Chapter 190: Shrine Under Attack
In Hikigaya Hachiman's room, he was training when suddenly the fox mark on his arm heated up.
A small white fox leapt out of midair.
"Master…"
Landing steadily on the desk in front of him, the fox transformed into a masked shrine maiden and bowed respectfully to Hachiman.
"Is there something wrong?"
Looking at the fox maiden, who was different from the one from earlier in the afternoon, Hachiman asked with curiosity.
"Someone suddenly fell into the shrine area I am guarding. She carries your scent, so I came to ask if you know her…"
The maiden raised her right hand.
A vision appeared before Hachiman: Tsuchimiya Kagura wrapped in spider silk like a large cocoon, lying on the ground, surrounded by a dozen or so small foxes identical to the maiden's pre-transformation form.
"I know her. How did she end up inside your shrine?"
Seeing Kagura, Hachiman was somewhat surprised, especially at her clearly trapped state.
After all, Kagura was one of the top spiritualists in Tokyo—how could she end up like this?
"I don't know. My partner and I were ordered to guard a small shrine in the outskirts of Tokyo. She suddenly fell from the sky…"
The fox maiden shook her head, indicating she had no knowledge of why Kagura appeared.
Suddenly, she stiffened slightly, then lifted her head to report to Hachiman: "Master, a spirit intruded into the shrine's barrier just now. It seems to be targeting the human."
"How strong?"
Hachiman's heart skipped a beat at her words. A spirit daring to pursue Kagura must be at least top-tier, right?
A single-tailed apprentice fox maiden would definitely not be a match for such a spirit.
"It's already been dealt with by my partner."
The fox maiden shrugged suddenly, a trace of helplessness in her tone.
"It was just a mid-level spirit. I don't know who gave it the courage to invade the Inari Shrine."
"…"
"Alright, could you take me there?"
Noticing the situation was slightly different from what he had imagined, Hachiman rubbed his brow and asked the fox maiden for assistance.
"Please wait a moment. My own power is insufficient; I must go call my partner for help…"
With that, the fox maiden reverted to her small fox form and leapt into the mark on Hachiman's arm.
A few tens of seconds later, Hachiman felt the mark on his arm burning fiercely.
A flash of golden light followed.
One, two, three… a dozen pure white foxes appeared in his room, each with a red mark on its forehead and tail tip.
"The teleportation will begin…"
The lead fox spoke, and a golden magic circle appeared beneath Hachiman's feet.
In the next instant, the scenery changed, and he found himself outside a shrine.
Unlike the dilapidated shrine he had seen yesterday, this one, though slightly worn, exuded an ancient charm.
Candles and incense burned in front of the shrine, and many bells hung from the nearby wish tree.
"Wuwuwu!"
Just as Hachiman was curiously surveying the shrine, a panicked voice came from his left.
Turning, he saw Tsuchimiya Kagura, her body wrapped in silk and mouth covered with a white cloth, wriggling desperately.
"Why did you tie her mouth like that…"
Hachiman couldn't help but laugh and cry at the sight of Kagura in such a state.
He summoned the Demon slayer sword and cut through the silk covering Kagura while asking the fox maiden, who had reverted to human form, about the situation.
"We weren't sure if she was an enemy. And her power could threaten our safety…"
The maiden explained as she stood beside Hachiman, looking at Kagura.
"Alright, I understand…"
Hachiman guessed the reason for their caution—someone must have betrayed the Inari Shrine before.
"Ugh, big brother!"
Once freed, Kagura quickly pulled the cloth out of her mouth.
"Kagura, how did you end up here?"
And chased by a mid-level spirit—this was pretty embarrassing.
"After splitting up with Komachi, I took the train to go home…"
Kagura quickly explained her previous ordeal to Hachiman and requested:
"Big brother, could you help me save Yomi?"
"Of course."
Hachiman nodded, agreeing to Kagura's request. He was also curious why the entire train was filled with corpses, and why this had happened between Chiba and Tokyo.
"Then let's lend a hand…"
Hearing Hachiman's agreement, the fox maiden standing nearby said they could escort Hachiman and Kagura.
The familiar magic circle appeared beneath their feet.
With a flash of golden light, Hachiman and Kagura disappeared from the sight of the small foxes.
"Phew…"
The lead fox exhaled in relief as the two vanished, slowly regaining strength from the ground.
The other foxes did the same, finding spots in the shrine to recover.
Just then, a light laugh echoed from outside the torii gate.
The lead fox immediately perked up, alert.
Other foxes gathered around her.
"Get help!"
After a brief pause, the lead fox shouted to her companions. One fox immediately transformed into a ball of golden light, preparing to teleport to another shrine for assistance.
However, a blue light suddenly flashed before them.
Thump! The fox that should have teleported was directly blown out of the space.
A circle of blue butterflies had surrounded the shrine.
"Prepare for battle!"
The leader of the shrine maiden guardians took human form, her tone serious as she ordered her companions to fight.
At that moment, a slender figure slowly stepped out from within the butterfly barrier.
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