Chapter 33 - Burrowing Underground.

In the pitch-black sky, a sturdy, two-headed ox flew through the air, treading on red clouds. Behind it, it pulled a magnificent ox-cart, upon which was a family crest composed of vines and leaves. Several onmyoji, also traveling through the air, followed closely behind.

With a cry, the two-headed monster ox pulled the flying cart down from the sky, landing steadily on the ground. Many people were already there, having waited for a long time.

Fujiwara no Saneyori gently lifted the curtain and stepped down from the ox-cart, only to see a group of people, led by Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu, waiting respectfully by his vehicle.

"We welcome you, Lord Saneyori..."

Everyone bowed in unison. Fujiwara no Saneyori gave a slight, expressionless nod in acknowledgment.

"Oh my... I never expected it would be Lord Saneyori. With you presiding, Lord Saneyori, no matter how strong the yokai is, it will be no problem!" Ono no Yasuharu said joyfully upon seeing Fujiwara no Saneyori's nod. When he had first seen the ox-cart in the sky, most of his anxiety had already subsided. He had never imagined a Senior Secretary would come here. With this, subjugating that yokai was now a certainty.

"Hmm, we must wait until we see the yokai before we can say anything for sure..."

After speaking, Fujiwara no Saneyori's gaze shifted toward the forest, his brow furrowing slightly. He then turned to Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu and asked.

"Who else is in this Forest of Transformation and Slaughter, besides that yokai?"

"Who else?" Hearing Fujiwara no Saneyori's question, Ono no Yasuharu frowned. He stroked his beard and thought carefully for a moment but could not come up with an answer.

"There are also the unconventional practitioners from the mountains and wilds participating in this selection trial," Kamo no Yasunori answered for Ono no Yasuharu. But unexpectedly, this reply made Fujiwara no Saneyori's brow furrow even more deeply. Seeing this, Kamo no Yasunori couldn't help but ask.

"Is there a problem, Lord Saneyori?"

Hearing the question, Fujiwara no Saneyori paused for a moment before finally replying.

"Someone is fighting that yokai right now, and their spiritual power is immense..."

Someone is fighting that yokai right now?

Hearing Fujiwara no Saneyori's answer, Ono no Yasuharu and Kamo no Yasunori couldn't help but exchange a glance. They both read the same incredulous emotion in the other's eyes.

Who could possibly have the strength to fight that powerful yokai? This was the question on both Ono no Yasuharu's and Kamo no Yasunori's minds. After all, even the two of them combined might not be a match for that yokai. Who could be so powerful as to stand on equal footing with it?

None of the onmyoji stationed on-site had entered the forest. Could it be one of those unconventional practitioners from the selection trial? The two of them considered the possibility simultaneously, but just as quickly dismissed it as absurd. How could there possibly be a master of such caliber among that group!

Seeing Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu both standing there stunned, Fujiwara no Saneyori shook his head slightly, then took the lead and headed into the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter.

"Let's go."

Hearing Fujiwara no Saneyori's words, Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu finally snapped out of their disbelief. They quickly gathered their men and followed him into the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter.

And so, after a long and tedious wait, the onmyoji finally began to move.

...

Continuous, scorching flames baked the earth as heatwave after heatwave rolled through the area. Tsuruha had been spewing fire for over a minute, and her entire body was now drenched in fine beads of sweat.

In order to push the Demon-Faced Centipede's absorption ability to its limit before completely incinerating it, Tsuruha had maintained a relentless output. But now, she had reached her breaking point.

The flames from her mouth ceased abruptly. Tsuruha stood in place, panting heavily. The sea of fire, now without a source, quickly dissipated, revealing a stretch of blackened earth.

Within the forest, vast swaths of tall trees had been burned to charcoal by the intense heat. The once dense woods were now nothing but fragile, towering pillars of carbon. All the undergrowth on the ground had been swept away, leaving only bare, dark rock. At the focal point of Tsuruha's fire, some rocks even showed signs of vitrification. The dense yin energy that had originally permeated the Forest of Transformation and Slaughter was largely dispelled in that moment.

On the periphery of the inferno, many ignited trees continued to burn, but the yin energy rushing in from the surroundings quickly suppressed the flames. Had this been an ordinary forest, it would have been enough to cause a massive fire that could burn for thousands of acres.

The flames Tsuruha had spewed with all her might were incredibly destructive, yet at this moment, she felt no joy. Because, amidst the wreckage, she could not find that crucial figure.

"Hah... hah... Nothing... there's nothing... How can there be nothing?" Standing atop a charred tree trunk, Tsuruha searched all around for the remains of the Demon-Faced Centipede, her body trembling slightly, but she found no trace of it. Read at Novels Haven (novelshaven.com)

Tsuruha knew very well that while her last wave of fire had been immensely powerful, it was definitely not enough to incinerate a yokai renowned for its defense like the Demon-Faced Centipede without leaving a single trace. There could only be one reason she couldn't find its remains: it was not yet dead!

Suddenly, a powerful demonic aura surged from beneath Tsuruha.

"BOOM!"

With a tremendous roar of cracking earth and stone, the massive body of the Demon-Faced Centipede burst from the ground. Its giant demon face, still streaming tears of blood, lunged straight for the astonished Tsuruha.

Nearly immobile from overexertion, Tsuruha used the last of her strength to move her body, rolling toward the edge of the carbonized trunk and falling off. The next moment, the Demon-Faced Centipede smashed the pillar where she had just been into smithereens.

Tsuruha's body slammed hard onto the ground. She wanted to get back up immediately, but her exhausted body wouldn't obey. After slowly staggering to her feet, she swayed, nearly collapsing again.

In a dizzy haze, the whisper of the Demon-Faced Centipede reached Tsuruha's ears.

"...I never would have thought... little fox... that you're actually a spirit beast..."

"Heh heh... your ultimate attack is powerful... so powerful that I might not have been able to withstand it... but what a pity... you don't seem to understand..."

"Centipedes... are also known as earth dragons..."

Although the Demon-Faced Centipede could not withstand Tsuruha's Heavenly Fox Calamity Fire, it was able to quickly burrow underground, using the thick layers of earth as a shield.

Looking at the weakened Tsuruha, the Demon-Faced Centipede's words were filled with smug satisfaction. Its opponent's all-out attack had left it virtually unscathed.

"Now... become a morsel in my belly..."

The Demon-Faced Centipede lunged at the weakened Tsuruha once more. The nimble fox was now powerless to move.

Watching the terrifying demon face grow larger and larger before her, Tsuruha couldn't help but close her eyes. In this moment before death, her heart held only one final prayer.

Lady Uka, may you be safe.

Just as the Demon-Faced Centipede's sharp mandibles were about to reach Tsuruha, a speeding afterimage flashed past. In its wake, Tsuruha vanished from the centipede's sight.

As for Tsuruha, she felt a force strike her from the side, pushing her from her original position. When she opened her eyes, she saw an unexpected figure.

"Lady Uka!"