Chapter 20: Gojo the Curious Child and Emiya the Overseer
Satoru Gojo initially thought that Emiya Shirou, as a special individual, must have been restricted by a Heavenly Restriction combined with a few abilities unknown to him.
A Heavenly Restriction is a pre-determined, irreversible 'Binding Vow' one is born with.
This 'Restriction' offers a specific enhancement in exchange for losing a part of the body.
In short, it's about trading 'deficiency' for power.
From a certain perspective, this innate deficiency can be seen as a curse from heaven, allowing those with physical defects to gain more potent Cursed Energy.
Heavenly Restrictions have two completely opposing categories: 'trading physical conditions for Cursed Energy' and 'trading Cursed Energy for physical strength.'
The pinnacle of 'trading Cursed Energy for physical strength' known to Gojo is the man named Toji Fushiguro.
He had absolutely no Cursed Energy within him, which resulted in a strong resistance to Curses. Simultaneously, his physique was terrifyingly inhuman. Relying only on his acute body, he could perceive Cursed Spirits' information, and when paired with suitable Cursed Tools, he could rival a Special Grade Sorcerer.
It was thanks to that man that Satoru Gojo was able to master the Reverse Cursed Technique and truly become 'The Strongest.'
When Gojo learned that Emiya, despite being a non-Sorcerer, could exorcise a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, he suspected Emiya's body might possess a Heavenly Restriction.
However, upon closer inspection now, the flow of Cursed Energy in Emiya's body was exactly the same as an ordinary non-Sorcerer. So, if there was absolutely no influence from a Heavenly Restriction, how did he manage to exorcise the Cursed Spirit?
And what in the world was Heracles's Secret Sword Technique?!
Even in terms of knowledge, Satoru Gojo's level is excellent.
He knew that Heracles was the great hero in ancient Greek mythology—the strongman who rescued Prometheus, helped Jason obtain the Golden Fleece, and completed the Twelve Labors. But that figure was simply a fictional character fabricated by the masses in ancient times.
What connection could he possibly have with exorcising a Cursed Spirit?
Perhaps Heracles's Secret Sword Technique referred to a certain sword skill, but how could a mere sword skill exorcise a Cursed Spirit?
Gojo had seen modern-day master swordsmen; even with the reinforcement of Cursed Tools and the ability to see Cursed Spirits, the limit of what they could exorcise was a Grade 3 Cursed Spirit.
His Six Eyes could easily penetrate the Cursed Techniques of Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits, yet they utterly failed to reveal how Emiya had exorcised that Cursed Spirit.
He couldn't understand it. Satoru Gojo simply couldn't!
But because of this, he became even more interested, like a cat seeing a ball of yarn. It was an emotion called joy.
"Hooray! So what is Heracles's Secret Sword Technique? Tell me! Tell me quickly!"
In Emiya's sight, Satoru Gojo first raised his chin, looking cool and composed, deep in thought.
Just as Emiya thought he was about to display the dignity of 'The Strongest,' the man suddenly shifted into a different state. In a matter of seconds, he used his supreme physical prowess to perform a series of actions including, but not limited to: hugging Emiya's leg, throwing a tantrum on the floor, and rubbing his fingernails on the whiteboard to create an ear-splitting screech.
"..."
He was truly experiencing the dignity of 'The Strongest'.
Nanami-san was right; there was a reason he didn't respect Satoru Gojo.
Emiya composed his thoughts and began trying to explain.
"The so-called Heracles's Secret Sword Technique is a style called Nine Lives Blade Works.
It is the technique He used during the Twelve Labors when facing the nine-headed monster Hydra, shooting through the monster's nine heads simultaneously with nine arrows, thereby extinguishing its immortal life.
And besides the bow-and-arrow form, He himself was capable of achieving this specialized technique, which has reached a realm of its own, with all ten thousand weapons.
Because it is performed using a sword as the foundation, it is called the Secret Sword Technique."
Why did Emiya focus on the martial art of Nine Lives Blade Works and not the axe-sword, the Noble Phantasm's body?
Because he knew that with this Noble Phantasm, the physical axe-sword was secondary; the skill known as Nine Lives Blade Works was its true essence.
The most important factor allowing Emiya Shirou to easily exorcise that Grade 1 Cursed Spirit was this martial art, followed by the terrifying strength of Heracles. Even manifesting as a
Berserker and losing all his reason, he could still execute this martial art, which speaks volumes about what kind of warrior he was.
Upon hearing this explanation, Gojo fell silent.
This was indeed the most literal meaning he could comprehend, yet it was the situation he could understand the least. Didn't these words imply that this Secret Sword Technique was a skill created by Heracles himself?
What kind of joke was this?!
"So you're saying that a god named Heracles actually exists in this world?"
"That is correct." Emiya nodded.
The Magecraft world he originally belonged to definitely had gods walking the earth in the Age of Gods long ago. Not only could the Heroic Spirits from the Holy Grail War prove this, but the Holy Relics belonging to them, preserved in the Clock Tower and various families, also proved it.
Even if he wasn't sure if gods existed in the Jujutsu world, what existed once existed.
"Haha, hahahahahaha.
Interesting, this is simply too interesting. This is the most fascinating piece of information I've heard this year... no, in my entire life."
Knowing that gods exist would not make Satoru Gojo afraid; instead, he would be even more excited to find out who was stronger between him and them.
In a continuous burst of laughter, his demeanor became increasingly unrestrained and ecstatic. As 'The Strongest,' he possessed powerful rationality, but also an aspect that was completely unconstrained by any worldly rules.
Finally, he stopped laughing, held a finger up in front of him, and looked at Emiya with intense seriousness.
"But if I remember correctly, the Innate Technique Nanami-chan reported for you should be called 'Projection Magecraft,' right?
Since Nanami-chan reported that, it means you must have a similar ability. So, how exactly is your 'Projection Magecraft' connected to the gods?
If I find out I was lied to, I will be angry, you know."
Is Satoru Gojo, the public face and 'Strongest' Sorcerer in the Jujutsu world, a good person?
If judged by his life's work, having exorcised countless Cursed Spirits and thereby indirectly saved countless people, then yes, he is.
However, he has also killed a significant number of people alongside the countless Cursed Spirits he has exorcised. If he genuinely felt that someone was hindering his actions, he would act without hesitation. As 'The Strongest,' why should he tolerate someone who intentionally provokes his displeasure, while he has to make every effort to tolerate their existence?
Of course, he possesses his own inherent goodness: he saves people he can save, but he won't let the existence of life completely obstruct his own path.
In short, he is a person who is not as indecisive as a protagonist in a movie and has great decisiveness when making judgments.
When he said he would be angry, he wasn't referring to some erratic murderous rampage, but rather that Emiya could forget about receiving help to avoid being targeted by the Jujutsu higher-ups.
Emiya never intended to antagonize him, so he didn't lie. He had prepared his follow-up explanation when he chose to disclose this information.
"My Projection Magecraft's true effect is to materialize a mirrored image of objects that have existed in reality."
"Trace on."
As he spoke, Emiya used Projection Magecraft to project a dagger, which he held out for Gojo to inspect. Gojo examined the dagger several times, his Six Eyes almost bugging out, but he couldn't find any flaw in it.
"Incredible. It's identical to a real dagger, from its material level to its structure.
There is absolutely no flaw; it doesn't look like a fake at all."
Gojo gave the highest praise without exaggeration.
When it came to observation, his Six Eyes could see through the essence of matter, even down to the atomic physical level, so he couldn't be mistaken. If his Six Eyes hadn't indeed observed a specific type of energy gathering when Emiya performed the projection, he would have thought Emiya was trying to trick him with a real dagger.
With Projection Magecraft as a baseline, and comparing it to that Zenin girl's Construction Technique, which required an entire day's worth of Cursed Energy just to create a single bullet, Emiya's ability was incredibly potent.
Compared to Emiya-kun, that is utterly useless.
Having this thought, Gojo casually tucked the dagger into his back waistband and continued his questioning: "Now, how will you prove its connection to the gods?"
The ability to create objects from thin air was startling, but next to the mention of gods, Gojo suddenly found the former less appealing. He thought this kind of stark contrast only occurred between regular food and sweets.
Emiya thought for a moment and decided to answer in a manner that sounded more like a Sorcerer.
"Just as negative human emotions can materialize into Cursed Objects and Cursed Tools, the legends and great deeds left behind by heroes and gods can also condense into entities called Noble Phantasms through human praise.
Because of human fantasy, or perhaps because they truly existed, my Projection Magecraft can project the Noble Phantasms of Heroic Spirits... though due to the limitations of my ability, the projection range is confined to sword-type objects.
And during the projection process, the Heroic Spirits' techniques are also empathized into the Noble Phantasm.
That is how I was able to use Heracles's Secret Sword Technique."
To earn his trust, revealing certain information was necessary. Just as humanity can never ally with unknown aliens unless they understand them to a certain extent.
However, this information was not the entirety of the Heroic Spirit EMIYA's capabilities. Emiya still held back some information, and Gojo couldn't possibly know the power and abilities of all the Noble Phantasms Emiya could project. Emiya still had a few hidden cards, so he wasn't too worried about revealing this much information.
"Oh-oh! I've never considered that angle of explanation before!"
Gojo clapped his hands, as if a large lightbulb had suddenly appeared above his head. Negative human emotions can transform into Cursed Energy and Curses, so positive fantasies could also coalesce into Noble Phantasms—that seemed entirely plausible!
However, from this perspective, Cursed Objects seemed completely incomparable to Noble Phantasms. One is a collection of negative emotions, and the other is the crystallization of miracles and fantasy. Isn't it obvious which is stronger?
Does this world actually have another side that he has never known?
This is just... awesome!!!
"So, so..."
"Trace on."
Before Gojo the Curious Child could finish his question, Emiya, reading his mind, immediately projected his most familiar couple swords and offered them to him.
"Ooh-ooh-ooh!"
Gojo now truly became a curious child who had received a new toy. He picked up the couple swords and began scrutinizing them closely, even holding one against his wrist to test its sharpness.
"So, these two swords..."
"Kanshou and Bakuya." Emiya's answer was brief and to the point.
And Gojo the History Whiz immediately understood.
"I see! So they are those famous couple swords from Chinese history?
Truly amazing..."
His Six Eyes told him the weapons in his hands were real, and even their materials and structure were genuine. However, he had never heard of those materials or seen this kind of forging technique before.
"They're incredibly exquisite; they hardly look like something a human could have crafted."
Gojo now largely believed Emiya's 'Noble Phantasm theory.'
He didn't just observe the structure of the swords; he also noticed the inscriptions carved upon them.
Are they exorcism runes? Could they actually be effective? While the entire Jujutsu world is still so primitive that it believes only Cursed Energy can harm Cursed Spirits, did that side already possess techniques capable of harming Cursed Spirits thousands of years ago?!
Gojo could sense that the two couple swords also reacted to Cursed Energy. However, due to the inscriptions on them, they probably wouldn't have very good compatibility with Cursed Energy.
The authentic Noble Phantasms were now in Satoru Gojo's hands and under the observation of his Six Eyes. But the closer he looked, the more Satoru Gojo could feel the sheer scale of those artifacts.
Even if limited only to swords, the number of swords in history and mythology is countless, and those of immense power are numerous. For example, Durandal, Longyuan and even the mythical Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi...
Should Satoru Gojo feel excited about this, or should he feel...
Fear?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on Ko fi \varietranslation