Chapter 226 Mai Shinomiyai vs. Kazumi Shimizu (Part 1)
“Riko-nee, Ame-nee, are you two alright?”
The brown strange bird wearing an ogre mask let out a roar, and the wind blades generated by its massive body pushed away the surrounding Corpse Crows, landing accurately beside the two on the ground.
The young girl on the giant bird’s back flipped and jumped down, her vibrant green eyes filled with worry as she looked at the two shrine maidens covered in wounds on the ground.
“Lord Shinomiyai, we are fine… but senpai Tachibana and the others…”
Riko Nagano propped herself up with her longbow. Her previously despairing eyes flared with a spark of hope, but it soon dimmed. Looking at the tragic deaths of the people in the distance, she replied in a dejected and hoarse voice.
“It’s alright, Uncle Noda is already on his way, and people from the Association and the police department will arrive here soon!”
With a wave of his hand, the giant bird beside him unleashed another wind blade, blocking the young girl’s attack. Mai Shinomiyai stared with a solemn expression at the graveyard, which had become a mess due to the battle.
“Lord Shinomiyai, this enemy excels at using spiritual energy to materialize attacks and has the ability to control Underworld creatures. Their close-combat capabilities might be a weakness!”
Another female psychic, supported by Riko Nagano, stood up. She looked at Mai Shinomiyai in front of her, dishevelled, and quickly relayed the available information.
“Is it the same fighting style as mine? How is Master Ku doing?”
Nodding faintly, the talismans in her hands ignited spontaneously. A large formation lit up beside Mai Shinomiyai, and two fearsome giant Shikigami of different forms emerged from the formation.
“The opponent is that “[Poisonous Snake],” Master Ku’s energy is very unstable, and he probably won’t last long.”
Riko Nagano gathered silvery-white spiritual energy in her hands, healing the wounds of the two injured individuals. She looked worriedly at the golden Buddha statue in the distance, which was almost shattered by the entanglement of the giant snake, and said.
“Go, bring back senpai Hayami!”
The white canine Shikigami, under Mai Shinomiyai’s command, quickly ran towards Hayami Miya who was in the distance, rescuing the tired man with eyes who was struggling to resist under Little Black’s control.
Following its master’s instructions, it didn’t linger to fight. It grabbed Hayami Miya, threw him onto its back, wrapped itself in wind element, and ran back to its original position at an even faster speed.
“You all head towards Kinoshita Street. The nearest support should be coming from that direction. Prioritize getting the intel out!!”
Looking at the three people covered in injuries, Mai Shinomiyai calmly took command and gave instructions.
“However, Master Ku, and you, Lord Shinomiyai… we can still help.”
Hayami Miya’s arms were oozing black blood from the scratches inflicted by ghouls, but he still raised his head, looking indignantly at the young girl in front of him.
“There are no ‘howevers.’ Your current state would only be a burden if you stay here. The most important thing is to stop their plan by relaying information!”
The young girl interrupted Hayami Miya’s protest with a wave of her hand. The situation was far more tense than it appeared, and she didn’t have time to worry about seniority issues. Being more sensitive to spiritual energy, she could notice details that others missed.
The battle that appeared to be evenly matched from the outside was, in Mai Shinomiyai’s opinion, extremely perilous. Master Ku was too old. Despite his profound Buddhist teachings, his aged body no longer allowed him to unleash spiritual energy in this manner. If he continued to endure like this, his physical body would collapse first.
As for the evil psychic confronting Master Ku, it was none other than the powerful ability user who controlled poisonous snakes that the young girl had encountered at school before. Having personally experienced Masashi Sakuraba’s power, Mai Shinomiyai knew that even Master Ku’s strength might not be able to hold on for much longer.
However, the problem now was that this person in black, a companion of Masashi Sakuraba, did not appear to be weak. If they could easily kill Tachibana Kinoshita and the others, then their achievements in abilities might surpass her own.
“Giant Spirit!!”
Before Mai Shinomiyai could urge the people around her to leave quickly, a swift black shadow rushed towards their location. The young girl had no time to react, and the spiritual energy in her hand flashed. The blue Shikigami beside her also lit up with thick earth-colored spiritual energy, extending its arms to shield them.
“Boom!”
A loud impact sound erupted in front of Mai Shinomiyai. The tall, one-eyed Shikigami’s muscles were tightly clenched, and its four arms held the charging giant black shadow firmly. The immense kinetic energy caused the colossal Giant Spirit Shikigami, as tall as a small mountain, to retreat slightly. The death aura wrapped around the coffin directly corroded the Giant Spirit’s skin.
As if sensing an unusual gaze, Mai Shinomiyai sharply raised her head. Standing atop the pitch-black coffin was the black-robed figure they had seen earlier. Even though the thick black robe obscured the enemy’s true appearance, the young girl could clearly sense the unhidden, terrifying killing intent.
“Byakko!”
Although she didn’t know why the opponent would approach her so carelessly to attack, Mai Shinomiyai wouldn’t let such a good opportunity slip away. She unleashed several talismans from her hand, and the wolf-shaped Shikigami beside her pounced fiercely towards the black-robed figure on the coffin.
“Die!”
A hoarse voice filled with killing intent emanated from beneath the black robe. At the same time, the dark green death aura surrounding the Black Coffin was driven, transforming into sharp spikes that attacked the wolf Shikigami beside them.
The Corpse Crows that had been circling in the sky changed their combat style, targeting Mai Shinomiyai on the ground. They launched wave after wave of suicidal dives, fearing no death, all in an attempt to break through the spiritual energy shield surrounding the young girl.
“Does he know me? Why does he have such intense killing intent towards me?”
Several talismans were consumed in Mai Shinomiyai’s hands. This sudden barrage of attacks made it difficult for the young girl to cope, but questions began to rise in her mind one by one.
Why did this hostile ability user display such obvious killing intent upon seeing her? Was it because of some feud with her or her family?
“Storm!”
A wind blade swept in from the horizon. The giant bird, which had been observing from high in the sky, rejoined the battle, engaging in a fierce struggle with the Corpse Crow flock. However, controlling three Shikigami simultaneously was already extremely taxing for Mai Shinomiyai, let alone controlling her spiritual energy to resist the opponent’s evil energy attacks.
The four-armed Giant Spirit finally recovered from the impact of the Black Coffin. Its lower hands braced against the coffin, while its upper two hands were raised into tight fists, smashing down fiercely onto the coffin.
“Boom!”
A massive sound echoed from the pitch-black coffin lid. The heavy coffin lost its momentum with this blow and directly crashed onto the ground. Even the lid seemed to have been blown open by the immense impact, revealing a patch of darkness within.
Temporarily relieving one crisis, Mai Shinomiyai finally had a moment to catch her breath. She slowly looked up, only to meet the gaze of a black-robed figure who had leaped back from the coffin. The fervent gaze beneath the black robe seemed to have never left her.
“Who exactly are you?! What is your purpose in coming here?”
The direct and unfeigned killing intent sent a shiver down her spine, but Mai Shinomiyai met the opponent’s gaze without fear. After all, given their inexplicable animosity towards her, she might be able to extract some useful information.
Mai Shinomiyai’s question seemed to surprise the black-robed figure, but they quickly reacted. A manic grin appeared on the thin lips beneath the black robe, and they shook their head neurotically. The sharp, hoarse voice echoed from beneath the robe again.
“The one who will kill you!!”
The next moment, a massive amount of white substance surged out of the coffin like a tide!!!
