Now Is The Time For Fantasy!

[Yao-Shaku-Sama]

[Quality: Rare]

[Rank: Scattered (1.5 Stars)]

[Max Rank: 2.5 Stars]

[Talents: Curse Tracking, Mutual Healing, Illusory Entity]

[--Yao-Shaku-Sama... oh no, I should call you Two-shaku-two-sun-two-rin Adult now.]

Heh, I didn't expect Yao-Shaku-Sama to be Rare quality, putting her on par with the Three-tailed Fox in the one-star gacha pool.

Her max rank is a full two and a half stars, meaning her potential at this stage completely surpasses that of her Laughing Brahma master.

"By the way, Two-shaku Adult, could you hear me speaking to you in my mind just now?"

Two-shaku Adult shook her head, her two small pigtails, which had appeared from who knows where, swaying slightly. "Po~ I couldn't quite make it out, but I could sense your general intention was for me to come out of the Ksitigarbha statue."

After saying that, she seemed to realize something and stomped her foot. "I'm Yao-Shaku-Sama, Yao-Shaku! This form is just a special circumstance!"

"Alright, Two-shaku Adult." Uesugi Tetsu thought for a moment. "Don't call me master from now on, it sounds too vulgar."

Two-shaku Adult blinked slightly. As far as she knew, Shikigami and Onmyoji in the Edo period signed contracts, placing the Shikigami in a subordinate position.

The former almost unconditionally obeyed most of the latter's commands.

Wasn't that what a master was called?

"My real name is Uesugi Tetsu. Call me whatever you like, just not master."

Uesugi Tetsu waved his hand. If Two-shaku Adult kept calling him master, he couldn't even imagine what Ririko and Nanjō-san would look like if they saw it.

"Then... Tetsu-kun?" Two-shaku Adult tested the waters, ready to change to Uesugi-sama immediately if Uesugi Tetsu didn't want her to use his name.

"Whatever you prefer."

Uesugi Tetsu replied indifferently. For now, let's look at Two-shaku Adult's talents.

[Talents: Curse Tracking, Mutual Healing, Illusory Entity]

[Curse Tracking: After observing any target briefly, Yao-Shaku-Sama can continuously track said target. Tracking accuracy gradually decreases over time. Maximum of one target can be tracked.]

Having this talent for Two-shaku Adult was within Uesugi Tetsu's expectations.

After all, in the most widely circulated version of the ghost story, no matter where the protagonist ran, they would feel Yao-Shaku-Sama sticking to them like a shadow.

Being able to track someone regardless of distance after meeting them once was practically a must-have skill for a relentless pursuer.

He just didn't know if this curse was easy to detect or remove, because reality wasn't a game, and such curses shouldn't be difficult for powerful Onmyoji to detect and remove.

[Mutual Healing: After being embraced by Yao-Shaku-Sama, both parties will receive a continuous healing effect. The higher the Charisma attribute of the embraced individual, the stronger the healing effect.]

Uesugi Tetsu glanced at Two-shaku Adult, who had been staring intently at his face since she appeared, and was speechless.

It could only be described as a talent that perfectly fit her persona, and its strength was decent. Combined with the Spirit Awakening Mist, she should be able to recover quickly after combat.

[Illusory Entity: Yao-Shaku-Sama has no vital points. Each attack only reduces Yao-Shaku-Sama's "HP"; it cannot inflict damage on Yao-Shaku-Sama's physical form. Yao-Shaku-Sama dies when her HP reaches zero.]

No wonder he didn't feel any resistance when he swung his sword through Two-shaku Adult's body just now... turns out she had such an outrageous talent.

In that case, wouldn't she be able to do extremely dangerous things?

For example, a normal demon would never suspect that a cute little girl in a white hat walking towards it would have rows of explosives strapped to her body, right?

This was just the most basic application; there were still many more creative uses waiting for Two-shaku Adult and him to develop together.

Uesugi Tetsu nodded and gave Two-shaku Adult a thumbs-up. "Good, very good!"

The latter put her hands on her hips, looking incredibly proud.

But there was a problem right now--

Although Two-shaku Adult's theoretical rank was one and a half stars, in reality, she was no different from a scattered wandering soul. She was so fragile that even without vital points, Uesugi Tetsu could finish her off in two or three hits.

"Two-shaku Adult, is there any way to restore your strength?"

"Just staying by Tetsu-kun's side is enough." Two-shaku Adult chuckled twice and took a few steps closer to him, almost pressing against him. "But if I can get a hug, the recovery speed will be even faster."

Uesugi Tetsu took half a step back and raised his hand to block Two-shaku Adult's pouncing body. "Let's maintain this distance for now."

He fell into thought.

Although Two-shaku Adult's recovery method was very economical and practical, due to the presence of Ghost Dad at home, he couldn't possibly sleep while hugging her.

And Uesugi Tetsu didn't want to expose Two-shaku Adult to the outside world. She might become a trump card to turn the tables at a critical moment.

But if that were the case, wouldn't the speed at which Two-shaku Adult recovered her strength be greatly reduced?

"Try this."

Uesugi Tetsu took out a portion of Soul Soothing Incense Ash (Minor) and placed it in his hand.

He wondered if, since Soul Soothing Incense Ash could be used as an upgrade material, it might also have a miraculous effect on the recovery of ghost stories.

But before he could speak, Two-shaku Adult's little face leaned over, staring intently at his palm, almost drooling.

"What... what is this..." Two-shaku Adult's chest heaved dramatically, her breathing heavy. "Why is it so tempting!"

Uesugi Tetsu held out the Soul Soothing Incense Ash and asked, "If I give this to you, can it shorten the time it takes to recover your strength?"

"Popo!" Lord Nishaku nodded repeatedly, stars in her eyes.

"Then you can use these three portions for now. If you need more, just ask me."

With that, Uesugi Tetsu took out the three portions of Soul Soothing Incense Ash (Minor) he had obtained not long ago and handed them to Lord Nishaku.

Lord Nishaku opened her mouth, her expression somewhat dazed.

She thought this must be a hallucination before she dissipated. Otherwise, how could a boy, both handsome and generous, have contracted her, saved her from this dead land, and then bestowed such a precious treasure upon her without hesitation?

This kind of illness can be cured by just sleeping...

"What are you spacing out for? Go back into the Ksitigarbha statue and rest to heal your injuries."

Uesugi Tetsu's voice brought Lord Nishaku back to her senses.

She pursed her lips, unsure how to speak. In the end, she could only bow deeply and say in a childish yet incredibly sincere voice:

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Tetsu."

Uesugi Tetsu smiled at her and placed the Ksitigarbha statue into his storage backpack—if Lord Nishaku wished to come out, she could let him know by activating the connection in her heart.

Next, Uesugi Tetsu took out the [Universal Incarnation Prototype] he had obtained for conquering his first Shikigami.

[Universal Incarnation Prototype]

[Quality: None]

[Effect: None yet]

[--There's nothing it can't become, as long as you can imagine it. But the prerequisite is a good Blacksmith.]

In other words, as long as there was a skilled craftsman, it could be forged into an Incarnation capable of subduing any yokai or supernatural entity.

Uesugi Tetsu thought of the young man at the blacksmith's shop. He wondered if he had learned any real skills from the Blacksmith.

He would go and ask then.

Putting away the Incarnation Prototype, Uesugi Tetsu clapped his hands.

Thus, the mission for this life was successfully completed. It was just a shame that he hadn't spent this life yet.

Uesugi Tetsu decided to head to Edo Castle to "send his head"—he would deal with killing the White Brahma after Lord Nishaku had recovered some of her combat power.

At the very least, she needed to recover to the point where she could cast "Curse Positioning" on the White Brahma in an instant.

Therefore, Uesugi Tetsu didn't want to find the White Brahma's location right now.

If the other party possessed intelligence capable of thought, it would surely hide to recover from its injuries after being alerted.

At that point, the mission would become difficult.

Uesugi Tetsu had only one principle when it came to doing things: stability!

In a winnable situation, he would never take unnecessary risks or throw away his advantage. Instead, he would steadily advance, securing absolute victory.

Ten minutes later.

Shortly after leaving, Uesugi Tetsu, who was sliced and diced like a vegetable by the passing three-and-a-half-star Oni Warrior "White Bone," returned to the real world as he had wished.

This time it was quick; a single cut to the neck brought no pain whatsoever.

White Bone's swordsmanship was not bad!

Buzz buzz.

Uesugi Tetsu's phone vibrated.

He opened it and saw a message from Ririko.