A God-Tier Shikigami You Can Raise

"Finally, it was over."

The exhaustion in Eiji's body could not conceal the joy in his heart.

Before the battle, Eiji had repeatedly practiced with the Spirit Origin Shadow.

In the end, Eiji determined that it took six to seven seconds from summoning the Spirit Origin Shadow to the completion of its Noble Phantasm.

In other words, during those six to seven seconds, he had to ensure that Mahoraga could not interfere with either himself or the Spirit Origin Shadow as they unleashed the Noble Phantasm.

That gave Eiji a massive headache.

Even Qiongqi, the strongest among them, could not hold Mahoraga back for seven seconds under its fierce assault. Three seconds would already be uncertain.

After all, for those seven seconds, Qiongqi could not take a single step back if it wanted to shield Eiji and Artoria.

After repeatedly simulating and practicing, Eiji devised this subjugation plan.

A gang beating—and one where they fought to the death for victory.

If one Shikigami or Shadow Servant could hold Mahoraga back for one second by risking its life, then Eiji could use coordination between the Shikigami to extend that time to two or three seconds. Everything was for the sake of buying enough time.

For the first three seconds, Eiji had originally planned to use a sneak attack to disrupt Mahoraga's balance, then have Giant Elephant and the two Shadow Servants give everything they had to keep Mahoraga from regaining it and buy enough time.

It did cause Mahoraga some trouble, but only some. It fell far short of Eiji's expectations.

Over the next seven seconds, Eiji paid the price of light injuries to himself and Caster, severe injuries to three Shikigami, and the deaths of two Shadow Servants to secure those seven seconds.

Though it was rather brutal, he had at least achieved the two goals he had set before the battle.

First, prevent Mahoraga from interfering with the summoning of the Spirit Origin Shadow and the release of its Noble Phantasm.

Second, ensure Mahoraga was within Artoria's maximum range when the Noble Phantasm was unleashed.

Artoria would find the angle of attack herself. The key was that it could not be beyond her range.

Honestly, if Caster had failed to obstruct Mahoraga during that last half-second, Eiji would have had to step in himself.

He would have used a sacrificial attack to hold Mahoraga down for that final half-second, then had the Shadow Servant Archer carry him away from Mahoraga.

But that might also have cost him Archer's piece, because if someone had to restrain Mahoraga until the very instant the Noble Phantasm was released—

Then Archer would have been Eiji's remaining choice. But Eiji could not guarantee that the system's pieces would not be destroyed by Artoria's Noble Phantasm.

If Eiji had risked everything this time and still failed to subjugate it, then he could only wait a dozen or so years, make some investments in the land of the polar bears, and pay a visit to their weapons tests.

Fortunately, Eiji had succeeded.

Dragging his weary body along, Eiji rode on Qiongqi's back as he left the mountains.

Though the battle had not lasted long, it had placed an enormous burden on Eiji's body.

It was like someone who never exercised or went to the gym suddenly training intensely on their first visit.

That kind of behavior would overwhelm the body. At best, it caused soreness all over; at worst, muscle strains and similar injuries.

That was Eiji's current condition.

Although Eiji was physically strong, he had been pushing his Cursed Energy beyond its limits in order to subjugate Mahoraga.

After landing in a remote location, Eiji dismissed Qiongqi and let it return to rest, then released a large number of Rabbit Escapes to stand guard.

After resting for a while, Eiji's condition improved considerably.

The damage to his body recovered under the effects of the Reverse Cursed Technique.

The mental fatigue caused by overexerting his Cursed Energy also eased somewhat.

Once he felt better, Eiji did not hurry home. Instead, he eagerly summoned Mahoraga.

Like a Child who had finally received the toy he had long dreamed of.

Eiji circled Mahoraga, touching here and looking there, having the time of his life.

"Next comes the most important ability test."

Eiji raised his hand, and a tiny bolt of Thunder shot from it and struck Mahoraga.

It was Nue's Thunder.

The user of the Ten Shadows Technique could use the abilities of their own Shikigami. In the original work, when Sukuna fought Satoru Gojo, he had used Max Elephant's water-control ability as a reference for Blood Manipulation and unleashed a Ten Shadows Technique version of Piercing Blood.

Eiji did not know why Megumi Fushiguro had never used it. Was it because he did not have enough Cursed Energy?

After all, Megumi Fushiguro really did seem rather low on mana.

Suddenly, a thought surfaced in Eiji's mind.

Could it be that Gege Akutami had only come up with that application later on?

Eiji, who had been thinking, frowned because Mahoraga's solution was too simple—so simple that it left him speechless.

Reinforce its defenses with Cursed Energy.

"Mahoraga, why did you defend against lightning like that?"

The next moment, Mahoraga gave Eiji an answer that left him torn between laughter and tears.

The attack was too weak and posed no threat. Simple defensive measures were sufficient.

Eiji helplessly shook his head. Mahoraga was his Shikigami, his companion. Unless necessary, Eiji did not want to hurt it.

That was also why the attack he had released just now had been so weak.

He only wanted to know how Mahoraga would adapt to and counter Nue's Thunder, not hurt Mahoraga.

"Then what if that lightning attack were made a hundred times stronger?"

Mahoraga fell into thought.

Soon, a new solution appeared in Eiji's mind.

Modify the surface of its body with Cursed Energy, creating a special insulating fat layer over its skin. At the same time, saturate the area around its body with Cursed Energy, causing the blocked Thunder to disperse outward.

"This feels familiar."

Eiji rubbed his chin.

"I remember now. Isn't this an electric eel?"

Eiji slapped his forehead.

When he was little, he had been curious why electric eels could electrocute other fish but not themselves. Later, after asking around, he received an answer very similar to this.

"What if it were a thousand times stronger?"

Mahoraga gave its answer.

Modify itself to adapt to Thunder to a certain extent, while directing most of the Thunder into the ground.

"A lightning rod?"

Another solution soon appeared in Eiji's mind.

"A Faraday Cage?"

A Faraday Cage was a metal enclosure that prevented electromagnetic fields from entering from outside or escaping from within.

Eiji knew about it because, in his previous life, one of his relatives had been struck by lightning while driving.

Yet that relative had been completely unharmed.

After returning to the village, he told everyone about it and believed that heaven had blessed him.

Later, an inspection team came to survey the village, and a doctor in the group told him that it had been a Faraday Cage.

The lightning had been blocked by the metal shell of the car. As long as he did not open the windows or touch things recklessly, he would be fine.

Thus, one of the village's unsolved mysteries was solved.

"Use it. Let me see."

Curious, Eiji had Mahoraga test the method it had proposed.

Mahoraga's body soon underwent subtle changes.

It seemed to have gotten a little fatter.

Eiji reached out and touched it.

When he had touched Mahoraga earlier, its body had felt like nothing but solid muscle. Now, the sensation had changed considerably.

Mahoraga's skin had become smoother.

Eiji raised his hand, gathered power, and unleashed Thunder.

This was not like the previous casual wave of his hand, an attack barely stronger than an electric arc. This was highly destructive Thunder unleashed after serious buildup.

The dazzling Thunder struck Mahoraga, yet its body did not change in the slightest.

The Thunder that struck Mahoraga began spreading around its body instead.

Mahoraga was unharmed.

"Interesting."

"If the enemy were Giant Elephant, how would you adapt to and defeat it?"

Eiji continued questioning it.

Because Mahoraga had just fought Giant Elephant, Giant Elephant's data had already been recorded in Mahoraga's mind. This time, Eiji did not need to summon Giant Elephant for a sparring match.

After some time, Mahoraga's body changed again.

Mahoraga became more sharply defined, the muscles all over its body like rock.

Its hands also became sharper.

"I see. There is more than one solution, and they can be stacked."

Mahoraga gave its answer through its actions.

Strengthen its body so it could suppress Giant Elephant in close combat.

This was the fastest way to adapt to the situation and break free from Giant Elephant's entanglement.

Strengthen its senses so it could calmly deal with attacks from Giant Elephant's Snake Tail.

This was the simplest and most direct method of adapting to Giant Elephant's attacks by changing itself.

Without the Snake Tail's restraints, Giant Elephant would be far too clumsy and could only be toyed to death by Mahoraga.

Eiji recalled Mahoraga's earlier strike that had severed the elephant trunk and Snake Tail. So that had been the result of enhanced perception.

It had caught and analyzed the Snake Tail's attack trajectory, then cut it off.

Eiji soon discovered something else interesting.

It was Mahoraga's answer for how to "defeat" Giant Elephant.

The first method was to change the output method of its cursed technique, causing its Cursed Energy to cling to Giant Elephant's wounds and suppress its regeneration.

The second was to use Thunder to enhance the penetrating power of the Demon-Slaying Blade.

By striking a vital point, it could eliminate Giant Elephant before it had time to use the Reverse Cursed Technique.

Yes, Mahoraga had used Nue's Thunder.

At the same time, Eiji noticed that after Mahoraga took Giant Elephant as its hypothetical enemy, the changes it had made to deal with Thunder were canceled.

"Mahoraga can use my abilities too."

But when he recalled that Mahoraga had likewise used Sukuna's slashes in the manga, it no longer seemed strange.

At this point, Eiji had gained a sufficient understanding of Mahoraga's abilities.

The strongest Shikigami, capable of analyzing an enemy's attacks to gain resistance against them and discover effective ways to strike back.

When Mahoraga was first summoned, it was like a hero without any equipment.

Afterward, Mahoraga would alter itself according to the attacks it received, adapting to them.

It felt like choosing a tank character with an absurdly powerful mechanic in a game. If the enemy dealt high physical damage, it built armor; if they dealt high magical damage, it built magic resistance.

Once the opponent's attacks could no longer achieve much, Mahoraga would seek methods capable of dealing effective damage based on the enemy's circumstances.

It could endure and fight, was the natural nemesis of Cursed Spirits, and given enough time, could counter almost anything.

Eiji discovered that while Mahoraga's adaptability had an upper limit, that limit could be raised.

Under Eiji's command, Mahoraga began actively analyzing and mastering Giant Elephant's water-control Technique.

The smile on Eiji's face grew wider.

After adapting the Ten Shadows Technique's abilities to Mahoraga, Mahoraga offered even more methods to adapt to and defeat Giant Elephant as an enemy.

It was like those heroes in games that could grow by stacking layers. Mahoraga could continuously record, analyze, and add the attacks it received to its own database.

The more Techniques and countermeasures it stored in that database, the faster it would adapt when facing new enemies in the future, and the more ways it would have to defeat them.

"It's a god-tier Shikigami you can raise."

Eiji looked at Mahoraga with satisfaction.

A Shikigami with such a high starting point, one that could continue growing stronger while letting its master enjoy the thrill of raising it, was simply perfect.