Mori's eyes were fixated on Yasuo's new form. The form. The presence. The density of the power was all too nostalgic for her. She clenched her fist and glared at the ascended presence of the man above them. This form he had achieved. It was most certainly…
"Mystic Gear Armament: Raijin," Yasuo said.
A wave of touki and violet energy was instantly expelled from his body, forcing them all back from the sheer density of the blast.
"Ran!" Shin called out.
Ran appeared in a swirl of black flames and roared, causing a shimmering dark barrier to appear before them.
"What the hell happened? I thought he only needed impure blood in order to awaken Moryo?" Ravel asked.
"It appears that… we were wrong. All he needed was a blood sacrifice in order to break the seal but the question is… where is Moryo?" Kureha said.
"I…"
"He's absorbed her," Mori said. "Or at least, her power."
"What?" Shin asked.
"Moryo was never sealed completely beneath the mountain. What he has is the dragon's power without a master. The soul and power were separated from one another so the unchecked power of the Dragon of Fragments runs rampant in these lands. It was that same power that twisted and corrupted all of these youkai. And that power now has a new focus. Him." Mori narrowed her gaze at Yasuo.
She could see it clearly. The translucent dark violet aura that was beginning to come out of his levitating form. The energy began to spread without his knowledge, twisting, splitting, and corrupting everything it touched. The leaves on the sakura trees that surrounded the mountain began to slowly turn black and wilt from its very presence.
After a few seconds, Yasuo's gaze turned to them.
"This world shall now begin its purification. No longer will the world exist as fragments of impurity but reunified under the blood of the Furude," he announced.
"Not if we have anything to say about it," Shin said, pointing Failnacht at him.
He pulled the trigger, firing several rounds at him.
Yasuo sighed and swiped his hand, shattering the bullets into fragments of light.
"W- Wha…?"
"SHIN!"
Kureha appeared in front of him, summoning a violet flaming shroud around them. The shroud was instantly cut apart and the two jumped away, gaining distance from Yasuo, who had suddenly appeared in front of them.
"His speed. It's faster than it was when we fought at the house. What's with bad guys and always getting last-minute powerups!" Shin yelled, landing on the ground.
"Shin, be careful," Vivi said.
"Got it." Shin kept his eyes trained on Yasuo.
Vivi manifested next to him and summoned an array of blades. Her eyes glowed as she began modifying the properties of her swords. "If… he does have a dragon's power inside of his body, then…" she snapped her fingers, altering the blades. "Arondight should do the trick."
"What should we do?" Shin asked.
"Vivi's a god. Can't she just take care of him?" Ravel asked.
"First off, I'm not a god. I'm a genius loci, a venerated spirit. That guy has the power of a Dragon and not just any dragon, the Dragon of Fragments. She's an Evil Dragon whose breath is capable of boiling the oceans and razing mountains with a swipe of her tail. I don't know if my full power can disrupt him with her power," Vivi said.
"Then I guess we just have to fight him altogether," Shin said.
"Altogether? Did you not hear a word that spirit just said? His power surpasses that of a God!" Mori protested.
"It's not like he's the strongest thing we've fought before," Shin said.
An image of Yaldabaoth appeared in his head.
"If I'm going to prove to her…" he muttered. Shin's eyes blazed with determination.
"You…"
"The purification shall now begin. Spirits. Youkai. Go." Yasuo suddenly announced. He raised his hands into the air, unleashing a wave of miasma.
Vivi snapped her fingers, erecting a violet cube around them. She narrowed her eyes when she sensed several massive energy signatures awakening around them. "This… This is not good."
The forest trembled and quaked as several monstrous roars erupted around them.
"Mori?" Asia asked.
"Kyuubi… Baku… Daitengu… Inuhoo… Kubikajiri. He's awakening Ayakashi level Youkai," Mori said.
"They're… they're going to attack the village," Kureha said in realization.
"Vivi."
"What? No. I'm not leaving you with him!" she protested.
"Go. Tell Onee, Mom, and Dad what's going on so they can mount a defensive and bring reinforcements. We'll hold him off for as long as possible," Shin said.
"But-"
[Don't worry. I'll look after them.] Vritra said.
"You…" Vivi bit her lip.
"They have me as well. I will not let anything happen to my Master," Mori said.
"Ran," Vivi said.
"Got it." Ran hopped on top of Shin's head.
"You're getting an earful from me and Akane later, do you hear me?" Vivi said.
"Got it," Shin said.
Vivi cursed before firing several of the Arondights she had reconstructed at Yasuo.
Yasuo raised his hand, forming a multilayered defensive barrier. The blades pierced through, causing his eyes to go wide in shock. He moved out of the way, dodging most of the blades but was nicked by a few. A searing pain shot through the cuts, leaving him with a nigh-unbearable burning sensation.
Vivi's body collapsed in a flash of aqua-blue light.
"You…!?"
"You better focus on what's in front of you!" Shin yelled from above.
Yasuo looked up and saw Shin bring Hirume down in a downward slice.
He raised his hand to shatter the blade and was unable to, much to his shock. Hirume cut right through him, causing him to cry out in pain.
"Wh- What?"
"Haah! Aioi: Blazing Phoenix Flowers!" Ravel fired a volley of flaming bullets at Yasuo.
Enraged, Yasuo kicked Shin away, causing him to crash through several trees. He turned and swiped his hand, fragmenting Ravel's flames. He manipulated them and closed his fist, bringing them altogether once more.
"Here! You can have it back!" Yasuo yelled.
"Tch!" Ravel clicked her tongue and jumped in order to avoid the massive flaming ball that plowed into the forest floor beneath. A tremendous explosion rocked the woods, incinerating and reducing every tree within a 50-foot radius to charcoal.
"Haaah!" Kureha manifested a gigantic skeletal fist and threw a punch at Yasuo.
Yasuo caught the punch with one hand and shattered the energy fist.
"W- What?" she said in shock. Kureha flipped in midair, creating a jet of black flames to propel herself away.
"Mori…" Asia said, hovering a small distance away from them. "He's shattering their attacks."
"That power is Moryo's original power. Her power is separation and fusion. She can separate what is fused and fuse what is separated. In simpler terms, she can fragment objects into their sum parts and shatter magic. It is a highly offensive and defensive ability," Mori explained.
The battle raged on. The three assaulted Yasuo with their abilities, but none of them were capable of landing a decisive blow. They were incapable of finding any openings in his movement and even Shin, who had managed to surprise Yasuo earlier, was now incapable of so much as touching him.
"How strange. I thought this power was capable of separating anything but it seems I was wrong…" Yasuo said, holding Hirume tightly.
Shin pushed against his hand, gaining no ground.
"Or perhaps…" Yasuo's red eyes glowed and he closed his fist, shattering Hirume's blade.
"I was wrong the whole time and I just needed some time getting used to it." He grinned and delivered a devastating punch to Shin's midsection.
"Gahk! R- Ran!" Shin rasped.
"Yes!" Ran manifested before Yasuo, transforming into a massive black wolf, and sank her fangs into his arm. She thrashed him in the air, using her black flames to melt through his armor, or at least, she tried to. Her flames were instantly fragmented, rendering them ultimately inert.
"Mangy mutt." Yasuo slammed his fist into the side of her snout, forcing her to let go and sending her crashing into the ground next to Shin.
"Ran!" Shin ran to her downed form, Hirume reforming itself in his hand.
"I'm… fine," Ran said.
"Tch. He can shatter Mystic Gears too. Hirume needs time to reform," Shin said. He dispelled the blade and constructed Secace.
"Master, I think we need to…" Ran said.
"I know but…"
"Haah! Eat shit, you blood purist asshole!" Kureha roared.
She fired several black flaming rounds at Yasuo.
"Ahaha! So this is Moryo's power… with this…" the flaming bullets were instantly fragmented into particles of light. "I am truly invincible. I can slay even a God with this power!"
"Now… my turn." Yasuo raised his middle and index fingers before him. Lightning crackled in the air above them. "Let's see how much the Divine Dragon's power has amplified my techniques. Heavenly Chaser Spark. Come forth at once!"
The sky boomed and thundered as several bolts of lightning came crashing down onto the forest below. The lightning curved, each one aiming for them.
"Seeker bolts. Damn! Perfect Cube!" Shin raised his palm, creating a violet barrier that deflected the bolts.
"Vritra!" Kureha called.
A skeletal barrier appeared around her and Ravel, blocking the bolts.
Asia weaved her way around the lightning and erected a light barrier.
The lightning barrage continued for several more minutes, reducing large portions of the forest into smoldering craters. A fire began to rage around them as the lightning ignited the vegetation.
"Haa… haa…" Shin panted as he fell to one knee, releasing his cracked violet barrier. He looked to the side and saw Kureha sporting a few burns and Ravel, who was holding a portion of her regenerating face.
"Damnit." Shin cursed.
"Can't you see, boy? This is the end. With this power, I'm sure that not even your parents can defeat me nor can your older sister. This is the end," Yasuo said, raising his hand into the air.
Lightning arced across the sky and began striking Yasuo's hand, collecting there until it turned into a massive sphere of blue lightning. The blue lightning orb began to crackle more violently than it had before and its color fluctuated, turning into a dark violet.
"Shin… I'm going to use it. Use your Mystic Gear Armament," Kureha said.
"Yeah…I should have used it earlier." Shin pulled out Hirume's Black Talisman from his pocket.
"Oh? What's this? A desperate last stand?" Yasuo asked.
"I guess you can call it that," Shin said.
"For you that is," Kureha said.
Yasuo narrowed his eyes.
"Taiyo-meikyofu: Matoi Kajiri…" Shin held the black talisman before him. A swirl of black flames surrounded his body, putting off extreme heat. But rather than combust the plant life around him, the vegetation was instantly vaporized, reduced to gas from the sheer heat that was like that of a star.
"Tch! Do you think I'll really let you do that!" Yasuo launched the orb at them.
"Wait for your damn turn!" Kureha yelled.
She jumped in front of Shin and summoned four arms that caught the lightning orb. She fell to one knee, struggling to hold it up.
"Ravel!" she yelled.
Ravel appeared behind Yasuo, hand held up and swiped him. However, her hands met nothing and she instead felt a sharp pain in her back. She bit down and turned around, her regeneration rapidly restoring her wound, and kicked Yasuo in the side of the head.
The man stumbled back, vision disoriented from the blow of the kick.
"Vritra! Now!" Kureha yelled.
[I thought you'd never ask.]She heard Vritra chuckling inside her head.
Dark energy surged from her body, transforming her rudimentary flaming constructs into something else. A full skeletal ribcage formed around her but this time, a skull formed alongside the four arms. The head took the shape of a serpentine beast that had six eyes and menacing fangs.
"Vritra Sakra Devanam!" Kureha said.
The black flames around Shin condensed and coalesced, swirling around a single black blade. It was an odachi of exquisite design. A sheen dark blade glinted in the moonlight and radiated a dark light from its body. Performing a few experimental swings, Shin sheathed the blade and dropped into a low stance. "Matoi Kajiri: Suwasumeragi Omikami."
"Balance Breaker and Mystic Gear Armament," Ravel said, landing on the ground.
"Kch! Do you think this changes anything?" Yasuo asked, staring at the two.
Kureha's massive energy avatar vanished from sight, causing Yasuo to go on high alert. He quickly turned and blocked a massive flaming energy blade from slicing him in half.
"Tch! You…!?" his eyes widened when the flames began to overpower his aura. "W- What!?"
"Vritra's flames are different from normal dragon fire. It can curse its victims for eternity and is very difficult to extinguish. Even if you do have the power to shatter our magical attacks, I doubt you'd have an easy time overpowering this!" Kureha said.
"You… You! Haaah!" Yasuo unleashed more of Moryo's draconic power, shattering Vritra's flames in the process. He jumped back, gaining distance from Kureha when he felt a searing blade slice through his flesh.
"Sousei-Onigari Ryu: Rasen," Shin uttered, completing the circular swing.
Yasuo coughed and was thrown into the ground. A deep cut was embedded into his back. He let out a groan of agony as the black flames began to consume whatever flesh remained on the cut. His exposed, raw nerves were literally ablaze, set aflame by the black flames of the Suwasumeragi.
Blood poured profusely and Shin could see the white of his spine. He dove down, raising his blade above his head, and was about to stab it into Yasuo's back.
However, Yasuo disappeared in a bolt of violet lightning.
He landed on the ground, eyes scanning his surroundings.
"Onii!"
Shin turned around to see Asia appearing behind him. She created two light swords and deflected Yasuo's blades, breaking her weapons in the process.
She crashed into Shin and the two flew into a tree.
"Ahahaha… I have to admit that you caught me off guard for a little bit." Yasuo raised his hand and shattered Ravel's fireball. "I guess I have to kick things up a notch. So how's about we… light things up."
Lightning crackled across the sky as Yasuo began to walk toward them.
Rowan crossed his arms as the magic circle spun before him. He scratched his chin and pushed his glasses up before turning one of the concentric circles. As he did, the rubble around him began to levitate and move back into its respective place in the manor.
"Was that how it looked like?" Akari asked, raising an eyebrow at her family home.
"Yeah, I'm using this photo as a reference," Rowan said, glancing at the levitating photo in front of him.
"That's an old picture, Rowan," Ayaka said. "But I guess it works. We haven't really renovated the house since the nineties anyway. Everything here is about a couple of centuries and two decades behind."
"Dad, I finished repairing the stave," Akane said, walking up to them.
Riser swung his shoulder and stretched his neck, having felt the strain of holding up a massive tree three times his size while his girlfriend carved Celtic runes into them.
"Good. We can move on fortifying the town next-"
A loud, ear-shattering roar caught their attention. The five turned to see several massive shadows looming in the distance. A wind swept over them, blowing their hair back and lightning crackled in the sky. A pillar of light shot into the sky, illuminating the now stormy night sky in its eerie lavender glow.
"Ayakashi. That means that...," Ayaka trailed off.
"Did… Did Yasuo sacrifice Asia?" Akari's eyes narrowed and purple lightning began to crackle around her body. The end of her hair began to glow as she released divine power from her body. "That bastard-"
"Kari, wait," Rowan said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Akari calmed down for a few seconds and saw her husband looking at something. She followed his gaze and saw Vivi flying toward them at breakneck speed.
The Lake Guardian came to a halt before them, panting as if she had sprinted an entire marathon without rest.
"Vivi? What are you doing here? Where are my children?" Akari demanded.
"They're fine. Vritra is with them. But they won't be fine for long. We managed to get Asia out but Yasuo pulled a fast one and sacrificed one of the cultists. Moryo's power… Moryo's power was sealed beneath the mountain! And now…"
"He has it."
The group turned to see Tenma walking toward them. A woman followed closely behind, dressed in a black uniform. She had pure white hair and fox ears. Behind her, nine tails swished lazily and she glanced at the incoming youkai with a slightly interested gaze.
"Dad and… Kon!?" Ayaka said.
"You'll need a stronger barrier than this, Kane. Ohm." Tenma clapped his hands together and a wave of blue energy exploded from his body, traveling over the entire village until it formed a massive blue dome around the entire area. Several characters were etched on the north, west, east, and south sides of the barrier.
"That should be good. Good enough for all of us to go all out on the other side, ahahaha!" he let out a cackle.
"Master, do you really intend to go all out at your age?" Kon asked.
"Less asking. More fighting," Tenma said, walking past his stupefied children and granddaughter.
Kon sighed and followed after him, bowing apologetically to her master's children in the process.
"R- Right. Lady Jingwei!" Akane called out.
Jingwei appeared in a swirl of crimson flames next to Akane. "Mmm?" she glanced at her Contractor.
Akane tied her hair back and gave her Sponsor a sideways glance. After finishing, she held her hand out and summoned Sakura. "Let's go."
"Ah? You're not even going to tell me what's going on?" Jingwei asked, transforming into her bird form and flying to her Sponsor's shoulder.
"Shin and Asia are out there fighting Yasuo. We're going to go all in and cut a path through those youkai," Akane said.
"Without me?" Riser asked, jogging up to her side.
Akane smiled. "Let's go."
The two took off, disappearing in a red and orange flash respectively.
"We can't let our kids outdo us," Ayaka said. "Makoto."
A silver fox appeared on Ayaka's shoulder. "Yes, master."
Akari sighed before clapping her hands together. "Rei."
"Master~?" a pink fox appeared atop her head, yawning lazily. Its nine tails swished and tickled Akari's nose. "Not now, Rei. We have something we need to do. Rowan, are you ready?"
"Yeah, just let me…" he loaded his pistols and pushed his glasses up. "Let's go."
"Ohm vajraprani hum…" Yasuo clasped his hands together with the left thumb resting on the outside. Several talismans manifested in a ring around him and began to glow brightly.
"Behind! Now!" Shin waved his hand, tracing a triskele in midair. "Perfect Cube!"
Ring of talismans spun rapidly in front of Yasuo before connecting together and firing a massive bolt of lightning.
The lightning slammed into the barrier, causing an explosion that erased the entire area in a conic-shaped blast. The trees were instantly vaporized along with portions of the Earth, leaving a shallow trench that stretched into the distance.
Shin fell to his knee, dispelling his severely damaged barrier. He panted heavily and glared at the hovering Yasuo.
"Hmm, it looks like you're almost out of gas. It appears that not even the son of Akari Furude can stand against the power of the Divine Dragon. Soon, I will rid this land of impure blood and move on to the rest. To Kyoto to erase the Five Principal Clans with the power of Moryo. A power that can slay even the Five Celestial Beasts," Yasuo said, closing his fist.
Shin bit his lip before shakily getting up. He took off in a burst of speed, followed by Kureha and Ravel.
"Housenka!" Ravel fired a barrage of flaming missiles at Yasuo.
"Namah samanta vajranam canda maharosana sphotaya…" Kureha summoned a talisman and tore it in half, forming a great bow made of orange flames. Her eyes glowed brightly as she pulled it back.
The Arrow of Acala? When did she learn such a high-level spell? Yasuo thought.
The two fired their attacks simultaneously, racing past the oncoming Shin at extreme speeds.
"Worthless!" Yasuo said, swiping his hand.
"It's not over yet! Sacred Sword Release: Silent World of Elysium!" Shin chanted. Secace's blade ignited in a plume of azure flames. The flaming, wispy blade surged as Shin streaked across the sky.
"Haaah!" he brought Suwasumeragi and Secace down on top of Yasuo, unleashing a powerful wave of blue and black flaming energy. The energy wave cut across the land, leaving a deep trench.
"Khhh!"
"!?"
"!?"
Shin grit his teeth as he tried to push against Yasuo's gauntlets. There was a small crack on his Mystic Gear, along with several burns and lacerations scattered across Yasuo's arms, face, and exposed flesh. The scent of burnt meat filled their nostrils.
Yasuo's eyes slowly swiveled down to the minuscule blemish on his gauntlets. His eyes slowly contorted and twisted in unbridled rage. The mere thought that he was being damaged, even after attaining unrivaled power was unthinkable to him. His body was perfect. He was the true vessel of Moryo's power just as Akatsuki Furude was able to tame her long ago. The mere notion of a half-breed Furude approaching him in power was tantamount to heresy.
"You filthy… half-breed!" Yasuo swung his arm violently, knocking Shin back a short distance.
"You dare mar my body!" Yasuo rushed toward Shin, only to be knocked to the side by a powerful attack from Kureha.
Yasuo caught himself and clicked his tongue, eyeing the cousins for a few seconds before rushing toward them.
Asia watched on the sidelines as her brother, Kureha, and Ravel barraged Yasuo relentlessly with their attacks.
Every blade.
Every bullet.
Every spell.
No matter what they threw, Yasuo fragmented the attack and threw it back at them. Despite the small exploitable cracks, Yasuo's defense was virtually invincible.
Shin kicked off Yasuo's forearm, gaining distance before performing a downward spinning slash toward him.
Yasuo grinned and parried the blow with his armored arm, sending Shin back a considerable distance.
"Raimei!" Yasuo chanted.
A bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking Shin and sending him crashing into the ground in a violent fashion.
"Shin-"
"Didn't you say earlier that you had to focus on what's in front of you, Kureha?"
Kureha quickly turned to see Yasuo's claws nearing her. Her instincts instantly activated her Balance Breaker's skeletal shroud, blocking the attack and stopping it from reaching her eyes by mere millimeters.
Vritra!
[I know, child.]
The shroud began to transform, manifesting two massive skeletal arms. The arms quickly slammed together, slapping Yasuo as if he were a mosquito.
Kureha narrowed her eyes, having felt nothing connect with her attack. She felt a sharp pain in her back and she was sent slamming through several trees.
Asia bit her cheek, causing blood to trickle down her mouth.
"Mori! Isn't there a way we can help?" Asia asked.
"Master, you're not as strong as they are. We'll only hold them back," she replied.
"Hold them back? Tch, there has to be something we can do! I can't just sit here and watch them die! They're fighting for their lives and I'm just sitting here like a helpless maiden again! Please. You're my Shikigami! Help me!" Asia demanded.
Mori closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Master, I…"
"What about the Mystic Gear? Would that make a difference? The Black Talisman. I still have it! Mori! This isn't training anymore! My family is going to die!" she urged.
"Are you just going to stand there and complain about the world while Yasuo goes around and destroys everything!? All because people disappointed you in the past? Are you going to let a whole bunch of people die needlessly all because of that!? What about the person you lost? What would they say to you?" she pressed.
Mori opened her eyes. Her violet ones stared into Asia's defiant, urgent stare. She quickly glanced over at the battle, seeing Shin and Ravel throw a barrage of blows that would never strike their target.
She's right… I can't… I have to let go. Akatsuki… I'm sorry. I've let things go out of control, Mori thought.
"Mori!"
"Huh?" she turned to face Asia, who was now grasping her hand.
"I beg you. Let me use the Mystic Gear! For my family! I need to protect everyone I love! So please! Lend me your power!" she begged.
Mori's eyes widened as Asia's image briefly overlapped with that of a woman with violet hair and red eyes.
"Will you lend me your powers, Mori~?"
She smiled before raising her hand to pat Asia's head. "Raise your head. My master shall bow in reverence to no one."
"E- Eh?" Asia raised her head, seeing Mori smile at her briefly before turning to Yasuo.
"Yasuo has the power of the Dragon of Fragments inside of him. It may seem like it's under control but the more he uses it, the more it will consume him. If we allow the power to rage out of control, this village… no, all of Japan will be destroyed and then, East Asia," Mori said.
"Right, so we-"
"We take it back."
"Eh?" Asia gave her a surprised look. "Take it… back?"
"That power has gone without its owner for a long time. I allowed my beliefs of this world to cause me to stagnate after her death, even though I promised to look after her kin and help them thrive. Instead, I wallowed in my own misery… but, I won't make the same mistake I did with her. I'll be with you, through and through, Master," Mori said.
"M- Mori," Asia said.
"Now…" her form began to glow in a bright violet light.
Asia looked into her pocket, seeing a faint glowing light inside. She pulled out the Black Talisman, eyes widening as characters etched themselves on the black slip of paper.
"Call my name. Call the name of the blade that carries my power," Mori said.
Asia felt a pain unlike nothing she had ever felt before threatening to split her skull open and scatter her brain matter across the forest floor. Her eyes flickered between red and green as an array of images assaulted her mind.
W- What are these? Are they…?
Asia found herself standing before a vast empty void, surrounded by crystals. The crystals revolved around her, spinning lazily. However, there was one crystal in particular that hovered in front of her. She heard a myriad of soft whispers emanating from it, beckoning for her to come closer. It radiated an aura of nostalgia.
Slowly and cautiously, Asia tentatively reached out to touch the crystal. And the moment her finger made contact with the gem, a brilliant white light enveloped the entire area, blinding Asia momentarily.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to reclaim some semblance of vision.
"Mori! Mori! Can you hear me!?"
"H- Huh?" Asia blinked, feeling her surroundings beginning to take form. She no longer felt the hot, humid air of Serikawa in the summer. Instead, a cool autumn breeze kissed her face, mixing with the warm rays of the sun. Asia almost melted in satisfaction. The weather conditions were suddenly so idyllic that she almost lost herself.
"MORI!"
Is she talking to me? Asia opened her eyes and found herself standing underneath a tree, next to Mori.
Or who she thought was Mori. Mori was much taller, far older looking than the young teenage girl she had met in the woods. Mori had her eyes closed and her arms crossed. Her left horn had no crack on it and she was dressed in a black and red hanfu whose collar was held together by a red and white collar. She had a red sash around her waist and her arms and legs were covered in black bandages.
"M- Mori?" Asia reached out to touch her, only for her hand to pass through the woman.
Mori cracked open a single eye. "It's too early… in the damn morning for this," she said.
Asia turned to see who she was talking to and was taken aback by the woman in front of her.
Her long dark violet hair swayed in the wind. She wore a white miko attire, consisting of a kimono with a white haori and a dark red hakama with a black obi wrapped around her waist. Her hair was neatly arranged with a white ribbon. There was a black katana strapped to her waist, sheathed in an equally pitch black saya with red flame-like decorations running along its body. Around her neck was a necklace with a large talisman depicting a flaming bird with three legs and elegant pointed feathers.
But her attire was not what surprised Asia. It was her appearance. She felt like she was staring at both of her adoptive older siblings and her adoptive mother at the same time. She had Akane's piercing red eyes and Shin's facial features. Asia also saw where Akari had inherited her deep, dark violet hair from. This was the legendary ancestor that Yasuo had preached about. The ancestor of her adoptive family and the woman whose heritage she had been entrusted to carry on alongside her adoptive siblings.
She was Akatsuki Furude.
"Akatsuki, you could have awoken me in a less obnoxious way," Mori said, lifting her back off the tree.
"If I did that, then you would have slept standing up for the entire day. Now, come on. Ouka is waiting for you," Akatsuki said.
Ouka… this is Mori's memory. And if that woman is… Akatsuki, then Mori is…
Asia watched Mori's retreating back as the violet-haired priestess dragged her away.
"Of all the memories you had to fall into. It had to be of that day," a voice said to her right.
Asia turned to see a translucent black serpentine dragon resting on her shoulder.
"M- Mori?" Asia asked.
"Perhaps both our lives were such a mess that tragedy attracted tragedy. Unlike you, I never found the strength to move forward and hope for the best," Mori said.
She looked on sadly at the smiling woman. The small dragon let out a sigh, unleashing a small puff of violet flames.
"What day are you talking about?" Asia asked.
"Yasuo must have told you inside that cave. That the Himejima took advantage of the blessings of the Shinto Gods and the Celestial Bird of the South. Today is the day I lost her. The day I lost everything," Mori said.
After a month of waiting, I have finally dropped a new chapter for this! I tried my best. I tried to use mantras for some of the exorcism spells and wanted to see what you thought of them. It took me two hours just to find a few that I liked but the Arrow of Acala chant I used is just a shortened version of an actual Acala mantra. Yes, I didn't write the whole mantra because I thought I was butchering the sanskrit a lot already.
The things regarding Mori, I hope at one point, you all figured out who Mori actually is if her name wasn't painfully obvious already.
Ah yes, and Shin's new Matoi Kajiri, Suwasumeragi Omikami, is the upgraded form of Hirume and is another name for Amaterasu. And if you haven't noticed, Kureha's Balance Breaker is basically the Susanoo.
Anywho, see you guys in the next chapter. Since my other fic is currently on break, I'll write more of this fic.