On a forest path, Eichi and the White Divine Dog were running at full speed, while in the sky above them, an owl with a skeletal face repeatedly attacked.
Whoosh.
Nue folded its wings and shot toward Eichi like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
"Woof woof!"
The White Divine Dog, constantly tracking Nue, immediately issued a warning.
Hearing it, Eichi rolled into the trees at the side, narrowly evading Nue's pounce.
As Nue skimmed the ground, the White Divine Dog tried to knock it down, but Nue was ready and forced it back with several bolts of lightning.
"What a pity."
Seeing the White Divine Dog fail to ground Nue, Eichi did not linger. He used the forest for cover and continued toward his destination.
What awaited him was a barrage of lightning from Nue.
Watching the continuous strikes, a question flashed through Eichi's mind: why is it easier to be struck by lightning when hiding under a tree during a storm?
Soon, a chain of lightning forced him back onto the forest path, and both sides returned to the initial standoff.
"Phew, finally here."
Looking at the clearing ahead, where the ground was carpeted with weeds, Eichi finally felt relieved.
This short hundred meters had been the most exhausting distance he had ever run.
Thump.
Tripping on something, Eichi stumbled and fell onto the dry weeds. Nue, which had been searching for an opening, immediately dove for him.
A second before Nue's talons could grab Eichi, the White Divine Dog barreled in from the side, shouldering Eichi away, then instantly melted into a puddle of shadow and merged into the ground.
"Now."
The Black Divine Dog, which had been waiting nearby, bit through the ropes holding the trap. A large net sprang up from beneath the weeds, ensnaring Nue as it tried to flap back into the sky.
As the net rose, a golden chess piece was carried up with it.
It was a golden piece with only an upper body, two horns on its head like a beast.
Strike while the iron is hot.
"Shikigami, Divine Dogs. Imaginary Summon, Berserker."
The White Divine Dog, which had been unsummoned to avoid the strike, reappeared. The Black Divine Dog and White Divine Dog clamped down on Nue's wings together.
Nue poured out its Cursed Energy to break the Divine Dogs' restraint, but before it could shake free, a large hand appeared, seized its talons, and slammed it hard into the ground.
A figure covered in shadows loomed, exuding an ominous aura.
Imaginary Summon, Shadow Servant Berserker.
This was a method Eichi had developed using the Holy Grail the System left him.
The Holy Grail contained chess pieces corresponding to seven classes. These seven pieces would serve as the core for summoning Imaginary Heroic Spirits once enough Illusion Power was gathered, acting like the spiritual core in the original Heroic Spirit Summoning.
However, Eichi had not yet collected enough Illusion Power, so he could not summon Heroic Spirits.
After studying the Holy Grail's information, he had a bold idea.
Could he summon mass-produced Shadow Servants by channeling the Ten Shadows Technique's Cursed Energy flow through the Heroic Spirit chess pieces?
The Ten Shadows Technique summons shadow shikigami.
Heroic Spirit Summoning is also a form of familiar or shikigami summoning.
Therefore, using the Ten Shadows Technique to summon Shadow Servants via the chess pieces as a medium seemed feasible.
After many attempts, Eichi successfully summoned a Shadow Servant.
Unlike the Divine Dogs, which remain in Eichi's shadow after being summoned, Shadow Servants vanish outright when unsummoned, leaving only the chess piece.
Each time he summoned a Shadow Servant, he had to take out the chess piece and summon again.
Eichi also discovered another use for the chess pieces.
These seven pieces seemed to have been modified into Cursed Tools by the System.
The Divine Dogs would gain specific enhancements after consuming a chess piece.
For example, the Black Divine Dog, which ate the Assassin piece, gained enhanced stealth and striking power, becoming even deadlier.
This was also why Nue failed to detect the Black Divine Dog before the ambush.
The White Divine Dog ate the Rider piece, gaining stronger mobility and stamina.
"Finish it in one go."
Seeing Nue slammed to the ground, Eichi unleashed all his Cursed Energy, reinforcing the Divine Dogs and the Shadow Servant.
The next moment, countless attacks rained down on Nue.
Within seconds, Nue gave up resisting and dissolved into a puddle of shadow, merging into Eichi's shadow.
"Phew, it finally worked."
Eichi happily wiped the sweat from his forehead, unsummoned the Shadow Servant, and rode the White Divine Dog back to his small courtyard.
A white figure had been waiting there for a while.
"Satoru, you are here?"
Eichi was not surprised. Satoru had visited several times since Eichi moved in, and their relationship was quite good.
Although Satoru was already showing early signs of his power, his personality had not yet reached the exaggerated level seen later.
Before he became 2.5 Gojo, Satoru was still very reliable.
Even after arriving in the world of Jujutsu Kaisen, every time Eichi thought about the later developments, they felt absurd.
Shouldn't a story about a hero challenging a Demon King involve the hero carefully analyzing the Demon King's abilities, then fighting with everything to defeat him?
Why did it become Sukuna, the Demon King, figuring out all of the hero Satoru's abilities beforehand, then chopping Satoru into 2.5 Gojo?
Even if Satoru had to lose, that would be fine. A traditional loss for the sake of his students, or getting ambushed by Kenjaku, would be acceptable.
One moment he was shouting that he had won, the next he was seeing his life flash before his eyes.
And with no time to mourn Satoru becoming 2.5 Gojo, Kashimo, the God of Thunder, rushed to the battlefield.
With no time to mourn Kashimo's death, Higuruma, the genius acknowledged by Sukuna, rushed in.
With no time to mourn Higuruma's death, Yuta Okkotsu, who had just finished watching a comedy show, rushed in.
With no time to mourn Yuta Okkotsu being cut in half, Maki, the second-generation Heavenly Restriction, rushed in.
No, Yuta Okkotsu was only cut. Whether he ended up like Satoru is still unknown.
"Why are you staring at me?"
"You are good-looking."
"Isn't that obvious?"
"..."
Eichi fell silent.
"Were you taming a shikigami just now?"
"Yeah, a big bird that can fly. I plan to ride it for travel later."
Which boy did not dream of being like the Condor Heroes?
"Interesting, call it out so I can see it."
"Nue."
Eichi did not refuse. He formed hand signs, and a human-sized owl, Nue, appeared between them.
His Cursed Energy, which had just recovered a bit, dropped rapidly, but Eichi did not mind, since he also wanted to see it.
(To be continued.)
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