"I can smell it—the Jewel of Four Souls. Hand over the Jewel of Four Souls..."
A horde of bizarre-looking demons charged at the two shrine maidens, dressed in white tops and red hakama.
"Cut!"
The beautiful, saintly shrine maiden held a strange katana. With a casual swing, she unleashed a zigzagging tornado that swept away and froze every demon in its path.
When the tornado passed, all the demons in front of them had vanished.
"More and more demons are gathering..."
Yae Sakura stood behind Kikyo with Higokumaru, watching Kikyo test out the Gale Blade.
"Mm, this sword is incredible. I only used a little spiritual power, yet I could unleash such a powerful technique. Are you really giving it to me?" Kikyo held the katana in both hands. She wasn't very skilled with a sword, but with this one, she didn't need any technique at all. She could simply unleash a tornado.
"I said you could have it, so it's yours! I have my own weapon."
Though the Gale Blade hadn't been upgraded, it was still extremely powerful.
The Gale Blade was a weapon of absolute authority, manufactured by ME Corp using Honkai biological-energy technology. They extracted the powerful wind-attribute biological core from the Fourth Herrscher and fused it with specially made Honkai-adaptive alloy.
In the world's lore, the Gale Blade wasn't mass-produced, but in the game, it was.
You could get one just by grinding dungeons.
Though the Gale Blade was pretty good, it was only a temporary weapon. Yae Sakura had better swords.
Whether the Spirit Blade or the Void, both suited Yae Sakura better.
"By the way, have you gotten used to the power of the Stigmata?" A sudden, substantial boost in strength took time to get used to.
"I'm fine. I've already adapted to it..."
"As expected of Kikyo."
By midday, after slaying the many demons they encountered on the road that had come for the Jewel of Four Souls, Yae Sakura and the others finally returned to Kaede Village.
But once they arrived, before they even had time to rest, the village chief came over with an official and two samurai.
"Lady Kikyo! Lady Yae!"
The village chief hurried up to Kikyo and bowed. Then he quickly introduced the official beside him to her. "These three are attendants and samurai of the Uesugi daimyo. They've come to deliver His Lordship's request.
"Honored samurai, these are Lady Kikyo and Lady Yae Sakura. They're both shrine maidens of immense spiritual power. I'm sure you've heard of them, so there's no need for me to say more."
"Greetings, Lady Kikyo and Lady Yae! We've heard much of your reputations. You're among the finest shrine maidens in Musashi Province. In recent years, we've been spared demon attacks thanks to you..."
"You're too kind, sir. May I ask why you've come this time?"
After the official finished speaking, Kikyo asked calmly.
Kikyo rarely showed any emotion, neither joy nor sorrow... She was like a saint. Perhaps only a woman like her could possess such a unique aura!
Still, Yae Sakura had seen Kikyo smile before. It was beautiful!
"We've come on behalf of the Uesugi daimyo to ask the two of you for help with something..."
Musashi Province was only a small country, one of the sixty-six provinces of Eastern Island. But in the world of Inuyasha, Eastern Island had been magnified many times over, making Musashi Province grow from the size of a single county to nearly several counties.
The Uesugi Clan ruled Musashi Province and had long contested the Ashikaga Clan for supremacy over Kanto, leaving the region in constant turmoil.
In recent years, however, the Hojo Clan, which dreamed of unifying the land, had suddenly taken advantage of the chaos to invade Musashi Province. Astonishingly, the Uesugi Clan had managed to defeat the powerful Hojo Clan, albeit at a terrible cost.
The Hojo withdrew their troops and began to recuperate!
But disaster struck as Musashi Province's soldiers were clearing the battlefield. The entire battlefield turned into a place of ill omen, and the soldiers' corpses attracted countless evil spirits and demons.
Ordinary soldiers and samurai were no match for those demons. Even though the Uesugi daimyo sent out many priests and shrine maidens, and even onmyoji, nothing worked.
Instead, they suffered heavy losses.
"So the daimyo wants us to clear the demons gathering on the battlefield?"
"Exactly! The Uesugi daimyo hopes you'll drive the demons from the battlefield. He's prepared a generous reward for you, so... I beg you both!" As he spoke, the official suddenly bowed to the two of them.
"Oh! Sir, please get up. I accept! As a member of Musashi Province, driving off demons is part of my duty as a shrine maiden."
"Thank you very much!"
After Kikyo accepted the request, Yae Sakura, who was in a party with her, received a system quest.
[Quest: Clear the Battlefield] [Quest Rewards: 50 Ability EXP Crystals (Purple), 50,000 gold, 100 Crystals] [Accept?]
"Kikyo, when are you planning to set out?"
Once they reached Kikyo's room, Yae Sakura flopped down on Kikyo's bed without asking.
"Tomorrow."
"Oh. But I should warn you, this request won't be simple." Ordinary quests offered no more than five Crystals at most.
With a reward this high, it clearly wouldn't be simple.
"Hmm? Do you know something?"
"We might be facing... a great demon!"
Yae Sakura sat up and looked Kikyo in the eyes, speaking with utmost seriousness.
"A great demon..."
Kikyo's eyes widened at the words. Why would they encounter a great demon just for clearing the battlefield of evil spirits and demons?
But she soon calmed down. "A great demon, huh... I'd like to see how far I still have to go before I can match one."
"Hehe, that's my Kikyo. You're not afraid of any enemy." Hearing Kikyo's words, Yae Sakura wasn't disappointed.
"What do you mean, 'your'?" Kikyo turned and looked at Yae Sakura seriously.
"Uh... I misspoke." Yae Sakura realized what she'd said and looked embarrassed.