Chapter 90: You Worship a Statue? So Do I!
Although, in the pitch-black shadow of the yellow robe…
Tamamo-no-Mae and Kamishiro Hime couldn’t see the Old God’s eyes, but they could clearly feel it watching them.
In an instant…
A thick, heavy pressure, like a mountain on their shoulders…
Made it impossible for them to move.
Not only that, but a dense, chaotic malice washed over them, making their bodies tremble violently. It was a fear that came from the soul.
A primal submission to another being.
At this distance…
If they weren’t both extraordinary mid-B-ranks, and if the Old God had only unsealed the power of its head, they would probably be on their knees by now.
And if the Old God were fully unsealed, an ordinary B-rank would likely explode into a bloody pulp under its gaze.
Kamishiro Hime’s heart was filled with regret.
At this moment, only her mouth could move.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
“Why didn’t the intelligence report mention that this statue possessed divinity?!”
Kamishiro Hime had always thought that the god of the Blissful Truth religion was just a fabrication of Kamishiro Naraku, used to unite his followers.
She had never imagined that Kamishiro Naraku had captured an Old God and performed a blood sacrifice on it, intending only to raise it to Nightmare-level, but inadvertently causing it to give birth to divinity, becoming a true “god.”
If Kamishiro Hime had known this…
The imperial family would have mobilized all their forces. Both her aging grandfather and her seriously injured father would have come here.
The moment Kamishiro Naraku appeared, they would have launched a direct assassination.
They would never have given him the chance to worship the statue.
But now, it was too late.
Even if she notified her father and grandfather now, by the time they arrived, the Old God would have already broken its seal, and all of Kyoto would likely be reduced to ashes.
However, when Tamamo-no-Mae heard Kamishiro Hime’s words…
She said with some surprise,
“Divinity?”
“Is that divinity?”
She looked closely and found that in the dense black mist, there was indeed a trace of divine light.
It had a similar origin to her Lady’s divinity.
But compared to that wisp of divinity, the divinity in the black mist was too turbid, far from the purity of her Lady’s.
Hearing this, Kamishiro Hime said again,
“I thought Kamishiro Naraku fusing with a supernatural being was already the act of a madman.”
“But I never thought he would somehow manage to elevate such a being to godhood.”
“Truly insane.”
Even Kamishiro Hime had to admire Kamishiro Naraku’s madness.
If he hadn’t gone down the wrong path, even with just his fusion ability, he could have surely carved out a unique path for himself among supernatural users.
And the power of the imperial family would have been even greater.
Of course, Kamishiro Hime never dwelled on the past, but focused on the present.
She would do her best to carry out her justice, her righteousness.
“Saigū.”
“You and I will unleash all our power. I will help you break free from the Old God’s gaze.”
“After returning to the city, you will immediately spread the word, have the residents and supernatural users evacuate. As many as possible.”
“I’ll stay here and buy time.”
With that, Kamishiro Hime’s pure white eyes shone brightly, and a rainbow of colors swirled in her pupils.
Her supernatural power was rapidly depleting, but her aura and strength were soaring!
That was the plan.
But in this city of nearly five million people…
Under the Old God’s attack, it would be extremely lucky if even a few hundred thousand could escape.
The faster supernatural users and those with spatial abilities, along with their relatives, could take some people, but the Old God would likely fully awaken in less than an hour.
There was no time.
All Kamishiro Hime could do was burn her own supernatural power, resist the pressure, and at least be able to move under the Old God’s gaze, to do her best to stop Kamishiro Naraku’s ritual.
However, even with her and Tamamo-no-Mae working together, they were no match for him.
Let alone on her own.
Staying behind meant certain death.
Although escaping with Tamamo-no-Mae was the most logical choice, she was still young, she could reach A-rank, and in the future, she could use her greater power to enforce justice and maintain order.
But…
To flee from this situation, as an imperial daughter, to not protect the people of the city, what kind of justice and righteousness would that be?!
If she fled, would she have the face to speak of justice and righteousness in the future?!
“The rise of the imperial family…”
“It seems I’ll have to leave it to you, Father.”
A smile appeared on Kamishiro Hime’s lips. Her radiant, rainbow-colored eyes shone with an indescribable brilliance.
Her supernatural power erupted.
The space around Kamishiro Hime, which had been frozen, loosened.
She took a step forward.
“Kamishiro Naraku, you’re not the only madman here.”
An extreme madness appeared in Kamishiro Hime’s eyes.
A rainbow-colored aura, like a battle aura, erupted from her body, swirling and growing, immense and powerful.
She gathered all the different powers she possessed into her body. Her fair skin, unable to withstand the immense elemental power, began to crack from the inside, and blood flowed.
But Kamishiro Hime paid no mind. She sought the strongest attack.
The pressure from the Old God’s gaze was now borne by her alone.
The pressure on Tamamo-no-Mae eased, and hearing Kamishiro Hime’s words, her brow furrowed slightly.
In such a short time, things had become so serious.
But even if she contacted her Lady now, could she cross several cities to reach Kyoto in such a short time?
Just then…
A flash of inspiration struck Tamamo-no-Mae.
She realized this idea was highly plausible.
She quickly sent a message to Kamishiro Hime through her spiritual power.
“Lady Hime, save some of your strength. Don’t go all out yet.”
“I might have another way.”
With that, Tamamo-no-Mae’s last fox tail erupted with power, and in an instant, her aura surged, barely breaking through to peak B-rank.
Before the Old God could fully notice…
Her six pink and white fox tails swayed.
The character for “Wind” appeared on all of them.
Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, and Tamamo-no-Mae floated into the air.
The Old God clearly noticed this.
A dense, chaotic malice surged towards Tamamo-no-Mae, and Kamishiro Naraku grew fleshy wings and flew up, preparing to intercept her.
Although he didn’t know her purpose…
If he could kill her, he would.
The malice arrived first, thick and congealed.
Kamishiro Hime, hearing Tamamo-no-Mae’s words, although she didn’t agree with her method, still felt a glimmer of hope.
She leaped forward and blocked the malice with her own body.
And just as Kamishiro Naraku’s fleshy wings were about to reach Tamamo-no-Mae, she finished charging. The “Wind” on her six fox tails faintly pulsed with a spatial rhythm.
She took a step forward.
In an instant, space slightly warped.
In the next second, she teleported a short distance, dodging Kamishiro Naraku’s interception, and shot into the distance.
Then, Tamamo-no-Mae headed towards the Ryūko Shrine, carried the statue of Natsuba Hanae to the top of the high wall.
Gazing at Kamishiro Naraku and the Statue of the Old God, her captivating purple eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hmph!”
“As if you’re the only one with a statue to worship. You worship?”
“So do I!”
