Satou Yunona was bound to a cross-shaped torture device.
Her tendons in her hands and feet had been severed, leaving her with only a weak strength in her limbs and no room for resistance.
The current situation is like a first-person perspective live-action movie; under some mysterious force, she can perfectly and clearly experience everything the girl goes through.
The girl's sadness, fear, despair, and confusion.
The lingering pain in my hands and feet had been numbed by the hemp rope.
The scene that appeared before Satou Yunona seemed magical and bizarre.
From the girl's perspective, the crowd surrounding her gradually transformed into the appearance of demons.
The light and shadow behind them revealed sharp fangs, and their massive, dark, and ferocious bodies stretched out behind the crowd, undulating eerily.
That was pure malice.
Malice fueled the flames of delusion.
The raging flames were reflected in her wooden yet compassionate eyes, gradually consuming her completely.
Satou Yunona was speechless. She was trapped inside the girl's body, connected to her joys and sorrows, yet could only passively watch the tragedy unfold.
Yet, amidst that immense and indescribable malice, some stubbornly preserved their own will.
That girl with cherry blossom hair.
"... Kill... her... for... the village..." The tallest demon in the crowd said something to the girl, the indistinct words gradually reaching her ears.
No, no, no.
Despite her inner refusal, the girl expressed her own will.
She stared blankly at the scene before her, which seemed like an inescapable hell.
She wanted to do something, but she was too weak.
The demon shoved the knife into her hand; the girl felt terribly cold all over, but she could not resist.
He grasped the girl's hands with both of his, dragging the knife, and walked step by step to the cross.
The cold, sharp light of the blade reflected in the girl's eyes, as if it wanted to burn away everything she had along with the flames.
"Sakura, this is for the village," the demon whispered, grasping the girl's hand and raising his sword.
"No!" With the girl's devastating scream, everything came to an end.
The splash of bright red, like ink, and the girl's desperate and sorrowful expression were the last things she could see.
The blade moved swiftly, shattering the illusory flames reflected in the girl's eyes.
The knife moved slowly because this scene had echoed in the girl's mind countless times and still wouldn't stop.
After maliciously taking the girl's life, it seemed to go out.
A torrential downpour began.
A tremendous roar enveloped the world.
The demons rejoiced, laughing and celebrating the arrival of the heavy rain.
The cherry-haired girl knelt on the ground, her face stained with blood.
In this ancient past recorded in fragments.
A girl named Yae Sakura lost something she cherished.
Satou Yunona regained her will, and in the instant she staggered and fell, the thorns transformed into soft vines that supported her body.
The girl simply turned over and lay on her back, panting heavily. The sensation of the blade grazing her neck felt incredibly real and clear, but what truly made Satou Yunona shudder was not the pain she felt, which she shared with the girl.
Rather, it was that malice.
Human sacrifice.
This is completely consistent with the distant past history of Kambara Village as described by Kambara Shuichi; it is a foolish and backward custom that existed for the purpose of praying for rain, buried in the past.
But what interests Satou Yunona even more is the cherry-haired girl residing in the memories within the fragments.
That rare hair color, the same face, and the familiar Honkai Energy mist in the fragments all made Satou Yunona think of the Miko she had seen in Changkong City that day.
If she really was that Miko, then was the village she lived in the predecessor of Kambara Village?
Is the true nature of the Living Doll related to the black fox shadow within the Miko?
It's necessary to ask Headmaster Theresa about this Miko; perhaps we can find some clues about the Living Doll here.
Having recovered from the shock of that memory, Satou Yunona stood up without hesitation, the vines disappearing as she rose.
The girl turned and left the shrine.
The next day, at dusk.
The town at the foot of the mountain.
Dressed in a butler's uniform, Su Qing'an used the pretext of purchasing daily necessities for the young lady to travel around the town.
Most of the villagers here seem to maintain a certain fondness and awe towards Western things due to some historical legacies of Japan.
Therefore, he was not surprised at all that the eldest daughter of the Kambara Family had brought back a butler, but he couldn't help but show curiosity in his eyes when he saw him.
He would greet people with an elegant and polite demeanor, and his usually aloof expression would transform into a gentle and warm smile when he met and greeted the villagers.
Su Qing'an was very studious and had taken most of the courses at the St. Freya Academy, including acting classes taught by Nishikujo Sara.
The aloof woman who usually sat with her legs crossed, smoking, revealed an elegant and serene smile during her acting demonstration.
There was a hint of shyness in her expression, like a docile little animal.
With just a change of expression, Nishikujo Sara's demeanor is completely transformed.
For a moment, she gave the impression of a female high school student majoring in literature, taking notes in the classroom.
Then Su Qing'an learned that as long as she controlled the flow and movement of her muscles at any time, and gave regular, natural reactions so that her expression did not appear stiff, she would have a perfect smile.
Women may be creatures born with a natural capacity for lying, Su Qing'an thought so because the students in her acting classes learned very quickly.
From then on, he was able to distinguish to some extent whether a person's smile was genuine or feigned.
Now, Su Qing'an uses this smile to add another layer of protection to his disguised identity, a practice that helps him observe the villagers' most ordinary and everyday lives.
The most valuable observations can only be made when the other party is not on guard.
"Mr. Su, here are your eggs."
The woman warmly handed him the bag, which he politely accepted.
There were four extra eggs inside.
But Su Qing'an didn't expose him; he smiled, expressed his gratitude, and then said goodbye and left.
After careful observation, the boy noticed something amiss about the villagers.
A martial artist who is forging ahead on the path of martial arts will naturally have a deep understanding of the human body, and this is especially true for martial artists who have reached the pinnacle of their skills.
Su Qing'an's skill level was quite high; he could sense subtle but real differences between the villagers' bodies and those of ordinary people.
Regarding faith, Su Qing'an also tried to probe. He subtly suggested that some of the country's customs were ridiculous and ignorant. The other party would then normally agree, saying that someone like Mr. Su, who was educated in British higher education, would naturally find it difficult to understand some local customs.
But the customs of our Kambara Village are different from those.
What followed was a clearly abnormal and emotionally charged fervor, not just superficial fanaticism, but a fanatical belief that permeated every word.
Whether they are women in their fifties, high school students in their teens, children as young as seven or eight, or mature middle-aged men, their IQs and levels of experience may vary, but the core attitudes they exhibit are completely consistent.
It was like an army that had been drilled thousands of times and whose will was extremely unified.
Even someone like Su Qing'an, who had experienced life and death, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine when faced with such bizarre obsession after repeated tests.
Can the fanatical beliefs of Kambara Village truly be explained by mere ignorance and inherited customs?
Both Satou Yunona and Su Qing'an felt uneasy about the upcoming Day of Sacrifice.