After Koresawa and the other newcomers retreated from the battle, Tsukiko stayed behind, continuing to confront it, the headless warrior.
"Phew."
With a brief exhalation, the headless warrior delivered a series of thrusts. The headless warrior made no effort to dodge and instead received them on the belly of its large sword.
The power behind these thrusts was substantial, but the headless warrior stood unfazed. In the end, it forcefully brushed aside each of her attacks and attempted to strike back with brute force.
It didn't possess any proper combat technique, but the pressure emanating from each of its swings was considerable.
It was an embodiment of pure violence.
A single missed block could be fatal.
Normally, when facing an opponent like the headless warrior, the "Kinraishou" (Golden Thunder Spear) would burn it with lightning the moment they clashed. But the headless warrior showed no sign of being affected.
Realizing that her attacks weren't making a dent, Tsukiko took a step back. She also scanned her surroundings. The area had turned gruesome, littered with fallen trees and accumulated debris from the battle.
There were no other human figures besides Tsukiko, and there was no sign of any other warriors besides the headless one.
"Did everyone manage to escape? Koresawa-san retreated with the newcomers, so I assume they got out safely."
The decision now was whether to escape and regroup with the others or continue investigating on her own.
"..."
Either way, dealing with this headless warrior was a necessity.
The headless warrior hoisted its large sword over its shoulder and turned its non-existent eyes towards Tsukiko. Magic power surged from its entire body, and it clenched the hilt so tightly it seemed it might shatter.
And then, it began suddenly.
The headless warrior sank into the ground—or rather, it began to ripple the ground beneath it, gathering power.
Immediately after, with a loud crash, it burst from the ground like a cannonball. The headless warrior, surrounded by a storm as if to say it would crush her if it couldn't cut her, charged towards Tsukiko.
But Tsukiko had not merely stepped back. She had already set a trap. She molded its magic power and extended its right hand.
"Shourai - Chidori Gakoi (Summon Thunder - Plover Enclosure)."
Six needles were previously placed along the route the headless warrior would pass through. They reacted to its magic power, taking on a golden thunderous glow.
As the headless warrior swung its sword and closed in, thunderbirds chirped and the needles formed a net.
If it had a humanoid form, its weaknesses should be the same except for its head.
Tsukiko smoothly stepped forward and thrust her spear at its heart. However, even with its entire body bound by lightning, the headless warrior forcibly twisted its body, exposing its left arm. While the tip of the spear pierced its armor, it wasn't a fatal wound.
"..."
Tsukiko immediately withdrew her spear, but the headless warrior didn't miss the moment when her movements stopped.
It tore apart the Chidori Gakoi, and in a sweeping horizontal strike, it aimed to break everything. While attempting to dodge with a backward somersault, the headless warrior, who had gauged the distance, wouldn't allow it.
One fierce attack followed another; it was like a storm. The slightest graze would undoubtedly result in her being drawn into a relentless onslaught.
Tsukiko moved gracefully within this tempest. She minimized the engagement of their spears and otherwise skillfully evaded its attacks.
However, its opponent was also an aberration. As long as its magic power held out, there was no concept of fatigue.
So, Tsukiko decided to break through forcefully.
Tsukiko's magic, "Shourai," was about releasing lightning. If it didn't work, she would have to try a different approach.
As she landed, she pulled herself back and faced the headless warrior's incoming sword. Her entire body was enveloped in lightning, and her golden hair danced with sparks.
——This was it.
The headless warrior began its descent, aiming to capitalize on her landing. Until now, it couldn't have closed the gap with speed and reach alone.
That's right; it couldn't be done with just body enhancement.
'Shippu Jinrai (Swift Thunder)'
The gold transformed into a streak of lightning, racing through. It was Tsukiko herself turned into lightning. By envisioning herself as lightning, she had created a spell that enabled a momentary high-speed maneuver.
The speed of Tsukiko's attack left everything behind, as she forced her way into the warrior's defenses, leaving wounds in place of blood. The injured warrior's body wavered, and a thin mist of magic power overflowed from it.
But after distancing herself and dispelling the lightning, Tsukiko exhaled in disappointment.
"I'm still not good enough; I can't say I've mastered it by any means."
Originally, she had intended to use "Shippu Jinrai" to pierce through the warrior's heart. However, it ended up merely slashing through its flesh. She knew the reason. She had hesitated to plunge too deeply into her attack. The faster it was, the greater the damage would be if she failed and collided with her target. Subconsciously, she had held back.
After her defeat against Freim, where she couldn't do anything and had lost, Tsukiko had subjected herself to grueling training. She vowed not to lose again, never to let her loved ones be hurt. With that determination in mind, she had learned several new spells in this short period.
Yet, she was not satisfied with the result.
"Phew."
She regulated her breathing, shifting her focus to maintain her composure. She couldn't afford to struggle against an opponent of this level; she wouldn't even be allowed to stand in the battlefield she remembered.
Her mind flashed back to the hellish inferno, an intense, scorching force that could turn even ashes to dust. And amidst that, a glimmering emerald flash.
She gripped the spear tighter; her gaze sharpened, and her posture lowered slightly.
"First and Second Seals, release."
The stakes were high.
A part of the seal on her spear was released, and the weapon quivered in delight. The tip split into two. The spear and Tsukiko's magic power resonated, enhancing each other. In the past, it would have taken extensive preparation to reach this state, but after experiencing it in the midst of battle, Tsukiko could already sense this condition through her instincts.
Perhaps the headless warrior noticed Tsukiko's transformation. Instead of launching an all-out attack, it focused on gauging the distance.
It held a high stance, as if to declare that it would directly crush whatever came its way. Tsukiko sensed an immense amount of magic power swirling around the massive sword.
The first strike it had unleashed, cracking the ground—those forces were dwarfed by the headless warrior's current magic power.
In contrast, Tsukiko not only channeled magic power into her spear but also throughout her upper body to activate her spells.
The headless warrior made the first move. If it had a mouth, it would probably have let out a roar like a beast. With a high stance, the massive sword was swung downward.
An atmospheric upheaval that would devour everything. If she took it head-on, she would be sliced in two, or her limbs would be shattered. Either way, it would spell defeat.
That's why Tsukiko wouldn't take it head-on. Until the moment she felt the air pressure against her forehead, she continued molding her magic power, locking her gaze onto the headless warrior.
And when the lightning scattered from her bangs collided with the blade, Tsukiko's magic was triggered.
'Shippu Jinrai.'
Starting from her waist to her shoulders, arms, and spear, everything moved as one. The spear had truly become a lightning-speed strike, cutting through a gust of wind and piercing the warrior's chest.
From the wound, magic power spurted out like blood splatters, and even that was scorched by the raging thunder.
She had done something simple: if moving while attacking was difficult, she would root her legs to the ground and use her upper body to release Shippu Jinrai, increasing the speed of the thrust.
"Guh...!"
As she watched the headless warrior disintegrate into dust, Tsukiko let out a sound of anguish. She managed to manipulate her magic power and reseal the Kinraishou.
(This is more challenging than I imagined. I mustn't overuse it.)
The strain of Shippu Jinrai itself was immense, and the additional burden of supporting her lower body, which remained fixed while her upper body accelerated, felt like a shockwave that could have torn her apart.
She lowered the spear, thrusting it into the ground like a staff.
Yet, she had won. Not long ago, it would have been difficult for her to win alone. As she felt her growth more acutely, she slowly exhaled.
Suddenly, she sensed a presence behind her.
"I'm impressed; you managed to purify that thing by yourself."
"Koresawa-san..."
She managed to straighten her back and turned to look behind her. There stood Koresawa alone.
"Are the newcomers okay?"
"Kishijou-san and Udoo-kun managed to lead everyone else out of the boundary, so by now, they should be descending the mountain. I tried looking for the two of them, but I couldn't find them."
"I see..."
In that situation, expecting Koresawa to get everyone out was an impossible task. From Tsukiko's perspective, it wasn't ideal but not the worst for the two exceptional individuals to act separately.
"So, from here, can we prioritize searching for the two and then retreat?"
"Is Isumi-san okay? You seems quite exhausted."
"Thank you for asking. I can still move."
Right now, they needed to escape from here as soon as possible. Koresawa murmured, "Yeah," and slowly squatted down, placing his hands on the ground.
"But before that, there's something we need to do."
Before Tsukiko could even ask what, Koresawa's magic was already activated.
"Kaina (Potter's Arm)."
At Tsukiko's feet, the ground shattered, and numerous black shadows emerged, resembling thick tree roots rather than human arms.
In an instant, the roots started weaving together behind Tsukiko, cutting off her escape route.
"What the...? Why all of a sudden?"
"Don't talk."
Koresawa suddenly wrapped the arms around Tsukiko's waist.
"What?"
Then, she leaped with tremendous force. It seemed he had raised the roots from the ground to lift them both, and they were now making a rapid escape.
Tsukiko wondered why Koresawa had done this. But she soon found out.
When they landed and looked back at where they had originally been, they saw a complex barrier of roots and branches intricately woven together. However, the real issue was not the barrier itself.
Koresawa had to create this barrier because of what was behind it.
"That is..."
It couldn't be seen, but its presence could undoubtedly be felt.
Magic power moved eerily, causing ripples in the air. The headless warrior was composed of an incredibly dense amount of magic power. Maintaining the boundary and generating multiple monsters within it were feats that should not have been possible under normal circumstances.
It was the power of a land deity, something that had accumulated faith and fear over many years. However, it wasn't a land deity. There were no legends of such a deity in this region.
She had assumed that the shrine itself was the essence of the phenomenon. She shouldn't get close to it; that's what she thought.
But she suddenly recalled a black-and-white photograph of the shrine in the documents. An old, frayed rope hanging upside-down.
It wasn't a boundary separating the sacred from the mundane, but a prison for containing a wrathful deity.
If the shrine that had held the monster had already fulfilled its role...
The situation was already in its worst possible state.
Tsukiko turned to look behind her, intending to escape while there was still some distance between them, but she was left speechless.
Unbeknownst to her, a dense fog had enveloped the surroundings, blocking their escape route. The uncertainty of not being able to see ahead restrained their movements.
And they couldn't afford to hesitate.
Tsukiko spun her Kinraishou (Golden Thunder Spear) around and switched her grip, channeling her magic power. She hadn't fully recovered from her battle with the headless warrior, but she poured her entire being into this spell. She intended to unleash her most powerful magic, as if to obliterate this entire section of the mountain.
"Tensen—"
However, both her decision and action were too late.
Black magic power, larger and taller than the barrier, condensed into a spherical form. It quietly reached its limits and then burst.
If it were a balloon, it would have made a sound. Perhaps it would have spilled water.
What spilled from the sphere was the lament of souls, filled with resentment and anguish.
A horde of warriors, too numerous to count. No, they were no longer warriors. They no longer resembled warriors. They were wandering spirits seeking life, devoid of physical forms.
"Ugh!"
"What... what is this!"
The spirits demolished the barrier and flooded out, forming a wave that engulfed Tsukiko and Koresawa.
In that instant, the screams and shouts of the undead echoed in Tsukiko's mind, causing her thoughts to become a chaotic mess.
Naturally, she couldn't complete the activation of her magic, so Tsukiko pressed her hands to her head and clenched her teeth. She knew that even a momentary lapse in concentration could allow the voices of resentment to take over her consciousness.
The wave of spirits passed in a matter of seconds. When Tsukiko finally regained her senses, she realized that all the spirits had disappeared into the mist, leaving the surroundings in eerie silence.
However, everything hadn't returned to normal.
It was like Pandora's box. Once something had emerged, it couldn't be undone, regardless of what had come out of it. The only difference was that what remained at the end might not necessarily be hope.
At the center of the black sphere from which the spirits had poured forth, there lay a single piece of fabric. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a vibrant kimono with a white base adorned with peony flowers.
As Tsukiko and Koresawa were left speechless by the incongruity of the situation, the kimono began to float gently on its own.
Standing there was an oni.
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