Technically, the potential of Himari's «Learning» is far more terrifying than Naoki's «Pandemonium».
While Naoki is restricted by the ten permanent slots on his Qliphoth Tree, Himari has no upper limit. She can copy as many Peach Blessings as she desires, infinitely.
However, the world is fair. «Learning» carries a significant flaw: Compatibility.
Himari must possess a certain level of compatibility with the power she wishes to learn to use it effectively. If she attempts to use a power incompatible with her nature, the effect is minimal or even negligible, rendering it useless. Furthermore, she must switch between Peach Blessings manually—a split-second delay that can prove fatal in high-level combat.
Naoki's situation is the total opposite. Despite the limited quantity, «Pandemonium» is nearly flawless.
«Pandemonium» doesn't just copy the Peach Blessing; it copies the original owner's entire experience and level of mastery. Naoki doesn't need to train or adapt; the moment he copies an ability, his proficiency skyrockets to the level developed by the original user. Even more terrifyingly, he can utilize multiple Blessings simultaneously without the need to swap!
Currently, right before Naoki's eyes, the potential of «Learning» was exploding due to his cruel provocation. Himari was putting on a performance unlike anything seen before. In many worlds, copy-type users always sit at the apex of the pyramid—much like Yuta Okkotsu from Jujutsu Kaisen, who can manifest any Cursed Technique without limit as long as he meets the conditions.
*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*
The sound of flesh striking flesh echoed. Himari pressed forward, unleashing a combination of close-quarters strikes with haunting precision. Every punch and kick she landed carried a weight significantly different from before. Naoki, parrying the blows, began to feel a sensation of numbness.
(Is her strength increasing? Is she using a physical enhancement Peach Blessing?)
Naoki's guess was spot on. Himari was currently activating «Python», allowing her to program a series of perfect combat maneuvers transmitted directly to her brain, forcing her physical body to follow automated instructions without a moment of hesitation.
(Should I use «Crazy Sheep»?)
Naoki briefly considered activating another Peach Blessing, but he immediately shook his head internally.
(No need. Though Himari's strength has spiked, the air manipulation from «Night Storm» is more than enough to handle this.)
He vetoed the idea; to him, using an additional Blessing just to fight Himari would feel unsportsmanlike and ruin the essence of the test he was conducting.
"Enough playing around."
Naoki stomped his foot, and the atmospheric pressure around him instantly exploded outward. The wind manipulation created a shockwave that sent Himari reeling back.
Himari spun several times in the air to neutralize her momentum, landing firmly on the ground. Without wasting a breath, she immediately raised her right hand and extended her left in a specific pose.
"Oh. Interesting."
His eyes narrowed slightly. That flashy pose was very familiar. Naoki knew exactly what was coming next.
"«Golden Hour»!"
Instantly, a giant golden clock manifested behind Himari. The world suddenly lost its color, and everything ground to a halt.
While her copy was imperfect—Yachiho's original «Golden Hour» can freeze time for five seconds, while Himari's version could only sustain it for three—it was more than enough in high-level combat where every second dictates victory and defeat.
In the silence of frozen time, Himari sprinted toward the helpless, stationary Naoki and launched her strongest punch directly at his chest.
The moment time resumed its normal flow, a dull pain shot through Naoki's nerves. Even though his body had been frozen, he had anticipated that Himari would suddenly appear right in front of him after the time skip.
"Kh... Quite impressive!"
Without giving Himari a chance to follow up, Naoki slammed his foot into the earth. Instantly, the wind around them turned feral, forming a massive, roaring tornado that swallowed Himari, launching her high into the sky.
"Ugh..."
Spinning inside the suffocating vortex, Himari's vision began to blur from the overwhelming dizziness. However, she gritted her teeth, refusing to lose at this point. With the last of her consciousness, she switched to her next Blessing.
"«Paradigm Shift»!"
*BOOM!*
In an instant, Himari's size increased drastically, turning her into a ten-meter-tall giant. With such massive body mass, she only needed one powerful sweep of her arm to shatter the tornado, scattering it into a mere breeze.
"HA HA HA... You did it! You actually landed a hit on me!"
Naoki burst into laughter—a wild, arrogant laugh reminiscent of a member of the Uchiha clan at the height of their exhilaration.
"Fine, I admit it. You're strong, Himari. I take back everything I said. Commander Uzen truly has a good eye; she's excellent at judging hidden potential."
Hearing the honest praise from Naoki's mouth, Himari was momentarily stunned. As the acknowledgment sank in, her taut nerves suddenly relaxed. She could no longer maintain her giant form; the golden aura surrounding her faded, and the marks on her body began to disappear.
After all, forcing herself to cycle through multiple Peach Blessings in such a short window had drained her stamina completely. Himari shrunk back to her normal size, panting heavily as sweat poured down her face.
"Commander Uzen... really is... amazing..."
After muttering those barely audible words, Himari's vision slowly faded to black. The heavy toll of using consecutive Blessings finally knocked her unconscious. However, before her body could hit the dirt, Naoki moved with the speed of a gale, appearing right in front of her to catch her in his arms.
"Good job, Sister-in-law." Naoki whispered softly, a sharp contrast to the cruel tone he had used minutes ago. "You've shown me your potential. The rest is just a matter of how you master it."
Naoki lifted Himari's frail body into a bridal carry and strolled toward Kyouka's group, who were waiting with mixed expressions.
Even though he genuinely appreciated Himari's burst of power, internally, Naoki wasn't overly optimistic about her long-term growth. As someone who knew the original plot of this world, he held a more skeptical view. He knew that in the original timeline, Himari would only show a flash of her true potential once—during the Azuma Banquet when she was forced to fight her own mother, Azuma Fubuki. After that, her progress tended to stagnate, even as the story neared its final act.
Naoki looked down at the sleeping Himari. To him, talent was just raw material. No matter how much potential lay hidden within, it was all for naught if one failed to dig deeper, discipline themselves, and utilize it consistently.
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