In order to gather strength for the upcoming battle, Seishuuin Ena was sleeping soundly while embracing the Japanese sword taken out from the storeroom of the Sayanomiya residence. Kaoru's original intention was to have her stationed near Utsunomiya[24], to be used as a free chess piece...
'That's right, against divine beasts that are like giant UMA monsters, I think it is better to concentrate our firepower rather than being stingy with our combat potential.'
"Thank you for your valuable opinion, I will take it into consideration."
'Not at all, you're welcome. I'll be going back to work.'
Kaoru hung up the cellphone and greeted Ena who had already woken up some time earlier.
"Hikari has been captured by the Great Sage Equaling Heaven?"
"Ena, your hearing is acute as ever."
Even while sleeping, she was still listening. Kaoru could not help but smile wryly.
"However, it would be a great help if you enter the fray, so Ena, what do you think? Divine beasts have appeared and Kusanagi-san's group is in a crisis. Do you have the confidence to penetrate into the battlefield and perform even better than Erica-san and the rest?"
The cross-dressing Hime-Miko smiled at the corner of her lips. Though it frequently surprised people when they found out, Kaoru was a talented polymath. Whether in the area of martial arts or the spirit powers of a Hime-Miko, only one person had been able to surpass her.
"Of course, Erica-san is very smart and Liliana-san is very talented at witchcraft. However, in a battle of pure strength, Ena will always be the final winner."
The premier Hime-Miko was the only person to surpass Kaoru in spellcraft and swordsmanship.
Having heard the strongest trump card make her bold guarantee, Kaoru adjusted her battle strategy.
Amakasu ended his report to his boss and switched off the cellphone.
It was almost time for him to make an appearance at Kusanagi Godou's place, and he also needed to confirm the condition of Mariya Hikari — the apprentice Hime-Miko whose body had been possessed by the monkey divine monarch who should now be called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.
He had to judge the feasibility of rescuing or abandoning her. However, that particular devil king probably won't recognize any option other than the first...
As Amakasu smiled wryly, he found a rather alarming sudden change.
Before his eyes was the bridge of Shinkyou that was lacquered vermilion.
Nikkou was originally the training grounds for the monks in the mountains and a holy place linked to the sacred peaks of Emei.[25] The scenery of the Daiyagawa river flowing through here normally gave off an atmosphere like deep mountains and secluded valleys, but the volume of water was continuously increasing right now.
With Lake Chuuzenji as its source, the Daiyagawa was a beautiful stream, but that description completely failed to describe the current volume of water.
The river water was currently gushing loudly as if flooded after a massive rainstorm. What on earth happened?
Amakasu reflexively surveyed the surroundings.
The first time a bridge was erected here was over a thousand years ago. It was said that during the Heian period, Great Monk Shoudou[26] was opening up the uninhabited Nikkou and Nantaisan mountains, and supernatural entities built this bridge for him. Shinkyou is the legacy to the world that brings the legend to life.
"Namo ratnatrayaya, namah arya, avalokitesvaraya, bodhisattvaya, mahasattvaya, mahakarunikaya."
Amakasu heard Mariya Hikari's voice.
"Om, sarva bhava samudram sosana karana. sarva vyadhi prasamana karaya."
The Great Sage continued to chant, and soon enough, a nude male floated onto the surface of the Daiyagawa river.
His skin was very black and he had a very thin build like a sick person's.
His face was like a demon's, with bloodshot sharp-looking eyes that flashed brightly and sharp fangs protruded from the two sides of his great gaping mouth.
The legend of Great Monk Shoudou told that, back when the strong currents of the Daiyagawa had blocked his path to enter Nikkou, the haggard monk made a prayer. A spirit then appeared on the opposite bank and began constructing a bridge across the river. This was how the Shinkyou came about.
Afterwards, Great Monk Shoudou gave a name to this spirit, and that was —
"General of the Deep Sands!? In other words, this is no longer a crisis on the level of divine beasts!"
In the moment of Amakasu's shock, the black wrathful spirit roared loudly.
Ooooooooooooooooh!
The cry of a [Heretic God]'s birth was a response to the Great Sage's dharani.
As if answering this roar, the waters of the Daiyagawa River rapidly flooded.
Like a massive flood, the rushing flow swept down from upstream, easily smashing the Shinkyo bridge, and Amakasu too was swallowed by the torrent.
Chapter 2 - The Three Spirits, Reunited on Wakoku's[27] Sacred Mountain
Part 1
Kirifuri Plateau was about a few dozens of minutes away from the streets of Nikkou City by car.
These highlands were blessed with natural scenery such as Mount Akanagi and Mount Maru, as well as the beautiful Kirifuri River. Other than hiking routes, there were also ski resorts, ranches, golf courses and other facilities.
Godou and his group had escaped to camping grounds in the area of Kirifuri Plateau.
"Ouch. It still hurts a lot..."
Godou complained as he sat on a wooden chair on the porch of a little wooden cabin.
This was a camp site on the plateau. The aroma of nearby outdoor cooking wafted over. Almost all the tourists who came traveling as a family, as well as Liliana and Yuri, were making dinner.
Gazing up, one could see the beautiful autumn constellations twinkling in the night sky.
Despite the beauty of the scenery, Godou was still in a bad mood.
He had taken a great deal of damage during the fight against Luo Hao. A normal person would have died instantly from several dozen instances of broken bones and a couple cases of ruptured internal organs. Godou's entire body was hurting like crazy, and he felt nauseous a couple of times.
Most of all, he worried about Mariya Hikari.
Being possessed by the Great Sage made her a hostage. He really wanted to go save her straight away, however —
"With my current grave injuries, there's probably no way..."
Godou sighed.
His earlier self would have rushed in recklessly to save Hikari without a second thought.
But Godou had already become accustomed to these kinds of crises.
Anyway, how could he prove that Mariya Hikari was currently the Great Sage Equaling Heaven? What could he do to drive the deity out from inside her body? How should he handle the terrifying divine power he had just witnessed?
There were too many problems. What he had to do now was to find answers to them.
Since Luo Hao was not present, the only one here who could save Hikari was Kusanagi Godou. As a man in this situation, if he were to lose control to his emotions, that would be unforgivable stupidity.
Warned by his sense of reason and responsibility... Godou was determined to adhere to those principles.
However, he hated his current self who was weighing trade-offs rationally, and would rather act according to his emotions. If he was just an ordinary person living a peaceful life, panicking should be the normal reaction to a situation like this...
"Right, let me call Sayanomiya-san and see."
Godou suppressed his self-revulsion, and took out his cellphone.
What he needed the most right now was information. Dialing the number recorded in his contacts, the call immediately connected.
'Wonderful, I was just about to contact you first. By the way, I already know all about the outcome of your battle with that Cult Leader, as well as what happened afterwards, so you don't need to explain.'
"Could it be Amakasu-san who told you?"
God
ou made his deduction from Sayanomiya's words.
That ninja descendant would definitely report important news like this, so there was nothing to be surprised about.
'You are correct... But I lost contact with him an hour ago. I am currently discussing with my subordinates whether to list him as Missing In Action.'
The History Compilation Committee Tokyo Branch Chief, who was also a Hime-Miko, spoke softly in a slightly gloomy tone.
'Thanks to him, I'll have to come personally to Nikkou. So, Kusanagi-san, we will meet tomorrow morning. Please rest properly and conserve your energy for now. Whenever a god makes an appearance, Campiones are mankind's only saviors.'
"Sayanomiya-san will be coming here as well?"
'If Amakasu was around, I would have him on standby near Utsunomiya so that I can make decisions based on his reports about the developing situation. After all, with regard to news from the scene, the more accurate the better.'
It seemed like Amakasu was greatly trusted by his boss.
Rather than listen to the report of someone else apart from him, Kaoru preferred going to the scene herself.
'I am now summoning the personnel for the expedition to Nikkou. Oh by the way, Ena will be arriving at the scene first, so she will be meeting Kusanagi-san over there.'
"It's Seishuuin!"
'Yes. I suspect she will likely wander around first rather than show up at your place immediately. However, she is a girl with very strong instincts, so she will surely make her appearance at a suitable time. Also, the handling of Hikari will be up to your decision. Whatever choice you make, I will bear complete responsibility.'
"What you mean is... It's fine even if I give up on her?"
Godou could not stop himself from uttering such cold words.
At this particular moment, he felt the same revulsion for Kaoru as he felt towards himself just now.
'Put it another way... If you were to ignore the plights of innocent citizens whose only wish is to live peacefully, or even sacrifice them to save Hikari, we will follow your orders... Kusanagi-san, this is a special right and responsibility that only you are entitled to.'
"Special right and responsibility?"
'Yes, perhaps you can call it a king's job, in other words, the right to make decisions.'
Godou finally understood what Kaoru wanted to tell him.
The manner in which the incident should be resolved was entirely up to Godou's decision, because a Campione was not only a warrior, but also a [King] whose power lorded over the world.
Entrusted with the heavy responsibility of the right to make decisions, Godou ended the phone call.
"Godou-san, dinner is ready."
Yuri had returned to the porch to call for Godou.
She had changed out of her miko outfit into a long-sleeved shirt and a flounced skirt. With goodness knows what kind of magic, the girls had somehow managed to retrieve the luggage they had left in Amakasu's car.
"Got it, Mariya. About the matter of Hikari..."
"Regarding that matter, actually I discussed it with Erica-san and Liliana-san just now. Since Hikari was using the power of disaster purification to neutralize the Great Sage's [Keeper of the Horses] spell, she should be very safe. After all, it is the Great Sage himself who is protecting her now..."
Yuri replied in a resolute and clear manner.
"Therefore, Erica-san and Liliana-san both agree that Godou-san should not anxiously make a rash decision. As a Hime-Miko, I also approve of their opinions."
Her words were full of righteous awe and responsibility, as befitting Yuri's title of "Hime."
Yuri was not the least shaken by her younger sister's crisis. Wait a minute... Was she really completely unmoved? It was possible she was only pretending to be composed.
"Now that you mention it, where is that fellow Erica?"
"Chatting with the people who provided the camping grounds for us to use... She has already become very popular with them. It is very amazing of her, right? As soon as I mentioned to her we needed to prepare dinner, she helped me obtain the fish and meat we needed, and even got us dessert and fruit as well."
Unlike the area around Toushouguu, it was very peaceful here. Erica was apparently flexing her skillful diplomacy as usual.
"I see... That fellow's wounds are pretty much healed by now? I'm glad to know that."
Erica's injuries were definitely not light, but the healing magic had apparently worked its effect.
However, Yuri frowned at this moment.
"By 'that fellow' you must be referring to Erica-san? Does that mean Godou-san you still have not fully recovered?"
"Ah? No, I'm almost fine, you don't have to worry."
Noticing his mistake, Godou frantically tried to tide things over.
"No lying. Why are you trying to pretend you are well?"
"This question... How should I put it..."
Yuri's lips were shimmering with a colorful hue of pink as she questioned.
Godou's vivid memories began to reawaken. He recalled the healing she had provided during the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi incident, as well as just now when she transferred knowledge for him to defeat Luo Hao.
If Godou revealed the present poor condition of his body, she would likely use "that method" to heal him!
"K-Kusanagi-san! A-As a Hime-Miko, though I have the duty to assist you..."
Yuri was apparently thinking of the same thing, and her highly respectable face turned bright red.
"However... My indulgence in those actions multiple times, still feels repulsive to a certain extent, making me hesitant in a number of areas..."
"You are completely right. Yes, I understand!"
Wonderful, it looked like that could be avoided... Just as Godou felt relieved, Yuri immediately declared rather problematically.
"However... If you are really in pain... I would still like to offer my power to assist you. All things considered, you were hurt for the sake of my younger sister, and for the both of us. If I can help you after all, I will still..."
Yuri shyly lowered her gaze, but she was actually trying to convince herself.
Though she was so embarrassed that even her neck was red, Yuri still said it out loud.
"After all, I... still want to...with you..."
Godou swallowed hard. Yuri's stuttering made her even more charming than her angry appearance earlier.
Of course he wanted to accept treatment if possible, but Godou couldn't let himself force her to do that sort of thing. Absolutely not. With mixed feelings, Godou fell silent.
How did Yuri interpret Godou's silence?
Yuri's expression went through agonizing, doubt and hesitation. Then she spoke softly:
"We... We will be seen here, but I will not mind if we go over there..."
Yuri whispered softly as she glanced into the wooden cabin.
Hmm!? The meaning of her words turned out to be — Godou was completely speechless.
"Please wait a minute? How can you keep burdening poor Yuri with such tasks, it's a bit unfair, oh? It is now time to assign areas of responsibility properly in a fair manner."
"Erica-san!?"
Unbeknownst to them, the [Diavolo Rosso] had begun standing outside the porch.
Erica's red-tinged brilliant blonde hair was like a crown. As Godou stared back at her usual glamor, he somehow felt a sense of fright with a guilty conscience.
"I believe that whether I or Yuri, both of us need to evenly proportion the time to enjoy our love with Godou. After all, if unfairness is not corrected, it could very well affect the harmony of the group. Say, Yuri, you've already done a lot of things with Godou today, right?"
"—!? Erica-san, why are you suddenly asking such a thing?"
Forthcoming and inexperienced in the ways of the world, Yuri was a terrible liar. She did not even attempt a perfunctory answer, and easily admitted to the accusation.
"This is an equation that even a primary school student can solve. Since Godou used th
e [Sword] in the fight against Luo Hao, who gave him the knowledge? There was only one person with the opportunity to do so today."
"Y-Yes that is very true..."
"So it should be enough for today, right? Please let me have this rare opportunity to affirm my love with Godou. As for next time, no question about it, I will let Yuri have first priority —"
What on earth was she saying in front of the primary subject!?
Godou frantically jumped up from his chair, intending to escape.
Silently, Erica drew near and pressed down on his shoulder. Though it seemed like she was simply resting her arm gracefully, the weight applied was terrifying. As usual, she was using her monstrous strength.
"Godou, sorry you had to wait for so long. Now that the conclusion is clear, let us enjoy our passionate moment together? Hoho, it's been quite a while since I last affirmed your tactile sensations like this."
A seductive smile appeared on Erica's face as she sat on Godou's knees.
The soft and gentle sensation from his knees delivered to Godou a very comfortable sense of weight and pressure.
"Come, relax. I will help heal your injuries right away."
Erica whispered softly as she leaned against him. Of course, her body also pressed against Godou's chest, and Erica's voluptuous bosom felt like elastic balls being squeezed between them.
"Hey, could you actually be intending to do that here!? Mariya is watching right over there!"
"You are correct. Strike while the iron is hot. Before you change your mind..."
"That issue never existed! I had no mood to do these things from the very beginning — wah!"
In the end, Erica's cherry lips sealed his mouth.
Perhaps due to the lipstick she wore today, Erica's lips had a smooth and shiny feeling to them, and the taste was accompanied with much viscosity.
The blonde beauty bit and licked Godou's lips and their tongues began to tangle. The two of them exchanged saliva naturally, which mixed within their mouths. The sticky lipstick also began to be rubbed off.
"By the way, Godou, I hope you take more initiative in kissing me in the future. Though this is nice, I still love your unruliness last time. Hoho... Actually, every time I recall what happened then, my heart begins to race, I beg you, please..."
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