The night was empty and lonely.
In the distance, the roars of monsters were exceptionally desolate.
Terrifying howls echoed from the darkness, making one wonder what exactly was lurking there.
Demons, monsters, or perhaps spirits crawling out of the abyss.
Yae Sakura stood at the edge of the village, Tachi in hand, hot sweat dripping from her forehead.
Those monsters from outside the village were back again.
But tonight, they had agreed to take Rin and escape with Yunduo.
Rin's condition really couldn't be delayed any longer; every second was precious now.
To see the cherry blossoms bloom next year, to see those brilliant seas of flowers.
However, if she didn't help fight the monsters, many villagers might die because of it.
As a Shrine Maiden, she had a duty to protect the villagers; this was the principle Yae Sakura had grown up with.
On one side was her dying sister, waiting for her in bed.
On the other side were the villagers crying for help, fleeing in all directions, waiting for rescue.
Beauty and reality weighed equally—the sea of flowers versus her principles.
At the crossroads of life, Yae Sakura hesitated.
"Cough, cough... Sakura, there are so many monsters... Sakura."
Suddenly, Yae Sakura heard a pained whisper. Looking down, she saw the old woman who had brought her Gohyaku-so that day; she was hunched over with a large gash on her shoulder—a scratch from a monster. Blood seeped through the gauze.
"You... what happened to you?"
"I'll take you to—"
Yae Sakura initially wanted to take her to the shrine for treatment, but she saw the kind old woman shake her head.
"Don't waste... cough... don't waste time on an old woman like me. There are so many others, the villagers are all injured."
After saying that, the old woman grabbed the bamboo basket on her back and wobbled away, step by step, toward her home.
Behind her, Yae Sakura bit her lip and hesitated, then headed toward the edge of the village where the monsters were attacking... Some time passed.
Under the siege of those crimson monsters, Yae Sakura finally managed to catch her breath.
The hand holding her sword trembled slightly. The long slaughter had left her mentally exhausted and physically weak.
"Roar! Roar!!!"
Three monsters collapsed with difficulty under the villagers' coordinated attack.
Stinking corpses lay silent in the fields, blood flowing out and corroding the weeds on the ground.
Even as a Shrine Maiden, she had received no power from the gods.
Her strength with the sword came from training since childhood.
But just as Yae Sakura was about to finish off the last monster, she heard footsteps.
Turning around, she saw a frail girl who lived near the shrine and had been a playmate of Yae Sakura since childhood.
The girl ran to Yae Sakura and whispered anxiously, "Sakura, I just heard noises in the shrine, and it sounded like Rin was screaming. I... I didn't dare go in. Go back and check quickly."
Boom!
Upon hearing this, Yae Sakura's pupils constricted instantly. Her heart felt like an erupting volcano, and her emotions were ignited at that moment.
Without a word, she gripped the Tachi in her hand, blood still dripping from the tip.
Rin, something must have happened to Rin!
But the sacrifice was supposed to be tomorrow—
Yae Sakura used all her strength, her soul burning, as regret welling up from the depths of her heart drove her to sprint toward the shrine.
While she was fighting monsters, those people had actually entered the shrine?
"Yae Sakura, where are you going?"
"The monsters haven't been dealt with yet! This is a Shrine Maiden's duty!"
"Come back! What's more important than protecting us right now?" "Yae Sakura..."
A villager grabbed Yae Sakura's sleeve, while other villagers holding swords and knives pointed fingers at her.
In their eyes, a Shrine Maiden should protect them, especially at a time like this. Even if it meant sacrificing her life, she couldn't be a deserter.
Clang!
A flash of a blade. A terrifying killing intent emanated from the blood-dripping scabbard.
The villagers were shocked to see the silent Shrine Maiden pointing her sword at them, the sharp blade cutting into one man's palm.
Everyone could see that the Shrine Maiden had lost control of her emotions. The cold, violent look in her eyes made it seem as if she wasn't looking at villagers, but at monsters.
"Yae Sakura, you—"
"Move."
The villagers were terrified. It wasn't until Yae Sakura sprinted away into the distance that the man clutched his wounded palm in pain.
The remaining villagers whispered among themselves; some said Yae Sakura had gone mad, others said she had been bewitched by the outsider... The night grew deeper.
Clouds gradually gathered in the sky.
Like a persistent shadow, they followed Yae Sakura's footsteps.
When she returned to the front of the shrine, she found chaotic footprints on the ground and clotted blood.
Yae Sakura's heart sank further. Her hand holding the sword trembled, and her regret almost took physical form.
If only she had known. If only she had known all this would happen.
She ran inside quickly, without even taking off her shoes.
Normally, this would result in punishment from the Head Priest.
But Yae Sakura no longer cared about that. She only wanted to know one thing now.
Where on earth was Rin?
She pulled open the bedroom door; Rin's bed was empty.
The familiar interior of the shrine now seemed alien to Yae Sakura no matter how she looked at it.
Just as the bloodshot veins in her eyes were about to burst, she suddenly heard a roar.
It was from the place where the god was enshrined!
Yae Sakura drew her sword and charged in. To hell with the gods! To hell with disrespect!
Now, she only wanted to find Rin!
Cold night clouds swirled around her sword hilt as Yae Sakura pushed open the door to the inner sanctum.
But the sight that met her eyes made her pupils shake.
Beneath the statue of the god...
A Shrine Maiden holding a cherry-pink cursed blade was pointing it at the Village Head.
Her face was hidden by an Inari Mask.
Though she wore the clothes of a Shrine Maiden...
This mysterious stranger lacked the restraint of a Shrine Maiden. Instead, she radiated a hatred that reached down to the abyss!
The shimenawa around her waist gave her posture an ominous aura.
Cherry-colored hair reached the ground; blades flashed.
Utterly beautiful.
Utterly violent.
A flash passed, and the blade was sheathed as a life ended.
The blood on the ground formed what looked like a crimson hell of flames.
To hell with a Shrine Maiden's duty.
Even in the presence of a god, one must protect those they love.
This is what a Shrine Maiden's duty should be.
As the last drop of blood dripped from the murderous blade, the Shrine Maiden of Inari kicked away the terrified Village Chief!
"Aaaaaah..."
The Village Chief's torn mouth let out one miserable cry after another.
His cane sword was also broken, and he writhed on the ground like a crab that had lost its limbs.
The tendons in both his hands and feet had been severed; he had lost everything that made him a normal human.
Without looking at the now powerless Village Chief, the Shrine Maiden of Inari walked straight toward the dazed Yae Sakura.
"Summon your courage and end all of this."
She spoke in front of Sakura.
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