Chapter 102: The Candidate for the Daitengu Template
Seeing this, Natsuba Hanae controlled the giant bird to quickly move and intercept one of the black eggs.
However, just as its claws were about to pierce the egg…
A strange scene occurred.
Two hooves suddenly extended from the bottom of the egg, and with a powerful kick, it dodged Natsuba Hanae’s attack with a bizarre arc.
This made her pause for a moment.
As she was about to try and intercept it again, countless tentacles had already attacked.
With a hint of resignation, Natsuba Hanae could only continue to fight the Old God, while the four massive, hill-like black eggs arrived at the front lines between the supernatural beings and the humans.
Then…
Four young, yet malicious, roars erupted from the eggs, echoing across the battlefield.
“Mieeeeeeeeeeeeeee————！！”
The black eggs shattered.
And what was revealed was…
Writhing tentacles, like branching tree trunks, multiple human-like teeth, and four hoof-like legs.
They were almost identical to the Old God, just several sizes smaller.
Of course, their size, compared to the crimson blood bird, was like that of an adult to an infant.
But their thirty to forty-meter-tall bodies were undoubtedly behemoths compared to humans, inspiring awe and fear. A single stomp, with their weight alone, could kill numerous humans.
To make it easier to refer to these four monsters, the humans quickly named them, code-named supernatural beings…
—Black Mountain Goats.
Originally, due to Kamishiro Hime’s words, Natsuba Hanae’s presence, and the renewed morale from the Ryūko Shrine’s fox-eared mikos…
Faced with these four Black Mountain Goats, there were signs of a rout.
The battlefield was already at a fever pitch. Both supernatural beings and humans, after a long battle, were showing signs of exhaustion.
And the addition of new forces would undoubtedly break this balance.
Not only that, but each Black Mountain Goat was at least a peak B-rank. Because they were created by the Old God, using Kamishiro Naraku as a blueprint, to determine the most powerful direction for its unknown path.
A combination of bloodline and quantity.
It had “bred” these four Black Mountain Goats.
This was a manifestation of its ability, so Natsuba Hanae sensed that the Old God’s main body hadn’t weakened much, because this wasn’t a clone like Kamishiro Naraku’s.
“This is a bit troublesome.”
Natsuba Hanae pursed her lips slightly. In the heart of the crimson blood bird, she murmured to herself.
Faced with Kamishiro Naraku’s move…
Even with her current strength and state, it was a bit difficult.
Although she could suppress the Old God alone, its cunning skills were a good constraint on her.
And with Kamishiro Naraku’s mind…
He had actually found her weakness: Tamamo-no-Mae.
Indeed, as Tamamo-no-Mae’s Lady, she couldn’t not protect them.
And now, facing the attack of the four Black Mountain Goats, it wouldn’t be long before the high wall fell and the city was lost.
Natsuba Hanae could feel the current strength of Kyoto’s side.
In terms of high-end combat power, Kamishiro Hime had almost completely lost her fighting ability. With only Tamamo-no-Mae, a mid-B-rank, she clearly couldn’t fight four Black Mountain Goats.
While fighting the Old God, Natsuba Hanae was thinking of a countermeasure.
And at this moment, a look of despair appeared on Kamishiro Hime’s face, who was standing on the high wall.
Even though she had repeatedly rallied the morale, after the failure of the assassination attempt, her supernatural power was exhausted.
Besides strategy, she had nothing else that could affect the battle.
But now…
When the power gap was too large, strategy was the most worthless thing.
When the situation became desperate, a look of extraordinary calmness appeared in Kamishiro Hime’s pure white eyes.
She said to Tamamo-no-Mae, who was still constantly healing her,
“Saigū, no…”
At the mention of her title, Kamishiro Hime paused, then changed her words,
“Tamamo-no-Mae, I’m sorry, I have to relieve you of your duty.”
“The Ryūko Shrine is no longer a state religion.”
“Take the mikos and flee.”
“Kamishiro Naraku’s goal is the state religion and the succession of the imperial family. He won’t pursue you for long.”
“I know your Lady is powerful, and even now she can suppress the Old God. We’re holding her back.”
“If…”
At this, Kamishiro Hime’s words paused slightly, and a hint of hope appeared in her pure white eyes.
“If there’s a next life, I’ll agree to your terms and pledge my loyalty to the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain.”
“But now, as an imperial daughter, I must perish with Kyoto.”
Kamishiro Hime forced a smile.
And said her goodbyes to her only close friend, Tamamo-no-Mae.
She didn’t dare to look at Tamamo-no-Mae’s expression. She was probably sobbing uncontrollably. She didn’t want to be infected by her emotions, wanting to face her death with the calmest expression.
But as the healing light didn’t dissipate, Kamishiro Hime finally turned her head in confusion and looked at Tamamo-no-Mae.
She was about to tell her to give up.
However, when she turned, she saw Tamamo-no-Mae’s calm and composed expression, which was not a pretense at all.
Kamishiro Hime: “…”
She fell silent for a moment, then said,
“Tamamo-no-Mae, did you hear what I said?”
But Tamamo-no-Mae’s gaze was fixed on Natsuba Hanae’s fighting form. She didn’t turn her head and said softly,
“Yes, I heard.”
“Then why haven’t you left yet?”
Hearing this, Tamamo-no-Mae reluctantly tore her gaze away. To her, she could never get enough of her Lady’s form.
But Kamishiro Hime’s mentality was clearly a problem now. She needed to explain.
“Why not leave?”
“What I mean is, why leave?”
“Let me repeat what I said before…”
“I believe in my Lady.”
“When my Lady descends, all we need to do is wait quietly for victory to arrive.”
Tamamo-no-Mae’s expression was serious, without a hint of falsehood. Her purple eyes shone with a brilliant light, filled with trust in Natsuba Hanae.
“And, according to what you said, your next life has already been decided.”
“My Lady will give you a new life, so from now on…”
“Try to trust the being known as Ubume.”
“Follow the desires of your heart, be loyal, be devout, and call out her name.”
Hearing this, even Kamishiro Hime was infected by this inexplicable trust.
A Black Mountain Goat broke through the obstacles. The order given to it by the Old God was to kill Kamishiro Hime and Tamamo-no-Mae.
So, its target was exceptionally clear.
The Black Mountain Goat climbed the hundred-meter-high wall, and when it reached the top, it leaned half of its massive body over the wall.
It came before Kamishiro Hime and Tamamo-no-Mae, its massive maw opening, its eyes inside…
Staring straight at the two.
Its body radiated the same chaotic, malevolent aura as the Old God. The black aura swirling around it gave people an endless sense of fear.
Many supernatural users attacked, and countless soldiers fired their guns, but it had little effect on it.
The Black Mountain Goat opened its mouth, wanting to swallow Kamishiro Hime and Tamamo-no-Mae whole.
But Kamishiro Hime felt as if she had gone mad.
At this moment, she had no fear, but subconsciously followed Tamamo-no-Mae’s earlier words, looking at the unflustered Tamamo-no-Mae.
Her heart calmed down.
“Follow the desires of my heart, and call out her name…?”
Kamishiro Hime began to ponder the meaning of these words, ignoring the approaching massive maw, ignoring the noisy war around her.
Her pure white eyes seemed to be able to see through the Black Mountain Goat before her, and even see the form of the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain.
Kamishiro Hime knew many of her names.
They had all been spoken in Tamamo-no-Mae’s Prayer.
—Kōsei, Inpi, Night-Wandering Woman, Heavenly Emperor Girl, Ubume, Master of Summer Harvest Mountain.
These were all her names.
But if one thought about it, the hint Tamamo-no-Mae had given was quite obvious.
These were not the names she should be calling her now.
She should be calling her…
Kamishiro Hime looked at the Master of Summer Harvest Mountain’s form. That form, which had protected her, saved her life, gradually overlapped with the image of a long, gray-haired figure dying before her eyes.
Her eyes grew misty, and she bit her lip.
“Mo…ther…”
In the next moment, the shadow of the Black Mountain Goat enveloped Kamishiro Hime and Tamamo-no-Mae.
It opened its massive maw and swallowed them whole. With the Old God’s supernatural poison in its body, two mere B-ranks could not survive.
And the flesh and blood of a B-rank was a precious ration for it, which could make it even stronger.
Just as the Black Mountain Goat was savoring the taste…
Suddenly, the eyes in its mouth stopped moving, filled with bloodshot veins. Its massive body froze.
An unparalleled, immense power was gathering and rising from within it!
“Boom—!!”
The Black Mountain Goat exploded like a brilliant firework.
…
…
[Kamishiro Hime has become your daughter]
Natsuba Hanae: “?”
[Kamishiro Hime’s affection value for you has reached eighty]
Natsuba Hanae: “?”
[Kamishiro Hime possesses the imperial bloodline, meeting the conditions for the Daitengu template. Bestow?]
[Yes/No]
Natsuba Hanae: “?”
She, who had been thinking of a countermeasure and frantically beating the Old God, suddenly received this series of messages.
Why had Kamishiro Hime suddenly become her daughter, and why was her loyalty value so terrifyingly high?
After all, if she remembered correctly…
This was the first time she had met Kamishiro Hime.
Little did she know, it was all due to Tamamo-no-Mae’s crazy assistance and brainwashing.
Not only that, but because Natsuba Hanae had protected and saved Kamishiro Hime, and with her similar white hair, she had developed a sense of a motherly figure.
Faced with such a situation, Natsuba Hanae naturally had no reason to refuse.
From the beginning, she had wanted to make Kamishiro Hime her daughter.
Because the Daitengu template, like a cosmic consciousness, seemed to be tailor-made for Kamishiro Hime.
However, Natsuba Hanae had had no contact with Kamishiro Hime, so she had almost given up on the idea of making her a daughter.
But now, she had inexplicably come to her.
She was naturally happy to accept this daughter.
And with the identity of the imperial family, she could dig deeper into the secrets of this world.
For example, what was the deal with the divinity in the Natsuba main residence?
Then, if the top-tier conglomerate, the Natsuba main residence, had divinity, what about the other top-tier organizations, and even the imperial family?
Of course, these were things to think about later.
And now, the most important thing was that Kamishiro Hime would regain her combat power, although she didn’t know to what extent.
But as long as she could team up with Tamamo-no-Mae and barely hold off the four Black Mountain Goats, that would be enough.
Next, she would unleash all her power. She hoped that before she killed the Old God and Kamishiro Naraku, Kamishiro Hime and Tamamo-no-Mae could defend Kyoto.
—[Bestow]
Natsuba Hanae made a thought.
A strange, profound aura instantly connected her and Kamishiro Hime.
The Daitengu template was also transmitted.
In an instant, in the sky above Kyoto, above the high wall, the wind changed.
No, not just Kyoto, but the wind flow of the entire Japan had changed. And in Kyoto, it was even more obvious.
The fierce wind seemed to have a master.
They were rejoicing, they were roaring, they were sweeping everything away.
Like a category seventeen typhoon descending upon Kyoto, countless dust, bodies, and blood were swept up, forming a tornado-like eye.
On the high wall, Kamishiro Hime, who had blown up the Black Mountain Goat, her aura was now soaring.
Like the center of a storm, it roared and spread.
Mid-B-rank… peak B-rank… critical point of peak B-rank…
The perfect fusion of the Daitengu and the imperial bloodline. This wasn’t even Kamishiro Hime’s limit.
She was breaking through to the demigod realm of A-rank!
From her current momentum, it was almost certain that she would break through to A-rank this time.
This was not only due to the perfect match of the Daitengu and the imperial bloodline, but also related to the All-Encompassing ability.
In Kamishiro Hime’s All-Encompassing ability, the wind attribute was an ability she had perfectly mastered. This completely overlapped with the Daitengu.
It was a blessing of fate.
Natsuba Hanae hadn’t expected that among her daughters, this newly acquired one would be the first to break through to A-rank.
She had originally thought it would be Natsuba Rinrei.
And that Kamishiro Hime would at most reach peak B-rank.
But from the current situation, this was undoubtedly the best result.
The appearance of an A-rank meant that the remaining three Black Mountain Goats were no longer a threat.
Just then, all the storms instantly disappeared, and the world fell silent.
It wasn’t that Kamishiro Hime’s promotion had failed, but that it had succeeded. This proved that she had completely mastered the power of A-rank.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Natsuba Hanae’s lips.
She looked at the Old God before her.
“The race has begun.”
“I can’t be outdone by my own daughter.”
“Then, I’ll finish you off in an hour.”
“Kamishiro Naraku.”
A black light appeared in Natsuba Hanae’s red, glass-like eyes. On the silver hair on her head, a fragmented crown flashed for a moment and disappeared.
…
