Chapter 179: Subjugating Mahoraga
Once a subjugation ritual begins, it cannot be stopped.
If Zen'in Kaon were to lose to Mahoraga, the only option would be for a third party to intervene and eliminate it.
Even as a special-grade sorcerer, relying solely on the Ten Shadows Technique to deal with Mahoraga would be extremely difficult.
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"Uncle?"
When Kaon heard her cousin mention bringing her Uncle over, she was instantly confused.
Didn't her Uncle have no cursed energy? How was he supposed to help?
Could it be that Mahoraga's weakness was… ordinary humans with no cursed energy?
Before she could think it through, Fushiguro Megumi had already brought Toji over.
Standing at a distance, Toji looked at her calmly.
"Kaon, go ahead. Start the ritual. Don't hold back."
If anything went wrong, he would eliminate Mahoraga instantly.
Mahoraga might be terrifyingly powerful, but it didn't belong to the category of sorcerers. No matter how strong its adaptive ability was, it still needed something to adapt to.
"Oh… okay."
Kaon didn't fully understand the situation, but now wasn't the time to overthink.
She took a deep breath, her expression turning serious.
Her hands formed seals as she began chanting softly:
"Buryu… Yura Yura…"
As the hand signs shifted continuously, cursed energy erupted violently from her body, and the surrounding atmosphere began to warp unnaturally.
"Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General—Mahoraga!"
Clang!
Making its first appearance, Mahoraga was once again wrapped like a massive cocoon, resembling a grotesque yet awe-inspiring work of art.
Rip—!
The white wrappings tore apart, revealing Mahoraga's towering, muscular form before Kaon.
Looking up at the monster—so large it could easily grasp her whole body in a single hand—Kaon couldn't help swallowing hard.
This thing's presence was on an entirely different level from the other nine shikigami.
Not even close.
At the same time as her shock, a powerful surge of excitement rose in Zen'in Kaon's heart.
If she could subjugate this shikigami, then the upcoming exchange event would practically be a guaranteed victory, wouldn't it?
"Piercing Ox!"
A massive black ox burst forth from the shadows, lowering its head as it charged straight at Mahoraga with unstoppable momentum.
Kaon intended to test the final shikigami's combat style first.
Faced with the ox's ferocious charge, Mahoraga merely raised its arm calmly.
The Sword of Extermination materialized in its hand.
Swish—
With a casual downward slash, a crack split the ox cleanly from head to tail.
Crash.
In less than a second, the once–menacing Piercing Ox dissolved back into shadow.
The entire process was effortless—like a father disciplining his child.
Mahoraga fixed its gaze on the one who had summoned it, then opened its mouth as energy surged violently outward.
"ROAR—!!"
The thunderous bellow released an overwhelming shockwave that blasted Kaon straight back through the air.
"Damn it—!"
She couldn't help swearing as her body was sent flying.
Was this really something that could be subdued with the Ten Shadows Technique?!
It had erased her Piercing Ox like it was nothing.
Watching Mahoraga stride toward her step by step, Kaon scrambled to her feet and formed hand seals.
"Max Elephant!"
A massive pink elephant descended from the sky, landing in front of her. After trumpeting loudly, it swung its trunk and unleashed a torrential flood, attempting to drown Mahoraga.
Mahoraga responded by leaping high into the air.
Gripping the Sword of Extermination, it cleaved downward with terrifying force.
BOOM—!!
The elephant was split clean in half.
The ground itself tore open into a long ravine as the slash continued onward, striking Kaon directly.
In an instant, a savage wound opened across her body, blood spraying outward.
"Ghh…!"
Kaon grit her teeth in pain. Without cursed energy reinforcement, that blow would have crippled her.
She had never been injured this badly in her life.
"Round Deer!"
She rapidly switched hand signs, summoning Round Deer to heal her wounds.
At the same time, she retreated at full speed. The moment her injuries were restored, she dismissed the deer and summoned Nue, taking to the air.
Now she finally understood why no one before her (except her cousin) had ever subdued this final shikigami.
No matter how creatively the Ten Shadows Technique was used, Mahoraga was simply on a different level—let alone destroying it completely.
"I have to use Star Rage."
Kaon made her decision without hesitation.
Forming seals midair, she called out, "Divine Dogs!"
A black and a white dog emerged on the ground, weaving together as they charged Mahoraga.
Mahoraga tilted its head slightly, dismissed the sword, bent its knees—and exploded forward.
Its massive body carried overwhelming force as its clenched fists smashed toward the two dogs.
Fortunately, the Divine Dogs were small and agile, barely managing to evade.
"Awooo—!"
The white dog drew Mahoraga's attention while the black dog lunged from the side, claws flashing toward Mahoraga's waist.
RIP—!!
The strike tore through flesh, carving a bloody hole straight through Mahoraga's side.
Mahoraga's body lurched violently, its balance broken by the impact.
Seeing this, Kaon's eyes lit up.
As expected—Star Rage hit hard.
In the past, she had always applied Star Rage to an entire shikigami, increasing its overall imaginary mass. But after days of training, she realized that was an enormous waste of cursed energy.
This time, she reinforced only the black dog's attacking claws.
The result was vastly higher efficiency.
Less cursed energy consumption—and far greater destructive power.
However, just as Kaon felt triumphant, the wound on Mahoraga's body healed within moments.
At the same time, the halo behind its back began to glow faintly.
It was adapting.
From the distance, Fushiguro Megumi shouted urgently:
"Don't give it time to adapt! Use everything you have—finish it now!"
"Got it!"
Kaon's expression darkened instantly.
She commanded Nue to retreat further back as her cursed energy erupted at full force.
"Rabbit Escape!"
Thousands of rabbits flooded into existence, completely surrounding Mahoraga.
Seizing the moment, Kaon dismissed every shikigami except Rabbit Escape. Her body began to fall from the sky.
"Kill it!"
She shouted, unleashing all her remaining cursed energy.
Star Rage activated.
The maximum imaginary mass she could possibly generate was layered onto a single rabbit.
BOOM—!!
In an instant, countless rabbits were crushed into shadow by an overwhelming gravitational pull.
The earth trembled. Grass, sand, and stone vibrated violently.
A tiny black point appeared before Mahoraga—
a singularity radiating terrifying attraction, devouring everything nearby and grinding it into dust.
Mahoraga's body twisted violently under the force, collapsing, shattering, breaking apart—
Yet even as it was destroyed, it struggled madly, its form rebuilding and breaking again in a fragile equilibrium.
"Damn it… it's not enough!"
Kaon's heart sank as she watched.
This subjugation…
was about to fail.