"I've searched carefully. This place should be suitable—cut off from the world, undisturbed by others."
Ushiki and Mineo hovered together in the sky, gazing down at a solitary island wrapped in a barrier. Ushiki spoke to the man beside him.
Mineo followed his line of sight downward.
It was an island surrounded on all sides by ocean, shrouded in thick mist—an isolated realm cut off from the world.
Boundless seas stretched endlessly in every direction.
The island seemed veiled in mystery, appearing and vanishing unpredictably.
"Did you figure out the background of this place?" he asked.
Ushiki relayed the information he'd gathered smoothly. "This island is called Penglai Island [Horai Island]. Legend says it was an island of gods in ancient times. An ancient emperor—like China's First Emperor Qin Shi Huang—once sent envoys here in search of the secret to eternal life."
"However, according to my research, this island—known as Horai Island [Penglai Island]—seems to be occupied by someone. It only appears periodically."
Mineo's expression shifted slightly, his mood peculiar.
Who dares name a place Horai...
Ushiki continued, "As for this world, humans and youkai live together. Powerful youkai rule territories, even building nations of their own, while humans have constructed many city-states. There are occasional battles between the two groups."
"Comparatively speaking, the youkai possess greater strength, often launching attacks that wipe out entire human cities."
"Not bad, newbie," Mineo said with slight praise.
Ushiki immediately began acting again, exaggerating dramatically. "Oh my, these were all details I risked my life to obtain. I went deep into dangerous territory, squeezing secrets from those bizarre-looking youkai! Phew, barely escaped being eaten alive..."
After a moment of silence, Mineo pointed downward and ordered him, "Then this place is your responsibility."
With that, he waited for Ushiki to take action.
Without hesitation, Ushiki dove straight down.
During his intelligence gathering, he had already studied the power structure of this world.
Youkai wield demon energy.
Humans use spiritual power.
Though differing somewhat, judging from several battles he'd observed, the destructive power wasn't particularly impressive.
Watching the trail ahead, Mineo smirked.
Just going in full force like this? Power creates miracles?
Bang!
A sudden explosion split the air.
Inside Penglai Island, a woman in her mid-twenties looked up.
She wore traditional miko robes (Shinto shrine maiden attire)—a white upper garment with long, wide sleeves edged in red. Small stitches showed where the red sleeve guards were attached to the white fabric.
Additionally, a red chest button adorned the collar of her white robe.
On Penglai Island, humans and youkai lived in peace, even intermarrying normally.
Their mixed offspring were known as "Halfkin."
Suzuhime served as the island's guardian miko, protecting its residents.
Though rarely leaving the island, she clearly understood conditions beyond it.
She knew Halfkin faced rejection from both human and youkai societies, struggling to survive outside.
Out of compassion, determined to protect them permanently and prevent disturbance to island life, Suzuhime activated a time barrier using her spiritual energy, isolating the island from the outside world.
Every fifty years, the barrier would enter a period of weakness. During these times, Suzuhime would kill any demons attempting to invade Penglai Island.
"Hmm?"
She looked closely and noticed a hole in the barrier she had created.
In the blink of an eye, the barrier returned to normal. In front of her, two unfamiliar figures appeared in the sky.
Backlit by the sun, she couldn't clearly see their faces.
Before Suzuhime could fully process this strange sight, the two suddenly vanished from their previous spot, reappearing one on each side of her.
Only now did she get a clear look at the two men.
These men had pale white skin whiter than blank paper; even their eyes were completely pure white. Their faces carried sinister smiles.
They didn't look quite human, but they also didn't give off any demonic vibes.
This confused Suzuhime greatly. "Human? Demon?"
Neither answered.
Ushiki mockingly asked, "So you're the master of this island?"
Guessing their intentions weren't good, Suzuhime's gaze turned icy. She drew her long sword, its blade wrapped in spiritual energy.
"Ushiki," Mineo spoke lightly before vanishing instantly using the Body Replacement Technique.
"Aww, senior sure does know how to give orders," Ushiki pretended to complain as he began fighting Suzuhime using Sword Jutsu.
Wanting to discover Suzuhime's abilities, he deliberately took several direct blows from her sword strikes.
"It hurts. That really hurts."
Seizing the blade casually, Ushiki spoke while showing absolutely no sign of pain on his face.
Physical pain was nothing to worry about, but every time this woman wounded him, he felt something unusual.
It was as if something had jolted him inside...
No drops of blood spilled from his wounds, which visibly began healing right before her eyes.
Suzuhime witnessed this and furrowed her brow, growing more concerned.
Such regenerative abilities only belonged to demons.
But if he were truly a demon, his soul should have already been purified or destroyed by her spiritual energy.
At that moment, the disturbance Ushiki caused by breaking through the barrier attracted some residents from the island.
They quickly ran over.
Among them were elderly humans, demons who hadn't fully shed their beast forms,
and some others maintaining human appearances — young girls and boys looking like human children but with vividly colored hair. These were the Halfkin.
The Halfkin possessed human bodies and appearances, yet retained certain characteristics of demons — some had animal ears atop their heads, others had tails... They presented an eerie beauty and attraction.
They aged much more slowly than humans, their visual age often differing greatly from their actual age.
Internally, Mineo clicked his tongue in amusement. This really was a paradise for a very particular kind of fan…
At the appearance of these strangers, the residents momentarily froze.
Especially seeing Suzuhime's weapon being seized and her falling into a disadvantageous position, everyone grew increasingly worried.
"Suzuhime-sama..."
"Miko-sama..."
"Miko, huh? So that barrier was also your doing. Compared to the mikos I remember, you're much stronger."
Mineo called out toward the direction where the miko was.
"Have you interacted with many mikos before, senpai?" Ushiki parried Suzuhime's attack while managing to chat with him.
Mineo smiled but didn't speak again.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed the group of spectators that had appeared earlier were getting restless and seemed ready to take action against him. He extended his hand toward their direction.
[Shinra Tensei]
Instantly, a large portion of them collapsed.
"This location belongs to us now. As for you people..."
He considered how best to deal with these locals.
Letting them go was definitely out of the question. If they ran off to get help, there'd be one problem after another.
As he contemplated, his eyes met with Ushiki's.
Ushiki spoke up calmly once more: "Senpai, I suggest we imprison these people."
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