Chapter 206: Feel the Despair of Helplessness, Cursed Spirit!
Accompanied by Fushiguro Megumi's rhythmic shouting, the three shikigami—Great Serpent, Madoka Deer, and Piercing Bull—quickly dissolved into shadows, converged, and reassembled into a tall, imposing figure.
With four wings on its head where eyes should be, a tail shaped like a sharp horn on the back of its head, and a wheel resembling a ship's rudder floating above its forehead... no matter how you looked at it, this fellow didn't look like a "good guy" at all.
If you called it an angel, no one would believe you; but if you branded it a demon, anyone who caught a glimpse of its appearance would instantly dream up a multitude of fitting titles for it.
However, despite such a hideous appearance, it possessed no offensive capabilities. Its arms were even firmly locked behind its back by shackles engraved with runes, unable to break free in the slightest.
This was Fushiguro Megumi's special shikigami—The Sealed Mahoraga.
The reason it had changed so drastically since his sparring session with Emiya was that, afterward, Fushiguro had made a series of fine adjustments to the summoning form under the other man's guidance and suggestions.
One must realize that the power of a Binding Vow depends not only on the scale of the price paid but also on a very important point: whether the execution of the conditions is strict enough.
Usually, such a statement is used to seek peace of mind, but in the realm of Binding Vows, this rule is a physical reality.
The original Mahoraga was said to have no offensive capability in its sealed state, but since its hands were still free, there was always a way to cause actual harm to an enemy. Such a Binding Vow was simply not cautious or strict enough.
Only by completely and utterly binding Mahoraga's hands like this could it truly count as a "Special Summon in Attack Position with 0 Attack Power."
If Mahoraga's feet weren't needed for movement, Fushiguro would have wanted to bind its feet as well.
Only with such a solid foundation did Fushiguro have the possibility of performing the second step: the Advance Summon of The Sealed Mahoraga to liberate its offensive power!
As soon as Mahoraga's figure successfully converged, the two Divine Dogs, black and white, stood tactically to its left and right.
"Awoooo—!"
With a crisp howl, the two Divine Dogs also transformed into shadows, subsequently flowing into the shackles binding Mahoraga.
CRACK— CRACK— CRACK!
The runes instantly faded and vanished. The remaining chains, no matter how hard they were, could only crack inch by inch under Mahoraga's expanding grip. Finally, they shattered completely into fragments, falling to the ground and being gradually swallowed by Fushiguro's Domain.
With a violent swing of its freed hands, the Sword of Extermination—covered in pure positive energy and capable of dealing lethal damage to cursed spirits—extended and appeared on its right arm.
This was the ultimate shikigami that Fushiguro Megumi could only barely summon by consuming five painstakingly accumulated shadow shikigami: Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga.
When facing enemies of the same level, or those slightly stronger, the numerically superior shadow shikigami could help Fushiguro resolve the threat easily.
But when facing even more powerful enemies, it was time for Mahoraga to take the stage.
However, although Fushiguro had not yet truly entered a taming ritual and didn't know what Mahoraga's true combat power should look like, according to Emiya-sensei's description, the Mahoraga summoned after sacrificing five shikigami was clearly still lacking something.
This feeling, of course, came from Emiya's personal experience after ruthlessly beating the daylights out of Mahoraga.
Faced with his teacher's judgment, Fushiguro naturally agreed with both hands and feet, unconditionally and brainlessly.
Because of this, if he wanted to see Mahoraga in its ultimate state, he would likely have to wait for a special situation where he could summon ten shadow shikigami simultaneously. Alternatively, if his own raw strength could double, he could significantly reduce the summoning conditions for Mahoraga. After all, a Binding Vow must be based on the sorcerer's own power.
Of course, to compensate for the inability to directly summon Mahoraga in its strongest state, Fushiguro later added another mechanism under Emiya's enlightenment—that is, it could increase its strength by continuously absorbing shadow shikigami.
As for whether this method could reach Mahoraga's original limit or break through it... Fushiguro had no clear conclusion yet, but wasn't the opportunity for testing right in front of him?
"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga. This is undoubtedly the final shikigami among the successive generations of the Ten Shadows Technique... While it is powerful in its own right, it can also become immune to any move an enemy uses once through its powerful ability to learn and adapt...
The scales of victory are about to flip starting now, cursed spirit."
Fushiguro Megumi's current state didn't look very good. This was not only shown by his torn clothes and body abrasions; even the side of his cheek was stained with black soot, with some obvious burns visible.
But at this moment, he felt no pain or fear from the injuries on his body. Even the expression on his face was one of pure excitement.
He had admitted long ago that he actually didn't like the feeling of fighting at all; the only reason he fought was to protect others and achieve certain personal goals. But not liking fighting is one thing—when you can finally turn the tables and defeat an enemy who has been mocking you and whom you couldn't beat, can you really resist being excited?
Furthermore, what Fushiguro loved most wasn't the feeling of battle, but the pleasure of playing cards!
When the deck you painstakingly built in private shines in battle, and the chains flow flawlessly, that pleasure is incomparable to anything else!
Especially after Fushiguro brought it into actual combat, this pleasure had not diminished at all; instead, it had become even more intense!
No one can refuse the pleasure of playing cards, especially when your card spirit can jump out of the card and slap the opponent a few times.
Fushiguro was gradually starting to fall in love with this feeling; he finally had a true hobby.
As for Emiya-sensei, who had helped him so much, Fushiguro really didn't know how to thank him. Even if Emiya told him to strip naked right now and run a lap around the street, Fushiguro would first think about the profound meaning behind Emiya's actions, rather than whether the teacher was messing with him.
"The final shikigami, Mahoraga?"
This time, Jogo was truly starting to sweat. Setting aside the fact that it hadn't figured out what kind of trigger effect this technique for summoning shikigami had, the sheer pressure radiated by Mahoraga was enough for it to focus with 100% of its spirit.
It is difficult to judge the strength of a sorcerer by their appearance because they rarely release their cursed energy directly, and the degree of their technique application is hard to judge. But for cursed spirits and shikigami, the first time you see them is enough to judge their approximate combat capability.
Because they are products of pure cursed energy, their attributes and quality are displayed directly on the surface. Even if they possess techniques, the application of those techniques will be quite direct.
It doesn't matter... Even so, this intimidating big guy at most possessed the strength to threaten it. Its arrogant nature would never allow Jogo to show any cowardice.
"In that case, let me personally test if your shikigami can live up to the title of 'Strongest.' After all, no matter how you look at it, it's just a shikigami subservient to a human!
How can a guy who doesn't even know freedom act so arrogant!
Ember Insects!"
At Jogo's command, several insects drilled out from the lava and immediately rushed toward Mahoraga, who was blocking the path to Fushiguro, at supersonic speeds. Like supersonic planes crashing into a massive mountain, they produced annihilating explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rolling flames and thick shadows mixed together, creating a strange scene in the center of the tunnel.
When the anomalies cleared, although Mahoraga stood firmly in place without moving an inch, several visible wounds had appeared on its body, as if it had almost been pierced through.
"Hmph, doesn't look like much... wait?!"
Seeing that its attack was more effective than imagined, Jogo brushed its palms and stood up straight. Just as it was about to say some words of victory, it suddenly saw the wounds on Mahoraga's body recovering rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It was as if the attack just now posed no threat to it at all, so it hadn't even bothered to move.
"Did I forget to mention it just now? I suppose it's not a problem to add it now.
Mahoraga's recovery ability is very strong. A body that can easily recover from fatal wounds, combined with the ability to learn through techniques and attacks... that is the reason why it is called the strongest shikigami.
Enjoy the despair of helplessness, cursed spirit!"
Fushiguro Megumi's words were quite arrogant. This was not only because he was in an excited state, but more importantly, he had already noticed Jogo's personality—one that was arrogant to the extreme and couldn't tolerate anyone being a head taller than it.
Only by making the opponent completely lose their ability to think would their chances of winning grow larger and larger.
"Despair of helplessness?! You brat!!
I must make you realize the gap between us!!!"
With a wave of its hand, Jogo summoned an even larger number of Ember Insects and sent them charging toward Fushiguro, as if determined to pierce the insolent brat until he was riddled with holes.
And just at the moment the Ember Insects flew in at high speed, the fully recovered Mahoraga moved.
It swung the Sword of Extermination in its hand, crudely but accurately slicing through every incoming insect. Without stopping for a moment, it charged straight toward Jogo's position.
This time, just as Fushiguro had said, the Ember Insects that had just achieved some minor results couldn't cause the slightest trouble; instead, they even interfered with Jogo's own vision to a certain extent.
Jogo was no fool; it could feel the surging positive energy on the Sword of Extermination. Its first reaction was to put distance between itself and Mahoraga to look for another opportunity.
But just as it was about to lift its foot, it suddenly realized that its lower body had long since been swallowed by more than half by the viscous shadows.
"What?!"
Staring with its single eye, Jogo immediately realized what had happened. But when it looked toward Fushiguro, it only saw the other man's mocking expression.
"You haven't forgotten, have you? This is my Domain."
"Rgh...!"
BOOM!
The poor Jogo, whose boundless anger had been stoked by Fushiguro, didn't even have time to lash out. In the next instant, Mahoraga's palm pressed down onto its head, pinning it firmly down while simultaneously raising the Sword of Extermination on its right arm and stabbing downward.
The sound of an impact like an explosion didn't come from a successful hit; it was because even though Jogo had caught the opponent's arm with its palm, the force of the impact almost drove the Sword of Extermination directly into its single eye.
Wounds caused by positive energy to a cursed spirit are not so easily recovered. If things went wrong, it might go blind!
However, never mind that it wasn't blind yet. Even if it really went blind, Fushiguro would never show mercy just because his enemy was disabled.
Mahoraga had already launched its powerful attack, but that didn't mean Fushiguro was going to stop his own movements.
"Having just completed an attack, you have finished and skipped your turn, so now it's my turn again.
What I'm going to do now is... Normal Summon Toad in Attack Position. Come forth, Toad!
Then, I activate the special effect of Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga! Once per turn, when a shadow shikigami of the same source exists on the field, Mahoraga can sacrifice that shadow shikigami to increase its own attack power.
I sacrifice Toad to Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga!"
The Toad that had just appeared on the field didn't even have time to settle its buttocks before it directly turned into a stream-like shadow and slid toward Mahoraga, perfectly merging into its back.
Although only one shadow shikigami had been sacrificed to Mahoraga as nourishment for now, the enhancement was exceptionally significant. It probably increased Mahoraga's ability stats by about... one-fifth?
The sudden boost directly broke the original balance of power, allowing Mahoraga's blade to break through Jogo's defense and fall straight down.
SLASH—
Even though Jogo had tried very hard to dodge, the Sword of Extermination still grazed its head, almost slicing off its entire volcano-top head.
Now it was no longer just a question of whether it had been insulted; this was a direct rubbing of Jogo's dignity into the ground, with a foot stepped on its face for good measure.
"I will definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely kill you!!!"
BOOM!
In the erupting flames of an explosion, Jogo successfully broke free from the dual suppression of Mahoraga and the Domain. It then did the opposite, pressing its own palm firmly against Mahoraga's face.
"You're just a shikigami, stop acting so arrogant!"
KABOOM!!!
The jet of flames first swallowed Mahoraga's head, and then lava spewed out from the top, pouring over and washing across Mahoraga's entire body.
Jogo had no desire to observe whether this attack had finished Mahoraga because its heart and mind were entirely focused on Fushiguro Megumi himself; its eyes couldn't move away for even a fraction.
"Better pray you die fast enough, kid!!!"
Jogo successfully realized that the Domain beneath its feet didn't have any guaranteed-hit techniques targeting it, so it frantically generated a large amount of fire and lava in the surroundings to weaken the shadows' ability to restrict it.
Having somewhat broken free of the restraints, Jogo's primary goal was naturally to burn Fushiguro Megumi, who had driven it mad, into charcoal.
Jogo's figure was approaching him at extreme speed, but Fushiguro, who was in his own Domain and had a perfect grasp of the situation and time, didn't seem panicked in the slightest.
"After you chose to launch an attack on Mahoraga and switched targets, another one of your turns has passed... privately skipping another person's turn is a forbidden act.
It's a new turn now, so I'm going to summon a new cursed spirit...
My choice is—Normal Summon, Tiger Funeral!"
This name was so familiar that even the enraged Jogo was stunned.
"...?"
From the blind spot behind the surging shadows, Itadori Yuji, who had been waiting for who knows how long with his shield-axe, was ready and waiting. He just happened to meet the charging Jogo head-on.
"That's right, it's me!!!!!!"
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