Ethan centered his mind, the noise of the world falling away. On, he thought.
With that single mental command, his Cursed Energy Trait (CET) shifted violently. The air began to hum and crackle as his aura took on a jagged, electrical quality similar to that of the legendary Kashimo Hajime. This was the "Switch," a specialized state developed through rigorous training with Tora. By utilizing a Binding Vow forged during the chaos of his 9/11 escapade, Ethan could now channel the electrical discharge of the shikigami Nue, amplified to ten times its natural capacity.
Ethan rarely utilized this unique trait. Up until this moment, no opponent had truly pushed him to his limits; even the Disaster Curses had proven individually disappointing. Furthermore, the volatility of this electrical energy made collateral damage inevitable. He still recalled the accidental destruction of that historic bridge in Pittsburgh—a stark reminder that if he ever truly let loose in this state, he would leave a scorched wasteland in his wake.
The Mirror Dimension had already been deployed, shimmering around the battlefield like fractured glass. He hoped the warped laws of this reality would distract or slow the Divine General's adaptation, even if only by a few seconds.
He kept Hollow Trace active, fully aware that Mahoraga would eventually track him through his physical displacement once it adapted to the void of his energy. However, the Taming Ritual was governed by ironclad restrictions. To deviate from the laws of the trial would render the subjugation null and void. He could not use "pre-charged" momentum, such as the infinite acceleration of the Piercing Ox, and he had to remain within the designated trial grounds. While Ethan had chosen a strategic, inclined ridge to grant himself the high ground, he knew it meant little against a nine-foot-tall winged deity crowned by the Eight-Handled Wheel.
"You have orders, Tora," Ethan commanded, his voice steady. "I'm going to stretch a bit first." Tora looked as though he wanted to argue, his feline eyes full of dread, but he wisely chose to vanish into the darkness.
Mahoraga had been standing yards below on the incline, a silent monolith of muscle. One second it was there; the next, it was a blur of motion directly in Ethan's personal space. Its right hand was already raised, the Sword of Extermination glowing with a pale white light as it channeled vast quantities of Positive Energy.
The impact came a heartbeat later. As Ethan parried the edge, he truly understood why no Cursed Spirit could ever hope to conquer this being. The blade was the ultimate "anti-curse" weapon; its positive energy was so volatile that it would have unmade a spirit's soul upon mere contact.
Ethan flickered out of existence, reappearing behind the Shikigami to land a sharp jab against the side of its head. He was testing the waters, feeling out the weight behind the General's movements. Despite the very real prospect of his own death, a dark sense of exhilaration began to rise within him. If he was going to "kick the bucket" today, he would at least satiate his hunger for a true fight.
Mahoraga swung a brutal backhand, but Ethan moved with lightning in his veins, countering with a square kick to the General's chest. The blow was reinforced with raw Cursed Energy, the sheer force of the collision sending both combatants flying in opposite directions. Mahoraga crashed through the treeline, visibly wounded—but then, a sound echoed through the dimension.
Click.
The Wheel turned. The bruising and structural damage on Mahoraga's chest vanished instantly.
Ethan landed horizontally against the trunk of a massive tree, his boots digging into the bark. In the distance, Mahoraga charged, a force of nature obliterating every piece of flora in its path. Rather than faltering, Ethan's smirk grew wider. "That's it," he shouted, the sparks from his skin jumping to the surrounding leaves. "Show me more."
Mahoraga roared, bringing both massive fists down in a locked hammer-strike aimed directly at Ethan's skull. With deceptive ease, Ethan didn't dodge; he simply raised a single hand, meeting the mountain-shattering force with a palm reinforced by crackling electrical Cursed Energy.
The two became a violent blur of motion, tearing across the archipelago of the Mirror Dimension. Mahoraga's strikes were relentless, each swing heavy enough to level a skyscraper, yet Ethan parried every blow with rhythmic precision. After a flurry of exchanges, the wheel atop the General's head groaned.
Click.
The wheel turned. Instantly, Mahoraga's physical stature surged, its muscles bulging as its raw strength and size scaled upward to match Ethan's defensive output.
"You can adapt to anything, right?" Ethan's voice was cold, his eyes glowing with the jagged light of his electrical trait. "Then adapt to these hands."
Ethan lunged, shifting from a defensive stance to a total offensive. His cursed energy didn't just flare; it sparked with the high-pitched chirp of a black-red void.
BLACK FLASH!
The spatial distortion struck Mahoraga like a meteor. Ethan didn't relent, pivoting on his heel to drive a roundhouse kick into the Shikigami's jaw. Another streak of black lightning tore through the air.
BLACK FLASH!
Mahoraga tumbled back, black ichor and saliva spraying from its maw, but Ethan was already there, launching a brutal uppercut that connected with the General's chin.
BLACK FLASH!
Three in a row—matching his personal record set during the winter of 2003 in Colombia.
Ethan immediately activated ECLIPSE, a specialized Binding Vow designed for instantaneous, high-combat teleportation. As the last blow launched the General toward the eastern stony ridges of the archipelago, Ethan vanished and instantly materialized directly behind the heaving behemoth. His fist, already wreathed in the dark glow of "the zone," connected one more time.
BLACK FLASH!
The impact sent Mahoraga hurtling through several stone ridges, pulverizing the rock into dust.
Click.
The wheel turned again. Mahoraga's body began to knit itself back together, though the regeneration was noticeably slower, burdened by the sheer trauma of four consecutive Black Flashes.
Surprisingly, Ethan didn't press the advantage. Instead, he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. Mahoraga stood, confused for a fraction of a second—had the human finally realized the futility of physical violence? It gave chase, its massive strides closing the gap. But as it moved, the General's instincts flared. It realized the human was using a sophisticated seal to mask his presence for a grander trap.
Click.
The wheel spun again. Mahoraga began adapting to Hollow Trace, its eyes finally locking onto Ethan's physical displacement in space. It could track him now, regardless of his masked energy.
Suddenly, the space beneath Mahoraga's feet warped. It had been adapting to the Mirror Dimension since the summons began, but it was kept on the back end. The very next moment, Mahoraga turned left but was a fraction of a second too late.
Graphite Blast.
Multiple impacts detonated simultaneously. The unique electrical CET added a jagged, searing heat to the blasts, turning Mahoraga into a crimson smear on the scorched earth. Within seconds, however, the General rose, fully regenerated.
Click.
Tora emerged from Ethan's shadow, his fur standing on end from the ambient electricity. "It is ready, Ethan."
Ethan smiled. He had been buying time for a "Kamikaze" maneuver—a combination of his most devastating high-impact attacks: Raiju's Strike and Graphite Blast, bolstered by a "pre-charged" Piercing Ox. Following Ethan's earlier instructions, Tora had opened two linked portals in a straight line, allowing the Ox to run in an infinite loop, stacking its momentum to astronomical levels over the last fifteen minutes.
"Rabbit Escape!"
Thousands of white rabbits flooded the battlefield, creating a chaotic sea of fur that blocked Mahoraga's vision. Hidden within the swarm, a single Raiju bird—its signature erased by Hollow Trace—streaked toward the General's blind spot.
Mahoraga had only partially adapted to the masking; in the frenzy of the rabbits, it didn't notice the approach. The Raiju struck, obliterating the General's left side. As it began to heal, Ethan noticed the opening: when the wheel turns, Mahoraga's physical form remains stationary for a microscopic window of time.
"Now!"
Ethan extended his index finger, unleashing a barrage of Cursed Energy Cannons infused with his electrical trait. Simultaneously, hundreds of Raiju surged from his shadow, converging from the front. At that exact moment, a shimmering portal tore open directly behind Mahoraga.
The Piercing Ox emerged after fifteen minutes of non-stop acceleration. The impacts were simultaneous. The Ox pulverized Mahoraga's lower half from behind, while the electrical cannons and Raiju shredded its torso from the front.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions rocked the Mirror Dimension, kicking up a shroud of dust and debris that obscured everything. Silence reigned for a long, hopeful moment.
Click.
The sound was like a death knell.
Mahoraga stood in the crater, its form now several stories tall, looming over the battlefield like a skyscraper. It hadn't just survived; it had adapted. It had scaled its size and durability.
A bead of sweat tracked down Ethan's forehead. Mahoraga moved with an impossible, fluid speed for its new size, its hand—now the size of a house—closing in on him.
"You are the first being who has forced me to deploy this out of necessity, Mahoraga." In the past, Ethan's Domain was a tool of efficiency. Now, it was his only chance at survival. Although the current Mahoraga was still weaker than him, if the fight were to go on much longer, that might no longer be the case.
Ethan interlaced his fingers.
"Domain Expansion: Chimera Sovereign Garden."
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