Chapter 197: The Tanuki with a Spiked Club—Don't Mess with Her
Under the relentless downpour, the ruins of Fort Mumei looked even more desolate than usual.
The rain fell in veils, obscuring the shattered walls and broken towers.
Where seabirds once gathered in noisy flocks, now there was only silence.
Even the crabs that usually skittered across the beach were nowhere to be seen.
"D-Do we really have to go in there…?"
Sayu, still tucked beneath Bai Luo's umbrella, shrank back a little, almost hiding behind his back.
To be fair, when there was no danger, Bai Luo was often the most dangerous thing around.
But when things were dangerous—he was the safest place she could be.
"We're going. Don't worry, I'm here, aren't I?"
Bai Luo brushed the raindrops from her hood, then continued down a path worn into the hillside by the Resistance.
Sveta followed silently, eyes sharp and unshaken.
Only Sayu remained still, staring up at the mossy, rain-soaked ruins ahead.
'Nope. Not going. The vibe's all wrong. Totally not a nap-friendly environment.'
Seeing the two of them ignore her and keep moving, she was about to turn around and leave —until she caught sight of the massive skeletal remains just behind her.
Overgrown with moss and vines, the ribcage swayed ever so slightly in the rain, giving the unsettling illusion that it was breathing.
Worse, past the bones, she could see the Resistance camp.
Meaning… if she tried to sneak away, she'd have to climb over those horrifying remains and evade Resistance patrols.
And if she got caught, well…
She could already imagine a certain man appearing out of thin air and smacking her into the sand like a fly.
"Wait for me!!"
Without any hesitation, Sayu spun around and slid down the slope after them.
Fort Mumei hadn't seen maintenance in ages.
What had once been a stone path was now a half-eroded trail, broken apart by something… enormous.
The grooves in the earth were long and wide—like a serpent had once coiled through here.
A very big serpent.
"…The water's gotten deep," Bai Luo muttered.
Before them, the path had been completely flooded by seawater.
Traces of a makeshift wooden bridge—likely built by the Resistance or by the shrine guardians—were visible at the edges, but someone had destroyed it.
Deliberately.
"We'll just wade through," Bai Luo said, gauging the depth.
The water would barely reach Sveta's breast.
Which meant… it would be well above his head.
"…Shall I carry you across, my lord?"
Sveta looked down at the water, then back at him. Her offer was polite, but her eyes were clearly amused.
With her strength, carrying someone like Bai Luo would be a breeze.
"…Forget it. I'll just jump."
With his One-Winged Angel Costume effect, this distance was nothing.
Closing his umbrella, Bai Luo stepped back, readying himself, but then, a small tug at his sleeve.
Sayu.
She pointed at herself, then at the water.
The message was clear: If even you can't walk across, what about me?!
Her tanuki outfit was weatherproof, sure, but not waterproof.
Wading through would mean soaked clothes, squishy socks, and probably a head cold.
No thanks.
So she turned around, lowered her head, and presented her collar to him.
"…Tch."
Bai Luo didn't argue. He grabbed her by the back of the neck and, with a short sprint, leapt across the flooded gap.
Sayu, used to tumbling and rolling, took it like a pro.
She even struck a relaxed pose mid-flight, planning to take a quick power nap in the air.
Only to be unceremoniously dropped on the ground the moment they landed.
"Hey! You didn't have to throw me!"
She pouted, brushing sand off her tanuki outfit as Bai Luo turned back to help Sveta out of the water.
"Hmph. Stingy."
Sayu dusted herself off and pulled out her signature weapon—Debate Club.
Once past the flooded path, the group stepped onto what remained of the ancient stone-paved road.
Calling it "intact" might've been a stretch—at least by normal standards.
But in the context of this long-abandoned ruin, it was practically pristine.
Though carved from solid rock, even this stonework hadn't escaped the toll of time and tide.
Faintly glowing, coral-colored plants—resilient and oddly beautiful—poked through cracks in the pavement, swaying gently despite the relentless rain.
Thick roots, gnarled and intertwined, jutted from the gaps between stones like veins.
Strangely, there were no trees nearby to explain them.
Which raised an eerie question, was something lurking beneath the sea floor?
As they ventured deeper, the roots became more numerous—and more unnerving.
At first, they were about as thick as Sayu's arm. But soon, they rivaled Bai Luo's waist.
And then, the roots stopped hiding.
No longer content to merely writhe beneath the road, they burst from the ground, curling upward like tentacles—clinging to the ancient stonework, leaving behind gouges and scars.
They were invading.
Not just the earth—but the history embedded in these stones.
Splish…
A sudden ripple in the water caught both Bai Luo and Sveta's attention.
She instinctively made a quick prayer sign, then nudged him with her elbow.
Bai Luo's umbrella was gone now, sheathed back into the form of a Reverse Blade Sword at his waist.
His hand rested on the hilt, but he didn't draw.
He simply shook his head at Sveta, motioning for restraint.
The only one who didn't notice was Sayu, marching proudly at the front with Debate Club slung over her shoulder.
Not that she lacked awareness—she was a trained ninja of the Shuumatsuban, after all.
But the influence of the Tatarigami, compounded by the constant rainfall and her lingering irritation at Bai Luo for casually tossing her earlier, dulled her senses.
Splash—!
The thing in the water could wait no longer.
As the three walked past, it lunged from the depths—fast, aggressive, and hungry.
But it didn't go for the tall, intimidating Sveta.
Nor did it dare target the calm, dangerous-looking Bai Luo.
No.
It dove straight for the smallest target—the one toting what looked like a toy weapon.
Bad choice.
Sayu might've missed the signs, but her reflexes were still sharp.
As the attacker burst from the water, she spun, her club already mid-swing.
THWACK
The creature—a man, actually—was smacked mid-air and slammed into the ground with a soggy thud.
Bai Luo didn't give it a chance to rise.
He stepped in, unsheathed his reverse-blade in a flash, and struck the stunned figure across the back of the neck—clean, precise, and just forceful enough to knock him unconscious.
"—It's a person!"
Sayu stepped forward and, still holding Debate Club, poked the downed figure before flipping him over.
Her voice rose in surprise.
"…A Shogunate soldier," Bai Luo said grimly.
The uniform confirmed it. But this wasn't some low-ranking footman.
This wasn't even someone from Kujou Sara's main force stationed at Kujou Encampment.
No—this one was dressed like a direct retainer of Kujou Takayuki himself.
The kind of man who operated in the shadows, not the battlefield.
Possibly even one of Kujou Takayuki's personal confidants.
And then, Bai Luo saw the man's face.
He drew in a sharp breath.
Even Sayu instinctively took a step back and hid behind him.
The soldier's features were twisted—contorted by madness.
Black veins pulsed beneath his skin.
His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and empty.
He had been touched by the Tatarigami.
And not just lightly.
He looked just like the frenzied beasts who had lost their minds at Musoujin Gorge.
. . . . .
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