Campione: Strongest# 434: The Mystic Eyes of Distortion

The funeral for Mrs. Asakami was a simple affair, attended only by the direct lineage of the Asakami family.

Watching a group of old patriarchs—men in their seventies and eighties—weep uncontrollably, some even losing control and triggering their family's cursed Reversal Impulse from the sheer intensity of their grief... Haru couldn't help but let a wry smile touch his lips.

He noted the deep, palpable guilt these elders felt toward the woman who, despite marrying into their family, had rarely known a day of peace.

Initially, Haru was stunned by their presence. Who—be it Kouzou Asagami or anyone else—would have the sheer audacity to abuse Fujino when she was clearly protected by a group of elders capable of matching High-Tier Mages? That was beyond suicidal.

But upon closer inspection, he realized few of these men would survive another five years. This led to a grim conclusion: Fujino’s abuse likely began only after the last of these protectors had passed away.

Still, the old men served a purpose. They had provided Haru with the Asakami family’s entire historical research archive on the Mystic Eyes of Distortion. This trove of knowledge wasn't limited to just Distortion—it covered research on Clairvoyance, Observational Eyes, Suggestion Eyes, and even touched upon the realm of Future Sight.

Their study of the eye had reached a remarkable, specialized height. Their only failing was that the level of power they typically awakened was not high, leaving their prospects far less ambitious.

Armed with these extensive archives, Haru had everything he needed to teach Fujino how to control her power. By incorporating techniques for training other ocular abilities, even he couldn't predict the kind of monster he was about to create.

—————

It was 3:30 p.m.

Having seen off the sobbing elders that morning, Fujino Asagami entered the spacious living room of the residence. The girl, barely eleven years old, intended to immerse herself in training to bury the grief of her mother's passing.

Kneeling on the tatami beside Haru, she held the silver necklace around her throat and asked softly, her expression earnest, “Brother Haru, should I take the necklace off first?”

Faint runes were etched into the silver—a magical tool Haru had given her months ago to suppress her power.

At that time, little Fujino had still been an ordinary girl yearning for a normal life, showing no interest in her abilities even after witnessing the terrifying power of Kohaku.

“Go ahead and take it off,” Haru replied, sitting cross-legged, nodding encouragingly.

A tremor ran through her pale, slender arms. Fujino’s movements were exceptionally slow as she removed the necklace, as if she were terrified of what might happen. Even though her ability had been sealed, she still remembered the terror of unintentionally using her Mystic Eyes as a child.

Toothbrushes, tables, even the main support beam of her old home had been twisted by her eyes, the latter nearly crushing her and her mother. And those were just simple objects.

When used unintentionally in the village, her power was far more devastating, almost causing fatal incidents multiple times.

Fujino looked up at his encouraging face, hardened her resolve, and yanked the necklace from her throat. She knew she had to find the courage to walk this new path. Any further hesitation would mean losing the right to even stand by his side.

The wine-red of her irises began to churn.

Her pupils bled into pitch-black voids, ringed by spiraling bands of crimson and emerald light. Simply looking into them gave an immediate sensation of chaos and distortion. Her left eye exerted a left-rotation force—her right eye exerted a right-rotation force.

When both eyes focused on a single object, that object would be completely twisted around its focal point, regardless of its hardness or mass.

This was the power of the Mystic Eyes of Distortion, one of the highest-ranking Mystic Eyes in the Type-Moon World.

And now, Haru, sitting cross-legged, was clearly centered in their focal point.

The uncontrollable, bizarre power flowed from Fujino’s sight, concentrating on his chest as a low grinding sound echoed.

Schwing—

Haru’s augmented God-Slayer body instantly nullified the power of the Mystic Eyes. His black wool sweater, however, was not so lucky. In an instant, the costly, hand-knit garment was twisted into a tight, black braid, revealing the hard muscle of his chest beneath.

“Kyaaa!”

A piercing scream ripped through the air.

Fujino immediately lifted her hands to cover her face. However, the light filtering through her trembling fingers failed to conceal the focused gaze of her Mystic Eyes. The twisting sound continued to echo softly.

“B-b-but, Brother Haru, I'm not allowed to break the rules too early!” the timid voice whispered, laced with an undeniable shyness.

“…Fujino, you’re eleven. How do you know so much about this?” Haru’s eyes widened as he stared, utterly bewildered, at the pink-cheeked girl.

'You're the one, Fujino!'

The watching Nyarlathotep cheered wildly, waving her arm.

'Get in the box and reflect on yourself, you Outer God!' Haru raised an eyebrow, and a black iron cage suddenly appeared in his mind, suppressing the noisy entity.

After caging the agitated Outer God, Haru felt the continuous distortion applied to his body. He raised an eyebrow and commanded, “Fujino, calm down!”

The red and green light in her eyes shrank. Fujino froze for a moment, then her face instantly paled. She quickly stood up and bowed deeply, repeatedly.

“I am so sorry, truly sorry!”

Clang—!

The sliding door was abruptly pulled open, and a voice laced with displeasure sounded.

“Why didn't you come last night?”