Chapter 24 - The Attack.

In the dark forest filled with yin energy, Miketsu and Yura continued their search for the spiritual magatama. Following Yura's spiritual perception, they quickly found another one.

"Waaah!"

With a shriek like a baby's cry, a monster covered in black fur lunged straight at Miketsu. Golden flames immediately erupted from Miketsu's sleeves. The divine foxfire instantly incinerated the attacking black-furred monster, leaving only ashes scattered on the ground.

"Phew..."

Letting out a sigh of relief, Miketsu took a magatama from an old, moss-covered stone lantern. After putting it away safely, she turned her gaze to the pile of ashes at her feet.

Like the yokai they had encountered before, this one was also filled with hostility upon seeing them, pouncing recklessly. It also seemed unable to speak or communicate, very different from the One-Bite Yokai Miketsu had met previously. The One-Bite Yokai was not only much stronger but also possessed a degree of intelligence and could speak.

Was the difference in intelligence due to the different yokai species? Or were the yokai in this demon-rearing ground intentionally raised this way by those onmyoji? Miketsu couldn't know.

"Alright, I'll give this one to you for now. Let's go find the next one. Yu...ra?" Pushing aside other trivial thoughts, Miketsu turned to speak to Yura, who was waiting nearby, but she noticed something was wrong with her.

Yura was leaning against a large tree, hugging herself tightly. Her whole body was trembling unnaturally. Something was clearly wrong.

What's wrong with her?

"Ah... you've dealt with it already? Then let's hurry up and move on." Yura finally responded after hearing Miketsu's words, her voice laced with an undeniable weakness.

"Are you okay? You don't seem right," Miketsu said, frowning at Yura's condition.

"Mm... I do feel a bit unwell, but it's nothing serious. It's probably... probably because I've been in this environment with such dense yin energy for too long. This might be part of the selection trial's test," Yura admitted she had a problem, speculating it was part of the trial.

That was what Yura thought, but Miketsu disagreed. She already had a general grasp of the Onmyoryo's selection standards. Judging by the level of the yokai set up by the Onmyoryo, they were clearly not meant for someone of Yura's caliber. According to Tsuruha, Yura's skill as a genius should be far above the average level of those specialists.

If even Yura was feeling unwell due to the environment, what would happen to the others? If everyone collapsed after just a few steps, how could the selection trial continue?

Miketsu thought this, but it was ultimately just speculation. She understood that as a god, she couldn't be affected by yin energy, so she couldn't empathize with Yura and couldn't confirm her own suspicions.

Just as Miketsu was pondering, Yura, who was about to set off, suddenly furrowed her brow. She began to look around, as if searching for something in the darkness of the forest. "Something's wrong... not right..."

"What's not right?" Yura's words interrupted Miketsu's thoughts. She looked at Yura curiously, almost able to see the serious expression on her face beneath the headscarf.

"The location of the magatama is wrong. There's... there's a large cluster of them gathered together."

"A large cluster of magatama gathered together? Could it be that someone has collected more than us?" Miketsu's first reaction was that there was another genius like Yura among the group who had collected many magatama in a short time.

"No, that's unlikely. I've placed all the magatama we've collected into a bag that blocks spiritual power to avoid being targeted. I don't believe someone with that level of skill wouldn't think of this," Yura refuted Miketsu's guess and continued.

"Besides, that cluster of magatama is moving very fast. Incredibly fast. That's not a speed a human can achieve. That... that thing is coming towards us!"

"Towards us? We've become the target?!" Miketsu was startled to hear Yura's words.

"Yes... Get ready, Hao! Whatever it is, since it's coming, let's give it a proper welcome. Maybe we won't have to slowly search for magatama anymore." As she spoke, Yura pulled off her headscarf, revealing her face to breathe more easily. She then took both a talisman and a paper doll in her hands, assuming a full battle stance.

Yura's attitude made it clear that she wouldn't hand over her magatama no matter what the opponent was, and she even intended to take theirs.

"Mm..." Nodding silently, Miketsu also began to focus, mentally communicating with Tsuruha in her sleeve.

'Tsuruha, do you sense anything?'

'Yes, just as the young lady said, a cluster of spiritual magatama is rapidly approaching. I can't determine what it is, but I don't sense any demonic energy. It's probably not a yokai.'

Hearing Tsuruha's words, Miketsu relaxed slightly. If it was a person, at least they could communicate.

Miketsu and Yura moved cautiously, on high alert. To avoid being ambushed, they moved to a relatively open clearing in the forest, ready to face the impending attack. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..." A dense sound approached from the distance. The rustling of crushed grass and trees grew clearer, and the ground began to tremble slightly. The vibrations grew stronger and stronger. Miketsu and Yura exchanged a look, both of their expressions filled with disbelief.

This commotion couldn't be made by a human. The one coming wasn't human!?

"Watch out! It's here!" Yura shouted. In the direction she was facing, a terrifying, enormous demon mask burst out from the darkness of the forest.

The moment the demon mask appeared, Yura threw the talisman in her hand. The talisman instantly burned to ash upon impact, failing to slow the demon mask in the slightest.

"Get out of the way!" Yura cried out in alarm. She and Miketsu dodged to opposite sides, avoiding the lunging demon mask. The huge body trailing behind it passed between them at high speed—a long, blurry shadow that crossed the entire clearing in an instant and plunged back into the darkness of the woods, like a train.

"Ah... reacted... quite fast..."

"First time... first bite... didn't eat..."

A hoarse voice drifted from the dark forest.