Chapter 174: Next Up is a Fifteen-Fold Noble Phantasm Release!
It is said that the power boost of a Black Flash is the 2.5th power of the original strike, but in reality, there is a slight error in that phrasing.
As is common knowledge, 0 and 1 are two very special numbers in mathematical concepts. If the original power is represented as 1, then the final calculation would still only be 1, making the power boost a moot point. However, if the base power is not 1, but a number like 2, 3, or 5, the amplification brought by the 2.5th power is entirely different.
The 2.5th power of 2 is approximately 5.6, and the 2.5th power of 3 is approximately 15. But when the base reaches 5, the final result immediately jumps to an exaggerated value of 55 times.
In the entire world of ACG, the only place where numbers stack to such an absurd degree is the battle-shonen Dragon Ball, where characters can easily blow up and restore the entire universe. The Jujutsu world, confined merely to Earth, clearly cannot compare.
So, does this mean the calculation of the 2.5th power for a Black Flash is completely wrong?
Actually, it isn't. Most sorcerers cannot release Black Flashes at will to test them, but Emiya, possessing Hrunting, absolutely can. According to the results of his numerous tests, he discovered that when using a Black Flash, the base value is positioned at 2—meaning the effect of a Black Flash grants the attack roughly a 5.6-fold increase in power.
As Emiya gradually increases his own strength, the amplification multiplier also sees a slight rise, as if the base value increases from 2 to 2.1. Thus, the conclusion reached was: the power boost of a Black Flash is the 2.5th power of a base starting at 2, and this base value grows slowly as the initial power of the strike increases.
Most sorcerers likely won't be able to raise the Black Flash boost to a base of 3—which would be a 15-fold increase—in their entire lives.
Whether they have the underlying strength is one thing, but more importantly, triggering a Black Flash is a random event for them.
Can they trigger a Black Flash on a full-power strike every time? It's impossible; even Satoru Gojo can't do it.
If anyone has a sliver of hope, it would be the current record holder for "Consecutive Black Flashes," Itadori Yuji. But even he only has the potential. If Emiya uses Hrunting, he can use both the Axe-Sword and Hrunting simultaneously, using the latter to increase the probability of the former triggering a Black Flash.
According to Emiya's calculations, the offensive performance of the Axe-Sword can likely push the base value above 2.5, and the technique known as Nine Lives Shooting the Hundred Heads can push that value to 3, obtaining a power boost of over 15 times.
Imagine a technique that is already peerless and capable of cleaving mountains receiving a fifteen-fold boost.
What terrifying heights would its final effect reach? At that point, the idea that "physical attacks cannot hurt cursed spirits" becomes a complete joke; Emiya could easily tear a Special Grade spirit to shreds using only the skyrocketed power of Nine Lives.
Don't ask—it's the unique charm of being a "stat monster."
Similarly, Megumi Fushiguro's shadow shikigami, which use Binding Vows to discard part of their power in exchange for possibilities, are now fully worthy of being called "mechanics monsters." So, which is more nauseating: the traits of the mechanics, or the violent aesthetic of the stats? There's no need to be impatient, as Emiya will soon test for a result.
"I still suggest you deactivate your Domain first, Fushiguro!"
Emiya shouted a warning while his movements didn't slow in the slightest, his Axe-Sword swinging forward, driven by Hrunting. He knew his student wouldn't choose to surrender so easily.
"Come at me with everything, Emiya-sensei!"
Boom!
As Megumi's voice rang out, Emiya's attack landed on the body of Chimera Beast: Agito. After Emiya shared Heracles' strength through Projection Magecraft, the binding effect of the Domain was no longer very effective against him. Although using brute force to break free would rapidly consume stamina, this was nothing to Emiya now that he had mastered Reverse Cursed Technique.
The black flashes, which could only be described as "brilliant," actually complemented this ocean of shadows, making the towering Chimera Beast look like the external invader.
Hrunting, moving a step ahead, precisely carved into the antlers inherited from Madoka, shearing off more than half while simultaneously slashing its chest. The following Axe-Sword struck from the side; Agito, incapable of feeling pain, caught it with its arms just in time, but the blow forced it down onto one knee.
Unfortunately, the first attack didn't luckily trigger a Black Flash. But it didn't matter; Emiya had many more trials planned. Yet, just as he was about to continue his assault, the arm holding the Axe-Sword suddenly felt empty—the Chimera Beast had turned into shadow and melted away, reappearing not far behind Emiya.
"I see, so you can overcome the weakness of clunkiness within the Domain? That is indeed very useful."
Praise fell from Emiya's lips even as his hands prepared for another attack. Suddenly, the shadows beneath his feet seemed to gain a life of their own, rapidly climbing his body. In moments, they enveloped the better half of Emiya, binding him firmly in place.
Human strength and destructiveness do not originate solely from pure muscle action, but also from unconscious body coordination and the stacking of momentum. Why can professionally trained people unleash more power under the same conditions? Because they can coordinate the muscles of their entire body, focusing the force into a fist or a leg.
However, in a state where the entire body is firmly bound, that technique completely loses its space to function, leaving only the ability to mobilize muscle strength from individual parts. This kind of restraint is fatal for anyone, as they cannot achieve vertical force like a machine; they only feel the frustration of having strength throughout their body but being unable to utilize it.
Emiya had fallen into this predicament through a moment of oversight. Of course, he wasn't completely without the strength to break free, but it still gave the enemy a moment of room to buffer and prepare.
Chimera Beast: Agito, with the lower body of Divine Dog, scraped its paws a few times before launching a charge at Emiya at extreme speed. Clearly, the ability originating from Piercing Bull was only stronger in its hands. It lowered its remaining antlers and initiated a life-risking charge, stirring up a momentum that shook the earth even over a buffer of only dozens of meters.
"As if... I'd let you succeed!"
The horrifying attack was right before his eyes, yet Emiya became increasingly calm. He stood silently, staring at the opponent for a few seconds before erupting with power the instant they closed in, sending Hrunting and the Axe-Sword together toward the front of Agito—
BOOM!
The black flash this time was far more brilliant than the last, as its subject had switched from a single weapon to two. If a truck and a car collide, the outcome is obviously the small car being crushed without suspense. But what if a massive truck and another, even larger truck collide at high speed?
The winner is obvious, but the impact caused is entirely different. After all, force is always reciprocal; the power sustained by these two came not just from each other, but also from the earth, and even the air could be factored in when force reaches its extreme.
The current situation was exactly that—the shadow-covered ground shattered and exploded under the impact, carrying the viscous, invisible shadows and airwaves far into the distance. If the surroundings were like this, could Agito, positioned at the very center of the impact, be feeling any better?
The answer was, of course, no.
Under the impact of the horrific force, more than half of Agito's body was compressed into severe deformation. After its entire body was squeezed to the limit like a high-speed tennis ball, it finally flew backward violently in the direction it had come—
Bang—!
The Chimera Beast flew for an unknown number of meters, snapping several thick trees before being embedded into a certain rock wall and stopping, clearly no longer capable of fighting.
However, even after sustaining such power, Megumi's Domain was still not deactivated. This was an existence that transcended ordinary methods of attack; to date, there had never been an instance of external force directly ending or breaking a Domain from the inside. Just like someone trying to use ordinary strength to break a Reality Marble from within—is that possible?
"...?"
When Emiya's attention returned to Megumi, he discovered that three shikigami had reappeared behind the youth at some unknown point, yet Megumi had no intention of letting them attack.
"One must always maintain an overview of the entire field during battle... that's what you taught me, Emiya-sensei...
I offer these three shikigami as Tributes! At 0 Attack Power, I Special Summon—Come forth, Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga!!"
Unlike when the previous shikigami appeared, the background for this final shikigami was a field of profound, deep pitch-black. Just like its name suggests, it seemed Mahoraga was a Divine General who governed the darkness, capable of easily bringing destruction to enemies.
Although the Mahoraga Megumi summoned now was at the cost of discarding its means of attack, Emiya had already heard that Mahoraga's true strength lay not in destructive power, but in unparalleled adaptation and recovery.
As long as an attack failed to erase it in a single instant, it could rapidly restore its damaged body and adapt to/become immune to that previous attack.
It sounded exactly like Heracles' God Hand (Twelve Labors).
Emiya was quite curious to know: is the power of the Divine General Mahoraga stronger, or is the strength of the Great Hero Heracles greater?
"Then I shouldn't hold back any longer either."
Emiya raised Hrunting and the Axe-Sword, crossing them together. Subsequently, a visible black light covered them—the omen of a Black Flash being brewed.
Theoretically, what followed would be a horrific attack with a fifteen-fold boost—
"—NINE LIVES BLADE WORKS!!!"
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