AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Chapter 460: Guardian Spirit — Kagura Maki
"This is the place, right?"
Wiping off the blood of a Kagura Zaibatsu guard that had accidentally splattered on his abs, Yashiro Nanakase pointed in the direction of an ancient shrine nestled amidst green foliage.
"It's right here."
Chris, whose perception of Orochi's aura was the strongest, nodded with a smile. The specks of blood still on his face only added to the cruelty of his smile.
"Mortals truly are useless. Such a large zaibatsu headquarters, yet not a single person capable of stopping us."
Shermie, whose eyes were completely hidden by her bangs but whose cleavage was fully exposed, casually took the stun baton she'd snatched from a guard, thrust it into her palm, and then pressed the electrocution switch.
As the stun baton crackled, a look of pleasure curved Shermie's lips.
And not far in front of the trio, at the very center of the Kagura Grand Shrine's main building, a mirror that appeared somewhat hazy from a distance was openly displayed.
Yashiro Nanakase strode forward, taking the lead and directly entering the shrine. But the moment his large foot stepped through the shrine's main gate, the dull gray mirror suddenly lit up brightly.
On the Yata no Kagami, a divine artifact existing in physical form, a phantom image almost identical to Kagura Chizuru suddenly appeared.
This situation startled the New Faces Team. They had seen Kagura Chizuru fall, severely wounded. Could she have awakened prematurely!?
Yashiro Nanakase's first reaction was to attack!
Still with almost no wind-up, one of the fastest and most powerful ultimate moves in the entire '97 world view, Final Impact, was decisively thrown directly at the divine mirror's surface.
But the moment he threw his punch, the mirror surface of the Yata no Kagami, held by Kagura Maki's soul, clearly reflected Yashiro Nanakase's own image. Moreover, it was an image throwing an identical punch in reverse... A fist, identical to Yashiro Nanakase's original in both speed and power, burst out of the mirror and directly collided with the original!
Boom!
A violent shockwave, centered on the collision of the two fists, instantly swept through the entire shrine, blowing away a large number of objects on the spot, including the New Faces Team themselves!
Yashiro Nanakase, knocked flying, barely managed to adjust his posture in mid-air, allowing him to roll and scramble to his feet upon landing, looking at the Yata no Kagami with a look of bewildered uncertainty.
The mirror image that had just punched Yashiro Nanakase had already shattered the moment the punch was completed.
The Yata no Kagami could create mirror images, and not just its own.
As one of the divine artifacts used to seal Orochi, the Yata no Kagami inherently possessed a special sensitivity to the bloodline of the Heavenly Kings. Kagura Chizuru's unconsciousness had instead triggered an automatic defense mechanism for Maki's soul, which was slumbering within the mirror, causing her to briefly awaken.
Actually, according to the original game design, there was no clear statement regarding the whereabouts of Kagura Maki's soul. It was only clearly mentioned that when Kagura Maki was killed in '96, her "physical body was destroyed," with no mention of her soul's subsequent whereabouts, nor any clear indication that Maki's soul resided within the Yata no Kagami.
And at this point, the existence of players became particularly important.
Especially individuals whose strength or influence was sufficient to affect dungeon settings had considerable reference significance for the automatic refinement of dungeon settings.
Cheng Tian was such an existence.
The Ikari Warriors Team, who should have known nothing about Cheng Tian, gained prior knowledge and understanding of him directly because of Cheng Tian's "Metal Slug" save file history and legendary status. Other players were not quite qualified enough.
And Cheng Tian not only connected some SNK backgrounds but also brought a series of soul-side rules.
Among them, the derivative rule "Guardian Spirit" from "Soul Salvation" had the greatest impact.
This rule, which allowed a soul to be completely preserved by residing in some item, and even appear to fight when necessary, was very suitable for explaining the reason for Kagura Maki's soul preservation.
Currently, Saoul Toppa and Vega are typical Guardian Spirits, although the latter still refuses to be used by Cheng Tian.
Even further, Stands, in a sense, can also be considered a type of Guardian Spirit.
Coupled with the fact that several important NPCs in King of Fighters '97 would have varying degrees of home-field advantage, Kagura Maki's soul thus appeared in the form of residing within the Yata no Kagami.
The situation in other worlds is unclear for now, but at least here, Kagura Maki truly exists, it's just that Kagura Chizuru herself isn't aware of it.
By residing in the divine artifact, Kagura Maki could, to some extent, unleash greater power from the artifact than her sister, but the prerequisite was that her weakness could not be discovered... a very fatal weakness.
Yashiro Nanakase, whose temper was flaring, wanted to act again, but was immediately grabbed by Shermie, who was very skilled in locks and throws, from behind, holding him in place with a neck lock.
Chris had instructed her.
"Why are you going crazy over a mirror? I think your muscles have gone to your brain."
Chris, with a rather venomous tongue, rolled his eyes at Yashiro Nanakase.
His innocent cruelty was due to his personality, but the pure Heavenly King blood flowing through him, capable of withstanding Orochi's descent, also meant that Chris actually had the potential to be a well-rounded fighter.
With just one clash, Chris had caught a crucial point: the "mirror" in Yata no Kagami.
A mirror indiscriminately reflects everyone's image. From this, it can be inferred that anyone who attacks the mirror might create a mirror image of equal strength to counterattack.
In other words, as long as they could avoid being reflected by the mirror... Under Chris's instruction, Yashiro Nanakase and Shermie, once released, directly tried to bypass the Yata no Kagami from both sides of the suspended mirror, attempting to get behind it, right in front of Kagura Maki.
Kagura Maki's expression didn't change, but she was clearly in a panic internally.
Having the Yata no Kagami's greatest weakness discovered in a single encounter immediately put Kagura Maki in a predicament.
If Chizuru were still conscious, she could directly recall the physically existing Yata no Kagami to her side through the power of her bloodline. This was also Kagura Chizuru's greatest reliance in daring to enshrine the divine artifact within the main shrine.
But now, it seemed there was only one terrible outcome left: the mirror destroyed, the soul gone, and the Orochi seal greatly weakened.
"I'm sorry, Chizuru..."
Thoughts raced through her mind. Kagura Maki sighed, the guilt towards her ancestors churning within her, finally settling on an apology to her sister.
But at the same time, her gaze became exceptionally firm.
Since I can't escape the fate of the mirror being destroyed and my soul perishing, at least let me take one of you Orochi's lackeys with me!
Fists, feet, palms, earth, lightning, and flames—three different elements attached to the attacks of Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie, and Chris respectively, all striking towards the Yata no Kagami simultaneously!
And the light on the Yata no Kagami shone brighter than ever before.
But at this very moment, a passionate voice, as if transcending time and space, echoed above the shrine.
"Za Warudo!"
Time stopped at this instant.
One second later, it began to flow again.
The Yata no Kagami and Kagura Maki's soul had vanished, and in the eyes of the three Hachijesshu, only each other remained.
Meanwhile, the Stand World, holding the soul of Kagura Maki and the divine artifact Yata no Kagami, looked down from above at the Hachijesshu clashing with each other below.