I was Reincarnated as the Scum Older Brother of the Protagonist in a Romance Battle Game, But I don't want to Die, so I'll do my Best - Episode 22

In the rain-drenched rocky training grounds of the Crimson Zone, I pushed myself through joint penance with Mashiro. Thanks to her advice, I could feel myself steadily improving.

“Hmm, lower-upper tier?”

“Wha—?! Still only lower?!”

But according to Mashiro’s assessment, my Divine Sight level was still only “lower-upper” tier within the academy—not even reaching average. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to raise my Divine Sight level to 20 by the exam on May 13th.

(At this point… it might be a little underhanded, but I can’t afford to hold back…)

“Hey, Mashiro. There’s a hidden mantra for joint penance—wanna try it?”

I was referring to the “hidden karma” method—a secret technique used in games as an exploit.

The advantage of this method was that it allowed training benefits even with opponents far beyond one’s usual level. And if the opponent was in a state of divine possession, the strength of the god they channeled would also amplify the effects.

However, the downside was that the receiver—in this case, me—would have their divine chakra pathways temporarily blocked, preventing them from invoking any gods for a while.

(But for me, it doesn’t matter—I don’t even have a contracted god yet… At this point, this is the only way to raise my Divine Sight level in time.)

“Huh? I’ve never heard of it, but if you want to try it, sure?”

“Yeah, I need it. I won’t pass the Divine Sight exam at this rate.”

“I see… Got it. So, what do I need to do?”

“First, the Nine-Syllable Mantra…”

……

……

After that, I explained the process and method of the hidden mantra to Mashiro.

“Got it. But should I be in divine possession mode? I can also use Divine Attire if you want?”

“N-No, divine possession is fine… (If she uses Divine Attire, I might die even without any death flags!)”

“Mm, understood.”

“Come forth, Watatsumi-no-Kami!”

Mashiro raised her right hand to the sky and called the name of her contracted god.

The surrounding air gathered at her feet before swirling upward. Her long, aqua-blue hair fluttered wildly in the wind.

“Sorry for the wait… Divine possession complete.”

Mashiro’s Meteor Eyes gleamed blue. Behind her, the high-ranking sea god Watatsumi was likely manifesting—but my Divine Sight was still too low to perceive it.

“Alright, Mashiro, let’s do this.”

“Mm, here we go… RIN!”

“?!”

After countless repetitions of joint penance, Mashiro and I were perfectly in sync. But this time, the flow of power from her was on a completely different scale—both in quantity and speed.

“If the last one was like a babbling brook, this is a tidal wave.”

“PYŌ! TŌ! SHA! KAI! JIN! RETSU! ZEN!”

“GYŌ!”

For the final syllable, I thrust my right fist toward Mashiro, who caught it with her open left hand. At the same time, I caught her right fist with my left, completing the joint penance stance.

An immense power—Mashiro’s and Watatsumi’s combined—raced through my entire body before surging back into Mashiro.

“?! Hey, Shouji, I’m getting a boost too!”

“Yeah, me too. The effect is dozens of times stronger than the regular mantra.”

“Let’s keep going until Mashiro’s divine possession runs out.”

“Mm, leave it to me.”

“RIN! PYŌ! TŌ! SHA! KAI! JIN! RETSU! ZEN! GYŌ!”

……

……

“Phew… Shouji, I’m almost at my limit.”

“Got it. Thanks, Mashiro.”

Mashiro closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. A gust of wind descended from above, wrapping around her for just a moment.

“Haven’t channeled Watatsumi in a while…”

“Hahaha! Ah—sorry to ask when you’re tired, but can you check my Divine Sight level one more time?”

“Mm, sure… Wow! Shouji, your Divine Sight is now mid-upper tier!”

“Whoa, seriously?! Yes!!”

I grabbed Mashiro’s hands and shook them up and down excitedly.

“It’s all thanks to you, Mashiro! Thank you!”

“You’re the one who worked hard. Besides, I got a little stronger too.”

After that, Mashiro gave me some advice on joint penance and taught me some body movement techniques.

We continued practicing with the regular mantra until the sun set.

“Shouji, let’s call it a day.”

“Thanks. I feel like I made a lot of progress with both my Divine Sight and physical training today.”

“Mm. Shouji, you’re amazing—zoom zoom!”

Her usual playful self had returned, replacing her earlier serious expression. She flashed me a peace sign and smiled.

“Hey, can we stop by the White Zone before we go? I wanna try that beginner course.”

“Mm, but we don’t have much time. Ume-nee is making dinner.”

“I know. It won’t take long—I’ll finish it in no time.”

She agreed, and we headed to the cliff in the White Zone. It was already completely dark, making it hard to see even my own hands.

“Shouji, it’s too dark—it’s dangerous. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all memorized. Watch me.”

I applied some grip powder to my hands and grabbed the first rock of the beginner route.

“Alright, start!”

“Here I go!”

Moving my hands and feet swiftly, I climbed the cliff effortlessly—reaching the top in no time.

“Mashiro, I made it!”

“Mm, 2 minutes and 20 seconds… You’re getting closer to my time.”

Hearing my new personal best, I felt satisfied and descended using the rope.

“See? Didn’t take long. By the way, what’s your best time, Mashiro?”

“Hmm? 46 seconds.”

“…Seriously?”

The huge gap between us made me slump in disappointment, but Mashiro patted my shoulder reassuringly.

“It’s fine. As long as you keep working hard, you’ll definitely find a way.”

It was too dark to see her expression clearly, but I was sure she was smiling.

“Yeah, if my best friend says so, it must be true!”

By the second day, I had already reached my goal of Divine Sight level 20. From tomorrow onward, I’d keep pushing forward—there was no stopping now.