28 Pushing Forward
Light gradually burst forth from the bodies of the divine
messengers standing side by side before the gate.
Beyond the gate lay a divine realm created by a fallen
former god.
Normally, only those invited could enter such a special
otherworld. But the divine messengers would use their divine power to punch a
hole through it and force open a path.
Being able to create a divine realm meant it could also be
destroyed.
Still immature as they were, they didn't have enough power
to completely destroy another god's realm. However, after finishing their
training, they could at least tear open a hole big enough for Minato to pass
through.
As Minato waited beside them, holding his breath, a small
hole about the size of a thumb appeared in the space before his eyes. The three
immediately grabbed the edges of the hole and began prying it open.
In the dim darkness, a hole opened in the center of the
gate.
Urged on by the three's gazes, Minato nodded and crawled
through the hole into the grounds. Instantly, the three jumped through and
clung to Minato's body Seri on his left leg, Torika on his right leg, Utsugi on
his head. Though they weren't as heavy as normal animals, being clung to so
tightly put a fair amount of weight on him.
Inside the divine realm, the scenery was different from
outside. The wind had stopped and he no longer felt cold, but the indescribably
lukewarm temperature was just unpleasant.
There was no sun overhead, yet it was dimly bright a strange
sight. A flat gray sky spread above them in an eerily silent space.
The main hall at the end of the path looked hazy and
indistinct. It appeared much darker black than before, making Minato's throat
bob nervously.
Seri, who had been glaring at the hall, looked up at Minato.
"The source seems to be inside that building."
"That's the only option anyway... shall we go?"
"Yes!" came their unified battle cry.
But after just a few steps, the three's bodies began to
tremble. Seri, perched on top of Minato's shoe, gripped his shin tighter and
spoke in a frightened voice.
"Minato, the charms' power is running out."
"Got it."
Harima had told him that with their improved abilities, even
one charm could easily exorcise about five vengeful spirit-class entities. Yet
apparently even a bundle of these powerful charms was nearly spent.
He quickly opened his body bag and untied the special pouch
inside. The three stopped trembling. His vision, which had been shaking due to
Utsugi clinging to the back of his head, also stabilized.
He took out a bundle of washi paper from the bag Harima had
given him one that temporarily sealed the exorcising power. The characters
written on it were still vivid with fresh ink. There was still plenty of power
left.
Minato looked around.
"I can see the buildings and gravel clearly now. How
about you?"
"We're fine. All the miasma that was spreading through
this area is gone."
"Phew, that was close~"
Torika answered strongly while looking up, and Utsugi
kneaded Minato's shoulders with his hind paws.
Holding the washi paper in both hands, Minato approached the
main hall the enemy's stronghold. It should have been a majestic building, but
now it was just creepy.
Only Minato's slow footsteps echoed. With each step forward,
the three's bodies tensed up again. Even in Minato's vision, the main hall
began to turn dark and hazy again, becoming harder to see.
"...It's angry."
"Well, we forced it open. Can't be helped."
"Ugh, so noisy~"
The messengers seemed to hear voices or sounds that Minato
couldn't. An unpleasant lukewarm breeze brushed his cheek, making it hard to
breathe. Minato grimaced deeply.
"I want to get out of here soon."
"I agree."
"Let's finish this quickly and go home."
"The sweets shop will close if we don't hurry,
right?"
"Yeah," he replied, stepping forward with
determination. He climbed the stone steps between the stone lanterns on both
sides and stood before the main hall doors. The old wooden double doors stood
open on one side, their bolt undone.
As Minato stopped before them, an invisible pressure pushed
hard against his entire body from ahead. The three gripped him tighter with
their front paws.
Deep wrinkles formed on Seri's nose.
"...It seems we must open it once more."
"...Can you do it?"
"We'll do it."
"Yes."
The three slowly left Minato and landed in front of the open
door. They stood in a row holding hands, raising their divine power. They
emitted a pale golden light.
Little by little, their power and light grew stronger.
Meanwhile, increased pressure from the main hall pressed
down on all of them.
A strange presence. Anger. He could feel tremendous rage.
His skin crawled and he trembled as his instincts told him
he was being threatened by something overwhelmingly malevolent.
Fear like he'd never experienced before fear that seemed to
freeze him from within. Even worse than the divine authority of the mountain
god he'd caught the backlash from the other day. His hair stood on end.
But he forced his feet to stay planted, though they wanted
to retreat on their own.
He couldn't run away alone. Not when these mountain god
messengers with no connection to this place were working so hard.
He clenched his teeth and gripped his fists so hard his
nails dug into his skin. What could he do? What could only he do?
There was only one answer.
He scattered the washi paper, creating a whirlwind. He
surrounded the three with the wind full of paper to protect them.
But even after more time passed than before, no hole opened.
Gradually, the messengers' expressions twisted and the
brightness of the light from their bodies dimmed. Things clearly weren't going
well, but Minato had no other means. His anxiety only grew.
Then......BANG! A destructive sound and shockwave struck from the
other side of the door.
Minato was pushed back and staggered, but he stubbornly
refused to stop the wind protecting the three.
The characters on the spinning washi paper rapidly faded.
The deafening noise continued, the shockwaves increasing. Cracks ran through
the wooden door. It looked ready to shatter at any moment.
The relentless sound and violent pressure caused ringing in
his ears and intense pain assaulted his brain. Unable to endure it, Minato
dropped to one knee. A horrifying presence drew near.
It was coming. Something evil was trying to get out from
inside.
His hand gripping the washi paper on the stone pavement
tensed. If it came out, the battle would be decided in an instant.
Did he even have a chance of winning? The charms were almost
gone. Creating new charms in such a disturbed mental state would be incredibly
difficult.
Blown by the wind of cowardice, his cold sweat wouldn't
stop. Sweat ran down his temple and fell, scattering on the ground.
Finally, Ten and the others lost their light and collapsed.
Immediately after, the messengers' eyes changed from black to gold. Then the
three opened their mouths toward the door.
"Awoooooo...ooo..."
A loud wolf howl was released. Along with the powerful roar
that thundered throughout the otherworld, a wave of golden light pressure
repelled and pushed back the ominous black pressure.
The heavy pressure immediately vanished from Minato's body.
The ringing in his ears, the headache everything faded.
CRACK! A high sound like a scream rang out as something
shattered.
A crack appeared in the void a massive tear the color of a
dark night. From it, a giant black mass shaped like a human hand writhed out
and approached.
Now!
Rising to his feet, he threw all the washi paper sideways
and released a gust like a slap. The dancing papers flew in a straight line
into the tear.
Minato couldn't hear it the long, drawn-out scream mixed
with rage that finally cut off.
All Minato knew was that the black tear had disappeared.
He glanced at Ten and the others beside him their eyes had
returned to their normal black color. Though their footing was slightly
unsteady, they bravely stood up on their hind legs. Seeing everyone's bright
faces, he knew it had been exorcised. Minato let out the breath he'd been
holding, his shoulders relaxing.
But....
"...It seems that wasn't all of it..."
Seri announced regretfully, and the three glared resentfully
at the interior of the main hall.
"But most of it's gone."
"Yeah. Looks like there's just a little left."
Torika spoke, and Utsugi nodded. The three gathered at his
feet. Minato asked what was on his mind.
"That howl earlier was that the mountain god?"
"Yes."
"He sent divine power remotely."
"Amazing, right!"
While finding their proud faces endearing, he thought to
himself:
"I didn't know the mountain god could howl."
"Well, sort of."
"He is a wolf, after all."
"He seemed really pumped up."
"First time I've heard it," Minato said with a
faint laugh, and the three agreed.
Anyway, it had been incredibly helpful. Without the mountain
god's divine power, what would have happened to them? Just imagining it was
terrifying blood-curdling.
He'd have to splurge on a souvenir for the trip home.
The warm moment was brief. Before entering the hall, they
should prepare. When he took out all the memo paper and washi paper he'd hidden
in his clothes, it was all blank.
Paper infused with exorcising power couldn't be reinfused
once its effect wore off. He'd tried several times but had never succeeded. The
paper couldn't be reused.
He took out a fresh memo pad and quickly wrote characters on
it, surely and swiftly.
He filled half the pages with writing and stared at the open
entrance to the main hall.
"Shall we go? Into the stronghold."
With two clinging to his shoulders from behind and one hugging the back of his head, he stepped through the door.
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