"...What's with that arm?! The severed arm fell to the ground... Did it regenerate?! How?!"
Reiji was utterly bewildered.
In this world, reattaching a severed arm was commonplace. High-grade potions, healing abilities, magic, Yin-Yang Art, and other methods could easily restore severed limbs.
But for a severed arm to regenerate? That required advanced magic, surgery, or specialized abilities complex and meticulous processes. Unless one possessed top-tier regeneration capabilities, it was impossible for a severed arm to regenerate mid-battle.
As far as Reiji knew, Amatsuka Koyori's ability was Void Logic. This allowed her to rapidly perceive, grasp, and comprehend phenomena beyond common sense, making it easy for her to understand unconventional arts like Yin-Yang Art and magic.
It wasn't a particularly useful ability. Its value depended entirely on the user's talent. Simply understanding it meant nothing. Fortunately, while Amatsuka Koyori was considered a genius, her ability was useless in their current situation.
"The Lord of the Wind has bestowed his grace upon me."
"...What?"
Why was she suddenly talking about the Lord of the Wind? Reiji couldn't understand. The Lord of the Wind was merely a fictional deity worshipped at Fuka Shrine. Or was she referring to the Japanese guild named "Fujin"?
Just as his mind was becoming overwhelmed, a shuriken flew past, grazing his right side. Koyori's? His momentary lapse in concentration, caused by her incomprehensible words, had cost him dearly.
"Damn it...! Retreat!"
Reiji activated his Word Spirit. As soon as he finished speaking, his body shot backward with such speed that the two Mios couldn't keep up.
"..."
Mio frowned. Her Vitality and Mana were nearing their limits. The Clone Mio on the right flickered like a distorted screen, her form momentarily blurring.
"Lady Mio, are you alright?"
"...Yes. I was cut once, but it's not serious. More importantly, what about Lady Koyori?"
Mio stared at Koyori's newly regenerated arm and her perfectly healed legs. It wasn't just her arm; the severe sword wound on her back had vanished completely. Moreover, Koyori seemed in better condition than ever before, even compared to when they were in the Maze. It was as if her Vitality and Mana had been fully restored.
"I'll explain the details later. For now..."
Koyori glared at Reiji.
Having lost his right arm and left with only his left, Reiji's face twisted in a grimace.
"...The odds are against me. I'll postpone this revenge for another time. Wind Priestess, Kouga's Kunoichi. I withdraw."
He activated his Word Spirit, but a transparent barrier behind him blocked his retreat.
"Do you think I'd let you escape?"
"...A barrier...!"
Koyori charged at Reiji, who raised his sword with his left arm. He knew little about Yin-Yang Art and had no way to dispel the barrier. His only option was to fight Koyori and end this here.
"I'll subdue you and interrogate you about Baekrim!"
"...I'll strike from behind."
Reiji swung his sword, appearing behind Koyori.
Clang!
Koyori spun her spear backward, blocking the attack.
"I've grasped your Word Spirit. You use it to move your body with near-Space Displacement speed. Or rather, you can only control your own body."
"...I'll stab from the left."
Reiji aimed for Koyori's neck from the left.
Clang!
Again, her spear deflected the strike.
Thud! Thud! Shuriken flew and pierced Reiji's left flank.
"Gah!"
Reiji staggered.
"The weakness of Word Spirits is that they require speech. If I decipher your Word Spirit before you complete your incantation, I can counter it. And..."
A piece of paper flew from Koyori's grasp and sealed Reiji's mouth shut.
"If I seal your mouth, you can't use your Word Spirit."
Unlike their initial ambush, the Word Spirit proved ineffective this time. Moreover, Reiji was missing his dominant right hand, which he had lost while fighting Mio, and his body was exhausted. He couldn't display the overwhelming power he had shown during the ambush.
"..."
Reiji switched his grip on the Japanese sword in his left hand, feigning a swing at Koyori before plunging the blade into his own heart. His body collapsed to the floor.
"Suicide?!"
Cough!
The Shikigami paper stuck to his mouth, now stained crimson with blood, fell to the ground.
"...In the end, I repaid my life debt with my life."
Mio rushed to his side, attempting to staunch the bleeding, while Koyori used Yin-Yang Art, but it was already too late.
"Amatsuka... I'm genuinely curious... Can you tell me how your arm regenerated and became whole again? I'll probably wonder about that even in death."
"I've already told you!"
"...That damn Fujin," Reiji muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. Could it be that gods truly exist? As death approached, such bizarre thoughts filled his mind. His eyes began to close.
Koyori realized she couldn't save him. She urgently pressed him for answers.
"Tell me before you die! Why did Baekrim target me?! Why did he attack the participants of the Fuka Festival?!"
"...Cough. You're mistaken, Shrine Maiden... We weren't after you, nor were we after the participants."
"What?! Then what were they after...!"
"It's... over..."
Koyori gripped his shoulder, but he remained motionless.
"...Lady Koyori, he's dead."
"...Yes. He's stopped breathing."
Koyori sighed.
She searched his body but found nothing of value. The only clues were the words he had uttered before dying. As the High Shrine Maiden of Fuka Shrine, Koyori could guess what Baekrim had been after.
Only a handful of people, including myself, know about that... How did Baekrim...?
Stagger.
Mio swayed violently.
"Lady Mio!"
Koyori rushed to support her. Mio's clone had vanished without a trace.
"...Resting a bit should help. The man might have allies, so we should move to another location..."
"Yes, I'll move immediately."
A Barrier isn't foolproof. It can be destroyed by attacks or dispelled using Yin-Yang Art. Moving to a safer place is the best course of action.
Koyori supported Mio as they retraced their steps. After passing five forks in the path, they arrived at a dead end on three sides. Koyori carefully lowered Mio to the ground.
"Lady Mio, I'll remove your mask and clothes."
"...The mask..."
"...Understood. I won't touch the mask. But I need to examine your injuries."
Koyori began to undress Mio.
Her figure was flawless, without a trace of excess fat. However, a deep sword wound ran across her side and abdomen. If left untreated, it would quickly become fatal.
Koyori used Yin-Yang Art to administer emergency first aid, stopping the bleeding.
"We need to get out of this maze quickly... so she can receive proper treatment..." Koyori muttered, her voice troubled. They still didn't know how to escape the maze.
Just then...
"Ugh...! Lord of the Wind...!"
Fujin's hand stroked Koyori's back, conveying a suggestion rather than an order.
"B-but Lady Mio is wearing a mask..."
Koyori hesitated, then took a slow breath. As a Shrine Maiden serving Fujin, she chose to trust his guidance, but the decision was still hers to make.
"Lady Mio, Lord of the Wind believes he can help you. If you refuse, I won't force anything."
Koyori rose from her seat. After waiting for Mio's response, she stripped off her tattered clothes, including the black, lewd lingerie he had dressed her in. The lingerie vanished almost as soon as she removed it.
"...Lady Koyori?"
Mio stared at Koyori's naked form, bewildered. Koyori approached Mio.
"Lady Mio, Lord of the Wind says this can save you, but only if you accept it."
"..."
Looking into Koyori's eyes, Mio realized she spoke with genuine conviction. Koyori truly believed in "something" invisible, which she revered as the Lord of the Wind.
A single word flashed through Mio's mind: fanatic.
Koyori reached for Mio's mask.
"Lady Koyori... please, not the mask!"
Koyori paused. "Only if you permit it. Lord of the Wind says he needs to see your face to guide the healing."
After a brief hesitation, Mio gave a small nod, and Koyori lifted the mask away.
Mio's delicate face was revealed, resembling that of a cute cat. Her skin was snow-white and flawless, without a single scar.
Her hairstyle was a short bob in ash gray.
"...Lord Fujin says Lady Mio's face is adorable."
"...Ugh."
Mio's cheeks flushed crimson. She started to cover her face with her hands, then lowered them again with an embarrassed groan.
Suddenly, Koyori lowered herself over Mio's face.
"Mmmph?!"
Mio's nose brushed Koyori's folds, while her mouth was covered by Koyori's pussy. Mio felt the rough pubic hair against her lips and chin.
Mio tensed and raised her hands at once. Koyori immediately lifted her hips enough for Mio to breathe and answer.
"Lady Mio... I'm sorry for startling you. Lord Fujin believes this will help, but if you want me to stop, I will."
"Hngh... If it will heal me, then do it. Just... warn me first."
Slap, slap.
Mio patted Koyori's thigh and waist to steady her, and Koyori nodded.
Following Lord Fujin's guidance, Koyori slowly moved her hips back and forth.
"Hngh! Ah!"
Mio's sharp nose brushed Koyori's folds before her mouth settled more firmly on Koyori's pussy. After repeating this motion dozens of times, Koyori's pussy gradually began to moisten.
"Ah, ahh... Lord Fujin...!"
At some point, Koyori stopped moving. Lord Fujin's touch had begun to caress her breasts, armpits, face, pussy, and other parts of her body.
Koyori lifted herself enough for Mio to breathe properly. As Mio gasped for air, a sour taste lingered on her tongue. Then a pink liquid began to well into Koyori's cupped hand.
"Lady Mio! It's a potion! Drink it! It's a blessing from Lord Fujin!"
Koyori brought her hand to Mio's lips, and a pink, high-grade healing potion flowed from her palm into Mio's mouth.
Mio was dumbfounded, but she quickly began to drink. Ninjas prioritize efficiency over appearances, and in this situation, recovering her body was paramount.
Gulp, gulp.
She swallowed the potion. It took effect rapidly, though part of the blessing faded as it left Koyori's hand.
Yet more of the high-grade Potion kept welling into Koyori's palm, allowing Mio to recover quickly.
"Ah... Aaaah... Mmm..."
Mio gently pushed Koyori, who was lost in ecstasy, to the side. Koyori maintained her balance and squatted down, excess Potion spilling from her hand onto the floor.
"...Lady Koyori, I'm fine now. Thank you."
"The thanks should go to Lord Fujin, not me. He bestowed the Potion upon you."
Mio hesitated. She still harbored doubts about the existence of Lord Fujin. But it was undeniable that the Potion had healed her body, and she also had to consider her relationship with Koyori.
"...Thank you, Lord of the Wind."
Mio bowed to the empty air and picked up the mask that had fallen to the ground.
"Lady Mio, the Lord of the Wind commands you not to wear the mask."
"Even if it's the Lord of the Wind, this is..."
"Sacrilegious."
"...I apologize."
Mio quickly put the mask back on. Koyori, frowning, was about to protest but stopped abruptly. Fujin had indicated it was acceptable.
"Ah... the Lord of the Wind is truly merciful... Ahhng! If you pull my breasts like that... Ahhh..."
Koyori, crouching naked, her full breasts lifted upward. Something invisible Fujin was grasping her light brown nipples with both hands and pulling them upward.
"Ugh... ugh... grrr...!"
Koyori threw her head back. Mio sensed that she was experiencing not only pain but also pleasure. The subtle upward curve of her lips seemed to confirm this.
"Haa... haa... Yes... yes... I understand...! I accept Lord of the Wind's blessing...!"
Koyori abruptly stood up.
With her knees slightly bent and legs spread wide, she thrust her pussy into the air. Not only that, but she also used both hands to pull apart her labia majora, revealing her twitching labia minora and gaping vaginal opening. Her clitoris stood erect and rigid.
"For Lord of the Wind, I offer the purity I have preserved for thirty-three years... by my own will... right here, right now...!"