CH 96.4

"Whoa, they're back again!?"

"What the hell, what's that!? They're sticking to those big guys' bodies!"

"D*mn, are they parasitizing their comrades' bodies!?"

The flea youkai monsters moved and sucked blood from the bodies of the large youkai. As they approached the fortress wall, they launched continuous attacks. But the wall barricades provided effective defense against the reckless charges of the fleas. Firstly, their aim was poor, and instead of hitting people, they often collided with the barricades or fell to the ground beyond the barricades. They failed to achieve anything and self-destructed.

However, it was also a fact that even if the soldiers wore armor, their bodies would be torn in half if they leaned out. And the soldiers were different from the fleas who didn't care about their own lives.

As a result, the soldiers couldn't help but hide behind the shadow of the wall barricades, and their counterattacks became sporadic. And as if it was planned, other monsters attacked the boundary. They rushed towards several points like a muddy stream. Dozens of youkai were annihilated by the it... However, taking advantage of a momentary flaw in the boundary, several insects managed to slip inside.

While their bodies were being burned in the ongoing process, they continued to climb the boundary one after another.

"Whoa!?"

"Sh*t! They're here!!?"

Taking advantage of the confusion and the inability of the soldiers to counterattack properly, a partially charred flying locust youkai managed to climb over the boundary. The soldiers stepped back involuntarily, intimidated by its furious appearance and the clicking of its jaws.

"You d*mn nuisance."

The one who jumped in from the side and cut off the head of the hesitating flying locust was a figure wearing a black outfit. Amidst the fear of the army soldiers, the black-clad individuals belonging to the Onitsuki family's group of servants, who were kept in reserve as auxiliary forces, actively stepped forward. They killed the monsters who tried to climb over the wall barricades, stabbing them, beating them, and then kicked them out of the barricades. Some even repelled the fleas that jumped at them. Without any hesitation, they skillfully eliminated the youkai in a calm manner.

In fact, for them, it was nothing out of the ordinary considering their usual job. After all, most of their opponents were young youkai, weakened by the arrows and boundaries of the army soldiers, so it was an easy task for them to attack them one by one.

And leading them, Murasaki was not just arrogantly giving orders.

"They managed to climb up sooner than expected. Can't be helped... 'Dust Sweep (塵払いChiriharai)'!"

Feeling frustrated by the army soldiers' disadvantage, Murasaki immediately swung her sword. She executed a single horizontal strike, and it proved to be sufficient.

With just that, the countless youkai monsters that had been climbing the barricades, sacrificing numerous comrades, were swept up in a gust of wind. They were then slammed diagonally into the ground at high speed, crushed into a mass of flesh. There were easily over fifty of them. Seeing this spectacle, the soldiers of the army couldn't help but feel amazed and deeply respectful.

'Dust Sweep (塵払いChiriharai),' one of the basic techniques of the Akō-style, was a simple skill that involved the act of gathering and getting rid of a variety of insignificant individuals. Murasaki herself didn't consider it a significant skill. However, from a human's perspective, the technique she unleashed was worthy of admiration.

"Calm down!! How significant are these youkai demons?! If you watch out even for the jumping fleas, the rest are just half-dead insects. Push forward and exterminate them! Or are you all a bunch of useless cowards!"

Murasaki pushed back the flea that had jumped at her with her sword and rallied the shaken army soldiers.

Even though she borrowed the action from her father and brother, it might have been more successful than her own original approach. When even a young girl can express this to them, it greatly damages a man's sense of pride. Naturally, the soldiers in the army equipped themselves with swords and spears, forcefully defeating the crawling insects and throwing them aside. The frightening possibility of the frontline collapsing in chaos was temporarily avoided.

...However, it was an undeniable fact that the situation was deteriorating.

"I guess this is the limit around here... 'Strike Out (打ち出せUchidase)"

Acknowledging that the hedgehog shiki were being swallowed up by the sea of insects, Shirowakamaru raised his index finger to his lips and whispered. At the same time, it happened. The needle from the back of the porcupines were simultaneously shot out, piercing the surrounding youkai. In response to the sudden attack, the insect youkai that had been struck in the head or abdomen by the quills screamed in agony. Shirowakamaru's lips twisted into a sadistic grin at the sight. The effect was remarkable. So, as a finishing touch...

"Hehe, 'ExploBurst (爆ろBakuro)'"

Immediately after the sorcerer's command, the hedgehog youkai without needles that had dived into the swarm of insects rapidly expanded like balloons and instantly burst. As a result of the explosion, numerous projectiles concealed within them scattered in every direction. More than twenty improvised self-destruct attacks occurred simultaneously. Coupled with the previous needle projectiles, at least a hundred youkai were affected by the sacrifice and met their demise.

"Not exactly a great achievement, huh?"

The perpetrator of the somewhat cruel self-destruct attack seemed indifferent about it.

In reality, the casualties of that attack were mostly insignificant small youkai or lower. While it briefly halted the avalanche of insects, the mindless creatures quickly resumed their advance.

"They keep coming. Can't be helped. 'Shiki Soldier (式兵Shikibyou)'"

Shirowakamaru clicked his tongue and released a new type of shikigami. They were humanoid dolls wielding swords and spears. Though they would turn into mere scraps of paper with a single blow, their usefulness depended on how they were utilized. For now, any additional fighting power was welcomed. The young boy ordered the dolls to intercept the crawling insects.

"Ugh!! 'Earth Manipulation (土弄Tsuchi-misao)'!!"

Sensing the presence, Murasaki quickly unleashed her technique. The youkai that had silently approached the wall barricade from underground during the ground battle were pulverized by the 'Impact (衝撃Shōgeki)' technique, shattering them before they could jump out onto the surface and turning them into minced meat.

Unfortunately, she couldn't kill them all.

'Groarrrrrr!!'

Several wounded earthworms and centipedes leaped out from the ground near the barricade. The army soldiers momentarily startled but quickly shot arrows, taking down one of them. Murasaki followed up by slashing two more in half.

The last remaining big earthworm was badly hurt and almost dying. It climbed onto the castle's barricade, where nearby soldiers shot arrows and threw spears at it.

In its dying moments, the big earthworm tore its head into eight pieces. And then it spewed forth a rain of miscellaneous insects.

"Uwaaaah!?"

A soldier who had approached for an attack screamed as a swarm of insects covered his head. They gnawed at his flesh, sucked his blood, and tried to crawl into every opening in his body. Nearby comrades pulled them away, slamming them onto the ground and crushing them underfoot.

"Are you alright!?"

"It hurts, it hurts! D*mn it, it's disgusting!"

A soldier, covered in slime, with his body torn apart and flesh shredded by the insects, cried out in agony. His comrades tried to lead him away, but a shadow loomed over them in an instant.

Before they could even scream in response, they were crushed by a newly hatched cicada. The pulpa of the cicada, which emerged from a hole dug by the giant earthworm, immediately molted into its adult form, took flight, and landed on the barricade.

"D*mn it, one after another...!!"

Murasaki, who arrived on the scene, immediately struck the cicada, sending it flying. The cicada returned to the hole it had come from and perished, crushing the following insects beneath it.

"Miss MurasakiMurasaki-sama, a new wave is coming!"

"Huh!? How many!?"

Muja from the Hidden Group arrived at Murasaki's side, reporting while taking down a few small youkai along the way. Murasaki widened her eyes and asked.

"…About a thousand. The breakdown is almost entirely low-level insect youkai just like the first line."

"Disgusting of these small fry to cause such trouble!! If only the calamity youkai were absent...!!"

Upon hearing Muja's report, Murasaki's expression twisted in anger. If only there were no calamity youkai, she could have taken the lead and massacred these insects easily. There was no need to sacrifice army soldiers to fight against such lowly opponents...!!

"It's shameful that exorcists have to make humans fight like this...!"

Exorcists are supposed to protect the emperor and the common people from the youkai, but Murasaki's lack of spiritual power makes her rely on humans to fight instead. She felt helpless and embarrassed, especially since they were backed into a corner and her own efforts seemed pointless. Ideally, she should have been at the forefront of the battle against the youkai.

...Even if it meant sacrificing herself like that servant.

Feeling angry at her own judgement of sending the servant outside without considering her own safety, she tightened her grip on her sword and focused on what she should be doing.

But then, a wrinkled old woman smiled at her.

"Wha...!?"

Startled, Murasaki raised her sword. Muja, who had been standing next to her, and nearby army soldiers noticed and drew their weapons. At that moment, the giant old woman raised her arm.

With a deafening boom, a corner of the fortress wall exploded along with soldiers and youkai...

* * *

"...!?"

Hotoya Tamaki, who had been sitting at the gate watching the situation at hand under Murasaki's orders, witnessed the shocking sight of a corner of the wall exploding into dust from the window. As she recalls, Murasaki was on her way to that area to rescue the victims.

"Young ladyHime-sama!?!"

A scream echoed beside her. It was Yona, Murasaki's personal maid. She distorted her face with shock and disbelief as she headed towards her master's room through the door of the lower floor. However, she stopped on the staircase.

'*Squeaking Sound*!!'

'*Chirping Sound*!!'