In the pitch-black forest, more than twenty onmyoji formed groups of two and three, creating formations to cover each other. They guarded every blind spot, vigilantly watching every corner, as if the terrifying yokai could leap out from anywhere at any moment.
Most of them had witnessed the terrifying demonic energy that erupted from the yokai. A creature of this level could send them to the underworld in an instant if they were not careful.
Thus, the onmyoji advanced while maintaining their defensive formations. Although it was very safe, their speed was significantly reduced.
Fujiwara no Saneyori walked at the head of the group, with Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu following closely behind him. Saneyori wanted to quicken his pace toward the source of the demonic energy, but he worried it might be a trap. If he rashly left the main group behind, they could be vulnerable to a surprise attack.
The spiritual power fluctuations from the battle with the yokai had already faded to an imperceptible level, yet the demonic energy remained rampant. This proved that the battle ahead had been decided; the unknown master who had fought the yokai had been defeated. There was no longer a need for his party to rush to the rescue.
At this thought, Fujiwara no Saneyori felt a pang of regret. He had hoped the other person could hold on a little longer, until his rescue party arrived. That way, he could have met the unknown master who had managed to contend with such a yokai for so long.
Suddenly, an immense wave of spiritual power erupted from the direction of the demonic energy's source, causing everyone present to turn their gazes that way.
What was this immense spiritual power? Could it be that the master fighting the yokai was not dead yet? Kamo no Yasunori and Ono no Yasuharu exchanged a look, both reading the same question in each other's eyes.
Upon sensing this wave of spiritual power, Fujiwara no Saneyori's expression hardened. He then channeled spiritual energy into his feet and instantly accelerated, speeding toward the center of the event.
"Quickly, keep up with Lord Saneyori!"
Seeing Fujiwara no Saneyori leave the main group behind, Ono no Yasuharu grew anxious. He immediately called for everyone to pick up the pace and follow Saneyori.
...
On the scorched earth, the brilliant golden light had faded. Because the burst of spiritual power had been so concentrated, countless tiny, shimmering specks of light remained even after the glow dissipated, drifting lazily in the air like fireflies on a summer night.
The massive body of the Demon-Faced Centipede was now gone. In its place was a large pile of twitching, mangled flesh.
Pierced from head to tail by Miketsu's beam of light like a skewer, most of the Demon-Faced Centipede's body had evaporated. Only scattered remnants and severed limbs were left, writhing as they expended their final vestiges of life.
"We... we won... We actually won..."
Tsuruha stared blankly at the scene, staggering slowly toward Miketsu.
"Ah... yes, it seems we won. This thing should be as dead as it gets, right?" Miketsu said, a little uncertainly. She picked up a long, charred piece of wood from the ground and poked at a twitching half-section of the body, as if trying to determine how much life it had left.
"This is wonderful, Lady Uka! You can finally use a portion of your power. This trip to Heian-kyo was not in vain!" Tsuruha said happily, finally reaching Miketsu's side.
"Yes... but the process was a bit unexpected." Hearing Tsuruha's words, Miketsu couldn't help but respond with a wry smile. When she left this morning, how could she have imagined this outcome?
Just then, the lump of flesh Miketsu was poking suddenly began to twitch faster, its entire mass trembling. This startled Miketsu, who quickly took two steps back and raised her guard.
Could this thing be playing dead?
Just as Miketsu had this thought, the lump of flesh—from which part of the Demon-Faced Centipede she couldn't tell—suddenly burst open, splattering strangely colored blood directly onto her.
Disgusted, Miketsu frowned, but she didn't immediately move away. Her gaze was drawn to what had burst out from within that section of the body.
From within the mangled flesh, a large pile of highly corroded skeletons had erupted—human, beast, and some strange yokai. Human skeletons were the most numerous; there were at least ten skulls alone.
Could this be the Demon-Faced Centipede's digestive organ? Miketsu thought to herself, enduring the pungent stench. Just as she was about to leave, she noticed many faintly glowing points of light within the pile of bones. Looking closely, she saw they were the spiritual energy magatama used for the Onmyoryo selection trials.
These skeletons likely belonged to participants in the selection trials. They must have been devoured by the yokai after collecting the magatama, and while their bodies were corroded, the magatama on them remained.
These things are quite durable. And Yura hasn't collected all her magatama yet.
With the principle of never letting anything go to waste, Miketsu pinched her nose and began picking up the spiritual energy magatama from the pile of bones one by one. The acidic residue on the magatama, being part of the yokai's body, evaporated with a demon-purifying power upon touching Miketsu's hand, leaving only a slight warmth.
Tsuruha, at her side, wanted to urge Miketsu to leave such a defiled place, but as she opened her mouth to speak, she aggravated the internal injuries she had sustained in the battle and choked the words back down.
Just as Miketsu finished picking up all the magatama from the pile of remains, her gaze was suddenly caught by something.
It was a strange, white, spherical object, about the size of a pearl. It was perfectly regular and smooth. Although its material was indiscernible, it showed no signs of wear, whereas the spiritual energy magatama in Miketsu's hand all had varying degrees of corrosion.
What is this thing made of to be so resistant to corrosion? Was it also an item carried by someone the centipede monster ate?
As she wondered, Miketsu picked up the small white pearl and examined it closely. At that moment, Tsuruha suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
"Lady Uka... your hair and eyes have turned black."
My hair and eyes turned black!?
Hearing Tsuruha's words, Miketsu was startled. She pulled a lock of her short hair before her eyes and saw that her once pure white hair had now become a familiar black.
Is it because of this pearl?
Miketsu immediately thought of the strange pearl in her hand. She casually placed it on the ground, and her hair instantly turned white again.
Just as I thought... What is the origin of this pearl? How can it affect a god?
Picking up the white pearl again, Miketsu's mind was filled with questions.
"Tsuruha, do you know what this pearl is? It can actually affect me..."
"Well... this is the first time I have seen such a phenomenon. However, I believe this pearl may not be affecting you directly, Lady Uka. Perhaps, like a Miasma Orb, it further shields your divine nature, causing you to lose your divine characteristics, at least in appearance," Tsuruha speculated, looking at the white pearl.
A pearl that can shield one's characteristics... I didn't expect to get some equipment for beating a boss...
Rate on N.U.
