SCIAW: Chapter 216/217

Chapter 216: Contract Card and Six Styles

"It's a very rare ability, and it's really useful, but there are some issues."

"Sonoko, does the person you're making an appointment with need to verify their identity? Or is there no need to confirm it at all?"

This question was key, causing Sonoko to pause just as she was about to answer. After a brief hesitation, she couldn't give a definite response.

"I'm not sure."

"But I think, since it's an appointment, there should at least be a clear direction, and confirming the other party's identity should be a necessary condition."

"And since it's an 'appointment', the ability should be post-activated. It should require a specific time, place, and person."

Although Sonoko wasn't certain about the full extent of her Contract Card's ability, she followed Kaguya's logic and listed the three elements—time, place, and person.

From common sense, these three elements are the basic conditions of an appointment.

After all, if time, place, and identity are uncertain, how can it be called an appointment?

"The basic conditions of an appointment need to be clear, and it must be made in advance. That aligns perfectly with the rules of how appointments work. These should be the activation conditions for the ability."

Kaguya nodded slightly. These limitations seemed very reasonable.

"Even though there are many restrictions, a lot of the conditions can be prepared in advance. As long as you plan ahead, you can basically meet anyone you want."

"Not necessarily."

Just as Kaguya finished, Ren voiced a different opinion.

"Sonoko's ability is powerful, but like yours, it has a certain upper limit. If the target surpasses that limit, her ability won't work on them."

"So, once a person's strength exceeds a certain threshold, Sonoko's ability can no longer interfere with them."

After Ren confirmed this point, Kaguya had no objections. She nodded slightly, then added:

"The three elements of an appointment and the limitation based on the target's strength... well, the last condition Ren mentioned doesn't apply to us."

"At the very least, there's no one out there with abilities above ours."

Ren nodded in agreement.

"In that case, the ability Sonoko obtained really is extremely rare."

After evaluating Sonoko's Contract Card, a faint trace of resentment flickered in Kaguya's eyes.

By now, she had also figured out the reason for that kiss.

God knows, there's also a diary helping her in the background.

"Hayasaka, what about you?"

Kaguya believed that Hayasaka must have also obtained a diary.

Standing behind Kaguya, Hayasaka stepped forward calmly.

"Miss Kaguya, I received a special physical skill called Six Styles."

"They are Shave, Moon Step, Tempest Kick, Finger Gun, Paper Art, and Iron Body."

"The name 'Six Styles' refers to these six distinct techniques."

"Shave boosts instantaneous burst speed. Moon Step allows you to move freely in the air. Tempest Kick lets you launch vacuum blades with a kick. Finger Gun concentrates your entire body's strength into your fingers for a deadly strike. Paper Art relaxes all body muscles, allowing you to freely manipulate your body to dodge attacks. Iron Body instantly hardens your muscles, allowing you to resist bullets and blades."

It was a thorough explanation. Everyone present quickly understood what the Six Styles were.

Ren activated his spiritual vision and scanned Hayasaka's body. He immediately understood the problem and raised the most critical question:

"But you can't actually use them yet, right?"

Hayasaka, usually expressionless, revealed a hint of helplessness and nodded slightly.

"Yes. I've obtained the knowledge and usage principles of the Six Styles, but my physical fitness hasn't been enhanced."

"Even though I have the theoretical foundation, the Six Styles are techniques that go beyond the limits of normal humans. Without superhuman physical conditioning, I can't execute them properly."

The Six Styles were indeed extremely powerful techniques.

If Hayasaka could fully master them, she wouldn't just be someone who ate the Door-Door Fruit—she'd be a true superhuman.

The idea was promising, but she had the skills without the physical capacity to use them.

Until her physical condition improved, the techniques remained unusable.

Forcing it would definitely result in serious bodily damage.

"The power system you and Kaguya use requires much stronger physical foundations."

"Take Kaguya's Ice-Ice Fruit for example. In that story, the original user and another natural fruit user fought continuously for three days and nights before a victor emerged."

"If you and Kaguya can boost your physical strength, the Six Styles would be the perfect foundation to bring out even more of your Devil Fruit powers."

Ren's explanation stunned the two girls. Then, as if recalling something, they both said the same thing in unison:

"Sea King Meat!"

Kaguya and Hayasaka both remembered the huge slab of meat Kaguya had initially acquired. During her punishment for betrayal, Hayasaka had butchered and packed the enormous chunk of meat, large enough to fill an entire room.

Since then, Kaguya had completely forgotten about it, and Hayasaka only remembered storing it in the freezer—never once thinking of taking it out to eat.

"You also got Sea King Meat, huh?"

Ren was slightly surprised. But what puzzled him more was.

"You still haven't eaten it, have you?"

"…"

The master and servant who had just spoken in perfect sync fell into silence.

This silence spoke volumes, and Ren moved on without pushing the awkward moment further.

"The Sea Kings are gigantic marine beasts from that world. Eating their meat likely boosts physical strength. In that story, many people regularly eat that kind of food, and that's why their physical capabilities are so exceptional."

"Most of the characters in that world grew up eating that kind of meat. If you eat it regularly, it should have a strengthening effect."

In truth, Ren didn't know that both Kaguya and Hayasaka already understood the Sea King Meat's value. They had simply forgotten it existed.

"Sonoko and Hayasaka have already explained their abilities. That leaves Maria and Saginomiya. You two received something as well, didn't you?"

Isumi, dressed in a deep purple kimono, slowly stood up and spoke gently.

"Amamiya-sama, I'll go first."

"Yes, please."

Ren made a gesture of invitation and waited for her explanation.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 217: Kikyo and the Fragment

"I received the inheritance of a powerful shrine maiden from the Warring States period."

Ren frowned.

The inheritance of a powerful shrine maiden from the Warring States period...

After thinking for a moment, Ren slowly raised his hand and asked,
"Saginomiya, can I ask the name of that shrine maiden?"

"Of course. Her name is Kikyo."

Isumi nodded and gave the name directly.

"Kikyo..."

Warring States period... powerful shrine maiden... if it's her, then it could only be that one.

Ren immediately thought of the most powerful shrine maiden from that time—Kikyo.

"It really is her."

"Kikyo, the most powerful and capable shrine maiden during the monster-infested Warring States period. Her spiritual power could annihilate powerful demons instantly. Not only could she purify them, but she could also seal them with her immense spiritual energy."

"Her power has incredibly strong suppressive effects on monsters."

Then, Ren brushed his index finger across the tip of his thumb and entered a state of spiritual vision.

The density of the star spirit body had increased greatly, and her spiritual presence had grown several times compared to before.

However, clinging to the surface of her spirit body was a broken soul fragment.

Realizing this, Ren quickly stood up and squatted in front of Isumi.

"Saginomiya, don't move."

Obediently, Isumi stayed still.

Ren raised his hand and placed it against her chest. An invisible fog swirled into a vortex, gradually separating the soul fragment entrenched in her spirit body from her own spirit.

Before long, a faint blue fragment slowly separated from Isumi's chest.

Isumi, who had spiritual power, witnessed the entire process.

"This is..."

She had never imagined there would be a soul fragment hidden inside her.

"That's the legacy of the shrine maiden. After all, Kikyo was an immensely powerful spiritualist. Her soul wasn't easily broken. It's no surprise a fragment of it was carried along with the inheritance into your spirit."

After separating the fragment, Ren used his authority as the Sefirah Castle's holder to fully seal it. The soul fragment began to crystallize and materialize.

He pinched the crystallized fragment between his fingers.

"Isumi, your hand."

Isumi immediately opened her hand, and Ren placed the crystallized soul fragment onto her palm.

"You've just received the power and inheritance, but you still haven't fully adapted. Once you're ready, I'll help you crush this soul fragment and let it serve as nourishment to further strengthen your soul. Until then, keep it safe."

Isumi looked at the soul fragment in her hand. Without saying anything emotional, she simply wrapped it with talisman paper and tucked it into her kimono.

She understood the value of that soul fragment.

The fact that it accompanied the shrine maiden's inheritance explained everything.

Reincarnation, rebirth, parasitism.

Whatever the reason, the soul fragment was tainted with the shrine maiden's essence. No matter how slight, it would certainly influence her spirit and soul, and not necessarily in a good way.

Though dangerous, this broken soul fragment was also the best kind of nourishment. If properly absorbed, it could accelerate spiritual growth dramatically.

Especially a fragment belonging to such a powerful shrine maiden—its effects would be even more significant.

"Thank you very much, Amamiya-sama."

"It's fine. But you need to be cautious going forward. Even with the diary's help, you must be careful with any inheritance that appears out of nowhere. No such thing comes without strings attached."

Ren smiled, accepting Isumi's thanks. Honestly, he liked polite, sincere, and well-mannered girls like her. He didn't mind helping when it was within his ability.

"Everyone else needs to be careful too. Even if it's a diary reward, make sure the inheritance is clearly explained. If there's some hidden trap, it'll be a serious problem."

"Don't worry. So far, only Isumi ran into this kind of thing."

Nagi rarely got the chance to tease Isumi, so she wasn't about to miss it.

Sure enough, Isumi's expression darkened at Nagi's comment.

"Nagi..."

With a gloomy expression, Isumi slowly walked toward her.

"Aww, it's not a big deal. Didn't Amamiya already help you take care of it?"

Nagi pinched her sulking face, then turned to Ren and gave him a bright, appreciative smile.

Ren returned the smile, nodded slightly, and went back to his seat.

Seeing his response, Nagi quickly dragged Isumi to sit back down, then turned her attention to the last two.

"Fujiwara, Maria, you're the only ones left."

Nagi knew Maria also had a diary, but she had no idea what Maria received in the first lottery draw.

Called by name, Maria stepped forward, raised her hand, and a spear appeared in her grasp. Its blade tip glowed with a yellow-orange light.

The moment the spear appeared, Ren immediately sensed some unknown force being drawn to it, making the air around them feel heavier.

He glanced at the others.

Their expressions were normal.

So, he was the only one who could feel it.

He then turned his attention back to the spear.

"This spear is called the Vortex Vanquisher. As I mentioned last time, the Rock God is also known as the God of War. The original wielder of this spear was the God of War."

"Because the God of War used it for so long, it greatly enhanced the rock-elemental shield abilities. If you carry this spear, Maria, it should help you manipulate Geo elemental energy more smoothly."

"Also, the spear is extremely sharp. Of course, you'll need to train in using a spear properly."

Thanks to Ren's explanation, Maria finally understood the origin of the weapon she'd drawn.

"So, this is the God of War's spear... No wonder it felt strange. Whenever I hold it, my elemental control feels faster and more fluid."

At first, Maria thought it was just an illusion caused by excitement, but now it seemed real.

"It really is the spear. I should definitely train with it properly."

Although she wasn't used to wielding a spear, Maria knew she needed proper training.

(To be continued.)