The shrine maiden said that the monster usually rested in the guest quarters during the day, though he occasionally vanished for a few days before suddenly reappearing. Although the spellcaster and Han still did not understand how he bewitched and controlled the shrine maidens, the limited strength he had displayed convinced them to cautiously test him as soon as possible. To avoid alerting him, the spellcaster had given the shrine maiden a mind-clearing talisman to keep her from being bewitched again, then sent her away.
Most of the shrine maidens here were controlled by the monster through some secret art, and neither of them wanted to face their attacks. Thus, while most of the maidens were performing their morning training, the two slipped into the guest quarters and spotted the monster almost immediately. Though he maintained a human form and seemed no different from an ordinary person, his sinister demonic aura was unmistakable. They had only briefly encountered him before and had not examined him closely. Only now did they notice the faint traces of spiritual power entwined around him, almost imperceptible beneath his demonic aura and resentment.
The two exchanged a glance, and the spellcaster erected a barrier to prevent the monster from hurting anyone or escaping. The monster sensed something wrong almost at once. He sprang up, reverted to his true form in midair, and nearly burst out through the window. No longer able to worry about disturbing the shrine maidens, the two immediately broke through the door and pursued him. With a sweep of his hand, the spellcaster threw three Demon-Subduing Talismans. As he chanted the incantation aloud, the talismans fell in front of the monster, blocking his escape.
In the brief instant when the monster stopped and turned, a Purification Arrow glowing faint green tore through the air, aimed straight at his heart! The monster blanched in terror! Yet the Purification Arrow did not kill him. Pale violet light flashed over his body and forcibly held the arrow at bay. Miya and Han both frowned. This light was not demonic power! It was clearly the light of spiritual power! Was a shrine maiden protecting this monster?
The two cautiously refrained from pressing their attack, but the monster grew bolder. He turned, leaped up, and lunged at the stern-faced spellcaster with his claws raised. Unafraid, Miya lifted his monk's staff. The instant it touched the monster, Miya's magical power coursed through his body like an electric current. The monster lurched sideways and nearly fell. Catching sight of the shrine maiden drawing her bow again out of the corner of his eye, he shuddered. Ignoring his injuries, he immediately lunged toward the barrier, praying over and over that the power that woman had given him could break through it. Fortunately, her power was indeed strong enough. As he charged through, a great hole opened in the barrier. Overjoyed, the monster rushed outside.
"Don't let him escape!" the spellcaster shouted to Han.
Han nodded in understanding and set her arrow steadily against the longbow. Watching the monster flee in panic, she predicted his path. The arrow erupted from the bow like a volcano, carrying an overwhelming force that tore straight through the defenses surrounding him and sank deep into his shoulder and back.
So close. Han bit her lip. Without that strange spiritual power protecting him, the Purification Arrow could have purified him outright!
"After him!" The two exchanged a glance and climbed out through the window in pursuit. The spellcaster dismissed the barrier with a casual motion. Since the monster possessed the power to break it, it was useless now.
In the woods.
They chased the monster into the mountain forest. The deeper they went, the stronger their sense of foreboding became. If the faint resentment clinging to the monster earlier might have been their imagination, the increasingly powerful resentment in these woods certainly was not. Ahead of them, the monster pressed on without hesitation, blood still dripping from his wounded shoulder. In terms of stamina, humans were indeed inferior to monsters-even an injured one.
Branches at every height obstructed their vision in the dense woods, while vines sprawling across the ground made them stumble. They drew closer together so they could watch out for each other.
Suddenly, the trees opened up. The spellcaster and Han emerged from the woods into a broad clearing, with a wooden cabin standing in it. The monster, however, had vanished without their noticing.
"Han, there's a barrier here," the little rabbit that had been resting quietly on Han's shoulder suddenly said.
"Yes, I know." Han nodded solemnly. "Yunai, can you find the barrier's focal point?" It was not that Han could not find it herself, but she needed time to quiet her mind and sense it. Unlike her, Yunai possessed an innate ability to sense and control barriers. Barriers built upon ritual implements or talismans, with an individual's power as the medium, always had weaknesses in their construction. Their focal point was the weakest spot of all.
"Of course!" Yunai said confidently, giving a little hop on Han's shoulder. "Up in the northeast corner, toward the shrine!"
Han was still pondering the barrier in the forest. It made no sense. Had it been created to imprison a monster? But there was no trace of any monster other than the boar. The power used to create the barrier was remarkably pure, and the space within it seemed exceptionally clean as well.
"Watch out!" The spellcaster, who had been keeping watch beside her, suddenly tackled Han to the ground. The monster lunging at her from behind missed and landed in front of them. Han's heart raced. That was almost...
The monster paced restlessly before them. Watching the wary spellcaster and young shrine maiden, he gave a long howl. Already back in his boar form, he grew even more terrifying. His long bristles gradually hardened until they were almost like steel needles. The tusks in his mouth lengthened downward and curled outward, their tips sharpening further. As his body swelled, his clothes slowly tore apart. The transformation was so swift that he assumed a fully bestial form almost in the blink of an eye. Along with his savage appearance, a fierce demonic aura swirled around him, growing ever stronger.
Both were secretly alarmed. True, many monsters preferred fighting in human form, wielding powerful weapons and even developing techniques of their own. But even more preferred returning to their original forms, in which their combat strength was greatest. During their brief probing attacks, neither of them had discovered that this monster possessed such tremendous power.
Yet the monster gave them no time to prepare, think, or react. The moment his transformation was complete, he charged!
"Han!" The spellcaster gave her a meaningful look. She nodded and, understanding his intent, stepped aside while he stepped forward. With no time to throw a talisman, he could only use his monk's staff again to forcibly block the monster. But the boar's bestial form possessed boundless strength. At their very first clash, the spellcaster was hurled away. Pain shot through Miya's back as he struck a tree trunk, and he spat out a mouthful of dark blood. Almost in the blink of an eye, the monster stood before him on all fours, his jaws gaping. His mouth split open on both sides until it was several times its original size!
"Monster!" At that critical instant, a girl's clear voice rang out nearby.
The moment the boar turned his head, a long arrow reached his face. The boar monster roared in fury. Powerful demonic energy mingled with a swirling gust from his mouth. Against this resistance, the arrow lost more and more momentum, until it had almost no force left by the time it entered his mouth. The boar clamped his tusks down, and the arrow snapped with a crack.
The monster was enraged.
With a swing of his hoof, he casually smashed the spellcaster against a tree on the other side. The spellcaster's vision went black, and the agony nearly made him faint.
"Master Spellcaster!" Shocked and furious, Han drew an arrow from her quiver that she had imbued with spiritual power beforehand. Imbuing an arrow did not simply mean covering it in a layer of spiritual power; it meant reconstructing the arrow with that power. This was an ancient method, said to be a divine art, that had long since been lost. "Note 1" The books in Kiyomori Temple had alluded to it obliquely, and the shrine maidens had discussed it together, but none had worked out the complete method. Han's arrow was also unfinished.
As the monster leaped toward Han, her mind became utterly clear. In a sudden moment of insight, she entered a state of serene emptiness, untouched by sorrow or joy. When the arrow left her bow, it seemed to possess a will of its own, flying toward the boar's most vulnerable spot beneath his neck. The spiritual power Han habitually added when shooting canceled out his demonic power, while the imbued arrow flew toward him with spiritual power of its own. A sense of danger rose within the monster, but he could not dodge while still in midair. The arrow pierced upward through the boar's body, struck the barrier, and finally dissipated. Starting at his neck, the monster's body slowly vanished as it was purified.
Han had only just breathed a sigh of relief when her body went limp, and she nearly collapsed.
Note 1: Anime protagonists all have their own special moves, so I gave Han one too. Our goal is: whatever other people have, we have to have it too, and whatever they don't have, we still have to have it! ＝w＝ This skill will be super powerful once it develops~
A new cover for the new year. Happy New Year, everyone~
Before you continue