Becoming a Devilish Cultivator's Miko

Outside, Miko's mother, Miko, hastily nailed a doll under a tree before rushing off to another location.

As if noticing the actions of her and Rom, a large number of ghosts gathered around the shrine to obstruct them. Looking at the group of ghosts approaching her again, Miko frowned and threw a small steel ball from her hand. This was a Soul Scattering Talisman Iron Pellet given to her by Yotsuya Miko.

The iron pellet quickly took effect, and several black beams swept towards the ghosts, cleanly eliminating several of them. However, after that, it completely ran out of power. So, she had to throw out a few more iron pellets, barely clearing a path for herself to go elsewhere.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt that her current actions seemed to be leading to an extremely terrible outcome. However, even though she could divine the fates of others, she couldn't see her own fate at all, or she wouldn't have come here again.

Miss Miko...

Anxiously rushing to the next location, she frequently glanced in the direction of the shrine, sending her prayers with it.

Please, be alright.

"You bastard..."

Miko gasped for air as she dodged the sharp claws reaching for her, and then attacked the Mountain God in front of her with a different talisman. However, after taking a certain amount of damage, the monster's previously injured parts began to recover at a visible speed.

"Just how... high is its resistance to this type of talisman?"

The gold on its skin shone brilliantly, seemingly displaying its divine status. The monster's recovery ability and its resistance to malevolent talismans were truly god-like.

Soul Scattering, Yin Lightning, Soul Severing, Calamity Breaking, Heart Devouring, Nightmare Annihilation, Body Destroying, Residual Spirit... the various talismans recorded in the Soul Nourishing Artifact Path Understanding, which Yotsuya Miko had learned, it possessed extremely strong resistance to almost all of them. Even hitting its body with a large number of Talisman Iron Pellets at once couldn't cause it any threatening damage. On the contrary, the residual energy from the talismans finally caused the two divine attendants to fall into severe injuries, rendering them unable to move.

But, this was completely futile.

Looking at the giant sharp claws lunging at her again, Miko gritted her teeth. While evading it, she quickly tore at her Spiritual Sense, and a black beam shot from her forehead towards the towering monster.

Soul Collision Art.

However, this only made the monster freeze for a little over a second before it resumed its attack.

Difficult to deal with.

Miko merely made this deduction, her anxious gaze drifting behind her. She still had a few spells she could use, but they all required time to cast, and this monster wouldn't give her any opportunities.

So, she could only give up for now?

She gasped for air. Even though she had gained physical abilities incomparable to ordinary people with the power of her spells, she still felt overwhelmed under the high-intensity dodging of the monster's sharp claws. If this continued, she would eventually be struck by the monster.

Or... should I hold on a little longer?

Two thoughts warred in her mind. The situation was already threatening her life, yet at this very moment, Rom and Miko's mother were still busy breaking the barrier.

Can I... trust them?

Miko took a small step back. Then, she remembered Rom's expression when he saw this mountain.

It was regret born of helplessness.

Now, Rom's family members were dying. If, in the future, Hana were to die?

Would he also fall into regret born of helplessness? Even a moment of hesitation, even a minuscule chance of victory.

Yotsuya Miko, for some reason, began to feel ashamed of her thoughts at this moment.

She looked at the monster in front of her again and took a deep breath.

"I haven't tried it yet, but please accept this."

She grappled with the giant beast again, throwing all the Talisman Iron Pellets she had at it. Whether it was the Soul Scattering Talisman or the Soul Severing Talisman, what she was about to do made it impossible for her to continue holding the Talisman Iron Pellets on her wrist.

Accompanied by violent explosions and the beast's roars, Yotsuya Miko began chanting the incantation, a support spell that allowed her to continue casting while moving.

"Yin Tribulation floats across myriad realms, all beings receive wounds. Filth and impurity are removed, and evil dust is born in secret..."

As she uttered these obscure words in the Xuanhui Realm's language, the Spiritual Qi in Miko's hands gradually gathered into a form. However, with most of her attention focused on manipulating the Spiritual Qi, her defenses against the giant beast plummeted.

Recovering from the explosion of numerous Talisman Iron Pellets... no, the damage caused by discarding all the Talisman Iron Pellets was something even it couldn't heal easily. Countless wounds cracked open on its golden hide, revealing gray-black ghost qi. It furiously swung its hands at the ant standing before it, and this time, the ant did not escape unscathed.

"Pain... inextinguishable in the heart, liver and gallbladder also shattered..."

Miko ignored the gash on her face and the Soul Screen Talisman that was shattered by the blow, continuing her incantation. Just as the monster was about to strike her again, its aura suddenly weakened, and even its raised claws lost the strength to swing.

Good opportunity.

The thought flashed through her mind. Miko quickly recited the final verses, standing still and rapidly weaving her fingers, accelerating her manipulation of Spiritual Qi. Perhaps it was due to the critical situation, but her casting was flawless. She successfully cast it, depleting all her Spiritual Qi in the process.

"Poisonous light chills the soul, startling into ten afflictions."

A small black-red ball slid from her fingertips and landed directly on the Mountain God, penetrating its golden hide. Just like dealing with the Kimono Ghost, Miko once again unleashed the most powerful spell she could cast – Ten Afflictions.

No matter how strong its resistance, Ten Afflictions would still act within its body, gradually growing by feeding on its form until it completely annihilated the behemoth. Because, this time, Ten Afflictions was the complete version.

"It's not strong enough to ignore the ominous nature of Ten Afflictions."

Miko smiled. Her Spiritual Sense had already detected Ten Afflictions rampaging within the monster. Although she didn't know why it was only around the surface of its skin, she figured the creature was already on its way to death.

Sensing its aura gradually weakening, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and expressed her gratitude to the two people who hurried over behind her.

"Thank you for your trouble. If it weren't for..."

However, under her gaze, the faces of the two were filled with terror. Rom even reached out his hand towards her.

"Behind you!!!"

My ba...

With her Spiritual Qi completely depleted, Miko felt the exhaustion of body and mind. The reinforcement spells that had been on her also dissipated. She tried to mobilize her Spiritual Sense, but the Mountain God behind her had clearly already begun...

"Thump."

A crisp sound came from the person's body.

Then, a dull thud as they fell to the ground.

Chapter 77: The Choice That Should Have Been Made

The instant she was sent flying by the palm strike from behind, Yotsuya Miko could clearly feel a force surge into her body along her back, gradually ravaging it. However, this was an extremely minor ravaging, more like the aftershock of the impact.

Even so, this aftershock still sent her flying ten meters. Her skin even cracked and split open dozens of times from scraping against the ground. She couldn't help but spit out some blood from her chest, which brought a slight ease to her lungs and heart.

"Splat."

Viscous blood splattered onto the ground. She looked at the pool of blood on the ground, touched her lips, and felt the lingering warmth.

"Miss Yotsuya!"

Rom quickly walked in front of Yotsuya Miko, trying to help her up. Meanwhile, from a distance, Mitsue Takeda threw a doll, momentarily confusing the monster's vision.

"Are you alright?"

Miko shook her head, brushing the dust off her clothes. The fabric had torn in several places from scraping against the ground, revealing the clothes underneath, which already displayed a talismanic pattern.

Prison Spirit Remnant Soul Clothes.

The appearance of these talismans, which should have been hidden within the clothing, meant that the garment refined into Prison Spirit Remnant Soul Clothes had suffered severe damage. That blow was barely within the resistance limit of the Prison Spirit Remnant Soul Clothes, allowing this defensive item to meet its demise with purpose.

"I'm fine, just a minor injury."

She looked towards the Mountain God, who should have been severely injured or even killed by the Ten Afflictions, and froze. Her expression immediately turned grim.

"So that's how it is, it was hidden within that layer of golden energy?"

Where the golden giant beast had stood, a terrifying human face was revealed. The eyes of this human face were made of bells, and it wore a grotesque smile. It had human-like, but incredibly long and narrow, hands and feet. Talismans inscribed with spells were wrapped around its legs. Its hunched back was covered in fur, and most nauseating of all was its abdomen, which was filled with countless hands and countless bells intertwined. These arms embraced the bells.

The Ten Afflictions had indeed entered the giant beast's body, but Miko hadn't expected that the golden outer layer was actually a disguise for the monster. Even though the Ten Afflictions were still acting upon it, they hadn't entered its true body. The power had already greatly diminished, and was even beginning to dissipate—because the Ten Afflictions do not allow exposure to the air. No creator would let such an ill omen spread.

Miko's senses hadn't been wrong; its aura had indeed weakened because it had shed that golden husk, finally revealing its true monstrous form. It was even more fragile than it could possibly be. Having lost that god-like body with high resistance, the Talisman Iron Pellets in her hand could completely overwhelm this monster, without the need to worry about its resistance and regeneration.

But... that was just wishful thinking.

Right now, her Talisman Iron Pellets were all used up, the Spiritual Qi in her Soul Repository was completely depleted, and even her defenses were finally gone. On top of that, she had sustained abrasions. Seeing the monster in front of her, which had only been momentarily confused and quickly regained its senses, now fixing its gaze on Mitsue Takeda, Miko didn't know what else to do.

"I did my best."

She could only say that, looking at Rom.

"Let's go, there will be other chances."

Rom paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I understand."

He took five or six unused Talisman Iron Pellets from his pocket and handed them to Yotsuya Miko.

"Miss Yotsuya, these Silver Balls should help you leave the Shrine. As for the rest... please leave it to us. I am truly sorry for troubling you."

Rom took off his top hat and bowed deeply to Yotsuya Miko, then ran towards Mitsue Takeda, who was still struggling to deal with the monster using her own methods. Miko thought he was going to rescue Mitsue Takeda, then suddenly understood the meaning behind his words.

"Mr. Rom!"

She shouted loudly at Rom, her face a mixture of confusion, disbelief, and anger.

"We still have a chance! Next time... next time we'll definitely be able to defeat this guy!"

No, there wouldn't be a next time.

From the moment the barrier was broken and he saw the monster shed its disguise to reveal its true form, Rom understood that his assumption had been wrong. That monster wasn't incapable of leaving; it was bound by its disguise. Now that it had lost its disguise, it could completely leave the Shrine and kill him, Mitsue Takeda, and Yotsuya Miko. They wouldn't be able to escape. His misjudgment had put all three of them in extremely dangerous situations.

Was I wrong to bring people here?

Rom dragged the exhausted Mitsue Takeda, pulling her out of the Shrine without explanation, while he stared directly at the monster.

"Hey, you can understand me, right?"

The monster brought its massive head close to Rom's face and bared its teeth, but it didn't attack him further. Instead, it stared directly at him. Seeing this, Rom breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"I'll trade myself for the two of them, how about it? You're heavily injured... if we keep fighting, it's anyone's guess who will die."

He spoke in a negotiating tone, completely disregarding Mitsue Takeda's furious voice from behind him. He simply met the monster's gaze, staring into its bell-like eyes. Those eyes eerily scanned him, then Mitsue Takeda behind him, before looking back at Yotsuya Miko, who was looking at him, and falling into thought.

Then, an arm emerged from its mouth, clutching a bell. It once again stared intently at Rom.

It was a simple transaction. Rom would take the bell and become its servant, and it would let Mitsue Takeda and Yotsuya Miko leave.

"Rom, don't take that bell!"

Granny Saegusa shouted loudly. She wanted to rush into the Shrine to stop Rom's actions, but a shrine attendant, struggling to get back on its feet, glared at her with a ferocious expression, halting her advance.

The moment he saw the bell, Rom's mind flickered back to that night. It was also a bell, placed directly before him. He, in his young ignorance, had reached out to take it, but a pair of hands had embraced him, and another person had unhesitatingly taken the bell.

So, he smiled, a smile of apparent release, and grasped the bell.

"I was supposed to be the one to take this bell."

He said this, closed his eyes, and calmly awaited death. However, at that moment, he heard the monster's roar.

"Wagggghhhh--!"

Chapter 78: Nightmare Refining Art and a New Monster

Rom's eyes snapped open, and he saw an unbelievable sight.

Another shrine maiden was attacking the Mountain God. She had suddenly turned traitor. However, looking at the hand gesture of this shrine maiden, for some reason, he felt a familiar posture. That was...

"Okamotozuko..."

Takeda Mieko recognized the gesture even before he did; she was all too familiar with it. Without hesitation, she threw the last Talisman Iron Pellet in her hand at the shrine maiden before her. The shrine maiden, already like a candle in the wind, was caught off guard and once again turned into scattered souls. Mieko stepped over the pile of souls and, while the shrine maiden—no, Okamotozuko—was attacking the Mountain God, she grabbed Rom and pulled him out of the shrine.

"That's Okamotozuko. She's broken free from the Mountain God's control. Let's get out of here while we can!"

However, before she could finish speaking, the enraged Mountain God shattered the shrine maiden that Okamotozuko had become with a wave of its hand. Seeing the two running toward the outside of the shrine, it reached out to grab them. Rom and Takeda Mieko were completely unable to dodge this attack.

But at this moment, there was no need to dodge.

"You seem to have completely overlooked me."

Yotsuya Miko's voice came from a great distance, and with her voice came a black and red figure.

When Miko saw Rom's deal with the Mountain God, she woke up. She quickly realized why Rom had done it.

If the Mountain God were still bound within the barrier, they could have escaped entirely and waited for another chance to kill the monster. But now that the barrier was broken, it meant the Mountain God was no longer restrained. It could pursue the three of them relentlessly, to the ends of the earth. They couldn't escape.

In other words, her thought of retreating had been impossible from the very beginning.

She stared blankly at the conditions Rom had proposed, clenching her fists and regretting her own actions.

Why couldn't she have carefully examined this so-called barrier? Why couldn't she have prepared more Talisman Iron Pellets? Why did she notice the strange aura mixed with the ghostly energy but not investigate it further? Why...

Scene after scene flashed through her mind. She even felt that perhaps it would have been better not to have participated in this operation at all. But... if she didn't participate, what else would she do?

Dodge these powerful monsters, continue to worry about her present and future, and after getting along well with Hana, continue her own inconsistent actions?

Whether she participated or not, this Mountain God would still become her nightmare, an indelible part of her, accompanying her throughout her life.

Thus, she understood.