Yae Sakura had once lamented that no human or demon in this world could survive one of her Blade Counters.
Clearly, she had been right.
Looking at Ryukotsusei, who had died to her ultimate attack, Yae Sakura felt grateful to it.
It had given her another 50 crystals.
But looking at Ryukotsusei's corpse, she had to admit that it was still incredibly powerful.
It had survived her ultimate attack with its body relatively intact. Or rather, Ryukotsusei's scales really were incredibly hard.
"Sakura, are you all right?"
As Yae Sakura stood looking at Ryukotsusei's corpse and pondering, Higokumaru brought Kikyo over to her.
Kikyo looked at Ryukotsusei's corpse and Yae Sakura standing beside it. By now, this was something she could fully accept.
When Yae Sakura had slain Gashadokuro, Kikyo had realized that she was far stronger than even a great demon. Now, watching her kill Ryukotsusei without a scratch, it no longer seemed unbelievable.
Perhaps only the legendary lord of the Western Lands, Toga, had the strength to fight Yae Sakura.
"I'm fine..."
"Big sis is so strong! What great demon Ryukotsusei? It's just a crawling worm, and big sis killed it in one blow." Higokumaru immediately began flattering Yae Sakura.
"Kikyo, what should we do with Ryukotsusei's corpse? It seems a shame to destroy it."
Yae Sakura had actually wanted to take out some Honkai Shards and see if she could turn Ryukotsusei's body into a Honkai Beast.
A Judgment-class Honkai Beast, like Sirin's Benares.
Benares was so cute. She could ride him during the day and at night, too.
As a mount, a dragon was definitely more imposing than a fox.
But after thinking it over, she decided against it. It wouldn't do to accidentally unleash Honkai and ruin this world.
"We can collect the materials from its body and use them to make demon weapons. But humans who use things made from demon materials for too long can easily be tainted by demonic energy.
"But you're a Half-Demon, so you should be fine." Kikyo thought for a moment before making her suggestion.
"Mm, I guess that's the only way."
"Collect them? Leave it to me, big sis! This is what I'm best at." Higokumaru eagerly volunteered.
"Uh, all right!"
Once Kikyo got off Higokumaru's back, Higokumaru transformed into a fox-eared girl. She looked at Ryukotsusei and took out a demon blade.
"A whole dragon! There's so much good stuff... Dragon teeth, claws, scales, sinews..."
Higokumaru began pulling out bones and sinews right there on the spot.
After Higokumaru had collected everything of value from Ryukotsusei's body, Yae Sakura put it all into her portable storage.
The matter of the great demon Ryukotsusei was settled for the time being.
On the sleepless night of the new moon, fishing fires filled the horizon.
Those who left looked back, with no attachment to this life.
There was a legend in the Kyushu region of Eastern Island about a mysterious fire. It appeared around the Yatsushiro Sea and Ariake Sea at certain times, such as when the wind was weak on the last day of the seventh month in the old calendar or on a new moon night.
This flame was known as Shiranui!
Shiranui ranked eleventh in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
It usually appeared several kilometers from shore. At first, one or two lights appeared, known as "parent fires."
Several more lights appeared on either side of them, until hundreds or even thousands of identical fires stretched side by side across the horizon. They could span a distance of four to eight kilometers.
"Legend has it that a single flame suddenly appeared on the dark, silent sea. It split and multiplied until hundreds, then thousands of flames stretched from the sea all the way to the sky. This is the legend of the great demon Shiranui.
"About every ten years, Shiranui descends upon the seas around Kyushu, bringing either blessings or disaster."
An old man gazed at the copper coin in his hand, smiling amiably as he began to tell the two shrine maidens before him the legend of Shiranui, the great demon said to haunt Kyushu Island.
"How long has it been since Shiranui last appeared?" Yae Sakura asked, wearing a cloak and holding Higokumaru, who had turned into a little fox, in her arms as she stood beside Kikyo.
After dealing with Ryukotsusei, the three of them hadn't returned to Kaede Village. Instead, they had ridden Higokumaru straight to Kyushu in Eastern Island.
"It's been about seven or eight years. I remember that year... I happened to be on an outlying island and saw the legendary Shiranui with my own eyes.
"It was as if the entire ocean had caught fire..." The old man reminisced, describing it to Yae Sakura.
"If you want to find the legendary Shiranui, you could go to an outlying island called Yoshiwara Bay. You might have a chance of seeing it there..."
"Yoshiwara Bay?"
Yae Sakura was taken aback...
There was a Yoshiwara in Kyushu, too?
Speaking of Yoshiwara, the most famous one was Eastern Island's foremost pleasure district, "Yoshiwara," a licensed red-light district in the Edo period, located in Tokyo's Taito ward.
But at this point in time, the Edo period was still more than a hundred years away.
"Okay, I understand! Thank you!"
After thanking the old man and getting all the information she needed, Yae Sakura turned and left with Higokumaru in her arms and Kikyo beside her.
"Where are we going now?" Kikyo followed Yae Sakura and asked curiously.
"Bungo Province!"
The outlying island called Yoshiwara Bay was within the borders of Bungo Province in Kyushu.
Kyushu, also known as Kyushu Island, was Eastern Island's third-largest island, located at its southwestern tip.
At this time, the island was divided among nine "powerful" states: Hizen, Higo, Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyuga, Osumi, and Satsuma.
Like the rest of Eastern Island, Kyushu was divided among rival powers who schemed and fought one another for control.
Among them, the Shimazu Clan of Satsuma, the Otomo Clan of Bungo, and the Ryuzoji Clan of Hizen were the strongest. These three houses vied for control of Kyushu Island.
Beyond Kyushu Island lay countless outlying islands.
But apart from a few exceptions, most of these islands lacked the resources to support life.
Eastern Island claimed to have more than 6,800 outlying islands, but only 315 were inhabited or suitable for habitation.
Once they were out of sight, Yae Sakura put Higokumaru down and had her carry Yae Sakura and Kikyo to the coast of Bungo Province once more.
At Higokumaru's speed, they reached their destination in less than half an hour.