The same idea must have crossed Ena's mind as well. She muttered and shrugged.
Carrying the three passengers, the ship was transported by the divine eagle to the sky above the cove.
Owing to the bright moonlight and excellent night vision, Godou was able to clearly discern the island's geography even though it was night.
A mangrove forest grew by the seaside. There were also tropical rainforests which looked as though orangutans might roam inside.
In addition the central mountain peak looked about seven or eight hundred meters in height above sea level. The divine eagle was apparently flying towards this peak as the destination.
Godou went "Hmm?" and frowned in response to the sudden change in the vegetation on the mountain. Strangely enough, these were deciduous trees that grew on highlands. The tropical rainforest atmosphere was all gone.
Of course, they were still in the tropics, but it was rather cool and breezy as a result of the elevation. However, the altitudes here should not be enough for highland vegetation to grow.
"As expected of an island inhabited by the gods. I can feel it. There is a strong divine presence on this sacred mountain. It must be quite an excellent sanctuary."
"Quite an intense sacred aura can be sensed from the peak. Perhaps the goddess might be there."
Ena, the sacred mountain specialist, reported. Yuri also gave warning through her sharp senses as usual.
Godou turned his gaze downwards. Was it that place roughly seventy or eighty meters from the mountain slope?
As much as he wanted to wait till they were nearer to the ground before taking action, delaying for that long might be too late. What should he do—just as Godou agonized over the decision, the two Hime-Miko nodded to each other.
"Godou-san. Please let us handle this."
"Don't worry, Ena will think of a way to deal with things. Ama no Murakumo, please!"
Their words prompted Godou to make his decision. Nodding, he relaxed his right arm.
Immediately, the divine sword, Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi, suddenly manifested in Ena's hand. With a three-foot-three-inch blade, its had the structure of a curved Japanese sword. The blade was jet-black in color.
"O divine blade of Ama no Murakumo, bestow upon me the bow and arrows of honor!"
Using spell words to invoke the divine sword's spirit for divine possession, Ena kicked hard against the deck.
Then jumping like a monkey, she delivered a merciless diagonal overarm slash to the abdomen of the divine eagle that had been maintaining the safety of this airborne journey.
Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! The divine eagle cawed loudly in pain.
Ena jumped again at this time, stabbing the divine sword into the bird's right claw. Consequently, the divine eagle loosened its right claw's grip from the ship's cabin. Crash!
The impact came. Unbalanced in the air, the ship was also losing substantial altitude and fast approaching the mountain slope. Even a divine eagle was unable to endure, finally loosening its left claw from the ship as well. Thus, the large ship carrying Godou and the girls started free falling towards the ground!
The mountain forest below was quite flourishing with trees. These could act as a cushion to some extent but it would be naive to expect no injuries from a crash landing like this.
The fate awaiting the trio was going to be no different from a plane crash incident. However.
"Ameno Torifune, I pray to the god of the camphorwood ship, sturdy as stone, swift as a waterfowl!"
"Bestow upon us the fulfillment of safe passage!"
The two Hime-Miko chanted spell words together.
The ship's descent suddenly slowed down rapidly. Like a falling feather, the ship drifted lightly down from the sky, sliding gently along the mountain slope and into the deciduous forest.
Although the speed of descent was reduced, the impact was still quite substantial.
The trio fell over forward on the deck. The ship continued to slide along, its momentum showing no apparent signs of abating.
Crash, clang, crunch, crunch. Terrifying noises rang out repeatedly.
Various parts of the ship were smashing into things.
Then the crash-landed ship finally came to a stop. Godou and the two Hime-Miko breathed a long sigh of relief together. At least the trio were safe and sound.
Among the three, Kusanagi Godou was the strongest and also held the leadership role.
Standing up instantly out of a sense of responsibility, Godou looked up into the sky.
SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWK!!
The divine eagle let loose an acute cry and flew off somewhere. Was it due to pain from the wound Ena inflicted, or had it received orders to return from its mistress the goddess? In any case, the current crisis seemed to have passed.
However, it was not yet time to relax completely.
Yuri looked worried while Ena displayed nervous tension as the two girls drew near Godou.
They were currently situated on this island of the demonic realm. Even if a thorough investigation was conducted before they entered, unexpected occurrences were bound to appear.
Surely, this was only the beginning of a truly troublesome situation.
Godou's trio were not foolish enough to move about in the darkness of night.
They intended to spend the night by the wrecked sports fisher, waiting until morning before beginning operations.
This was the most prudent course of action in light of the current situation. Godou, Yuri and Ena agreed unanimously.
Fortunately, they were well-stocked with food, mineral water and other drinks. Various equipment for exploring the island were also prepared. Using flashlights for illumination was not too inconvenient.
The trio started a fire using a lighter and boiled some water.
A simple and convenient dinner consisted of biscuits, instant coffee and Malaysian cup noodles.
"Come to think of it, Erica is the only one I know who never eats instant noodles. What about you, Mariya?"
During the Kisaragi incident, Godou had shared a dinner with Ena similar to the one tonight, consisting of instant and portable food.
Then what about Yuri the quintessential high-class lady? It was a question posed out of curiosity.
"I guess I have eaten it before. Although my mother hates that type of food, I used to eat it secretly with Ena-san on occasion... Fufu."
"Well, the more people forbid us to eat it, the more we wish to try it out."
Yuri smiled with slight mischief while Ena grinned like a fellow accomplice. Godou was glad to know they were already close friends from long ago.
Watching the two girls' postures as they held the cup noodles, using the wooden chopsticks to pick up the noodles elegantly, Godou felt that their excellent upbringing was clear to see.
Furthermore, due to the extremely cold mountain air, eating hot food felt especially delicious.
Rather than a drop in temperature due to nightfall, it felt more akin to a sudden change of season from summer to winter.
Godou was wearing a long-sleeved parka. Yuri and Ena were also dressed in long-sleeved athletic gear including tracksuits and windbreakers. These clothes were bought back at the city of Kota Kinabalu.
Expecting the possibility of entering the mountains or tropical rainforests, the group had prepared long-sleeved clothes just in case.
"If only we could find a way to make contact with outside."
Godou muttered as he gazed up at the vast starlit sky.
Yuri and Ena had tried several different spells just now in an attempt to contact Erica and Liliana. However, none of the spells could reach beyond the island's exterior.
"Liliana-san's swimming abilities should be excellent as a witch so there shouldn't be any danger even if she fell in the water. But it's a little worrying that we can't confirm if they are safe."
"Even my psychic sensing is not working."
Ena commented and Yuri reported the result of her attempts.
"Reaching out from this mountain with psychic sensing to explore, I encounter a massive obstruction along the way. It prevents me from reaching out to anywhere farther."
Using wizardry for communications or exploration did not seem to work.
As late night arrived, the trio entered the ship and all slept in the cabin. To facilitate collective action in case of emergencies, they stayed together in one place.
Then they decided to take turns in keeping watch.
After all, there was already the precedent of the divine eagle appearing instantaneously without warning.
With the trio in high alert, perhaps they could prevent being caught unaware again. It was best not to be careless. Taking turns in the order of Yuri, Godou then Ena, one person kept watch while the other two covered themselves with blankets and slept.
The rest of the night went by peacefully on the island in the demonic realm and the next morning arrived.
Taking care of breakfast through crude and simple food again, the trio began to freshen up and get ready.
Had this been a simple accident, waiting patiently for rescue would be an option. But since their purpose here was to gather information about this mountain and island, there was no choice but to start acting on their plan.
After spending some time to choose necessary items to carry along with them, they stuffed them into their rucksacks.
Along the way, Godou suddenly recalled something and asked:
"Can't we transport this stuff effortlessly using that whatever spell Erica and Liliana use to summon their swords?"
"That type of spell only works on objects within a sword's size and weight, so it does not help in a situation like this."
"Last time at Nikkou, we also tried spells to move our luggage, but just like investigative magic, it didn't work either..."
In the end, all they could determine was that the situation left little room for optimism.
In any case, once preparations were complete, the trio began to hike.
"Oh yeah, come to think of it, it's January 1 today!"
"Indeed! I am a bit worried, is Hikari's work at Nanao Shrine going smoothly? Although she is quite reliable in general, as a miko she is still an apprentice..."
"As the saying goes, New Year's Day is the time to plan for the incoming year. I can't believe I'd run into this kind of commotion today."
Godou continued to move forward as he confirmed today's date.
Being used to hiking, Ena took the lead with Yuri following and Godou holding the rear.
Under the bright illumination of daylight, they surveyed the surrounding trees.
A deciduous forest. Sunlight streamed between the leaves to produce scattering patterns of radiance, combining with the blowing wind to create a glittering world of golden brilliance. The breeze blowing between the trees was truly cool and refreshing. It was like taking an autumn stroll in a European forest.
"But isn't this a tropical zone located near the equator..."
"It's getting difficult to distinguish the seasons now..."
"This is clear evidence of the fact that this is no ordinary island..."
While confirming the suspicious nature of the island as they walked through the forest, Yuri suddenly went "Ah" softly.
Was this a sign of spirit vision? This prompted Godou to ready his posture but very soon he realized the reason. The surrounding scenery was transforming imperceptibly!
A forest without any roads. While pushing vegetation aside, they had walked roughly thirty minutes through the same forest.
That was clearly supposed to be the situation. But without them noticing, the positions, shapes and arrangements of the surrounding trees had changed greatly. Baffled, Godou wondered if they were lost.
"Hmm... The sun's direction seems different from just now."
Ena frowned and looked up into the sky.
A deciduous forest. Sunlight streamed between the leaves to produce scattering patterns of radiance, combining with the blowing wind to create a glittering world of golden brilliance—This was no longer the case.
Compared to before, the leaves and branches of the trees grew more densely, making conditions quite dim despite the daylight hours. There was no longer a cool and refreshing impression.
"We seem to have entered a totally different place."
After murmuring, Yuri suddenly began to search her rucksack.
She took out a compass. Rather than pointing north, the needle rotated slowly as if undecided over which direction was north.
"One of those so-called forests of wandering huh..."
"Not just the forest but the entire island also gives off the same feeling, Your Majesty."
Ena's predictions were completely on target.
After walking for ten-odd minutes, their location changed without their knowledge.
From forest to deep forest. From deep forest to the edge of vertical cliffs. From cliffs to a valley. Then from the bottom of a valley to a corner of the forest.
"...This time, we wandered off to quite a scenic location."
After walking for two hours or so, Godou muttered.
Advancing through the forest, they now chanced upon a small waterfall. Cool, clear water was flowing down the waterfall, pooling into a flowing stream.
Due to all the nonstop walking, Yuri with her low stamina was exhausted.
Thinking that, Godou decided to let her rest here for a while. As he turned his gaze, he found Ena gesturing to him with her eyes. The hiking expert was thinking the same thing. Godou nodded.
"Let's have a break here. It so happens that there's also water nearby."
After Godou announced, Ena approached the stream. Bringing her face close to the water surface, she sniffed its scent.
Then after she dipped a fingertip into the water and licked it with her tongue, the Hime-Miko of the Sword declared:
"Yes, this water is drinkable."
"I didn't know you could do that as well."
Godou laughed wryly but indeed it was uplifting news.
With a long journey ahead, it was uncertain how long their water would last. A refill was needed badly. Meanwhile, Ena took out an aluminum mug from her rucksack. Filling it with water, she brought it to Yuri.
The marching so far seemed like it was merely a casual stroll for the Hime-Miko. Her footsteps remained quick and nimble.
"Ah... Thank you."
Thanking Ena, Yuri gulped down the water and smiled.
This was a slightly forced smile that one would make to lessen the worries of others. Just as Godou expected, resting here was a correct decision.
"No matter what, spinning around alike this isn't making progress..."
Godou muttered and reached his hand into the stream. The refreshing coldness of the water felt rather comfortable.
Their current situation was no different from being thwarted on every front. Although battling gods had become an everyday activity for Godou, a desperate situation of this sort was something new...
Seeing Godou stare blankly at the waterfall, Yuri leaned forward.
She gazed in the direction towards where the stream flowed. Ena asked her fellow Hime-Miko:
"Did you see something, Yuri? If it's okay, tell us."
"Ah yes. I feel like the path to escaping our predicament should lie in the direction ahead."
"Speaking of which, the people who escaped the island were those who returned by sea. The direction the stream flows is towards th ocean, this does make sense in a way."
After Godou nodded, Yuri suddenly shuddered.
A white aura rose up from her body. This was the aura of psychic sensing. Following the direction of the stream's flow, the aura advanced, making its way forward, forward nonstop. Yuri nodded emphatically.
"Indeed it is so. If I apply my sensing abilities downstream, I should be able to use my power!"
Her report greatly shocked Godou. Ena immediately yelled out:
"Well done, Yuri! What do you sense right n
ow?"
"Yes, this river converges with larger rivers and continues flowing down the mountain—finally pouring into the sea. After entering the ocean, I can use my powers freely without restriction—"
Yuri closed her eyes and concentrated as she explained.
Seas and rivers—"water" was apparently the key to breaking through this demonic realm.
Godou nodded and remembered. The island's mistress had called herself the Fire Goddess. Fire's weakness lay in water. Perhaps this might be related.
"!? Erica-san and Liliana-san are over there! They are traveling on a boat in the sea!"
Yuri called out happily. This important news interrupted Godou's pensiveness.
Part 4
Godou found out that Erica and Liliana were arriving on an engine-powered boat.
It was a fisherman's boat intended for fishing alone. It looked like they had stopped the engine and were currently drifting on the sea near the island.
In fact, Yuri was using psychic sensing to send out thought waves for conversing with them...
In this manner, Yuri's sensing powers established communications between this corner in the demonic realm and the boat out on the sea.
Continuing to keep her eyes closed, Yuri extended her slender and delicate hands into the stream. This projected images of Erica and Liliana onto the surface of the flowing water.
These were said to be the images captured visually by the Hime-Miko's psychic sensing powers.
The two Caucasian girls, one blonde and one silver-haired, were dressed in t-shirts with light jackets. Under the dazzling sunlight of the South Seas, they were surrounded by clear blue seawater.
A scene from the ocean, completely different from Godou's situation in the mountains, was projected on the stream's surface.
'After falling into the sea, we gathered up all the crew who were swimming in the water and flew back to Kota Kinabalu using Liliana's flight magic. Everyone is safe and sound.'
Erica recounted what had happened after the divine eagle appeared. Apparently they had not met any danger.
'This morning, we took a bigger fishing vessel out to sea again and returned to the island's vicinity. However, the crew were afraid of approaching the island...'
'We had the ship wait a certain distance away on standby as a mother ship.'
Campione 13 Page 13