Chapter 26: Semi-Grade 1? Subduing Grade 1 Cursed Spirits?
Because he is 'The Strongest,' he must take the lead in eliminating all highly threatening Cursed Spirits.
And because he is 'The Strongest,' even his mind doesn't require much comfort; he simply has to work hard to do these things.
What kind of logic is this?
Emiya couldn't help but wonder: if the 'Emiya Shirou' from his dream had the power of 'The Strongest,' could he have changed that tragic ending, or even changed the entire world?
The answer is probably no.
That 'Emiya Shirou' also mastered Projection Magecraft and, through countless acts of slaughter, developed killing techniques far exceeding the current Emiya's.
To all ordinary people, and even to the vast majority of mages, he was already indistinguishable from 'The Strongest.' But even so, he still became what he was through endless killing.
Power alone cannot save everything; sheer slaughter is even less capable.
Satoru Gojo realized this, which is why he placed his focus on educating the new generation, hoping to cultivate more like-minded people to change this corrupt world with him.
Due to his understanding of power, he didn't spread this educational philosophy widely, limiting it only to those he deemed geniuses.
Perhaps, within the Jujutsu world, this narrow focus is the correct approach.
Can simple education change the world? Maybe, but it's better than doing nothing. 'Emiya Shirou' simply walked down the wrong path.
"If one day, Gojo-san, you encountered a situation that couldn't be resolved without killing, what would you do?" Reflecting on these things, Emiya couldn't help but ask the question.
"Can't be resolved without killing?" Gojo was stunned by the question. After a moment of genuine thought, he gave his answer.
"Well, it's probably because I wouldn't be strong enough."
"..." Sure enough, Emiya should have known he would answer that way.
However, receiving such a seemingly joking answer helped Emiya slightly detach from the dream of the previous night, and he began to think back to the task he hadn't yet completed: making a bento box for Miko.
Since he'd likely have to follow Gojo-san to handle a series of matters soon, Emiya had to prepare the bento ahead of time.
Considering Miko's school finished in the afternoon, Emiya didn't prepare any particularly formal dishes; he just made some dessert-like foods to pack into the lunch box.
The facilities at Jujutsu High were surprisingly convenient; he didn't have to go to a convenience store for anything, it was all here.
"OK, that should be everything."
With everything prepared, Emiya was about to seal the lid when a guilty hand slyly reached out...
Clap—
Emiya slapped it away without hesitation.
"How could you! You won't even let me try a tiny bit?!" Gojo put on a jealous wife act, then, with lightning speed, grabbed a small dessert piece and stuffed it into his mouth while Emiya was looking at him.
He then contorted into a delighted ball under the conquest of the delicious taste.
"Wonderful, wonderful~ I didn't expect Emiya-kun's skill with sweets to be so excellent, you're a natural chef!
I wonder which woman will benefit from this cooking talent in the future; I'm so jealous!
Speaking of which... this bento isn't for another woman, is it?" Finally realizing the implication, Gojo stared at Emiya with sharp eyes.
"..."
"It's not as complicated as you think. She's just an ordinary friend." Emiya truly struggled to understand how Gojo managed to be so hyperactive.
"Oh really? I frequently research information, you know. They say 'ordinary friends' are usually not ordinary, just like the guy who says he's not crazy is usually the first one the doctor grabs.
Well, never mind. Let's talk about something serious.
After consultation with the Higher-Ups, they finally decided to provisionally set your Sorcerer grade as Semi-Grade 1." Gojo separated and then brought his two fingers together, announcing the result to Emiya.
"...Semi-Grade 1?" Emiya had never heard anyone mention that the Sorcerer ranking system had this kind of provisional status.
"That's right, Semi-Grade 1. And they also gave you the condition for successfully being promoted to Grade 1: you must solo subdue five or more Grade 1 Cursed Spirits."
To be honest, Gojo had never seen the old men of the Higher-Ups offer such a novel method of promotion, rather than relying on the original grading criteria and the rigid promotion system.
Although he didn't know what those guys were plotting, Gojo was at least highly in favor of this proposal.
Only aggressive, real-combat experience could allow Emiya Shirou to grow better, right? That's what Gojo wanted to see!
"Five or more Grade 1 Cursed Spirits... Does that imply that facing a Special Grade would be even better?" It wasn't that Emiya wanted to over-interpret the meaning, but rather that high-ranking officials usually liked to pull these kinds of stunts.
"Is that so? That would be even better!"
"..." Emiya forgot that there was a guy here who feared things wouldn't be complicated enough.
However, if Grade 1 Cursed Spirits were only as strong as the one he faced yesterday, eliminating five didn't seem too difficult.
As for Special Grade... Emiya hadn't encountered one yet, so he couldn't give an accurate assessment. But logically, a Cursed Spirit of that rank should be at the level of a normal Servant.
And just as Servants are immune to modern weaponry, they wouldn't be harmed by physical-level attacks.
More importantly, they aren't limited by magical energy reserves; their Cursed Energy can recover almost infinitely because human negative emotions are endless.
"Don't think it's simple. Many powerful Grade 1 Cursed Spirits also have Innate Techniques, you know," Gojo suddenly reminded him.
"Is that so... Then, will you be accompanying me on these subjugation missions, Gojo-san?"
The Innate Techniques of the Jujutsu world are truly miraculous.
Something like Gojo's 'Limitless Technique' would probably require an entire Magecraft family to devote themselves to research to achieve. Yet, Innate Techniques, in their varied forms, are something every Sorcerer might awaken, and even Cursed Spirits possess corresponding skills...
"I can't.
The Higher-Ups specifically requested that I not accompany you. Furthermore, the so-called 'solo subjugation' means no Sorcerer is allowed to assist you, and they won't even assign a Grade 1 Sorcerer to escort you, as is standard procedure.
Why would they do this? It's really strange." Gojo posed in the 'Thinker' stance but quickly arrived at the perfect answer once again.
"I don't know either.
However, you must be extremely careful."
You can't trust their abilities, but you must believe they are up to no good.
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