The night grew deeper, the evening wind colder. After the last yokai fell, the battlefield fell completely silent.
Shinji stood amidst the pile of corpses, the Muramasa in his hand still dripping blood.
The panel before him suddenly popped up.
[Shikon no Tama · Righteous Spirit: Affection +5] [Current Affection: 14 (Trust)]
Shinji was momentarily stunned.
A jump of 5 points all at once?
This bead had been so stingy before, at most giving 2 points at a time. Now it was being this generous?
[Shikon no Tama · Righteous Spirit: Affection +3] [Current Affection: 17]
Another increase.
Shinji glanced sideways at the Shikon Jewel nestled in Kikyō's bosom.
The glow of that bead was changing.
The originally ink-black evil aura was being suppressed by a layer of faint white light, like milk dripping into ink, black and white distinct, clearly divided.
[Shikon no Tama · Righteous Spirit: Affection +4] [Current Affection: 21] [Unlocked Bond Dialogue (1)] [It is conveying a message to you——]
Shinji waited for the continuation.
The words on the system panel jumped out one by one, slower than ever before.
['Thank you.'] ['No one has helped her in a long time.'] ['You are the first.']
The Shikon Jewel's bond dialogue was actually directly 'speaking', not simply conveying more information?
As expected of a treasure even high-tier yokai desired.
It really was much more intelligent than Muramasa!
Shinji looked up and glanced at Kikyō.
The shrine maiden was standing before the floating Shikon Jewel, her hands forming a mudra, spiritual power transforming into countless threads of light, firmly entwining the bead.
Her expression was solemn.
While Shinji was dealing with the remaining yokai, she had naturally begun to 'suppress' the Corrupted Spirit.
['She is strong, but she is also alone.'] ['Those who guard the Shikon Jewel are all lonely.'] ['Because this duty cannot be shared, and should not be shared.'] ['So… thank you.']
Shinji didn't reply.
He didn't know how to reply either.
Say "you're welcome" to a bead?
Actually, that might not be impossible…
[Shikon no Tama · Righteous Spirit: Affection +2] [Current Affection: 23] [It conveys a warning to you——] ['Tonight is not over yet.'] ['What came just now were just the appetizers.'] ['The real threat hasn't arrived yet.']
Shinji's brow furrowed.
The real threat?
The group of yokai just now didn't count as a threat?
That four-armed ape was Five Changes, that mist demon was at least Six Changes. If those weren't threats...
['Watch the sky.'] ['Watch out… for me.']
When those last three characters jumped out, Shinji's heart skipped a beat.
Watch out for you?
What does that mean?
But the system panel didn't jump out any more words.
The Shikon Jewel's glow also stabilized. The white light and black qi maintained a delicate balance.
Shinji wanted to press for answers, but he knew it was useless.
This bead wasn't like that chatterbox blade Muramasa. When it wanted to talk, it would pour out everything in its mind. When it didn't want to, it wouldn't utter a single word.
"Something wrong?"
Kikyō's voice came.
Shinji closed the panel and turned around.
"Nothing…"
Before he finished speaking.
The back of his neck suddenly went cold.
That was a demon warrior's instinctive reaction to danger.
Shinji snapped his head up.
The moon in the sky was even fuller, so full it looked like it might fall.
The moonlight was stark white, casting a deathly grey pallor over the entire shrine.
Then he saw it.
A dark mass was approaching from the horizon.
No, not a mass.
It was a swarm.
Dense, covering the sky.
Countless times larger than the wave of yokai before.
"Shit."
Shinji cursed under his breath.
[Shikon no Tama · Righteous Spirit indicates, It wants to speak, but can't.] [The Corrupted Spirit is suppressing it.]
The system panel popped up one last prompt.
Then nothing.
Shinji looked one last time at the Shikon Jewel.
The white light of that bead was fading at a visible rate.
The black qi had regained the upper hand.
And this time, the black was darker, thicker, almost condensed into substance.
"The hour of the rat has arrived."
Kikyō's voice was very calm.
She also seemed to have given up on continuing to suppress the evil power of the Corrupted Spirit, because it was impossible to suppress... She walked over to Shinji's side and looked up at that dark mass in the sky.
"The moon is full in the sky, the impure energy is at its peak."
"At this time, the Corrupted Spirit will overcome the Righteous Spirit."
"So…"
She paused.
"What comes next is the true test."
Shinji tightened his grip on the hilt.
As mentioned before.
The talent brought by Muramasa had been integrated into his body, but this blade itself was still very useful.
The sharpness bonus from long-term nurturing was still there.
The bloodthirsty trait was also still there.
It just temporarily wouldn't talk to him, after ability fusion, the spirituality of the object itself would be 'weak' for a period, waiting to recover afterwards that would not take a very long time, but also not be very quick.
"Here they come."
Kikyō drew her bowstring.
That dark mass had already reached above the shrine.
They weren't yokai.
They were… birds?
No.
Shinji squinted.
Those things had wings, but they weren't birds.
They were bats.
Tens of thousands of bats, each the size of a human head, their eyes glowing green, two fangs bared from their mouths.
A blood-sucking bat swarm.
Individually, these things weren't strong, but their numbers were overwhelming.
And they weren't the main course.
The main course was behind them.
Shinji saw it.
At the very back of the bat swarm, there was a larger dark mass.
The size of that dark mass… was at least three stories tall, hovering in the air like a small hill.
"What is that?"
Shinji asked.
Kikyō didn't answer.
She just released the bowstring.
The purification arrow shot out, exploding in the air, transforming into countless streaks of white light that turned the dozen or so bats at the front into ash.
But compared to the entire bat swarm, that was just a drop in the bucket.
More bats dove down.
Shinji took a deep breath.
The demonic energy within him began to boil.
Blood madly flowed in his veins, making a sound like a river rushing.
This was the trait of [Blood Change].
His blood was no longer ordinary blood.
"Come on."
Shinji said quietly.
He raised his left hand.
In his palm, a single droplet of blood condensed into form.
Then exploded.
Transforming into blood mist that filled the sky.
The blood mist dispersed, covering the entire shrine within.
Through this blood mist, Shinji could see every bat's position, speed, flight trajectory.
This was [Blood Resonance].
The first bat reached him.
Shinji swept his blade.
The blade edge passed through, and the bat was split in two.
The second, third, fourth…
The blade flashed.
Corpses fell like rain.
But there were too many bats.
Kill ten, and there were still a hundred.
Kill a hundred, and there were still a thousand.
And that largest dark mass was getting closer and closer.
Shinji finally saw clearly what that thing looked like.
It wasn't a bat.
It was a huge…
Flying squirrel?
No.
It was…
"Kamaitachi."
.
.
.
.
Give me your powerstones guys