Before deciding either way, he needed to understand the situation thoroughly. Neither of them knew what would happen to Chloe if Renji decided to stop the skill, but he could feel she would terminate it herself if she thought it was necessary.
He couldn't help but say, "Chloe, don't rush to cancel yet. If you disappear right after I named you, I would be terribly sad. You wouldn't want that, would you? Let me try something first."
As she nodded, he reached out and grabbed her long ponytail, which had been floating gently in the air.
The skill descriptions the System gave were never the full picture—they always had unexpected side effects, sometimes even more useful than what was described. He hoped one of those hidden effects would help clarify the situation.
Triggering [Hair Manipulation] while physically holding her hair, he immediately felt absolute control over it—and over her senses. As for the side effects, he could feel every emotion she was experiencing: excitement, loyalty, a faint sense of loss, hope, and some associated memories. Admittedly, she didn't have any memories from the original, only those formed since she came into existence.
He carefully monitored everything as he slowed the energy stream he was sending to maintain her existence—but never fully stopped. Externally, her body began to turn transparent, though she remained conscious. Thankfully, even with minimal energy, she stayed fully aware. The sensations he felt through the ponytail confirmed this.
Feeling more confident, he stopped sending enough energy to sustain the Umbra Witch effect. She became completely ghost-like—an echo. Her provocative dress dissolved, turning back into hair, and the original kunoichi's clothing appeared in its place.
Chloe looked at herself curiously, her body now translucent. In this form, she couldn't use any of her Umbra powers. Instead, she seemed able to perform ninjutsu—and she could pass through solid objects with ease, though her hair remained tangible.
Watching her flit around the room, touching everything in fascination, Renji sighed in relief and smiled.
'It's good she still kept her consciousness. She can even disappear completely and move around as just the ponytail!'
After a while, they resumed the test. Holding the black ponytail, he slowly reduced the energy stream further. Gradually, her ghostly body dimmed, and her eyes began to glaze over.
'Not good!'
He immediately increased the energy slightly and thought of a solution.
'Maybe…'
This time, as he withdrew energy, he used [Hair Manipulation] to wrap her psyche in a cocoon of black hair—the metaphysical kind. When he finally stopped the skill completely, the cocoon sealed itself and attached to the now-limp ponytail. He could still sense her psyche within, dormant but intact.
'Thank God, it worked!'
He slumped to the floor. It hadn't been a difficult process, but for some reason, he felt mentally exhausted. Having someone's life literally in the palm of your hand was a heavy responsibility.
After a few minutes, he reused [Echoes of Past] on Chloe's ponytail. Within seconds, she reappeared in her Umbra form and immediately hugged him tightly.
"This is wonderful! Thank you, Master~"
He felt suffocated but couldn't help smiling as well.
---
He didn't attempt to conjure more Umbra witches. After all, once they came into existence, he wouldn't be able to use the other effects of [Echoes of Past] without affecting them. Every active skill or avatar summon would permanently consume a portion of their Bonded Hair. He couldn't allow that—Bonded Hair was literally their lifeblood. Once depleted, they would cease to exist.
'Forget it. Let's work on my other skills for now.'
Thinking this, he directed the energy stored in his heart toward his brain and willed to unlock a new skill.
In his vision, a new icon appeared, slowly solidifying. It looked like a pistol, with a bullet shooting out of it. He had a feeling what it might be, and the description didn't disappoint.
[Projectile Mastery — Level MAX]
[You have unbeatable control over sharp projectiles.]
Such a simple statement—but the effect was amazing!
He looked down at the pen he had been using earlier. With just a thought, it flew to his open palm at blinding speed. Without hesitation, he threw it toward a table with some cups on it. The pen flew cleanly through the handle of a small cup and pierced the wall behind it.
Next, a few braids, buns, and ponytails around him floated into the air, rearranging themselves into sharp weapons that shot across the room at blinding speed. Chloe watched the chaos in amusement and—much to his alarm—rushed right into it. Still, Renji maintained perfect control over each projectile. Every strand that could have pierced her instead curved at impossible angles, grazing her harmlessly. For some reason, the playful witch seemed to enjoy it even more and began trying to catch one, laughing happily.
After playing for a while, Renji reverted the hair back to its original styles and set them neatly in place. Seeing Chloe pout, he smiled.
"Okay, okay. We can do this later. For now, can you check if you're able to use any new skills?"
She nodded happily and closed her eyes. A moment later, four black revolvers with intricate patterns appeared—two in her hands, two at her heels. She twirled gracefully and performed a short dance, showing off her new weapons. When she finished, she lay on the floor with one leg lifted vertically and faced him—just as fireworks burst behind her, ending the show in a shower of color.
Renji clapped, dumbfounded.
'Seems every Umbra Witch specializes in that dance. And… where are those fireworks coming from?!'
"Master! This ability suddenly appeared in my mind! Don't they look amazing?" she said, holding the guns out for him to see.
He took one and felt its weight—it was real, solid. He tried to fire, but it wouldn't shoot. Handing it back, he asked, "Can you shoot at the target? I want to see the skill in action."
Nodding, Chloe turned toward a training dummy. She dashed forward, kicked it into the air, and began firing her handguns in rapid succession, keeping the dummy suspended midair. Then she leapt up, somersaulted, and kicked it downward. Crossing her hands in an X shape, she rotated mid-spin, her leg guns blazing as she spiraled toward the target like a living drill.
She landed in a slide, striking a triumphant pose as the dummy exploded into a burst of colorful ribbons.
Renji stared in disbelief, mouth agape. "...I just asked you to shoot it."
Chloe only giggled mischievously at that.
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A/N: Ran the chapter through AI for grammar and spelling corrections only.