25+ Advance chapters on Patreon
'Is this "on-site embedding" serious?'
Yuto's thoughts drifted briefly. The system's phrasing was vague, almost teasing. He shook it off and opened the information list, scanning it with focus.
The "Spirit Foundation Embedding" was straightforward: enhance someone's Spirit Foundation through touch, like filling a progress bar from 0 to 100 until complete.
"Tsk tsk, this is great… no, wait! It's too improper," he muttered under his breath.
He glanced at the three girls beside him. Their curious eyes locked on him. Without wasting time, he explained the method.
"Wait… what!?" Mei Misaki's voice spiked, her face turning pink. Her red eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why is there such a shameless way to get stronger? Are you sure this isn't just an excuse to mess with us?"
"Strength through touch…" Yomi Isayama's tone was calmer, though a trace of unease slipped through. She shifted slightly, her practical mind taking over. "Yuto-kun, tell me more about these weird power of yours." Yomi trusted evidence, and Yuto's confidence intrigued her.
Benio Adashino crossed her arms, her sharp gaze cutting through the air. "If this is a legitimate path to power, I'm in," she declared, her voice firm and unwavering. As a seasoned exorcist, she didn't flinch at unconventional methods. "Show me. Now."
"Alright let me explain how this works." Yuto said, his expression serious, almost ceremonial
.......
"Alright, Benio, you're first," Yuto said after explaining them.
He extended his hands, and three Shadow Servants materialized as spirit projections in his palms:
Shadow Servant - "Medusa"Shadow Servant - "Kiyohime"Shadow Servant - "Hassan of the Serenity"
Their auras pulsed, filling the room with quiet intensity.
Benio's eyes locked onto them, assessing each one with a warrior's precision. Hassan of the Serenity's lethal grace matched her fighting style. She nodded sharply. "I'll take Hassan of the Serenity," she decided, her tone leaving no room for doubt.
Half an hour later, the room settled into silence, the earlier tension dissolving. Benio stepped back, her breathing steady, her presence radiating newfound power.
"Hassan of the Serenity's Spirit Foundation comes with three skills," she said, her voice analytical yet edged with satisfaction. "Infiltration specialization for disguises, throwing poisoned blades with bone-eating venom, and the Pale Dance of Death."
"As Yuto said earlier, I'm immune to poison now," she added. "My body's a weapon; nails, skin, blood, all deadly. Her Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya: Delusional Poison Body, triggers with a kiss, but mine's weaker than the original. I'll stick to blades in combat."
The skills synced perfectly with her exorcist expertise, amplifying her already formidable abilities. Her composure held, but a flicker of pride gleamed in her eyes.
Yomi and Mei, inspired by her resolve, stepped forward to embed their own Spirit Foundations.
...…
"Not bad," Yomi said, her voice even. Medusa's Spirit Foundation had reshaped her most visibly. She clenched her fist, and the air hummed with a sharp burst.
"Medusa's strength doesn't match her delicate appearance," Yomi observed. "My power and speed have spiked."
"Nameless Dagger," she murmured, summoning Medusa (Rider)'s weapon, a spiked nail tethered to a chain. The chain-sword could bind or pierce, ideal for ranged attacks.
"It's a Shadow Servant, so I only got one Noble Phantasm, Breaker Gorgon," Yomi explained. "It's for sealing Mystic Eyes, but I can use it to influence an enemy's mind slightly. Plus, I've gained the Mystic Eyes of Petrification."
Her eyes shifted to a stony gray-brown, exuding a heavy pressure.
"I got Kiyohime's Spirit Foundation," Mei said, tilting her head. "I can breathe spirit fire and transform into a fire-spitting serpent. But…" She blinked, puzzled. "Kiyohime's talking to me in my head."
"Huh?" Yuto, Yomi, and Benio turned to her in unison.
"It's real!" Mei insisted, bewildered. She tilted her head again, listening.
…So, you've got top-tier [Mad Enhancement EX], Kiyohime's voice purred in her mind. That's why we can chat. Thoughts align perfectly.
If you like someone, chase them, Kiyohime pressed. Don't let chances slip. Burn any sneaky cats in your way—
"Hey, stop!" Mei yelped aloud. "Your ideas are way too intense!"
"Wait a second"
Suddenly, Mei's body lurched forward. Her eyes flickered as Kiyohime seized control, and she planted a quick kiss on the corner of Yuto's lips.
"Aaahhh!!" Mei jolted back, her face blazing red. "You….how dare you!?"
What do you mean? I'm helping you, Kiyohime teased.
"I don't need your help!" Mei snapped. "I'll chase who I like myself…..wait, did I just say that out loud!?"
Arguing with herself was clearly Mei's forte. She stood there in her white suspender dress, delicate yet poised, her bare feet in sandals adding to her innocent charm.
The room fell quiet. Yuto crossed his arms, observing the trio, each handling their new power differently. 'Fate sure is a strange thing,' he thought.
........
Meanwhile, in the basement of Ashiya Doman's residence, a grim experiment unfolded.
The air hung cold and damp, the darkness thick with neglect. Corpses sprawled across the floor; twisted youkai remains stitched from beastly bones, mingled with ruptured human organs.
"One, two, twenty… fifty-six!?" Santouga Hiroshi's voice quaked. "He's got that manyKilling stone fragments and still lives? His potential is insane."
He stared at Nura Rikuo, the white-haired half-youkai boy, chained tightly, his thin frame studded with killing stones.
"You lunatic!" Rikuo snarled. "Where's my grandfather? Why did you slaughter the Nura Clan!?"
The youkai he'd known since childhood lay dead around him. Rage seared through him, molten and fierce. His eyes glowed red.
"Bastards! You bastards!" he roared, glaring at the corpses of his old friends. He'd once rejected leading the clan, but they'd raised him. How could he not burn with fury?
"Ugh, this stench is vile," a raspy voice interrupted.
Santouga Hiroshi turned to see Ashiya Doman step in, dragging a frail old man with an elongated skull; Nura Hyakumon, the former "Lord of Demons and Monsters," now a broken shell.
"Grandfather!?" Rikuo's voice cracked with shock.
"Cough, cough… Rikuo, you too?" Hyakumon's face twisted in anguish. He'd failed to protect his grandson.
"Not bad. Fifty-six Killing stones," Ashiya Doman said, eyeing Rikuo with approval. "But your half-youkai blood's too thin. Your grandfather will fix that."
Santouga Hiroshi's crude method is stuffing Killing stone into bodies and letting the stones erode minds and boost flesh naturally. Ashiya Doman, a master Onmyoji sorcerer, sought precision: full power with loyalty intact.
"What are you planning!?" Rikuo shouted. "Stop it!" He rattled his chains.
"Tch, a beaten dog's cries are so loud," Ashiya Doman said coldly.
In one swift motion, he snapped Hyakumon's neck before Rikuo's eyes. Blood gushed out, soaking the boy.
"You're both Nurarihyon. Same blood flows in you," Ashiya Doman said. "This fusion will thicken your veins, making you able to hold more Killing stones."
"No, I'll kill you!!" Rikuo's eyes were filled with rage. He thrashed, demonic energy surging chaotically from him. Santouga Hiroshi flinched, but Ashiya Doman smirked, casting Onmyoji spells to put Rikuo into sleep.
"Keep adding Killing stone," he commanded. "Tonight, the plan begins. Nura Rikuo must reach the most perfect state."
"Yes, sir," Santouga Hiroshi replied, bowing. The old man's cold gaze unnerved him. 'Only someone this ruthless could slay that tyrant,' he thought.
...
Yuto led Yomi, Mei, and Benio to the Keikain family estate.
The clan owned the mountain, its maple trees stretching endlessly, concealing Japanese-style buildings.
After asking the guard for a meeting, they entered together in the Keikain mansion. The mansion exuded calm refinement, its stone paths winding deep inside. Bamboo groves parted, revealing Keikain Yura, the clan head.
A short-haired girl in a sailor uniform with brown hair that shone in the sun. Her chestnut eyes, soft yet keen, held a quiet allure.
Benio sized her up instantly. As a fellow exorcist, she knew of Yura's fame. It is said that her mental strength was so vast that she could command three shikigami for a long time.
"Is your information reliable, sir?" Yura asked, her tone stern. She didn't trust strangers lightly.
"We're from the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Agency," Yomi said, flashing her ID. "We don't deal in lies."
"Please, follow me," Yura said. I need to consult the elders."
They followed her small figure to a secluded courtyard where the elders awaited. As Yuto stepped in, one elder's eyes widened, staggering back.
"Is that you?" he gasped.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$