Two Hundred And Sixty-Four

Two Hundred And Sixty-Four

“There it is.” Mine-san observed, the shrine coming into view. We had already captured Kodai-ji, which being a relatively modern shrine (built in the sixteen-hundreds) it didn’t have a resident kami, though we did bring in some Kodama, tree spirits, into Yamato-san’s fold. On seeing them he finally understood what I meant by adding troops, and was able to start constructing Barracks in his Territory.

Up ahead, the Yasaka-jinja shrine was coming into view. We had cut our way through the undead, as well as several groups of lesser creatures, such as a swarm of large wasps, who were far less friendly than the Mirror Bees apparently were. I had let Mine-san and Naruhito-san handle the larger crowds with their divine favour, while Eri gained what experience she could hacking down mobs around the edges. Still, Eri had gained yet another level out of it, and Kana no longer trembled in fear on seeing the undead, though her spear-work was still hilariously sloppy.

“As this is a shrine dedicated to Susanoo, Kushinada-Hime and eight of their offspring, it is a point of factional pride to protect it.” Yamato-san said, pleased, as the beautiful building came into view, larger than in the Material, the roof shining ruby and polished brown wood, though strangely enough a large and ancient tree towered out of the centre of it, rising hundreds of metres into the sky. As we secured Koda-ji, it linked up to his Territory, so even if we failed to go further, he would have gained security and a new, closer front to press on to Chion-in. And as we progressed even closer he was becoming more and more jovial, his pair of golden statues barely even having to fight.

“Great. Well, let’s get this done.” I declared, and we entered the grounds of the shrine. The tree loomed over us, branches spread out, dozens of pretty birds looking rather like parakeets peering down on us with their unblinking eyes, and the shrine itself was revealed to be solid, varnished wood, plated with ruby and gilded with golden leaf. Statues of the eight children venerated here surrounded the entrance, and as we approached, the door opened, and out stepped a woman. No, she only looks like a woman.

Her appearance was too sculpted to actually be real, and her brown robes were seemingly living wood, small shoots and sprouts growing at noticeable speed from her clothes. Dark brown hair, tinged with green and red, cascaded down behind her, and where she stepped, sprouts grew beneath her.

“Like, just whoa!” Mine-san said, eyes wide. “I can feel her nature energy. It’s powerful! She puts the kami in my shrine to shame!”

I agreed, feeling the waves of nature element pouring from her, even eclipsing Hyacinth. As she looked at us with eyes the colour of mossy bark, Yamato-san decided to speak, bowing before her.

“Great kami, it is an honour to meet you. I am one blessed by Kannon, goddess of Mercy. You... you are Tsumatsu-hime, daughter of Susanoo, aren’t you?”

“I am.” She spoke, her voice melodious, and the wood around us vibrated, shimmering with aether and adherence. “I am she. It has been long since I have conversed with any other beings.” She paused, contemplative. “The spiritual power here is growing, yet it is difficult for beings such as I to manifest here. My brothers and sisters, they cannot be supported yet, so I alone have entwined my being with an avatar here.” Her eyes were distant, as she surveyed us. “The shrine... only my efforts have kept it from destruction, but now my duty is over.” Her skin, which was pure white, suddenly turned a woody brown, matching her robes, and I realised what I had taken for the kami was actually some sort of wooden puppet, and indeed, the roots from the great tree in the centre of the shrine were growing into her feet, making her part of the shrine itself.

Avatar of Tsumatsu-hime [kami] - ???

As my Eye blazed, she reacted, meeting my gaze.

“I see. A power of a Tree not from this land.” Tsumatsu-hime intoned. “Yet you are blessed by some of the eight million, the myriad deities of our sacred land. And...” she snaked closer, on her roots. Soon she was peering into my eyes, her breath close enough to ruffle my hair. “... such rich water, with a taste from a far-off land. Would... would you nourish me, stranger?”

Okay, I was not expecting this. And she’s a bit too close... “I can spare some spirit water, yes.” I agreed, drawing on my reserves, creating a palmful of water that shimmered with luminous silver energy, moonlight. With my hands held out, pushed together to make a crude bowl, I watched as she bent down to drink. This feels rather sacrilegious...

“Oshiro-san, I don’t think you should...” Yamato-san began, but Eri silenced him.

“She asked, didn’t she? I’ve met kami before, so I know they are no different than us at heart.”

“That’s right.” Kana agreed, revelling in seeing me taking the lead ahead of Yamato-kun, in one of Susanoo’s own shrines. “Besides, she asked for an offering. It would be lacking faith to turn her down after that, right?”

“That water...” Naruhito-san was transfixed on the glimmering energy within my hands. “... so powerful. Just where did you get it?”

“Far from here. Very far from here.” I replied, uncomfortable as her lips touched the water in my hands. She began to drink, and as she did so, the water energy in me was being pulled out, and I could see a deep orange glow shimmering around her.

“So strengthening.” She spoke, water running down her throat and chest, dripping onto the roots below her. Everyone else was silent now, as the League of the avatar was fully unleashed, oppressing everyone else. Yamato-san was merely a little pale, but the others were shaking from the force of her existence. “I fear this is but a construct to contain a measure of my consciousness. I am Tsumatsu-hime, yet not all of Tsumatsu-hime, for my true League would likely shatter this fragile Boundary, and you are not ready. Though...” she smiled at me then, and though she now looked strange, like a living tree-woman, nothing like Asha, who appeared largely human, it was somehow alluring. “...you are passable, mortal man. And your water was sweet and nourishing, like none I have had before, a gift from another realm. Allow me to reward you.” She said, when around half of my water element reserve was drained.

As the thought of reward passed through my mind, I felt some impacts on my back. Turning my head, I saw Eri had whacked me with the flat of her axe, while Kana had jabbed me with the spear. It did nothing, of course, but seeing them both pouting was amusing.

“Oh hey, is this like, a bloodbath?” Mine-san was asking my sis, who shrugged.

“No way, this stuff happens all the time with my bro now. To think I was calling him a virgin loser only a few months ago...”

“A reward?” I asked, and she nodded. ”You have the affinity. Pure, beautiful water, rich, strong earth. Bloom with me!” she said, and her roots burst into flowers, glorious white and golden blossoms springing to life, giving off a calming fragrance. Red and yellow energies blended together, forming a shining brown light. One root came from her hand, and it glittered brilliantly with adherence, my Eye easily picking up the sheer quantity of it, and an amber message scrolled across my vision, the letters dazzlingly bright, quickly followed by several more sentences.

Your Class, Kami-Blessed, has increased from level 6 to level 9.

Your Fortune has increased by one. Your Charm and Majesty has increased by two.

Your Aether has increased by ninety-nine.

It’s been a while since it’s gone up, and now three levels at once? Well, I did feel it was close to levelling when Shirohebi accepted the Throne of Heroes. Even so... Well, she was a daughter of Susanoo, so even if Tsumatsu-hime was not a particularly powerful kami, she was closer to a powerful divinity than Shirohebi or the jade beetle was.

“That’s quite the reward, I thank...” I began, only to be cut off as the root split into two, piercing my body, plunging into my root and sacral chakras. Ruby and silver blood gushed, and Eri cried out, readying her axe, but I raised a hand to stop her.

“It’s all right, she means no harm, and this level of injury won’t stop me.” I promised.

“Indeed, I merely wish to return the favour you have shown me. Now... feel the energy of the wood for which I am worshipped flow through you, and use it to build a shelter to save this land, this world. For I am the kami of wood, used to build houses safe from the elements, where one can be safe and endure, give birth to life and return to the soil in death.”

I could feel it, a brown energy growing within my chakras, joining the others. It felt similar to the energy Hyacinth used, and Mine-san. Closing my eyes I tried to focus on it, how it related to water and earth, feeling the energy of nature.

You have gained a skill, Root and Sacral Chakras of Wood Rank 1. Your Chakras will generate Wood energy. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]

You have gained a skill, Wood Manipulation Rank 1. You have gained the ability to manipulate and control Wood and Nature energy. Your understanding of Nature has slightly increased. [Class: Powerful] [Type: Foundation]

“I see you understand. Use this power well, mortal. For unless those with bravery and will stand strong, this world, like so many others, is doomed.” She let out a long sigh. “The Wood within you is weak, but it shall grow. Nurture it, and the powerful Nature it contains will bloom. Defend this shrine, do not let it fall to the forces of ruin.”

“I will.” I promised, bowing. “And thank you. I’ll use it wisely.”

“Wait.” Yamato-san spoke then, impatient. “I am the one whose domain will cover and protect this shrine. Can I not share in your gifts as well?” he asked, and the kami regarded him, her eyes shifting between green and brown in the light of the Boundary overhead.

“Your attributes are metal and light. You are not suitable.” She looked over the others. “Flame and darkness. Earth. Flame and light.” She pronounced Eri’s, Kana’s and Aiko’s in turn.

“Light? Wow, strange. I’ve not even mastered it yet.” She grinned. “Must be fate I guess. Eri and I, two sides of the same coin.”

“You are water, but lack the earth.” She said to Naruhito-san, before finally speaking to Mine-san. “You, you harbour the earth, the blessing of divinity from another god of nature.”

“Yeah, that weird Ugajin.” She agreed. “Growth and decay.”

“You could accept some strength from me, but I am spent. The powerful water I took in, which I changed to my energy, it is all dried up.”

Mine-san spun, turning to look at me then. “Uh, so, like... hey, I don’t know how to ask this, but... you got any water left in the tank, handsome? I could really use that boost!”

“No way, why should he?” Eri protested. “Akio’s already brought you all this far!”

“I have to agree.” Kana nodded. “Why should he give up power for you?”

My sis merely gave me a troubled smile, allowing me to decide. Though really, it’s just depleting my stock of water element, I’ll replenish it in a day or so... though it will mean I’ll be down a trump card in any battles here. “Well, it’ll leave me noticeably less powerful in battle for quite some time.” I exaggerated. “I don’t really want to risk it, unless...”

“Unless?” Mine-san asked, leaning forwards, keen.

“Well, I’d need compensation. I’m already helping out a lot. I need to get fair value for what I offer.”

“Yes. It has been long since we last caught a mortal. We will be praised!”

“It was well worth roaming ahead of the main Parade during this day! The Grand Katasharin will be pleased!”

Grand Katasharin? Well, they mentioned the Parade, so I was right. I guess some branch out and do their own thing. That’s better than having to face the entire Parade at once, as judging by the strength of Kinneka and Ginneka we’d just get murdered...

“Well, in that case, I greet you on behalf of the Ninetieth of the Parade.” I declared confidently. My keen ears picked up a gasp from Yamato-san, who was able to listen in, even from his hiding spot.

“Ninetieth? What is this foolish mortal saying? That is that stupid cat.”

“Such foolish lies will not save you. Come with us to hell, enjoy the flames and the torment!”

Ignoring the twinge of pain that sparked at the back of my mind and bonds, I pressed on. “Actually it was Kinneka. But now he’s dead, and a Kamaitachi holds the Ninetieth rank.”

“Those weasels? Troubling. She’s Twentieth, right?”

“Indeed. There is already a Kamaitachi. Your lies are worthless.”

“Enough discourse! We should drag this mortal away, listen to his screams!”

“Yes, yes! Let us do that! Profaning the good name of the Night Parade... perhaps we should give him to Nurarihyon?”

I see. A female Kamaitachi, The Twentieth? That... that’s likely Shaeula’s mother, right? Still, it looks like they aren’t willing to believe me, so...

Roars and screams of baleful fury echoed out as the four wheels rushed at me from multiple directions. Their flames blazed, and I immediately started taking damage, though due to my elemental resistances from Ether Healing and overall toughness, it was bearable. Drawing my Fangs, the first wheel was upon me, and I slashed. The blades bit into wood, the momentum forcing my feet to slide a little along the floor, before a second slammed into my arm. Bone creaked and flesh burned, but as a third came my way I drew on Foehn, and it went up like a blazing torch, the wood charring and cracking, flesh searing. The wheel toppled, falling onto its side as it was consumed, and as the fourth tried rolling around me to attack from behind it ran into a glittering haze of vibrating jade strings of wind. Yeah, just because it has its own flames doesn’t mean hotter, better ones don’t work...

“Such pain... why?” the wheel cried. Its wood was harder than steel, yet even so, momentum and the vibrating edge of the wind combined to shear through, splinters flying everywhere, and the head within was bisected, falling apart in a welter of red and silver.

“That is her technique!” The wheel held by my blades cried, and the other tried to trample me again, breathing out a stream of toxic flames in my direction. I blocked that with an eruption of earth, and my slashing blades chipped away at the wheel pressing in on me, until Rending triggered, and space shuddered, the head exploding.

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from Eighty-Eight to Eighty-Nine. All of your Material statistics...

Nice. The last wheel, the other having burned away, tried to retreat, but there was no way I was allowing that to happen. “Hang on a minute. By her, you mean that Twentieth, right? The Kamaitachi?”

“I must retreat, return to the Parade...” the Wanyūdō screeched, eyeing the corpses of its companions. “Such trouble should be dealt with firmly, cruelly!”

“Not yet.” Spires of earth ripped free, piercing through the gaps in the spokes, holding the wheel in place. “I think you ought to stay put.”

“Let... let me go!” the wheel struggled, but it was useless, as even as it tried to pull free or burn the rock spikes, I reinforced them with more earth element.

“No, answer my questions.” I said firmly. “I want to know about the Kamaitachi.”

“I am trapped, my fellows slain. Such disappointment.” The wheel fought back, reversing course, trying to run me down. It caught me a little by surprise, but I was not so foolish as to neglect my defences, and Foehn sparked to life, and the wheel cried, pinned in place and blazing until it collapsed to ash and ether.

Damn. I clicked my tongue in frustration. The Wanyūdō were clearly minions of this Grand Katasharin, who is likely one of the Hundred Demons. So they know Shaeula’s mother. Oh well... As the others emerged from hiding, Kana and the other girls looking at me with sparkling eyes, Yamato-san clearly worried, I shrugged. “Well, I didn’t get the information I wanted, but I told you I could handle them. They weren’t weak by any means, their fiery aura was a pain, but I’m damn tough.” Yeah, I’d have struggled back when I was in the high forties, probably, before my stats got their huge boost and I got extra resistances and Fortitude from the Furious Earth. Obviously, if these were just stragglers from one Demon of the Parade, taking on the whole thing would be total suicide.

“You really showed them!” Kana cheered, eyeing Yamato-san sideways. “If you were here in Kyoto, I bet you could clear it up!”

“Don’t go overpraising me.” I laughed. “I don’t want to get arrogant. Sure, I won, but they weren’t weak. If their Grand Katasharin and more of the wheels came at me at once, I’d be under real pressure, no doubt. Anyway, they’re done, we should move on.”

“Before we do...” Yamato-san said, frowning. “You said you were with the Ninetieth of the Night Parade, I heard it clearly.”

“Yes. Shaeula is the daughter of a foreign prince and one of the Night Parade. The Twentieth, it seems.” I said, unwilling to lie, as Shaeula was proud of her heritage. “On killing a member of the Night Parade, the Ninetieth, she became one of the Parade. Though obviously she has no intention of joining it and roaming the land doing evil. No, she merely wishes to see her mother again. Hence why I wanted information. Not that they would talk...” I nudged the shattered fragments of one wheel with my foot, still irritated. “I trust this isn’t an issue? If anything, it makes my aid more valuable. We can’t face the Parade head-on, this fight just proves it.” The Wanyūdō were basically trash-clearers, unless you had enough strength to resist their baleful, fiery aura, you’d perish quickly, so it wasn’t like numbers could do the job either.

“I... I will need to take word of this to my father.” Yamato-san said finally. “But before that, we must claim all the Territory I can.”

“Yeah, let’s like, get the hell out of here. First the pot, then those ugly wheels. I’m so done with this.” Mine-san pouted. “Though I guess getting my power-up was pretty sweet. Hey, you want to hit a bar afterwards, Akio-kun? My treat! I owe you!”

I could see Eri puffing up annoyed, but it wasn’t as if I was going to anyway. “No, sorry, I probably have to meet the neutral shrines after this. Chiyo-san was arranging that. But maybe another time.”

“Sure, another time. Did I just get turned down? Like, woah!” she giggled, and my sis patted her on the back reassuringly.

“You ought to keep out of my bro’s clutches anyway. He’s a true harem protagonist, only he’s actually getting some action!”

Eri flushed at that, hissing her name, while Kana looked away, also a little pink.

“All right. Enough of that.” Yamato-san said, and Naruhito-san agreed. “Time to finish this! Kyoto is still full of danger...”

********

“So, how was it?” I asked Kana as she opened her eyes, back in the Material. Eri and my sis were already up, stretching tired muscles. Several hours had passed, and it was now the evening. On checking my phone I had seen messages from Chiyo-san, so I sent a reply indicating I would travel to the meeting she had arranged as soon as possible, while also firing off a few texts to other people I needed to contact.

“Pretty scary. But... you were cool, I have to admit it.” She grinned.

“So, ready yet?” My sis asked her, and Kana shook her head.

“All right then. It’s your life.” Eri said ominously. “The doors are closing. I don’t like it, but we all came to a decision. You need to as well.”

“Look, well... oh hell, I don’t know. It’s a big decision, isn’t it?” she sighed. “Can we... look, Akio has to go out, right? Want to go somewhere too?”

“Your treat?” my sis asked, and Kana nodded sourly. Shaeula, who had also been watching this, snickered.

“You are as amusing as ever Kana. I do-do rather approve of you.”

“So, did anyone try anything while we were sleeping?” I asked and she shook her head.

“No, everything was peaceful. I did not-not expect anything, but it is better to be safe than to be sorry, is it not-not?”

“Yes, definitely. Anyway, since the girls are going out... well, Eri should be able to keep them safe I imagine. Shaeula, we need to talk on route.”

“Oh?” she cocked her head quizzically.

“Yes, I found out some information. Just a little. On... on your mother.”