"Are you hurt?"
Lara, who had been studying the murals, stepped forward to express her concern when she saw Xia Yu return.
"Of course not. Who do you think I am?" Xia Yu boasted, tilting his head back.
Lara rolled her eyes at this and ignored him, but Xia Yu spoke again.
"I'm going to the Canyon Shrine to deal with Himiko. It might be dangerous there, so why don't you stay at the palace? It's fairly safe here with the Storm Warriors."
Hearing this, Lara shook her head. "I'll go with you. I might not be able to help much, but I don't want you to face the danger alone."
"Himiko is a real evil spirit; I might even fall at her hands. Do you still want to go?" Xia Yu teased.
"Of course!"
The answer was firm. Seeing this, Xia Yu stopped trying to persuade her and instead waved to the nearby Storm Warriors, signaling them to move forward.
The Canyon Shrine was located within an ancient temple at the mountain's peak, which was built behind the palace. Therefore, they had to pass through the palace to reach the ancient temple, enter through its entrance, and finally arrive at the shrine.
Though it seemed troublesome, it wouldn't actually take long. No matter how complex, it was ultimately just a thousand-year-old building without many twists and turns.
With the Storm Warriors leading the way, they reached the temple entrance in almost no time.
A never-ending storm also blew at the temple entrance, where several Storm Warriors stood guard, seemingly waiting for their queen's rebirth.
However, when they saw their companions approaching with two humans, they froze for a moment, appearing somewhat confused.
But this confusion didn't last long, as Xia Yu stepped forward with a beaming smile.
Before long, the Storm Warriors guarding the temple here couldn't escape his clutches either. It might have been an illusion, but the canyon's storm seemed to blow even harder.
As they continued forward, the weather became increasingly unpredictable. On the outskirts of the desolate island, the weather was normal, with only occasional heavy rain.
But the closer they got to the island's interior, the stranger the weather became. After passing through the storm zone, it actually started to snow heavily. The wind and snow swirled wildly, tearing at everything like cold knives.
However, the Storm Warriors weren't living beings and couldn't feel the cold. Xia Yu and Lara were protected by magic, remaining completely unaffected by the harsh weather.
After crossing the stone bridge and setting foot on the path to the shrine, the Storm Warriors led the two to the Canyon's Mountain Peak Shrine in no time.
Though called a shrine, it was actually just a row of decaying buildings. Perhaps in the Yayoi period, this was a sacred and inviolable dwelling of a god, but now, it was merely a relic of a bygone era eroded by time.
The evil spirit Himiko, who hadn't appeared yet, seemed to sense something. Silver lightning suddenly flashed through the thick, pitch-black clouds.
"BOOM!!"
The next moment, the light from the lightning illuminated the dark mountain peak, followed by a roar of thunder that sounded like a giant beast, echoing through heaven and earth.
A bolt of silvery-white lightning suddenly struck down from the sky, hitting the mountain rock with force. Under this heavy blow, the rock shattered, and boulders came rolling down.
"Tch, still throwing a tantrum of impotent rage."
Seeing the lightning strike down the boulders, Xia Yu disdainfully raised an international gesture of friendship toward the sky.
Himiko seemed able to control the power of heaven and earth, but in reality, she wasn't precise. She couldn't even accurately kill a specific person; she could only use the momentum of the world to crush her enemies.
Whether it was storms, tsunamis, or lightning, they were all area-of-effect attacks. Himiko's power was less about controlling the world's forces and more about borrowing them—and in the most superficial way at that.
Nevertheless, The Xia Yus were very envious of this ability. Although they weren't weaker than Himiko, none of them could borrow the power of heaven and earth.
Once they extracted the method from Himiko's memories, they could use it as a reference through cross-disciplinary understanding.
The lightning in the clouds continued to flash, but it was merely impotent rage. After a moment, the lightning gradually subsided.
The blizzard grew heavier, but it couldn't hinder their progress at all.
A moment later, the Mountain Peak Shrine was right before them. Scattered around were numerous skeletal remains dressed in ancient clothing—the former citizens of the Yamatai Kingdom.
"Oh! Great Queen, fill the vessel I have brought for you!"
Upon reaching the peak, a faint shout drifted over with the wind. Xia Yu silently pulled Lara behind a nearby stone pillar and looked toward the distant shrine altar.
From a distance, a group of people could be seen surrounding an altar. On top of the altar knelt a figure dressed in magnificent ancient robes.
The figure wore an intricate golden sun crown, and her face was painted with the white makeup of a geisha, making her look like a beautifully decorated doll.
At this moment, the figure's hands were placed in front of her abdomen, and a faint look of anger showed on her cracked face.
But Matthias continued to shout prayers to himself. Before him, a middle-aged man knelt trembling on the ground, dressed in a white kimono made of coarse cloth, which looked somewhat disgusting.
That man was Whitman, who had been silent since being captured. Matthias continued to shout prayers fanatically; in his mind, this was the most standard ritual for a successor to Himiko.
"Xia Yu, are we going to save Dr. Whitman?" Lara asked after seeing what was happening near the shrine altar.
Hearing this, Xia Yu shook his head and said, "It's too late."
As if to confirm his words, the doll-like Himiko suddenly stood up from the altar. Her pale skin shattered and fell away in pieces, revealing the withered flesh beneath.
"Aaaah—!"
A piercing shriek erupted from Himiko's mouth. A blue ring of light suddenly emerged from her withered body and expanded rapidly.
The Solarii members who touched this ring, including Matthias and Whitman, suddenly fell to their knees trembling. Their flesh rapidly shriveled and dried up as if their life force was being sucked dry.
In just a few seconds, all the living people present took on the appearance of elderly men near death. Matthias looked down at his withered, wood-like hands in a daze before glancing at Himiko in his final moments.
"My Queen, why..."
But Himiko wouldn't answer him. From the moment he found the wrong target, she had already intended to kill him.
Matthias breathed his last breath with resentment. After laboring for his queen for over a decade, he ultimately died at her hands.
After absorbing some life force, Himiko's skin gradually restored itself. She widened her eyes, which glowed with a faint blue light, and looked toward Xia Yu and the others.
"Aaaah—!"
Another piercing shriek. The next moment, about a dozen Storm Warriors climbed up from the cliffs. They were the only ones left that Xia Yu hadn't controlled.
These Storm Warriors gathered to protect their queen, holding spears and short swords. Their blood-red eyes revealed an endless thirst for slaughter.
"Oh, we've been spotted."
Xia Yu stepped out from behind the stone pillar, waved his hand to signal Lara to stay there, and then had the Storm Warriors who accompanied them protect her.
Then, he walked forward alone, looking at Himiko, whose body was gradually restoring, and spoke with a wild, arrogant smile.
"Don't think you're the only one with subordinates. Come forth, my Black... Bah, Storm Legion!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Storm Warriors with glowing green eyes also climbed up from the cliffs, carrying their katanas and spiked clubs.
As the two sides met, a chilling aura of slaughter gradually spread. Xia Yu pointed a finger from afar and commanded, "Kill!"