boyutpedia Chapter 106 The Divine Sakura (End)
Chapter 106 The Divine Sakura (End)
Based on the location given by Hana Sanri, the group arrived at the Guardian Forest, the closest to Kageshiro Mountain.
Upon arriving at the forest, the group heard strange noises coming from the woods. Following the sound, they arrived at a raccoon dog statue.
However, a group of demons were currently surrounding the statue, seemingly intent on smashing the giant tanuki statue to pieces. Shin, of course, wouldn't stand idly by in this situation. She had already realized that the statue was actually a yokai in disguise, and for Inazuma, where yokai were now scarce, losing even one living yokai was a loss.
Moreover, she sensed that the talisman needed for the exorcism was in the hands of that monster, and for various reasons, she actually took action. In no time, all the monsters present were cleared away. She couldn't help but sigh that this body was much stronger than her original one. If she had had such power back then, she wouldn't have died in Kanria.
“Alas—I…we are indeed five hundred treasures, take whatever you want, sand or gnawing, it is all at your disposal!”
"It seems like you've misunderstood something. If we really wanted to kill you, would we help you drive away those monsters?"
Kiana squinted at the tanuki statue that called itself Goyakuzo. Goyakuzo also realized what Kiana was saying.
"I am the renowned Demon Tanuki King, Gobaizang! What business do you have with me?"
"Five hundred treasures? Famous throughout the world?"
"This, this voice is... General! We, we did not know that the General had come in person, and our tone was a little shaky just now. Please forgive us, General!"
"It's alright," Makoto said. "We came here this time because we needed to hold the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Purification Ceremony. According to Hana-sanri, you were in charge of keeping this guardian artifact of the forest?"
“Yes, yes, this talisman is indeed with me.” As he spoke, Wu Baizang took out the talisman, which he had hidden somewhere. “One day, that stinky fox suddenly found me and said he wanted to have a magic contest with me. But he didn’t come out for a long time, and the contest ended inconclusively. I was so angry that I stole this comb, thinking that the fox would come out. But I didn’t expect that before the stinky fox showed up, three strange guys came and sealed me here.”
Kiana took the talisman from Ichizoku and asked, "A magical duel? Were you sealed away?"
"Hey! Let's not talk about these things anymore. Since you know this comb is with us, that means that stinky fox should still be alive, right?"
After a moment of silence, Fu Hua carefully considered her words before saying, "Well... I guess you could say I'm still alive..."
"What do you mean 'also count'? Fine, since she's still alive, I'll trouble you, General, to pass on a message for me: 'You wretched thing, you're driving me crazy! Come back and fight me! We haven't decided who's the winner yet! And while you're at it, help me break the seal! By the way, it's not that I can't break the seal myself, but you still owe me a few favors, you stinky fox! [Minister of Justice] says he misses you!'"
After saying that, Ichizo quickly apologized to Shin, who waved his hand dismissively.
"I understand about your situation, and I will pass it on to her."
After receiving a genuine reply, Gosho told everyone the location of the purification ritual and the method to break the seal. Then, he cautiously added, "By the way, could you please do me another favor?"
"Tell me, what's the matter?"
"Even though so many years have passed and only I, the great tanuki demon, remain, there are still a few juniors who have recently trained under my guidance. Because I am unable to move, they haven't had anyone to play with them for a long time. So, could you and your companions please play with them for a while? Of course, I will also have my juniors help to break the seal!"
"I understand."
"Really? That's great!"
"After all, they are among the few remaining monsters, aren't they? It's only right and proper that I take better care of my people."
"Thank you! Besides the junior judge from the Ministry of Justice that I mentioned at the beginning, there are also Zhengcheng and Master Ji. Among them, the junior judge from the Ministry of Justice has been with me the longest and is the one I trust the most. Master Ji is still young and might be a little troublesome, so I hope you all won't mind."
Kiana patted her chest and assured Bronya, "Don't worry, Bronya. Even though we look like this, she still has plenty of experience taking care of children!"
"Is that so? I'll trust you this once, young man. They're guarding the forest. Their transformation techniques aren't quite there yet. If you look carefully, you'll see what they look like after they've transformed. My greatest wish is to spend more time playing with them."
So the group set off and entered the forest guarded by the three tanuki demons. Just as Gosho had said, their transformation techniques were not very sophisticated; they could spot decorations like tanuki tails or ears on some objects without even needing to look closely. More importantly, once they got close, the demons would revert to their original forms and happily dance on the spot.
So the group played with the tanuki demons in the forest for a while, and soon the three tanuki demons returned to where Wu Baizang was.
Seeing this, the group waved to Wu Baizang from afar and silently made their way towards the location of the ceremony. Little did they know that the tanuki spirit named Jifushi had been waiting on a rock for quite some time.
Upon seeing everyone arrive, she first danced joyfully, then released the seal. The once smooth rock wall slowly transformed into the entrance to a cave. Without further ado, everyone entered the cave to begin the purification ritual.
After the ceremony, Hana Sanri appeared behind everyone as usual, saying, "Whether it was Go Hyakuzo's illusion or your methods of defeating the demons, they were all quite impressive."
"Hanasanari, you've arrived!"
“Yes.” Hana Sanri nodded. “Then, is Ichizo… still alright?”
"It's very energetic, but it's trapped inside a stone."
Shin replied, and then told Hana Sanri about what had happened in the forest he had previously guarded.
“I see… Generally speaking, as long as the demon foxes don’t go too far, no one will be sent to specifically subdue them. After all, although the demon fox clan is mischievous, they are kind and innocent at heart, just like children.”
Hana Sanri said, "But daring to steal even the talisman needed for a great exorcism will certainly be punished. Judging from what you've said, since it's the Shadow Actors Trio, the three strange guys that Ichizo mentioned, it's most likely that it was done by a former Onmyoji named Yuugami."
"Oh, by the way, Wu Baizang also has something to tell you."
Shin slowly repeated what Ichizoku had said, and for some reason, Kiana and the others sensed a hint of nostalgia in Hana Sanri's mask.
"Well, that matter is like this. Did you know that Ichizo's full name is Hidden God of Life, Ichizo? In the past, to make him obey Lord Raijin's control, Fox Palace arranged for Ichizo to be appointed as the head of the Life-Preserving Bureau, in charge of the safety of the Forest of Protection. So, when darkness fell, Fox Palace worried that Ichizo, in order to protect the forest, would bravely fight an insurmountable enemy and die. Therefore, it deliberately challenged him with a game of hide-and-seek, a skill the fox demon excelled at..."
“[Five Hundred Treasures, definitely, definitely… no matter what happens, it’s all a spell I used to lure you. Don’t be fooled, don’t reveal yourself.] she said.”
"[Of course, you stinking fox. This time, I will definitely defeat you and make you admit defeat wholeheartedly.]" said Ichizo. And so, this never-ending contest began.
"So, this is the truth behind the battle? Gokuzo is still waiting for the fox to go back to him, right?" Kiana said. "That's really..."
"According to the story you heard from Gosho, it should be like this... After waiting for a while, Gosho sensed something was wrong and started causing trouble everywhere. In order to lure out Kosai-gumi, he even stole the talisman. He didn't know that this was something needed for the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom, he just thought that this comb was very important to Kosai-gumi. Later, because of this, he was sealed in a stone by the god of the land."
"What about the Fox Abstinence Palace?"
"...It was swallowed by darkness. Finally, after the darkness was cut off, it returned to the land of Narukami along with the mud."
She let out a sigh of relief. Although she had already guessed it, she still wanted to know what had happened from Hana Sanri. Now that she knew the fate of the Fox Palace, it was time to let go.
"I understand. I will do my best to complete this Divine Cherry Blossom Purification!"
"Then, let's part ways here for now. I will pray for you at the foot of the Rai-zakura tree that you successfully purified in Konta Village."
For the remaining two locations, Shin planned to split up and take action. After helping to retrieve the talisman from the fox statue near the Kamisatoshiki, Shin handed it over to Bronya and Kiana, entrusting them with the minor purification ritual below. Meanwhile, she went with Fu Hua to the desolate sea to complete the last remaining minor purification ritual.
After all the small purification rituals were completed, everyone gathered and headed to the original location, which was also the first place they purified—the Thunder Cherry Tree and the well in Konta Village.
There, the group met Hana Sanri again and informed her that all the small purification rituals had been completed.
“Well done. The roots of Lei Ying have been telling me about your achievements. I am truly humbled, for there is something I must confess to you.”
"But it doesn't matter."
"As the Great Purification progresses, your performance has far exceeded my expectations. To the point that... I can't help but feel regret. If there had been people like you by Fox Palace's side back then, perhaps... no, I'm just being presumptuous. Please don't take it to heart."
After a moment of silence, Hana Sanri also chose to remain silent. Finally, Kiana, unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, broke the silence.
"This is far from over, isn't it? There's one last step in the Kagura Great Exorcism, isn't there?"
"Indeed. As expected of the one who lifted the four barriers, you are very perceptive. This Divine Cherry Blossom Purification does indeed have one final step. Please follow me, and I will unlock the last seal of the Divine Cherry Blossom for you."
Following Hana Sanri's steps, the group arrived at the mountainside of Shadow Mountain. Looking down at the pool of water emitting a purple light, Hana Sanri said...
"This is the final barrier of the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Purification. Now that everyone is ready, I will open this final barrier for you."
Everyone remained silent and solemnly nodded to Hana Sanri.
"Then, I shall dispel the barrier... from Whale Abyss in the east to Ash Sea in the west. From Flame Light in the south to Weak Water in the north... myriad branches and veins, please remove the calamity."
As the incantation in the flower scattering rang out, a bottomless hole appeared at the bottom of the pool, and all the water in the pool flowed down into the depths of the earth, leaving only the hole emitting an eerie purple light.
"The seal has been broken, and I would like to take the liberty of inviting you to jump in."
Although Kiana knew where the entrance was the moment the large hole appeared, she still felt a pang of fear when Hana Sanri said to jump in.
Even though she knew that this height wouldn't kill anyone present, Kiana still felt a fear ingrained in human instinct as she looked down from above.
However, as mentioned above, this height is not enough to kill anyone present, not to mention that Kiana has the ability to teleport everyone directly to the bottom.
Kiana then looked away from looking down, glancing at Makoto as if to confirm something, before finally deciding to jump!
With a feeling of floating, Kiana felt something supporting her as she slowly descended. During the descent, Kiana saw the true form of the purple light, which was a tumor-like substance entwined by three giant tree roots—the Miasma Tumor that Hana Sanri had told everyone about before they descended.
Only after landing completely did Kiana realize just how large that miasma was.
As if sensing that the people descending were going to eliminate them, the miasma dripped a few drops of filth onto the ground, forming mud that instantly transformed into the monsters they had once vanquished.
Kiana frowned as she sensed the dense lightning element surrounding them. This was no longer the concentration of lightning element found in a normal environment; the intense lightning was even beginning to corrode their bodies!
However, the so-called lightning elemental erosion had no effect whatsoever on the Herrscher's inhuman body, but that did not mean they did not need to finish the battle quickly.
The filth contained in the miasma is on the verge of erupting at any moment. If it is not dealt with quickly, Inazuma may face annihilation!
Without hesitation, he summoned Mei's weapon and stepped forward to eliminate the monsters that appeared. At the same time, the armor representing the power of origin slowly appeared on Shin's body.
Sheathing his sword, Shin closed his eyes and recalled the combat techniques Kage had taught him. The next moment, lightning erupted, and all the lightning element in the underground cave rapidly gathered into Shin's sword before he swung it.
At this moment, the entire space fell silent, leaving only a blade of light rushing towards the miasma with unparalleled momentum.
The miasma was like butter meeting a hot knife; it was quickly split in two by Zhen and fell to the ground. Before the filth on the ground could re-gather, Zhen's next attack followed immediately.
Along with the scorching heat of the lightning, the filth on the ground was completely evaporated and purified. Eventually, even the unpleasant concentration of lightning element in the air decreased at an alarming rate, eventually returning to normal.
After the miasma was completely eradicated, Hana Sanri appeared before everyone.
She didn't speak, but simply watched the exhausted Zhen. Those two attacks had completely drained Zhen's already limited mental strength. If it weren't for Zhen's strong will, her consciousness would have fallen back into slumber the moment the miasma was eliminated.
At this moment, Shin's vision was already blurred. She instinctively wanted to move closer to Hana Sanri, but before she could take a single step, her will began to slip away from her body. If Kiana hadn't been there to support Shin, she probably would have collapsed long ago.
Within the consciousness space, the consciousness named Raiden Mei hoped that she could return to rest as soon as possible, so that at least a minimum level of consciousness could be guaranteed, but she was rejected.
In a daze, she seemed to smell a floral fragrance, the same fragrance that Huzhaigong carried. It was Hana Sanri; she had now arrived in front of Zhenshi.
Shin looked up at Hana Sanri, and through her blurry vision, she saw a bright silver-haired fox-eared girl.
Her amber eyes, adorned with red eyeshadow, were filled with the joy of their reunion, and her shrine maiden robes rustled softly even without wind.
"This is the last one," she said. "Shin, I'm so happy to see you again."
“Me too…” Makoto slowly reached out and touched the fox mask Hanahara was wearing. “Thank you, Hanahara. I’m so happy to see you!”
Hana-sanri's body jolted violently: "Why... why doesn't Master Shin call me Fox-Sai-gu?"
“You are you, and Fox Abode Palace is Fox Abode Palace. Fox Abode Palace died in the calamity five hundred years ago. You are just a new being who inherited some of her memories. I can still tell the difference. I'm sorry... I kept you waiting.”
After saying that, his consciousness could no longer hold, and his hand, which had been on the mask, fell limply to his side.
"She really is... a gentle god!"
Hana Sanri silently recited the final incantation required for the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom, and uttered this sentiment.
Mei, who had taken over the body again, only saw Hana Sanri, who had turned into cherry blossom petals and scattered in the wind under the sunlight shining through the hole, and the fox mask that had fallen off without support.
……