Chapter 7: Projection Magecraft
At the same time, on the shopping center rooftop, Nanami Kento was watching the sword-arrow flying in from a distance.
He could clearly recognize that it wasn't a coalescence of Cursed Energy, nor was it a Cursed Tool infused with Cursed Energy; it was some kind of physical product.
Yet, his gaze remained fixed on the sword-arrow.
The reason was simple: this was Nanami Kento's only chance to save the hostages!
Finally, the speeding sword-arrow violently plunged into the evil spirit's body from behind, followed by an explosion that Nanami Kento could not comprehend.
—BOOM!!
In Nanami Kento's view, a noticeable, multi-meter-wide hole was blasted into the center of the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's body, but the spirit, wailing in pain, was still not dead.
Theoretically, an explosion of that magnitude should have completely annihilated the Cursed Spirit's body, yet it only injured it to some degree.
This is because of Cursed Energy—Cursed Spirits, born from curses, can typically only be truly destroyed by using Cursed Energy.
But there was no doubt about it... this was the opportunity he needed!
Now is the time!
Without time to contemplate who had provided this assistance, Nanami Kento swiftly snatched up the weapon on the ground, then leaped with all his might to land in front of the Cursed Spirit.
"??!"
The Cursed Spirit finally reacted from the pain, but it was too late.
Bang—!
With a swing of the weapon, which resembled a blunt cleaver, the Cursed Spirit's body was cleanly sliced into two halves, falling to the ground with no chance left to struggle.
Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, successfully exorcised.
However, the current Nanami Kento had no time to focus on that. He quickly called the Assistant Supervisor, but his eyes remained fixed on the rooftop of the building nearby.
"Are there any other Sorcerers involved in this operation?"
"What do you mean, Nanami-san? Is there someone else on site—?"
"Alright, I know the situation. Come to the mall rooftop now to clean up the area, Ijichi. I need the status of several hostages confirmed."
"Okay, okay... but—!"
Click.
Nanami Kento expressionlessly hung up the phone, paying no mind to the other party's distressed feelings.
To prevent the person who provided assistance from leaving, he quickly rushed to the rooftop of the building from which the sword-arrow had been fired.
.
.
.
Emiya was waiting there, having not moved.
After confirming that the Exorcist in front of him was likely a good person, Emiya naturally had no need to continue hiding. However, to prevent any surprises, he had told Yotsuya Miko to find a safe place to wait for news first.
But upon seeing Emiya's true self, Nanami Kento frowned immediately.
He had thought he'd misjudged things when he was at the fast-food store. Yet, even standing in front of Emiya again, he could still confirm one thing:
"You... are not a Sorcerer?"
While ordinary Sorcerers might not be able to do this, for a Grade 1 Sorcerer like Nanami Kento, constantly seeing the flow and traces of Cursed Energy is a fundamental skill.
Not only can they see the Residual Curses left by Cursed Spirits, but they can also clearly see the flow of Cursed Energy in others' bodies.
If someone is a Sorcerer, their Cursed Energy won't noticeably leak out because they have mastered its control. But for ordinary people who are completely unaware of Cursed Energy, their Cursed Energy operates in a completely irregular state.
The Emiya standing before Nanami Kento was exactly like this.
"Sorcerer? In fact, that's the first time I've heard that name." Emiya was naturally completely unfamiliar with this world's system of abilities.
In the past Magecraft World, there were many Magi who specialized in curse-type Magecraft, but they were still referred to as Magi by others.
"Not a Sorcerer? No, but that attack just now clearly resembled some kind of Innate Technique. Could this be a child who inexplicably awakened a Technique but completely doesn't understand it?" Nanami Kento speculated in a low voice.
An Innate Technique is an innate talent that a Sorcerer is naturally born with and can only be used by them.
Theoretically, every Sorcerer should possess an Innate Technique, but whether or not they awaken it is another matter; some may never gain the ability until death... Therefore, the ability to awaken an Innate Technique is also a talent, and heavily dependent on bloodline.
In simple terms, the awakening of an Innate Technique is a critical indicator of one's potential to become a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
"If you accidentally discovered you could use this ability one day, then it's very likely you've awakened an Innate Technique."
"Innate Technique... what is that?"
Emiya did not rush to refute, but instead asked a question, following the man's lead.
"In short, it's a talent.
Theoretically, every Sorcerer possesses an Innate Technique, but whether they can awaken it is another story. It's an ability that doesn't need to be learned later on and can only be used by the individual."
Saying this, Nanami Kento briefly explained the concepts of Cursed Energy and Techniques to Emiya.
Just as Cursed Spirits condense and form from human negative emotions, Cursed Energy is also born from a person's intense emotions.
As for Cursed Techniques (Jujutsu), the feeling Emiya got was very similar to Magecraft.
However, unlike Magecraft, it doesn't have complex types and learning processes. Aside from rare techniques like Barrier Techniques and Shikigami Summoning, the Cursed Technique most commonly used by Sorcerers is just one kind:
The Innate Technique, which is inherently engraved on the body and is a birthright.
Because it is an innate ability, it cannot be learned through training, but it has a certain chance of being passed down through bloodlines.
Therefore, the mainstream in the Sorcery World is essentially Sorcerer Families.
Relying on the probabilistically inherited Techniques and generations of continuous development of those Techniques, their lead over ordinary Sorcerers is almost total.
Fortunately, once Cursed Energy is awakened, an ordinary person may still awaken an Innate Technique. Although the probability is not high, there have been individual cases where Sorcerers suddenly awakened their Technique years after mastering Cursed Energy.
It's just a pity that Emiya's ability was not a so-called Innate Technique, but Projection Magecraft.
However, he wasn't foolish enough to gain trust by honestly revealing his abilities. It was better to go along with the man's assumption and initially disguise Projection Magecraft as his Innate Technique.
Thinking this, Emiya spoke.
"If that's the case, then my Innate Technique should be called this..."
Saying this, Emiya extended his palm and created a dagger out of thin air in his hand.
"Projection Magecraft."