JJK X FATE: Chapter 29/30

Chapter 29: Ten Shadows Technique and the Holy Grail

The struggle with the Special Grade Cursed Spirit a few months ago was the first battle Eichi had won by risking his life, and he even lost his companion for the first time in that fight.

Although the White Divine Dog was later re-summoned through the external Technique, Holy Grail, Eichi did not want to experience that heart-wrenching feeling a second time.

Since then, he had been working hard to become stronger.

From the innate Ten Shadows Technique to the external Technique, Holy Grail, Eichi reexamined all his abilities over the past few months, continually exploring ways to improve.

First was the Holy Grail. After several months, the broadcast of Fate/stay night was already halfway through, with discs, novels, and games on sale.

After the Fate/stay night game launched, the game department did not rest. They were developing Fate/Extra.

Under a series of promotions, the imaginative power related to Heroic Spirits was continuously absorbed by the Holy Grail.

However, the speed was still too slow because information dissemination in this era was limited.

If it were the internet era of later generations, Eichi might even have been able to start summoning within a few months.

But this era would not do. The main channels for spreading information were still traditional media like newspapers and television.

Sometimes, even if someone was captivated by a glimpse, they could not find the anime and had to wait a week for the next episode.

Should he endure for more than a decade?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Although a complete summoning of a Heroic Spirit would still take at least a year, Eichi had indeed researched some things.

Spiritual Base Shadow.

A more advanced, incomplete manifestation of a Heroic Spirit than a Shadow Servant. Although the duration was short and the strength incomplete, it was still a Heroic Spirit.

A brief introduction to Heroic Spirits:

Heroic Spirit: Elevated from beings such as humans and demigod heroes who achieved great feats. Their true bodies are recorded on the Throne of Heroes.

Servant: A clone of a Heroic Spirit summoned from the Throne of Heroes using the Heroic Spirit summoning system, a weakened version of a Heroic Spirit, comparable to a shadow clone relative to the original.

Spiritual Base Shadow: A method used by Chaldea to incompletely manifest Heroic Spirits by collecting and recording information about Heroic Spirits who fought alongside Chaldea.

Servants are clones of Heroic Spirits. Spiritual Base Shadow is an incomplete Servant, summoned by Chaldea through imitation.

For example, if the information volume of a Heroic Spirit on the Throne of Heroes is 100 GB, and the host of the summoning system can only accommodate 10 GB, then a Servant weaker than the Heroic Spirit is summoned. If Chaldea's host can only accommodate 1 GB, then what is summoned through Spiritual Base Shadow is an even weaker entity that can only appear for a short time.

However, there is no Throne of Heroes in this world, and the Holy Grail currently held by Eichi temporarily serves that function.

Although the specifications of the two differ greatly, this is not a world where apocalyptic powers appear at every turn, so it is sufficient.

After realizing he could not gain significant power from the Holy Grail in the short term, Eichi turned his attention to the Ten Shadows Technique.

There was a simple reason. The system gave detailed information about the Holy Grail, so he had a place to start, but it did not provide information about the Ten Shadows Technique.

Therefore, it was natural that he researched the Holy Grail first.

Fortunately, there was a research direction for the Ten Shadows Technique.

Chimera.

In the original plot, the Chimera Agito, which Sukuna fused from the power of five Shikigami, was qualified to participate in the battle with Satoru.

According to Satoru, Agito was a fusion of Nue that inherited the powers of Orochi, Tiger Funeral, and Round Deer, and Divine Dog: Totality.

Being able to participate in the battle between Satoru and Sukuna was enough to show how strong Agito was.

With a goal in mind, Eichi began to practice with Toad.

Toad is a winged frog synthesized from a Toad and a Nue.

Its function is similar to Toad, capable of restricting enemy movement.

However, because it has wings, it is more agile.

When Toad was successfully fused, Eichi discovered a new characteristic of the Ten Shadows Technique.

Partial Fusion and Complete Fusion.

Partial Fusion refers to taking a part of a Shikigami and fusing it to create a smaller Shikigami with more comprehensive functions.

As long as the main body of the Shikigami used for fusion still exists, then even if the fused Shikigami is destroyed, there is nothing to fear. You can simply fuse more.

Relatively, Shikigami fused in this way are weaker and have less intelligence, requiring complete manual control.

It was also after fusing Toad that Eichi realized why Megumi Fushiguro could summon so many Toads back then.

At that time, Eichi had wondered, was there not only one Nue? Where did all those wings come from for those small frogs? Was it a new Shikigami?

This characteristic of the Ten Shadows Technique made Eichi understand that although the Shadow Technique is called by this name, the ultimate number of Shikigami is definitely not just ten kinds. Perhaps he could expand it to a Hundred Shadows Technique in the future.

He relaxed during subsequent Chimera experiments because he could first explore through fusion experiments without worrying about accidentally fusing a Shikigami into a useless state and then having to spend a great deal of effort to separate it.

Eichi first extracted a portion of Cursed Energy from nine Shikigami, then fused them two by two, and three by three.

Through repeated attempts, he obtained his first Chimera, Qiongqi.

It was also his first Special Grade Shikigami.

By the way, the Black Divine Dog, which inherited the power of the White Divine Dog, is semi–Special Grade. The Black Divine Dog possesses claws and fangs that can easily injure Special Grade Cursed Spirits, but its body is relatively fragile, a typical high-attack assassin.

Qiongqi, which fused three Shikigami, reached Special Grade in both Cursed Energy and physical strength.

Tiger Funeral's body was already strong, and after fusing Piercing Ox, its physical quality improved further. Its explosive muscles made people tremble.

To move this massive body, during the Chimera process, Eichi focused on strengthening Nue's flying ability, and with Tiger Funeral's wind-riding, Qiongqi's flying speed became very fast.

The current Qiongqi can be described as an all-rounder Shikigami. For close combat, it has a strong body, tiger fangs, sharp claws, and horns.

For one-on-one, it has precise lightning strikes. Even if they do not kill, the paralysis can make the enemy temporarily lose resistance, and Tiger Funeral can move in to deliver a blow.

For area attacks, it has a storm that tears everything apart, capable of crushing and ripping through everything within several hundred meters.

It also retains the characteristics obtained from Piercing Ox as its ultimate move.

Looking at his new Shikigami, Eichi was very satisfied. After hearing that Suguru planned to capture a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, he decided to bring it out for a test.

After several kilometers of acceleration, the sharp horn on Qiongqi's head pierced deeply into the Rainbow Dragon's body, and purple lightning erupted within it. The Rainbow Dragon, which had just broken free from the Yuki-onna's freezing, had no time to resist before the internal lightning made it shudder violently.

Qiongqi continued to fly in a straight line, pushing the Rainbow Dragon with immense force all the way to the seaside.

Boom.

Qiongqi drove the Rainbow Dragon into the beach.

As the dust settled, a crater with a diameter of a hundred meters appeared before the three.

The scene in the middle of the giant pit gradually came into view.

The Rainbow Dragon, split in half at the midsection, and Qiongqi nearby, shaking its head and looking a bit unsteady.

"Hey, Eichi, why does this winged tiger look a bit stupid?"

Satoru pointed to Qiongqi, who was seeing stars in the middle of the field.

"That is Qiongqi."

Eichi rolled his eyes, silently drawing some Cursed Energy from the Holy Grail to replenish himself.

Qiongqi's strike just now spanned several kilometers. The immense power not only made Qiongqi itself dizzy but also almost drained Eichi's Cursed Energy.

However, the result was very satisfying. That was the Rainbow Dragon, whose defense ranked high among Special Grades, yet it was split in half. Good, very good.

Moreover, knowing the Cursed Energy cost and power at different distances this time, this move would be easier to use later.

Suguru, however, felt a bit pained. What a handsome and cool Rainbow Dragon, and now it was in two pieces.

Fortunately, it was split horizontally at the middle, not vertically as in the original work by Toji. Otherwise, the Rainbow Dragon might have been completely gone.

Silently subduing and absorbing the Rainbow Dragon, Suguru's confidence, which had swelled from obtaining a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, subsided considerably.

At the same time, Satoru and Suguru were both calculating Qiongqi's combat power in their minds.

Do not find it strange. Even good brothers will have a sense of competition with each other.

Anyone who has lived in a university dorm knows this feeling. Almost everyone wants to be the "dad" of the entire dorm.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 30: Dragon Riding Boy

"Has the Rainbow Dragon recovered? If it has, call it out so I can see."

As soon as dawn broke, Satoru pushed open Suguru's door.

A flying pillow greeted Satoru.

"Satoru, you should knock before entering someone else's room."

"Haha, we're both guys, don't be shy."

The pillow was blocked by Limitless and returned harmlessly.

"That's basic etiquette."

Picking up the pillow and placing it back on the bed, Suguru got up.

"Hmm, while Satoru wins in terms of face, Suguru is definitely superior in terms of physique," Eichi commented, following behind Satoru.

Satoru was tall and his muscles were well-proportioned and toned, but Suguru was a bit more burly.

Of course, neither could compare to Toji. His physique was such that even men could not help but admire it.

"Is there something wrong with your eyes? I am clearly superior."

"No, no, no, look closely. While your abs are on par, Suguru's pectoral and back muscles are clearly larger, aren't they?"

Eichi immediately pointed at Suguru.

"It is not like we are girls. Being big is not useful."

###

Suguru raised his hand, and a turtle-like Cursed Spirit appeared before him, sending a massive jet of water that directly flushed the two out of the room.

The world fell silent.

Completely awake, Suguru grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to wash up and change.

Soon, the few who had changed their clothes gathered again.

"Slurp."

Suguru slurped a mouthful of soba noodles.

Eichi chose a bowl of ramen for breakfast.

Satoru had high-sugar bread and soda.

Except for Satoru's custom-made bread, Suguru's and Eichi's noodles were bought from a convenience store in the city.

The three were not staying in a hotel these past few days, but in a two-story wooden house specifically for travelers.

Many such buildings are found by the sea. In summer, the owner opens them to entertain tourists, and in winter, they lock up and go home to do other business.

In recent days, due to the appearance of the Rainbow Dragon, the nearby beach had been temporarily closed, with the explanation that dangerous fish were passing through, causing a temporary closure for a few days.

The locals were mentally prepared for this, as the order had come from north to south, and several places had already temporarily closed before them, but without exception, the blockade would be lifted after a few days.

They even had the leisure to speculate what kind of fish could swim so close and be taken so seriously by the authorities.

Last night, Suguru had already submitted the mission completion report, and today, after Jujutsu Headquarters personnel confirmed the situation, everything would return to normal.

"Oh, this is nice, very cool."

After the Rainbow Dragon was released, Satoru took a big leap and stood on its head.

"So cold."

He reached out and touched the Rainbow Dragon's scales, which felt cold and smooth to the touch.

He tapped it with his finger, and it made a sound like iron and stone.

"Suguru, make it fly quickly."

After touching it, Satoru grabbed the Rainbow Dragon's two horns with both hands, making a gesture as if riding a motorcycle.

The Rainbow Dragon snorted loudly from its nostrils.

Ever since that little thing jumped on its head, the Rainbow Dragon had wanted to take a bite out of him, and now it wanted to even more.

But it could not. Its master would not allow it.

"Satoru, it is just a Dragon, do not get too excited," Suguru said helplessly from the side.

Pretend, keep pretending. Who was it last night who secretly summoned the Rainbow Dragon and struck all sorts of poses?

Eichi's Black Divine Dog liked to wander out at night, and due to the Assassin chess piece, its stealth was extremely strong. Last night, when Black Divine Dog was out wandering, it happened to run into Suguru acting crazy.

Unsure of the situation, Black Divine Dog chose to ask Eichi.

Then Eichi had Black Divine Dog carry a camera and film all of Suguru's actions.

Dragon God Prince, White Dragon Emperor... it seems even Suguru, who speaks of righteousness and great causes, cannot escape Chunibyo Syndrome.

This matter cannot be settled without a hot pot meal.

"Eichi, do you want to try too?"

Suguru looked at Eichi with a gentle smile and a benevolent expression.

He is showing off. This is definitely showing off.

"Yes."

Eichi agreed without a moment's hesitation.

The poker face he had developed from being pranked by his roommates in college appeared.

Seeing that Eichi did not show an excited expression, Suguru was a bit disappointed.

If Eichi had been very excited, he could have taken the opportunity to tease him.

Was Eichi not excited?

No, Eichi was very excited, extremely excited.

Eichi was now wondering if he could also create a Dragon.

The main body could use the Great Serpent, the horns could be from Round Deer, ox ears were available, Piercing Ox's would do, eagle claws could be from Nue, the name itself contains "eagle," so using it as an eagle is correct, there was no lion's nose, but a tiger's nose should work, lion-tiger, lion-tiger, right? Rabbit eyes were also available, Rabbit Escape, but the fusion problem of Rabbit Escape needed to be solved. For some reason, this thing always failed to fuse. A camel's head was a bit troublesome, perhaps use the Divine Dogs'?

Thinking, Eichi's gaze fell on Black Divine Dog.

Black Divine Dog instantly felt a chill down its spine, looked left and right, found no danger, and then lay down again to doze off.

Horse mane, horse mane.

The Ten Shadows Technique did not have a horse either.

Eichi again looked at Black Divine Dog.

After evolving, Black Divine Dog's fur was quite fluffy. It should be fine to make a horse mane, right?

Just about to fall asleep, Black Divine Dog shivered, got up, and moved to another spot to sleep.

That spot just now was not good. It kept blowing cold wind.

Soon it was Eichi's turn to ride the Dragon. Satoru was directly pulled down by Suguru.

Suguru dragged Satoru, who was shouting "I want more," off the Dragon, and Eichi jumped on without hesitation.

"Do you want to take some photos?"

After flying a few circles while standing on the Rainbow Dragon, Eichi jumped down, feeling satisfied.

"Cameras cannot capture Cursed Spirits," Suguru reminded him from the side.

"It is fine, mine can."

As he spoke, White Divine Dog came before them, carrying a travel bag in its mouth.

Patting White Divine Dog's head, Eichi took out a black camera from the bag.

Click.

"Look."

A photo was taken, and Eichi handed the camera to Suguru.

"Oh, it really captured it."

"This lens was made by the lab. It is considered portable experimental equipment."

Normal cameras and observation equipment could not observe Cursed Spirits, which caused great trouble for the professors in the lab.

Later, they simply decided to first solve the problem of observing Cursed Spirits, and then a group of people, after securing the Cursed Spirits, all went to study the eyes Eichi had given them.

The glasses that could see Cursed Spirits were, strictly speaking, a low-grade cursed tool. After those old professors figured out the method for making the lenses, they produced a batch of special lenses to aid their experiments.

Upon learning this, Eichi also requested a few.

"Come on, strike a pose. 1, 2, 3, cheese."

In the picture, Suguru had one hand in his pocket, his unbound hair fluttering in the wind, gazing at the sky at a 45-degree angle with a melancholic look. Beside him, the Rainbow Dragon spiraled upwards from behind him, passed over his head, then circled down, resting its head by his hand.

So handsome.

"Oh, oh, this is interesting."

Satoru, realizing it was fun, leaned closer to Eichi.

"Suguru, make your expression fiercer, Rainbow Dragon, move back a bit."

Click, a photo of Suguru with a sinister expression and the Rainbow Dragon rising behind him was captured.

"Again, again, this time take mine."

Satoru shoved the camera to Eichi, then squeezed Suguru aside.

"Hey Eichi, call out Qiongqi too."

Eichi understood.

Qiongqi emerged from the shadow, looking at Eichi with a face full of question marks.

Click.

Its cute, tiger-like appearance made Eichi unable to resist pressing the shutter.

Then Qiongqi stood behind Suguru, and the Rainbow Dragon floated behind Satoru. A photo was taken of the two men standing opposite each other, with the Dragon and Tiger facing each other in the air.

They seemed to have opened the door to a new world. One Shikigami and Cursed Spirit after another were summoned, and the three became more and more enthusiastic with each shot.

Later, when they could not find suitable Cursed Spirits, Suguru directly called out a Special Grade Cursed Spirit and had it transform on the spot.

This "chameleon demon" service made them even more excited.

When the Assistant Supervisor from Jujutsu Headquarters came to confirm the Rainbow Dragon's situation, he saw a trio with ferocious faces, surrounded by countless terrifying Cursed Spirits as if from Hell.

'Mom, I want to go home.'

The Assistant Supervisor, trembling and teary-eyed, thought in his heart.

(To be continued.)