LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 61
The flames took on a shape reminiscent of the ones blazing from the altar, possessing an unrealistically vivid color. However, unlike the sacred fire that burned solely red, this one was a mix of blue and white hues.
It looked as if someone had painted a fiery picture with three colors.
“-!”
Lise screamed as Narumi ignited into a blazing inferno.
Seemingly taken aback, she covered her mouth with both hands, plopping down onto the floor and staring blankly at Jinseong’s face with round, wide eyes.
Jinseong, having been shocked, tried to reassure the trembling Lise.
“Don’t worry. This fire only burns the immaterial.”
A flame that consumes only the immaterial.
A fire burning at the border between substance and immateriality.
A flame that can burn either matter or immateriality according to will.
Similar in nature to the holy fire on the altar, yet born from a human.
“This is the Samādhi True Fire.”
A flame that can only be conjured upon achieving the state of Samādhi.
After long and arduous training, reaching the depths or heights of the mind leads to the state of Samādhi.
In that place, one can realize the essence of formless entities like thoughts and the unconscious, and see the true essence of concrete entities.
Among those essences, one must have the shape of fire, rooted in the unconscious and rising as flames shaped by one’s notions and concepts.
If one witnesses it, they can summon flames that influence both the material and immaterial, the visible and the invisible, which is called Samādhi True Fire.
Since it is a state achievable through mental training, it is often widespread, yet simultaneously, it is a technique that one cannot use without sufficient mental prowess.
Thus, one may often see warriors, shamans, seekers, practitioners, alchemists, clergy using it, while on the other hand, wizards, scientists, and summoners often cannot utilize Samādhi True Fire.
“Samādhi, true fire, huh?”
But even Samādhi has its levels, and so does Samādhi True Fire.
The one Jinseong used was of a completely different dimension than the ordinary variant.
The typical Samādhi True Fire might at most be a match flame, perhaps a campfire at its peak, but what Jinseong conjured was enormous enough to swallow a person whole.
Furthermore, it had a clarity of color that was incomparable to the others, distorting the space around it as if to burn the boundary between substance and immateriality.
That blazing fire roared, using Narumi as firewood, sparkling in red, blue, and white hues. Then, it eventually changed into a vivid blue akin to ultramarine made from lapis lazuli, starting to emit a foul smell.
“—!”
The stench of burning protein.
It smelled like singed hair.
Along with that, a strong, acrid odor wafted up, mingled with a heavy stench.
It was a scent that could hardly be called pleasant, even as a mere courtesy.
“Good!”
As the foul smell wafted, Jinseong joyfully floated his divine body into the air.
Then, the unconscious Narumi began to groan in apparent agony, clutching at her throat, and after a few dry heaves, she started to expel a translucent white smoke.
“-!”
The white smoke, released from Narumi’s body, dashed toward the nearby divine body, but Jinseong, as if to prevent it, wrapped the divine body in Samādhi True Fire to block the smoke from getting in. He tightly grasped the swirling smoke as if with an invisible hand, gathering it into a sphere and offered it to Lise.
“Here, eat up.”
You want me to eat this?
Lise looked at Jinseong, wishing it were a joke, but unfortunately, his face bore an unyielding expression.
He brought close a sphere made from the very white smoke Narumi had just vomited, roughly the size of half Lise’s head, urging her to eat.
‘That smell!’
The horrible part was that the sphere emitted a stench.
Fortunately, it didn’t smell acrid, but the burning hair stench and the foul odor were strong. No, the smoke was the smell itself.
Lise, knowing it was an order from Jinseong, opened her mouth to eat it, but the putrid smell invaded her nostrils, causing her to gag. After choking and retching for a bit, the moment she inhales to catch her breath—
“—–?!”
Jinseong shoved the smoke directly into Lise’s mouth.
As the smoke entered her body, the previously overpowering odor vanished as if it were a lie, and the white smoke lost all flavor and scent. The smoke spread throughout her body, and after some time, it emerged from her mouth, swirling around her.
Seeing this, Jinseong handed her a fox statue.
The smoke darted back and forth between the fox statue and her, settling around her head and hips to take form.
Finally.
“We succeeded.”
The smoke shimmered, filled with colors and created shapes like holograms.
‘Tail?’
The shape created by the smoke had fox ears and a bushy fox tail.
Fox ears perked up on Lise’s head, and three fluffy tails swayed near her rear.
Lise, intrigued by the tail that sprouted from her body, touched it and felt a softness greater than any fabric. Moreover, the tail seemed to have sensation itself, responding to her touch as if it were alive, evoking a slightly ticklish sensation like stroking hair.
“Now that it has fulfilled its role as a sacrifice, I have no further need for it.”
Jinseong, upon giving Lise her ears and tails, released the Samādhi True Fire and tossed Narumi onto the floor.
Lise stared, shocked, at Narumi being thrown down and felt something was off.
‘There’s no divine power present.’
The faint aura of divine power she had felt was gone.
Filled with doubt, Lise observed Narumi, and as if Jinseong read her mind, he spoke.
“Your suspicion is correct. This is no longer a Shamaness, she has lost all her divine power.”
‘Not a Shamaness anymore?’
“Instead, all the qualifications and divine power she held have been transferred to you. Now, you are both the Shamaness of Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami and the Shamaness of Inari, and at the same time, you are not a Shamaness to either of them.”
Jinseong answered Lise’s question like that.
‘The Shamaness of Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami and Inari. A Shamaness serving both, yet serving neither.’
Lise felt she somewhat understood what that meant.
She would use the divine power originating from Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami, but it would not be bestowed by Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami, rather it would come from the slime created by Jinseong.
She would gain the divine power from Inari, yet it would be supplied not by Inari but by the slime.
So, she was both a Shamaness of both yet not a Shamaness of either.
And yet, she was neither serving the slime nor worshipping the light sphere she manifested through spirit vision, which truly seemed strange. The god Jinseong granted became the god she served but didn’t provide divine power, and the one providing it was neither a creature nor a god of her own.
How could that not be called peculiar?
If one were to describe it, Lise could be seen as a shamaness of a non-existent void god and a shamaness of cultic idol worship.
Moreover, she could certainly be deemed a bizarre shamaness that grows stronger by eating other gods.
“I predicted that since dogs and foxes share similar essences, it would work out fine, but the results came out better than I thought. Very good, excellent.”
In contrast to Jinseong’s alien existence, it was a fitting match.
Jinseong walked over to Lise, who was gazing up at him in wonder, and patted her head.
Her hair infused with divine power was as soft as silk, and the perked-up ears felt plush yet springy, reacting slightly each time touched.
And the tails swaying above were the pinnacle of texture.
Moreover, since they held Inari’s divine power, they would become the finest ingredient for spells.
‘Both material and immaterial.’
Furthermore, the ears and tails crafted from divine power were forms of material one could touch or pluck, meaning they were “interferable,” while also appearing changeable to an immaterial state according to will.
Should one desire, they could transform it into an immaterial form and become invisible.
‘However, given that Inari’s divine power is captured within the ears and tails, if it is transformed into an immaterial form, using that divine power might incur some limitations.’
If one were to draw a parallel, the divine power of Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami was like internal hard disk space, while Inari’s divine power resembled external storage.
With his eyes closed, Jinseong quietly observed Lise, who entrusts her body to his touch.
“Excellent.”
* * *
The night festival has concluded.
“Last night, a fire broke out at the shrine, injuring Shinto Priest Kishimoto Yoshiaki and Shamaness Kishimoto Narumi. Fortunately, they were not severely injured, but due to the need for rest, I will reluctantly take the responsibility of managing the festival as their substitute.”
There were flames stirred and rituals performed.
“Let us successfully conclude this festival for the two unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances!”
The offerings were made, and it was brought to a successful close.
Everything was perfect.