Ch 46 Final Shikigami
After the intense fight between Garuda and Ichiro yesterday, Ichiro found himself seated in the living room the next morning, sharing breakfast with Kyle, who had returned from his business trip late last night. The sun cast a warm glow through the windows, but Ichiro's mind was elsewhere, replaying the battle and the lingering pain from Garuda's arrows. As they ate, Kyle couldn't help but notice Ichiro's distant expression and the way he absentmindedly pushed his food around on his plate. Concern etched across Kyle's face, he cautiously broke the silence.
"Hey, Ichiro, is something wrong?" Kyle asked, his voice gentle but probing.
Ichiro, snapped out of his reverie, looked up, startled. "Huh? What do you mean, Kyle?"
Kyle leaned forward, his eyes filled with worry. "It's just that you seem distracted, like there's something on your mind. You've been staring at your food for a while now, and it's starting to worry me a bit."
"Oh, I see," Ichiro replied, a sheepish smile forming on his lips. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Guess I got lost in my thoughts, hahaha."
Kyle wasn't convinced, but he didn't want to push too hard. He decided to offer some reassurance instead. "Well, if there's something going on in your life, feel free to tell me. I wouldn't mind giving you some advice, alright?"
With a playful grin, Kyle puffed up his chest and slammed his fist against it, the gesture meant to convey his readiness to help. "You know I've got your back."
Ichiro couldn't help but chuckle at Kyle's antics, feeling a bit lighter. "Alright, I will. Thanks, Kyle."
'Sorry, Kyle, I can't just tell you about my problem, given that my problem involves my shikigami, but I'm really grateful though,' Ichiro thought inwardly, masking his appreciation with a casual smile. After finishing his breakfast, he stood up.
"Oh? Going out?" Kyle asked, noticing Ichiro's movement.
"Yeah, I'll be going for a bit, Kyle," Ichiro replied.
Kyle nodded. "Oh, I see. Well, be back before it gets dark, okay?"
"Yeah, I will," Ichiro reassured him.
After their brief conversation, Ichiro headed out, making his way to the battleground where countless fights had occurred. The sun was high, and the air was heavy with the lingering energy of past battles. Ichiro took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the upcoming challenge.
"Alright, let's do this," he murmured to himself, determination steeling his voice.
He stretched out his hand, focusing his energy, and began his chant. The air around him seemed to hum with power as he called upon his shikigami.
"From the depths where shadows converge,
Arise, O Sovereign of Twelvefold Resurrection Eclipse.
By the blade that cleaves through dimensions,
And the cursed energy that defies the void,
I call upon thee, Ergo,
Sovereign of Twelvefold Resurrection Eclipse.
Shatter the light, devour the hope,
Bring forth the eternal night."
After finishing the chant, Ichiro's surroundings became dark as if the darkness had conquered the light. He watched in awe as the phenomenon unfolded, feeling a mix of anticipation and unease. A black silhouette appeared in front of him, covered in multiple chains brimming with different kinds of sinister energy.
Ichiro's eyes were drawn to the ends of each chain, anchored to what seemed to be giant statues of humans. However, there was something distinctly different about them. As Ichiro looked at these statues, he felt an eerie sensation that he couldn't explain. The statues exuded an ancient and foreboding presence, as if they were guardians of some long-forgotten power.
After a few seconds, the black figure suddenly began to squirm, attempting to break free from the chains that bound it. Ichiro could only watch, mesmerized by the sight of the monster he had summoned. As the figure continued to struggle, some of the chains began to snap, and several statues started to crumble and fall, dragged down by the weight of the broken chains.
With the final chain breaking loose, the creature stood tall and turned its gaze towards Ichiro. The being, now free, exuded an overwhelming presence. It began to slowly walk towards him, each step echoing ominously in the darkened space. As it approached, the creature materialized a great sword in its left hand, the blade shimmering with a dark, otherworldly energy.
'Summoning a shikigami like Mahoraga is considered suicidal. No one in the Zenin family has ever managed to tame Mahoraga. Given that Ergo is essentially Mahoraga's counterpart, what I'm doing right now is equivalent to signing my own death warrant. However, I have a significant advantage I can't truly die. My body will just automatically auto repairs itself, so even if my entire head or body is destroyed. I can still heal myself as long as there's cursed energy around, so I'm basically immortal right now'
As the Shikigami closed in, Ichiro prepared himself for the onslaught about to unfold. The distance between them narrowed, and suddenly, the darkened scenery shifted back to normal. As Ergo's body was bathed in sunlight, the silhouette that Ichiro had seen earlier transformed into a fully visible figure.
Ergo's dark, imposing form came into view. Instead of four wings, he had four horns protruding from his head. Unlike Mahoraga, who had a head-like tail, Ergo was devoid of such a feature, making his appearance even more menacing and terrifying.
Ergo's body, height, and outfit were similar to Mahoraga's, yet the colors were distinctly different. Instead of black clothing, Ergo was adorned in white robes with golden outlines and a pair of gold bracelets, resembling the polar opposite of Mahoraga. However, the most striking feature of Ergo's appearance was the giant concentric circles hovering above his head.
These circles had a unique and ominous design. The largest ring had twelve elongated spikes on its outer edge, each spike marked with a number from 1 to 12. The second ring contained a single spike pointing directly at the number 1, and the innermost ring mirrored this, also pointing at the number 1.
As Ergo approached Ichiro, they found themselves in a tense standoff. Ichiro could feel the weight of the Shikigami's presence and the overwhelming power radiating from him. Despite the impending danger, Ichiro remained resolute, aware that his own unique ability to heal and regenerate would be his key to surviving this encounter.
Ergo's locked onto Ichiro, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. The two combatants, each understanding the gravity of the situation, prepared for the inevitable clash.
In this moment of stillness, Ichiro's mind raced. He knew the challenge ahead was unlike anything he had faced before. But he was ready. With his sword at the ready and his determination unyielding, he awaited Ergo's first move.
The battle between them was about to begin, and the fate of this encounter would shape Ichiro's destiny in his quest to master the ultimate Shikigami.
They size each other up, Ergo uses his right hand to smash Ichiro to the ground. To Ergo's surprise, Ichiro manages to block the attack with his left hand, but the only thing that ergo manage to do is caused the ground below Ichiro to cave in. Seizing the opportunity, Ichiro punches Ergo in the stomach, sending him across the dried land. Ergo quickly stands up and sprints towards Ichiro, drawing his great sword to cleave Ichiro in half. Ichiro retaliates, and they exchange a series of slashes. Ichiro begins to receive more attacks than he gives, sensing that Ergo might be adapting to his fighting style. Ichiro backs off gaining space between them he then releases his cursed energy towards his surrounding's, materializing into different kinds of special grades from big to small, to unique and grotesque. The special grades then attack Ergo simultaneously, but none of them manage to land a single hit as Ergo easily dodges or cuts each one in half. As Whenever they were in ergo's range they would instantly takes care of as no special grades was able to react to ergo's speed and fluid movement
A/N btw ergo's ability is not adaptation like mahoraga, so this is just ichiro's speculation that ergo might be adapting