NO. 54 - The Divine General

"This will work fine."

Jumping off the hoverboard I created using my construction technique and mechanical knowledge, I landed on a patch of dirt and looked around at the large, empty island Crow Gojo had found.

(I know, right? Pretty sweet.) Crowjo said as he flew around above me with Crow Geto landing on my left shoulder. (Satoru, mind your manners in front of Shimizu-sama.)

(Nah.) Crowjo said as he landed on my head.

Ignoring the two bickering birds, I walked over to the center of the island, which was located 500 kilometers away from Japan's mainland. At the center of this untouched chunk of dirt, a rise of land emerged, dotted with clusters of vibrant wildflowers. Here and there, patches of tall grass danced in the wind. To the east, small, jagged hills jutted out erratically.

"Alright, you two, time to bounce," I said, causing them to hop off and fly around me. "It's time to get to work." Nodding, both birds flew away from the island. Their little flapping wings pushed them out of sight.

Reaching over, I placed Zaiko on the hoverboard and pushed it out to sea once I programmed it to stop 300 meters out of the island's range. "Sorry, bud. Can't let you get caught up in this. If you get hit by the Sword of Extermination, that's it. Better safe than sorry."

"Gueh." Zaiko nodded as it glided over the ocean's waters.

After I was sure Zaiko was out of range, I took a deep breath to calm my erratic nerves. "Despite knowing what is coming, the thought of summing Mahoraga is still nerve-wracking." Despite what I said, I grinned in excitement and raised my fists up parallel to each other.

"In all of sorcerer history. There's only been one sorcerer who's managed to subjugate this Shikigami. And after today... there will be two."

Below me, my shadows danced and expanded all over the island. The once orange-yellow sky from the early morning hours instantly disappeared, leaving me alone in a pitch black. "With this treasure, I summon... " Appearing into existence, four wolves made of shadows and four frogs made of light faded in front of me. With several loud howls, the wolves cried out into the darkness as if in welcome.

"Eight-Handled Sword, Divergent Sila Divine General... Mahoraga!"

Behind me, a large 3.2 meters tall figure wrapped in a cocoon blinked to life. Dozens of glowing cords were intertwined with it, and glimmers of light fizzled all around. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the darkness as a wide maw filled with teeth emerged from the top of the cocoon. In an instant, all the cords snapped together, and a gust of steam burst around the cocoon. With a powerful rip, four extensive wings tore free from the confines of the cocoon, revealing what was inside.

A towering, muscular humanoid figure with four wings protruding from its eye sockets flexed its massive muscles as it stepped forward. Swinging from the back of its head was a tail-like appendage as the Shikigami's mouth released a low moan. Around its right hand were grey wrappings, while its loose black hakama pants were held up by a white sash. Hovering just above the Shikigami was a large eight-handled Dharma wheel.

Jumping as far back as I could, I narrowly dodged a downward punch that split the ground where I once stood. Grinning, I looked over at Mahoraga as he turned me with a large frown. Jutting out of its right fist came the Sword of Extermination.

"Amazing. The Divine General himself!" I yelled as we stared at one another. Stepping forward, I raised my hands and made the Enma Palm sign. "Sorry, Mahoraga. But I can't risk you adapting to Shrine. So let's hurry this up and have you join the team."

"Domain Expansion... Malevolent Shrine!"

Due to being composed of curse energy, Mahoraga was subject to being affected by my Shrine's Cleave attack. An attack that automatically augmented itself depending on its target's curse energy reserves.

This was an attack I couldn't properly use in a world where its humans lacked cursed energy. This left me to rely solely on Dismantle unless I could place my hands on my intended target to manually use Cleave.

Unfortunately for the Divine General, he was immediately bombarded by both deadly attacks within the Domain's sure hit area of effect, which was a whopping 200-meter radius. This resulted in the island and sea around us being ripped to shreds until nothing was left.

He's trying to adapt. I smiled at the Shikigami. Unfortunately for you, I didn't give you the time to adapt to Cleave or Dismantle!

Within a few seconds of my Domian's activation, Mahoraga was torn to shreds, leaving behind a rolling Dharma wheel on the torn-apart ground. Deactivating my Domain, I walked toward the wheel and picked it up. With a satisfied grin, I dropped the wheel back into my shadow.

"That makes ten."

Raising my hands, I resummoned Mahoraga.

"With this treasure, I summon..."

Rising from my shadows, the subjugated Divine General stood behind me. Ready for my command.

"Let's see... we have two days to get you as beefed up as we can," I said as I raised my hands, causing roaring flames to appear over one arm while wisps of ice appeared over the other. "With 18 cursed techniques available to me, 17 if we don't count the Limitless since I still can't use that properly, I'm sure we can get you to adapt to most of them."

Mahoraga said nothing; he merely nodded as he understood my intentions through our connection.

The Divine General's most notable power is its adaptation to any and all phenomena, made visible through the turning of its wheel. If the General is hit by a particular attack, the wheel turns once the attack is analyzed, and Mahoraga adapts; if its adversary uses that same technique again, Mahoraga will counter it from then on.

Mahoraga's adaptation process begins when it analyzes an attack as soon as it experiences it. The progress of this adaptation is measured by the number of times the eight-handled wheel spins. After a certain period, the adaptation is complete. During this time, if Mahoraga is struck by the same attack again, the adaptation process speeds up with each additional hit. Even after its adaptation is finished, Mahoraga can continue to analyze the attack and develop various strategies to counter it.

Generally speaking, Mahoraga's adaptations can be defensive in nature, allowing it to become physically resistant or immune to attacks while also healing any injuries sustained prior to the adaptation. Additionally, these adaptations can be auxiliary, enabling Mahoraga to perceive normally invisible attacks. Moreover, Mahoraga can also adopt offensive adaptations, which allow it to modify the properties of its own attacks so that it can bypass enemy defenses.

If done carefully, it was possible to have Mohoraga adapt to the point where almost nothing could affect it. Making it the ultimate weapon and shield that no living being could hope to overcome.

That was unless its opponent had a powerful cheating ability as well. But I'll deal with that issue when it rolls around.

I knew I wouldn't be able to push Mahoraga to adapt as far as I wanted in these short two days. But that was a non-issue. I had several more nights after today and tomorrow to continue his adaptions.

"Oh, man. We're going to be so broken!" I laughed and prepared myself for the nonstop assault I was about to unleash on the Divine General.

I then remembered that Zaiko was still floating over the sea several meters away.

"Right... Let's go get Zaiko first."

x x x

[General POV]

Amidst the hum of machinery and the soft glow of fluorescent lights, Hatsume Mei stood focused, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration from within her workshop.

Clad in a grease-stained coverall, she knelt beside a large, disassembled engine, its metallic parts scattered around her like puzzle pieces yet to be fitted together. With her toolbox at her side, she reached for a wrench, her fingers nimble and precise.

The rhythmic clinking of tools against metal filled the air as she tightened bolts with steady determination. She took a moment to wipe her brow, glancing over the intricate network of wires and components.

Mei had always been fascinated by how things worked, a curiosity that had blossomed into a passion for engineering. Each piece she handled felt alive in her hands, a challenging puzzle that begged for the right solution. Once she found that solution, she was free to innovate and improve on the original design.

As she paused to consult her notes, the world outside faded away. The engine's mechanical heart seemed to pulse in time with her own as if reacting to her every move. She took a deep breath and dove back into her task, her fingers deftly rerouting a stubborn wire. With each adjustment, she imagined the engine roaring to life.

Stepping back to inspect her work, Mei quickly grew distracted and turned back at one of the most precious babies within her workshop.

A set of mechanical arms and a chest plate sat strapped on a mannequin. These mechanical arms were the support gear she and Souta had been developing for Izuku to use in his future hero career. Thanks to many hours of hard work and testing, she and Souta were able to cycle through three new interpretations of the arms. This resulted in Mk. 4 standing proud on her old battered mannequin.

Stepping up to it, Mei brushed a gloved and dirty hand over the arms with a soft smile. The memories of her and Souta spending countless hours working together played through her mind.

"Our baby," Mei muttered as she leaned her head on the newly improved chest plate. Closing her eyes, Mei rested for a moment. Her heart began to beat faster and faster when an image of Souta's grinning face filled her mind.

Blinking in confusion, she stepped back and wondered why her mind had been thinking of her longtime friend so often. Whenever she thought of him, a pang of sadness also filled her heart when he wasn't around. Frowning, Mei walked over to her break area to grab herself a small chocolate. Looking down at a yellow sticky note, she read the handwritten note left by Souta.

"Don't eat all these in one go. They weren't cheap, so be sure to enjoy them slowly!" The note said.

Feeling her cheeks warm up, Mei began to wonder if she was coming down with some sort of bug or sickness. After unwrapping the candy, she popped it into her mouth and began enjoying the sweet treat.

"Maybe... maybe I should call him," Mei mumbled as she brought out her phone. But before she could press on his contact info, she remembered the text he sent her and everyone else in their little group chat.

[Souta: I'll be out the entire weekend. I'm doing something important, so I won't be available. I'll talk to you all on Monday╭( ๐_๐)╮]

"Ah... that's right," Mei said in disappointment before moving back to her current project. As she grabbed her tools to continue working, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of when she would get to see Souta again.

"Now then, let's see how we can improve you, Baby # 56."

-

AN:

I did some research on whether or not Mahoraga retained all its adaptions after it was unsummoned and resummoned. There were a lot of theories that said yes and a lot that said no.

Without a clear answer, I'm just going to go with yes for this story. The Opp Stoppa Raga will keep all of its adaptions after his subjugation. Something that Souta will take advantage of. This means that this Mahoraga will be quite possibly the most powerful being in the verse if given enough time and adaptions.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. Be sure to comment on today's chapter!

Until next time!