It was true.
"You people are always like this," Shiki said with a helpless sigh. "If you're going to die, then just die. Why do you always have to create so much unnecessary trouble first? What a pain."
"Then, Shiki-sama, are we going to seal Mōryō now?"
Shion had been a little frightened at first, but after witnessing Shiki's strength, that fear had nearly vanished.
"Are you scared?" Shiki asked with a faint smile.
Shion smiled and shook her head.
"No. With Shiki-sama here, I'm not afraid anymore."
"Hahaha!"
Shiki could not help laughing.
"This time, I'll completely put an end to the Land of Demons' troubles."
If he wanted to truly solve the Land of Demons' crisis, then simply sealing Mōryō again was not enough. The real solution was to eliminate him completely.
Even before obtaining the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, Shiki had already been confident.
Now that those eyes had awakened, he had even less reason to worry.
One strike would be enough.
"Mhm!"
Shion nodded firmly, without the slightest doubt in him.
"Boom! Useless trash!"
At Mōryō's sealed resting place, Koharu—who had been altered by Mōryō's chakra—had already died, and Mōryō immediately sensed it.
His voice was filled with disdain.
Koharu's death did not stir even the slightest emotion in him. He had intended to use her to deal with this generation's shrine maiden of the Land of Demons, but since that plan had failed, then so be it.
"Hmph. It won't be long now before this seal can no longer hold me. And when that time comes... hahahaha!"
The moment he said that, Mōryō burst into laughter.
When he broke free, forget the shrine maiden—even the entire Land of Demons would be nothing to him. If he wished, he could wipe it all out.
"Hmph!"
With another cold snort, the sealed land fell silent once more.
Mōryō continued focusing all his power on eroding the seal.
...
At the same time, at the gates of the Land of Demons, Shiki looked at Shion standing stubbornly in front of him and felt a slight headache coming on.
"I'm going too!"
"..."
If Shion had already been an adult, Shiki would not have said anything. But right now, she was still just a young girl, and she was someone who could even be frightened by her own power to foresee the future.
"Lady Shion!"
Ashihō, one of the guards at her side, immediately tried to persuade her.
His duty was to protect Shion as the shrine maiden. Even if it cost him his life, he would not hesitate.
"No. Don't try to stop me!"
Shion spoke with surprising seriousness. Then she turned toward Shiki, her small face set with determination.
"I am the shrine maiden of the Land of Demons. At a time like this, I can't run away in fear. I want to protect my people!"
"..."
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
Shiki.
Ashihō.
Kushina, Kurenai, and the others standing nearby.
All of them looked at the girl in front of them speechlessly.
She was obviously still afraid.
And yet, even so, she stood there with stubborn resolve, refusing to back down.
She was young, but even so... with courage like this alone, she could already be called a worthy shrine maiden.
"Lady Shion!"
Ashihō was so moved he nearly burst into tears.
"Please don't worry, Lady Shion! Wherever you go, I will follow! Even if I have to die, I'll die in front of you!"
As he tearfully declared that, Shion looked a little embarrassed.
She did not say anything to him and only kept her eyes on Shiki, waiting for his answer.
"..."
Shiki smiled faintly.
Then he raised a hand and lightly tapped Shion on the forehead.
"Alright. Then we'll go together."
The reason he had not wanted to bring her before was simply because she was too young.
But if Shion was determined enough to go this far, then Shiki did not mind taking her along.
It was not as if he could not protect her.
"Mhm!"
Shion nodded happily.
"As for you, you should stay here."
With a small laugh, Shiki glanced at Shion before turning toward Ashihō.
"What?!"
Ashihō had only just calmed down from the emotional moment, and the instant he heard those words, he immediately objected.
What kind of joke was that?
He was the shrine maiden's guardian.
If he was going to die, then it would be in front of her.
"Impossible! I absolutely must—"
Shiki could not even be bothered to listen to the rest.
There was no meaning in arguing with him.
He simply turned his head slightly and called out calmly,
"Kurenai."
"Got it, Shiki-nii."
Kurenai Yuhi gave a soft nod. Her hands formed seals as she looked toward Ashihō.
"Genjutsu."
Bang.
There was no need for any advanced illusion technique. A simple, basic genjutsu was already more than enough to make Ashihō collapse into sleep.
"Ashihō! This—"
Shion panicked a little.
After all, Ashihō had protected her for years, so she naturally cared about his safety.
"Don't worry," Shiki said calmly. "It's only a genjutsu. By the time we come back, he should be awake."
"Is that so? ...Alright."
Shion nodded.
She trusted Shiki completely, so she did not doubt him.
And after thinking about it, she also felt it might actually be safer this way. If Ashihō insisted on following, it could create even more danger instead.
Leaving him behind in the Land of Demons was the better choice.
"Let's go."
At Shiki's order, the group immediately set off toward Mōryō's sealed location.
Since Shion had only the body of an ordinary girl and could not keep up with their speed, Shiki carried her on his back.
That instantly made Kushina unhappy.
"What the hell? I could've carried her instead!"
It was not that Shiki was unwilling.
It was Shion herself who did not want Kushina carrying her.
Hearing Kushina's resentful tone, Shion simply pretended not to notice. She leaned slightly closer to Shiki's back and asked in a quiet voice,
"Shiki-sama... am I causing you trouble?"
"It's fine."
Shiki smiled and shook his head.
"It's just carrying one person. That's nothing."
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