Chapter 123: The Shikigami — Tiger Funeral
Megumi had only just managed to retreat a single step.
Still shaken by the terrifying power behind that tiger's claw, he was inwardly relieved that he had escaped its attack range.
Then—
a faint, razor-sharp sound brushed past his ear.
Almost simultaneously, he felt his swinging left arm suddenly become... lighter.
The next instant—
an agonizing pain exploded through his body.
Blood burst forth like a crimson arrow, spraying from what remained of his left arm.
What...?
"Watch out!"
Ren's stern warning rang out from the distance.
"It can control the airflow!"
With eyesight twelve times sharper than that of an ordinary person, Ren had seen what no one else could.
Whenever Tiger Funeral moved, the air around it wasn't merely pushed aside.
Instead, the surrounding currents gathered around its body, flowing together with every movement as though they were actively propelling it forward.
That was why its speed was so astonishing.
Even the missile had been unable to lock onto it.
Its attacks carried that same power.
The razor-sharp currents of wind were what had effortlessly sliced through Divine Dog: Totality's claws...
and had also severed Megumi's arm, even though he had already moved outside the tiger's apparent attack range.
Divine Dog: Totality clamped its jaws around Tiger Funeral's neck, desperately trying to restrain it.
At the same time, Megumi twisted his fingers into place, forcing himself to complete another hand seal with only one hand.
Round Deer lowered its head beside him.
A warm current of energy flowed into his body and immediately began treating his injuries.
It was the Reverse Cursed Technique.
Round Deer's ability wasn't merely to use Reverse Cursed Technique on itself—it could also output positive energy to heal others.
A severed arm isn't a problem.
With Round Deer helping me... it should regenerate in an instant.
That was what Megumi believed.
But to his astonishment...
One heartbeat passed.
Then another.
Then a third.
Even after Divine Dog: Totality was smashed apart by Tiger Funeral's paw and dispersed into shadows—
his arm showed no sign of recovery whatsoever.
Not even the slightest improvement.
Blood continued to gush from the wound.
Wave after wave of excruciating pain surged through his body, enough to make him black out.
The white tiger let out another earth-shaking roar.
Its four paws pressed against the air as it launched itself upward before diving straight at Megumi.
Its enormous, scimitar-like claws gleamed with a chilling light.
Damn it—!
Megumi tried to dodge.
Too late.
He couldn't even react.
By the time he realized the tiger had reached him, its claws were already inches from his face.
The invisible wind blades alone stung his skin.
Then—
a blur flashed across the battlefield.
Tiger Funeral cried out in pain as its massive body was hurled backward.
Ren stood firmly before Megumi.
His expression was unusually grave as he watched the tiger effortlessly twist its body in midair and regain its balance.
Tiger Funeral slowly circled through the air, never taking its eyes off Ren.
It let out low, cautious growls, clearly treating him as a genuine threat.
"Megumi."
Ren spoke without looking away from the tiger.
"The taming ritual ends here."
"From now on..."
"Do not attempt to tame this shikigami again until you've mastered a way to attack the soul."
"What?"
Megumi stared in disbelief.
"The soul?"
Tsumiki, who had just dismissed the bunker-buster and hurried to her brother's side, looked equally confused.
Ren ignored their questions.
His narrowed eyes remained fixed on the white tiger.
What an...
utterly unpleasant aura.
From this shikigami, Ren sensed a faint trace of an all-too-familiar presence.
It was similar to the aura of that blue-haired cursed spirit.
The same aura that had left an indelible scar on him.
The same aura that had set him on the path of becoming a jujutsu sorcerer in the first place.
He had made a serious mistake.
A mere wind blade shouldn't have been able to slice through Divine Dog: Totality's claws—which were as durable as a Special Grade cursed tool—so effortlessly.
This shikigami...
It possessed the power to directly interfere with the soul.
Its claws had first severed Divine Dog: Totality's soul.
Then, because the body was shaped by the soul, the seemingly indestructible physical claws naturally collapsed afterward.
The same principle explained Megumi's injury.
Tiger Funeral hadn't simply cut off his arm.
It had severed the arm of his soul.
Because Round Deer couldn't perceive the soul, its Reverse Cursed Technique was completely ineffective against that wound.
As for Ren...
Having once undergone soul alteration himself, he had developed a limited ability to perceive the outline of a soul.
After witnessing Tiger Funeral attack again and again, he had finally seen through its secret.
That blue-haired cursed spirit...
Ren frowned as the arrogant face stitched together with black seams surfaced in his memory.
An instinctive sense of oppression weighed upon him.
Fortunately...
This shikigami was nowhere near as terrifying.
It possessed only the ability to injure the soul.
Unlike that blue-haired cursed spirit, it couldn't freely manipulate or reshape souls.
Otherwise, the moment it had touched Megumi...
Megumi would already be dead.
Still, this wasn't an opponent to underestimate.
Incredible speed.
Attacks that ignored conventional defenses.
If Round Deer represented the greatest regenerative ability among the Ten Shadows shikigami...
And Piercing Ox embodied the strongest physical power...
Then Tiger Funeral represented the purest form of destructive offense.
The white tiger suddenly let out a deafening roar.
As if it had spotted an opening, it dug its four claws into the ground and shot toward Ren at blinding speed.
One massive, scimitar-shaped claw—nearly the size of a human head—slashed directly toward him.
"Dog Fangs!"
Ren didn't dodge.
His right hand transformed into the snow-white claw of Divine Dog: Totality and swung upward to meet it head-on.
Crash!
A thunderous impact echoed across the battlefield.
Tiger Funeral's enormous body was blasted backward once again.
It staggered to its feet.
Its left forepaw—once as large as a person's head—had been reduced to little more than a flap of skin holding the shattered limb together.
Meanwhile...
Ren's white claw was drenched in blood.
Yet not a single wound could be found on it.
Every drop belonged to Tiger Funeral.
Just as I thought...
Looking at the tiger's mangled paw, Ren finally confirmed his conclusion.
This shikigami could damage the soul, but it couldn't maintain or reshape souls.
That blue-haired cursed spirit was different.
Not only could it injure souls—
it could also preserve their shape.
By using its cursed technique to stabilize its own soul, any physical damage to its body became meaningless.
As long as the soul remained unchanged...
the body would instantly conform to it.
Compared to that monster...
Tiger Funeral was several levels below.
"So that's all you've got?"
Ren grinned.
"If that's the extent of your abilities..."
"...then it's time I sent you back to sleep."
As though it understood the mockery, Tiger Funeral let out a furious roar.
Its battered body, now supported by only three functioning legs, suddenly straightened.
At the same moment—
shadows rippled beside it.
A gigantic black-and-white Divine Dog emerged without warning.
"Megumi?"
Ren turned in surprise toward him.
He hadn't even healed the boy's arm yet.
Was Megumi seriously forcing himself back into the fight with only one hand?
But after only a brief glance at the pain etched across Megumi's face—
Ren immediately realized something was wrong.
That's...!
He whipped his head back.
The Divine Dog and Tiger Funeral lunged at him simultaneously from opposite sides.
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