Chapter 19. December 2017 (Part 1)

Name: Yami Sukeyhiro

Path: Red Priest — Middle Sequence 6: Conspirer

Acting Process: 8%

Abilities: [Enhanced Physical Attributes — Highest Rank], [Heightened Senses — Highest Rank], [Trap Mastery — Highest Rank], [Survival Knowledge — Highest Rank], [Spirituality — Highest Rank], [Sense of Danger — Highest Rank], [Provocation — Highest Rank], [Pyrokinesis — Highest Rank], [Fire Spells — Highest Rank], [Fire Resistance — Highest Rank]

New Abilities: [Conspiracy — High Rank], [Fiery Teleportation — Middle Rank], [Incitement — Highest Rank]

Looking at the list of my abilities, I couldn't help but shake my head at how interconnected the Sequences truly were. In place of [Provocation] from the Eighth Sequence came [Incitement] from the Sixth Sequence. My mental abilities, which had improved in the Ninth and Eighth Sequences, took a huge leap once I became a "Conspirer." And to say that [Fiery Teleportation] was a direct extension of the Pyromancer's [Fire Spells] didn't even need mentioning.

Since that day, an entirely new world unfolded before my eyes, and my perspective on "Spirituality" changed. It happened because I discovered "Reflection." Although in theory, it shouldn't have had such a profound impact on me and increased my strength, observations indicated the opposite. If other worlds had the Beyond, then this ritual seemingly served as a foundation for them to master their Sequence. In my case, I reached the Seventh Sequence solely through training and battles, with a lot of practice and little theory. So when a gap in my knowledge filled my mind, I became stronger with incredible speed and quality.

In reality, the topic of Beyonds from other worlds both fascinated and frightened me simultaneously. All these ideas would have remained mere conjectures if not for the moment when I established a connection with the "City of Calamities" and felt something so distant in the Spiritual World that it seemed almost impossible. Perhaps it was another world or a different Beyond — though in any case, I had no plans to meddle in a "cosmic-scale shootout." Of course, it was fascinating, and my inner Pyromaniac was eager to burst out with cries of, "Why so serious? We like dynamite, gunpowder, and gasoline! And when there's more of that on a cosmic scale, you're not far from wetting your pants!" Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I was too weak and emotionally attached to this world to even dare to explore the unknown.

But there was no doubt in exploring my newly acquired and improved abilities... Damn, my bones itched in anticipation of unleashing all that power boiling in my soul!

So, in order, let's start with the "most boring."

Rushing at my maximum speed without using Cursed Energy, I was like a bullet, hiding behind trees and weaving circles around the guys in an attempt to confuse their senses.

"I've got goosebumps from his speed," I heard Yuta's voice, muffled by the roar of the wind.

And again, upon transitioning to the next Sequence, my physical strength leaped. Although this time the enhancement was equally radical, if I were to compare myself to the main character of this world, Itadori Yuji, specifically at the time of the next "Exchange Event" when he would be fighting Todo, I was stronger—not significantly, but I managed to knock down the future Todo, something Yuji wouldn't be able to do. Of course, it was cool, but knowing what kind of "monster" I would have to face in Shibuya in a year... I think, for him, I would be just a regular kid, maybe a bit stronger than usual, but still just a kid.

The combination of spiritual and physical improvement heightened my five senses and spiritual perception so much that, coupled with my new abilities, I could become the greatest detective. Thank God, there's no "Batman" in this world. As befitting a Conspirer, I gained sharper and clearer thinking, turning me into a decent tactician. It's worth mentioning that my enhanced sensory organs became so "enhanced" that now, with focus, I could see air currents, a feat only one person in my memory could boast.

"What an annoying tactic, but quite effective... I like it," Maki commented. "Hey, Super Cool Sorcerers, maybe you should try tracking him through Cursed Energy?"

"Easier said than done," Panda complained.

"Salmon," Toge nodded quietly.

"What are you talking about?" the girl asked, staring at her helpless comrades.

"It feels like he's playing with us, leaving plenty of traces of His Cursed Energy, and then somehow erasing them in random order..." Yuta replied.

Physical strength is cool, of course, but first and foremost, I'm a Pyromancer, so I almost experienced ecstasy the moment I felt the changes in my Spirituality for the first time. Like when transitioning to the Ninth, Eighth, and Seventh Sequences, my "foundation," the basis of all my abilities — Spirituality — was qualitatively improved first and foremost. However, this time, everything was much more radical. As a result, my overall supply of Cursed Energy almost quadrupled. Moreover, manipulating Cursed Energy became much easier, prompting me to focus on studying the "Reverse Technique," colloquially known as the "Healing Technique." Fortunately, there were three Sorcerers in Tokyo School who had mastered it.

However, above all, there were noticeable changes in my mastery of [Pyrokinesis]. The precision of control, the volume of controlled flames, the range of my influence on fire, and the temperature of the flames — all these parameters reached a new level of mastery. Now, thanks to this, the weapons I created using the Third Aspect: Flame Armament, became tangible, allowing me to use them for blocking and parrying. Moreover, the arsenal of created weapons itself expanded, giving me the ability to create even complex items like whips and bows with arrows.

Another significant improvement was that my previous strongest and finishing move against a single target was "Second Spell: Blazing Spear." All thanks to the ability to use a special white flame, much more powerful and hotter than my usual crimson flame. It was created using another one of my Aspects — Compression. Now, the complexity of compressing the crimson flame multiple times to form scorching white flames decreased. The required time was significantly shortened and, depending on the appearance of the flames and the density of energy, ranged from less than one to three seconds.

Overall, I'm thrilled at how strong I've become... Hmm, wouldn't mind testing my strength in a duel with two other "Fire Mages" I know. Although, if I have to choose between facing Sukuna and Jogo, I'd prefer to start with a battle against Sukuna. Because thanks to the plot, I'll have the opportunity to face him when he's less powerful than Jogo.

"Red caviar," Toge mused.

"Same here," Yuta nodded. "It seems like he's using a Technique that confuses us..."

"So, you're as useless as I am?" the girl smirked cheekily.

"Panda is disappointed," Panda gloomily replied, squatting down, drawing circles on the ground with his claws.

And now, onto the most interesting part: Conspiracy, Fiery Teleportation, and Incitement!

I remember an anime from my past life where one of the villains used magic that controls the direction of the target, not limited by physical parameters. In other words, by distorting the perception of direction, this magic allows evading pursuit, but more importantly, it allows imposing on the victim that its user is either not nearby or his existence is so insignificant that essentially he doesn't exist. Why am I mentioning this? [Conspiracy] — magic designed to cause confusion, deceive, and point in the wrong direction. It could be something simple, like finding a pretext for justification and deception, something of medium complexity, like playing with words and their meaning and imposing the goal of one's own or deliberately incorrect opinion, or something complex, like evading the observation of a Sorcerer who can see every meter around them within a radius of several kilometers.

And at the moment, racing at bullet speed around classmates, I was experiencing [Conspiracy] in action. It's a pity, of course, that I couldn't completely erase my presence, but the fact that they couldn't track me through my Cursed Energy couldn't help but please me.

Noticing that the guys seemed a bit too relaxed, I continued without stopping, releasing numerous fireballs. Due to the high speed of my movement and the short length of the circumference I was running along, I managed to create a kind of barrier of fire from small fireballs. Of course, in favor of quantity, I had to lower the quality and destructive power, but it didn't bother me; on the contrary, that was the plan.

At the moment when I emerged from behind the trees and dashed towards Yuta, who had his back to me, Toge noticed me and, lowering his collar, shouted:

"Explode!" The guy became much stronger and more experienced since he enrolled in the magical school, so instead of directing this command at me, it went somewhere underground.