Chapter 83: Mumyou Sandan-Zuki(Lightless, Three-Stage Thrust) and... an Active Volcano???
The students in the second year—no, the entire student body of Jujutsu High—knew that Maki Zen'in's personality was quite straightforward, which could easily evolve into a certain degree of strictness and volatility.
As the sole Cursed Tool expert at the school, she was incredibly strict when training her classmates. It was true that everyone admired her, but it was also true that they were often fiercely beaten during training.
According to Gojo-sensei, Emiya was supposed to have invited her to help consult on the Cursed Tool forging plan.
Instead, she had been left waiting there for quite a while, and now she was being completely ignored. Who could tolerate such a thing?
Judging by age, Maki Zen'in naturally assumed Emiya was a newly admitted student and prepared to give him a practical lesson on the application of Cursed Tools.
"You won't forge any practical Cursed Tools with this kind of childish forging technique!"
Maki Zen'in drew the long sword at her waist without hesitation, aiming not at Emiya himself, but at the blade he had just finished forging, which he claimed was a replica of Kikuichimonji Norimune.
She stubbornly believed that Emiya's initial clumsy forging technique couldn't produce a good sword. By cleanly slicing this flashy, impractical blade in half, she could directly and unequivocally prove that his forging skills needed improvement.
However, just as her long sword was about to make contact with the blade—
BANG!
Emiya, with superior speed, picked up the long sword, which hadn't even been fitted with a hilt yet, and swiftly deflected Maki Zen'in's long sword.
"Huh?!"
Maki Zen'in's eyes widened at the sight.
She was not a novice using a weapon for the first time, who would have her weapon knocked away simply because she couldn't hold it steady. She clearly saw Emiya's movement but, for a moment, found it hard to understand what kind of technique that was.
"Ah? My apologies, I used a sword technique unconsciously."
The manifestation of the Magic Circuits on his body just now was Emiya projecting and resonating with the Noble Phantasm of the Heroic Spirit Souji Okita—Kikuichimonji Norimune—in a special way.
The final product, achieved by crudely imitating the forging process with his own hands in reality, naturally cannot be compared to a pure projection, let alone the true original. However, even though the process changed, the technique was copied faithfully.
In fact, Emiya himself felt that this finished product was somewhat unsatisfactory. If it weren't for the memories left behind by Senji Muramasa providing a foundation, he wouldn't have even been able to perform the initial steps properly.
"There are still many processes that need improvement on this sword," Emiya sighed, handing the sword back to the stunned Maki Zen'in.
In the eyes of the old man Senji Muramasa, this would likely be categorized as a flawed, substandard product. As his apprentice, forging a sword of this quality would surely earn him a severe scolding.
The old man was, after all, a genuine, straightforward person.
Fortunately, Emiya didn't have to face a scolding; he only needed to continuously refine his technique based on the existing product and experience.
Temporarily setting the sword aside, Emiya was about to look up and ask about Maki Zen'in's origins and identity when his attention was suddenly drawn to something else on her face.
"Are your glasses a Cursed Tool too?"
As objects infused with a curse, their features are highly obvious to Sorcerers.
"Ah, yes. But their only function is to let me see Cursed Spirits; they're a pretty useless Cursed Tool for most Sorcerers, I guess."
Still in a daze, Maki Zen'in not only revealed the function of her Cursed Tool but also subconsciously handed the glasses to Emiya.
"Seeing Cursed Spirits? That sounds like a very useful Cursed Tool, actually."
Emiya took the glasses, examined them, and quickly came to a conclusion.
Strictly speaking, these aren't even normal Cursed Tools. They aren't fully infused with a curse; Cursed Energy is merely attached in a special way.
Even so, prolonged use of such a Cursed Tool could easily cause negative physiological effects on an ordinary person, like what was historically called being 'cursed by a spirit.'
But Emiya still felt this Cursed Tool was very useful.
While broadly revealing the existence of Cursed Spirits would inevitably increase panic and negative emotions, at the very least, if a balance could be found to allow ordinary people to foresee Cursed Spirits in advance, casualties could be significantly reduced.
"But why do you need a Cursed Tool to observe Cursed Spirits... Can't you see them?" Emiya checked again. Maki Zen'in was wearing the Jujutsu High student uniform; how could she not even be a Sorcerer?
"Because I don't have any Cursed Energy. I have a natural Reverse Heavenly Restriction."
"Reverse Heavenly Restriction?"
"You don't even know that? A Heavenly Restriction means being born with some kind of physical deficiency and receiving compensation in Cursed Energy. A Reverse Heavenly Restriction means being born with no Cursed Energy but, in return, gaining vastly superior physical abilities."
The physical abilities granted by a Reverse Heavenly Restriction are powerful enough to easily overwhelm a Grade 1 Sorcerer who uses Cursed Energy to strengthen their body—it's undeniably quite formidable.
Unfortunately, this constitution is not well-regarded in the Sorcery World, which uses Cursed Energy.
It would be fine if she was just in a place where strength was respected, but Maki Zen'in was born into the Zen'in Clan, one of the Big Three Families that value bloodline above all else.
Unable to inherit a technique and not even a Sorcerer, she naturally received cold shoulders since childhood. Otherwise, as a Sorcerer from a family line, why would she travel all the way to Satoru Gojo's Jujutsu High to attend school?
"All that power just to enhance your physical abilities? That's amazing, though."
Emiya, who is only a half-baked Magus in the Magecraft World, wouldn't care about the opinions of the Sorcery World. Strength is strength. No matter how much those Sorcerers look down on her, does that make them stronger than her?
"Amazing... Do you really think so?" Maki Zen'in had rarely heard any Sorcerer praise a Reverse Heavenly Restriction.
"Of course. Physical strength is far more flexible and versatile than many Cursed Techniques, and the same goes for all aspects of combat."
Sorcerers aren't like traditional Mages who have various spells to deal with different situations. Apart from their innate technique, the number of special techniques they can learn is very limited.
As far as Emiya knows, most Sorcerers engage in close-quarters combat to some degree when exorcising Cursed Spirits; it's a very conventional method.
"So you usually fight using Cursed Tools, right? Your skills also seem much better than the other students... Hmm, looks like I need to find time to test everyone's foundation."
Emiya hasn't forgotten his duty as a teacher, even if it was forced upon him.
Courses involving Cursed Tool usage and close-quarters combat are an inevitable and important part of fighting—but every student's foundation is different, so they need individual guidance.
"By the way, is Gojo-sensei your homeroom teacher too?" There aren't many students at Jujutsu High, so Emiya figured the probability was quite high.
"That is indeed the case..."
"Then you're my student. Since you're good at fighting with Cursed Tools... I'll just give this sword to you."
Before Maki Zen'in could finish speaking, Emiya swiftly fitted the hilt and tsuba onto the long sword and thrust it into her arms without explanation.
"Ah... huh?"
"It's the product of my first forging, so it's definitely not that amazing, but its toughness is guaranteed. Fighting a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Also, I need to go do other training, so I'll ask you to clean up the room for me, please.
Later~"
The training schedule Emiya set for himself is very tight, with absolutely no free time. He doesn't need much fragmented leisure time to reward himself; rest is genuinely just for physical recovery.
Unfortunately, he was too immersed in the forging process just now, causing him to delay his next task, which is why he was in such a hurry.
Fortunately, his student happened to arrive, and he had a sword to give her.
Otherwise, Emiya would have felt too awkward leaving her alone here.
Hmm, I'll make it up to her when we start the special training.
However, while Emiya left smoothly, Maki Zen'in was still standing there, staring blankly at the sword in her hands.
She hadn't really understood all that talk about a teacher or a training plan.
He looks so young; is he really a new teacher at Jujutsu High?
Maki Zen'in looked down at the long sword in her hands. Still skeptical, she swung the sword at the nearby test stone.
CRACK—!
The crisp sound wasn't from the cut itself, but from the test stone splitting open and falling to the ground.
"This feeling... Is this really a Cursed Tool... could it be?!"
Was even the claim that it could harm a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit true?
"...First forging? You've got to be kidding me?!"
'Seriously, do geniuses exist in this field too?'
.
.
.
Some time later, Emiya had returned to his room.
He wasn't doing anything overly urgent. He was simply sitting cross-legged, with a blade resting on his lap—a blade identical to the Kikuichimonji Norimune from earlier.
However, this weapon was the genuine Noble Phantasm that Emiya had projected using Projection Sorcery.
Emiya was using this sword-meditation form of contemplation to resonate with and experience the skills of the Heroic Spirit contained within the Noble Phantasm.
Because the skills imparted by the Noble Phantasm vanish once the projection ends, Emiya was trying to leave something behind by using this method.
To truly experience and grasp special techniques, these projected Noble Phantasms are his best teachers.
But learning something truly his own from them is not easy.
Everyone has watched various extreme sports and movements on video, but how many can actually replicate them? Moreover, the Heroic Spirits' techniques are hundreds of times more profound than that.
Bang!
The room door was kicked open. Unsurprisingly, the person who walked in was definitely Satoru Gojo.
"Oh? What are you up to?"
He quickly walked up to Emiya, leaning in to examine the Noble Phantasm. Unlike a naturally special Holy Sword like Durandal, the specialty of this Noble Phantasm lies more in the wielder's skill than in the unique nature of the sword itself.
"Trying to learn the techniques of Heroic Spirits." Seeing Satoru Gojo, Emiya knew for sure that his meditation time had to be over.
"Aha."
"And which big shot does this Noble Phantasm belong to?" Gojo asked, intentionally drawing out the tone.
"Souji Okita."
"Relying purely on luck to execute a Black Flash is too random, so I want to try to find a feasible way through her swordsmanship.
The sword technique mastered by this Heroic Spirit is a demonic sword that can simultaneously unleash three thrusts at one point, making it virtually a sure-kill."
Souji Okita, the Captain of the First Division of the Shinsengumi, the law enforcement organization active around Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. Mumyou Sandan-Zuki (Lightless, Three-Stage Thrust)—this is the sure-kill demonic sword created by this unrivaled genius swordsman.
In the instant of the Three-Stage Thrust, the First Thrust, Second Thrust, and Third Thrust exist simultaneously at the same location.
Even if one defends against the First Thrust, they will still be pierced by the Second and Third Thrusts, which occupy the same space.
This contradiction causes a saturation of phenomena at the tip of the sword.
Thus, the Three-Stage Thrust is effectively an undefendable sword technique. As an application, the saturation of phenomena born from the result is also very proficient at object destruction.
Emiya did not expect to understand this secret sword, created through super-exquisite skill and speed, in a short time. But if he can simply understand the technique and output Cursed Energy and physical damage simultaneously, the probability of successfully executing a Black Flash will significantly increase.
"I see. A genius swordsman from over a hundred years ago. But thrusting three times at the same time... is that actually possible?"
Satoru Gojo certainly knew who Souji Okita was.
After all, this genius swordsman often appears as a beautiful youth not only in various films and television but also in many anime.
But if that's the case, if every great historical swordsman truly possessed such physically impossible sword techniques, it's a wonder that Cursed Spirits and Sorcerers have managed to be so rampant until now.
"Instead of fussing over that, isn't it right in front of you?" Emiya moved his slightly stiff body and placed the long sword in front of Satoru Gojo. What could be more real than the object right in front of him?
"Honestly, your strength is already impressive enough. If you can really gather all those illogical techniques... I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of monster you'll eventually become."
The thought of Emiya constantly growing stronger almost made Satoru Gojo break into a delighted, auntie-like smile.
"Also, the reason I came back so early this time is because of something else—
I have a lead on the matter you asked me to investigate—the place where the 'Mountain God' was artificially created. According to the records in Jujutsu High's documents...
That was once an active volcano."
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting