Today was the last day of the duel.
That was to say, Okubo Yoshiaki would definitely attack tonight, or he would lose without even fighting.
After several days of diligent Visualization, Seiji's total "Spiritual Power" had reached 39 points! This was enough to become a Spirit-branded Retainer.
Summer Night was going to sign a temporary contract with him, making him her temporary Spirit-branded Retainer.
Since he was just a bystander, the president Grand Mistress wouldn't give him too much Spiritual Power, nor would she summon powerful spirits for him or cast support spells that would consume a lot of energy. But … a Spirit-branded Retainer was still a Spirit-branded Retainer!
Even the lowest-level Spirit-branded Retainer was a powerful Spiritual Ability user.
According to Natsuya, Spiritual Ability users were a special group of people who possessed Spiritual Power and were able to use Mana. There was a publicly recognized standard ranking system based on the total amount of Spiritual Power and Mana. It was quite simple and crude, from level 1 to level 9.
Level one was a poor salted fish, and level nine was a tycoon … Yep, that was the general understanding.
Even the lowest-level Spirit-branded Retainer was at the upper level of level two. In other words, they were above the vast majority of poor … whoops, normal Spiritual Ability users. Even the slightly better ones could reach level three.
Although Spiritual Ability users were ranked based on their Spiritual Power and total amount of Mana, and had nothing to do with combat strength, richer … er, people with more Spiritual Power would undoubtedly have more combat strength. That was why a Spiritual Ability user's combat strength was directly related to their level.
Of course, it wasn't strange for a level one Spiritual Ability user to defeat a level two Spiritual Ability user. There would always be exceptions, and a salted fish would be able to defeat an ordinary player if he went all out.
'Don't underestimate a salted fish! '
'Cough, I accidentally got too excited. '
At any rate, Seiji was looking forward to becoming a Spirit-branded Retainer, and he wanted to experience what it felt like to become stronger.
His soul-summoning … contract signing was scheduled for after lunch. This way, he would have some time to get used to being a Spirit-branded Retainer before nightfall.
As usual, Seiji ate lunch together with Shika Kagura.
He didn't discuss the upcoming duel with Little Shi. Instead, he focused the topic on "Brother Monogatari," hoping that she wouldn't have to worry so much.
Shika Kagura noticed his intentions, so he cooperated and didn't mention anything else.
However, there was one thing that had to be done.
After the meal, Seiji was ready to leave.
Shika Kagura called out to him.
"Big brother Seiji … this is for you."
What the girl handed over with both hands was a red amulet with the words "Safe Guard" written on it in gold.
"Where … did this come from?"
Seiji was a little surprised and took it.
"I made it … I asked Houjou-san for the ingredients."
The girl stared at the boy's face.
"That's all I can do."
Please come back safely.
Seiji could feel the depth of her sincerity as he slowly tightened his grip on the talisman.
"Thank you, Little Shi."
He stretched out his other hand and gently stroked her head.
"With this gift of yours, I will definitely be fine."
He smiled at her and said firmly.
After taking the cutlery out of the room, Seiji opened the system and checked the "gifts".
Little Shi's amulet gave him 18 points! Not only that, there was also the [Soul Protection Card — Heart of Prayer]!
This card contained Shika's deep emotions as she prayed for his safe return. After using it, all damage to the soul would be instantly healed, and the user wouldn't receive any damage to the soul for three minutes!
[Soul recovery plus protection …] Seiji sighed and once again expressed his gratitude to Little Shi in his heart.
He wasn't afraid of this duel, but he wouldn't be blindly complacent either.
He had already confirmed all the "items" he had received, including the three that he had received from Hoshi Amami …
Although he had to endure some additional mental damage, it was necessary for him to know what powers he possessed. Only then would he be able to do his best to deal with any possible scenarios.
Last night, while teaching him the [Body-strengthening Technique], Summer Night had discussed the specifics of this duel with him.
She had made preparations for all the methods that Okubo Yoshiaki could use, but there was one thing that she was unable to defend against due to a lack of information.
That was the mysterious drug that Okubo used to collect spiritual energy from ordinary people.
Even now, she still didn't know what this drug was.
If it only had the ability to collect spiritual energy from ordinary people, then it wouldn't be a big deal. But what if it had more than just one function?
What was it, where did it come from, and how did Okubo obtain it? Why did he use it to collect spiritual energy from ordinary people and not some other method? Did it have any other functions, and if it did, what were they?
Summer Night had all these questions, but she was unable to obtain any relevant information, nor was she able to find out anything at the negotiation table. In the end, she could only restrict Okubo from using it to collect spiritual energy, but she couldn't do anything more.
"I have a premonition that if something unexpected happens in this duel, it's highly likely that it's because of that drug …"
Those were Summer Night's exact words.
Seiji believed in the Grand Mistress's judgment.
Although she had fallen for Okubo's "Trojan Horse" scheme, the Grand Mistress wasn't a useless person.
Wanhua Summer Night had only made a single mistake. No matter how good a student was, they might not always get full marks on their exams. Even if they occasionally made a mistake, even a serious one, it was impossible to deny their talent.
It was easy to understand just by looking at so many great people in history. Which one of them hadn't made mistakes? Quite a few of them had made major mistakes, but who could deny all of their abilities?
Summer Night was an amazing girl. This was something Seiji was certain of when he first met her, and his evaluation of her hadn't changed at all.
If she said that something unexpected might happen, then Seiji had to be prepared for anything unexpected.
Perhaps in the worst case scenario, he wouldn't be able to help even if he tried his best, but at the very least, he would be able to load after knowing what would happen.
…
Seiji once again returned to the room where he had previously dispelled the spell on Shika Kagura.
Summer Night was already waiting for him in her maidservant attire.
Hitaka was there as well.
Seiji had several conversations with Hitaka over the past two days. Apart from teaching her all sorts of things, their relationship had also improved.
At the very least, Hitaka's expression towards him was no longer as cold as it had been at the beginning.
Although the degree of improvement was quite small, change was still change. Seiji was happy about this, and the fact that Hitaka's favorability rating towards him had increased was the best evidence.
"Stand in the center," Summer Night told him.
Seiji obeyed and stood in the center of the Taiji diagram.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Then close your eyes, relax your body, and calm your mind …" Summer Night told him gently.
Seiji did as he was told.
"Now, answer my question. What's your name?"
"Haruta Seiji."
"Are you willing to accept the spirits of the heavens and the souls of the earth, and sign a contract with me under the witness of the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the Black Tortoise of the North, and the Yellow Dragon of the Center?"
"I am."
"With my blood as the witness, and my seal as the guide, summon the spirits of the heavens and the earth to add to your body, to fight for me …"
What followed was a long string of incantations that Seiji didn't know what they meant.
As the incantation was recited, he gradually heard countless faint sounds.
It sounded like men and women of all ages were whispering to each other, and it also sounded like the cries of animals or insects … it seemed like he could recognize them if he listened carefully, but he would never be able to tell them apart.
Seiji listened diligently, and slowly, he heard a particularly clear voice amidst the complicated noises.
"Where's that ghost? I can't find it … damn it! "
"I'm so tired, so hungry, I want to rest …"
"But if we don't hurry up and find that ghost and stop it, more girls will be …"
"Ahh … this is … such light and warmth …"
"I feel a little familiar, but I can't remember … who are you?"
"I'm Haruta Seiji."
Seiji answered honestly.
"Seiji? You look a little like that person … that person … "
"I can't remember … ahh, forget it! Seiji … Seiji -sama, please allow me to borrow your residence as a place to rest! "
"In return, I shall offer my sword to you for your use, is that alright?"
'Sure.'
Seiji could sense that this was a pure and powerful existence, so he unhesitatingly agreed.
"Spirit Descend! Spirit-branded Retainer Summon!! It's urgent!!! "
Summer Night's shout echoed in his ears.
Seiji instantly felt a powerful force pour into his body from the top of his head, instantly filling his entire body.
"Thank you, Seiji -sama."
"My name … I can't remember, but I remember that some people call me Light-chan, so please address me that way as well."
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