Ten Shadows Technique and the Holy Grail

A few months ago, his battle to the death against the Special Grade Demon Cursed Spirit had been the first fight Eiji had won by risking his life. It was also the first time he had lost one of his companions.

Although Divine Dog: White had later been summoned again through the External Technique: Holy Grail, Eiji never wanted to experience that heart-wrenching feeling a second time.

Since then, Eiji had been working hard to grow stronger.

From the Innate Technique, Ten Shadows Technique, to the External Technique, Holy Grail, Eiji had reexamined all the abilities he possessed over the past few months, constantly searching for ways to become stronger.

First was the Holy Grail. After several months, Fate/stay night had aired more than halfway through its run, and the discs, novels, and games had all begun selling.

After the Fate/stay night game went on sale, the game department had not been idle. It was currently developing Fate/Extra.

Amid the promotional campaigns, Illusionary Power related to Heroic Spirits flowed endlessly into the Holy Grail.

But the pace was still far too slow, because information simply did not spread widely enough in this era.

If this had been the internet age of later generations, Eiji might have been able to begin summoning after only a few months.

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

Sometimes, even if someone caught a fleeting glimpse and became interested, they could not even find the anime afterward. They could only wait for the next episode a week later.

Was he supposed to lie low for more than ten years?

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

Although a complete Heroic Spirit Summoning would still require at least another year, Eiji had truly researched something useful.

Spirit Origin Shadow.

It was a more advanced incomplete manifestation of a Heroic Spirit than a Shadow Servant. Though it lasted only briefly and its power was incomplete, it was still a Heroic Spirit.

A simple introduction to Heroic Spirits.

Heroic Spirit: beings elevated from humans who had accomplished great deeds, demigod heroes, and the like. Their true forms were recorded upon the Throne of Heroes.

Servant: a Heroic Spirit's incarnation summoned from the Throne of Heroes through the Heroic Spirit Summoning system. They were weakened versions of Heroic Spirits, much like Naruto and his shadow clones.

Spirit Origin Shadow: a method used by Chaldea to incompletely manifest Heroic Spirits by gathering and recording information on those Heroic Spirits who had fought alongside Chaldea.

Servants were incarnations of Heroic Spirits, while Spirit Origin Shadows were incomplete Servants summoned by Chaldea through imitation of Servants.

To put it another way, the Heroic Spirit data on the Throne of Heroes was 100G. The Heroic Spirit Summoning system's mainframe could only hold 10G, so it summoned Servants weaker than the Heroic Spirits themselves. Chaldea's mainframe could only hold 1G, so the Spirit Origin Shadows it summoned were even weaker and could only appear for a short while.

However, this world had no Throne of Heroes, so the Holy Grail Eiji currently possessed temporarily served its function.

Although the difference in their specifications was enormous, this was not a place where world-destroying power casually appeared, so it was enough.

After realizing that he could not grow stronger through the Holy Grail in the short term, Eiji turned his attention to the Ten Shadows Technique.

There was no other reason. The system had provided detailed information on the Holy Grail, so he had somewhere to start, but it had not given him any information on the Ten Shadows Technique.

So it was only natural that Eiji had researched the Holy Grail first.

Fortunately, the Ten Shadows Technique was not without avenues for research.

Chimera Beasts.

In the original story, the Chimera Beast Agito that Sukuna had created by combining the power of five Shikigami had been qualified to participate in the battle against Satoru Gojo.

According to Satoru Gojo, Agito had been created by fusing Nue, which inherited Great Serpent, Tiger Funeral, and Round Deer, with Divine Dog: Umbra.

The fact that it could participate in the battle between Satoru Gojo and Sukuna was enough to prove how powerful Agito was.

With a goal in mind, Eiji began practicing with Toad of the Well.

Toad of the Well was a winged frog created by combining Toad and Nue.

Its function was similar to Toad's, able to restrain an enemy's movements.

But with wings, it was far more agile.

It was when Toad of the Well was successfully fused that Eiji discovered a new trait of the Ten Shadows Technique.

Partial fusion and complete fusion.

Partial fusion meant taking a portion of a Shikigami and fusing it to create a Small Shikigami with more comprehensive functions.

As long as the original Shikigami used in the fusion remained, it did not matter if the fused Shikigami was destroyed. He could simply fuse a few more.

In exchange, Shikigami created this way were weaker and had little intelligence, requiring completely manual control.

It was only after fusing Toad of the Well that Eiji understood why Megumi Fushiguro had been able to summon so many Toads of the Well back then.

At the time, Eiji had wondered, Wasn't there only one Nue? Where did all those wings for the little frogs come from? Was it a new Shikigami?

This trait of the Ten Shadows Technique made Eiji realize that although it bore that name, the endpoint of the Shadow Technique certainly was not limited to ten types. Perhaps one day, he might even expand it into a Hundred Shadows Technique.

He became more at ease during the subsequent Chimera Beast experiments, because he could first use fusion experiments to feel out the path. He no longer needed to worry about accidentally ruining a Shikigami during fusion, then having to put in great effort to separate it again.

Eiji first extracted a portion of the Cursed Energy from all nine Shikigami, then fused them in pairs and groups of three.

Through repeated attempts, Eiji obtained his first Chimera Beast: Qiongqi.

It was also his first Shikigami with Special Grade strength.

As an aside, Divine Dog: Black, which had inherited Little White's power, possessed quasi-Special Grade strength. Little Black had claws and fangs capable of easily injuring a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, but his body was relatively fragile. He was a classic high-damage Assassin.

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

Tiger Funeral's body had already been formidable. After fusing with Piercing Bull, its physical capabilities rose to another level. The explosive muscles covering its body made people tremble at the sight.

To move that massive body, Eiji had focused on strengthening Nue's flight ability during the fusion process. Combined with Tiger Funeral's ability to ride the wind, Qiongqi's flight speed was exceptionally fast.

Tiger Funeral was now an all-purpose Shikigami. In close combat, it had a powerful body, tiger fangs, claws, and the sharp horn atop its head.

For one-on-one combat, it had Thunder for precise strikes. Even if the lightning did not kill the opponent, its paralysis could make an enemy briefly lose the ability to resist, leaving Tiger Funeral to finish them off with a swipe.

For group attacks, it had Storm, which could directly crush and tear apart everything within several hundred meters.

It also possessed the traits gained from Piercing Bull as a finishing move.

Eiji was extremely satisfied as he looked at his new Shikigami. When he heard that Suguru Geto intended to capture a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, he decided to bring it out for a test.

After accelerating for several kilometers, Qiongqi's horn viciously pierced Rainbow Dragon's body. Purple Thunder erupted within Rainbow Dragon, and before it could resist after breaking free of Snow Woman's ice, the lightning detonating inside its body shocked it until it trembled all over.

Qiongqi continued flying in a straight line, its tremendous force driving Rainbow Dragon all the way to the seaside.

Boom!

Qiongqi rammed Rainbow Dragon into the beach.

When the dust settled, a massive crater a hundred meters across appeared before the three of them.

The scene at the center of the enormous crater gradually came into view.

Rainbow Dragon, smashed into two pieces at its middle, and Qiongqi beside it, swaying its head and looking a little unsteady on its feet.

"Hey, Eiji, why does that winged tiger look kind of stupid?"

Satoru Gojo pointed at Qiongqi in the middle of the field, stars spinning in its eyes, and asked.

"That's Qiongqi."

Eiji rolled his eyes and silently drew some Cursed Energy from the Holy Grail to replenish himself.

Qiongqi's attack had crossed several kilometers. Its immense power had not only left Qiongqi itself dazed, but had nearly drained Eiji's Cursed Energy dry.

Still, he was satisfied with its power. That was Rainbow Dragon, whose defensive power ranked among the best even within Special Grade Cursed Spirits, yet it had been smashed into two pieces. Not bad. Very good.

And now that he knew the Cursed Energy consumption and power at different distances, this move would be easier to use in the future.

Suguru Geto, on the other hand, felt somewhat heartbroken. What a cool and imposing Rainbow Dragon, and now it had been split in two.

Fortunately, it had been split horizontally through the middle, rather than vertically like in the original story, when Toji Fushiguro had cleaved it in two. Otherwise, Rainbow Dragon might have vanished outright.

Suguru Geto silently subdued and absorbed Rainbow Dragon, and the confidence that had swelled after obtaining a Special Grade Cursed Spirit diminished considerably.

At the same time, both Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were calculating Qiongqi's combat strength in their hearts.

There was nothing strange about it. Even good brothers had a competitive streak.

Anyone who had lived in a college dormitory knew that feeling. Almost everyone wanted to be the "Dad" of the whole dorm.