The pillar of light dissipated. The sea of clouds closed, then was torn open again by the morning wind, revealing a few cracks. Thin light leaked through, spilling over the ruins of the Tahōtō.
Shinji descended from the sky. The remnants of lightning still lingered around his ankles. The moment he landed, purple electric arcs spread several yards across the ground, crackling as they scorched the surrounding rubble.
His breathing was a bit heavy. Not from the exertion of the battle, though it had indeed been taxing. Fighting that demon high in the sky, [Lightning-Muscle Sharp Body] had been running at near full capacity the entire time.
But most of his fatigue came from mental strain. Constructing a cage of blood mist and lightning above the clouds while simultaneously coordinating with Kikyō's spiritual lenses to focus and refract the dawn light, still below the horizon any deviation, and the light would have missed its target.
But it had worked.
That demon, which had devoured thousands of lives, under the focused and amplified sunlight, hadn't even struggled for long. Its demonic aura was first weakened by spiritual power, then its regeneration was burned away by the sunlight. Both weaknesses struck at once; the cycle was broken.
Its final roar echoed across the sea of clouds for a few breaths, then its entire body turned to black ash, blown cleanly away by the high-altitude winds. Not even a trace remained.
You could say it both won and lost because of Muzan. Without that demon blood, given Kikyō's spiritual power's restraint against demonic aura, even if this creature at its prime had approached a great demon, without Kidōmaru's speed, it probably wouldn't have lasted long.
But with the demon blood, it had also become vulnerable to sunlight and heat.
Shinji sheathed Muramasa. The blade was still warm.
He looked down at the cat demon's paw in his robe.
[Cat Demon's Paw: Affection +10]
[Current Affection: 90 (Symbiosis)]
[It is satisfied. It absorbed a portion of the death energy that demon had accumulated over centuries, the moment of its demise. It is growing stronger.]
Soon. Soon he would gain another transformation.
Shinji tucked the paw back into his robe and looked up, surveying his surroundings. The ruins of the Tahōtō were a mess. The five-story spiritual tower had completely collapsed. Black wood lay scattered everywhere. The pillars carved with Sanskrit were broken into several pieces. The golden light of the seals had long since died, leaving only dark carvings.
The seal was gone. Centuries of suppression, destroyed in a single collapse.
And the one who had caused it all,
Shinji's gaze fell on a figure at the edge of the ruins.
Tsubaki.
She lay in a pile of rubble, her white-and-red shrine maiden robes stained with dust and blood. Her beautiful face was now twisted beyond recognition. Her dark red pupils had lost all light of reason. Her canine teeth protruded, her fingernails sharp as claws.
Half-human, half-demon.
The demon blood she had drunk, after the other demon was destroyed, did not disappear from her body. Instead, without the external demonic pressure to suppress it, it began to erode her body even more recklessly.
Her skin was graying. Starting from her fingertips, spreading up her arms, like a layer of grey-white frost slowly covering her entire being.
Demonization. Irreversible demonization. The balance she had maintained with her spiritual power for so long finally collapsed after her spiritual energy was exhausted.
"Heh… hehe…" The corner of Tsubaki's mouth still smiled, a grating, mocking smile. "Failed again…" Her voice was hoarse, fragmented. "Got… nothing…"
Her gaze turned to the sky. Through the gaps in the eastern clouds, dawn light no longer needed the spiritual lenses to focus, it was morning. Truly morning.
Golden sunlight crossed the mountain ridges, spilling over the ruins of the Tahōtō. Spilling over her.
Tsubaki's body began to smoke. That same white vapor she had seen before at the demon slayer village, a demon dissolving in sunlight. The demon blood within her had no resistance to the sun.
"Kikyō…" Tsubaki turned her head to look at the white-and-red figure standing not far away.
Kikyō stood at the edge of the ruins, her longbow hanging at her side, her long black hair gently stirring in the morning breeze. Her face was calm. Her dark eyes looked at Tsubaki without pity, without hatred. Only silence.
"You won." Tsubaki's lips moved. The venom and jealousy that had not yet been spoken burned to ash in the sunlight. "From the very beginning… you won…"
"But I still… won't accept it…"
Neither would she give up, nor would it end.
Meaningless.
Death was her only ending.
The white vapor spread from her limbs to her torso, from her torso to her head. Finally, that beautiful face too dissolved in the first light of morning.
All that remained was a pile of white ash.
And a string of prayer beads. Dark brown wooden beads, linked by a thin cord, scattered beside the ash, covered in dust.
A ritual tool used by Tahōtō shrine maidens in their training, prayer beads. The thing Tsubaki had taken from her master's school, her companion for who knew how many years.
Shinji walked over, crouched, and picked up the beads. They felt smooth to the touch, carrying a faint residual spiritual power.
The panel appeared.
[Detectet target]
[Tahōtō Shrine Maiden's Prayer Beads]
[Quality: Demonic Artifact (Latent)]
[Current Affection: 0 (Unconscious)]
[Evaluation: They once belonged to a highly talented shrine maiden who walked the wrong path. But a ritual tool is neither good nor evil. It simply faithfully records the traces of its owner's lifetime of spiritual power. Though Tsubaki's spiritual power has dissipated, the essence of that shrine maiden, the lingering thoughts within the beads, remains. If you can awaken it, it will become a fine tool.]
Demonic artifact quality. Unconscious for now, but with potential.
Shinji tucked the beads into his robe without comment.
He stood and turned his head.
Momiji and Botan stood a few steps away, their faces pale. They looked at the pile of ash, at the place where their senior sister had vanished. Their lips moved, but nothing came out.
Silence stretched for a long time, until the morning light had dispelled every shadow from the ruins.
Finally, Momiji moved. She walked to Kikyō. And then, she bowed deeply. Not an ordinary bow, but one so low her forehead nearly touched her knees, the utmost apology.
"Lady Kikyō," her voice was very soft, full of remorse. "We were wrong. From the very beginning, we were completely wrong. We believed everything Senior Sister said… We didn't verify, didn't think, just believed because she was our senior sister. And we nearly… nearly harmed you, and the people of that village."
Botan also bowed, her movements clumsy, tears welling up in her large eyes again, falling at her feet. "I'm sorry, Lady Kikyō… I'm sorry…"
Kikyō looked at them. In her dark eyes, there was no blame. She reached out and pressed her hand on Momiji's shoulder.
"Lift your head."
Momiji looked up. Tears clung to her eyelashes, reflecting the morning light.
"You did nothing wrong." Kikyō's voice was calm, but each word was clear. "Trusting your elders is not a mistake. Just in the future, see with your own eyes. Judge with your own heart. Don't take others' words as your own answers."
Momiji bit her lip and nodded firmly. Botan sniffled and nodded too.
Shinji stood to the side, not interrupting. He just turned the prayer beads in his hand, then tucked them into his pocket.
His gaze fell to the ground beneath his feet. The ruins of the Tahōtō. Barren land for miles around. After centuries of the seal being gone, this land, eroded by demonic aura for hundreds of years, was slowly recovering.
No, not just recovering.
When Kikyō's spiritual lenses had refracted the sunlight high in the sky, they had also purified the residual demonic and impure energy from this area. Add to that the complete dissipation of the evil demon's centuries of resentment, driven away by the morning light.
This land was clean. Cleaner than before it was sealed.
Shinji could feel a faint vibration from the soil beneath his feet. Not an earthquake, not a stirring of demonic aura. But… a response. A response from the land itself.
Just like the recognition the Kantō land had given him after he had slain the four directional demons in one night at Kaede Village.
The panel appeared.
[Kantō Land Affection +1]
[Current Affection: 2]
[Evaluation: You have once again purified the defilement on this land. The earth remembers you. It will give you more in return but that also means more things are watching you.]
Affection two. From one to two, seeming insignificant. But Shinji knew this was a real change.
When he had first gained affection one from the land, he had already been able to call upon its power in battle, bone spurs growing from the soil, lightning surging from the ley lines, blood mist seeping into the mountains and rocks. That had been his trump card when facing Kidōmaru.
Now, affection had become two. He didn't yet know the exact change, but he could vaguely feel it, the land beneath his feet had become more familiar. Like going from a stranger to a nodding acquaintance. Still far from being truly on his side, but the direction was right.
Given time… perhaps he truly could stand upon this land and be invincible, even against great demons, earthly gods and buddhas, and even… the Demon King.
Shinji withdrew his senses and looked at Kikyō. She had released Momiji's shoulder and turned to face him. The morning light fell on her. Her white top was pressed to her torso by the breeze, outlining the thin lines of her shoulders and back. The hem of her red hakama was dusty and damp with dew, but her upright posture showed no fatigue.
She looked at him. He looked at her. Neither spoke. Nothing needed to be said.
The demon was destroyed, Tsubaki was gone, the Tahōtō's seal was no longer an issue. Everything was resolved.
Kikyō walked to his side and stopped. They stood shoulder to shoulder, facing east. The morning light grew brighter. Golden rays filled the entire ruin, driving away the remaining shadows inch by inch.
"Let's go home," Shinji said.
Kikyō didn't answer. She just nodded slightly. But her left hand, hanging at her side, quietly touched the back of his hand. He didn't grasp it. Just leaned his hand back, pressing against her fingertips.