Watching the scene unfold, Tenya's pupils narrowed slightly. He hadn't expected this supposed Moryo's avatar to be so formidable, capable of directly invoking the malevolence in people's hearts and controlling their actions through it. This ability was quite beyond his expectations.
Purple mist began to rise around him, soon covering Tenya's hiding place. Suddenly, he felt a surge of malevolence within himself. Before he could react, this malevolence rapidly grew, almost taking over his entire mind in just a few breaths. If this continued, his mind would be completely consumed, turning him into a puppet controlled by malevolence.
"Hmph!"
Tenya activated his Mind Zen skill with a cold snort, quickly entering a special state. His mind, previously almost overtaken by malevolence, soon returned to normal. In this state, his mind became a barren land for malevolence, preventing any further growth of evil thoughts.
Looking back at the altar, he saw that the Moryo's avatar had absorbed considerable malevolence, making its form more solid and its resistance against the seal even stronger. The shrine maiden was gradually losing ground. The controlled guards were getting closer to her, but she showed no signs of giving up. She operated the formation with all her might, trying to seal the avatar despite the imminent danger.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host, a new mission has been triggered. Please check!"
Tenya's heart skipped a beat as he immediately opened the mission panel.
Emergency Mission: Seal the Demon (Incomplete)
Mission Requirement: Help the shrine maiden successfully seal Moryo's avatar
Mission Reward: 3% portrayal rate
Unexpectedly, a mission had been triggered. It seemed he had no choice but to help!
With a flash, Tenya disappeared from his original position.
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of heavy blows followed as Tenya kicked the controlled guards one by one, sending them flying and rendering them unable to get up. However, the shrine maiden seemed to be exhausted. In this tug-of-war, she was gradually becoming overpowered.
Suddenly, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, breaking the formation. Moryo's avatar seized this rare opportunity, breaking free from the seal and regaining its freedom.
"Hahaha, little girl, you still think you can seal me? I'm going to devour you and merge with you completely!"
Leaving these words, Moryo's avatar eagerly rushed towards the shrine maiden, completely ignoring Tenya, as if he didn't consider him a threat at all.
"Stop!"
Tenya stepped forward, placing himself between the shrine maiden and Moryo's avatar.
"You shall not pass. Stay where you are!"
Both the shrine maiden and Moryo's avatar were stunned. On the brink of despair, the shrine maiden suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. However, Tenya's words seemed too arrogant, as if he didn't take the avatar seriously. Could such a conceited young man help her seal the demon?
The shrine maiden's confidence wavered. As for Moryo's avatar, it was already enraged. It glared at Tenya, its purple mist churning violently.
"Human brat, you've angered me! I'll devour you first!"
With these words, Moryo's avatar charged at Tenya, but as it reached him, it found itself in a strange alternate space, filled with overwhelming killing intent. This killing intent surged like waves, making it hard for the avatar to move.
This was Tenya's newly unlocked skill, Killing Intent Wave. Surprisingly, it worked exceptionally well, rendering Moryo's avatar immobile under the concentrated killing intent.
"What… what is this power?"
"Why… can't I move?"
Moryo's avatar grew anxious, realizing it had underestimated this human. It never expected Tenya to have a method to restrain it. The shrine maiden, Miroku, was equally astonished. She hadn't expected this sudden appearance of the young man to be so powerful, not only successfully suppressing Moryo's avatar but also remaining unharmed.
Tenya's earlier words weren't empty boasts or arrogance; they were the truth. He did have the power to make Moryo's avatar stay put.
"Hey, beautiful, don't just stand there. Recover quickly. I'm waiting for you to seal this demon!"
Miroku, momentarily lost in thought, was brought back by Tenya's voice. His casual address of "beautiful" made her heart flutter, and a faint blush appeared on her pale cheeks.
"Oh!"
Nodding slightly, Miroku swallowed a pill, beginning to meditate and recover. Meanwhile, Tenya took this time to scrutinize Moryo's avatar. It appeared as a mass of purple clouds without distinct features, capable of changing forms. He wondered if techniques other than mental or aura-based ones could harm it.
First, he tried ninjutsu, followed by taijutsu and kenjutsu, and lastly genjutsu. The results were disappointing. Ninjutsu caused limited damage, and Moryo's avatar quickly recovered. Taijutsu and kenjutsu had no effect at all. Genjutsu could influence it but not harm it. The power of malevolence was terrifying, allowing Moryo's avatar to break free from most illusions. Only high-level genjutsu might be effective.
Was the shrine maiden's power the only way to harm it? Tenya felt a bit frustrated.
"Human, I am immortal. Ordinary methods won't work on me. Hahaha…"
Seeing Tenya's various attempts fail, Moryo's avatar regained its confidence.
"Human brat, though your skill can affect me, it can't harm me. I bet you can't sustain it forever. When you tire, I'll deal with you!"
Moryo's avatar glared at Tenya, grinning smugly. Tenya ignored its taunts, pondering other options. Suddenly, he remembered his Mind Zen skill, which had previously expelled all malevolence from his mind. Given that Moryo's avatar thrived on malevolence, perhaps this skill could counter it.
Maintaining his Mind Zen state, Tenya slowly extended his hand towards Moryo's avatar.
"You're not giving up? This time I'll…"
"Ah…"
Before it could finish, Moryo's avatar let out a piercing scream. Tenya's hand, pressing against the avatar, seemed to burn it like hot oil on fish, emitting smoke and sizzles.
"Stop! Human, stop! I… I'm melting…"
Tenya's experiment was a success. In the Mind Zen state, he could significantly harm Moryo's avatar. Though he had pulled his hand away, the handprint remained on the avatar, an indelible mark.
Moryo's avatar couldn't heal the handprint despite its rapid recovery abilities. The screams drew Miroku's attention. She opened her eyes to see Moryo's avatar, devoid of its previous arrogance, looking pitiful and fearful of Tenya.
"What did that boy do to scare Moryo's avatar so much?"
Upon seeing the handprint, she realized that Tenya could indeed harm Moryo's avatar, something she hadn't expected. Her curiosity about Tenya deepened.
Moryo's avatar, having suffered enough, didn't dare provoke Tenya further. It feared another attack that might destroy it completely. Even being sealed seemed preferable to facing Tenya's wrath.
"Little girl, please seal me. I don't want to die here!"
Moryo's avatar pleaded, sneaking glances at Tenya, terrified he might strike again. Tenya simply stood there, making no further moves, much to the avatar's relief.
Seeing Moryo's eagerness, Miroku couldn't help but feel speechless. Moments ago, it had resisted being sealed vehemently. Now, it was urging her to do it quickly. Clearly, Tenya had scared it significantly.
Given Moryo's urgency and her own mission to seal it, Miroku didn't hesitate. She stood up and activated the seal formation. This time, Moryo's avatar cooperated fully, diving into the coffin and falling silent.
Watching this, Miroku felt a bit dumbfounded but quickly reinforced the seal. After completing the sealing process, she walked towards Tenya, extending her hand.
"I am Miroku, a shrine maiden from the Land of Demons. Thank you for your help. Without you, I might have been devoured by the demon. May I know your name?"
"I'm Gekkou Tenya." Tenya gently shook Miroku's hand before releasing it.
"Miko-sama!"
"Miko-sama, are you alright?"
"Miko-sama, are you okay?"
Several guards Tenya had kicked away struggled to their feet and rushed towards Miroku. Their concern for her was evident.
"I must leave now."
Glancing at the guards, Tenya bid Miroku a brief farewell and left.
"Gekkou Tenya, I'll remember you. I hope we meet again…"
Watching Tenya's departing figure, Miroku felt a sudden sense of longing.