Chapter 38:Means+Resources=Success

Under the beautiful deep blue sky of midday, lies a shallow forest. Trees are spaced a few meters apart from each other, grass grows uncontrollably reaching up to 20 cm and rocks emerge from all this greenery like small islands in an ocean. 

"Flaming leaves".

Leaping skyward from one of the multiple rocks and fully opening a fan of colorful feathers wrapped in flames. Asahiko, an Onmyōji who has become famous these past few days in the nearby regions, creates a bunch of crimson flames before they solidify into a red crescent shape flying towards all directions. 

The explosion that the vast majority would expect did not happen in the tall grass or nearby, incredibly the crescent blades sank like a hot knife in butter, leaving behind long scars and no sign of flames demonstrating his incredible control over them. 

"Here it comes!"

Landing in a controlled manner on the surface of the same rock on which he undertook the jump, he retracts the flames of his fan before placing a smirk of superiority towards the nearby grass. Something underground doesn't seem to like Asahiko's smirk, causing in a few moments a crack to form in the earth and something begins to emerge from there. 

"Ignorant human - you will die for trespassing on my territory!"

The first thing that emerges from the earth is a long fleshy skin-colored horn that attacks towards the stone, although Asahiko had already disappeared from there beforehand, making the attack completely useless. After that everything around the horn collapses before a bulky body clad with black hair, four legs bearing long nails and small eyes appears on the scene. 

"It's a mole... well that explains a lot of things we were told in the village. Oops you almost hit me~"

Dodging a sort of compressed air cannon with crushed rocks inside that is shot from the animal's trunk, it lands on another rock easily at the same time it starts talking mockingly and completely ignores the huge angry mole. 

"You smug human!"

Striking its hind legs and trying to raise its upper part as if it was going to launch a final attack, an arrow pierces the blue sky leaving only a pink trail in its path and in less than a second without letting anyone react it is embedded in the mole's forehead giving it an end. 

"Well, now it's my turn to clean up this mess."

Some time later... 

Christopher pov. 

Holding the horse's rein with one hand and admiring how the newly acquired fragment changes from light to deep pink as I pull it up or pick it up in my hand. I stop all this before embedding it in my forehead with the other five fragments. If anyone wonders how I got so many fragments, I can only say... Intense harvest! 

"Why do you still place them on your forehead? You should be able to feel that the effect is greater if you apply it to the area in question. Hands for strength or on your feet for speed."

Finishing wiping the blood flowing down my forehead for a few seconds, he looks at Kikyo in surprise at her question and the opinions she presents. I've noticed the last few days how she treats her shards, making this rather strange thing she says about using them.

Mm... well. First of all for beauty, I want a diamond between my eyebrows and not something weird. Second for Cloudy Fang, that sword tries to control my mind at every moment of slip. Third, as a medicine or placebo, it manages to trick my mind."

Talking first about why the fragments were placed, I watch his eyes give me an extremely lost look before regaining it when I start on the serious topics. Whether it's about Clouded Fang in his eternal quest to control my mind or how these fragments serve as a placebo. 

"I understand the first situation and the second, though the third I cannot comprehend."

"Let's put this situation. As a normal person you can't lift a horse with one hand, but then you instantly gain the power to do so, obviously your perception will be sealed in the first situation. Making it difficult for you to take full advantage of that new strength."

Accepting Kikyo's words and looking ahead where a small village surrounded by rice plantations begins to appear, I explain my situation with a rather minimalist example earning me a look that forces me to go ahead with my explanation. 

"So and as an escape from that situation. I use the fragments because my mind recognizes that they make their wearers stronger and thus release a part of the power it unconsciously retains."

"Doesn't that mean that the problem gets bigger for every shard you get? Think about it, the shard increases the characteristics of the area in which it is located, but also the power in general. I'm pretty sure it's more power that is increased by the shards than released by your mind."

Her words made all the sense in the world, of course, if it wasn't part of my plan to fatten them up before cutting one to make a sword and have all the currently accumulated power turned into another seventh tail. I don't plan on keeping six!

"I've got it all under control."

Receiving a nod from him and entering the rice village, we move swiftly towards the largest house where the village leader is located.