After completing the mission with Suguru, I immediately placed a call to Yaga-sensei.
"Yaga-sensei. It's Zenin Touya."
"Ah, Touya. What is it? Shouldn't you be on a mission?"
"I just finished. However, would it be possible for me to stay out tonight? Something came up at home... Suguru will handle the mission report."
"Hmm... Well, go ahead. There are no more missions assigned to you today, anyway."
I let out a small chuckle at how coolly Yaga-sensei accepted the request.
"Thank you. I'll return tomorrow."
"Right."
As soon as the call ended, Suguru, who had been hovering beside me as if he were waiting to say something, finally spoke up.
"Touya. So, what was that shikigami from earlier? Suddenly, a monster on an entirely different dimension popped out."
"I'm not sure. I can't exactly say what's what yet. I think it was an Inheritance... that's why I'm going back to the main estate, to look for records."
"Ah... but how will you get there? It takes over six hours by car."
"I'll have to take the Shinkansen. What else can I do? I'm the one in a hurry. Let's eat before I go. It's just about lunchtime anyway."
After finishing a meal with Suguru and our Assistant Manager, we parted ways, and I immediately boarded a Kyoto-bound Shinkansen. I had already contacted my father to have an attendant ready to pick me up. Once I leaned back into my seat and closed my eyes, I sank deep into thought.
'Max Elephant was destroyed... and through the inheritance process with Gama, it transformed into a completely new type of shikigami. It even manifested with a mirror on its forehead. Ha... I still can't wrap my head around it. This flood of new information is giving me a headache. I'll have to figure it out at home.'
Giving up on the train of thought due to the pulsing ache in my head, I kept my eyes closed. Since the journey to Kyoto would take over two hours, it was a perfect time for some rest. I must have slept quite a while, as the announcement of our arrival eventually woke me.
"Our train will soon arrive at Kyoto Station. The exit is on the left."
Stretching as I stood up, I disembarked immediately. As I did, the waiting attendant spotted me and came running.
"Young Master! I am glad to see you in such good health. Do you have no other luggage?"
"Yes. It feels like it's been a while. I don't have any bags. Shall we go straight away?"
"Yes, Young Master. I have prepared the car. This way."
Following the attendant, I mused to myself.
'Is it just my imagination, or is the discipline around here even stricter than before?'
Tiling my head, I climbed into the car and stared blankly at the passing scenery. The attendant seemed to be talking about this and that, but I couldn't quite focus. It was only when we were nearly there that he spoke up again.
"Um... Young Master. Please don't be too surprised by what you are about to see, even if it feels sudden."
'What is he talking about?'
"What do you mean by—"
The car came to a stop in front of the estate's main entrance.
"Why are we getting out here? Isn't there still a ways to go?"
"It is the command of the Clan Head. He ordered that you walk the rest of the way in..."
"Why on earth... fine, I understand."
With a sigh, I stepped out of the car. As I walked closer to the massive main gates of the clan, something began to come into view.
"...What? Are all of those people?"
As I drew closer, what I saw clearly was a line of clan members, standing in dense ranks from both sides of the gate all the way to the inner house, all with their heads bowed low. It was incredibly flustering, but it seemed the only way to end this spectacle was to keep walking.
'Why are they doing this? We never used to do things like this.'
When I had nearly passed through the entire gauntlet and reached the main residence, I found my father and family waiting at the very end, looking at me with smiles. I walked up quickly and whispered to my father.
"Father. Please, tell them to stand up already. I'm dying of embarrassment."
"Why? Is it not to your liking? Doesn't it feel as though you've become a king? Khahaha!"
I gave him a sharp look.
"I never asked for anything like this. Why the sudden fanfare? You've never done this before."
My father flicked his gaze toward the side. There, I saw several people sitting in chairs brought out for the occasion, observing us.
'Those people... I've seen them before. Are they the Elders of the Gojo Clan?'
"I'll give you the details inside."
My father clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention and spoke in a booming voice.
"Alright! Return to your duties!"
With that, everyone dispersed with military precision. I followed my family back into the inner chambers. Only then did Naoya throw herself into my arms.
"Brother! I missed you so much. You came back because you missed me too, right? Sniff, hah..."
I gave a firm hug to Naoya, who was burying her face in my chest and making suspicious sounds, before replying.
"Yes... I missed you too, Naoya. I also had some things to look up. Mother, I hope you've been well?"
I looked toward my mother, who hadn't changed at all since I was a child.
"Yes. Are you hurt anywhere, my son? I'm always worried."
"Don't worry. I am the strongest, after all."
'Surely a bit of bluster like this is fine in front of a worried mother.'
Patting Naoya, who showed no intention of letting go, I asked my father.
"So, what was all that about? The people sitting there were indeed the Gojo Clan Elders, right?"
My father nodded and began his explanation.
"Indeed. Since you enrolled at the Jujutsu High just as the current Gojo Clan Head did, there has been talk of restoring the relations between our families that had grown cold. They made the proposal first. We had nothing to lose, so we accepted."
"So... you staged that grand entrance when I arrived just to act tough in front of the Gojo Clan?"
"Khahaha! It's not just acting tough. I was showing off the one who will be the strongest of the next generation. You are the present and future of our clan. Those geezers likely know it better than anyone. After all, they saw with their own two eyes their 'strongest' Clan Head get thrashed by you."
"It was a bit of intimidation, then. Since my recent track record has been good."
"Yes. You understand perfectly. So... why are you here? It hasn't even been a month since your last visit. Brat... if you were coming, you should have at least bought some good sake..."
"Forget the sake. Please bring me all the books and records related to the Ten Shadows Technique. I've made a massive discovery."
"What? A discovery? Is it perhaps the Eight-Handled Sword—"
"No. I'm not quite at that level yet... but I think I've found a lead. At any rate, it's not certain yet, so I'll fill you in once I've organized my thoughts."
"Very well. I'll have an attendant bring them to you immediately. I look forward to good news."
"Let's go, Naoya. Your brother says he has work to do."
Despite Mother's words, Naoya nuzzled her face against me even more, looking up as if she refused to leave.
"Uuuu... I don't want to. Can't I stay just a little longer?"
I stroked Naoya's hair and spoke gently.
"I'm sorry, I have something important to do. I'll give you an even longer hug once I'm finished. Forgive me, okay?"
"Tch... fine. But you have to finish quickly, Brother. I'll be waiting."
Only then did she pull away, giving me one last insistent look before leaving the room.
'It'll take some time for the books to be delivered... Maybe I should go pay my respects to the Gojo Clan guests.'
During the brief gap in time, I went outside to find the Gojo Elders who were still conversing and greeted them.
"Hello. I hope your clan has been faring well?"
"Have you been well, Young Master of the Zenin? As for the Gojo... things have been rather quiet with the Clan Head away."
"Is the Clan Head doing well at the Technical College?"
I replied with a smile to the Elder's concerned inquiry.
"Satoru is doing well. He's made two other friends besides me. Though, of course, he's still causing trouble wherever he goes."
"Hoo... as long as it isn't a major disaster. Our thanks. Please continue to look after the Clan Head."
"Haha, of course. I believe that's enough for a greeting, so I shall head back inside. Please, enjoy your stay."
After bowing, I returned directly to my room. Several books had already been laid out, presumably by an attendant. Before diving into the texts, I first needed to organize the information on Kyoraisho.
'Max Elephant was destroyed and inherited by Gama, resulting in a morphological change. Combining the characteristic tongue of Gama with the long trunk of Max Elephant allows it to bind targets with its tongue, and even spray water from the hole at the tip of said tongue. Furthermore, the tongue has developed a new toxic property. I haven't tested it yet, but that poison-infused water cannon should be able to rapidly exorcise an average Special Grade Cursed Spirit.'
"And... the most important part. The ability to block, store, and reflect an opponent's attack. Was that the power of the mirror on its forehead? In that case, the mirror itself is a Cursed Tool."
After jotting down and organizing the data on Kyoraisho, I spent a long time scouring the books.
"It's not here... not here either."
Even after combing through the records, there was no mention of 'Kyoraisho'—the shikigami manifested with a mirror.
'Does this mean that none of the many Ten Shadows users throughout history have ever discovered this? Then what rule caused Gama and Max Elephant to merge into a new shikigami?'
Realizing I wouldn't find the answer in standard Ten Shadows texts, I began to think about the Ten Sacred Treasures, which were said to be the foundation of the technique.
"Oh... I found it."
'The Ten Sacred Treasures (Shu Ten no Kandakara).' [The ten treasures bestowed upon the ancestor of the Mononobe clan, the deity of ancient sorcery Nigihayahi, by the command of Amaterasu.] Simply put, they are ten treasures gifted by the gods. Two mirrors, one sword, four jewels, and three scarves (hire), totaling ten.
'Now that I think about it, each shikigami has these patterns etched onto their bodies. Agito had none, but... the patterns on Gama and Max Elephant were both mirrors. So if Gama was summoned when Max Elephant was destroyed, and inherited its power to become Kyoraisho...'
"Does this mean other shikigami, through legitimate inheritance, can be reborn as entirely new entities representing the Jewels and the Scarves, just like Kyoraisho? The Sword is the singular treasure held by the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General, Mahoraga."
'Now that I recall, Kyoraisho was covered in mirrors. Was that accumulation and reflection ability due to the mirrors acting as Cursed Tools? As far as I know, Mahoraga's Sword of Extermination is considered a Cursed Tool. If that's the case, then when the 'Jewel' and 'Scarf' versions are summoned, they will also manifest with actual Cursed Tools made of jewels and scarves.'
"I've figured out the synthesis formula. But who should inherit from whom? That part I still haven't figured out."
Could the reason no one has been able to exorcise Mahoraga be because they failed to gather these three ultimate shikigami, or perhaps because they couldn't find the proper base shikigami to collect all ten treasures? The more I thought, the more complicated it became.
"Ah! Wait. Divine Dog: Totality was formed from White's legitimate inheritance of Black. So, what if Great Serpent and Round Deer, which both symbolize 'Jewels,' were inherited by Divine Dog? I have a feeling that might work. It's not certain yet, so I should proceed with caution."
I racked my brain for a while longer, but unable to reach a better conclusion, I eventually closed the books and let out a deep sigh.
"Phew... Still... I can see it, can't I? A glimmer of hope that I might actually be able to tame that thing. Hahaha... hahahahaha!"
After basking in the joy of my breakthrough for a while, I didn't forget my promise to Naoya. I played with her for a long time before falling into a rare, shared sleep.
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 50
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T