Chapter 52: Teigu Fusion!
——————!!!!!!!!!!
When [Spectator] shattered, Kobayashi, no longer protected by the Teigu's main body, was violently ejected from the unknown divine palace.
At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his brain.
"Urgh-aaaaah!!!"
Kobayashi's rosy face turned ghastly pale in an instant, and sweat soaked his clothes, drenching him completely. He clutched his forehead with his right hand and dropped to one knee, gasping for air. He tried to stand up but couldn't, and finally, he fell trembling to the ground.
"Kobayashi!" xN
The members of Night Raid quickly surrounded him.
Sheele helped him up, letting him lean against her soft embrace. She wiped the dense sweat from his forehead while gently massaging his temples, trying to relieve his headache.
It couldn't be said to have no effect; it could only be said to be completely useless. The pain was not just physical, but spiritual—a double blow from the complete exhaustion of his mana and spiritual power.
"I told you not to push yourself!"
Leone chided him softly, but she was also concerned for his well-being. Not knowing how to alleviate his pain, she could only offer herself as a human cushion, pulling him into her own embrace. For a moment, it was hard to tell if this was comfort or punishment.
The others who had gathered around were also exceptionally concerned, constantly asking about his condition in low voices. It was a chaotic scene for a good while before things calmed down.
"Sorry for making you worry," Kobayashi said after catching his breath. "It seems I really did push myself a bit too hard."
"It's good that you're alright."
Seeing that he was conscious, Najenda also let out a subconscious sigh of relief. She then said with lingering fear, "Forcibly using two Teigu causes such a huge rejection?"
Her heart sank. She had thought they could use him in conjunction with the other humanoid Teigu to fight against Esdeath. From the looks of it, not only did it put a great strain on the user, but it would also destroy the Teigu. This was truly terrible news.
"No, it wasn't a rejection. I was the one who pushed it," Kobayashi gave an unexpected answer.
"What do you mean?"
"Because I forcibly used its hidden ability."
—A Trump Card.
A very small number of Teigu users who were highly compatible with their Teigu could develop unique, hidden skills. For example, Murasame's [Little War Horn], Leone's [Lion's Immortality], Susanoo's [Magatama Manifestation], and Esdeath's [Mahapadma] and [Ice Storm Commander-in-Chief].
And [Spectator]'s hidden skill was [Foresight].
True precognition!
"Is that so... So it was because you forcibly peeked into the future that the Teigu couldn't bear the strain and shattered?" Najenda lit a cigarette, paused for a long time, and then slowly said, "Forget it. As long as you're alright."
She was comforting him, and also comforting herself. What else could she do? Kobayashi had defeated Zank the Beheader, so the Teigu he possessed was his spoils of war, and [Spectator] had also chosen him. By emotion or by reason, she couldn't blame him. Furthermore, now that she knew he could use two Teigu as long as he didn't push himself, it was even more impossible to blame him.
Since they are both humanoid Teigu, the strain should be lessened if they are of the same type, right?
Mine, however, was heartbroken.
The pink-haired twintail girl hurriedly scooped up the sand-like fragments from the ground. But when the breeze blew the dust onto her face, she quickly wiped her cheek and said with great pain, "Ah! What a waste!"
Paired with the white filth scattered on her pretty face, and the little fragrant tongue sticking out as she spat out the sand...
My dear girl, you'd better be talking about the Teigu.
If you're talking about something else, my dagger is about to leave its sheath.
Akame gently wiped the dust from her face and said softly, "Forget it, Mine. Even if you collect it all, it can't be repaired."
In truth, Teigu could slowly repair themselves. Biological-type Teigu, for example, could repair themselves quickly as long as their core was not destroyed. There was also the Minister's Teigu, [Erastone], a gem-type anti-Teigu that could destroy an opponent's Teigu. As long as an enemy entered its range, it could destroy their Teigu at the cost of shattering a gem. The damaged gem only needed a week to regenerate, but it couldn't be used during that time.
But for a Teigu like [Spectator], which had been shattered into dust, repair was absolutely impossible.
"To waste a Teigu just like that..."
The members of Night Raid watched with their own eyes as the Teigu was destroyed, so heartbroken they could barely breathe.
Any Teigu was a strategic weapon. It was no exaggeration to call them the key to the tide of war. A powerful weapon that had just fallen into their hands was gone in the blink of an eye.
"...Sorry."
Kobayashi's face was full of apology, and he bowed his head deeply.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Leone hugged him even tighter, simultaneously signaling her companions with her eyes as she laughed loudly. "It's just one Teigu! It's not important to us. The best thing is that you're alright, Kobayashi. Right, everyone?"
"Yeah, yeah."
"It's okay, it's not your fault, Kobayashi."
"It's the Teigu's fault for being too fragile."
"It was your spoils of war. You can do whatever you want with it."
"So, don't blame yourself."
Seeing him with his head down, looking lost and full of self-blame, the group quickly comforted him in soft voices.
Not losing a companion was already a great thing. If something else were to happen to Kobayashi, they would be burning with anxiety.
However.
No one noticed the smile that curled up at the corner of Kobayashi's bowed head, nor the faint eye pattern, identical to [Spectator]'s, that was faintly visible on his forehead.
That's right. [Spectator] had not disappeared. It had fused with Kobayashi!
—Teigu Fusion!
Besides Esdeath's [Demon's Extract], a blood-type consumable Teigu, the only other Teigu he knew of that could fuse were Tatsumi's [Incursio], which later gradually fused with his body and turned him into a dragon, and Leone's [Lionelle], which had completely fused with her body.
And now, there was also [Spectator].
When the wavelengths of the Teigu and Kobayashi had matched and blended, [Spectator] had abandoned its own physical body and integrated its entire essence into Kobayashi's. This allowed him to still wield the full power of [Spectator] even after losing the Teigu's physical form. Although its power was somewhat diminished, it was also much more convenient than having the physical Teigu.
However, the [Foresight] ability could not be activated for the time being, and he had no opportunity to try it now. He could only slowly explore it when he had time.
...[Spectator], I will not let you be disappointed in your choice to fuse with me!
For the next few days, Kobayashi was bedridden. Due to the excessive consumption of his mana and spiritual power, even if he wanted to train or do missions, his spirit was willing, but his flesh was weak. He lay in his sickbed for a full three days.
During this period, Sheele was constantly taking care of him. Although the dazed girl caused more trouble than she helped, with the assistance of the other members of Night Raid, his recovery was quite good.
Just as everyone thought the days would continue on so leisurely, a piece of heavy news dealt them a heavy blow.
—Sheele was dead!
(End of an book)