Pov Narrator.
Day after day, Isagi kept smacking Power around as part of her daily training. According to his logic, training only worked if she reached failure; if she could still stay on her feet like nothing happened, then she hadn't worked hard enough. That idea was debatable, but Power had already learned that arguing with Isagi during training only meant getting another round of beatings.
As the days went by, Power reduced the amount of time it took her to reuse her blood. On top of that, Isagi had taught her how to strike better. Not exactly how to fight, because he himself admitted that he didn't really know how to fight, but he did teach her how to throw more effective blows and make better use of her blood weapons. For just a few days of practice, the progress they had made wasn't bad at all.
During one of those sessions, Power mentioned how Denji was doing in his own training. In short: like shit.
Apparently, the crazy old drunk training him, Kishibe, killed him several times a day as part of the training. The old man had taken the idea of training until death literally, and Denji was the unfortunate test subject for that extreme method.
That made Power burst into loud laughter, bending over slightly as she mocked the suffering Denji was going through at that very moment.
"HAHAHA! So the Chainsaw Human is getting murdered over and over by a drunk old man! What excellent training!"
But Isagi, being Isagi, wasn't about to let that slide.
"Silence, indigenous one."
Isagi threw a punch straight into the distracted Power's face. Power hit the ground instantly, and the laughter vanished from her face as if someone had flipped a switch. She covered her nose and lifted her head, obvious irritation burning in her eyes.
"What was that for, scoundrel?"
"For making fun of Denji when you've also spent entire days falling flat on the ground. Besides, you were distracted. That counts as part of the training. Anyway, in two days it'll be the operation to capture those two: Katana Guy and the Snake Girl. You're at a decent level now; pathetic in physical stats, but at least you're useful for something now." Isagi said with a smile as he dropped onto the ground. He landed sitting down with his hands resting on his knees. "Well, I'm going to fulfill my part of the deal we made."
Isagi pulled out a water bottle, except instead of water, it was filled with his own blood. He was tired of letting Power bite him every time, so this time he had come prepared with the payment ready from the start. He had said it many times already, but Isagi didn't like feeling pain despite his brutal regeneration. If he could avoid ending up with another bite mark on his arm, he'd do it without thinking twice.
"That's it...! Give it to me, scoundrel!" Power completely forgot about the anger she'd felt moments earlier from getting punched in the face and almost immediately got back on her feet. Her eyes lit up with excitement the moment she recognized that unmistakable scent.
She recognized the intense smell of Marechi blood instantly. Her nose twitched slightly as she followed the bottle Isagi was teasingly swinging from side to side, as if he enjoyed watching her hold herself back.
"Sit down first, then I'll give it to you."
Power growled in obvious annoyance but ended up obeying. After several days of training, she knew perfectly well that trying to snatch it by force would only end with another beating and herself lying on the ground unable to get back up. She clicked her tongue in irritation before sitting down, never taking her eyes off the bottle for even a second.
"They call me the Devil Charmer, hahaha." Isagi tossed the bottle of blood to Power, who caught it with both hands almost by reflex.
He had trained her well with a combination of beatings... and rewards. At that point, even he was beginning to notice that his improvised training system was working better than he had ever expected.
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Isagi let out a shaky sigh as he rubbed his hands together. It was colder than usual today. It was his day off, the day he had been waiting for all this time, and the day he was finally about to carry out the plan he had spent weeks preparing. Even so, the closer the moment came, the heavier the atmosphere around him felt.
"I don't wanna do this anymore, bro... I changed my mind. I can feel my balls in my throat." Isagi made a gesture with his hand, and his shadow began to bubble slowly, as if something were awakening from the depths of the darkness.
He pulled out a total of fifteen rabbit shikigami, each one loaded with one hundred percent of his cursed energy. Every single one of them would be a sacrifice to spam Mahoraga. It was a necessary sacrifice, and Isagi was completely willing to accept it. The little rabbits remained around him, twitching their ears without understanding that, most likely, none of them would return after what was about to begin.
After all, the Rabbit shikigami could multiply almost without limit. Using about fifteen of them as cannon fodder wasn't really a great loss. Today was the day he would attempt the Purification Ritual of the final shikigami of the Ten Shadows.
The Divine General Mahoraga.
Just thinking about that name was enough to send a chill down Isagi's spine. The weight of the stupidity he was about to commit slowly settled onto his shoulders, but he also remembered all the time he had spent preparing for this moment. He had trained, strengthened his shikigami, and even modified his technique through a Binding Vow precisely to improve his chances. If he was going to try, it had to be now.
He made another gesture with his hand, this time to summon another one of his shikigami: Piercing Ox. From the shadows slowly emerged an enormous, powerfully built ox with short, curved horns, white fur around its mouth, and a long, thin tail that swayed calmly. Its imposing size made even the ground seem to tremble slightly beneath its weight.
On its forehead stood out a symbol resembling a honeycomb. The massive shikigami snorted heavily through its nostrils as it silently awaited its summoner's orders, completely unaware of the danger both of them were about to face.
"Alright, guys, I'm gonna be honest with you, we're probably gonna die... or rather, you guys are gonna die." Isagi pointed first at the rabbits and then at the Piercing Ox, keeping a completely serious expression for a couple of seconds before letting out a small sigh. "Because I'm basically physically immortal. Begin Operation: Doesn't Adapt. I even made a Binding Vow, so start running, Ox. In circles, my boy; around the area. Just don't go too far and keep following a route."
As he spoke, Isagi pointed with his finger toward different spots across the huge open field they were standing in, mentally marking the path the shikigami had to follow. He had gone over that strategy again and again over the last few days. The ox had to repeatedly pass through the same places so that, when the time came, he'd know exactly where to lead Mahoraga if the first hit failed to finish it off. He couldn't leave anything to chance.
The Piercing Ox snorted heavily, sensing the slight modification in its ability brought about by the Binding Vow Isagi had made. It was a strange sensation even for the shikigami itself, but it obeyed without hesitation.
It first began walking with heavy steps, then broke into a steady trot, and finally started running at full speed, gradually building momentum as its damage accumulation ability began charging with every meter it covered. The sound of its hooves echoed throughout the entire area.
"As for you guys..." Isagi turned his attention back to the rabbits, who remained gathered in front of him with their ears perked up. "You're going kamikaze. You're gonna become Arabs. What does that mean? It means you'll have to go K-boom, K-boom."
The little rabbits tilted their heads at the same time, as if trying to process that incredibly questionable explanation. Isagi wasn't really sure whether his shikigami actually understood what he was saying, though from the way they looked at him, it seemed they at least grasped the intention behind his words.
So he figured it was better to warn them from the start. Most likely, none of them would make it through the day. They were about to kick the bucket for a greater cause. It wasn't an order he enjoyed giving, but he also knew that if he wanted even the slightest chance against Mahoraga, every piece of the plan had to fulfill its role until the very end.
After all, this was the battle he had been preparing for ever since he obtained the Ten Shadows Technique.
"Alright, while the ox charges up its ability, I'll put the finishing touches on my plan, which basically amounts to this: if Mahoraga survives the rabbit detonations, I'll beat the crap out of him myself and pin him down so the ox can ram him at full force." Isagi said thoughtfully, reviewing every single step of his strategy over and over in his mind to see if there was still any detail he could improve. "I'd better set five rabbits aside. That way, if there's still anything left of Mahoraga after the impact, I'll throw the rabbits at the remains to disintegrate them."
As he talked to himself, he separated five of the small shikigami from the rest of the group. He looked at them for a few seconds before finally nodding to himself.
He nodded again, approving the adjustment. He had to account for every possible outcome... or at least every outcome Isagi could think of. After all, he was preparing to face the strongest shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique. If anything went wrong, he probably wouldn't get a second chance to fix it.
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Hours later...
Seven hours.
That was how long Isagi had waited, letting the Piercing Ox charge its ability without interruption. He had arrived at that secluded location around six in the morning, when the sun was just beginning to rise, so by that point it had to be around one in the afternoon. Throughout all that time, he had done nothing but review his strategy over and over again, trying to find any flaw before it was too late.
Isagi had also prepared his weapons. His katana rested at his side, ready to be unsheathed at any moment. The Chain of a Thousand Miles had been carefully arranged so he could use it without wasting any time, and in addition, he had modified part of the terrain, infusing certain spots with cursed energy to make them explode if Mahoraga happened to step on them. They weren't traps capable of defeating him, but they could at least slow him down or slightly alter his movements for an instant.
Everything was ready.
The only sound breaking the silence of the place was the heavy footsteps of the Piercing Ox, which continued tirelessly running the same route over and over again, accumulating an absurd amount of force with every lap.
Isagi gazed at the scenery for a few moments. He took a deep breath of the cold air and then let out a long sigh, trying to calm the nerves he had been holding back since that morning. A faint smile eventually appeared on his lips as he stood up.
There was nothing left to prepare.
Isagi walked until he stood in the middle of the area. He swallowed hard as he slowly raised both hands, keeping them closed and extended forward, one behind the other, adopting the necessary stance to begin the ritual.
His breathing became slower and deeper as he tried to keep his pulse steady. He knew that once he spoke those words, there would be no turning back.
The atmosphere grew much heavier almost immediately. The air became noticeably denser, and the birds flew out of the trees in every direction, guided by a survival instinct screaming that something immensely dangerous was about to appear. Even the wind seemed to stop for a moment, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
"Sacred treasure... swing and ring."
As the chant required for the Purification Ritual began, the atmosphere grew even colder. A chill ran through Isagi's body as the deep howling of wolves began echoing in the distance, resonating throughout the area like an omen of what was about to come.
Behind him, a structure resembling a white cocoon appeared, wrapped in multiple thin, barely visible threads that kept it suspended in the air, swaying slowly.
Cursed energy began spreading around the cocoon, causing the ground to tremble slightly. The rabbits stopped moving, and even the Piercing Ox, which was still running in the distance, seemed to sense the overwhelming presence that was about to manifest.
"Eight-Handled Sword... Divine General: Mahoraga."
When Isagi finished the chant, the threads snapped one after another and slowly fell to the ground together with the cocoon, finally revealing the last shikigami of the Ten Shadows.
A gigantic figure, at least twice the height of an average person, began moving slowly. Its muscles tensed as it stretched its body, as if it had just awakened from a sleep that had lasted an eternity. Every one of its movements conveyed monstrous strength even before it took its first step.
On both sides of its face protruded long wing-like structures where its eyes would normally be, while a long tail emerged from the back of its head and ran down its back.
Floating above it, perfectly still for now, was the unmistakable Eight-Handled Wheel, the symbol of absolute adaptation. Its mere presence was enough to make the air feel heavy and Isagi's heart, even without turning around to look at it yet, beat faster, reminding him that he had just summoned the most dangerous and powerful shikigami.
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End of the chapter.