Chapter 67 — Another Method of Fusion
Seeing Megumi fall into deep thought, Ren didn't interrupt. He simply stood there quietly, giving him time to think.
After a long while, Megumi finally spoke.
"Senpai… I can't answer your question right now."
"But… somehow, I feel like directly destroying a shikigami isn't the right approach."
Ren nodded.
"I feel the same way," he said. "If we did that, it would make all the earlier shikigami meaningless."
Hearing Ren arrive at the same conclusion, Megumi felt a subtle sense of reassurance. His instinct—that vague but persistent feeling—seemed all the more reliable now.
"Oh, right," Ren added, "does your Ten Shadows Technique—or any Zenin clan records—mention anything about this?"
"The technique itself doesn't come with that kind of information," Megumi shook his head. "As for the Zenin clan…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but the implication was obvious.
Since he had "no connection" to the Zenin family, there was no way he had access to their inherited records either.
That makes things troublesome…
Ren frowned slightly.
One of the greatest advantages of inherited techniques was precisely the accumulated knowledge passed down through generations—methods of development, refinement, and application.
Take Utahime-sensei's Solo Forbidden Area, for example. Concentrating the technique's effect by shrinking its range was, in theory, a fairly straightforward idea. Yet without prior research to build upon, she had to explore everything from scratch.
The Zenin clan's archives might very well contain secrets about how shikigami inheritance and fusion truly worked within the Ten Shadows Technique.
But now, without access to that knowledge, they were left to grope blindly in the dark.
And blind experimentation… could be dangerous.
Megumi had just said it himself—once a shikigami is completely destroyed, it can never be summoned again.
If they destroyed one in pursuit of creating a stronger fusion… only to later realize that the original shikigami had greater potential or a more optimal use—
Then there would be no undoing it.
For a moment, countless thoughts raced through Ren's mind.
—
On the other side, Megumi was equally shaken.
Letting Ren observe and analyze his technique… had clearly been the right decision
Even setting aside the idea of "repaying a favor," this decision alone was already incredibly beneficial to him.
Ren had only watched a single demonstration of his technique, yet he had immediately raised a question—one that Megumi had never even considered before, and one that struck directly at the core of the technique.
If he continued exploring along that line of thought, it would undoubtedly deepen his understanding and mastery of the Ten Shadows Technique.
But for now, the priority was to continue the demonstration.
"Senpai," Megumi said, steadying his thoughts as he dismissed Divine Dog: Totality with a wave of his hand, "we can explore that question later."
"For now, let me continue showing you the rest of the Ten Shadows Technique."
"Alright."
—
A giant bird with a human-like face soared into the sky, whipping up powerful gusts of wind. As it spread its wings, orange-yellow feathers crackled with lightning.
"This is Nue. As you can see, it's a flying shikigami that can also manipulate electricity."
Next, a gray-white serpent burst from the ground, rising high into the air. Its massive jaws opened wide as it flicked its crimson tongue, hissing sharply. The long, ribbon-like tongue swayed through the sky.
"This is Great Serpent. It can swallow and digest enemies."
"Other shikigami can also recover by consuming curses," Megumi added, "but Great Serpent can accumulate the power of what it devours and grow stronger over time."
"Oh, right—" he added mid-explanation, "I forgot to mention earlier. The first shikigami we summon—the basic Divine Dogs—aren't specialized for combat. Their claws are still effective, but their main strength lies in tracking and detection through scent."
Ren nodded. Megumi wasn't just demonstrating the technique—he was carefully explaining each shikigami's traits and practical uses based on his own experience.
Megumi dismissed the serpent and formed another hand sign.
"Gwaa!"
A massive toad appeared on the field, croaking loudly as it bounced in place.
"This is Toad. Its tongue is extremely powerful—fast, sticky, and hard to escape once caught. It's ideal for restraining enemies. It's also very effective for rescuing allies."
At Megumi's command, the toad opened its mouth and shot out its dark purple tongue like an arrow, instantly yanking a soccer goal from across the field.
He dismissed the toad. Ren casually picked up the goalpost, aimed briefly, and tossed it back into place as the demonstration continued.
—
A large pink elephant with golden patterns appeared on the field. It raised its trunk and trumpeted loudly, spraying massive amounts of water from its nostrils.
"This is Max Elephant."
Megumi was already slightly out of breath as he explained,
"It's a shikigami I only recently mastered. Both its physical strength and cursed energy are extremely high, so it consumes a lot of energy. I can't summon it alongside other shikigami."
"Its sheer mass alone can crush enemies. On top of that, it can manipulate water."
With a wave of his hand, the water pouring from the elephant's trunk intensified instantly, like a waterfall. A surging wave swept across the entire training field.
Another gesture—and both the elephant and the flood vanished without a trace.
—
"That's all the shikigami I can currently summon."
Megumi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
One… two… three… four… five…
Ren counted silently.
Wasn't it supposed to be the Ten Shadows Technique?
Noticing the confusion in Ren's expression, Megumi took a breath and continued,
"One important thing to note—aside from the Divine Dogs, which can be used immediately after summoning, all other shikigami must be exorcised first."
"That means you have to defeat them upon their initial summoning before you can use them properly."
"And the exorcism must be done alone. Assistance from others invalidates it."
He paused, looking slightly embarrassed.
"With my current ability… these are all the shikigami I've managed to subdue so far."
Ren nodded again.
A wide variety, each with distinct functions. The Ten Shadows Technique truly lived up to its reputation as one of the Three Great Family techniques. With the right combinations, a single user could match an entire team of sorcerers.
"Oh, right—" Megumi suddenly added, recalling something, "there's one more application I can use."
"It's an extension technique—not one of the ten shikigami themselves, but a fusion of two."
He formed another hand sign.
"Extension Technique: Wells Unknown Abyss!"
"Gwaa! Gwaa! Gwaa!"
A chorus of croaking filled the air.
Several smaller toads appeared around them, each with white wings fluttering on their backs.
"This is…?"
"A fusion of Nue and Toad."
"Interesting… so there's another form of shikigami fusion besides inheritance through death."
Ren watched the croaking creatures for a moment.
Then suddenly, his eyes lit up.