Chapter 122: The Flexible Use of Binding Vows
As Ren recalled Tsumiki's thoughtful words—and the lingering warmth and fragrance of her lips—his heart couldn't help but waver.
...Wait.
Now is definitely not the time to be thinking about that.
Snapping back to reality, he gave a light cough to clear both his throat and the distracting thoughts from his mind.
When he looked up, he found Tsumiki smiling gently at him.
Her gaze was warm and understanding, almost as if she had seen straight through the thoughts that had just crossed his mind.
His face reddened involuntarily.
"Anyway," Ren said, quickly changing the subject as he turned to Megumi, "you don't need to worry about Construction Technique's efficiency for now. A construction on this scale won't put much strain on your sister."
Then he looked back at Tsumiki.
"That said, even if one construction isn't too taxing, wouldn't it still be better to rest for a while?"
When Ren said "not much strain," he was comparing Tsumiki to Maki's twin sister, Mai.
Mai could exhaust all of her cursed energy creating a single bullet.
A second bullet would be enough to endanger her life.
Even with ten thousand times the cursed energy precision, constructing over a dozen tons of material should still require considerable effort.
Or so he thought.
To his surprise, Tsumiki simply smiled.
"It's really fine."
"A construction of this scale doesn't affect me at all."
"Because..."
Her lips curved upward as her bright eyes sparkled.
With the expression of a student eager to be praised by her teacher, she looked proudly at Ren.
"After using the Ten-Thousandfold Cursed Energy Precision Binding Vow you taught me..."
"I came up with another improvement."
That look of dependence and anticipation, the unmistakable desire for his approval, was enough to stir anyone's heart.
But what truly shocked Ren wasn't her expression.
It was what she had just said.
"A new improvement?"
"Yes."
"I created another temporary Binding Vow based on the original one."
"This Binding Vow specifically applies to modern firearms and explosive weapons."
"I exchange the condition that any constructed weapon can only be used once..."
"In return, I gain an even greater increase in cursed energy precision—or an extreme enhancement to the constructed weapon's performance."
"…What?"
Ren immediately understood.
Then his eyes widened.
"That's... way too broken."
Modern weapons.
Bullets.
Bombs.
Missiles.
"…Aren't those things already designed to be used only once?"
"Well..."
Tsumiki giggled.
"But that doesn't actually conflict with my Binding Vow."
"After making the vow, they're still only used once before disappearing."
Watching Ren stare at her in stunned disbelief, Tsumiki couldn't help laughing.
"I know."
"It sounds like I'm exploiting a loophole."
"So when I first thought of it, I only tried it as an experiment."
"I never expected..."
"It would actually work."
She smiled brightly.
"The world of jujutsu really is amazing, isn't it, Senior?"
Ren was speechless.
Listening to Tsumiki explain her ingenious use of Binding Vows, he could only sigh inwardly.
His own understanding of Binding Vows...
was still far too narrow.
Tsumiki...
She was a genuine genius.
Not only had she made astonishing progress with Construction Technique itself—
her grasp of Binding Vows was equally extraordinary.
Could someone who had only become a sorcerer a few dozen days ago really come up with something like this?
"…So," Megumi suddenly spoke up.
"In other words..."
"As long as she keeps making bombs, it won't put any real burden on Tsumiki?"
No one noticed that his voice had become noticeably stiffer.
Watching the two of them chatting and laughing so naturally, he suddenly realized something.
His sister...
and Senior Ren...
seemed a little too close.
He knew he shouldn't think that way.
Senior Ren had helped him countless times.
He was talented, dependable, and genuinely kind.
Megumi even felt guilty for entertaining such thoughts.
Yet...
No matter how much he tried to suppress it, a faint feeling of discomfort lingered in his heart.
"Mm."
Both Ren and Tsumiki turned toward him simultaneously and nodded.
That perfectly synchronized movement somehow made the discomfort grow just a little stronger.
"Then," Ren said with a bright smile, "let's continue the taming processssssss."
Seeing that carefree smile only made Megumi feel even more guilty for his earlier thoughts.
Before long, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator was positioned and ready once again.
Mixed emotions swirled through Megumi's heart as he formed another hand seal, this time shaping his fingers into the sign of a tiger.
He was about to summon the ninth shikigami.
It was almost unbelievable.
In the span of a single day, he had nearly mastered all the shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique.
"Ten Shadows Technique—Tiger Funeral!"
The shadows spread outward.
Driven by Megumi's excitement, a massive white tiger with black stripes and fierce, hanging eyes leapt from the darkness.
Standing over three meters tall, it lowered its enormous body and let out a deep growl.
The rumbling roar vibrated through the air, scraping against ears, muscles, and even bones, as though resonating directly with the soul itself.
It sent chills down everyone's spine.
BOOM!
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator ignited, spewing flames as it hurtled straight toward the giant tiger.
Whoosh!
The tiger pressed down with all four paws.
Its enormous body vanished from where it stood.
The very next instant—
it appeared high in the sky.
What incredible speed!
Megumi gasped inwardly.
Fortunately, the bunker buster was equipped with an automatic target-tracking system.
The moment Tiger Funeral changed position, the massive missile—with its blue-banded warhead—instantly adjusted its trajectory and shot toward the airborne beast.
Megumi watched the missile's path with eager anticipation, convinced victory was already in hand.
Then something happened that shocked him even more.
The tiger, still suspended in midair, arched its back.
Its four paws stamped down once again.
Its body flickered—
and disappeared into thin air.
It can move in midair?
And not only that—
its speed was so overwhelming that the human eye couldn't even follow its movements.
The GBU-57 tore through the sky with a blazing exhaust trail, passing directly through the space where Tiger Funeral had been only a heartbeat earlier.
But there was no explosion.
Because it hadn't hit anything.
The missile's tail fins spun once more, adjusting its course.
This time, its massive warhead pointed directly toward...
Megumi.
Not good!
A powerful sense of danger exploded in his mind.
He retreated at full speed while rapidly forming another hand seal.
"Divine Dog: Totality!"
Almost the instant Divine Dog: Totality emerged from the shadows—
a violent gust swept across the battlefield.
A gigantic striped figure materialized directly before Megumi.
An enormous tiger's claw slashed downward with terrifying force.
Divine Dog: Totality let out a furious howl as its snow-white claws met the attack head-on.
Slash!
Blood sprayed through the air.
A miserable cry echoed across the island.
The claws of Divine Dog: Totality—
strong enough to rival a Special Grade cursed tool—
were shattered the instant they collided with the tiger's paw.
The tiger's enormous, scimitar-like talons ripped effortlessly through the dog's claws and continued downward without losing even the slightest momentum.
As easily as slicing through paper—
they severed Divine Dog: Totality's entire foreleg in a single strike.
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