In the dense forests of Northern Ise, Ghost Messenger Black and Ghost Messenger White, two Shinigami, advanced. The chilling demonic aura they emitted seemed to lower the surrounding temperature, causing any unsuspecting living beings nearby to shiver involuntarily.
“Almost there… just ahead…” Ghost Messenger White, who was sensing the way, said as he looked forward. Hearing this, Ghost Messenger Black, who carried a scythe on his back, smiled.
“We finally found her. Let’s pick up the pace and finish the job so we can call it a day.”
The Shinigami moved through the dense forest, their passage unnoticed by any creature. They silently and swiftly approached their target, bringing death to those who should not exist in this world.
However, not all beings were oblivious to these messengers of the Underworld. Upon this land, the Yokai Lord who ruled the forest could sense any intruder entering his territory.
Amidst the dense tree canopy, Yamakaze stared intently at the distant Shinigami. His expression was solemn, and an unusual light gleamed in his eyes, as if he were gazing at prey.
“So, they’ve finally arrived…” Yamakaze murmured deeply, gripping the blade at his waist. He held his breath, ready to strike, as if he would suddenly burst forth and ambush the Shinigami ahead.
Just then, a hand reached out from behind and patted Yamakaze’s shoulder. Yamakaze turned his head, seeing a familiar figure.
“Ichimokuren…”
“Calm down, Yamakaze. You know what it means to directly attack a Shinigami. Don’t drag Mount Nanakaku into hostility with the Underworld.” Ichimokuren said solemnly, looking at Yamakaze. A complex emotion flickered in Yamakaze’s eyes as he listened.
“But… if we let this continue, Xun will…”
“Don’t worry, your Xun will be fine. I will handle this matter through peaceful means…” A gentle voice came from behind Ichimokuren. Yamakaze turned to see a white-haired girl with a smiling face.
“You are…”
“‘A pleasure to meet you,’ Forest King. I am a deity here to help you. Would you like to offer a prayer now?”
…
In a perilous valley, a stream flowed at the bottom, strewn with rugged, unusual rocks. Xun, a yokai girl with short purple hair, was happily playing in the valley, picking up strange and peculiar stones.
Above the valley, Ghost Messenger Black and Ghost Messenger White gazed at the girl below, their expressions solemn.
“Found her. It’s that girl. Her lifespan should have ended long ago, yet she still lives in the mortal world.” Ghost Messenger White slowly said, his gaze fixed on the valley below. Ghost Messenger Black, beside him, sighed and spoke.
“Sigh… I didn’t expect the target to be such a cute girl, and she has no sins at all. This makes it a bit hard for me to act.” Ghost Messenger Black said, scratching his head as he looked at Xun in the distance. Ghost Messenger White, beside him, remained impassive.
“Pity is not for us. Get to it. This is necessary work…”
“Yes, yes, yes… I’ll start now…” Ghost Messenger Black said, gripping his massive scythe with both hands. A red radiance flashed in his eyes, and then, in his vision, decaying, dilapidated lines extended from Xun’s body.
He saw it… the line of death…
“Sorry, little sister. We’ll plead your case to the Judge so you can return to reincarnation sooner.” He whispered, then Ghost Messenger Black swung his scythe through the air, severing the decaying line closest to him. Immediately, the corresponding causality was triggered, and ruthless death silently approached Xun.
With a ‘clack’, a rock at the top of the valley, seemingly due to weathering, broke off from the mountainside. It tumbled down the valley, heading directly towards Xun, who was picking up stones below.
Just as the tumbling rock was about to accurately hit Xun’s head after its final bounce, another rock, from who knew where, rolled down from the other side. It coincidentally struck the rock that was about to hit Xun, deflecting it from its path, and with a ‘gudong’ sound, it splashed into the stream.
“Huh? Did something fall into the water?” Xun tilted her head, looking in the direction of the splash, a hint of confusion in her expression. Meanwhile, Ghost Messenger Black and Ghost Messenger White, high above the valley, were both stunned.
“Huh? It… it didn’t hit? An accident… no, this shouldn’t have been an accident!” Ghost Messenger Black, a Reaper of Final Lifespans, exclaimed in shock. It was his first time seeing someone whose death trigger had been activated still alive, an unexpected turn of events for a death caused by the line of death.
“Focus. Try again.” Ghost Messenger White said calmly, his composure contrasting with Ghost Messenger Black’s.
“Alright… then again…” Ghost Messenger Black said, concentrating once more. He raised his scythe and swung it down, severing another line of death. Invisible death once again approached Xun.
As Xun stood on the riverbank, still wondering what had fallen into the river earlier, a lurking wolf yokai silently approached her from behind. Its steps were light, and it slowly drew near without a sound. Unaware of its presence, it suddenly pounced, aiming directly for her neck.
“Oh! What a beautiful stone!”
Suddenly, Xun spotted an exquisite stone on the riverbank in front of her. She immediately bent down to pick it up, causing the wolf yokai pouncing from behind her to miss entirely. With a whimper, it plunged directly into the river ahead, making a ‘gudong’ sound before being swept away by the current.
After picking up the stone, Xun stood up and looked at the river, tilting her head again in confusion.
“Did something else fall into the river? What could it be?”
Above the valley, watching Xun once again evade death, Ghost Messenger Black and Ghost Messenger White stood frozen. Faced with such consecutive failures, a first in their professional lives, they were at a loss for words.
“This, this is…”
“There might be something wrong with this area. Let’s try again once she moves to the next spot…” Ghost Messenger White said calmly to Ghost Messenger Black, who stiffly nodded in agreement.
“Mm…”
…
After collecting enough stones, Xun happily set off to return. She walked cheerfully along the river, and after a few turns, she arrived at the downstream waterfall.
Amidst the roaring sound of water, white torrents plunged from a great height into a deeper mountain abyss. Xun stood by the white waterfall, and before her lay a dilapidated rope suspension bridge, connecting one side of the waterfall to the other. What Xun had to do now was cross the bridge.
“This bridge seems even more broken than before… Is it safe to cross like this?” Xun couldn’t help but wonder, looking at the dilapidated bridge before her. In the distance, Ghost Messenger Black seized the opportunity to swing his scythe again, severing another line of death.
“Phew, I’ve crossed it so many times before without a problem, so it should be fine now. Let’s go~ If I don’t go this way, I’ll have to take a long detour… Honestly, if Hao weren’t sick, I could just ride it down directly…” Xun muttered, stepping onto the bridge. Seeing her actions, Ghost Messenger Black, who was panting heavily, revealed a faint smile.
Just then, above the waterfall, the same wolf yokai was desperately clinging with its claws to a log wedged between two large river rocks, preventing itself from being swept away by the current. Suddenly, the log it was holding onto couldn’t withstand the force of the impact and snapped. The entire wolf yokai was swept down the waterfall, plummeting with whimpers and cries… then, it landed squarely on the dilapidated bridge. The already worn-out suspension bridge instantly collapsed, crashing down into the waterfall along with the wolf yokai.
Xun stood at the edge, watching everything unfold with lingering fear.
…
“Hmph… hmph… D-damn it! What in the… cough, cough, cough…” Ghost Messenger Black, already out of breath from the continuous use of his ability, was so enraged he nearly choked. He knelt on the ground, coughing violently several times.
“Damn it… I refuse to believe it. Are there really going to be nothing but accidents today?” Ghost Messenger Black slowly stood up, manifesting the line of death, unconvinced and ready to continue invoking death. It was then that Ghost Messenger White spoke.
“Stop… it’s no use… We won’t be taking that girl’s soul today.” Ghost Messenger White said slowly, his tone heavy.
“What? They were just a few accidents. If we just try a few more times…”
“These aren’t accidents… Haven’t you realized yet? Your death-invoking technique is the manipulation of causality. Under normal circumstances, how could accidents happen one after another?” Ghost Messenger White questioned Ghost Messenger Black, who stood frozen.
“You mean…”
Ghost Messenger White sighed, then silently gazed at the boundless sky. He slowly said,
“Causality acts as the strings, and all things are puppets. You are manipulating that girl’s death through causality, making her a puppet in your eyes. But… everything has its causality, and even you and I, as Shinigami, are no different. On a grander stage, we are just like that girl, merely puppets at the mercy of something greater…
“Right now, I fear we are being toyed with in the palm of an untouchable, great existence…”
Rate on N.U.
