Auhtor's Note
This is a short story about the spirit Rein. It's really short.
That day, a strange glowing object was spotted flying in the sky above a certain country in Atto Union. The glowing object did not fly in a straight line, but instead zigzagged, spun around, and made an irregular flight.
"♪♪♪♪~" (Rein)
Flying with a big smile on her face was Rein, who had just become Jin Shindo's contracted spirit. Normally, a Great Spirit does not make spirit contracts with humans, but Rein, who was saved from near death by Jin, was an exception. Rein, whose life had been saved and whose whole body was filled with Jin's magic, was already madly in love with him.
Of course, the meaning of love was different from how humans fall in love, but it was still clear that she was quite infatuated. This was because Rein was a female Great Spirit.
Rein was originally Great Spirit, who had no gender assigned. However, after being demoted to a Lesser Spirit once, when she was resurrected as a Great Spirit by Jin's magic power, Rein deliberately chose to be set as a female. The reason was simple. She wanted to gain Jin's favor. Even if it meant going to such lengths, she wanted to be liked by Jin, even if it was just a little. She was totally in love with him.
"♪♪~♪♪~" (Rein)
She was so happy to be resurrected as a Great Spirit and to have successfully made a spirit contract with Jin that it was reflected in the way she flew.
However, Rein wasn't just flying for fun. She had a clear destination. Rein had no idea, but her destination was an active volcano known to the locals as the Grand Volcano, famous for being home to many powerful fire-element monsters.
After a short while of hiking, Rein arrived at the Grand Volcano. For a normal human, that temperature alone would be enough to kill them, but that didn't matter to Rein, a Great Spirit. She carried on as if nothing was wrong.
Along the way, monsters noticed Rein's presence and attacked her, but the moment they touched her, her [MP Absorption] skill absorbed all of the magic power, and the monsters fell unconscious. In fact, Rein, who had [MP Absorption], was quite an unorthodox figure among Great Spirits.
Normally, spirits, being masses of magic power, were unable to learn [MP Absorption] due to their racial characteristics. To absorb external magic power, it wasn't necessary to use [MP Absorption], but rather a process was required to convert it into a form that was easier to absorb using [Spirit] skill, which all spirits possess. In the unlikely event that she was to learn [MP Absorption] and directly absorb MP, as the effect for the spirits would be so great that it might even cause her to self-destruct.
In Rein's case, even the [Spirit] skill that all spirits should have had had been stolen by the Oni God, so by the time she was saved by Jin's group, she had no way of recovering her magic powers. Her MP was nearly empty, and her ego had become extremely thin due to the influence of the Oni God, which was precisely why she was able to absorb Jin's magic power. And, by absorbing a large amount of Jin's magic power all at once, the skill [MP Absorption] was manifested. Through this extremely limited and rare experience, Rein had acquired [MP Absorption] skill, and had gained the knack of turning absorbed magic power into an easier to use form even without [Spirit] skill.
What's so powerful about a spirit gaining [MP Absorption] is that there's no limit to the amount of magical power it can absorb. To begin with, [MP Absorption] is a skill that absorbs up to a maximum value from the person it's in contact with, and it can't be used if the MP is full. However, although spirits have magical power (MP), there is no upper limit to how much MP they can absorb. In other words, they can absorb as much magic power as they want. Therefore, Rein never ran out of magic power as long as she was fighting creatures with magic power, and she had become an extraordinary spirit that could absorb magic power at a speed several times faster than [Spirit] skill.
"♪♪♪♪~" (Rein)
The surrounding monsters also began to notice Rein's abnormality and gradually stopped attacking. It's not like Rein's goal was to defeat monsters, so as long as they didn't attack, she ignored them and moved on. Rein's goal was to find the being at the very deepest part of the Grand Volcano.
A happy Rein made her way through the volcano, eventually reaching the deepest part. Deep inside the volcano, it was no longer possible for humans to survive.
At the very back of it was a woman made out of a mass of fire. She was clearly larger than a human, around 3m in size. She had no name and was a member of the Fire Great Spirit race.
"What are you here for? Nameless Great Spirit." (Fire Spirit)
(……………………) (Rein)
Basically, once they reached Great Spirit they could speak. However, Rein lost her language when she was absorbed into the Oni God and had yet to recover. Therefore, only her thoughts were transmitted. This was different from telepathy and was a method of communication that can only be understood between spirits.
"Indeed, the spirit that you and I were born from has known each other for a long time. However, you have clearly changed. Therefore, I can no longer acknowledge you as my friend." (Fire Spirit)
(……………………!) (Rein)
Hearing those words, Rein angrily pleaded.
"I have not abandoned you. Even if you are absorbed into the Oni God, it will have no effect on me. It is not something that would warrant me leaving the place I control. Therefore, I have not moved from this place." (Fire Spirit)
(……………………!) (Rein)
When Rein was about to be absorbed by the Oni God, she used the aforementioned thoughts to ask for help from her spirit acquaintances. However, the result was cruel, with no one coming to help her. Originally, Rein was a rare spirit who frequently left the place she ruled over, and although she had many acquaintances in various places, no one tried to help her. Therefore, Rein's heart had been eaten away by despair for a long time inside the Oni God. So, when she was filled with Jin's magic, she decided to dedicate everything to Jin.
"To begin with, you are the one who is a heretic as a spirit. It would be troublesome if you forced your ways on us." (Fire Spirit)
Rein closed her eyes for a moment, then glared intensely at the Fire Great Spirit.
(……………………) (Rein)
"Oh, so are you challenging me to a fight? You, whose existence has been devoured by the Oni God and who no longer have a place to rule?" (Fire Spirit)
(……………………) (Rein)
"What? You’re in charge of Jin? What the hell is that…" (Fire Spirit)
The Fire Great Spirit governed fire, preparing volcanoes as a field and absorbing the fire-element magic power. So, what was Rein, who was filled with Jin's magic power and had decided that she should be next to Jin, in charge of? Of course, it was "Jin" (self-proclaimed). It's not important, but aside from "Jin", saying "Jin"[1] sounds a lot more like a spirit.
(……………………) (Rein)
"It's certainly something I don't understand, but... I don't like it. You seem to be looking at me, but you're not paying any attention to me at all. Why do you say you resent me for abandoning you? I don't resent you at all." (Fire Spirit)
Rein knew too. Great Spirits basically do not move from the place they are in charge of. This means that she was the heretic, and even if she asked for help, there was no other Great Spirits who would come to her aid. Therefore, although she was sad and in despair, she didn't actually resent it—She just didn't care anymore.
(……………………) (Rein)
"You want a just cause to fight? I don't understand what you mean, but if that's what you want, then I'll be your opponent. However, I am the Fire Great Spirit. I might get a little too heated and end up destroying you, but please don't resent me, okay?" (Fire Spirit)
(……………………) (Rein)
"Very well! Take this!" (Fire Spirit)
Saying this, the Fire Great Spirit expanded her body greatly. Her appearance was exactly like a Firebird. A mythical beast with overwhelming heat and presence. The phantom beast spread its large wings and enveloped Rein as if swallowing her.
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!" (Fire Spirit)
Naturally, the one who shouted this was the Fire Great Spirit. Of all things, she ended up using an attack that "wrapped Rein in magic." Without realizing that all of this was perfect prey for [MP Absorption]—The Fire Great Spirit had almost all of the magic power it possessed absorbed by Rein.
"Ugh... What a thing to say. To think that I have been reduced to such a state..." (Fire Spirit)
Saying this, the Fire Great Spirit collapsed on the spot, shrinking to around 50cm. Originally, she had the appearance of a woman, but as she shrunk, she took on the appearance of a young girl. When she got this small, she couldn't even be called a Great Spirit. Since her ego still remained fully intact, perhaps she could be called Medium Spirit.
(……………………) (Rein)
"Wh-what a stupid thing to say. If I were to disappear from here, who knows what kind of impact it would have!" (Fire Spirit)
She didn't know what Rein was talking about. However, judging from the panic of the Fire Medium Spirit, it was clear that something was not right. As Rein slowly approached, the Fire Medium Spirit backed away as if fleeing, but the distance between them kept closing.
(……………………) (Rein)
"S-stop it. Damn it." (Fire Spirit)
Rein grabbed the Fire Medium Spirit and lifted her up.
"Stop! I don't want to disappear yet..." (Fire Spirit)
Before she could finish her sentence, the Fire Medium Spirit disappeared due to [MP Absorption]. Spirits have no physical body and are simply lumps of magical energy, so they have no way of resisting [MP Absorption]. In other words, although Rein was a spirit, she specialized in killing spirits.
Rein slowly absorbed the Fire Great Spirit that she had taken in, letting it soak into the body as if she were chewing it. Once she was fully accustomed to it, she nodded in satisfaction.
This meant that the magic power that made up Rein now includes the magic power of other than Jin.
This was what Rein aimed to achieve. In order to perform [Spiritualisation] with Jin, the magic power must be completely identical to Jin's. Therefore, by taking in magic power from another Great Spirit, she planned to artificially create "Another magic power similar to Jin's." When the Great Spirits abandoned her, she had gone from being "friends" to being "inconsequential," so she wouldn't feel any emotion at all if she absorbed them.
(……………………) (Rein)
However, there were concerns that Great Spirits might suddenly disappear. For better or worse, Great Spirits were a mass of energy. If they suddenly disappeared from an active volcano, there was no telling what would happen. It wasn't something that Rein particularly cared about, but she didn't know how Jin would react.
Thinking that it would be best not to do anything that would cause trouble for humans, Rein spread her hands as if to hold something. Magic power gathered in the gap, and eventually a girl made out of flames about 1 meter tall emerged. Although the size was different, it was undoubtedly a Fire Great Spirit.
"Why has my consciousness been revived...?" (Fire Spirit)
(……………………) (Rein)
"Familiar, you say...? You say you have taken control of my existence...?" (Fire Spirit)
Rein absorbed the consciousness of the Fire Great Spirit and mixed it with her own magic power to reconstruct it. The current Fire Great Spirit was a part of Rein and could not oppose her. And almost all of the magic power gathered in the place it governed was directed to Rein.
"Are you kidding me...argh?!" (Fire Spirit)
With just a light will from Rein, the Fire Great Spirit was unable to move even a finger. Rein approached the Fire Great Spirit and placed her hand on the head.
(……………………) (Rein)
"Wait! I was wrong. I know. I won't resist anymore. So, please let go of your hands!" (Fire Spirit)
There was no dignity in her appearance, she just looked like a frightened girl. Rein seemed satisfied with that reaction, as she nodded and let go of her hand. The Fire Great Spirit breathed a sigh of relief.
(……………………) (Rein)
"Well, I guess you're going to absorb other Great Spirit as well..." (Fire Spirit)
(……………………?) (Rein)
"N-no, I have no complaints... We really have abandoned an outrageous spirit." (Fire Spirit)
Ignoring the Fire Great Spirit, who looked down as if regretting something, Rein set off from the Grand Volcano for the next destination.
This was the origin myth of Rein, which would later be called "The Ultimate Great Spirit".
Still, it was ironic that the Oni God, the object of Rein's hatred, was the one closest to Rein's current state.
Author's Note
In a way, it's a rehash of Jin's and Sakura's history.
Sakura was in despair when she was abandoned by Eldia. Jin, when he was abandoned, made the Heroes into "insignificant beings." And then he abandoned them in return.
Translation Note
[1] There are 2 types of "Jin": Jin and Jin.
Also, I changed the name to "Rein" (or should I stay with "Rain"?)