Nijika was certainly not dreaming; everything was reality.
"This pretty much counts as a complete recovery..." Asakura remarked. He used a bonfire to teleport back to the Roundtable Hold, then returned to Sobu High through the Society Hut. It wasn't that he had an obsession with the school, but his backpack was still in the Service Club's activity room, and with vacation approaching, he needed to pick it up.
"The mission actually finished? It seems I was right—some strange thing was residing inside that stone..." Asakura reviewed the events of the incident.
First was the starting point: "Ashikura District". That Resurrection Stone (or whatever it was) wasn't a standard supernatural object, but an extraordinary existence with self-awareness, or rather, a consciousness residing within it. Considering that urban legends about Soul-Returning Incense can be traced back to the Edo period, this thing's appearance might be much earlier than he initially estimated.
Furthermore, there seemed to have been groups in the past that specifically tried to prepare Soul-Returning Incense. Initially, Asakura thought they were ordinary people bewitched by the stone's presence like Nijika, but upon careful reflection, it seemed different. In ancient times, anyone possessing the power of "resurrection" was unlikely to live in seclusion as a commoner, especially in a land like Japan with such a thick Shinto atmosphere. Thus, the Resurrection Stone was likely enshrined as a Goshintai (sacred body of a god).
"No, the causality might be reversed; it might have developed 'self-awareness' because it was enshrined as a Goshintai..." Asakura muttered, rubbing his chin. Regardless of the actual sequence, the consciousness within the stone eventually gained divinity through Japan's system of "eight million gods" and became a deity in a broad sense. This was the key prerequisite for Asakura to complete the system mission.
Since the resurrection provided by the stone wasn't "genuine..." any shrine housing it—even if initially part of official Shintoism—would eventually be cut off and isolated as the number of victims grew. It would eventually break away from Shintoism to become a separate religious organization wearing a Shinto mask.
However, due to the flaws in the stone's power, this religion likely lacked a concrete heritage and vanished into history. It wasn't until a murderer and his accomplices dug the stone back up to try and produce Soul-Returning Incense again that it resurfaced. They failed, naturally, giving rise to new zombie legends. During this process, they killed several people—perhaps due to disputes over loot or ritual materials—attracting police attention and forcing them to flee Ashikura District.
While other fugitives died or were arrested, the one carrying the stone managed to evade the police repeatedly due to the literal "divine protection" of the deity, surviving until now. That fugitive was just an ordinary human. Knowing the stone was terrifying, he didn't use it, but even just carrying it for a day after he left it had turned him into something neither human nor ghost. This suggested the stone's presence was harmful to ordinary bodies, which was likely why the consciousness within it left him to find a new "sucker" to use its power.
Takamatsu Tomori was the one who first picked it up. However, she clearly didn't harbor an intense longing for any deceased person—or rather, her mental state was so mysterious that the stone couldn't understand her. Consequently, it simply influenced her mind to give the stone to the passing Nijika. Nijika did not disappoint and quickly activated the stone unintentionally.
"The system mission was [Discover and Destroy an Cult]... the focus wasn't just the 'cult' but the 'evil god'." By using a snake to catch the last fugitive, he crushed the cult, and by having the Great Fox Monster eat the stone, he fundamentally eliminated the evil god.
Asakura had the fox eat the stone not just to keep his own hands clean, but because the fox could then use the stone's power to sustain its own existence, saving Asakura some magical energy. Currently, the fox was forbidden from harming people, and its shrine was sealed by the [Scale] spell, meaning it could no longer feed on people who wandered in. Asakura provided almost all its necessary mana. Even with a "perpetual motion machine" like his mana, he found the constant output a bit troublesome.
"Let's see the mission rewards... 'Magic Club Uniform Design'? What is this?" He clicked it and found that the system could instantly create uniforms based on the design for all members of the Magic Club.
"'The anti-detection and defense of the uniforms come from the Confundus and Shield Charms; it has nothing to do with the actual fabric'... I see..." Asakura nodded seriously. "Well, since fabric doesn't matter, it's time for the traditional Bikini Armor!"
"Wait, let's see... 'Additionally, as the leader, for actions confirmed as Magic Club operations, the Secret Keeper must wear the uniform'..." Asakura's expression froze for a few seconds before he said naturally, "On second thought, bikini armor is a bit too breezy. A normal magician's cloak is better".
Author's Note: Regarding the lack of updates yesterday, here are the keywords: Silksong, Hunter's Path, keyboard destroyed, unable to type. Finished.