111 – 111. Advance.
…Crash!
The first to sense the destruction of the palace’s barrier was the Divine Palace Lord.
Devoted to the gods, he had meticulously crafted the grand barrier with the protection of multiple deities in mind.
“…This is unbelievable!”
Even he hadn’t imagined the barrier would be destroyed in an instant.
Hurrying out from the altar of millions of gods, he was met with the shattered barrier of the Divine Palace and a man with shimmering eyes floating in the air.
White hair and a serene face.
Locking eyes with a face he had seen before, the Divine Palace Lord, Mato Makira, widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Byakucha, Ichimaru Shiki!”
In a rather intense greeting, Ichimaru Shiki waved his hand with a smile.
“Hello. Have you been well all this time?”
“What… What is the meaning of this! How dare you, without permission, intrude into the palace as you please?!”
“hahahaha, do I really need permission? I’m just here to do my exorcist job.”
The man with the shimmering eyes gestured towards the imperial palace where the fallen king resided.
“I’ve come to kill the corrupted king.”
…Corrupted king?
As a loyal subject, there was only one emperor he knew in Japan.
Trembling with rage, Mato Makira, the Divine Palace Lord, unleashed his magic.
“You vile madman! I should have captured and killed you back then!”
There was no need to ask the judgment of the gods now.
Before him stood an unmistakable enemy of the great emperor and the divine beings.
Mato Makira prayed to the gods and infused his full magic into the staff in his hand.
“—Sinners, realize the weight of your heinous sins. Souls fallen into hell, weep bitterly. Bring down the hammer upon their heads!”
The judgmental deity, who had previously refused to summon, now lent his power.
Not only that, numerous spirits known as demons among the Japanese people also bolstered their strength.
Mato Makira merged his original magic and divine power, focusing on the malevolent figure before him.
“—Seal of the Plague Ghosts, Seal of Confinement!”
Kwung! Thud! Thud! Red pillars fell one after another, forming a circle on the ground.
Black energy flowed from the firmly settled pillar, creating a dark mist.
Before long, it seemed to encircle the central Ichimaru Shiki, pointing towards the sorcerer.
“Hmm.”
However, the man with the silver eyes, as if feeling no threat, casually scratched his cheek and took a step forward.
Swish─! Concealed in the mist, threads of steel wrapped around his body, yet Ichimaru Shiki continued to move forward with a smile.
As the mist’s spirits sang and cursed the sinner, the top sorcerer of present-day Japan effortlessly nullified the curse and advanced.
At the moment he was about to break the barrier, a large hammer fell from the sky, but Ichimaru Shiki just smiled and raised a finger.
“Behead.”
Crack! The massive hammer split in half and collapsed around Ichimaru Shiki, leaving destruction in its wake.
Witnessing everything crumble with ease, the bewildered Matou Makira, with an uneasy expression, glanced at the man and unconsciously took a step back.
“Is it all over now?”
“….”
Though quite audacious, it seemed his abilities alone might not be enough to fend off the adversary.
The stoic Matou Makira, glaring at the man with closed lips, sensed approaching soldiers from all directions.
Though he had sensed something amiss earlier, he was delayed due to the formation.
“Lord Makira! What’s happening?”
The soldier commander who spotted Makira rushed over and asked with a stern expression.
Matou Makira, with an even firmer look, merely pointed at the smiling Ichimaru Shiki.
Frowning, the soldier commander inquired again.
“Are they intruders?”
“Yes, quite the vile ones.”
“It seems you couldn’t subdue them easily, Lord, but it’s fine now. We have hundreds of soldiers surrounding them-“
“Sigh. Commander. It seems mere numbers won’t stop them.”
Matou Makira, resigned, shook his head and looked at the soldier commander.
The soldier commander, meeting the vacant gaze of the stoic Matou Makira, trembled in surprise.
Recalling the grace bestowed by the heavens not long ago, Matou Makira muttered.
“Originally, it’s better to deal with a dragon than an ant-like nuisance.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly that.”
Matou Makira immediately bowed and offered a prayer to the heavens.
“O divine, accept our numerous sacrifices.”
The grace of the heavens, too great to express in words, still left him, as a human, with inevitable, foolish anxiety.
Becoming a great being was undoubtedly good, but was he not losing himself now?
Somehow, there was a physiological aversion within him.
Yet, at this moment, Matou Makira, the stoic leader, decided to accept the divine with his doubts.
“──Absorbive Full Force, Epidemic Sealing Formation!”
Rather than allowing evil to disrespect the emperor and the divine.
Matou Makira, now with eyes darkened, abandoned being a sorcerer.
He solely became a priest of the heavens.
The new priest now offered all souls present as sacrifices.
The land was engulfed in darkness.
The soldier captain, startled by the shadows rising from the ground, widened his eyes and shouted.
“…Shinbeoldangju! What is this-!”
Even the captain, who was clueless about the situation, was soon engulfed by the soaring shadow, making his figure disappear.
For a while, the darkness that swept around left only two figures on the ground, then finally receded.
In the meantime, Mato Makira, with jet-black wings and a black horn, smirked sinisterly and said,
“hehehehe, can you feel it? The strength bestowed upon me by the great celestial! The gap between you and me!”
Ichimaru Shiki, far from the grace of the gods, simply smirked and shrugged his shoulders.
…That arrogant fellow.
Makira, frowning at the man’s recklessness, unleashed his full divine power and sneered.
“Fine! Witness the greatness of the gods, you ignorant one! Let me show you what true judgment is! Behold! Foolish sinner!”
Kwoong! Thud! Thud! Thud! More black pillars than before fell to the ground, forming a pattern.
“aaah! The true manifestation of the celestial blessing! Witness it!”
The numerous black pillars emitted an even darker aura, and soon a jet-black mist spread.
Ichimaru Shiki, arms folded, raised his head, wondering what his opponent was up to.
“Hmm, making a big fuss only to end up with duplicates. It’s not even interesting this way.”
“…Just wait a little longer, your soul will not even wander the afterlife and instead fall into hell-!”
“Hah.”
The man with crimson eyes muttered quietly.
“It seems I’ve wasted my time.”
Snap! As he flicked his finger, sparks ignited.
The blue magic flames, fueled by determination, immediately enveloped the aura of the neighboring mountain, turning it red.
It was all thanks to breaking through the barrier of the divine palace that had blocked everything outside.
As the flames grew to give off a twilight hue in his snowy white hair, the white Yasha chanted softly,
“Great Eruption.”
***
All the members of the So Gangdang watched in silence, their gazes fixed on one spot.
The princess on the stage.
After a long coup, she had finally ascended to the throne as the legitimate successor.
Seated on the throne, she wore a crown and showed a contented smile.
“…May the princess live happily ever after.”
The seemingly fragile princess, after shedding blood, sweat, and tears, had achieved her happy ending.
The impressed audience applauded enthusiastically, and behind the stage, Princess Ichinose Hotaru, now relieved, took a deep breath with a grateful expression.
“Phew, I thought I was going to die.”
“Good job, Hotaru.”
“The god who flew on a wire to defeat Alibaba was really cool.”
“Really? I’m glad.”
Receiving praise from her fellow actors on her first performance and debut stage, Hotaru smiled shyly.
Filled with emotions, she took a deep breath and prepared to leave the stage once again.
Curtain call, as the long play came to an end, it was time to greet the audience for the last time.
With a smiling face, Hotaru, who was about to leave the stage, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“……Hotaru?”
The priestess of fire, Ichinose Hotaru, gazed somewhere with wavering eyes.
Along with the sudden appearance of malice in the world… there was a familiar energy stirring.
While others may not have noticed, as a priestess, she could sense it.
…No, now everyone would be able to sense it.
The signal first came in the form of a sound.
***
Kwaaah──!!!
Beyond the windows rattling from the explosion.
A pillar of fire, seemingly visible from anywhere in Tokyo, rose into the sky.
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Students who were operating stalls in the classroom looked on in astonishment at the spectacle.
Eris Betelgeuse squinted her eyes at the scene in plain view.
“….That damn rascal, making so much noise.”
***
Sento opened her eyes.
“Are you leaving?”
To the goblin’s question, the sorcerer nodded.
“I have to go meet someone.”
To prove her newfound strength.
To see the face of her beloved.
Sawamura Sento, who had organized all her realizations, rose from her seat and took a step.
“My love.”
In the eyes of the woman leaving the house, a pillar of fire burning brightly was visible.
Now, it was time to go there.
It had been a long wait.
Ep 111 – Advance