Is that the maximum output power of Jizo Mitama?
Who was she trying to fool here, sharks?
Hoshino almost wanted to laugh. Still, since she was not there in person and had merely planted the blade in the ground, this was all it could do. Specter was surrounded by an imposing crimson shadow, and the darkness deep within her receded like a tide. For one fleeting moment, clarity returned to her eyes, and her murmured elegy fell silent.
"You... never gave me a chance to refuse."
Specter sensed the immense terror at the heart of the chaos. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, yet she still offered Hoshino an apologetic smile.
"Is it really okay to be this arbitrary?"
"Don't worry. Slaying demons, exterminating evil, eliminating fiends, driving out monsters—I've been doing this for hundreds of years. That's how shrine maidens made their living in the first place."
After tossing Jizo Mitama aside, Sakura Fubuki was the only weapon left in her hand.
But losing a teammate also meant losing a witness. Hoshino could pick up as many character cards as she wanted. After all, any enemy standing in her way would be reduced to ashes by her hand, so she no longer needed to worry about being seen.
She had thrown away a branch, only to pick up an entire forest.
That was roughly what it meant.
"Grani, Specter's condition is a little dangerous. Can you stay behind and protect her?"
Seeing that the little pony seemed inclined to follow her, Hoshino hurriedly persuaded her to stay. If she brought Grani along, she would not be able to transform under her watchful gaze. Then this team would truly be in danger.
"But are you really... going to be okay?"
To put her at ease, Hoshino even bent down and