FTL is not possible, but Dr. Jones proceeded to offer great insight with the words, 「＊印；神秘；魔力」. For those that do not know the kanji of 印 or 神秘 or 魔力, please see the image below. A bit of knowledge of Chinese mythology helps. 神 means “god,” and 魔 means “demon.” There are various types of demons, such as those depicted in the image, but they are typically depicted as having the appearance of devils, monsters, or animals (e.g., a scaly tail, horns, cloven feet, etc.). However, since ancient Chinese considered the Chinese people to be descendants of the gods, they used similar descriptions for both. Based on Dr. Jones’ mention of 神秘 and 魔力, there are only two possibilities: either they’re talking about two magic words that make the Hozuki Engine turn into a 魔力大炎華魔道, or they’re referencing the Japanese legend of the Hattori Hanzō (“Hattori Fireball”), which is said to be an evil sword that was made by a famous blacksmith under the sponsorship of the Chinese demon king. I can’t claim to understand all the nuances, and it would be great if someone more knowledgeable than I could contribute a bit more to this hypothesis. What I do know for sure is that two of the kanji listed by Dr. Jones are related to demons or magic, and while they may be talking about some secret magic, it’s probably not what you’d expect. In any case, it should be pretty interesting to see where this all leads! Now if only a certain other man who’s going to be present for the Hozuki Engine’s “birth” could somehow prevent the end of the world from happening… In the future, I will hopefully be able to include translations for all of the newly unearthed text. The original Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi is available on Kadokawa’s website. You can read my version of the Hozuki Engi as well. The most recent volume of The Irregular at Magic High School is out now. I haven’t translated any of the other Hozuki Engi or Hozuki Engi novel volumes, but hopefully soon I’ll be able to provide fans of the novel series with a translation of those as well. It’ll be nice to once again read the story that has changed my life. EDIT: As I write this, this post is making the rounds. I’ve decided to go back and translate and write more about this in English, for all those out there who aren’t as familiar with these. It’s coming soon! Sources: NicoNico: The Hozuki Engi Volume 9 release date announcement and more! Official PR Times announcement Bakacast: The Hozuki Engi Volume 10 release date announcement Bakacast: The Hozuki Engi Volume 10 release date announcement Ani-TAYO: 木村まじんコミックが決定!! Amazon JP: 村松まじんコミック発売日決定!! Amazon EN: 村松まじんコミック発売日決定!! Tokyo Ghoul: Hozuki Engine (Part One) Wikipedia, The Irregular at Magic High School Hozuki Engi Novels (Japanese) Hakusensha, The Irregular at Magic High School Hozuki Engi Novels (Japanese) Translation Credits: Kadokawa: Volume 1 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 2 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 3 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 4 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 5 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 6 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 7 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 8 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Volume 9 of Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi Kadokawa: Kōtetsu Hozuki Engi – Shun Hozuki 木村まじん大量企画 – 吾乃 圭子 Tokyopop: The Irregular at Magic High School, Vol. 10: The Hozuki Engi (Hozuki Engi, The Irregular at Magic High School “Hozuki Engine” / 魔力大炎華魔道) Thanks to everyone in my Twitter Talk and Facebook Groups for the comments, reactions, and all the help!