Shadow King.
Genichi engraved the Shadow King's magic into the souls of Rias and Akeno.
It was a strange sensation. He could clearly feel the magic flowing from his own soul, passing through the bond of the Schrift, and sinking into the depths of their souls.
It was like a river splitting into two tributaries. The source was still with him, but they could draw power from it as well.
Rias closed her eyes and felt that power circulate through her body.
She could sense that her shadow had changed. It was no longer simple darkness that merely followed behind her. It felt alive.
She could perceive every subtle tremor of her shadow, every inch of ground it touched, every corner it covered.
She opened her eyes and looked down at it.
Her shadow trembled faintly beneath her gaze, as if answering her attention.
"Move."
She spoke softly.
The shadow did not move.
Rias froze for a moment, then tried again.
"Move."
The shadow still did not move.
Genichi watched her serious expression and could not help laughing.
"You don't command it with your mouth. Use your mind. Imagine your shadow as part of your body, like your hands or your feet. If you want it to move, it will move."
Rias took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused.
She imagined the shadow as an extension of herself, a part of her body.
Then she imagined it moving—
The darkness beneath her feet squirmed faintly.
It was only a tiny motion, but it had definitely moved.
Rias opened her eyes, delight filling them.
"It moved!"
Akeno also opened her eyes and looked down at her own shadow.
She grasped the trick faster than Rias. The darkness beneath her feet was already spreading slowly, like ink dripping into water.
"It really works."
A trace of excitement colored Akeno's voice.
"I can feel it listening to me."
Genichi nodded.
He had been using Shadow King for a long time and had long since grown used to it.
But watching Rias and Akeno experience the magic for the first time made him realize what it meant to them.
"There's more to it."
Genichi continued, "When you suffer a fatal injury, your shadow can take the damage for you while your true body is transferred into shadow space. It's basically an extra life."
Rias's eyes widened.
An extra life. That was not something ordinary defensive magic could achieve.
In battles between devils, life and death were often decided in an instant.
One extra life meant one more chance.
And one more chance could change the entire battle.
"Your shadows can also increase every day."
Genichi went on. "One on the first day, two on the second, three on the third. As long as you have the patience, you can build up thousands upon thousands of shadows."
Rias and Akeno looked at each other, and both saw shock in the other's eyes.
Thousands upon thousands of shadows, each one possessing the full strength of the original.
What kind of concept was that?
It meant that as long as someone had enough time, a single person could possess an entire army.
"This magic…"
Rias's voice was a little dry.
"It's too powerful."
Genichi found their stunned expressions somewhat amusing.
When he first obtained Shadow King, he had reacted the same way.
Light kindled in Rias's eyes.
It was a light Genichi knew well—the light someone showed only when they had found hope.
"With this magic, I can defeat Riser and break off the engagement."
Riser Phenex.
Rias's fiancé, the third son of House Phenex.
Like her, he was a high-class devil. But Riser possessed the phoenix bloodline. As long as his spirit did not collapse, he could continuously repair his injuries.
Broken bones could reconnect. Torn muscles could heal. Burned skin could regenerate.
That nearly immortal trait made him almost unbeatable in battles against opponents of the same class.
Rias had fought him before. No matter how she attacked, he recovered as if nothing had happened.
That sense of helplessness, that despair, had left her with very little confidence in this engagement battle.
But now things were different.
Shadow King could give her an extra life and summon thousands upon thousands of shadows to fight.
Those shadows did not fear death or injury. They could charge forward one after another without hesitation.
Even if Riser could recover endlessly, how many times could he truly recover?
If ten shadows could not beat him, then she would use a hundred.
If a hundred could not beat him, then she would use a thousand.
A revolving battle. A war of attrition. She could wear him down through sheer numbers.
"Let's wait a while first."
Akeno caught Rias by the arm.
"Shadow King needs time to accumulate shadows."
Rias paused, then nodded.
"You're right. Shadow King does need some time."
She could not go after Riser right now. She had only just received Shadow King and had not accumulated even a single shadow yet.
At the very least, she needed to wait ten days or half a month and gather enough shadows before she could be absolutely certain.
"By the way, Genichi."
Akeno suddenly spoke, a sharp glint flashing through her eyes.
"Does drinking the blood wine mean someone can receive your magic?"
Genichi looked at Akeno's smiling face and already guessed what she was thinking.
"Yeah. Don't tell me you want the entire Occult Research Club to drink the blood wine?"
Akeno's smile grew even brighter.
"Can we?"
Genichi did not answer immediately.
He looked at Rias.
Rias was also looking at him, anticipation in her emerald eyes.
"I don't mind," Genichi said. "But you need to understand something. Once someone drinks the blood wine, their life and death are in my hands."
Rias fell silent for a moment.
She understood what that meant.
Handing one's life and death to another person was no small matter.
Even if she trusted Genichi, even if she liked him, entrusting herself to that extent still required careful thought.
"I think it's fine."
Akeno looked at Rias.
"Kiba and Koneko aren't outsiders. And if they both obtain Genichi's power, our overall strength will rise by a large margin. At that point, forget Riser—we wouldn't even need to fear House Phenex."
Rias hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"We'll ask them first and get everyone's consent."
"That works."
Genichi agreed.
He did not mind engraving the Schrift on a few more people.
Besides, if the members of the Occult Research Club became stronger, that would benefit him as well.
After all, they were Rias's peerage.
They were his companions.
In future battles, their strength would be his support.
"Then I'll call them over now."
Akeno stood and walked toward the door.
Only Genichi and Rias were left in the room.
Rias sat beside him, looking down at her shadow.
The shadow squirmed faintly beneath her feet, as if responding to her gaze.
"Genichi."
She spoke softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Genichi looked at her without speaking.
Rias raised her head. Her emerald eyes stared straight at him, something flickering within them.
"Thank you for being willing to trust us."
Genichi was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"No need to thank me. You've put your lives in my hands. If I still held things back from you, I'd be scum."
Rias smiled.
It was a faint, gentle smile.
She reached out and softly took Genichi's hand.
Her hand was warm and soft, her palm resting against the back of his hand.
"Genichi, do you know something? From the day I reincarnated you, I knew you weren't ordinary. But I never imagined you would be this extraordinary."
Genichi did not speak. He simply held her hand in return.
(End of Chapter)
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