Granny Chiyo asked, "You all should have heard the legend of the town, right?"
Nijika nodded, "It is said that the dog god helped the Mochizuki family drive away the daimyo's army... Since the divine blade exists, the dog god must also be real, so the matter is actually true? The daimyo really sent an army of over a thousand people?"
"That's artistic embellishment from later times; in fact, there weren't that many enemy troops."
Granny Chiyo shook her head, "Hoori is just a remote small town, and the terrain can't be called easy to defend or hard to attack. Of course the daimyo wouldn't mobilize a large force."
Actually, the other side only sent two hundred armored soldiers.
Though most of the armor was made of animal hides and mostly ragged, not to mention lacking full-body coverage, and the weapons in their hands varied greatly in quality.
But when facing a group of poorly clothed farmers who could only use hoes and pitchforks as weapons, it was still a dimensionality-reduction strike.
If nothing unexpected happened, these two hundred people would have easily taken Hoori Town. Unfortunately, a dog god jumped out halfway, ignoring martial ethics, and launched a sneak attack.
Letting this group of soldiers bully malnourished and timid farmers was of course their specialty. Burning, killing, looting, creating chaos, and recklessly unleashing the darkness in their hearts.
But when facing a legendary monster, they became very fragile.
Even the samurai leading the army, clad in full armor and standing at 1.7 meters tall.
Compared to his subordinates, in terms of both equipment and physique, he was several levels above.
But when facing the dog god who stood 1.9 meters tall and was covered in bulging muscles, he still seemed like a weak child, cut in half with one blow.
Seeing the boss dead, the army's morale collapsed, and everyone only cared about running for their lives.
In the end, except for a few who escaped by luck, the rest of the evil soldiers were all slaughtered by the furious dog god, resolving the crisis of Hoori Town.
The dog god also exhausted its power because of this. After leaving behind the Murakumomaru blade that helped it slay enemies, it turned into specks of light and dissipated between heaven and earth.
Among those soldiers who escaped, someone reported the matter in Hoori Town to the daimyo.
The daimyo was furious, but in the face of a legendary monster, he still had scruples in his heart, and in the end, the matter was left unsettled.
Hoori Town should have regained peace from then on, but perhaps because the dog god's killing intent was too strong, the resentment of those soldiers it killed did not disperse and turned into Vengeful Spirits, continuing to haunt this land.
With no other option, the Mochizuki family had to build a shrine, using the power of Murakumomaru, taking on the mission of expelling the Vengeful Spirits generation after generation.
"But why did the Vengeful Spirits target us?", Kita was baffled.
The matter has become obvious to this point. The Vengeful Spirits and the dog god are enemies. There's no need for them to fight for the dog god. The reason they attacked the girls must be something else.
Regarding this, Granny Chiyo was also somewhat puzzled. She frowned and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "Perhaps, they didn't target you, but this honored guest instead."
The honored guest she pointed to was naturally Kaito.
Compared to ordinary people, Vengeful Spirits do indeed prefer to attack those with spiritual power. If the former is plain tea and simple food, the latter is a luxurious feast, not only more delicious but also more nutritious.
But this is just speculation. What if the Vengeful Spirits were actually moved by lust?
After all, they are monsters formed from resentment, their actions cannot be judged by common sense, and any behavioral logic wouldn't be strange.
"There are still vacant rooms in the shrine. If you guests don't mind, why not stay here? It should help avoid further attacks from the Vengeful Spirits."
"During this time, I will also lead the shrine maidens up the mountain to purify evil energies as much as possible. I believe this should calm them down for a while."
Granny Chiyo's personality carried a certain aura of decisive action, she must have been a fiery miko in her youth.
"Isn't there a once-and-for-all method?", Nijika couldn't help asking.
"No," Granny Chiyo sighed, feeling helpless too.
Vengeful Spirits are monsters born from resentment. As long as resentment remains, even if they are temporarily purified, they will rise again soon after.
Resentment does not dissipate with time; it only becomes more intense.
Just like vengeful spirits who died unjustly don't suddenly become enlightened and reincarnate peacefully just because a long time has passed.
To eliminate resentment, one must resolve their obsessions. But the Vengeful Spirits' obsession is to take revenge on Hoori, so it's a dead knot that can't be untied.
The Mochizuki Shrine certainly couldn't help the Vengeful Spirits get revenge on their own people just to eliminate their resentment.
What's the difference between that and hurting yourself tenfold to harm the enemy?
There's no other way, just like a diligent gardener removing weeds from the yard, they must go up the mountain regularly to purify the Vengeful Spirits and prevent them from growing.
Of course, for Kaito, there's actually another more direct and effective method.
If the Vengeful Spirits don't want to let go of their obsession, then just keep beating them up until they're willing to let go of it.
The so-called lingering resentment only exists because the beatdown isn't strong enough. If you directly pull out the source of the resentment and grind its bones to dust a hundred times, a hundred times, then these Vengeful Spirits naturally wouldn't have any chance of resurrection.
"That being said... isn't this method a little too simple and crude?"
After hearing this theory, Yumiko hesitated to speak and looked conflicted.
Instead, fangirl Kita had stars in her eyes, grabbing Bocchi's arm and enthusiastically agreeing, "I actually think it makes a lot of sense! As expected of Kaito-kun!"
Nijika looked a little worried, unconsciously clenching her fists in front of her chest, "Are you confident?"
Kaito said, "Close your eyes."
'Eh?'
Shimokitazawa's Archangel looked a little surprised but still obediently closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes were like fine brushes, trembling slightly.
Kaito: "..."
He coughed and said, "I meant, this kind of small matter, I can do it even with my eyes closed."
That wasn't a lie.
Even with his eyes closed, he still had divine sense to use.
"I-I see...", Nijika blushed, only now realizing she had misunderstood.
'And to think I thought...'
'N-no, can't keep thinking about it!'
Granny Chiyo originally thought this statement was a bit too confident, 'Vengeful Spirits aren't that easy to beat.'
But on second thought, the other party was able to effortlessly insta-kill two Vengeful Spirits, so he did have a reason to be confident.
Compared to waiting passively, Kaito preferred to take the initiative.
Regardless of the Vengeful Spirits' true intentions, attacking him was a fact, clearly asking for death.
Coincidentally, there was a purification operation tonight, so he planned to go up the mountain together and root out the source of the resentment.
Granny Chiyo didn't object either. Having an extra powerful fighter on the purification team at least ensured better safety.
"Can we go too?", Yumiko raised her hand, looking hopeful but also worried about being a burden.
The other girls felt the same. Purifying Vengeful Spirits... this scene was like something out of a movie. There's no way they wouldn't want to watch.
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining. You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y
Chapter 77: Messing with me? Then youve hit a steel plate.
"If you want to come, then let's all come together."
Kaito didn't let them down.
In the entire Hoori town, there was no place safer than by his side.
As for whether the girls would hold him back?
'As long as I kill fast enough, no one can strike my teammates.'
Lunch and dinner were both eaten at the Mochizuki Shrine, cooked by Mochizuki Ayako, consisting of very delicate dishes that tasted pretty good too.
The sky gradually darkened, the moon rose above the treetops, and the stars on this spring night were especially bright.
The time had already come to eleven o'clock.
At this hour, all the shops in Hoori town had closed, tourists wouldn't be wandering around, let alone climbing the mountain.
The once bustling and lively town was now only met with a slightly chilly breeze, showing a few degrees of quiet desolation.
Granny Chiyo had brought a total of four shrine maidens up the mountain, including Mochizuki Ayako. They were all wearing red-and-white shrine maiden outfits, adorned with hairpins, and for ease of movement, they had swapped out their wooden clogs for sneakers, each holding a golden suzu(bells).
The so-called golden suzu, also known as sword bells, rather than being "bells," they were more like small short swords.
Unlike traditional kagura bells, their purpose was more offensive, serving as ritual tools primarily used to exorcise evil.
They were composed of three main parts: the sword above the hilt, the hilt itself, and eight bells hanging below.
These three components also symbolized the Three Sacred Treasures of Japanese mythology: the Kusanagi Sword, the Yata Mirror, and the Yasakani no Magatama.
The golden suzu in the shrine maidens' hands each contained a faint spiritual power, and this spiritual energy clearly shared the same origin as the Murakumomaru. If nothing unexpected occurred, they were likely borrowing the power of that divine blade.
The shrine maidens themselves also possessed spiritual power, but mostly at a beginner level. In one-on-one situations, they could barely manage to subdue a Vengeful Spirit, but if surrounded by more than two, their situation would become very dangerous.
Walking through the dark, deserted mountain path, with the occasional gust of wind rustling the leaves into soft "sasa" sounds
No one spoke, and even the girls following behind Kaito were a bit nervous, unable to help glancing around, afraid that a pitch-black slime monster would suddenly spring out from somewhere, waving its tentacles and charging at them.
In contrast, Kaito appeared much more relaxed.
Rather than coming to the mountain to exorcise Vengeful Spirit, he seemed more like he was on a leisurely spring outing, showing not a trace of panic or tension.
They walked like this for more than half an hour, and still found no trace of the Vengeful Spirit.
While Ryou breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt a bit disappointed, "Don't tell me we're going to come up empty-handed?"
Granny Chiyo was also surprised. Normally, it wouldn't take long after going up the mountain for the Vengeful Spirit to appear and attack. A peaceful and quiet night like this was the first time.
Nijika, however, thought it was a good thing, "No matter what, avoiding a battle is always good. At least no one will get hurt."
Kita, as always, had the wildest imagination, "Maybe it's because Kaito's actions yesterday scared them, so now they're hiding and don't dare come out?"
Bocchi said weakly, "I-I think so too"
And in fact, that was exactly the case.
Though the Vengeful Spirit born of grudges didn't have rationality, they still possessed the basic biological instinct to seek fortune and avoid danger.
Last night's attack had made them realize these outsiders were not the pushover types like the ones at the Mochizuki Shrine. They might be a solid piece of steel, better not mess with them.
Seeing that Kaito had also come up the mountain, they simply hid away.
Kaito's attitude was still carefree, "If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. Since they won't show themselves, then we'll go knock on their door."
Offend the abbot and expect to escape?
In this world, some people have a people-pleasing personality, like Bocchi, who never dares refuse anyone's request, excessively caring about others' needs and feelings, even willing to sacrifice her own interests to meet others' expectations.
Some people have a money-pleasing personality, like Ryou, always borrowing rice from Bocchi, and even calling it "friendship tax."
But Kaito was special, he had a punishment-seeking personality.
Mess with me, and you've hit a steel plate. If enemies come from afar, no matter how far, they must be eliminated.
He looked deep into the forested mountain. Through the tangled shadows of trees, he could see that the grudge aura there was extremely dense. Dozens of pitch-black slime-like Vengeful Spirit were clustered together, and in the very center was one also pitch-black in form but clad in full-body armor, resembling a humanoid Vengeful Spirit warrior.
This was likely the rumored samurai leader who once led two hundred soldiers to attack Hoori.
Killed upon meeting the Inugami with a single slash, the resentment was too great. Even after death, he could not rest in peace, now leading his subordinates to seek revenge on Hoori.
Its power was indeed extraordinary. Compared to the muddy minions around it, it barely retained a humanoid form from life, though its facial features were still blurry.
But that was all.
In life, it was casually slain by the Inugami. In death, it was left guarded by the Inugami's Murakumomaru. Though it claimed to seek revenge on Hoori, it could only let its minions stir up small troubles within the mountain, not daring to launch a full assault on the town, afraid of the divine sword's wrath.
'Nameless in life, miserable in death. No wonder its resentment never faded.'
If it had stayed cowardly, it might've been fine. But it was drawn to the aura on Kaito's body, unable to resist its desire. It secretly sent its minions to kidnap someone. Not only did it fail, but it also brought a huge problem upon itself.
It was like a Thresh player casually hooking, only to hook the enemy's 12/0 Mordekaiser. They ended up dragging a big daddy they couldn't deal with over, helping the Morde overcome his lack of mobility. Then he used auto-attacks and skill weaves to unleash a brutal S-tier combo, killing the ADC in three slaps, and proceeded to solo four more. [T/N: League of Legends reference]
