Eichi had always been curious about the stitches on Mahito's body.
Were they decorations, tattoos, or actual suture marks?
Kenjaku's stitches had been removed. Now it was time to remove Mahito's.
The shadow that had just entered the ruins silently crept behind Mahito and, while it was still laughing maniacally, directly pierced Mahito's chest, hoisting it into the air.
"You're interested in my body? How naughty of you."
Eichi's movements paused. If Kenjaku had said that... no, not even Kenjaku.
The next second, a shadow gag was placed over Mahito's mouth.
"Well said. Don't say it again."
Eichi's shadow split at Mahito's feet, then rose from the ground like countless tentacles, coiling around Mahito's limbs.
The tip of one shadow sharpened like a dagger.
Pfft!
The shadow dagger pierced Mahito's face, slicing along the stitches.
Mahito seemed to feel pain, and its body began to struggle and twist wildly, trying to break free from the tentacles' suppression.
Although Mahito could deform, shadows also lacked a fixed form, so it could never escape.
"I see. Unlike Suzuya Juuzou's decorations, the stitches on your body feel more like scars."
Pfft, pfft.
Although the result had been obtained, Eichi's movements did not stop. The sharp dagger continued to cut Mahito's body bit by bit along the stitches.
'What shall we play next? Transform it like Yoshino Junpei, or turn it into a bomb like Nanami?
Let's do both, one by one. Anyway, with Mahito's vitality, which is more tenacious than a cockroach's, it will definitely endure. Come on, Mahito, I believe in you.'
Mahito, who had been constantly wailing, suddenly shivered. It felt the malice from Eichi suddenly surge.
Mahito struggled even more fiercely.
'Let's start with Yoshino Junpei's part.'
Although there were elements of venting, Eichi was not truly just tormenting Mahito.
He hoped Mahito could comprehend Domain Expansion in desperation and near-death, just as it had originally.
While a Mahito without a Domain was also good, one with a Domain would undoubtedly be better to give to Suguru.
Anyway, it was not difficult for him, and he could also properly educate this little darling who was good at everything except living.
Thinking of this, another tentacle-like shadow rose from the shadow behind Eichi.
The shadow aimed at Mahito's body and quickly flew out.
Pfft.
The shadow accurately pierced Mahito's body, and trickles of blood began to flow out.
Mahito let out a cry of pain, not because of the shadow's penetration, it was already used to that level of pain.
It was because Eichi's massive Cursed Energy was being injected into its body along with the shadow.
'So, so full.'
To Eichi's surprise, his shadow filled Mahito in no time.
'Has my Cursed Energy dropped so much? Something's not right.'
Eichi sensed something amiss, but his hand movements did not stop.
As the huge shadow continuously deformed inside Mahito's body,
Mahito also had to change its shape according to the shadow's form.
Kappa, frog, balloon, mascot, little devil... Mahito's body displayed an admirable capacity for inclusion, as if any form was within its grasp.
Eichi became more and more addicted to the game.
Tears of unknown emotion streamed from Mahito's eyes.
In its words, those were the sweat stains of the Soul.
Just as Eichi was becoming more and more addicted, another small snake covered in stitches crawled out of the ruins.
The small snake quietly circled to Eichi's side-rear, chose the weakest angle of the shadow, and then instantly reverted to its original form, its pale hand reaching for Eichi's waist.
Slap.
"Hmm?"
An icy chill emanated from the hand.
Mahito looked down and found its hand touching a piece of armor-like shadow through Eichi's clothes.
The next second, a large hand grabbed its head.
"I see. No wonder the Cursed Energy of the one above was so much less. It was a Clone."
"You noticed."
"Isn't that obvious? Do you think you still have any secrets from me?"
The shadow armor, originally only covering his body, began to spread. Like Iron Man donning a faceplate, Eichi was completely enveloped in shadows.
Bang.
Eichi punched Mahito in the face.
Mahito's features caved inward, blood and teeth flying.
But Mahito could not dodge because its head was held in Eichi's hand.
Mahito continuously attacked Eichi with both hands, but due to the shadow's isolation, its Cursed Technique, Idle Transfiguration, could not take effect.
'What should I do? Should I abandon my head and escape? No, I can't escape like this at all.'
An eye appeared on Mahito's hand, taking in the situation between the two of them.
'This isn't working. If I can't break through that shadow armor, my Cursed Technique won't be effective. What should I do?'
Noticing Mahito's struggles suddenly weaken, Eichi's gaze turned to its left hand, which had stopped attacking.
Pfft.
Eichi raised two fingers in a sword-pointing gesture, then quickly stabbed toward the eye on Mahito's left hand.
"Waaah pfft..."
Mahito's scream had not finished when Eichi landed another punch on its face.
'This won't do. I'll die, I'll definitely die!'
The intense pain stimulated Mahito's thoughts, and soon a new idea appeared in its mind.
'This guy is using his shadow as armor to cover himself. Can I transform my own flesh and similarly construct a layer of armor on the surface of my body to protect myself?'
The biggest problem currently plaguing Mahito was its inability to break through Eichi's shadow armor in close combat.
If it could gain the ability to fight Eichi hand-to-hand, then there might still be a chance.
The frantic transformation began.
The Clone, which had just been constantly forced into various shapes, had already demonstrated to Mahito how sturdy and durable its body was.
Now, it just needed to be a little bolder.
Under the pressure of death and Mahito's madness, even without achieving a Black Flash, it still discovered the essence of its Soul in a life-or-death crisis.
Pfft, pfft, crunch, snap.
"Huh?"
Eichi found that the feeling of his punches landing on Mahito's body was becoming stranger and stranger. At first, it was the normal softness of flesh, occasionally accompanied by the warmth of a Cursed Spirit's blood, but soon it became a bit prickly, like broken glass.
That last punch was even blocked.
"Idle Transfiguration: All Killing Spirit Body."
Instantly, Mahito's physical strength and muscle power received an unprecedented boost, with dense, armor-like muscles covering its entire body.
While these muscles were sturdy, they also solidified the aesthetic beauty of the muscles themselves.
Two sharp blades appeared at the elbows of its arms, making it imaginable how dangerous and lethal Mahito would be when using elbow Cursed Techniques.
A long tail behind it gently slapped the ground.
Mahito revealed a cruel expression, seemingly wanting to return all the previous blows, but it unexpectedly found that Eichi not only showed no signs of being in a critical situation, but was instead somewhat pleased.
Upon seeing Mahito's All Killing Spirit Body form, Eichi's first reaction was: Oh, an unexpected bonus.
His second reaction was: This punching bag is so considerate. When I get tired of hitting it, it even voluntarily switches to a form with a better feel.
(To be continued.)