The Legend of Shiranui

Yae Sakura once lamented that in this world, neither human nor demon could survive a single strike of her Blade Counter.

Clearly, she was right.

Looking at Ryukotsusei, who had died to her finishing move, Yae Sakura felt quite grateful to it.

It had gifted her another 50 Crystals.

However, looking at the corpse of Ryukotsusei before her, she had to admit that it was still incredibly powerful.

After enduring her ultimate attack, it had actually left behind a relatively intact body. Or perhaps, the scales of Ryukotsusei were simply that tough.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

Just as Yae Sakura was lost in thought while looking at the corpse, Higokumaru arrived at her side with Kikyo.

Kikyo looked at the corpse of Ryukotsusei and then at Yae Sakura; for her, this was already completely acceptable.

When Yae Sakura had slain the Gashadokuro, Kikyo already knew that Yae Sakura was far more powerful than even the greatest demons. Slaying Ryukotsusei without a scratch now didn't seem so hard to accept.

Perhaps only that legendary master of the Western Lands, Toga, possessed the strength to fight Yae Sakura.

"I'm fine..."

"Big Sister is too strong! What 'great demon' Ryukotsusei? Isn't it just a crawling bug? And it was killed by Big Sister just like that!" Higokumaru immediately began to butter up Yae Sakura.

"Kikyo, how should we handle the corpse of this Ryukotsusei? It feels a bit of a waste to just destroy it."

In truth, Yae Sakura really wanted to take out some Honkai Shards to see if she could transform the body of Ryukotsusei into a Honkai Beast.

Something like the Judgement-class Honkai Beast, Benares, belonging to Sirin.

Benares was so cute; she could ride it during the day and ride it at night.

Compared to a fox, a magic dragon was definitely more imposing as a mount.

But after thinking about it carefully, she decided against it. It would be bad if she accidentally triggered a Honkai outbreak and ruined this world.

"You could collect the materials from its body and forge them into demon weapons. However, humans who use items crafted from demon materials for long periods are easily corrupted by demonic energy. But since you are a half-demon, it shouldn't be a problem," Kikyo suggested after a moment of thought.

"Hmm, that's the only way."

"Harvesting? Leave it to Higokumaru, Big Sister! This is Higokumaru's specialty!" Higokumaru said excitedly.

"Uh, alright!"

Once Kikyo stepped off her back, Higokumaru transformed into a beast-eared girl. She looked at the Ryukotsusei before her and pulled out a demon blade.

"A whole dragon, so many good things... dragon teeth, dragon claws, dragon scales, dragon tendons..."

Higokumaru began the on-site butchery.

After letting Higokumaru collect everything of value from Ryukotsusei, Yae Sakura placed them directly into her personal storage.

The matter of the great demon Ryukotsusei had come to a temporary end.

The new moon night brings no sleep, fishing lights stretch across the sky.

The traveler looks back, with no attachments left in this life.

In the Kyushu region of the Eastern Island, there is a legend of a mysterious fire that appears in the areas around the Yatsushiro Sea and the Ariake Sea, usually during times like the last day of the seventh month of the old calendar or on nights of the new moon.

This fire is known as Shiranui!

Shiranui ranks eleventh in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

It usually occurs several kilometers off the coast. It begins with one or two lights known as "parent fires."

Then, several identical lights appear to the left and right, eventually resulting in hundreds or thousands of identical fires lined up horizontally. The distance can reach four to eight kilometers.

"Legend has it that on the dark, silent sea, a beam of light suddenly appears. The light splits and multiplies, eventually becoming hundreds or thousands, stretching along the sea surface all the way to the horizon. This is the legend of the great demon Shiranui. Every ten years or so, Shiranui descends upon the seas of Kyushu, bringing either blessings or disaster."

An old man looked at the copper coins in his hand, a harmonious smile on his face, as he began to introduce the legend of the great demon Shiranui, which circulated throughout Kyushu Island, to the two shrine maidens before him.

"How long has it been since the last time Shiranui descended?" Yae Sakura, wearing a cloak and holding the now-small-fox Higokumaru, stood beside Kikyo and asked.

After resolving the issue with Ryukotsusei, the three of them did not return to Kaede Village. Instead, they rode on Higokumaru and flew rapidly to Kyushu on the Eastern Island.

"It has 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 was burning..." The old man recalled, describing it to Yae Sakura.

"If you want to find the legendary Shiranui, you can go to an outlying island called Yoshiwara Bay. There... you might have a chance to encounter it."

"Yoshiwara Bay?"

Yae Sakura was stunned upon hearing this...

Does Kyushu have a Yoshiwara too?

Speaking of Yoshiwara, the most famous one was the "Yoshiwara" (brothel district), the premier pleasure district of the Eastern Island, which was a government-sanctioned concentration of brothels during the Edo period, located in Taito Ward, Tokyo.

But at this point in time, it was still over a hundred years before the Edo period.

"Alright, I understand! Thank you!"

After thanking the old man and getting the information she needed, Yae Sakura held Higokumaru and, with Kikyo, turned and left the area.

"Where are we going now?" Kikyo followed Yae Sakura and asked curiously.

"Bungo Province!"

The outlying island called Yoshiwara Bay was located within the territory of Bungo Province in Kyushu.

Kyushu, also known as Kyushu Island, was the third-largest island of the Eastern Island, located at its southwestern tip.

At this time, there were nine "powerful" states on this island: Hizen, Higo, Chikuzen, Chikugo, Buzen, Bungo, Hyuga, Osumi, and Satsuma.

Just like everywhere else on the Eastern Island, Kyushu Island during this period was a place where many heroes stood side by side, engaging in deceit and even armed conflict for the sake of power and profit.

Among the various lords, the Shimazu Clan of Satsuma Province, the Otomo Clan of Bungo Province, and the Ryuzoji Clan of Hizen Province were the most powerful. These three families were the main contenders for hegemony over Kyushu Island.

And on the periphery of Kyushu Island, there were countless outlying islands.

However, except for a few, most of these islands lacked the resources to sustain life.

The Eastern Island claimed to have over 6,800 outlying islands, but only 315 of them were inhabited or suitable for habitation.

After moving away from the sight of the crowd, Yae Sakura put Higokumaru down and let her carry her and Kikyo to the coast of Bungo Province once again.

With Higokumaru's speed, they reached their destination in less than half an hour.