Had I been deceived? Master said they had been deceiving me, so they must have been deceiving me, but...
Thinking back to the first time she met Koizumi and the others, it had not seemed like a deliberately fabricated illusion at all.
And during all those meetings, aside from asking where she sold houses, Koizumi and the others had not deceived her about anything else, had they? Seryu's sense of justice was indeed terribly warped, but that did not mean she had no thoughts of her own. She was still the same little girl Koizumi had first met—sincere and warm toward others, yet twisted in certain beliefs.
While Seryu's thoughts were in turmoil, the other members of the Imperial Guard had already begun to act.
Koizumi was an ordinary person. Although he had used Remilia's power before, he had yet to master it.
So Koizumi could not stop those people, but—
"Bang!"
A palm strike flew toward an Imperial Guard member. Without any surprise, the man was sent flying and crashed to the ground.
Reimu and Hata no Kokoro stood before Koizumi, their faces full of vigilance.
"This is my shop. Let's see who dares tear it down!"
Imperial Arm Koro
"This is my shop. Let's see who dares tear it down!"
Reimu stood in front of Koizumi, her purification rod pointed at Ouka before her, her eyes filled with deep vigilance.
Reimu truly hated trouble, but without a doubt, she was absolutely not the sort of person who was timid and afraid of trouble. She avoided trouble for the sake of a leisurely life, but now that trouble had come knocking, there was no reason for her to surrender.
"Oh?" Ouka looked at Reimu with interest.
At first, he had thought this would be a boring raid and confiscation operation, but it seemed more interesting than the usual ones.
Compared to docile little lambs, he preferred wolf-like women who struggled. That made things more entertaining.
However, Reimu was no ordinary wolf. If they really fought, Ouka would be beaten black and blue.
And Hata no Kokoro was no pushover either. Even if she was only a tsukumogami, she was still a Servant.
"Then let me see what a little girl like you can do!" Saying this, Ouka waved at the group of subordinates behind him and slowly said, "Get them!"
The moment he finished speaking, every Imperial Guard member charged at Reimu.
Reimu snorted coldly and swept her hands through the air. Countless talismans shot from her sleeves, and the instant they touched the space around the Imperial Guard, countless golden lights like ribbons burst from them, tightly binding every guard member and making escape impossible.
"Amazing!" Even Seryu could not help staring in awe. She had never imagined Reimu was this strong, binding every single member of the Imperial Guard in an instant.
"It looks like they really are connected to those rebels from the Peaceful Path Sect."
Seeing this, Ouka had already concluded that they were associated with the Peaceful Path Sect. He had not seen Reimu use an Imperial Arm, yet she could wield such power without one. As expected, she was a dangerous beast hybrid.
The nobles of the imperial capital, including the general and his lot, looked down on mixed-blood outsiders. Naturally, they looked down even more on dangerous beast hybrids. They were practically another kind of outsider—those not of our kind must have different hearts.
Because of the peculiar nature of Reimu's techniques, Ouka directly assumed she was an accomplice of the Peaceful Path Sect's leader.
Seeing this, Ouka's expression sharpened. At the same time, he gave an order to his disciple, Seryu.
"Seryu, your Imperial Arm is not suitable for use here. Leave the shop first. I'll deal with them!"
Before Seryu could agree, Ouka drew the saber hanging from his waist and charged straight at Reimu.
Seryu fell silent for a moment before lightly nodding and walking outside the shop. However, the worry in her eyes was obvious. Clearly, she was deeply concerned for Reimu's safety. She knew exactly how powerful her master was.
"What a nuisance. Let's finish this quickly! Hata no Kokoro, protect Master!"
With that, Reimu rushed at Ouka without hesitation.
Compared to Ouka, Reimu was clearly faster. Ouka had genuine skill, but if they really fought, he was absolutely no match for Reimu, because she had experienced plenty of battles herself.
Ouka used a saber, while Reimu fought him barehanded. Even so, Reimu held the upper hand. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden excelled not only in aerial combat, but also in powerful martial arts.
Although Reimu was not from the generation of Hakurei Shrine Maidens most skilled in martial arts, there was no doubt that, as one of them, she was still quite capable in close combat. At the very least, she would not be defeated so easily.
After exchanging blows with Reimu for only a short while, Ouka realized that the enemy before him was extremely troublesome.
The next moment, the speed of his attacks increased further, while Reimu remained as relaxed as ever.
Reimu was clearly barehanded, yet she dealt with Ouka's assault with effortless ease.
Suddenly, a glint flashed through Reimu's eyes. Her right hand caught Ouka's saber, and under Ouka's stunned gaze, a beam of light erupted from her palm and swallowed him whole.
Bang!!!!!
Ouka was blasted out of the shop by Reimu's beam, and even the bound Imperial Guard members were hurled outside along with it, leaving Seryu outside and Leone, who had been secretly observing, utterly dumbfounded.
Was Miss Reimu really that powerful? Seryu stared blankly.
That shrine maiden had defeated the Imperial Guard in one move? Leone was stunned for a moment as well.
Slowly, Reimu walked out of the shop, her exorcism rod pointed at Ouka and the others.
"I already told you, this is my shop. I just want to sell charms and make some money in peace. Why do you people with nothing better to do insist on making trouble for yourselves? I really don't get it!"
"Master!" Seryu hurriedly stepped forward and helped Ouka up. At the same time, a savage expression appeared on Ouka's face.
Enraged, Ouka picked up his saber again, but after being struck by Reimu's beam, it could no longer be used.
"Seryu, use your Imperial Arm and kill them on the spot!"
Although Ouka was furious, he understood that these opponents were no ordinary people, so he immediately ordered Seryu to use her Imperial Arm.
"But..." A trace of hesitation appeared on Seryu's face. They were her friends...
"Seryu!!" Ouka stared fixedly at Seryu. Suddenly, he felt as though he was losing control over her. This child, whom he had taken over from his old friend, had always been in his grasp. He had guided her with so-called justice, but now she seemed to be starting to disobey his commands.
Seryu clenched her teeth. After glancing at Reimu and the others, she finally shouted.
"Koro!!!!!!!!!!"
In an instant, the pet dog following Seryu transformed into a gigantic monster and charged at Reimu and the others without hesitation.
Reimu's pupils contracted. She immediately flew into the sky, countless talismans shooting from her sleeves. The moment the talismans touched giant Koro, they exploded.
"Bang bang bang bang bang!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Giant Koro let out repeated roars. The next moment, its attention fixed on Hata no Kokoro and Koizumi, who had not taken flight.
"Master! Watch out!"
The instant giant Koro set its sights on them, many masks began appearing around Hata no Kokoro.
The next moment, Hata no Kokoro took out a lion mask and breathed flames at giant Koro.
Giant Koro roared again and again, as though it had never expected its opponent to breathe fire at it.
However, as long as its core was not struck, it would not die.
Thus, giant Koro seemed intent on ignoring the flames and charging directly at Hata no Kokoro and Koizumi.
At that moment, Ouka also realized that both Reimu and Hata no Kokoro were protecting Koizumi, so—
"Everyone, seize that man!"
Fierce Battle
Giant Koro charged at Hata no Kokoro, while the guard members closed in on Koizumi one by one.
Hata no Kokoro was tied down for the moment and could not come to support Koizumi.
However, Reimu merely snorted and continued attacking giant Koro, completely ignoring the guard members' actions.
Others from Gensokyo did not know the specifics of Koizumi's situation, but Reimu and Yakumo Yukari did. The other sages who had established Gensokyo also knew about what was happening to him. Why could Koizumi summon beings from Gensokyo? Gensokyo itself was a place forgotten by the outside world, so it had not been recorded upon the Throne of Heroes.
Anyone capable of summoning people from Gensokyo was bound to have a connection to Gensokyo.
Yakumo Yukari herself had close ties to the two Counter Forces and was connected to the Root. It was easy for her to make a few adjustments and allow Gensokyo's inhabitants to descend as Servants. But to summon Servants from Gensokyo, the summoner had to be related to Gensokyo, or the catalyst used had to be related to Gensokyo.
Yet Koizumi had used no catalyst, so the reason he could summon beings from Gensokyo was Koizumi himself.
However, what Reimu knew was only the special nature of Koizumi's contracts with everyone in Gensokyo. Yakumo Yukari and the many sages knew more specific details, such as Koizumi's connection to Gensokyo and why he had lost his memories.
Knowing the special nature of this contract was enough, so—
When Ouka charged violently toward Koizumi with his saber in hand, Seryu's expression changed. She wanted to say something, but found herself unable to speak. What was going on? Had she not always upheld justice? What Master did should have been justice, so why was her heart so conflicted? Why was there always a voice telling her this was wrong?
If Reimu and Koizumi knew what Seryu was thinking now, they would surely say that this girl had not been twisted quite that badly yet.
If she had truly reached the point of complete blind obedience, Seryu would not be feeling this way.
Leaving Seryu aside, Leone watched Ouka and the others surround Koizumi and cursed inwardly.
These people only knew how to bully someone who could not even fight back...
As someone who had drunk with Koizumi and tested him before, Leone could be certain that Koizumi had no strength whatsoever. Compared to Reimu and Hata no Kokoro, he was weaker by more than a hundred thousand miles. If the guards really ganged up on him, he would probably die horribly.
Strange. Why wasn't that shrine maiden helping him? Leone truly could not understand that.
Clearly, Reimu had seen Koizumi's predicament just now, so why was she not helping him?
Then again, Reimu could actually fly. That truly shocked Leone, and it made her even more convinced that Reimu was a dangerous beast hybrid. Only taboo-born children possessed such abilities.
Now, Leone was conflicted over whether she should go over and help.
If she stepped in, she would undoubtedly expose herself and end up on the wanted list. But she would gain Reimu and the others' goodwill, making it much easier to persuade them to join Night Raid.
But if she failed, even she might get dragged down with them.
It was not that she feared death. Before carrying out a mission, one had to consider whether it was feasible. Boss was the same—before accepting a mission, she would first determine whether it could actually be done. If Night Raid had always rushed in so mindlessly, the Empire's forces would have wiped them out long ago.
So that was what Leone was struggling with right now. Helping was fine, but she could not get herself killed in the process.
This was the imperial capital. Though it seemed prosperous, it was an extremely corrupt place. Of course, even so, it was also where the elite gathered. The Empire's most elite force, led by General Budou, was stationed in the imperial capital, and Budou, one of the Empire's two strongest generals, was currently here as well.
So this truly was not a place where one could casually stir up trouble.
That was what the Night Raid assassin Leone feared.
The biological Imperial Arm Beast Transformation: Hekatonkheires was her first time seeing it, but it was extremely powerful. If its core was not hit, the creature would keep regenerating. It was an exceptionally troublesome Imperial Arm.
Even Leone herself might not be able to gain an advantage against it.
Sure enough, after seeing giant Koro regenerate again and again no matter how many times she blasted it apart, Reimu was getting annoyed. It was just as irritating as those immortal youkai, like that phoenix. No matter how many times she smashed it, it would still revive. It was utterly shameless.
"This is so damn troublesome! Let's end it already! Spirit Sign: Dream Seal: Scatter!!"
Orbs of spiritual power in various colors scattered apart and bombarded every part of giant Koro. Seeing this, Hata no Kokoro immediately retreated to avoid getting caught in the blast.
However, to help out, Hata no Kokoro also contributed her own strength.
"Lamenting Long Wall of Faces!"
One mask after another flew toward giant Koro. Hata no Kokoro's technique scattered offensive masks around the area. When anyone bearing hostility approached, the masks would react and launch attacks.
There was no need to think about it—giant Koro would certainly be included among their targets.
"Boom!!!!!!!!!"
Seryu was almost dumbstruck as she watched. Compared to Hata no Kokoro's technique, Reimu's was even more dazzling.
Clearly, Reimu's strength had left even Seryu feeling that it was unreal.
Thinking back to how greedy Reimu had acted before, was this really the Hakurei Reimu she knew?
Of course, what Seryu worried about more now was Koro. If it was hit by attacks like those, would Koro be all right?
It had to be said that Reimu's integrity was completely inversely proportional to her strength. Otherwise, Seryu would not have had such thoughts.
Likewise, after seeing Reimu like this, Leone made up her mind. No matter what, she had to recruit this shrine maiden. It would be such a waste not to bring someone this strong over.
However, after that thought came a wave of worry, and Leone turned her gaze toward the palace.
With such a huge commotion, the people inside the palace must have been alerted. If General Budou arrived later, things would be disastrous.
"Aaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!"
Just then, before Reimu and the others could see giant Koro after the smoke cleared, the Imperial Guard members fell to the ground one after another, clutching their wounds with pained expressions.
Ouka was also clutching his bleeding arm, staring at Koizumi in terror.
Koizumi's pupils had turned blood-red. Sharp fangs protruded from his mouth, and he held a spear formed from pink light. He looked exactly like he had when fighting Remilia.
And at that moment, Koizumi's appearance also looked exactly like that of a vampire.
Explanation
Reimu stared deeply at Koizumi's appearance, unable to stop herself from frowning slightly. Even his race had changed.
"That vampire had already formed a contract with Koizumi beforehand. But why hadn't she appeared? Was she asleep?"
Before you continue