Two Hundred And Sixty-Three

Two Hundred And Sixty-Three

For a few moments the Territory resisted me, trying to prevent my entry to the Boundary. It was as if the Territory barrier was striving to keep me out, but considering the strength of it, I believed I could force my way through if necessary, but it didn’t come to that, as suddenly the Territory yielded, welcoming me in. Opening my eyes, it didn’t take long for Eri, Kana and my sis to appear.

“Damn, that was uncomfortable. Never felt that before.” My sis said, and Eri nodded. Kana, who had less experience, merely waited for my answer.

“I’m guessing it’s because we dived into a Territory that wasn’t our own and was properly Anchored. In any case, it seems to have relented. Shall we meet up with Yamato-san and the other two?”

“Ugh, I don’t want to.” Kana said, crossing her arms, looking peeved. “But I guess you can’t put him in his place if we don’t.”

We opened up the door to the small room we were in, revealing a spectacular sight. The main chamber of the shrine was massive, defying the laws of physics, occupying far more space than its outer size should have allowed. I see, it’s a dungeon, in effect. Massive, gilded braziers lined the walls, blazing with golden and white flames that did not flicker, casting a brilliant glow. The statue of Kannon was there too, towering into the sky far more magnificently than its glory in the Material, arms outstretched, each as thick as tree trunks, and it radiated a powerful presence. My Eye could not help but respond...

Glorious Idol of Kannon Rank ??? Unique – This building exists at Kiyomizu-dera. It will strengthen all light-aspected creatures and allies under the command of the owner of this Territory, and this ability will be magnified for Kannon, other kami of the shrine and their adherents. Kannon and kami of Kiyomizu-dera can gather more adherence and utilise it more efficiently. Light element production and purity in the area will be increased, very slightly increasing the chance of unique elemental lights forming. Ether Spires within the Territory will generate light elemental energy and additional adherence.

I let out a dull whistle, jealous. Damn, that makes the White Snake Earth Altar look weak. I guess this is a major shrine, so I have to expect better stuff here...

“It puts our shrine to shame.” Kana said, thinking the same thing. “But... we can do better, can’t we?” she grabbed my arm. “You could have a statue of Shirohebi built that’s that impressive, right?”

As Eri rolled her eyes and my sis snickered, I shook my head. “Physically, yes, I could get the kobolds to do it, though we’d not have enough silver, assuming you wanted to make it out of precious metals like this one. But... it’s the adherence. The statue is soaked with it, probably over hundreds, thousands of years, which is what makes it special. Still...” I breathed in the light energy around, indigo energies suffusing the area. It fought with my darkness and was quickly scattered, stinging my network, causing internal damage, but Ether Healing easily took care of that. “... when the Earth Altar is upgraded again, it’ll grow and be better. I intend to do it on our return, anyway.”

As Kana thanked me, I turned to Eri and Aiko. “Eri, careful. The light element opposes your darkness. You’ll take damage to your chakra network if you can’t balance it. As for you, Aiko... go crazy. Draw in all you can. It’s not sunlight, but let’s not be greedy. If you can learn light element, that’d be good enough.” If we get Ren-san to train here, he could use the mirror to store a ton of light element, convert it to sunlight, and... profit.

“I’ll be careful.” Eri was already taking damage, but she had Ether Healing at the first Rank, like Aiko did, so she should be able to cope, and if not I could assist. As we finished admiring the impressive, yet empty halls, noting golden Ether Spires jutting up amidst the braziers, the owner of this Territory, Yamato-san, and his two allied Candidates arrived.

“Hey there!” Mine said enthusiastically. “This place sure is cool. Makes my shrine look like a dump.”

Should you be saying that? Your kami will be angry... The other guy didn’t say anything, leaving it to Yamato-san to speak. Before he did though, six golden warriors shimmered into life around him, and these felt somewhat stronger than the one on the Material. They bore different weapons, sword, spear, axe, mace, flail and a huge two-handed blade. On seeing those, Kana looked at me nervously, but I merely winked, reassuring her I could handle them. I’m sure I could. They’re strong, no doubt, outmatching a troll in stats, but I still have them well beaten... my Eye was shining, and I read the data.

Golden Warrior of Kannon – these warriors, with excellent speed, strength and durability, can be called upon by those blessed by Kannon. They will dispense mercy to the evil, freeing their souls to do penance in Yomi. Yet if one uses them for ill, Kannon will show her displeasure.

“Yes, it is rather impressive.” I conceded. “But... rather empty. Where are your troops, Yamato-san?”

“Troops?” he looked puzzled and annoyed. “None of the kami that Kiyomizu-dera venerates are weak enough to manifest here. I have had to strive alone, but for my golden warriors.”

“Oh yeah, you mean like... well, my shrine has a load of creatures who dwell there. They’ve helped me out a bit.” Mine-san declared boisterously.

“My bro has a whole army, hundreds and hundreds of troops.” Aiko grinned. “No fancy golden statues though.”

At her words, Yamato-san looked surprised. “So, you can enter here, despite not being chosen? Hikawa-san spoke the truth.”

“Well, of course.” Kana snorted sourly. “My father and grandfather tried to tell you that. Akio has mastered the art of Chirurgery. And he uses it to help us grow stronger.” She sounded proud, as if it was her own achievement, only looking down and flushing when Eri stared at her silently for a while.

“I see.” Yamato-san said, frowning, deep in thought. He then took in the equipment Eri, Aiko and I was wearing, though before he could speak, Mine-san chimed in. She’s certainly a genki girl, for sure, very energetic and forward...

“That dress, it’s like super cute.” She gushed over Eri. “That axe though, not sure it suits a pretty girl like you.”

“Oh, it does. I use it to cut down pests that buzz around Akio.” She warned, eliciting a giggle from Mine-san, who hopped over to Aiko.

“Leather huh? That’s a good look. That bow though... whoa, it’s like... totally on fire. Cool! Where did you get that? Is that a sacred relic? My shrine didn’t have any, our place is a dump. But I can see Yamato-sama has some!”

Yes, I noticed that. He was wearing golden vestments, as well as carrying what looked like a censer to burn incense, and I could smell sandalwood, aloe, lotus and saffron.

“Actually, my bro and Shaeula won it from her brother. So it’s a genuine magical item.” She grinned. “But my bro’s gear, that’s all custom-made, right?”

I nodded, and it was then Kana grabbed my arm again, something she seemed to be doing more often. “Hey, Akio, why don’t I have anything?” she pouted, still wearing just hakama.

“Because you don’t fight.” Eri shot her down. “If you could level, Akio would make sure you had what you needed.”

“Ugh...” she conceded, pouting, only to look surprised as I handed her my spear.

“Use this for now. I’m fine with swords and pistols.” I told her, as she blushed.

“Thanks, Akio...” she said in a small, mosquito-buzz voice.

“Enough of this. I am very busy, and I still need to meet more shrines with my father before tomorrow and the Conclave.” Yamato-san said. Mine-san shrugged, hopping back to him, whistling, and we regrouped. “So, you understand the majesty of Kannon now, I believe?”

“Yeah, I certainly do.” I agreed. “But... this Territory, it’s only Rank 2? I would have thought with such a wealth of Ether and light element, you could have pushed it to Rank 3, though without troops... yeah, you’d have to take some significant risks and be here a lot...”

“Kyoto is hardly so safe as to be able to afford the long period of weakness.” Yamato-san sighed. “Which is why Conclave is so important. We need to gather and allocate the faithful properly. Though we will still not have the numbers...” his eyes lingered on the girls then. “... or so I would like to say. If ordinary people can be made useful...”

“They still don’t compare to most Candidates.” I warned. “But we’ll give you a show. So, what’s your problem you wanted us to help you with? In exchange, I’d like to have access to this Territory for a while. The light element here is pretty dense, and I’ve been wanting some.” It’d certainly shock the Diviner if I turned up with light element...

“Light element? You mean the indigo energies?” Yamato-san asked. “The Golden Warriors are stronger when within it.”

“Yes, you must know the elements. Earth, water, wind, flame, light, darkness...” I left out spatial, wood/nature, lightning and other more complicated ones. “The energy can be used.”

“And how do you know this?” The silent priest spoke up, looking intrigued. “My ability is one of water. I do feel stronger when I am by rivers or lakes.”

I remember deciding that this whole mess with the Candidates was a Gu vessel. Kodoku was the Japanese version of that myth, right? And a Tsukumogami is a tool that has become a spiritual being, I think? Shit...

“Beware the mists!” Yamato-san cried. “It will rot you if it touches you. The creatures are not to be underestimated as well. They are endless so long as the pot lives!”

“In that case, like... we take out the pot?” Mine-san said, and my sister agreed.

“On it.” She loosed an arrow, which blazed into flame, the bright yellow blaze strengthened by her own fire element now. It soared towards the pot, only for a spider to leap up and block it, dying as the arrow consumed it. “Damn. That was a good shot too...” she reached for another arrow.

“If it was that easy, I would have defeated it by now!” Yamato-san declared, two more of the statues starting to collapse, the other three holding back the host, smashing and stomping the vermin tide, green, red, blue and silver gore splattering the streets and overhanging walls. “But together, perhaps...”

“Well, time to show off what that creepy snake Ugajin gave me.” Mine-san slandered her own patron, which I felt was unwise. “Growth!” she called, and vines burst from the ground, reminding me of Hyacinth and her attacks. A rich nature element was radiating from it, and the front rank of bugs was snared. Even so, the fog was starting to eat through it quickly, but that didn’t seem to phase her. “And decay!” she called, and suddenly the vines withered, and as they died so did the creatures they were holding, and as they turned to dust, bright ether spilled. “Not bad, yeah?” she finished. “I’m like... not bad at all!”

“The numbers are endless though.” Yamato-san warned. A fourth golden statue was overwhelmed, wrapped in snake coils and pulled down by massive centipedes. Aiko was loosing arrows at the pot, but each one was blocked by a sacrifice. Eri was clutching her axe, unable to get close, and Kana... She’ll be fine. She wanted to come... it’ll be a good lesson.

“The river flows, the banks break. Let all be washed away by the fury of the floods!” the priest declared, and my Eye could see water element surging within him, moments before a wall of water burst into being, sweeping away the low-lying fog and crushing the front rank of the creatures, dashing dozens to pieces on the walls or drowning them. Even so, the strength was spent before it made it halfway through the packed ranks of vermin.

“Uh, I need like, a minute or two to go again.” Mine-san gasped. “You going to show us what you can do, handsome?” she looked at me, before winking at Eri, teasing her, having worked out by her possessive attitude she had some sort of close relationship with me.

“If we cannot defeat it we must retreat. Four of the Golden warriors have been destroyed.” Yamato-san warned, frustrated. “At this rate, we will never reach Chion-in.”

“Back off your statues, they don’t want to get caught in this.” I warned. “I can handle this.”

Yamato-san gave me a querying look, to ascertain I was sure, but my confident smile must have convinced him. The fog was back, the verminous horde too, the Kodoku pouring them out from the broken wax seal, so it was as if our efforts had achieved nothing. The golden warriors clanked backwards, and as soon as the path was clear, I gathered my flame energies, drawing upon Foehn.

“You creatures are soiling the eyes of my sis and her friends.” I declared, earning a snigger from the girls in question. “Burn to ashes until nothing remains. Foehn, Inextinguishable Blaze!”

A tide of roiling yellow flame poured from my hands, filling the streets. The first wave of insects, arachnids and frogs were caught in the blaze, flesh vaporising, a few of the stronger, more armoured creatures like the millipedes thrashing around, trailing white and red flames, as their insides cooked and boiled. The torrent continued, and the fog itself caught fire, the air igniting, and a wall of heat pressed against us. Still, I was not done, and even as the pot continued to discharge creatures, the head of a brutally-large centipede emerging, the tide reached the Kodoku, engulfing it as well. Clay began to crack, and the wax started to dissolve, the smell of blood filling the air.

“Like... that’s crazy. Your boyfriend sure is a wild one.” Mine-san said to Eri, who shrugged.

“I’ve seen Akio do better.” She said proudly. “Like he said, this isn’t anything special to him.”

Nice brag. I need to look domineering here. I want to rub it in their faces I’m not to be messed with or taken for granted. The Tsukumogami tried to flee, but tongues of Foehn were surrounding it, even now falling inside the opening, and a great flood of ether was pouring out. Some was taken by Yamato-san and the others, but most was coming my way.

“Shaeula told me about that giant mushroom guy.” My sis said. “I guess compared to that, this stupid pot isn’t anything special.”

“Amazing...” Kana whispered, holding my sleeve with her free hand, her dark eyes reflecting the blaze. There was a moment of silence, only the screech of dying vermin filling the air, before the Kodoku shattered, exploding, flames spelling its end.

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Seven to Eighty-Eight. All of your Material statistics have increased by eleven. Aether has increased by twenty-seven.

A level-up. Nice. I get the feeling I’m pretty close to the next one, as well. “The Foehn will keep burning until all the fuel around here is gone. Just give me a second...” I channelled earth element into the ground, splitting the earth, moving the blazing flames to either side, forming a corridor through the blaze for us to traverse. It was a bit theatrical, but also rather impressive. “Shall we go then?” I asked, and as everyone except my companions looked as me dumbly, I started strolling through the passage of hellfire, admiring the pretty droplets of flame as they cascaded down like rain.

“You... what... what is your ability? You can see things, empower people, call upon flame and earth? It seems strange. Which kami has blessed you? Izanagi, Izanami? It surely must be a powerful one.” Yamato-san seemed a bit aggrieved as he followed me with his remaining two statues in front of him.

“No, though it is a powerful god nonetheless.” I said, leading us through. On the other side of the flames, a mob of skeletons and zombies dressed in rags that resembled clothing from well over a thousand years ago, started shambling our way. That gives me an idea...

“Hey, Eri, Aiko. You take these ones out. I’ll back you up, so go wild.” I then turned to Kana. “Kana, you too, okay. Just... just spear a few at range. I promise I won’t let you get hurt.”

“Uh, why?” Kana asked, face pale.

“Because even if it doesn’t directly benefit you, it’ll help you overcome your fear. Besides...” I leaned in close, whispering right into her ear, so even Yamato-kun couldn’t hear her, though Kana went bright crimson at my closeness. “... you want to show Yamato-san you kick ass, right? I’ve got your back. You saw me deal with that crappy pot, right?”

She nodded, swallowing, gathering her resolve. “All right. I trust you, Akio. And if I do get hurt, you’ll take responsibility, all right?”

“Don’t worry, not a hair on your head will be harmed.” I promised, only to have her frown, looking away, irritated. Uh, okay. She’s very changeable today...

“Come on then, Kana-san.” Eri ordered. “Watch how I do it.” Axe raised, she rushed into the mob, while Aiko was firing off arrows. Having an idea, I called upon a little Foehn, and with her own fire element and my assistance, she could imbue her arrows with Foehn, making them far deadlier. Although she can’t create it herself, it’s still neat. Hmm, I wonder if she could learn Foehn if we worked together? Watching Eri hew through the mob, Aiko shooting down stragglers, while Kana, trembling, was using the long spear to poke at weaker foes, was a strange spectacle indeed.

“Uh, you like, sure you don’t want us to do anything? I’m feeling kind of like a third... uh...fourth, fifth wheel here?” Mine-san giggled.

“Save your strength. We aren’t done yet. It’s still some distance to Chion-in.” I said, unleashing the occasional burst of earth or flame to strike down enemies that were approaching Eri’s or Kana’s blind spots, though Aiko was catching most of them.

“Indeed.” Yamato-san mused. “But perhaps first... a detour?” he proposed, eyeing the girls contemplatively. “I admit, your boasts are true, you do have skill. If we avoid the Night Parade and there are no other wandering dangers like that vile pot, then we should manage to reach it, and I can claim it.” He smiled avariciously. Yeah, he’s definitely getting the better deal here. I’m going to drain as much of his Territories’ light element as I can as compensation, no doubt.

“Certainly. Your father, Uchida-sama will be very pleased. It will bolster his position at Conclave significantly.” Naruhito-san declared. “Saving our strength to achieve this is a worthy aim.”

“So, level with me, Oshiro-san.” Yamato-san asked as the girls finished mopping up the wave of enemies, Eri having levelled twice more. “Do you still have the strength to go on? Using such powerful flames must have drained your spiritual power.”

Feeling me out, huh? “There’s no problem for another few battles like that.” I assured him.

“In that case... I was planning to clear a path directly to Chion-in, but since you are so confident, if we could take a small detour and secure Kodai-ji and Yasaka-jinja shrine? As well as some smaller ones in the area. That would consolidate the shrines that are part of Susanoo faction.”

I gave him a hard, searching look, before nodding. “Fine. But I don’t have all afternoon. I know time flows differently here, but I have plans this evening. So let’s make this quick.”

Surprised at my arrogance, he nodded, and we all gathered up, ready to press on...