What happened?
Ch'en had been keeping an eye on the shrine. No movement escaped her notice. When something this strange happened, she did not care that it was the middle of the night and immediately set off for the shrine.
What was going on?
The first thing Ch'en noticed was the shrine's abnormality.
It looked no different from before, except its perimeter was shrouded in a crimson glow, as though covered by an unsettling filter.
"What happened?"
With Chi Xiao and Sakura Fubuki in hand, she strode toward the shrine gates, only to encounter an invisible barrier.
"What is this now?"
Anxious beyond measure, Ch'en heard faint, pained moans by her ear, stirring her even more. She placed her fingers against the semi-transparent protective barrier. A slight sting struck her, but she ignored it and quickly pressed her ear against it.
"Mm..."
Ch'en heard a bewitching voice.
"I am you."
Then came the shrine maiden's response. Her voice was ethereal, as if she were already on the verge of death.
"I am you. I still couldn't escape."
The voice was ethereal and weathered, carrying the exhaustion of history. Just listening to it, one might have thought she had grown tired of living.
She had to save her!
At a time like this, the difference in strength was the least important thing.
Without hesitation, Ch'en unleashed her strongest technique. Both hands dropped, and she used the same move with two different blades. The fiery Chi Xiao: Unsheathe was like a streak of flame through the long night, while Sakura Fubuki flashed with a narrow pink light, utterly bewitching.
Chi Xiao: Unsheathe!
Sakura Fubuki: Unsheathe!
After the devastating attack, Ch'en sheathed her blades while panting, but the barrier did not react in the slightest. She still could not enter the shrine.
Ch'en