider, as he finally got out from the building, facing me by standing on the building opposite of mine, holding his hands in his pockets.
— Your games are over, brat. If you don't stop messing around, your loss will be much quicker than it already is by this point. You provided me with entertainment, but if that's all you've got, then you're no more than a jester in a fool's house . — His arrogance knew no bounds, but in this moment, I didn't really care.
— Oh, you might have misunderstood something,King of Curses, — With that, I made a step forward, falling off of a building, succumbing to the force of gravity, slowing my fall with my ability to hover in the air granted by Nue, safely landing in the process, with Sukuna jumping down to face me yet again. — You'reThe Strongest Sorcerer of Japanese History. I'm The Strongest Sorcerer of Another World entirely. You think I'm losing? — I started laughing, pointing at the Wheel of Dharma. —No, bitch. You're losing.— Holding my hands in the pockets, I started walking closer, no longer afraid of getting hit by any of Sukuna's attacks. —Here's how we're gonna do this. Roses are Red, Weapons against me won't prosper. — Every single light source in the radius of 200 meters instantly shut down, dimming the area in darkness, which was illuminated only by my and Sukuna's cursed energy. —With this sacred treasure i summon...Big Raga, the Opp Stoppa.
***
"This...has to be a dream...a nightmare even..."— Megumi, observing the battle through the shadow of the Sorcerer he had met not even an hour ago, was speechless for the entire duration of the battle. From what he was told, Grade 1 Sorcerers are akin to a tank. They are strong, sure, butSpecial Grades? Those people are able to destroy a country on their own, be it because of their cursed technique, their reserves being nearly limitless or other means available to them. He never understood the implication of Special Grades, because it's hard to imagine a Sorcerer of a caliber this big going all out, because he never seen Gojo-sensei go all out before that, but now...with two Strongest fighting for their title, he now knew...what heights he has to reach.
The city was getting destroyed from mere force of their punches, not even including the techniques they used to fight, and yet, those two didn't care in the slightest, keeping the flow of the battle, only getting faster with each passing second. He had hard time following everything, given that his reaction time in nowhere close to those two, but for this entire battle, they were mostly on par with each other, some worse in some categories, but overall, equal. The only problem is...Y/n-san hadn't used anything but his cursed energy, Electricity, possibly gained from Nue, Water, probably from Max Elephant, and Fire, which, he presumed, was the Funeral Tiger that he seen in action in a form of Agito. He didn't summon any of the shikigami this entire battle, and the only thing that did change...was the Wheel of Dharma.
He could see Y/n grinning each time it made a spin, but he had yet to understand what it did. What was the ability Mahoraga possesses that makes him so confident he would win? How strong is Mahoraga to make him so sure that no matter what Sukuna, the Strongest Sorcerer in History, does, he wouldn't lose.
Now...he knew...
The incantation Y/n used was different from what he tried to use at least 5 times by now, 2 of them being used for Sukuna, two being Hanami and one being a Special Grade Curse he fought when he used his Domain. It was akin to hearing a gang member giving a rap lyrics, specifically, something from the "Hood", as it was called in slang. And yet...even if this was not a proper incantation...those words held so, so much power, that his own attempt to summon this shikigami looked like a child's play. Sure, Special Grade Curse was scared sh*tless when he tried to summon it, but if Y/n tried to instead?This thing would've died from a heart attack on the spot.
Megumi never felt fear much greater than he did now. Sukuna, the most terrifying person with the most malicious cursed energy ever met by him had his own specific aura or malice and horror...this thing, however, was emitting aura of absolute dread, as if you stand no chance at winning, no matter what.
Mahoraga was tall, at least as tall as a five story building, but something told him it wasn't the limit. On top of having muscles Gods would envy, he had the overwhelming sense of...something greater, a being in a different scale of power entirely.Divinity. This light emitting from it's body can only be described as Divine, and Megumi didn't doubt even a second to accept this as a fact. His gut told him it's true, it's name,Divine General, told him it's true...and Sukuna, who's demeanor changed to the most serious he had ever seen...told him it's true.
—Just so there's no misunderstand, let me set you straight. — Y/n raised his hand, pointing his forefinger in the sky, and his thumb at himself, as if he wanted to say that he's the one above him. —You're the challenger here.
—Damn punk. — Sukuna retorted, grinning after seeing a Sorcerer he was fighting with suddenly use a technique only one person could use until now. — You've been hiding under a rock all those years to escape my sight with this technique, don't you? Congratulations, you've actually fooled me. I thought I've got a clear grasp on your technique, but it seems you planned it from the beginning.
— Don't flatter yourself, Sukuna. Me, hiding? I arrived to this world barely an hour ago, count it as a business trip if you will. Our meeting was just a matter of circ*mstances following each other. — He said, pointing his finger at Sukuna. — It's time to end this.
The Strongest Sorcerer in History vs The Strongest Adventurer of Another World, final battle, has finally, began.
***
— 2 versus 1, huh? — Sukuna asked with amusem*nt, and, with my mind racing with possibilities of my technique in this battle, I couldn't stop myself from grinning, repeating the words he himself said in the future that never happened here.
— You couldn't be more wrong, Sukuna. — Forming a Nue handsign, I put as much cursed energy in the summon as I could to make it stronger, but not waste any unnecessary energy to leave as much as possible for the Domain. Agito, which Megumi seen before...was now different. Not only did it become bigger, more muscular and had more white color scheme, it now had something I wanted to try at least once...it had a Dharma Wheel on top of it's head. —It's THREE against one.— Agito stood to my right, with Mahoraga on my left, and, spreading my hands, I made a step toward Sukuna, who kept grinning.
— You look like a lost child. — He commented, taking a stance, ready to attack.
— Does it make a difference how I look if I'm the one in control? — I responded, making yet another step, with Agito and Mahoraga close behind. —Let's go, King of Curses. Do you have enough cursed energy in stock?
—Don't think so high of yourself, fool.— He responded, lunging at me, only for Agito to intervene, blocking his punch with a flaming fist, burning his hand to ashes in a matter of a milliseconds. Sukuna instantly regenerated it, but he himself didn't damage Agito in the slightest with his punch. He disengaged, sending dismantle to cut it in half, but before it could reach, dismantle wave he sent was instantly deflected, as if Agito already knew how to properly counter it, and Sukuna had to use another one to counter his own attack.
Agito lunged forward, with his fists covered in blue flames, and Sukuna, understanding the danger of those flames, opted to get out of it's range, using his technique instead to try and get it. He had yet to understand what wad the deal with the Wheel on their heads, but this was crucial detail he had to find out about the hard way.
Mahoraga was already behind Sukuna when he tried to jump on the building to get away from Agito, and, grabbing him entirely, slammed him into the ground, several times, in fact, before Sukuna managed to break free, while also using Cleave in the process, which, to his surprise, had little to no effect. It barely even scratched Mahoraga, and it felt odd for him even when using the technique, as if something was wrong.
I didn't stand aside, because even if those two will be enough with the adaptation now complete, I'm not the one to underestimate Sukuna himself. He always has a plan in his mind.
And have a plan he did. If I hadn't moved from my previous spot, I would've been dead, because a rain of dismantle hit the place where I was a second ago, which he managed to send past Agito and Mahoraga. If he can't kill the shikigami, kill the summoner. A smart decision.
— Your tactics won't work, Sukuna. Think of something more original now, would you? — Jumping on Mahoraga's head, after it punched Sukuna through half a city, we all jumped in the air, landing just a bit away from Sukuna.
— So you desire something original now, brat? — He said, clearly amused by my words. — Just because you have numbers, doesn't mean you've got the battle won.Try to counter this one.
He jumped high into the air, and, before Agito could chase after him, I stopped it, knowing full well what Sukuna was going to do. Steeling my nerves, and checking the surrounding area for 200 meters in each direction with my senses, I prepared to meet the biggest obstacle yet...the sky darkened, the air was dense with cursed energy oozing from Sukuna, and it was getting harder to breathe. Megumi was white as chalk, because he knew what was going to happen.
I knew as well, because the only reason such thing would happen...was because Sukuna, The King of Curses, was releasing his Domain. He clasped his hands together, with his ring and middle finger touching each other, with his thumb, forefinger and pinky finger resting, making a handsign needed to open the Domain. Despite my fear of losing my life to his Domain, I forced myself to smile, and, making a handsign of my own, put all my available energy into opening my own Domain.
—DOMAIN EXPANSION! — We yelled at the top of our lungs, and then, when the cursed energy density in the air reached it's peak, our Domains, which manifested themselves into the world...began the tug-of-war. —MALEVOLENT SHRINE!/CHIMERA SHADOW GARDEN!
The Buddhist shrine behind Sukuna, decorated with skulls of dead animals, manifested in full glory, and, at the same time, my domain, which, normally wouldn't have a physical form, now, after my fight with Sukuna, gained one of it's own.
Observing Sukuna for the entire duration of our battle, I noticed how he utilizes his curse energy, how it moves through his body, and how little of it he loses while using techniques. Compared to my own usage, he was perfect in every category...and after observing him, I learned much more than I did by myself. This push, which made me better in everything I did, also allowed me to finally realize my own self, thus...i reached the peak of Jujutsu Sorcery yet again. My Domain Expansion, finally, was complete. Behind my back, It also conjured a large object that resembles two columns of a spinal bone with bow-shaped ropes tied and roots attached to it. This, in itself, was representation of my soul, my will, and my brain. Imagination plays the biggest role for Shadow Sorcerer like myself, and thus, this was what final version of my Domain looks like.
When both Domains opened on the same territory, they immediately began fighting for dominance. Sukuna's shrine send dismantle and cleave at the border of my borderless Domain, while also damaging everything outside of my Domain, albeit much less that it would've done if there was no enemy Domain making it concentrate all it's firepower on me.
My Domain, in turn, conjured all of my Shadows in liquid form, towering over the shrine and roaring at it, while also deflecting all of the attacks sent into my domain to try and break it. I know I wouldn't hold for long, nor would I actually win the Domain clash, because I don't have enough cursed energy to rival Sukuna at the moment, because I spent a lot using my shikigami's abilities instead of them, then Mahoraga and Agito summoning after fighting Toji and Dagon. As much as it would stroke my ego winning this clash, I just knew that I couldn't rival it, but it didn't mean I will close my Domain, my own pride, to immediately lose.No, I will not.
Mahoraga stepped out of the range of my Domain, and immediately after, Cleave and Dismantle rained upon it, dealing the most minor damage ever seen from technique as strong as Sukuna's, specifically in a full powered Domain. Walking toward Sukuna, Mahoraga, with a smile on it's face, stopped just before reaching him, and Sukuna, unsure of what to do, just stood there, either thinking if he should use fire arrow, or do something else...
Before he found an answer to that question...the Wheel of Dharma on it's head spun, and so did Agito's. Then, raising it's hand, Mahoraga swung the Blade of Extermination downwards, not even touching Sukuna or the shrine...and the space itself got distorted for a moment, with the sound of a glass breaking afterwards.
Sukuna's Domain was broken in a single strike, and Mahoraga fully adapted to any kind of slashing attacks, as well as to Sukuna's Domain. Even if he opens it again, it will be immediately broken. Sukuna, seeing this, finally understood what Mahoraga was able to do. Even so, he was not going to stop there.
He disengaged yet again, gaining just enough distance from me and my still opened Domain, and said something I couldn't hear, followed with "Fuga", and flames appearing in his hand.
— Brat...no, Y/n L/n, was it? I admit it, you're strong. You're the first Sorcerer since Heian Era to push me to my limits. Let's have a contest of firepower, then.
— I don't mind. — I said, and, keeping my Domain Open, made Agito disappear, with Mahoraga standing behind my back. — I would advice you to aim upwards...because it won't do you any good to aim here. — With that, from the opened Domain, a huge shadow of Nue:Totality made it's way to the sky, forming my SES, version 2.0. Just like Agito, it had a Wheel of Dharma on it's head, aside from other attributes it had before. Now, it wasEVENlarger, thus, making it even more dangerous to anything in the range. —Let's end our fight with explosion, King of Curses.
Sukuna, forming a fire arrow, taking my advice, aimed upwards, straight at Nue, who started forming a beam of blue fire from it's underbelly. I was far enough to not get hit no matter what, so I could go as wild as I wanted to.
"Attack Boost, Magic Power Boost." — I changed to myself, buffing Nue to give it much power as I could, and then, when it's output reached 150%, with both attacks almost completely ready, I started another chant.
You see, there are a thing called "Extension Technique", and those are original abilities derived from innate techniques. Innate techniques cannot be changed or altered, but they can be trained and expanded on through creativity to maximize their applications into extension techniques.For example, while merge of Well's Unknown Abyss is still a merge, it's more akin to an Extension Technique.
Now, with me being able to use most of my shikigami's abilities, I can amplify their own, and this, is what I was doing.
—Charge, Impact, Fire Pillar.Extension Technique, Maximum Output... — Nue, finally reaching it's own 200% output, finally finishes charging it's strongest attack, and Sukuna, done as well, released his arrow, knowing full well...that I was done as well. —Orbital Laser.
Two strongest attacks launched almost at the same time, traveling through the air at the speed fast enough for both attacks to reach each other immediately. Fire Arrow, colliding with the pillar of blue flame, exploded, creating it's own pillar of fire, which was fighting for dominance with Orbital Laser used by Nue. In a struggle against each other, the ground itself was getting scorched, being melted to lava and everything not in range was getting incinerated from merely being nearby.
Fire Arrow, finally losing all the cursed energy imbued into it...has lost the struggle, and Orbital Laser, finding it's way through the attack, reached Sukuna, who shielded himself with the strongest defensive technique he knew. His skin was getting constantly burned and regenerated, his cursed energy output was dropping, and his reserves were being depleted by each millisecond he was enduring the strongest attack I had ever used.
The radius of the Orbital Laser was a little bigger than 100 meters, and everything, and I meanEVERYTHING, in that exact radius, was destroyed, melted and evaporated up until the ground. Nothing was left standing, and the only figure that actually stood, was Sukuna, who's entire body was burned, slowly regenerating from his usage of RCT. It was clear that he was exhausted, and so, I closed my Domain, with Nue disappeared moments after, and Mahoraga following me close behind. As I approached Sukuna, being only a few meters away from him, I gave him a smile.
— Albeit I know you're not currently at your full strength, it was a battle I will remember for as long as I live. You are the strongest opponent, aside Mahoraga, that I had to fight using everything I got, and even more than that.Stand proud, Sukuna. You are strong. Your title as the Strongest Socrerer in History is deserved. — I said, giving him a nod of respect.
— Heh, didn't expect you to be so generous with praises after all you've said before. — He smirked, stopping the RCT after he healed the critical damage. He no longer had enough to fight, and was losing control to Yuji.
— Gotta give it respect when it's due. — Shrugging, I responded, observing how his hands began to tremble.
—You did well, Y/n L/n. If I meet you again after I reach my maximum, I will make sure you won't walk ever again, even if it will be the last thing I will do. I won't forget you for as long as I live.
He hung his head low, and, as the marks disappeared from his face, Itadori Yuji, finally, regained his control, falling unconscious as soon as he did. I caught him with one hand, and Megumi, jumping out of my shadow, helped me hold onto Yuji, walking him away, trying not to look at the catastrophe our fight had caused.
— What...do we do now, Y/n-san? — He asked, with his voice trembling. He looked around, staring at the remains of Shibuya, with a giant crater in the center of it.
— Now, Megumi-kun, we're going to save Gojo Satoru. — Turning in the Direction of the subway station where I felt the cursed energy signatures, that being Mahito and Gojo, I started walking there, with Megumi following me close behind, and Mahoraga towering over us. I don't have that much left of my reserves, so I was not going to disengage my strongest shikigami yet.
The Shibuya incident is still in progress...but a lot of death has now been prevented.
Time to bless this wonderful world.
***
Y/n:Ko!
Mahoraga: No!
Megumi: Suba?
***
Chapter 14
Chapter Text
We rushed forward the Shibuya station through the deserted area created by my battle with Sukuna. Everything around us was destroyed, some places even had the foundation completely gone, but most of the destruction were caused by many upon many Dismantles he had used throughout the fight. The remainings of lava created from my flames melting everything around it were filling the holes in the ground, only heating the area all around it.
Megumi, who summoned his Divine Dog in Totality form, had it carry Yuji to have his hands free in case he needs it, and, without missing even a single step, we ran inside using one of the many entrances to the underground subway station. Even if I personally don't know where is the exact location Gojo was sealed at, I could feel the remaining of his cursed energy lingering in the air. Kenjaku probably took the Prison Realm away, but if there's even a single chance it's still there, I will be able to free him with a single hit.
Mahoraga was too big to fit inside of an underground facility, so it hid in my shadow, leaving the Wheel of Dharma on top of my head in case I need to summon it again. It knew I don't have much cursed energy left, so it complied, so I had roughly 20-25 percent left after my Domain battle with Sukuna, but with the possible upcoming fights, I might use even move. I don't need to summon any more shikigami besides Mahoraga to fight in those conditions, but if I need to summon someone, it's probably going to be either Rabbit Escape or Round Deer, because anything else would just be a bad use of my leftover reserves.
— Megumi-kun, how is your reserves going? — I asked, jumping over the railing on the stairs to reach the lower floor faster, feeling a few energy signatures inside.
— I don't have much, but I can last a single battle with what I have left! Domain is out of option, but everything else up to Nue should be fine! — He answered, following me close behind with his version of Dusk.
— Then get ready, I can already hear sound of a battle ongoing. Special Grade curse, no less, so be careful! — Given that the only disaster curse left alive is Mahito, it could only be him, but I was not sure who was the second fighter. Their energy signature is low, around grade 2 at best, but there's another one approaching, and approaching fast. Nanami, Maki and Naobito are out of Shibuya, Blitz got them out and didn't let them enter for the entire battle with Sukuna, so they didn't get into the radius of our battle. I presume they understood that it's too dangerous to get any closer, and stayed there until situation gets resolved. The only problem is...i don't recognize any signature that is on the station, so I didn't meet them yet. That means only one thing...Nobara...and Todo.
Megumi was oblivious to my thoughts, but he nodded to my warning, because he knew I'm pretty drained from the battle he witnessed from the front row seat.
— Why won't you useDivine Generalif that's the case? Is there any reason you keep him at standby? — He was confused, clearly, but there was a deeper thought on his mind, and I caught on it. With Mahoraga, any battle here becomes all but an inconvenience, because 99 percent of people present here will die from a single hit, and that's exactly what stops me from using it.
— Megumi-kun, let me clear you from a single misunderstanding we have between us right now.I'm an outsider. I was not lying when I told you I'm from another world, as confusing as it may sound right now. I won't be here in the next 11 or so hours, because artifact I used to come here only sent me to this world for 12 hours, and all the time I spent already is getting shorter and shorter. I want to save as much people as possible right now, I know you care about all of your comrades, but allow me to be very and very blunt. I'm what you call a "Battle maniac", a person who wants to fight strong opponents and experience new things while doing so.
As we kept running, dodging humans they were in semi-comatose state after getting hit with Gojo's Domain, I could see Megumi's face expression change, from confusion and anger to understanding. Even though I'm different, he understands what I'm trying to say.
— My battle with Sukuna ended earlier than I expected because I kept testing the waters and waiting for Mahoraga to be done with his adaptation process, but if I could, I would've spent more time fighting one of the strongest sorcerers to ever exist. If I use Mahoraga in each and every battle, it will end in under a minute 99 percent of the time, and this is what makes me reluctant in using it. Believe me, I know you personally would use your own Divine General at each and every inconvenience that stands in your way if you subjugate it right now, but by doing so you limit your thought process. If you keep relying on it all the time, you won't find a way to use your other Shadows, you won't grow as a sorcerer, and you centainly won't reach your peak. — He wanted to retort me about the fact I've stated, but he bit his tongue, clearly understanding he's the one in the wrong. — If you beat Mahoraga, you're immediately aSpecial Grade. Do you even need it at this point? Yes, but only in situations where it's required, like my battle with the King of Curses, Strongest Sorcerer in History. Before I fought him, I was an amateur in using my cursed energy, I had many upon many flaws, but this was exactly when I learned to use it to close perfect, and it was exactly when my Domain was completed. I'm a sorcerer for roughly half a year, and look at me right now! I kept experimenting, I grew stronger because I imagined the day when I will be able to fight on par with the strongest people to exist, and now,I'm near the top of the food chain!
— Doesn't that mean that you're currently the strongest? — He asked, trying to understand my next train of thoughts, but as we turned around the corner, getting closer and closer to the battle that is already taking place, I smiled.
— No, not currently. If Sukuna regains all his power, I might have to use everything I have, because this bastard is unpredictable. Same can be said with your Gojo-Sensei. He's the strongest of modern era, and I have a solid chance to win. Theoretically, I can win as soon as Mahoraga adapts to his infinity, practically? We shall see how that goes. You can count me as one of the three strongest to exist if you want to. — One last turn made, and we finally saw the cause of the noise that was going through the station. Aoi Todo, Grade 1 Sorcerer, Yuji's named brother, and one of the fewChadsof Jujutsu world. Along with him, fighting nearby, is Kugisaki Nobara, Megumi's teammate. — Megumi, better sit this one out. Get Nobara out of here and keep her safe.
— Understood. Please, keep yourself safe. — He rushed ahead, summoning Toad to get Nobara out of the battle, and before I could hear anything from her, I jumped over the railing Todo jumped towards, landing on the lowest point of the subway station.
Situation down below could only be described as Chaotic. Lots of dead people, most having been cut in half, torn to shreds or splattered, but some were getting turned into nothing but an object by the hand of the Special Grade Curse.
That's right. For the first time, I finally encountered the one I had so much hate for. Mahito, who hasIdle Transfigurationas his cursed technique. A very powerful technique when used in the right hands. Basically, he is able to manipulate souls of any person he touches as much as he wants, with a few exceptions there and there.
Todo was stuck between his attacks once Nobara was out of the battle, and he barely had any room to move through, given that Mahito was creating walls to block his way, as well as many upon many weapons to fight.
The latest attack left Todo unable to move his hands, because he would be slices in two if he did, but if he didn't move them to clap, he would be dead from idle transfiguration.
Before any harm could come his way, though, I grinned like a madman, running forward at my maximum speed to get enough momentum, and then jumped forward, with my legs set in positions for the best dropkick ever delivered to any living being.
—Gotcha! — I roared. Mahito, caught off guard by my sudden arrival, had no time to react. My attack smashed into his face with such force that he flew backward, possibly breaking the sound barrier. I landed with a backflip, grinning as I dusted off my shoulders. Mahito crashed through a pillar before he could stop himself. As he staggered to his feet, he realized just how much trouble he was in. Even with my cursed energy reserves running low, the sheer density of what remained was more than enough.
Turning around, I looked at Todo, who clearly saw better days. He got some wounds, most likely from the swords Mahito held in his hands, but, overall, he was doing fine. His shirt was torn to shreds, and as soon as he got a moment to breathe, he tore it completely, revealing muscles that would make anyone envy. We looked at each other, as if judging, before he smiled, getting into a battle stance, ignoring Mahito that was slowly walking forward, without much confidence, however.
— I'm Aoi Todo, Grade 1 Sorcerers.Tell me, what is your type of woman?— It doesn't matter which situation he's in, who his teammate or enemy are, this will be the first question he asks someone fighting by his side. — I prefer tall woman with big asses, by the way.
— I like muscular woman that are slightly smaller than me, with toned legs, nice hips, thick thighs and ABS. — As soon as he heard my answer, his face lit up in recognition, because even though we don't have the same answer, he can appreciate good tastes. — I'm Y/n L/n, Special Grade Sorcerer. Don't count on me using much techniques. I've spend around 70 percent of my reserves beating the crap out of Sukuna, but I can still kick ass just fine. Megumi already got Nobara and unconscious Yuji out of here, so we're free to do anything. — Getting into a battle stance, seeing as Mahito was already close enough to reach us, I smiled to Todo, who prepared as well. —I'm counting on you.
—Let's do it!— He responded in kind, flaring his cursed energy once to show me how much of his reserves were left. Mahito sneered, seeing such show of comradery, but didn't react otherwise.
— One more, one less, what difference does it make? — Mahito spat, summoning several transfigured human figures. — In the end, you’re just flies I want to swat!Soul Multiplicity, Body Repel!— From his hands, a swarm of worm-like creatures surged toward us.
Together with Todo, we rushed aside, dodging the attack as soon as it got close, and Mahito, seeing an opportunity, rushed at me, as if to test the waters. He already got hit once, and clearly felt the hit to his soul, but he must've thought it was just a fluke.
He held a sword in his hand, so, out of curtesy, I got mine out, parrying his hit just a second before he could land his own, cutting his arm off in the process, and backed away because said arm got transfigured into a hail of darts aimed at me. Mahito was surprised I knew it would happen, so surprised, in fact, that I managed to hit him in the face with my arm, sending him into the ceiling, making it crumble like a card house.
I got out of the way of falling debris, seeing as Todo went in for the attack, kicking Mahito in the chest, and then clapping his hands to switch positions with him, falling on top of him and hitting his elbow into his stomach. Mahito spit a few drops of blood from his mouth, transfiguring his hands into blades, and swung them at Todo, who had to disengage quickly before he got injured.
I took the opportunity to attack, seeing as Mahito was still on the ground, and rushed ahead, kicking him in the air with just enough force to make him stand again. He tried to shield his face from the attack that came next, however, as soon as he tried that, I discarded my blade, putting it back in the shadow, and grabbed one of his hands, removing it from my way, and hit him in the face, which also made him lower his other arm. The impact would've been enough to send him flying through a wall, had I not grabbed him by the neck, and punched him in the chest once again. Mahito hissed in pain, but a hit to the head clearly made it harder for him to concentrate on anything but pain in that very moment.
I continued the onslaught, mainly aiming for his face and chest, and, winding up the last punch, sent him flying backwards, catching him mid flight by the face before he flew too far, dragging him through the floor as fast as I could. He was pretty durable, I can admit that, since even such a combo was not enough to make any significant wounds. Either that, or he kept healing his soul with Idle Transfiguration. Once I got tired of dragging his face through the concrete, I rose him in the air, and hit him into the floor once again, which made him bounce slightly.
—It's not over yet!— Kicking him higher into the air, I punched him into the stomach, and did a few more hits, getting behind his back to shatter his spine with a few more hits, then grabbed him by the back of his neck to throw him at Todo, who was patiently waiting.
Todo grinned in satisfaction, and clapped his hands, switching positions with Mahito, kneeing him in the stomach, sending him flying into the pillar that immediately shattered from impact.
We didn't stand still, however, rushing forward to continue the traditional jumping. Todo clapped his hands, switching Mahito with a rock he threw in the air, and punched him in the face directly to me, which made me smile, as I bent down to deliver a winded up kick to his face, sending him a few meters into the air, just where Todo was waiting. He elbowed him into the stomach, with shockwave of the impact breaking the ceiling above us.
Getting out of the way, we saw Mahito resurfacing from all the debris that fell on him with a pretty pissed off face expression, spewing wave of curses made from human souls at us. Todo got a bit of distance away from me so as not to interfere, literally tearing apart the first curse that got to him, clapping his hands to get behind the other curse.
I stomped the ground once, raising smaller pieces of concrete around me akin to a forcefield, but, instead of it acting as my shield, I noted the location of tens of curses rushing at me from all directions, cutting off my escape routes, and started flicking the deadly shrapnel into them, smiling like a madman. This was actually getting good, adrenaline was rushing through my veins, and I felt delighted. Sure, I was heavily holding back, given that Mahito is nowhere near close Sukuna's power level, and beating him is just a matter of a few strikes or a really powerful Black Flash.
Mahito tried to slip past me, aiming for Todo. But as he passed, I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the ground with enough force to crack the floor like a spiderweb. The entire underground level shook from the impact. Todo, finishing his skirmish, arrived in time to deliver a punch that set Mahito back on his feet, then landed a sucker punch to the face.
I followed up with a strike to the back of Mahito’s head, then repositioned for an uppercut to his jaw. Todo hit him in the stomach, hard enough to hurt but not enough to send him flying, giving me the opening for another attack.
—Fight back nigg*! Fight back!— Remembering the meme, I just had to say it. It was just like the time Nanami and Yuji jumped Mahito. The only differences were Todo’s Boogie Woogie preventing any counterattacks and me being far stronger than Yuji and Nanami combined. As Mahito gathered cursed energy for a Domain Expansion, I delivered a roundhouse kick that sent him crashing into a pillar, which collapsed along with the ceiling it supported. The more we fought, the more this place resembled a catacomb.
We regrouped, readying ourselves for another round. I exchanged a glance with Todo, and we nodded in unison, charging forward as Mahito emerged from the rubble, transforming into a spiked ball. We hesitated momentarily, keeping our distance, but I picked up a rock, infused it with cursed energy, and hurled it at Mahito with all my strength, catching Todo’s smirk.
A single clap echoed through the ruined station, and Todo was now speeding like a bullet train, winding his leg for the nastiest kick ever delivered to a cursed spirit. His cursed energy flared, rising in volume, and I saw a few sparks of rainbow before he reached the spiked ball that was still yet to disperse.
Just before the hit connected, Todo's energy flashed black, which meant only one thing. He finally reached 120% of his potential!
—Black Flash!— Todo's Black Flash was beautiful, and the force with which he landed his attack was enough to shatter Mahito's defense, blowing up inflated ball like a balloon, revealing actual Mahito, who had to transform his hands into long claws to stop himself from flying any further. Unfortunately, even a Nat 20 hit of Black Flash, no matter how strong, will not do anything, because he can't hit his soul. Todo can wear him off, because he has more experience, but winning a fight? Unless he gets grasp of Soul Split Katana and learns how to attack the soul, he's not winning it. — Well now, Y/n, it seems we're going nowhere with this.
— Nah, we're doing just fine. His cursed energy is running low after that failed Domain attempt. All those attacks I landed wore him down pretty badly. After all, I can attack his soul directly. — Smirking, and spreading my hands, I slowly walked forward, glaring at Mahito that was slowly standing up, wiping the blood off of his lips.
— Ah, what a shame. I didn't expect you two to be such a pain in the ass. — He said, scratching his chin, with his hands now back to normal. He most likely contemplated what to do, given that none of us let's him through, and he can't even touch us. — It seems I have to do something drastic. — He whispered, but, given my hearing, I still heard him clearly, which can't be said about Todo. —Soul Multiplicity!
Spitting out several more human souls, Mahito instantly transformed them into two walls, which moved exactly where he wanted them to, and that was his plot to separate us. Todo, seeing this, tried to swap places with a rock I threw in the air, but he had to stop mid clap to block an attack coming straight at him.
Clicking my tongue, I dodged a punch aimed at my face, grabbing an arm Mahito used for that purpose, but I had to let it go, given all the spikes it grew the moment later. Mahito is not a great close combat fighter, but given his ability to change anything in his body, he posed a threat even to people like Yuji, who is a master of that craft.
I ducked down, sweeping his legs off of the ground, moving sideways as soon as I saw that he transfigured his arm into a hammer, attempting to turn me into a fine tortilla. He landed beside me, changing the shape of his legs to something akin to kangaroo's legs with several blades sticking out of it, attempting to slash my insides open with a flurry of kicks.
I put my hand in front of my face, tanking the damage, which was barely anything noticeable, aside from the torn piece of clothing, but after my battle with Sukuna, they needed repairs anyways.
Now that I looked closer, his soul power became lower than it was before, and I understood what was happening. He cloned himself to chase Todo and kill him while I'm busy with the clone that can't even transfigure souls of other people. Once I realized that, I stopped holding back, worried over Todo more than I was before.
Jumping backwards, out of the clone's reach, I kicked the ground while infusing my leg with cursed energy, with enough precision to shatter a plate under Mahito, sending him in the air, and the next moment, I was already onto him, with my palm pointed at his chest, my fingers slightly loose. The time itself seemed to stop in that moment, but it was just an illusion for my focused mind. Airborne clone, which didn't even realize what was happening, looked dumbfounded at my hand, which stopped right before making a contact with his chest. Flaring my cursed energy at the right timing, and breathing a sigh I was holding, I clenched my hand into a fist, delivering a "One inch punch".
—Black Flash. — From a strike this powerful, infused with Black Flash, Mahito's clone never stood a chance at survival. Maybe original has a chance to survive, even if barely, but a clone that is not even a 1/4th of what he's capable of? Not a single chance. Hitting his soul directly with my Black Flash was too much for this vessel, and, moment after the hit, he exploded into chunks of skin and blood, slowly dissipating into nothing. With this done, I didn't even turn around to check if he's truly dead, running to help Todo.
***
Todo knew it'd be hard to fight a Special Grade Curse alone, but he didn't expect it to be this hard. Mahito wasn't really a good fighter, often relying on his technique to do anything, but this was exactly what made it harder for him to fight. One touch, and he's done for. Boogie Woogie can get him only so far as to dodge and deliver counter attacks once in a while, but if even those deal no damage to him, it's more of a stalemate than anything. Mahito can't hit Todo, and Todo can't damage him even if his hits can end other curses easily. His Black Flash was so powerful it could've ended that other Cursed Spirit that he and Yuji fought back into the Exchange Event, but it had no effect on this one.
Situation was getting tricky. His cursed energy levels rose after he hit a Black Flash, but it was not enough to fight on equal grounds, no matter how hard he tried. Mahito was getting slower, but not slow enough to run away without troubles. If he did try to, he might succeed, but Mahito will most likely catch him a few minutes after.
— Why don't you stop running and accept that you're done for, huh?! — Mahito yelled, taunting him, but he didn't fell for it, being better than that. He's hot headed, sure, but in a battle where his life is on the stake, he knows when to be aggressive, and when he needs to be defensive.
"I need to regroup with Y/n. He must be already done with whatever that curse threw at him. As sad as it is, I can't win this fight by myself. Even his regular attacks had better effect than any of mine own did. He can't use his cursed technique because of his curse reserves lacking at the moment, but if it comes to it, I'm sure that he will use it. That Wheel above his head is not just a decoration, it radiates just as much, if not more, power as Gojo-san did when he usedHollow Purple."
Todo's brain, working overtime to come up with a better way to evade whatever Mahito threw at him, was thinking of any backup he might get at this point. Mahito knew what he was doing, separating them from each other to corner Todo, so his best course of action was just stall for time.
Clapping his hands once again, Todo had to jump in the air to avoid a spike trap Mahito set up for him in case he did switch places with him, clinging to the ceiling that was slowly collapsing from everything that was happening around.
Mahito clearly saw an opportunity, seeing as Todo was in no position to evade, extending his arm like a rope to reach Todo, but, before he could touch him, their entire world turned upside down from an explosion of cursed energy that tore the station apart, ripping a hole to the surface of Shibuya.
Todo didn't even had time to comprehend what had happened, before he was already on the surface, seeing a place that was once a thriving city of Shibuya. It was evaporated from the face of the earth, and everything in 100 meter radius was wiped clean. Lava puddles were everywhere, and the heat that was still lingering in the area was suffocating, to say the least.
Mahito was just as confused, suddenly appearing half a dozen meters away from him, looking up in the sky once he came to his senses. Todo looked up as well, seeing the person he entrusted his life to slowly floating down from the sky with his cursed energy getting denser and denser each second.
Compared to the heat which was suffocating enough, his cursed energy was even harder to withstand, pushing air out of his lungs just by being near the source. It was harder to breathe nearby the Special Grade Sorcerer that, by his own words, fought and defeated Sukuna, and it was not hard to guess who was the reason Shibuya was now looking like a nuked site.
— Sorry I had to keep you waiting. It seems Mahito is not fond of getting jumped. — Once Y/n landed, standing between him and Mahito, he sighed in annoyance, turning to Mahito. — At least come after me yourself if you want to separate us, you know? Fighting your clone is boring. He died in a single punch. — As if talking about the weather, he folded his arms on his chest, showing his displeasure over this entire situation.
Todo knew all sorcerers had a screw loose, hell, even he had a few spare ones to share, but now he understood what screws were loose in Y/n head. He was a battle maniac. Maybe it was an actual reason he didn't use his techniques. It was hard to believe his cursed energy levels were low when it was this dense to begin with.
But, even though such thoughts passed through his head, he was glad to know he was finally getting help, especially from a Special Grade that was getting serious.
***
— Well then. Mahito, this is your last chance. Come at me with everything you've got, and I'll end you faster. This cat-and-mouse chase is getting us nowhere. — I said, approaching him, motioning Todo to back off, which he did, without a second thought.
— Ah, it was just getting good. You had to ruin all the fun, y'know? — He replied, holding his chin in thoughts, hiding his fear behind a bored face expression. — You know what? You're right, I'm tired of this. — He threw his hands in the air, covering them in a layer of cursed energy. He gave me a crazy smile, opening his mouth to make a handsign with small palms that he made inside his own mouth. It was disgusting, but it is what it is. —Domain Expansion...
—Domain Expansion...
As we both made our handsigns, ready to open a domain, I grinned, and, instead of actually opening my domain to enter a domain clash, I extended my hand forward, with Blade of Extermination sliding from my wrist, and did a single step that covered all the distance between me and him.
— Who needs a domain for trash like you? — With a single slice, I separated his head from his body, and, before he disintegrated, I smiled once more, looking him in the eyes as his head was slowly falling to the ground. — Here’s your shortcut to the afterlife.Tell Satan I sent you. — With that, I made Blade of Extermination disappear back into my wrist, letting out a loud sigh. Even though I preserved every bit of cursed energy I could, I still spent a little more than I initially expected. Although, given how much time was it since, my cursed energy levels only regenerated. After a Black Flash, especially, it's regeneration rate rose to a new level. Before the battle, I was around 30% of reserves, now, it's about 40-45%. I'm good to go.
— That was...effective. — Todo muttered, more to himself than anyone else, looking at the aftermath of both battles. Shibuya station beneath us was in ruins now, but, given that none of the people under us were alive, this was just a natural occurence. After that, Todo started looking around, taking every ounce of detail that he could gather. Collapsed buildings outside of the crater left by my last attack didn't make the picture brighter, but it did give him an insight on the extend of my power. — You weren't kidding when you said you can kick ass just fine. — He commented, taking a short breather to gather back the strength he had used in the fight.
— You did just as fine as I did with Mahito. He's no joke, given his grade and technique, but you held your own pretty damn fine if I had to say so myself. Not many would've lived and told the tale of such experiences. — I replied, complimenting him as well. I knew Todo was smart when it comes to battles, but this fight truly showed me how badass this man truly is.
—Aoi Todo doesn't back down from a fight, no matter the odds!— Pointing a thumb finger at his chest, he gave me a wide grin, and I couldn't help but smile in return.
As we started walking in the direction where I felt familiar cursed energy, Todo kept looking around, until he saw the exact place where the last stand actually happened. A pool of lava was still present, given that the center was the hottest part of the actual attack, and it didn't seem to cool down even a little.
Outside of the range of the Orbital Laser was the building that were collapsed or barely standing. Visible slashes that split them in equal parts clearly hinted at who exactly was the cause of that, and Todo, seeing an aftermath of my battle with Sukuna, looked at me, with a face expression showing nothing but respect, with a little, tiniest bit of shame, probably because he was late to save his brother.
— You said you fought Sukuna and beat the crap out of him... — As he said that, I turned my head sideways to look him in the eyes, hinting that he can continue. — How did you managed to do that? I'm not even talking aboutsurvivingan encounter with a Sorcerer of his caliber to tell the tale, you'restandingright here,aliveandkicking, which means you've got enough luck and power to beat him into submission.
— The fun, or, rather, confusing part of all of that, Todo, is that I'm not even associated with this place, this entire world, to be exact. — As I said that, I brought a white box I had used to get here in the first place out of my shadow, showing it to Todo, who was confused at both the fact that I can do exactly what Megumi does, as well as being confused at the artifact. — I'm not from this world, even though I know more about it that I normally should. This box right here is the reason I'm right here, in this very moment.
*Clang*
— Let's ignore the Wheel for now, let us do it's thing in peace. — I said that, but Todo must probably have more question now that he has answers. Putting the box back in the shadow, I kept walking forward, making sure I keep regenerating my reserves. — I came from a fantasy world you often see in books or manga. I got reborn after I died, and I got a wish to ask for to help me in defeating the Big Bad Guy of the world. Can you guess which gift I asked for?
—Ten Shadows.— Todo replied without hesitation, watching me doing the same thing with the Shadow Storage. His intelligence is not to be underestimated, and I was glad it was just as good as it aways was.
—Exactly. This Wheel above my head is what gave me the edge over Sukuna. Sure, I might have won without it, but…— I trailed off, with my thoughts turning inward.
"Why did I do it?" — I thought, my mind circling back to the battle with Sukuna. — "I could’ve played it safe, used Mahoraga, and ended it quickly. But no, I had to prove something. Not to Sukuna, not even to this world, but to myself." — I looked back at the crater, a reminder of my need to prove my strength. — "I’m no different from Sukuna or Gojo, or any of the other power-hungry monsters out there. I wanted to show that I was stronger, that I could win with sheer force. And look at what cost. Even if I didn't kill anyone undeserving of it, I killed the history of Shibuya. So many people had lost their home because of me..." — Giving the Wheel a slight spin, which did nothing but make a sound, I smiled. It was rather calming, having the ability to just spin the Wheel to calm down. The sound it makes is just so different from everything else that it makes my nerves relax.
— You must have felt it when Megumi tried to commit his suicide mission by summoning the 10th Shikigami.
— Yeah, I felt it. That kind of power…it’s not something you just walk away from. — Todo nodded, his expression serious.
— The thing is, none of the Ten Shadows users managed to subjugate it, aside from me. Even the head of Gojo clan with both Limitless and Six Eyes died facing it, which is a sign of skill issue, but that's beside the point. What this Shikigami does nullifies the possibility for Sukuna to even remotely fight back against me after it finishes what it does. This Wheel belongs toMahoraga, theDivine General of Ten Shadows. I call itBig Ragafor shorts, if you want to call it that. Sukuna, after facing immovable object, that beingBig Raga, opened his Domain, and, to counter it, I opened my own. I stood no chance at winning the Domain Clash, however, but I didn't need to. OnceBig Ragabroke his Domain, Sukuna just didn't knew what to do, so he conjured aFire Arrow, and I prepared my own attack. You sawNuebefore, right? — Receiving a nod from Todo, that was listening with his full attention at me, I nodded back, motioning at the center of the crater. — That’s the result of myOrbital Laser, a combination ofNue,Great Serpent, and a few other Shikigami. It wiped out everything in a 100 meter radius.All of this…it didn’t have to happen. I could’ve usedBig Ragaand ended the fight without all this destruction. But my ego wouldn’t let me.
Todo was silent, looking at me and the crater with a dazed expression, proceeding what I had said to him. Sure, I won, but at what cost? It might not have beeneverything, but to people other than me,it might have as well be.
— You know, Y/n, we all have that side to us. The part that wants to prove something, to show we’re stronger, better.Hell, I’m no different. Back when I was a teenager that got a cursed technique, I’ve charged into fights just to prove I could win, even when I knew there was a better way to prove that myBoogie Woogieis not a joke. We want recognition, we want to show that we're strong, that we are the Alpha and the Omega of this world to impress someone or our own selves. — He stopped for a moment, looking at my face, seeing an understanding in my eyes. I fully get what he means, and he knows it. — But here’s the thing: recognizing it is half the battle. The other half is figuring out how to control it. You’ve got power, Y/n, more than most. But if you let your ego drive you, you’re just setting yourself up for the same downfall as those monsters you’re trying to fight. — He walked closer, putting a hand on my shoulder, giving me a reassuring pat on the back. — But don’t beat yourself up too much. You did what you had to do, and you’re still standing. That counts for something.
In that moment, my shoulders felt lighter than ever, as if the weight of the world had finally been raised from me. Todo's words struck a chord, and I realized that it's time to finally perceive myself as who I am, instead of who I wanted to be. I want to be strong, but I don't have to be like Sukuna,The Strongest Sorcerer in History, or Gojo,The Strongest Sorcerer of Today.I can be Y/n L/n,The Strongest Sorcerer to Ever Exist.
"I’m not just a kid with a toy anymore," — I thought, glancing at the Wheel above my head. — "I’ve got responsibilities now. To my friends...and to myself."
I nodded to Todo, and, in a comfortable silence, we regained our breath completely, running forward to help deal with the last obstacles in Shibuya...Kenjaku and Uraume.
***
God knows how many times today Megumi finds himself in a situation where he is almost incapable of anything. First Dagon, then his own father, rising from the grave, and then the battle with Sukuna himself. If not for Y/n, he might have already been dead, and, just as Y/n said, he, most likely, would've just used Mahoraga if that was the case.
Megumi is not stupid...at least, to an extend where it's just not normal anymore, but even he knows...that he was completely right. He relied too much on his trump card, instead of exploring his own technique further. Fusion, Totality, other shikigami...he did not consider the possibility of using them in battle to an extent where it actually matters, only relying on shikigami that was "strong", in his opinion. Don't get him wrong,Nue,Divine Dog: Totality,Max Elephant...all of them are powerful, but he did not consider to use anything beyond them in battle. Sure, he usesRabbit EscapeandToad, but after what Y/n showed him, he doubted that he himself is even 10% as strong as he is currently. HisGreat Serpentdied, and he never, ever considered to use his power for any other shikigami.
This gigantic, truly monstrous Nue Y/n used to completely obliterate Sukuna...he wished he found out about it way earlier in his life. Because right now, it would be very, very useful...
— Megumi, behind you! — Megumi turned around, slashing his sword at the curse that managed to get behind his back, splitting it in two, but instead of sighing in relief, he had to immediately back off from said curse, because after he cut it, dozen more of the same ones, albeit smaller in size, started advancing to him.
His Divine Dog, noticing it's user having trouble, immediately switched targets from a bigger curse that it stopped from moving, to a wave of smaller curses slowly getting to Megumi, slashing it's claws at them, instantly killing them in a single attack.
— Thanks! — Megumi, even though concentrated on surviving this battle, had to thank Yuji, who, thankfully, was now conscious after Sukuna lost control. Nobara was too busy chasing the source of their troubles to notice their struggles, but, once she got hit square in the face, she had to regroup with her team.
— Tch. This bastard is getting more annoying by the second. Now matter what I do, he just shrugs it off. — She complained, looking up at the man that was using a stingray curse as his transport, looking down on them. Of all people they could have encountered after attempting to evacuate from Shibuya, they had to run into Geto Suguru...or, specifically, someone that was occupying his body. Megumi had many talks with Gojo when he was a kid, and he certainly knew that Geto was dead, and this someone was just a puppeteer using his dead corpse as a marionette.
— You tell me. It's like his curses are limitless. No matter how many we kill, more and more appear. — Megumi agreed with her completely. It must have been at least 50th curse he killed in the last 15 minutes, and he was getting more and more tired. His cursed energy reserves were regenerating, but he doubted this would be enough to survive, let alone defeat this man.
True to his past self, he could've just summoned Mahoraga to deal with it and die like an idiot by doing so, but now, he reconsidered everything he thought of his previous self. He was an idiot, a big one at that. What's the point of self sacrifice if it won't achieve anything? His teammates will get dragged into ritual while being so close, and they will die together with him. That's stupid, and he knows it.
That's why, this time, he will be different. He might not have enough cursed energy left to fully support his team to lead them to victory, but he has just enough to stall for time until reinforcement comes. Only deaf and blind won't notice everything that was happening in this part of the city, will all the curses screaming, exploding and even causing earthquakes. Maybe Y/n would deal with Mahito in time to save them, maybe Kyoto students would arrive to help them out...many people came to his mind, but only one truly stood out from them.
Y/n proved to be strong enough to deal with anything in his way. He defeated Sukuna going all out, and he was fine after that, albeit he was almost drained later, but he could still fight at his maximum. Mahoraga in his arsenal was nothing to scoff at, but even without it, dealing with this impostor would be a piece of cake for him.
— Any idea how to swat this fly off of the sky? — Nobara asked, looking at both Megumi and Yuji, trying to find support. — Any at all. Come on, Megumi, your stupid plans worked most of the time, rack your head a little. We're losing here, y'know?
— I already know that, you don't have to remind me. I'm trying my best. — Megumi scoffed at her, and, even though their situation was critical, they tried to keep the morale high. He racked his brain for solutions to their problems, but not much came to mind when they were so overpowered.
— Scatter! — Yuji, noticing a new wave of Curses approaching, screamed at them to get out of target zone, and after they did, a large amount of centipede like curses smashed the ground to fine dust. He didn't want to imagine what would've happened to them if they didn't react in time.
—Resonance! — Nobara screamed, hitting her nails with a hammer, killing the curses that tried to take their life in one swoop. He was glad Y/n told him to take Nobara with him, without her, it would've been much harder. — Come on! We can't keep doing this forever!
— Can it already! — Megumi responded, placing his hand on Divine Dog's side, as if to reassure it and himself that everything will be fine. — I think I have an idea. He won't come down? Alright then, I'll smash him from above. — Before he did what he wanted, he released a long sigh, gathering his cursed energy to concentrate it like Y/n did back then. — I need you to hold him from coming any closer to me for one minute. I need to concentrate, I can't fight back before I finish, or we'll be dead.
—Are you kidding me?!— Nobara was clearly displeased. It was one thing to hold out against normal curses, but holding out curses made by this Geto and him for a minute? — We barely can hold them together! How do you expect us to keep it away from you for so long?!
— I have to agree with Kugi here. He must already know you're trying something. We can't just smash his face in when he's so far. Even if he's holding Gojo Sensei hostage, we can't just take it from him. He's too strong for us to take.I'm sorry, Megumi, but we can't do that...— Yuji was as sad as ever. He lost his Sensei, he lost control over Sukuna, and because of that, he now has to bear the consequences of his weakness. Shibuya will never be the same after his failure.
Megumi knew it was too much to ask, but this was the only way they could stand a chance to survive...to win, even. Y/n taught him a lot, and he needed to put his teaching into practice, but he can't do it alone. He needed help...
Each move they made seemed to be countered effortlessly, and every curse they destroyed was replaced by two more. The odds were overwhelming, and the exhaustion in their bodies was beginning to show after so much time spent trying to win.
It was easy to guess that Megumi was trying something, given how he concentrated his cursed energy. Geto wasn’t just watching anymore, he was actively pressuring them, testing their limits.
Nobara got caught by a curse that started dragging her away from Megumi, and so was Yuji, who was trying his best to get out of the grip of this abomination of a curse, dragging them farther and farther away from him. He himself was struggling to get out of the grip of a curse that caught him and his shikigami. Geto was clearly amused by their struggle, but given that the only one he needed alive was Yuji, it was not hard to guess what he wanted to do to him.
—Megumi!— Yuji yelled in despair, ripping through the curse with his bare hands, but after he did, several more caught him, holding him down to the ground with enough force to crack the ground beneath.
— Let's finish this, shall we? — Geto descended from the air with a smile, holding a cursed spirit in his hand. It looked like a scorpion, a giant one at that, which was pointing it's tail at Megumi's eye. He prayed to anyone that could hear him to help, anyone, anything, to do something...
...and answer they did.
Instead of death coming to reap his soul, someone else came his aid. A torrent of highly concentrated stream of blood tore through the curse Geto was holding, which prompted him to back off before he got cut in half. Immediately after, the same stream of blood cut down all the curses holding Megumi and his team, and now, with the ability to move, Megumi looked at the one that came to aid.
— You...what are you doing here? — Yuji immediately recognized the one who arrived, and he was confused. Last time he saw this man, he almost died.
To say that the one who arrived was pissed is to say nothing. All he felt in that moment was absolute fury. His cursed energy was flaring like a beacon, and it was filled with such rage that everyone around felt it clearly. Looking at Geto, Choso stepped forward, completely ignoring everyone but Geto himself and Yuji, who he came to save.
—How dare you... — His righteous fury was directed at Geto, and his steps only got faster when he was free to move, knowing that Yuji was safe. —How dare you pit me against my younger brother?! Kamo Noritoshi!
— So that's who sits beneath this corpse. — After the display of fury from Choso, more people arrived at the scene. They finally arrived to help them, and now, Megumi knew, they can win. — A dark mark of Kamo clan, the worst sorcerer of Japanese history...It might really be him, given his tendency to change body like gloves. — Naobito arrived at the scene, and together with him were the people they found on the way.
Kusakabe, Nanami, Maki, Panda. More people were sure to come soon, but this was already a relief to know that they were saved.
Panda stood in front of Yuji, given his state right now. He needed support, and he was the second who came to his side. First was Choso, because of course, as an older brother, he had an obligation to protect his oni-chan.
Nanami was beside Kusakabe, helping Megumi to get up, and, as they looked at each other and nodded, Megumi was relieved.
Maki and Naobito came to aid Nobara, smiling like they used it when Y/n beat Dagon.
— You're late, — Nobara said with a slight chuckle, looking at everyone present. — You guys really need to work on your timing.
— Traffic was hell. — Naobito answered dryly, but a laugh that came from him clearly showed what he thought of that.
— Megumi-kun, — Nanami looked back at Megumi, giving him a little smile to reassure him. — I believe you have a plan on how to deal with him, am I correct?
— Yes, I do. I need a minute to get done with it, then we will have a solid chance to win. With this many people, we can do it, I'm sure. — Megumi confirmed his words with a nod, starting to concentrate his cursed energy once again.
— Then I'll leave it to you. Don't worry, you're in the right hands. — Getting an answer he expected, Nanami raised his cursed tool, flaring his cursed energy to get ready for battle.
— You're going against me now, Choso? Didn't knew you had it in you. — Geto teased, standing still at some distance away from the group. He clearly saw that Megumi was doing something, but he was curious at what he was going to do.
— Shut up! I won't forgive you for what you did! — He was getting closer, but, as he did, a new figure arrived. Uraume, a person he knew of, stood in his way. — Out of my way, Uraume! — He clasped his hands together, wasting no time to attack, concentrating the blood between his palms to release his technique faster that Uraume could react. Blood Spear, his signature technique, launched at the speed of sound caught Uraume off guard.
In the last possible moment, he managed to block it, but, given how he was struggling to hold it, it won't be for long. Choso directed his attack at Geto, who jumped out of the way before he got hit, and Uraume now was on his way to attack him.
Before Uraume got to that, however, he was intercepted by other sorcerers that were present. While Choso chased after Geto, Panda, Maki and Naobito were now in front of the ancient fossil of a sorcerer.
— You're not going any further. — Naobito stated, already in a battle stance, ready to move at any given second. Maki held her Playful Cloud, and Panda, in his gorilla mode, was more than ready to fight.
— Out of my way, worms. — Uraume raised his hand, and temperature all around started to drop. Almost in an instant, everything around felt like it was freezing, and the next thing they knew, is that they dodged an attack that might have been their last. —Ice Form: Deadly Silence.— Breathing out, Uraume instantly formed a large iceberg that could've easily captured all the sorcerers, trapping them in a cage, but, alas, he was too slow.
— Old fossils like you need to lay low and see the new generation do their things. — Naobito taunted, already behind Uraume. His Projection Sorcery was handy when it came to speed, and gladly, his hand was back after Y/n healed it. He kicked Uraume in the face, and, although he managed to block it, he still got sent skidding backwards, right where Panda was waiting.
A large paw descended on top of Uraume, almost squashing him like a bug, but Heian era sorcerer knew his way around battlefield. An iceberg rose from under him, rising him in the air, punching Panda in the stomach with enough force to send him flying. Maki smashed iceberg to pieces with the Playful Cloud, and hit Uraume square in the face, and although the hit was strong, Uraume tanked it, only flinching his head sideways after the hit itself. He covered his hand in ice, and smashed Maki right in the face, sending her after Panda. It would leave a mark.
Megumi was struggling. He did say he needed a minute, but time was coming, and he still didn't finish the preparations. Had his reserves been full, he would've did it sooner, but with his reserves lacking, he could only hope it would work. Y/n saw potential in him, he taught him a lot in such a short amount of time, did everything he could to show Megumi how to properly use his shikigami. How two Special Grades fight, protecting him from any harm all the way through. He couldn't fail him, he can't blow the expectations he must have had on him. Sweat was running down his forehead. People fighting in front of him, protecting him at all cost...he can't fail...and he won't.
—Bottomless Shadow. Reflection of the Moon. Between Darkness and Light...with Treasures Ten, I Summon...— Megumi knew...watching Y/n and Sukuna fight, he found exactly how he should use his cursed energy. The chants, the handsigns...he had to use everything he got taught, everything he knew before, to do something that should bring them victory. Choso struggled to land a single hit on Geto, Nanami and Kusakabe were now fighting with Uraume as well, not letting him get any closer. It was time...time to show the world, to show himself...that he's not a waste. —Nue: Totality!
Almost every single drop of his cursed energy was used for this one summoning. Could he do better? Maybe. Was it worth it?Definitely.
This was the first time, where Megumi felt himself at peace with his own mind. He stopped blaming himself for being weak, he stopped whining or relying on Mahoraga to win the battle. From now on, he's only going to do better.
He will not revert to his old style, where no matter what, he would lose every battle he had fought.
Because the chick that once hatched...will never return to it's egg.
***
Looking up in the sky, where a clear signs of a huge battle were happening, I couldn't hold a smile that was on my face. It was the widest, the happiest smile I've had in ever. I finally saw what I wanted to for so long. The time I spent teaching Megumi, showing him all I could in such a short time frame...it was all worth it.
— You crazy son of a bitch...you did it!— Seeing Nue: Totality in the sky, raining lightning into the flying figure in the sky. A few bolts of lightning found it's target, and Kenjaku was now falling to the ground, no longer supported by his cursed spirit. — Todo, we need to hurry, they are almost done! — Todo nodded, and we sped up even more. I couldn't miss such a moment in Megumi's growth. I felt proud, as if I'm a real father that taught his own son.
We jumped over a hill of destroyed buildings, speeding to the battlefield like bullet trains. Finally, after the last rush, we landed just before the biggest attack from the enemy team took down our allies.Maximum Technique: Uzumaki. Kenjaku was getting desperate enough to use it, and if it keeps going, he will more than likely use his gravity manipulation technique.
Todo landed behind me, and I landed just in front of a horde of cursed spirit's that were going forward. With a slight mental push, Blade of Extermination was now on my wrist, as I cut through Uzumaki with a single swing.
—What kind of fight is this, and without me? I won't let you get away with that one, Kenjaku. — I smiled, walking forward, with all the gazes now pointed at me. Some people recognized me, some didn't, but all of them knew one single thing...the balance of the fight shifted immediately.
— So you're the one messing up with all of my plans. — Kenjaku said, with his ever present smile. — I hoped Mahito would live long enough to crawl back to me, but it seems he died by your hand. — He stated, feeling the remains of cursed energy of Mahito on me and Todo. — Now, who might you be?
— Good question. Before I answer, enlighten me about one thing.
— And what is it? — He asked, with a little curiosity in his voice. What could he possibly ask from him?
— The last body you have used...have you liked the backshots that the man gave you? — I couldn't stop myself from asking this question. The moment I did, his face finally changed. His expression darkened, but he was still smiling. It was hard to phase him, but I did.
— I would rather leave some things private. Asking such question out of blue...you're a curious one, are you? — He laughed, putting a hand on his forehead. — How unfortunate. If not for your interference, I would've been done by now.
— Probably. — I said, shrugging my shoulders. — Although... — In the next moment, before anyone had a chance to blink, I was behind him, with my face close to his ear. — It would've ended the same nonetheless. — He turned around to end me, holding a curse that was acting like claws in that moment for him, but I was already back where I was moment ago. — Tell me, would you release Gojo Satoru if I let you go? — Now both Uraume and Kenjaku was glaring at me, and it felt so good that I just couldn't stop smiling.
— I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer. If I do, all my plans will simply fail. — He said in his usual tone, although, as he put a hand on his sleeve to take out a prison realm, his face was that of confusion and shock. He looked back at me, seeing something that he guarded as if it was his own life.
— Looking for something? — I smirked, holding a cube with blue eyes all over it, which was exactly what I came here for. — I wonder, what happens if I open it?Pray tell, would you?— A moment later, I was high in the air, dodging a literal waterfall of ice, cursed spirits of the highest grade available to Kenjaku, and all possible attacks they could've thrown at me. Kenjaku was desperate enough to get Prison Realm back to the point he stopped caring about revealing his other technique, trying to get into my personal space for it to activate.
Laughing like a madman, dodging Uraume's attempt to catch me off guard, I got far away from the group I didn't want to get harmed in our little brawl, and then, when I landed, Uraume and Kenjaku was by my sides, using their techniques on me to stop me from doing something they would suffer from.
Taking Todo's teaching into account, as well as collecting my own thoughts about my ego, I let out a sigh, letting my Shikigami do what was expected of it...
*CLANG*
—Mahoraga, — Both Kenjaku and Uraume were thrown away from me at the speed breaking sound barrier, crashing into the remains of a building that still stood. Kenjaku's eyes were bulging out of his skull, seeing a Godlike being towering over me, now holding the Prison Realm in it's hands. —Open.
With a single motion of it's hand, Mahoraga swung down the Blade of Extermination, slicing Prison Realm in two, and then, the entire world of jujutsu felt the shift of power that was released from it.
To be fair, Kenjaku set a lot of traps in case prison realm would ever be opened. I lot of failsaves, plan B, C, D and up to Z...but none of them worked.
Because now, standing side by side withThe Strongest Sorcerer of Another WorldandLow Tier God Mahoraga...wasThe Strongest Sorcerer of Today.
Gojo Satoru...was free.
