After personally experiencing the Mass Manipulation Technique, Sōjun Minamoto handed Garuda back to Yuki Tsukumo.
Before leaving, Garuda's tail wrapped tightly around his forearm, and it rubbed its head against the back of his hand with obvious reluctance.
What the hell?
Sōjun glanced down at its beady green eyes.
"...Tastes good..."
Tastes good? What does?
Garuda rubbed against his forearm again.
His hand? Tastes good?
Sōjun extended his hand toward it, but Garuda pushed it aside with its head, then looked straight into his eyes.
He got it.
If anything on him was drawing Garuda's attention, it could only be his eyes. After the layered transformations from the mass manipulation, his eyeballs had become similar in nature to Garuda itself.
He plucked one out. As expected, Garuda's gaze snapped to it like metal to a magnet.
But Sōjun didn't immediately feed it the eye. Instead, he looked over at Yuki Tsukumo.
Wanting a snack? He didn't really mind.
But the eyeballs of the Star Eyes weren't exactly something you could feed on a whim. After extensive development, each eye now functioned like a [Golden Core]—no longer requiring metal dust and intense forging to reach that state.
Flesh, soul energy, and cursed energy—when combined in a perfect 1:1:7 ratio, they formed the core directly.
And the structure of the Star Eye naturally matched that ratio.
Sōjun placed a hand on Garuda's head, pressing it gently downward. If this thing ate one of his eyeballs...
It would become something like Fly Head—a self-aware extension of him.
And for Yuki Tsukumo, her relationship with Garuda would become similar to his with Fly Head.
He'd gain a Garuda-avatar, and she'd get a version of Garuda that carried a part of Sōjun Minamoto.
It was hard to say who would be in control, but he suspected Yuki Tsukumo would remain the dominant one.
Garuda was the embodiment of her technique. Even with Perfect Control, he could only manage a 70/30 split. Once you factored in the natural balance mechanism, that ratio might flip to 30/70 or even 20/80.
Still, it was worth testing. Hard to say whether it'd be a win or a loss.
Honestly, Sōjun didn't mind. Being secondary wasn't a big deal—as long as he wasn't actively trying to control Garuda, it didn't matter if Tsukumo treated it like a toy ball and kicked it around for fun.
It was just a clone, after all.
But he did need to consider how she might feel about it.
Yuki Tsukumo reached out, ready to take Garuda back, but paused when it didn't seem willing to return. That was odd. Normally, the thing clung to her like a shadow—now it was hesitating?
She looked again at Sōjun Minamoto.
Was this guy... really that charming?
Sōjun Minamoto explained the situation with the eyeball, and her eyes lit up in surprise.
"So, it'll become your avatar? But it'll still retain the essence of the Garuda?"
Sōjun Minamoto nodded.
"I'll still have control over it? Unless you directly intervene, it won't be affected much? Otherwise, it'll function the same as before?"
He nodded again. That "not much" was putting it mildly—if it wasn't perfect control, to him, it made no difference.
"Yes, and its power will scale up along with mine."
"..." Yuki Tsukumo paused in silence.
"What do you get out of it?" she asked suddenly.
Her thinking was straightforward—if it was all for her benefit, then there was no need to go through with it. She didn't want to owe anyone a favor.
Garuda was important to her, but not that important. It was more of a spiritual companion than a source of strength.
"Me? I'll probably gain a chance to experience the Mass Manipulation Technique firsthand," Sōjun Minamoto said after a brief pause. From the way she spoke, he'd assumed she didn't trust him and wanted to clarify the stakes.
But unexpectedly, it was the opposite—she trusted him too much and was worried he'd give everything and get nothing in return.
Garuda, as a standalone, could be considered a Special Grade Shikigami, but he didn't feel any possessiveness over it. It wasn't a big deal—just a few punches worth. Its strength didn't offer him much of a boost.
But one thing—just one—caught his interest:
If Garuda became his avatar, then the Mass Manipulation Technique would become his avatar too.
What kind of experience would that be?
Just imagining it made his heart race.
"I'm fine with it. No objections," Yuki Tsukumo said casually. Inspired by Sōjun Minamoto, she had decided to pay more attention to the Technique itself. Garuda was merely an extension of it and didn't significantly affect her power.
Besides, she trusted him.
With her agreement, Sōjun Minamoto didn't hesitate. He tossed the eyeball to Garuda.
Garuda had long been fidgeting under his hand, its neck lifting slightly as it rubbed against his palm. Its gaze was locked on the eyeball, clearly eager. Once it sensed approval, it shot up, caught it in its mouth, and swallowed.
Both of them watched closely. At first, nothing happened. Then, Garuda's bony brow began to tremble violently. Its flesh surged outward, splitting at the center.
Garuda showed no sign of discomfort, still lost in the flavor of the eyeball, as if it wasn't the one undergoing this bizarre transformation.
A vertical eye slowly formed. It widened dramatically, almost stretching the socket into a perfect circle, with the pupil darting in all directions. Eventually, two streaks of blood-tears flowed down from the corners, and it looked at Sōjun Minamoto before closing. In its place remained a diamond-shaped crystalline slit.
Garuda's stats and detailed information immediately surfaced in Sōjun Minamoto's mind—he understood it completely.
Yuki Tsukumo casually took Garuda and gave it a swing through the air. A sharp "pop!" rang out.
"No real change in how it handles, but it feels smoother now!"
Of course it did. Its structure was evolving toward perfection—proportions, length, thickness, joint alignment... all becoming more refined.
That refinement would take time. Garuda would keep getting easier to wield.
As Sōjun Minamoto processed the information about the Shikigami's split form, something struck him. He looked at Yuki Tsukumo.
"Garuda isn't in its complete form?"
"Right. The original design was an eagle-faced human. Right now, it just looks snake-like, but it's actually in an egg form. That's where the name comes from. It needs to hatch and emerge from its shell to reveal its true form."
Sōjun Minamoto was intrigued. In mythology, Garuda devoured nagas—snake-like beings. Could there be a link? From prey to predator?
He asked, "Can you influence these changes?"
"Nope. Once I choose the initial form while manifesting the Technique, I can't interfere anymore. It just evolves on its own. But I've always been happy with its growth. That's the wonder of techniques—they reflect your will."
Sōjun Minamoto grinned. No need to overthink it. Whether or not Garuda had mythological ties, he was here now. If he said the connection existed, then it did.
Later, he could even chart out a path for Garuda—just like with the Fly Head.
Garuda returned to Yuki Tsukumo, who continued curiously examining its changes.
Sōjun Minamoto had a sudden thought.
"How about setting a Binding Vow for it?"
"What kind of vow?"
"One that prevents me from interfering under normal conditions. But if I recite a specific incantation, I gain control over Garuda."
Yuki Tsukumo thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Sure, what's the incantation?"
A sudden spark lit in her eyes.
"How about 'Garuda'?"
Sōjun Minamoto nodded without hesitation.
It didn't matter—few people even knew the name Garuda. Even if someone said it, it wouldn't make a difference.
With their mutual agreement, the Binding Vow quietly took effect.
Sōjun Minamoto immediately lost all sensory connection with Garuda.
He didn't mind. What he really wanted to know was whether Perfect Control—combined with a Binding Vow—could overcome the Balance Mechanism.
An 82 out of 100—close enough. There was still a chance.
He wanted to see whether he could gain Perfect Control over Garuda and the Mass Manipulation Technique, just like he did with Unlimited.
"Want to give it a try?" he looked at Yuki Tsukumo.
She, too, sensed that the Binding Vow had been established. A stream of information flowed into her mind, explaining the conditions.
It was simple: unless the incantation was spoken, Sōjun Minamoto couldn't sense or control Garuda. But once he did, he'd regain control.
The conditions were generous.
But both sides gave something to gain something—that's what a Binding Vow was all about.
"Ready?" Yuki Tsukumo asked.
Seeing him nod, she parted her lips and spoke clearly:
"Garuda!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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