Asuka raised an eyebrow slightly. Beneath the mask, a faint, meaningful smile curved at the corner of his lips. A trace of curiosity flickered in his eyes as he spoke with interest:
"You don't seem surprised by my arrival. It looks like you've already seen the future?"
He had long heard about the Land of Demons' Miko and her ability to foresee the future, but he hadn't expected her to predict his arrival so precisely—even knowing the alias "Wu" he was currently using. That only deepened his interest.
Miroku smiled faintly, her expression pure and serene, like white plum blossoms touched by morning dew.
She lowered her gaze gently. When she looked up again, her eyes remained calm and clear.
"Since Mr. Wu has come here on his own, you must already have your own judgment, don't you?"
Her tone was soft but steady. There was no trace of flattery or fear, as if the person before her wasn't a mysterious powerhouse, but simply an ordinary guest.
Asuka's curiosity about her precognitive ability grew stronger.
He stepped forward slowly. The hem of his robe brushed lightly against the stone floor of the altar, producing a faint rustling sound.
After walking to the cushion opposite Miroku, he sat down and leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed directly on hers.
"It seems the precognitive abilities of the Land of Demons' Miko truly live up to their reputation. Tell me—have you also seen the purpose of my visit?"
Miroku gently shook her head. A trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.
"In my visions, your presence has always been obscured by a dense mist. I cannot see your future clearly. If you hadn't revealed the name 'Wu' yourself, I wouldn't even have been able to determine the exact time of your arrival."
This was something she had never encountered before.
The man before her felt like someone who existed outside the flow of fate—someone her abilities could not fully grasp.
"How interesting," Asuka said with a soft chuckle. "Since you can foresee my arrival, does that mean this conversation is also something you've already seen?"
"Not exactly," Miroku replied, her expression turning slightly more serious.
"The future is never fixed. Even if I see fragments of it, they can be misleading or deliberately altered by outside forces. Because of that, I never fully trust everything I see."
Her clarity and composure far exceeded what one might expect from someone her age.
"You're quite honest," Asuka said, his interest deepening.
"In that case… aren't you afraid I might harm you?"
As he spoke, he released a trace of his chakra.
A heavy pressure instantly filled the altar. The flames of the eternal lamps flickered violently, nearly going out.
Miroku's body stiffened slightly, but she did not retreat. She calmly met his gaze.
"With your strength, if you truly intended to harm me, you wouldn't need to go to such lengths. You could easily eliminate everyone in this palace—or even break through the altar's barrier directly."
"Since you chose to appear and speak with me, it means you have no intention of harming me."
Asuka withdrew his chakra. The oppressive force vanished instantly, and the flames of the lamps steadied once more.
"It seems there's nothing you can't see through," he said, no longer beating around the bush.
"I came here for Moryo."
At the mention of that name, a flicker of vigilance crossed Miroku's eyes, though she quickly regained her composure.
"With your strength, you shouldn't be interested in Moryo's power," she said.
Moryo's power was indeed formidable, but it was chaotic and sinister. For true powerhouses, it offered little benefit and could even become a burden.
"You're right," Asuka admitted calmly. "I have no interest in its power."
"But as a researcher, I'm very interested in its form of existence. A being made purely of energy, capable of possessing consciousness and devouring souls and chakra… that kind of entity has immense research value."
Miroku frowned slightly.
"You want to release Moryo?"
That was her greatest fear. If Moryo were freed, the entire ninja world could fall into disaster.
"No," Asuka replied calmly, shaking his head. "I have no intention of releasing it myself."
"But you should know better than I do… that the seal is already weakening."
Those words struck Miroku like a thunderclap.
The state of Moryo's seal was the greatest secret of the Miko clan—known only to each successive Miko. No outsider should have known.
Yet the man before her spoke of it so casually.
For the first time, her composure faltered. Shock and confusion filled her eyes.
Before she could speak, Asuka continued:
"I also know that your clan pays a heavy price to maintain that seal. Each generation of Miko must ultimately sacrifice her own life to reinforce it. Isn't that right?"
"You… how do you know this?" Miroku stood up abruptly, her body trembling slightly.
These were secrets recorded only in the hidden records of past Mikos—her inescapable fate, the deepest burden she carried. She had never told anyone.
And yet, he spoke of it as if he had witnessed it himself.
"Relax," Asuka said calmly.
"I mean no harm. In fact, I came here to help you resolve this hidden danger."
Miroku took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She looked at him again, her heart filled with doubt—yet at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that this man might truly be capable of changing the fate of her clan.
Slowly, she sat back down, though the vigilance in her eyes had not completely faded.
Seeing this, Asuka reached into his robe and took out a pure white feather. A faint, warm chakra glow flowed around it.
"Take this."
With a light wave of his hand, the feather floated gently toward Miroku.
"When Moryo's seal is about to break, this feather will warn you."
"When that happens… I will come back."
As soon as he finished speaking, chakra surged around him once more. His body dissolved into a faint red mist and vanished instantly from the altar.
Only the white feather remained, drifting slowly through the air before settling gently into Miroku's palm.
She closed her fingers around it, feeling the warmth of the chakra within.
Looking toward the place where he had disappeared, her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
She didn't know what this mysterious "Mr. Wu" truly wanted.
But she could feel it—
The power within this feather might really have the ability to change her fate.
The eternal lamps continued to burn quietly, their dim golden light illuminating her solitary figure… and the small feather that carried an uncertain hope.
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