Perhaps the laws of physics in Kenmei Isayama's world were different from those in the [Temple of All Living Things] plane, or maybe something else was at play.
In that realm, Kenmei discovered that a simple chainsaw could inflict damage on the Wraiths without relying on Psychic Energy or Cursed Energy.
The effect was fantastic. The only downside was that the chainsaw jammed easily. When Kenmei killed the Wraith (Hunter), the saw got stuck on the creature's bones—which were far harder than a normal villager's—and the engine burned out.
Unlike the Cursed Spirits in his own world, which could only be exorcised with Cursed Energy and were immune to physical damage, cold steel could deal fatal blows to the Wraiths in the Temple plane.
If cold steel worked, there was no reason why firearms—hundreds of times more powerful—wouldn't work.
Gunpowder is one of humanity's most terrifying inventions. It skyrocketed casualty rates in war to horrific levels. Against firearms, cold weapons were no different from toys.
So, if Kenmei could get his hands on something like explosives, let alone fighting those terrifying Wraiths, he'd have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with the even more horrific entities inside the Temple itself.
Could that temple gate withstand a cluster bomb?
The only problem was that Kenmei was broke and powerless. He couldn't get any of that stuff.
Forget humanity's ultimate weapon, the nuclear warhead; Kenmei couldn't even get his hands on a small pistol.
This was a society governed by law. Guns didn't just grow on trees; only the military and the police force had them.
The Jujutsu Association? Kenmei had never seen anyone use a gun to exorcise a Curse. Conventional firearms were useless against Cursed Spirits.
Even within the Jujutsu Association, guns were strictly prohibited.
Because Sorcerers were still made of flesh and blood. Unless they had a special defensive technique, taking a .50 caliber round would turn them into an indescribable pile of hamburger meat just like anyone else.
They were already short-staffed. Losing personnel to meaningless infighting would be a total waste.
So, no matter how high their clearance, even Grade 1 Sorcerers couldn't just requisition firearms. They had to file a joint report, clearly stating the reason, usage, and quantity, and submit it for approval by higher-ups—which wasn't guaranteed.
Of course, if Kenmei's Psychic Power reached an unimaginable level, all these problems would be solved.
A powerful Psyker could single-handedly mind-control the population of several star systems or take over every officer on a military base with sheer mental force. Easy peasy.
But that was unrealistic right now. Kenmei's Psychic Power was barely at the telekinesis stage. Controlling a person's mind was a pipe dream.
So, with his back against the wall, Kenmei turned to Rio Futaba as his last hope, offering her a pile of "tribute" (chocolate cornets).
Rio Futaba was a genius science girl on par with Asagi Aiba. Her status as a high school student was the only thing holding her back. She had participated in classified projects for aviation, aerospace, and the military industry.
Surely, she'd have experience with something as "low-tech" as a bomb, right?
But in reality, explosives research is incredibly troublesome, and humanity hadn't seen a major breakthrough in a long time.
"Cough... cough..."
"Breathe slowly. Don't gasp."
Kenmei gently patted Rio's back, afraid of hurting her.
"Drink some water."
"I'm fine, Kenmei."
Kenmei's hardcore question had completely shattered the romantic atmosphere in the science lab.
After swallowing the obstruction (bread) in her throat, Rio leaned back in her chair, relieved. She waved her hand dismissively.
"What was that just now? A joke?"
Aside from Kenmei, Rio had no friends at school, so she didn't know how normal friends interacted.
Is that how people say hello nowadays?
Rio decided to treat Kenmei's question as a bit of banter.
"Like a dad joke or something?"
"No, no. I'm serious."
Seeing that Rio had completely misunderstood and formed a weird misconception, Kenmei hurriedly explained.
"I mean literally. The kind used for mining. Improvised explosives."
"Of course, if you know how to make high-energy explosives like ONC (Octanitrocubane), HMX (Octogen), or RDX (Hexogen), that would be even better."
"Kenmei, what is wrong with you?"
Rio was genuinely afraid he was about to start listing off CL-20 (Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane) or total nitrogen explosives next.
These were all controlled hazardous materials. Even their raw ingredients were strictly regulated.
Take ONC, for example. Ten kilograms of that stuff could snap a hundred-meter skyscraper in half. Imagine that kind of destructive power in the wrong hands.
HMX and RDX were the two most widely used military explosives. The former was more expensive than gold by weight but packed a punch far greater than RDX.
Rio looked Kenmei up and down and rolled her eyes at him.
"Even if I knew how to make dangerous things like that, do you think I'd trust you with them?"
Her reasoning was simple. Rio had her own sources of information:
Rumor had it that the serial killer who murdered Kenmei's sister was hard to convict due to a history of mental illness.
If Kenmei used explosives, was he planning to execute his sister's killer himself instead of waiting for the court's judgment?
But if he did that, Kenmei would end up in prison too. Ruining his own life for scum like that wasn't worth it.
So, Rio absolutely refused to give him anything with that kind of destructive power.
"No, I really don't have any plans for revenge on society!"
Kenmei didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He could feel it. Rio was looking at him like he was a criminal-in-training.
No, it was worse.
It was the look of a heartbroken wife visiting her husband in a detention center, staring through the bulletproof glass with utter devastation.
"Look, Rio."
Kenmei looked Rio in the eye and thumped his chest solemnly.
"I swear on our friendship. I will absolutely not use anything you give me to harm a single human being in the true sense of the word. I won't kill them."
"I really don't need the explosives for revenge. I have another use for them."
"What use?"
"I can't say. But it's not for hurting people, and I won't blow up any buildings."
If he told her the truth, she'd probably think he was insane.
"I understand."
Rio was silent for a moment. She turned around, opened her laptop, and created a new blank document. The quiet classroom was suddenly filled with the rapid clack-clack-clack of typing as her slender fingers danced across the keyboard.
"I'm going to the restroom."
A moment later, she finished. She stood up and muttered to herself.
She hadn't saved the document, and the screen was still on, as if she was just taking a halftime break. Seemingly worried, she added one last instruction:
"Make sure you don't look at my computer, Kenmei."
Kenmei nodded immediately.
But the moment Rio walked out, Kenmei rushed to the computer. The document was titled:
Simple and Easy Porridge Cooking Tips
"One-Pot Method."
"Ingredients: Sugar..."
"Holy crap..."
It was clearly a recipe for "porridge," yet Kenmei read it with intense focus, gasping and exclaiming as he scrolled.
"Rio, you are awesome!"
---
Out in the hallway, hearing the shouts from inside the room...
"Idiot. There are other people in this building. Can't you keep it down?"
A blush crept onto Rio Futaba's face as she whispered a curse.
"You really are a worrisome idiot..."