Hello, it's me again, Patchouli simp aka Quas Manipulator aka Tome of Invocation. At first I was only going to upload 10 chapters and be done with it but since I have literally nothing to do other than sleeping all day on my schedule this week, I took my time and edited chapter 11-20 and uploaded them.
"...That guy managed to get past me and went beyond the barrier and-" She pointed at the mountains- "into that damned hell of a place." The shrine maiden mused.
Though I have already seen it on the way here courtesy of the 'air lift' that Yukinoshita Haruno provided, the mountain ranges were looking quite strange…
One would expect that at least there would be foliage to be seen.
However the mountains that she pointed at were bare but it wasn't like an empty canvas, it looked like a dull knoll but several times larger.
Not even a single blade of grass could be seen, there seems to be no signs of vegetation in the general area that surrounded it, in a geological stance- This makes no sense, since there are species of plants that could live near those types of environment.
Now that I think about it, I noticed that there seemed to be a layer of dark sediment near it.
…Maybe those aren't mountains but rather volcanoes.
But even still, some flora are able to grow in such stressful soils, unless…
I fixed my gaze at her.
"Is it still erupting?" I ask, the shrine maiden made a slight nod before giving a compliment about my eyes.
"It usually erupts once a month though the outside world wouldn't notice anything since it is contained thanks to the barrier." She retorts, revealing to me that the place she pointed at is the physical location of the so-called Gensokyo.
I ponder for a moment, if the barrier is strong enough to contain things like this on a monthly basis then I could only imagine how terrifying the inhabitants are behind the barrier, but it shouldn't be a problem so long as they are kept inside.
-And so long as she's alive.
"So did he do anything else other than destroying your shrine." I continue my interrogation, whilst trying to grasp her power and what not though my face was still glued at those mountains.
"There was something I noticed when I fought him."
"What was it?" She paused and I waited for her answer.
"I already told this to them but they just dismissed it as nothing more than my imagination since they were disappointed that I failed my duty..." She looks me in the eye with a look that I didn't expect from her, a look that I'm too familiar with.
I experienced something like that before, and I guess I could say that I understand what she is going through right now.
Am I being sympathetic towards her? Maybe but really, I'm just merely stating that I understand.
She bit her lip, "...a bat with a red fade on its wings was following him." She reveals another variable in the table…
I turned my attention away from her as I began to think, now with my eyes closed, the gears inside my head turn.
It wasn't like I am having a hard time trying to wrap my head around her words, rather I'm thinking albeit a bit too hard right now.
There was a lot to take in from her words alone, it begged so many questions inside.
Despite that however, I was able to narrow things down and it boiled down to this question.
Is it the same bat as the one I almost shot down at that time that I was in the Yachimata villa? That is what I asked myself and the answer to that is- No, it wasn't.
If my memory serves me well, its wings weren't tinged with red- In fact, it was just an ordinary bat and nothing bizarre or out of nature, however the bat that I almost shot down didn't seem to belong here.
It was darker compared to the native species of bat here located in Japan...
"-that bat I mentioned, it was the one that plummeted my shrine down to the ground rather than him." The moment I heard that, I immediately looked at her.
"I don't know how it did it- The shrine just collapsed so suddenly…"
Eyes cast on the ground with a shadow covering it, her fist balled in what I would assume as frustration though I couldn't care less on why she is angry but now I'm anxious.
It's possible- No, I already expected that he had an accomplice before…I need to think about this for a while.
A bat with fading red wings destroyed the Hakurei shrine, a shrine that houses a shrine maiden whose responsibility is to keep in check the barrier separating a land called Gensokyo which is essentially a landfill for Youkai.
Supposedly, the bat is of foreign origin which is also an accomplice to the suspect, and the latter is related with the case of illegal cargo disregarding the Youkai on the port tower since it seems highly unlikely that they intended for something like that to happen.
But even if it wasn't really that relevant, we still interrogated those two and even then the information we got out was minuscule at best- We even tried to go through their memories but it's as if their heads were wiped out.
That Youkai of darkness was said to be relocated at that place, and Gensokyo wasn't something like a paradise for them according to the shrine maiden- Yukinoshita-san told me otherwise, that the Youkai wasn't sent back to Gensokyo but rather in a lab facility within the institution of College.
I could tell that she probably became a lab rat if that were true.
…maybe that's why I'm starting to get suspicious at not only the ones we are after but the entire association considering how strange this case is becoming, and the fact that I can't seem to do anything about it, even if I were to deduce their motives, I doubt that I'll be able to in time besides knowing what the hell is up with the association is not something I should focus for now.
One would expect the shrine to be durable to an extent considering the weight of the shrine maiden's responsibility but with how she is treated by the Nagano branch, I'm pretty sure something like this is bound to happen.
For them to neglect such an important matter like this just makes me wonder what the hell are they even doing on their end? Were they just fucking around with each other or something?
There should be at least some sort of report concerning the status of the barrier.
Even Yukinoshita-san with all of her authority and leverage in terms of getting information couldn't even find any more details about this Gensokyo apart from it being a isolated dump site for Youkais, and maybe that's why I'm also starting to suspect that there might be something going on with that branch.
"Tell me, did he fight you with a spear of sorts?" I ask, her balled up fist release and our eyes meet.
"Yes he did, how could you know that?" So nothing has changed during that time I've fought with him, but even if that is the case, I should always be vigilant no matter what.
"I personally met him and I thought I've dealt with him already..."
"What do you mean by that?" She seems confused but those words should indicate what kind of being Tsurumi-sensei is but nonetheless, that confused look on her face is very apparent and her shoulders seem to tense.
This means that she doesn't have any idea of what she even fought with.
"He's a vampire- An undead so to speak." Though undead in general can be easily dealt with by using weapons that are strong against them such as the talismans that I use, this one in particular seems to be special.
"An undead…" She says, she looks disheartened hearing it, "My Ying Yang orbs should've been effective, but it didn't even do anything fatal to it even though I made the first move…"
It would've been better if she contacted the Nagano branch beforehand and stalled him until they arrive but then again, who would listen to her in the first place?
Given her situation, she was probably intimidated to the point where she intended to deal with an immediate threat which is something that I could understand, but it seems she underestimated him.
After all, there are a great number of lunatics on this side of the world so one should be careful on who they are dealing with…
"...so much for being a Hakurei."
I may not be a social person but I do sometimes observe others just for the sake of improving my memory which is why I could tell by those self-loathing words that it was a sign that she'll become a problem.
Doubting her abilities and falling short of her duties, it would certainly make one lose their will to work.
She still needs to maintain the barrier.
"Just so you know, the guy you fought is not some ordinary vampire." I say, my words weren't for comfort, rather it was made to point out her mistake like what I did back in Yachimata Villa.
The mistake of fighting someone recklessly without knowing who and what the hell they are.
"Gah! If only I'd get paid to actually do this! I can't just live off from the donations of the villagers, who knows when their generosity will run out…" She exclaims, her face showed annoyance rather than anger.
I thought that she would break under the pressure but I guess her mentality is strong or maybe it's her way of coping regardless, this was something that I could take advantage of…
With an idea springing up, I rummage inside the pockets of my coat, feeling the smooth fabric of that pouch, I hold on to it and get it out.
There was a lot of things that were kept inside here, but I had to optimize all the things I needed and of course I wouldn't forget about the most powerful bargaining tool ever created by human hands-
Money, and I'm sure that it is something that she won't refuse given her current situation.
Whilst I was busy counting the money I brought out, I noticed that her eyes were staring intently at the thing that I held out which was just as I expected.
The feeling of the brown paper's texture would've tingled many hearts even I'd admit that in my younger years, which is also why I understand the meaning behind the look she was currently giving me.
An intense gaze, it narrowed down but it soon looked away, "What? Are you trying to- I shoved the bank notes right in front of her.
"Here, compensation for maintaining the barrier and what not." I bluntly say to her as I present over a large bundle of ten thousand yen that amounts to more or less than a million yen but she seemed to be hesitant.
"...is this for real? You're not joking right?"
"So you don't want it?" A look of fear mixed with greed flashed before her eyes, certainly the fear of missing out on something like this would make one surely regret.
"N-no, I'll take it..." Instead of thinking twice about it, she eagerly accepts it while thanking me earnestly even to the point of bowing down several times and offering me tea the next time we meet to which I declined of course with the excuse that I'm busy with work.
…Money used to be something that I was very fond of, but now it's nothing more than a tool.
Her eyes flickered towards me, there was still some doubt written all over her face. "Do I really deserve this?" If I were you, I would've just shut up and accepted it without any questions.
"For all the trouble you went through and without getting any support from the Nagano branch? Yes, you deserved that much or even more considering your line of duty." I say while tucking away my pouch.
It was like adding oil to a gear, her mood was now slightly better than before and her mind slightly now at ease.
With this, she is set to be able to cooperate although the motivating factor is temporary, for now it's fine.
Still, I couldn't help but contemplate again on my plan.
Our odds were back against the wall which is why bringing the shrine maiden would help in a lot of ways but the risk is higher than the return.
Looking away from her, I redirected my eyes to the desolated shrine.
A single thought roused up in my head.
Is Gensokyo their escape route? Probably not, there might be something that is of their interest there.
According to the info that Yoshikage and Matsuda got at Kenponhokkeshu Yakushido, it seemed that the ones we are looking for deliberately didn't kill the cursed shinshoku for some reason.
When I first heard it, I immediately recognized that it might be some sort of ruse or a part of it which resulted in me having a hard time trying to figure out what the fuck their motive really is.
From being linked to the ILSoP case to the villa experimentation and now this- It's confusing as hell.
"Are you planning on going in there?" The shrine maiden asked.
"Of course." Without any hesitation, I answered and it prompted a look from her.
"Just you alone?" That question sounds stupid but I guess the reason why she said it is probably because she sees me as someone that is more than capable to handle it, unfortunately I'm not.
"There are others that'll go there too." With that said, I reminded myself to assess the situation with them again.
"So will you need me there?" She said something that I had expected earlier.
"What do you think happens when you die?" Seemingly taken back from my words, Hakurei gave me a scornful look.
"Are you worried that I'll die so easily?" She bites back.
"There will be no one to hold up the barrier- No one other than you, so what do you think will happen to the nearby village and district?"
She was about to speak, but closed her mouth before a single word could be uttered.
It seems that Hakurei Reimu, the shrine maiden, finally understood the words I said.
Two orbs caught his eyes immediately, the black and white scheme on it seemed so serene, with it contrasting and complementing each other- The best word to describe was balance, there wasn't a lot of questioning done on what it is since he knew exactly what it was.
"…an Onmyou-dama." Hikigaya can't help but mutter that and the miko seems to notice what he had just said.
With her hands clasp together, the orbs dance around her. "I take it that you have some knowledge about this."
"Well, I used to be a kannagi of sorts but never mind that, can you tell me more about the barrier?" Although he revealed that he used to work in a shrine, he quickly changed the topic to a much more important matter.
For the shrine maiden however, it just further proved her suspicion on what his existence is- a bonafide living deity and she believed that it was the reason why he was able to match that undead based on what he said.
-And also on how he was able to just give her money so willingly and nonchalantly, she thought that Hikigaya probably used to belong to a prestigious shrine that houses a well-known deity unlike her who belonged to a nobody of a kami.
It was clear that in her mind the differences between them and she felt rather inferior about it but unbeknownst to her, Hikigaya could care less about that sort of thing.
A cough interrupted the shrine maiden's train of thought, it came from Hikigaya.
She realized that she was taking too long to answer him.
"A-Ah, about the barrier… I guess you could say that I monitor what comes in and out from it, that's mainly what I do but from time to time, the barrier tends to have fractures of opening due to the internal environment and its constant chaotic nature."
Based on what she said, some would imagine that Genoskyo is not a suitable place for permanent living- Where things seem to come and go so often, and with the description provided, one would assume that it's a harsh place meaning destruction and chaos seems to be constant.
With some gestures with her hands, the air between them seems to go static before a rush of wind splits the pair of orbs apart from each other in a vertical linear motion leaving a trail of refined spiritual energy.
There was a subtle sound when the trail between the pair of orbs waved open revealing an illusory landscape formed on the space between the two Onmyou-dama.
From her sleeves, came out a stick.
It wasn't a normal stick but a tool used for people like her- Gohei, it is a wooden wand of sorts used in rituals but in her case, it was an apparatus used to control the Ying Yang orbs.
What seemed to be a portal to another realm appeared before him, he faced the harsh winds firsthand and concluded that it was something he had never experienced.
Contrary to his expectation, the atmospheric temperature he felt from the wind wasn't cold- In fact it was lukewarm which further solidifies that this Gensokyo place seems to be out of the ordinary.
He guesses that this was one of the reasons why it was sealed away.
"The winds seem out of control there." The air currents, although seemingly foreign to them, were actually almost on par with winds found in the Antarctic Continent but they aren't aware of this fact.
"Well, there's nothing much that could be done about it."
Hikigaya was unfazed by the conditions catered by the place called Gensokyo but he was troubled with another reason- What do those blood sucking perpetrators want?
Were they planning on breaking the barrier to cause a breach of sorts? Or is it something else entirely?
Even now he is still confused at their actions and though he wasn't sure about their motives, the events and doings that happened prior would suggest that they were planning something big.
Others like him would've caught wind of this, even those from the Western Union would've noticed but they were able to act on the sidelines, so they weren't putting that much attention on themselves and this might be because of the fact that the two organizations were busy focusing their attention elsewhere.
Tensions were brewing and bottling up within Europe.
It was as if they timed and planned their moves and it worried Hikigaya to an extent.
Certainly, the future looked grim than ever regardless of the outcome, he knows that there isn't much to gain but even so, he was willing to die trying until the case he started is closed.
-To give closure to the ones who were unknowingly involved and died as a result of their own ignorance.
"It's typical that the environmental atmosphere there is different compared to the natural world. Genoskyo has a climate of its own and though I'm not one of those forecasters, I could tell you that the harsh winds will die down after…10 minutes or so." She dismisses the illusionary view.
Instinctively, I rub the grip of my rifle- Was I getting excited for something like this? Fuck do I know, I'm pretty sure everything is starting to get in to my nerves though it does not mean that I'm itching to go into action just yet.
I haven't talked to them or rather- Finalize our plans about it.
"I'll be fetching my partner, why don't you just wait here for a while."
My mind was stirring rapidly, those thoughts that I focused on made me jittery- I needed to calm them down and one method of doing so is through meditation but even then, I deeply carved an MRC.
The shrine here that was destroyed was being carefully analyzed by the people from the three branches; Chiba, Tokyo, and Nagano.
Among them was my partner who was together with Yukinoshita-san, they seemed to be arguing with the people from the Nagano branch.
"If the rest of the Tokyo branch aren't willing to go inside then so will we. After all, it's not like it is our responsibility in the first place. I'm sure that the Chiba branch is enough to deal with it." It was a tall lanky man that said that he belonged to the Nagano branch and along with him were the rest of their special unit.
The Tokyo branch came to our call but it's as if none of them could care about such a dangerous escalation, only a few of them came as opposed to the current Prefecture we are in.
All of them were huddling around the shrine.
I made my way to Yoshikage without taking any sort of attention to myself and tapped him on his shoulder.
"What's the situation?" I ask.
He gave me a bitter smile, "The Nagano branch aren't willing to join us in Gensokyo, Tokyo on the other hand only dispatched so few but only half of them are willing to go."
What the hell?!
"Yukinoshita-san," I called that woman to get her attention, her face looked more controlled than ever.
She gave me a small smile but the way her eyes glinted suggested that the situation irked her, "Hikigaya, I see that you finished flirting with the miko-san." She said with an unusually icy voice.
I gave her an odd look not because of her words but the intense leer exuding from her and for a while I thought it was directed at me but the more I look at it- The more it seemed unlikely,
I mean if I were faced in a situation like this then I'd be pissed off too.
There were slight changes on her face, though her mouth were maintaining that usual smile on the other hand her eyes says otherwise, it was intimidating to say the least
My head turned around to look for a certain white-haired tracker.
"Where is Matsuda?" I asked the two of them.
Yoshikage scratches his head and says, "Weren't you two together searching the area?"
"We were, until we separated." I say, "He was looking through the debris, searching for other tracks and whatnot."
This time it was Yukinoshita-san who answered, "Well speaking of the exorcist, it seems that he has arrived."
I turned around, he had a thoughtful look plastered on his face and while he walked towards us, his head would bob around as if his sight was panning the surroundings.
"...those ranges over the horizon feel so wrong. If I were to describe what the first layer of hell is then that lofty landscape would be the perfect example, it feels so desolated with the absence of life and whatnot." Matsuda says as he fixes up his tool, the compass-like device was put away in his pocket.
He continues, "So when are we going to that Gensokyo realm."
"Right now, we could all go save for one person." After I said that, my eyes wandered to Yoshikage.
Although he has been proven helpful, I can't take him with us since he'll probably become a liability and I'm willing to bet that he knows this for sure.
"Yoshikage, you'll be looking after the shrine maiden." That blonde partner of mine reacted quite as I expected.
"Look, I understand however- Hikigaya, don't you think it's a bit incomplete? We need manpower…" He is right, roughly only half of those who came from the Tokyo branch are willing to come and Nagano won't even spare a single one.
Counting Yukinoshita-san, that exorcist and myself, our numbers would barely make up a proper squad.
"It's enough for my plan."
For some reason after saying that, my body felt weird, a chill ran down from my neck to my spine but instead of that perilous feeling- I felt rather calm and relaxed.
Opposite to what was seen by Hikigaya, Gensokyo is a rather lively place if one were to look at it in a general perspective and not go into other specifics.
It is a place filled with an abundance of verdure- Such a view would be a sight to behold, it is akin to a preserved forest, as this place was untouched by man, the grasses and trees were several meters higher than that of average.
Surprisingly, it also comes with a body of water where one would speculate it as a lagoon, but its depth is too deep to be considered as one.
In such an idealistic environment for life, one would expect that there would be animals of any sort.
But in Gensokyo, order is not maintained.
Most of them are all depleted by the ones who mainly occupy this land.
Only a handful of different kinds of creatures are able to live.
As there is no order, chaos is constant in this place.
With not a single living entity to graze on the grasslands, prairie as tall as a regular konara tree would be a common hurdle for anyone travelling by foot.
But cases like that don't end there.
Apart from the nature of its environment which is fond of trying to make life more miserable and unlivable, it still fostered a lot of trees though, they seem to be harder and rougher to look at even more so than the rocks on the mountains.
There was also a tale of how a shrub made a youkai starve to death just by touching it's leaf, to trees that would suck out one's essence of life- those are things commonly present throughout this place though according to what he heard from the the shrine maiden
One should be fine if they are vigilant enough to notice the dangers and are careful on the path they are threading.
And just as he expected, the mountainous regions of said place houses a very active volcano, one that frequently erupts on a monthly basis.
Whoosh!
As the winds smack the trees with great exuberance, the trees held up like a strongly rooted pillar, the fading daylight starts to bleed in red.
The chirps of the birds and the high-pitched buzzing from the cicadas all turned silent as the crimson approaches, and to the creatures that roam in this land, their visage morphed into a much more hideous ones that not even simple words could describe how gruesome they now appear.
Then the air settles into a crimson fog.
A strange phenomenon occurred...
It is normal to say that any regular human who dares to approach this place would be pronounced dead the moment they set foot to its soil since their chances of dying skyrockets even more so at a time where the night sky is embodying the bloodied full-moon.
However, to the extraordinary bunch of which the Eastern Association has cultivated throughout the years in which they take pride for their abilities to solve the problems and issues that pertain from this side of the world.
This bunch or the special units that are currently on foot are carefully maneuvering through the obstacles that may entail their dooms- Such individuals are now currently working so to speak.
Matsuda, the white haired exorcist, sighs, "This is getting annoying to deal with, there seems to be no end to this sea of tall grasses." He said while he sat on top of a tree with his compass in hand.
The magic symbol on the ground below his feet lightens like a candle then dims fading into the dark environment.
It wasn't even half an hour before they entered, the skies within the Youkai paradise started to act strange, the bleeding moon would suggest that an eclipse of sorts is happening but there was no mention of such thing ever happening in said place.
This phenomenon was likely caused by someone or something...
And Hikigaya speculated that the ones they are after may have had something to do with it.
Fortunately, they are people considered to be extraordinary, so being capable of doing such things- Vision in the night wasn't a problem as they have heightened their senses beyond that of the human capabilities.
Some might say that such people aren't clearly human anymore or that their description goes against the limitation of human nature but then again, who says that they were even human in the first place?
Hikigaya could certainly attest that he is not human anymore but still, he could tell that other than him and apart from Yukinoshita Haruno- Matsuda and those that volunteered to join have a very different fundamental structure as their manner of handling the mystical energy were quite odd.
Though as of this moment, none of them could really care to know after all, it is in their job's nature to be discreet about their identities.
"Hikigaya, could you try and scout what's ahead in that direction?" Matsuda pointed to where the compass was steering at.
"Did you bring the walkman that Yoshikage gave to you?" Hikigaya asked him.
Handheld transceivers were a common device used for comms in the field and usually these are only two-way communication meaning that only two of these things are only able to interact at a time.
Another name for this were walkie-talkies but within the eastern association, the term was changed to walkman and unlike the former, this variation was more secure and durable.
But even then, such devices were all considered to be old and obsolete as the technology used were inferior to what the standard communication devices are in the Tokyo branch.
The white haired Matsuda dug unto his pockets, his hand wriggling around to locate the radio device.
"Here it is." Matsuda waved the radio around before giving it a test but there wasn't any feedback coming into Hikigaya's walkman.
"Can you hand it to me for a second." The priest gave the radio transceiver to Hikigaya.
With some couple of adjustments, the walkman appeared to be fine by now and the Arahitogami with dead fish eyes immediately handed it back over to the exorcist.
"Sound test, 1. 2. 3...over" Matsuda speaks unto the mic of the walkman as if to confirm that it is working properly.
He gave a thumbs up to Hikigaya, the latter responded with a nonchalant nod.
Bzzzt.
There was a slight vibration around Hikigaya's ear though only he could notice, "This is Vernal, base point has been established, over." A voice was relayed in Hikigaya's ears.
It may seem that he was hearing things and some might conclude that he is an esper but he wasn't communicating telepathically, no- He was just wearing the earpieces that Vernal or Yukinoshita-san gave to him.
"Copy that, over." Hikigaya said, only audible enough for the earpiece to pick up.
He looked around, trying to find something that he could climb on but the tall grasses were hindering him.
After a minute of looking, Hikigaya spotted a tall tree- Its bark looked so rough and when he came to feel the texture, the tree looked even rougher.
It was comparable to sandpaper but it's not a problem to him, the calluses on his palms and his fingers were used to such rough surfaces.
Like a squirrel, he scurried up the trunk with great agility while seamlessly passing through the branches.
He made it yet the dense fog was another small problem for him, though it wasn't comparable to the one he experienced at the port tower.
He took out his sniper rifle within his pouch which was given to him by Yahata and as it was modular, he had to assemble it first.
From the stock up to its barrel, the MSR-21 as the gunsmith called it was now functional and ready to use.
Peeking through the scope, he could barely make out the grasses and whatnot.
…people tend to view his eyes as something vile and cursed but for him it was the opposite and despite being one of the reasons why he had a hard time socializing with others, Hikigaya still perceived it as a blessing- A blessing in disguise.
His already sharp vision was being enhanced as he focused his eyes like a camera, the entirety of the fog seemed to have dwindled down for him and everything became clear to him.
Clearly he could see the forest and the lake but one notable landform caught his attention, it was also seemingly aligned to the direction Matsuda pointed at and for a while, he observed the area around it.
There, multitudes of strange creatures in various shapes and form were roaming, some have features like that of an animal but some also took form similar to an inanimate object, they were all huddled around the area he was peering at.
That pretty much confirms the reason why there weren't any encounters with Youkai on their way…
Hikigaya was about to jump down when he noticed something rustling on the grass.
Quickly, he placed his eyes on the scope and traced the movement on the direction he saw, he prepared to pull the trigger-
Bang!