Becoming a Devilish Cultivator's Miko

"Yes, I'm planning to deal with that monster today."

"Even if it means you'll die?"

"Even if it means I'll die. But I have a reason I have to do this; I've put it off for too long."

The man said this, took off his top hat, his expression still one of dejection.

"The one who should have died was me."

"So, you want to die meaninglessly like this? Rom?"

An aged voice came from behind the three. Takeda Mie, her face hidden by her hood, raised her head and looked at Rom with a complex expression.

"You sure do cause trouble."

"Even though you say that, didn't you rush over here in the end?"

Rom shrugged, put his hat back on, and glanced at her attire.

"Such nostalgic clothing."

Takeda Mie didn't say much more, merely shifting her gaze to the two beside her.

"Are you planning to drag these two along with you?"

"No, no, no, I'm not. It's just that this Ms. Yotsuya herself wants to get involved."

Rom waved his hand, pushing the responsibility of dissuading Miko onto Takeda Mie. The latter, without hesitation, began to lecture the two.

"This isn't something you can get involved in. Hurry up and leave."

Miko didn't say much, simply taking out her iron box from her shoulder bag and opening it.

The expressions of the two immediately changed, especially when she took out a Talisman Iron Pellet and threw it towards a Ghost in the distance. The Ghost dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Now, is it okay?"

Chapter 74: Before Killing a God

If you were to ask Miko how many Talisman Iron Pellets she had refined, it would probably be several hundred, perhaps even over a thousand.

The sight of these densely packed little ball bearings piled together was quite spectacular, especially since these little ball bearings had another name.

"Sil-Sil-Sil-Sil…ver Ball?!"

The first to be shocked by the astonishing number of Talisman Iron Pellets was Yuria. This girl naturally wouldn't miss out on urban legends, and she was particularly interested in the legend of the Guardian of Silver Pellets. Therefore, when she saw that box full of "Silver Balls," she was as stunned as if she had gotten ten SSRs from a ten-pull. She wished she could screenshot it on her phone and post it to her social media, reveling in their profanity.

Soon, her gaze shifted to Yotsuya Miko, who was holding the box. As if confirming her thoughts, Miko slowly nodded.

"I refined them all."

"The legendary Silver Balls?"

"I distributed them, but their effects aren't as exaggerated as the rumors claim. They can only kill ghosts."

While clarifying the exaggerated claims, Miko closed the iron box and put it back into her shoulder bag, so as to avoid attracting the attention of passersby.

"The accessory I gave you is much more useful than these iron pellets."

Yuria, still unable to shake off her shock, nodded blankly. She then glanced at the poisonous mushroom accessory she always wore, clutching it tightly. To be honest, she wouldn't be surprised anymore even if Miko told her she was a reincarnated deity, because this girl's actions were too outrageous.

"Silver Balls?"

Rom and Takeda Mie were speechless. They exchanged glances, then their gazes fell upon Miko simultaneously. Rom hadn't expected Miko's strength to be this great, and neither had Takeda Mie. She finally recognized the Yotsuya Miko in front of her, feeling awkward about her previous thoughts. She had been wondering how that Ghost had suddenly disappeared; it turned out it had been eliminated by someone.

But why did they have to come to her fortune-telling shop?

This doubt only lingered in their minds for a short while before a sense of peace settled within them. This peace was akin to a legendary investigator with heavy weaponry joining a Cthulhu tabletop RPG, a character in a horror game obtaining a gun, or getting matched with a pro player in a game. In short, the originally solemn atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

"So… Ms. Yotsuya intends to go and eliminate that monster?"

Rom touched the stone in his pocket and suddenly realized something. It seemed he had misunderstood the powerful psychic named Yotsuya Miko from the very beginning. He subconsciously treated this psychic as someone like himself, only slightly better, and then presumptuously tried to persuade her to give up.

Takeda Mie's thoughts were much simpler. She recovered from her surprise and then earnestly entrusted Miko.

"Although it might be inappropriate to say this now… I would like to ask you to go and eliminate that monster. Please."

She said this and bowed slightly to Miko.

Regarding what had happened on the mountain, her feelings were the same as Rom's: heavy and powerless. This was precisely why she had agreed to help Rom, even though the outcome for both of them wasn't good.

"Mm."

Miko nodded and looked at the old woman.

"Before that, I'd like to know what exactly happened on this mountain. May I?"

This was what she needed to understand now, in order to comprehend that monster. She wasn't as confident in her own abilities as the other two were, because she clearly understood one thing: psychics in this world were not powerful.

Even the two standing before her only had a few more tricks up their sleeves than Yuria, but they would have difficulty dealing with powerful Ghosts, let alone the existence in the mountains that was like a "Mountain God."

"Is that so?"

Takeda Mie nodded, looked at the fortune-telling shop beside her, and walked over.

"Then, I'll tell you about it."

As she spoke, she glanced back at Rom.

"That tragedy, it has already happened."

Rom could only offer a wry smile, then painfully closed his eyes, admitting her words.

"Yes, a tragedy caused by my own mistakes."

The Mountain God, perhaps that's what it could be called. Because it truly resided in a shrine and had its own attendants.

This shrine did not appear in the mountains and forests; only a very few people could see it and be granted an audience with the Mountain God. Rom was one of them. He heard some voices, followed them into the shrine, and then disaster struck.

Because, it was not a benevolent god at all.

The cries for help Rom heard were from the Main Hall. After being led into the shrine by the sound, the giant "Mountain God" stared at him, coaxing him to pick up the bell-like instrument extending from its mouth. It was a curse; the moment one picked up the bell, they would become enslaved by the Mountain God, serving behind it and becoming isolated from the human world forever.

Rom naturally did not take it, because someone else had taken the painful price of mistakenly entering the shrine for him. Takeda Miko, in a sorry state, took him and the clothes of that substitute and left the shrine forever, never to return until now.

"Who was that substitute?"

"My master, Okamotozuko."

Takeda Miko replied, tugging at her clothes. This oversized robe had become the only remaining memory of that Psychic named Okamotozuko in the human world.

"She took the bell and then disappeared. That monster is not something ordinary Psychics can contend with; many Psychics have lost their lives to it so far."

As she spoke, she looked deeply at Miko before her, placing all her hopes on this powerful Psychic.

"No one can defeat it, but Miss Miko, you are the truly powerful Psychic I have seen so far. If you go to deal with that monster, I believe you can defeat it. So, please."

"I see... So, are you two still going?"

Miko gazed at the two of them. Rom still looked dejected.

"Yes, why wouldn't we? We already agreed."

He said, glancing at Takeda Miko beside him, and smiled.

"Granny Saegusa, at your age, you shouldn't be rushing around for this."

"...When you asked me to come, you didn't say that, Rom."

Takeda Miko looked at Miko.

"Although our strength is nothing compared to yours, we can still deal with those weak ghosts."

"Okay."

Miko didn't say much more. She thought that after dealing with this monster, she would make up with Hana. Even if she was still afraid of encountering powerful Ghosts, even if she feared death, she would gradually adapt, just as Mr. Cave Bear said, by changing her mindset.

"Then... what about me?"

"You go home, Yuria."

Chapter 75 Troublesome Resistance

"The Mountain God, that's what we can call the monster. It lures humans who can see it into its shrine and turns them into its attendants. These attendants obey its commands and do its work outside. But its true form can only stay within the shrine's domain, so I suspect that once the shrine's barrier is broken, the Mountain God's power will be greatly weakened."

Rom said this, looking at the desolate scene before him.

"Miss Yotsuya, Granny Saegusa and I can break the monster's barrier from the outside. Then, the monster and its subordinates inside will be entrusted to you."

Regarding this, he and Takeda Saegusa knew their limits. That powerful monster was something that neither of them, nor the elderly Takeda Saegusa, could handle. Even his previous idea was just to use himself as bait so that Takeda Saegusa could seize the opportunity to break the barrier and then retrieve the remains from the Main Hall of the shrine while the monster was weakened. As for killing the monster... they hadn't thought about it at all.

However, the current Rom could start thinking about it.

"Understood. Leave it to me."

Yotsuya Miko silently put down her shoulder bag, took out the iron box inside, and took out the Talisman Iron Pellets one by one.

"I can indeed feel a different aura. It seems there's a barrier ahead, but it's not strong. I can break it. But before that, please use these... Silver Balls for now. You'll be facing more than just a few monsters."

As she spoke, she scanned her surroundings with her Spiritual Sense without interruption. The desolation before her blocked her Spiritual Sense with a peculiar power, and Ghosts were gradually gathering around, but their advance was blocked by the talisman accessories on her body. However, Miko was not sure if the Mountain God could block the power of talismans. She reached out and handed dozens of Talisman Iron Pellets to the two of them, along with instructions on how to use them.

"Just throw them at the ghosts. These Silver Balls will destroy approaching ghosts like bombs."

She paused, then gripped a few iron pellets engraved with other talismans in her right hand and threw them forward.

"Like this."

Yin Thunder Talisman.

Gray-black lightning suddenly exploded from the iron pellets, striking directly at the empty space ahead, emitting a sharp sound. These lightning bolts seemed to hit something solid, splitting the transparency before them with several black cracks. In an instant, these cracks could not withstand the explosion of lightning and shattered, revealing the hidden scene within.

When the lightning passed, all that appeared before the three of them were moss-covered steps, a Torii Gate with faded red paint, and an old shrine.

"Let's go."

Miko sensed the distinctly different aura emanating from ahead, her expression gradually becoming solemn. She said in a deep voice and walked towards the steps.

The aura of the Ghosts mixed with the aura of whatever it was, yet it was exceptionally strong, far stronger than the kimono-clad Ghost they had encountered before. Moreover, beside this immensely powerful monster, there were two other auras that could not be ignored, even though they were not as powerful as it.

This is getting tricky.

Miko thought so, collected the Talisman Iron Pellets from the iron box into her sleeves one by one with Spiritual Qi, entwined them around her wrists, and then melted the iron box into a heavy iron block and put it in her pocket. Rom and Takeda Saegusa did not hesitate either, walking towards the surroundings of the shrine, each using their own methods.

Passing through the Torii Gate, the face of the Mountain God finally appeared before her.

It was a giant beast with a pair of horns on its head, engraved with talismans and adorned with decorations. Its mouth was split into four lobes, each filled with sharp teeth, and its eyes were narrow and pupil-less. It stood on four legs, its front legs slightly smaller and wrapped in red cloth, while its ground-contacting paws were huge, with equally huge claws at the joints. Its hind legs supported its crouching body, and its massive tail swept lightly across the ground.

Standing beside the giant beast were two Ghosts in kimonos, no, attendants with the aura of Ghosts mixed with a different aura, small in size like foxes with a pair of fox ears. Upon seeing her, the faces of these attendants became ferocious, and they let out hissing threats.

Miko naturally wouldn't be polite with them, holding several Talisman Iron Pellets in her hand and flinging them towards them.

Yin Thunder Talisman.

Lightning appeared once more, striking the two fox-eared monsters, or one could call them Divine Attendants, with lightning speed. Instantly, these two Divine Attendants were blasted into fragments. However, the Mountain God, attacked by more Yin Thunder Talismans, withstood the lightning strikes. Beneath its golden energy skin, it showed no damage whatsoever.

"No effect? Or... immune to lightning?"

Yotsuya Miko mused, her Spiritual Sense revealing a more dire outcome. With a grim expression, she cast several incantations.

Keen Eyes, Light Body, Exhaustive Strength, Tough Body.

Several black lights flashed again. Foreseeing a Divine Attendant ambushing her from behind, she dodged to the side. Then, bending her body, she evaded an invisible attack launched from afar—another Divine Attendant.

So, what about this one?

She used Spiritual Qi from her sleeve to pull out Talisman Iron Pellets again, dozens of them scattering from her palm.

You should be Ghosts, right? Then the Soul Scattering Talisman should be effective.

These Talisman Iron Pellets scattered on the ground, seemingly broken and useless. However, just as the two Divine Attendants were about to attack Yotsuya Miko again, the iron pellets suddenly shot out dozens of black lights, striking their bodies before they could dodge, gradually corroding their forms.

These Soul Scattering Talisman iron pellets were the ones Miko produced the most. Their use was simple and brutal: to completely annihilate the soul of Ghosts. These Soul Scattering Talisman iron pellets were also the true form of the Silver Balls rumored by Gin'gyu, which were mistakenly spread as the origin of the "all-purpose stone."

Now, dozens of Soul Scattering Talismans landed on the Divine Attendants, finally eliciting pained howls from them. Their golden shells continuously dissipated, temporarily losing all ability to act.

Yes, temporarily losing the ability to act. Miko's Spiritual Sense perceived that the golden substance on their surface was still repelling the corrosion of the Soul Scattering Talismans, preventing it from deepening. This extreme regenerative ability made Miko feel a rare, terrible mood. She silently turned her gaze towards the Mountain God before her. This monster had not acted while the Divine Attendants attacked her, but its inaction made Miko realize something.

It seemed to be far more powerful than herself.

"If dozens of Soul Scattering Talismans barely worked on them, then for you... it's going to be troublesome."

She took a deep breath, switched the type of Talisman Iron Pellets she was using, and prayed that the two people outside could break the Shrine's barrier quickly, weakening this monster.

Chapter 76: Victory?