The road west (II)

The next day.

The villagers gathered early outside the house where Miya and Han were staying, murmuring among themselves.

The monks also arrived as promised to help subdue the monster.

After their morning prayers and training, Miya and Han exchanged a glance and set out to slay the monster.

Centipedes favored dark, damp places, and Hundredlegs was no different. Given that it had already drunk human blood and devoured other monsters, its demonic power was far from ordinary, and it might prove extremely troublesome. After confirming with the villagers where the enormous Hundredlegs might be hiding, the two tried to persuade them to return home. But the villagers insisted that, with the masters there, they had to see the monster die with their own eyes before they could rest easy. Left with no choice, the two agreed.

After several fruitless searches, the villagers gradually grew agitated. Some even suggested that the piece of shell from last night might simply have been shed by an animal in the mountains and had nothing to do with a monster. The real monsters were right beside them. Hostile eyes kept sweeping over Lan and her daughter. Lan endured it, tightening her arms around her daughter as her eyes darkened.

"Lord Dove," Han addressed the former Divine Messenger of Aoki Shrine, who perched on a treetop and quietly looked down at them. "Do you know where the evil monster Hundredlegs is hiding?"

The little light-brown dove nodded, then took wing and led everyone southeast.

"Could this be..." The lead monk's eyes stung from the divine radiance surrounding the little dove. He turned an inquiring gaze toward the quiet Miko. Ordinary people might not see that radiance, but to Miko and Spellcasters with spiritual or magical power, it was as conspicuous as a lamp in the dark.

Han nodded. Letting them know Dove was no ordinary bird would also encourage them to regard Dove with reverence.

Southeast of the village stood a long-abandoned temple.

Even though its walls were riddled with holes and covered in green vines, traces of its former grandeur remained. Yet, perhaps because it had gone so long without sunlight or anyone to clean it, the towering temple felt stifling and oppressive even from a distance.

Dove settled in a large tree in front of the temple and flew no farther. Han understood. The monster was probably inside this ruined temple.

There was indeed a demonic presence in the village, perhaps because the monster visited it so often, but it was not particularly strong anywhere. This ancient temple stood some distance away, so it was hardly surprising that they had not immediately detected the intense demonic aura lurking there from the village.

Standing at the front, Miya showed no fear or change in expression as he pushed hard against the doors, which had not welcomed a person in ages. The wooden doors opened shakily with a creak. The temple's windows were tightly shut, making it eerily gloomy even in daylight and sending chills down their spines.

Miya stepped inside first, followed closely by Han, then Lan and her daughter, who insisted on staying with her. The monks and villagers came after them.

As they walked, thick clouds of dust rose high enough to nearly blind them.

"Everyone, be careful," Miya warned from the front.

"Yes," came a scattering of replies from behind.

The dim temple should have been the monster's hiding place, yet there was no trace of demonic energy.

Miya and Han were both inwardly puzzled, but their trust in Dove kept them moving deeper inside without hesitation.

A dull thud sounded behind them.

"Help! Aaaah!" Screams suddenly erupted among the villagers.

Miya and Han looked back. A centipede as thick as a massive urn burst out of the ground with a villager caught in its mouth. Dark-green venom rapidly flooded into the villager's body, and with a tilt of its head, it swallowed the person who had been alive only moments before.

The Miko and Spellcasters immediately sprang into action. But Hundredlegs was astonishingly agile, its enormous body not the least bit cumbersome as it swiftly dodged Han's Demon-Breaking Arrow and the Spellcasters' talismans. It lunged upward, smashing through the roof in an instant, then looked down on them from above. The villagers were already shaking all over, their legs trembling as they collapsed helplessly to the floor.

"Masters, masters..." the villagers stammered. "Help! Help! Help!"

A slight sweep of Hundredlegs' long, thick body through the room knocked the monks and villagers down, leaving them sprawled in a chaotic heap.

Han and Miya frowned. They had expected the transformed centipede monster to be powerful, but not this fast. As they considered their options, Hundredlegs swung its body and attacked the few people still standing.

Seeing that the villagers were about to be struck again, Miya had no time to think. Instinctively, he pinned the incoming body segment to the floor with his Monk's Staff. But Hundredlegs' body was exceptionally flexible. Even with one segment pinned, the rest could still attack.

Han glanced at the villagers groaning on the floor. With no time to draw her bow, she gathered spiritual power in her palm and plunged it into Hundredlegs' approaching segment, unleashing that power directly inside its body. Spiritual Power Burst was a close-combat technique for Miko that Kikyo had taught her.

"Aaargh! Human! You have a death wish!" The human face on the centipede monster's head howled in agony overhead. It opened its mouth and spat a stream of foul-smelling, dark-green venom.

Miya hurriedly flung out a barrier talisman, blocking the venom. Under its corrosive assault, however, the barrier quickly dimmed and vanished.

"Mom!" The girl who had remained silent in Lan's arms suddenly climbed out from underground. During Hundredlegs' first attack, Lan had been knocked down, and the girl had rolled out of her mother's embrace into the underground space where Hundredlegs had been living. Unexpectedly, she emerged holding a jewel that shone with golden light. Wherever its radiance reached, Hundredlegs' venom was kept at bay. Protected by that light, the little girl stumbled toward her mother.

"She has a treasure!" Seeing something that could save their lives, the terrified villagers lunged at her.

The little girl was too small and weak to resist, and the frightened villagers soon snatched the jewel away. They shoved her out of its halo with such force that she fell toward the centipede monster.

"Yuno!" Lan screamed hoarsely from nearby, throwing herself toward her little girl without a thought for anything else.

A vicious smile stretched across the centipede monster's mouth. It swiftly bent down and reached out to seize the young monster. Monsters were far more useful than humans. Eating one would be enough to let it transform again, and adding the adult would be even better. The centipede monster narrowed its eyes, its forked tongue flicking over the corner of its mouth.

Suddenly, an arrow glowing pale green pierced the centipede monster's head.

The centipede monster's eyes widened in disbelief. It had only been the blink of an eye. How had that Miko had time to... Unfortunately, the last things it saw were her icy eyes and impassive face.

Only after seeing the centipede monster purified did Han collapse weakly to the floor.

In that instant, she had not even had time to pull an arrow from her quiver. But the moment she saw the little girl about to be caught, she wished so desperately for an arrow in her hand that one formed there, made of spiritual power. This arrow, constructed entirely from spiritual power, was far stronger than an ordinary wooden arrow. That was how the centipede monster, which should have been difficult to kill, had been purified in an instant. But it had also drained her spiritual power completely.

Han lay helplessly on the floor, gazing at the bright sunlight pouring through the shattered roof, and finally let out a breath of relief.

"Han, are you all right?" Miya ran over and tried to help her up.

Han shook her head. Just as she was about to say she was fine, she looked past the Spellcaster's shoulder and saw Lan gather Yuno into her arms. A relieved smile spread across Han's face, only to freeze a moment later.

"Don't!"

Her words could not stop the furious Lan.

Lan lowered her face, half of it hidden in shadow. Holding her daughter, she walked up to the people who had pushed the girl away. Their legs were still too weak to let them stand. At the sight of her dark gaze, their cries for help died in their throats. With a casual sweep of her hand, she snatched the jewel from them and tossed it aside. One hand reverted to its true form, and she moved without hesitation to drive the hard deer hoof into their throats...

The monks were gradually recovering as well. Seeing the previously meek female monster dare to attack after the battle filled them with rage. Still seated on the floor, they began murmuring scriptures.

Golden Buddhist characters emerged from the monks' mouths, striking Lan mercilessly like great hammers and heavy boulders. The jewel lying off to the side also began shining with dazzling golden light, which slowly spread outward like ripples across water.

Lan felt as though she were being burned alive. Her daughter convulsed in agony in her arms. "Stop chanting. Stop chanting." She gazed at her little girl with aching tenderness, then turned pleading eyes toward the Miko nearby. She did not ask to be saved herself. She only wanted her innocent daughter to be safe.

"Shut your mouths."

Han pushed away the Spellcaster who was trying to support her. Using her longbow to brace herself, she forced herself up from the floor and slowly walked toward Lan and her daughter.

The monks did not even look at her. They remained unmoved. Hundredlegs was dead, and she was merely a Miko who showed them no respect whatsoever. They gave her no consideration at all. No matter how strong her spiritual power was, it only worked against monsters and posed no threat to humans like them.

Han looked with disgust at the villagers shrinking beneath her gaze. For the first time, a cold sneer rose on her youthful face.

"Heh."

She picked up the golden jewel at her feet, feeling its gentle warmth against the palm enclosing it.

"If you don't shut your mouths, this Sarira..." Han's grip on the Sarira tightened. When the previously indifferent monks saw golden grains falling from between her fingers, they all fell silent, glaring at her with loathing.

Indeed, this golden jewel was a Buddhist Sarira. Its resonance with the scriptures made her even more certain. An identical treasure was enshrined in the Many Treasures Pagoda at Kiyomori Temple. Its presence was probably what had concealed Hundredlegs' demonic aura, preventing them from noticing it at first and leading to the first villager's death. Fortunately, a filthy monster like Hundredlegs could not touch a treasure such as the Sarira. It could shelter beneath its protection, but could not claim it for itself.

Though the Sarira belonged to Buddhism, it was in fact a precious relic left behind when an enlightened monk passed away in meditation. Such monks were generally compassionate, calm, and open-minded, unconcerned with differences in lineage or species. So long as someone was not steeped in resentment or reeking of blood, the Sarira would not reject them, offering everyone the same protection. That was why little Yuno could touch it and receive its protection despite being a monster's child.

"Stop that at once!" the lead monk shouted, hoping to stop her with words alone.

Unfortunately, they had overestimated themselves and underestimated her.

Han paid him no heed. With a sudden squeeze, the sacred Buddhist Sarira crumbled into fine golden sand that drifted between her spread fingers. A cold gust swept through the long-neglected temple, carrying away even the last specks of dust.

Han regarded these monks with scorn. They spouted nothing but nonsense, could not distinguish good from evil, blindly protected humans, and slaughtered monsters at will. She turned to leave, with Lan and Yuno following close behind.

"Stop her!" the lead monk snarled, apparently ordering the villagers.

"Tch." Her lip curled. Without a care, she spread a spiritual barrier around herself and Lan and her daughter, then turned and walked away with her back straight, never looking back.

For the first time, she felt so deeply that she truly was not human.

The Sarira at her chest released a beautiful, soft violet glow, as though Kikyo were silently keeping her company.