Reisen Riou's solution was to embed spells in a chip with a detection mechanism, triggering specific spells upon stimuli.
After assembling it, he paused, staring at the glowing Electro chip. It looked suspiciously like the core of a Kairagi's armor from later eras.
The principles were even similar, though the effects differed. Reisen's chip activated upon detecting the Beast Realm Hounds' bleeding curse, while a Kairagi's core triggered when its paired armor broke or its wearer died, massively restoring the other's health.
Shrugging it off, Reisen reinforced the chip, shaping it like a breastplate's core—a Heartguard.
Unconsciously, he crafted the rest of the armor: standard Shogunate general's plate, like the one he owned from his Tenryou Commission post. Inazuma was a martial nation, after all.
This was just the outer armor. A full set included leather inner armor (which he lacked), outer plates, helmet, shoulder guards, skirt armor, waist guard, gauntlets, arm plates, war boots, and a mask. Iron masks weren't for blocking blades but stray arrows.
Armor done, Reisen headed to his Serenitea Pot-like space, grabbing his leather inner armor to test the Heartguard's protection.
Bold as ever, he donned the armor and scratched himself with a hound's claw. A flash of light, and a black mist appeared on the Heartguard—the curse was diverted.
He scratched again, multiple times. The mist swelled, ready to burst. Locking on with intent, Reisen fired a black beam, punching a hole through a test wall.
Up close, it wasn't pierced—it was dissolved. The erosion was so fast, leaving no residue, it looked like a clean shot.
"Curse transfer hits grade 4—handles four transfers, stores their energy, then fires with a slight delay. Erosion strength is solid, LV50+ attack power, LV60+ corrosion. Needs minor tweaks," Reisen muttered.
After adjustments, he nodded. "Meets design specs."
Next, he tested rapid attacks. He deliberately broke the armor's defense, grunting as his arm tingled.
The Heartguard's second spell kicked in. Reisen felt his Yingwei Qi surge, amplified by a unique Thunder Elixir strand in the Heartguard. Electro sparks flashed, wiping out the invading curse like a seedling snuffed out.
Reisen suppressed his body's instinctive Thunder Elixir reaction, pushing the test further.
Crawling out of the armor, he spat black mist, his arm still bleeding. The curse was vicious, but the armor worked: it could transfer 5–6 curses and dispel 15–20 with the Thunder Elixir strand. It could withstand 30 attacks total.
The Heartguard's talismans had durability limits, and the Thunder Elixir strand couldn't recharge indefinitely. Reisen tweaked until their depletion synced.
…
In Inazuma City, at the Shogunate, while Reisen wrestled with curse mechanics, Raiden Ei began forging.
This was no ordinary forge—Ei personally led it, a grand forging using Inazuma's rarest minerals, followed by other craftsmen.
Ei's creations, even her practice Shadow-Forged pieces, were purple or gold-tier in Reisen's grading—legendary weapons in the outside world.
She forged in batches of ten or twelve, keeping the best as True-Forged, the rest as Shadow-Forged.
Skipping other categories, her three bows were Thunderstring Harp (Feilei no Gen-shin), Inazuma Stringlight, and Amatsu Kenzumei—all blank divine artifacts at LV50.
Inazuma Stringlight was tailored for Reisen, balancing rapid and long-range shots but demanding high skill. Thunderstring Harp favored rapid shots with low skill requirements, while Amatsu Kenzumei was Ei's personal heavy-hitting bow.
Forging lasted over forty days, the clang of hammers unending.
In the end, swords, blades, and bows were complete. Ei gifted some Shadow-Forged pieces to the three Commissions, direct dojo disciples, traditional smiths, and Okuzumeshu members with notable merits.
…
"Reisen still not done?" Raiden Makoto asked.
"Who knows what he's up to," Ei grumbled. She'd noticed Reisen had sealed his Serenitea Pot-like space. Her access key worked, but she didn't want to disturb his research.
"Yae Saiguu says he's made big curse breakthroughs. Not sure if it's true—that curse is a nightmare," Makoto said. She'd fought an unnamed Beast Realm champion—not her match, but its curse was vile, draining her energy and causing her collapse after returning (Chapter 170).
"Then keep waiting. I'm going for a walk," Makoto said.
"Sister, grab some tricolor dango…" Ei said, her eyes oddly soft yet fitting her stoic vibe.
"Don't look at me like that! I'll get them," Makoto said, shivering at Ei's gaze.
"Sister's the best," Ei replied.
--------------------
Want to read ahead? Early chapters on: patreon.com/ShadowKage