103. Changes


    <span style="font-weight:400">A pair of hands tore through the thick threads of Tomoka’s cocoon. However, this wasn''t what surprised Kumoki. No, what surprised the giant spider was the ck chitin covering the pair of hands. Each finger sporting a wickedly sharp point at its end.


    <span style="font-weight:400">In the past Komoki had witnessed another two humans surviving the process but neither had suffered such a change. As she watched the hands tear apart the cocoon making a hole big enough for their owner Kumoki couldn’t help but feel a tinge of fear. A momentter a ripping sound could be heard throughout the cave. The cocoon had been torn open and a figure crawled out of it.


    <span style="font-weight:400">A humanoid body covered in ck chitinous armor with a bright white mane of hairing out of her head. Two pairs of spider-like legs protruded from her back with ck chains wrapped around them. White Lichtenberg figures marking the entire ck chitin. Finally, a pair of bright pink eyes with multiple pupils could be seen behind the ck chitin covering her face.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“T-Tomoka-sama?” Kumoki couldn’t help the stutter that escaped her. The sheer pressure the entity in front of her gave was enough to make her want to flee.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I feel weird, stronger but weird.” Tomoka couldn’t help but admire the changes her body had gone through. The ck chitin covering her body reminded her of the ident that had given her right arm a simr ability. However, she didn’t feel her chakra being drawn towards the chitin armor covering her body.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Feeling the energy flow within her body, Tomoka soon realized that she now had ess to another source of energy. This energy felt wild and vtile while also being gentle and unmovable. Yet it answered to her will without the slightest bit of resistance. It was this energy that fuels her chitin armor.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A-are you still yourself Tomoka-sama?” Tomoka was taken out of her thoughts by Kumoki’s question.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Who else would I be but myself?” Hearing Tomoka’s answer Kumoki felt a bit conflicted. Tomoka felt different and yet the same in some way.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, now that I am done with this there are things I need to do.” Tomoka had just noticed that her guess was right. She had a hunch that her phantoms would be dispelled during the trial. For this reason she had delivered a message to Nozomi and Hinata before the trial started.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Concentrating for a bit Tomoka controlled the natural energy coursing through her body. A momentter the chitin armor covering her crumbled into dust alongside the extra limbs that disappeared without leaving any trace. With the armor gone, Tomoka''s naked body was presented to the world.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Now, without the obstruction of the armor it was clear to see Tomoka’s changes. As if a few years had gone by, Tomoka''s body looked more developed. Her height increased by a few centimeters while her curves became clearer. Thest dregs of baby fat were all but gone revealing the uncanny beauty that would continue to develop in the near future.


    <span style="font-weight:400">However, none of those were of any importancepared to the extremelyplex matrix of tattoos coursing through her frame. More impressive is the ratherrge ck gem attached to her sternum where her heart should be and it seemed to be the origin of the tattoos.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Looking closely one could see that the tattoos look like a strange andplexbination of fuinjutsu, circuitry and what could only be guessed to be some form of magic circle. Three differentnguages working together to form an extremely effective array intended for the gathering, storage and usage of natural energy. Or at least that was Tomoka’s best guess.


    <span style="font-weight:400">Putting the mysteries of her body’s changes for another time, Tomoka got to work. As she was about to do the hand signs for her Phantom clone jutsu she felt a weird intuition. Like a voice telling her that there was no need for useless actions. Following the intuition Tomoka simply willed her chakra into the form of a phantom.


    <span style="font-weight:400">In an instant ck smoke seemed to spill out of Tomoka as it formed into a phantom. However, unlike her phantoms this one felt stronger. Looking closely Tomoka discovered why. This phantom like herself had ess to natural energy and by proxy, senjutsu.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Nice.”