Chapter 63: "Straw Doll Technique" and "Ten Shadows Technique"
Straw Doll Technique—this is the Cursed Technique that Kugisaki Nobara awakened and uses.
In a sense, this technique is quite similar to traditional curse techniques.
As long as the sorcerer can obtain a body part or an associated item from the opponent, they can use it along with a straw doll or a talisman to cause remote damage through cursing.
By combining nails with the straw doll, the sorcerer can freely select the body part they wish to curse, but the final lethal force depends on the value of the physical part and the relevance of the associated item.
Generally, the priority order is: limbs > blood, flesh > items worn close to the body for long periods > hair and other bodily tissues.
The most unique aspect of this technique is that there are no strict limitations on the casting distance.
Although Kugisaki Nobara herself claims she hasn't explicitly tested it, as long as she obtains the opponent's blood, casting within a range of a few kilometers will not be affected at all. Even if the Cursed Energy difference between the two parties is vast, it can only reduce the damage, not grant immunity.
The effect of this technique clearly leans towards the conceptual type, doesn't it?
Furthermore, in a situation where multiple people are cornering an enemy, the caster can still be highly effective without getting close to the opponent. It is an excellent technique, whether used for support or direct combat.
It's just a pity that in the recent fight, the three of them combined couldn't even touch a single hair on Emiya, much less allow this technique to take effect.
"In that case, Kugisaki-kun's Straw Doll Technique is indeed better suited for a supporting role, but there's no need to make that intention so obvious.
For example, let's look at it differently: if the three of you had engaged in simultaneous close-quarters combat, forcing me into a situation where I couldn't evade, I would naturally choose to confront the weaker opponent.
In a situation where strength is evenly matched, obtaining the enemy's blood isn't particularly difficult. But if the enemy is much stronger, the best option is actually to feign weakness, and then seize an opportunity to obtain a tissue like hair.
If you don't actively use it, the enemy will absolutely not know your technique, so the probability of success is high.
Similarly, once demonstrated, the effect and conditions of the Straw Doll Technique can be easily guessed. Therefore, after obtaining the conditions for the first casting, the technique's
information can actually be deliberately released depending on the situation to gain a Binding Vow enhancement."
In the Jujutsu world, applying a Binding Vow to oneself or one's Cursed Technique can be exchanged for an enhancement in another aspect of strength.
This mechanism seems strange, but it actually aligns well with the definition of 'balance.' Emiya could even try applying the concept of a Binding Vow himself when facing a suitable enemy.
"Wait! Can this technique only be used on living things, or can it also be applied to the structure of objects?" Emiya suddenly thought of this and immediately asked.
"Huh? It can also affect the environment..."
"Then, wouldn't its use in combat be even greater? For example, just now, I disturbed Itadori-kun's offense by destroying the ground... By factoring in environmental elements, dealing with this type of opponent becomes instantly much easier.
Destroying the structure of a building, severing the cables of a bridge, or even calculating every piece of terrain in a scene and correcting it when necessary... When you think about it, every one of these has serious potential for operational strategy."
This is bad.
For instance, when fighting inside a building, if everything can be arranged in advance, wouldn't it be possible to correct the building's structure and the target's position at any time during the fight? It would be like planting hundreds of bombs throughout the building and detonating them selectively when needed.
Possessing an absolute advantage over the home environment—how great is that? Not every enemy is like Gojo Satoru, who is almost completely unaffected by environmental factors.
"Ah... huh?"
Kugisaki Nobara felt her head would explode just thinking about the fighting styles Emiya described.
It was already a big enough accomplishment for her to remember where she and her teammates were during a fight, let alone having to judge exploitable points in the environment and flexibly utilize them in combat.
Unlike the excited Yuji Itadori, who was eagerly trying to use various body parts to elbow the air next to them, Kugisaki Nobara, feeling computational overload, had already squatted down, clutching her head.
Truth be told, her fighting style before this was mostly just rushing up and hitting people's heads with her hammer.
So, after Emiya finished outlining the general direction of effort for these two, the remaining focus was on Fushiguro Megumi, who had the strongest raw power and the most outstanding combat awareness among the three.
During the recent fight, he consistently took on the role of commander and quickly organized a feasible offensive plan in a short time, which was undoubtedly excellent. Even in solo combat, Emiya believed he could coordinate his Shikigami with the environment to execute tactics.
"Fushiguro-kun, how many types of Shikigami can your Cursed Technique summon in total?"
"Ten."
Fushiguro Megumi quickly responded and seriously explained his Cursed Technique.
Ten Shadows Technique - one of the inherited Cursed Techniques of the Zen'in Family, one of the Big Three Sorcerer Families.
The technique allows for the summoning of corresponding Shikigami using hand shadows.
The summoned Shadow Shikigami are much stronger than ordinary Shikigami, but the drawback is that once one is completely destroyed, it cannot be manifested again.
The technique and power left behind by a destroyed Shikigami are inherited by the other Shikigami. It is also possible to expand the technique to merge two Shikigami into one. The maximum number that can be summoned simultaneously at one time is two.
However, the user only receives two Divine Dogs upon awakening the technique.
Other Shikigami can only be used after a Subjugation Ritual—that is, defeating them alone inside a special shadow barrier.
While other summoning techniques involve Shikigami protecting the sorcerer, this technique uniquely requires the sorcerer to have power greater than the Shikigami themselves before they can be used, making it quite independent.
Currently, Fushiguro Megumi has successfully subjugated the first nine Shikigami, with only the most powerful, Eight-Handed Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga, yet to be subjugated.
According to him, that Shikigami is even stronger than most Special Grade Cursed Spirits, and there is virtually no possibility of successfully subjugating it in the short term.
"So, not only does the deployment of the Shikigami need to be strictly planned, but you also need to increase your own strength?
What a strange Shikigami technique."
The Shikigami's fighting strength isn't necessarily stronger than the sorcerer's own power, so is the best effect to utilize each Shikigami for various situations? To properly use a technique like this, a high-level strategic mindset is essential.
Furthermore, Fushiguro Megumi's mind is clearly more agile than the other two, so Emiya doesn't need to guide him too much on fighting styles.
"...Let me conduct the special training for you, with the focus on increasing your own inherent strength."
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