Spirit Engraving

"Spirit as ink, spear as brush, all things as talismans, symbols manifest the myriad..."

A soft female voice rang in Yura's ear, leaving her stunned where she stood. Before her on the ground lay a cold, glinting Jumonji Yari covered in intricate engravings. For a moment, she didn't know what to do.

What was with this spear? Was this what was sealed inside that Armory Talisman? Was this also what that miko wanted to give her? What was her goal? And what was that voice just now?

A series of questions rose in Yura's heart. While she was buried in confusion, the twisted and hideous synthesis evil spirit was still struggling in agony on the street not far ahead. Countless humanoid spirits began to crawl frantically out of the human-spider body.

The synthesis evil spirit was now expanding rapidly like an overinflated balloon. Its heavily wounded body was extremely bloated, swelling to several times its original size, looking as if it might explode at any moment. In this wretched state, both the creature and the spirits crawling out of it let out ear-piercing wails. This terrifying sound, like the howling of a hundred demons, pulled Yura's thoughts back from her confusion.

'This is bad... this guy is about to collapse. If it explodes in a place like this, it'll be a disaster!' Yura thought grimly. If a synthesis evil spirit of this magnitude collapsed and exploded in a residential area, it would undoubtedly cause a severe spiritual disaster.

'But what can I do to suppress it? Attacking it directly will only set it off... To seal and purify it, I need talismans first... but what do I do without any? I can't exactly draw them on the spot!!' Yura thought urgently. Just then, she suddenly recalled the whisper she had heard.

"Spirit as ink... spear as brush... could it be..."

With a look of half-belief, Yura picked up the ancient spear. She looked at the side blades that resembled the wings of a bird and touched the engraved shaft. Suddenly, she stiffened. She felt a connection form between her and the weapon in her hand. It was as if she could sense the spear's will, its hunger, and its function.

It... it was hungering for... my spiritual power?!

In return... it could become my brush, a brush of spells to write spiritual talismans!

Understanding the will of the Spirit-Engraving Spear, Yura's expression hardened. She gripped the weapon tightly, her eyes fixed on the hideous synthesis evil spirit that had bloated to its limit. She dashed forward and thrust the spear.

"Yura Thrust!"

With a sharp shout, Yura drove the spearhead into the bloated body of the synthesis evil spirit. Immediately, she felt the weapon activate, beginning to drain her spiritual power.

Centering on the point where the sharp tip entered, Yura's spiritual power was continuously channeled into the creature. It transformed into streaks of pale blue light that split and raced across the ugly surface of the bloated spirit, rapidly sketching complex diagrams and profound incantations. As Yura's spiritual power drained at high speed, the light spread across the spirit's entire body.

"Ugh... this consumption rate..."

As the spirit spear drained her power, Yura's face turned pale. Just as nearly half of her spiritual power had been sucked away, the pale blue light finally covered the spirit's entire body, forming a massive, singular talisman.

"Imprint... Demon-Purging Calamity-Dissolving True Talisman..."

Following Yura's whisper, the light of the talisman covering the bloated spirit flared brilliantly. The synthesis evil spirit, which had swollen to three or four times its size and nearly filled the entire street like a sphere, suddenly began to crack with countless tiny fissures. Along these cracks, the spirit was rapidly decomposed into fine dust, weathering away and vanishing into the air.

In an instant, the massive, ugly synthesis evil spirit was gone. Yura stood there dazed for a moment before leaning on the spear and panting heavily, the paleness of her face showing no signs of fading.

"Huff... huff... huff... This spear is amazing, but... the spiritual power consumption is just too much... Huff... Is the consumption of all spirit tools this exaggerated?" Leaning on the spear, Yura spoke through her gasps. Although the Keikain Clan had a branch family dedicated to crafting and using spirit tools, she specialized in shikigami and talismans and didn't know much about them. This was her first time using a demon-slaying spirit tool, and she hadn't expected the power drain to be so terrifying.

"If all spirit tools are this taxing, then how scary are the people from the Yaso-style branch family... No, maybe it's just this spear that's the problem..."

Muttering to herself, Yura used the spear to push herself up. Looking at the spot where the spirit had been purified and decomposed until nothing remained, she marveled again.

"But the power is certainly impressive..."

Having successfully dealt with the synthesis evil spirit, Yura looked up at the high moon and prepared to head back quickly. As she picked up her wallet from the ground, she discovered something new inside.

"Is this... a business card?"

From the wallet, Yura pulled out a card that had clearly been placed there along with her living expenses. This meant it was left by that strange and powerful Inari miko. On it was the name of a shrine.

"Kagami-oboro... Inari Shrine... she left this business card for me, does she want me to visit when I have time?" Looking at the card, Yura muttered with a complicated expression. She didn't know what kind of face to make when thinking about that bizarre Inari miko.

"Whatever... I'll go visit next time. After all, she did save my life today..."

Muttering, Yura used a spell to revert the spirit spear back into its Armory Talisman form and tucked it away. Then, she collected the bills that had been turned into talismans, put them back in her wallet, and quickly left the scene.

Returning to the busy streets, Yura walked briskly toward the train station. However, as she passed a convenience store, her stomach began to growl.

"Ugh... is it because I used too much spiritual power just now? I guess I have no choice..."

Muttering, Yura walked into the convenience store and picked up a few skewers of oden, planning to eat them on her way back.

"Welcome... That will be two hundred yen, thank you."

"Oh... hold on..."

Eating a piece of chikuwa, Yura opened her wallet and pulled out a 1,000-yen bill to pay. However, as she held the bill, she froze...

Yura suddenly realized... it seemed all of her living expenses had become talismans... This 1,000-Yen Talisman in her hand was a treasure capable of shattering a spirit's limbs in one hit.

Could she really bring herself to spend a talisman this powerful?

But if she didn't spend it... how was she supposed to live in Tokyo?

It seemed like she couldn't use a single bill from her current living expenses...

Thinking about this problem, Yura stood frozen in place. Seeing the girl standing there in a daze, the convenience store clerk reminded her with a smile.

"Miss, would you like to pay now?"

"Uh... can I not..."

Just as Yura was about to say she didn't want it, she tasted the chikuwa in her mouth.

'Crap... it looks like I've already started eating...'

After the synthesis evil spirit, Yura encountered another major challenge of her life in this convenience store.

...

On the street where the synthesis evil spirit had vanished, inside Akiko Shikaku's home, Akiko slowly woke up. She clutched her head, looking around with a confused expression.

"Ouch... strange... why did I pass out..." Rubbing her head, Akiko began to remember. She recalled that she was originally in her room thinking about how to get revenge tomorrow, and then she suddenly felt something strange above her. When she looked up, she saw a terrifying scene she would never forget in her life.

"A—A spirit! It's a spirit! There's a spirit in my room... there's a man-eating spirit in the house!" Recalling the twisted limbs and multiple heads, endless terror immediately filled Akiko's heart again. Just as she was about to scream, a soft, gentle voice rang in her ear.

"The spirit has been destroyed. There is no need for panic now..."

This sudden voice seemed to possess a calming magic, quickly soothing Akiko's violently trembling heart. At this moment, her body was still shaking slightly; clearly, the fear deep in her heart remained.

"De—Destroyed? That terrifying thing... is gone?" Akiko asked with a trembling voice. The soft, gentle voice continued to answer.

"Naturally... You have long peered into the realm of others; witnessing the reality of the horrors within that realm was only a matter of time..."

"The true faces of those shadows... they were, they were that scary? I—I didn't know... I didn't realize..." Akiko muttered in horror, her hands pressed against the floor. The voice spoke again.

"Things of the other realm are not meant to be seen by ordinary people. Your aptitude is not strong, yet it is enough to invite danger. Now... you have two choices... First, to step fully into the other world and become a true medium; I will show you the path.

"Second, to bid farewell to the shadows and return to being an ordinary person. I will seal your aptitude and grant you a blessing that will keep you from being troubled by evil for the rest of your life. You will live out your days peacefully, just like any other normal person."

The gentle voice echoed in Akiko's ears. After a brief moment of stunned silence, Akiko immediately made her choice regarding the things she could never hope to face.

"I... I don't want to see those scary things ever again! I don't want to be hung up and almost die! I—I choose the second one... I don't want to be a medium anymore! Please, I beg you!"

Hearing Akiko's words, Miketsu, perched atop a streetlight, smiled slightly and replied.

"Then, as you wish..."