"Ryogo! I'll help you!"
The voice of Enmado Rokuro echoed across the ruined field. He roared as he prepared to rush forward and help Ryogo.
However, before he could even take a single step, a series of white streaks suddenly flashed through the surrounding Kegare.
Whoosh—!
One after another, the Kegare froze due to the sudden emergence of large spiritual energy.
A moment later, pale pentagrams appeared beneath them.
The entire group of Kegare vanished almost simultaneously, leaving behind only fading spiritual dust that scattered into the air.
The sudden change was so fast that everyone present became completely dumbfounded.
"...What?"
Rokuro stood there with one foot already raised, his hand still extended toward Ryogo.
His expression gradually stiffened.
As a very awkward silence followed his confusion.
He slowly lowered his raised foot, his face became increasingly embarrassed.
He had been preparing to make a dramatic entrance.
Instead, someone else had already solved everything before he could even move.
Then—
Whoosh!
A small figure descended from above.
A strange cat like small creature with flame for tail, landed directly on top of Rokuro's head. She crossed her little paws and looked down at him with an expression of utter disdain.
"I thought I sensed a familiar spiritual power." Kinako tilted her head. "So it really was you, brat."
She clicked her tongue.
"What terrible luck."
A vein seemed to bulge on Rokuro's forehead, he clenched his fists.
He tried very hard to suppress the urge to argue with this little uncute creature.
Unfortunately, he recognized her.
It was the same strange shikigami from before.
The one whose mouth seemed to have been sharpened specifically for insulting people!
The one who had turned their previous encounter into an unforgettable verbal beating.
And now she was standing on his head.
Again!
His expression darkened. "...You."
Kinako looked down at him. "What?"
Before Rokuro could answer, another voice came from nearby.
"Kinako." The voice was calm and gentle. The shikigami immediately turned her head towards the voice.
Benio Adashino had already sheathed one of her weapons and was standing a short distance away.
"Come here."
"Yes, Lord Benio!"
The change was immediate.
The arrogant expression disappeared as the shikigami face became bright and obedient. She jumped from Rokuro head and hurried toward Benio.
However, when she was going, her hind leg happened to kick Rokuro's cheek.
Thump!
"Ah!" Rokuro stumbled sideways and covered his cheek to hide the claw like red mark that had appear.
"H-Hey!"
The culprit didn't even look back.
She simply climbed onto Benio's shoulder as if nothing had happened.
"Hmph."
Rokuro stared after her.
"That was definitely intentional!" He shouted in anger.
Kinako turned around and gave him a rather cheerful smile that cause more annoyance for the victim.
"Was it?"
Benio sighed. "Kinako."
"Yes?"
"Stop provoking him."
Benio helplessly patted the little shikigami's head, which made it show an innocent look.
She even leaned into the touch.
Rokuro watched the scene from a distance, his expression becoming complicated.
"Lord Benio," Kinako said proudly, "I defeated the enemy."
"...You did well."
Kinako's beautiful fire color eyes sparkled in happiness.
Meanwhile, Hayasaka Ai had been watching everything from nearby.
She blinked several times.
The terrifying Kegare that had surrounded them moments ago had disappeared and the strange delicate-looking girl standing before her had apparently defeated all of them.
And that little creature...Hayasaka looked at Kinako with a curious girl eyes.
Her expression became increasingly confused.
What exactly is going on in this world?
She had already learned that supernatural creatures existed (Kegare fall under monster category). But seeing something like this with her own eyes was still difficult to process some unique features.
After her thought, Hayasaka finally stepped forward.
"Thank you very much for saving us." She bowed deeply. "Without your help, I don't think we would have been able to get out of that situation. Thank you for your protection too."
Hayasaka didn't forget to thank Rokuro who was before her acting as a shield.
Rokuro's previous irritation immediately disappeared.
"Ah.." He looked at Hayasaka. Then he hurriedly waved his hands, with a flustered look on his face, "No, no! It's fine! You don't need to thank me."
Hayasaka blinked.
Causing his face to became redder.
"Really. It's nothing." He looked away awkwardly.
After all, being thanked by a beautiful girl was rather embarrassing for a young man like him.
Even, a little imaginative for the poor guy.
But...
"Hey! You didn't do anything, and you have the gall to accept thank!" Kinako's displeased voice rang in his ears in full volume.
"I wasn't accepting anything!"
Rokuro's eyebrow twitched.
But before the argument could continue, Benio reached out and lightly patted her shikigami head.
"Enough."
Kinako immediately quieted down.
"...Yes."
Rokuro couldn't help staring, before he silently turned away.
A moment later, he walked toward the injured exorcists.
Ryogo Nagitsuji, Shinnosuke Kunizaki, and Atsushi Sukumozuka were still recovering from the battle. Their body were still covered in injuries and lack of energy.
Rokuro hurried over. "Ryogo! Are you okay?"
Ryogo gave him a tired smile, as he laid down in the ground. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"Compared to the them, this is nothing."
Shinnosuke sat nearby, breathing heavily. Atsushi also laid down in the ground.
Rokuro expression became serious.
Something about the situation still felt wrong.
Benio also looked around carefully.
Hayasaka noticed the sudden change in everyone's expressions.
"What is it?"
Benio didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she pulled a talisman from the holder attached to her thigh.
"I'll take you back to the real world first."
Hayasaka's eyes brightened. "Really?"
"Yes."
Although she was a little fascinated (the scary part was being along and the kegares) by the strange world of exorcists and Kegare, Hayasaka knew that she was still an ordinary person compared with everyone here.
Returning to the normal world was undoubtedly the safest choice.
"Thank you."
She quickly moved closer to Benio.
Benio held the talisman between two fingers. Spiritual power began to gather around it as the ancient text on the talisman glow in pale blue light. Before she began the chant.
"Mystery within this reality! I earnestly seek The Great Gate of Ookami!
Discreetly and with respect — I beseech to thee in this manner. Please hear my plea with tranquility and serenity."
"Humbly! Humbly I speak! Magano Gate, Capitulate — As swiftly as the ritsuryou! Open your brilliants!"
The talisman trembled as her chant come to an end.
A faint spiritual ripple spread through the air.
One second passed.
Then another.
But the circular like structure within which an shrine gate (⛩️) stayed didn't appear.
Benio's eyes narrowed as her expression turn more serious than when she was fighting the group of Kegare.
"..."
She tried again, using a little more spiritual energy that before with a knew talisman that was in her pocket.
Still nothing.
Hayasaka's expression gradually changed understanding, she also noticed that something was wrong. "What happened?"
Benio slowly lowered her hand, talisman clenched in her hand.
"I don't know." She looked around. "When I tried to open the connection between this place and the real world, something interfered."
"Interfered?"
"Yes."
Benio's eyes sharpened. "Something forcibly cut the connection."
The surrounding atmosphere suddenly felt heavier.
This was no longer a simple Kegare incident.
Someone—or something—was preventing them from leaving.
Just then—
"RYOGO!" Rokuro voice suddenly came from the distance.
They both turned towards the scream.
Ryogo who had stood up after some rest — had again fallen to one knee. His expression was filled with pain even more than earlier when he was fighting.
"What happened?!" Shinnosuke immediately rushed toward him, he was so worried that he did not care about his still fresh injury.
"Ryogo!" Atsushi followed, as they support his body while also pressing their hands over his injury as to not let the blood flow out. "Ryogo, hang on!"
Rokuro froze, his eyes fixed at Ryogo's abdomen.
Strange greenish spiritual markings had appeared across his body from his
Rokuro pupils contracted as a terrible past resurface, his face gradually lost its color.
"No..." He remembered those markings.
He had seen something similar before!
The memory of the tragedy that had once shaken his life came rushing back. The trauma that haunt his night that has already began to resurface.
"That..." His hands began to tremble as he clenched his right hand tightly, "No way..."
Benio immediately stepped forward her expression grave. "Everyone, stay back."
"Benio?"
"Something is happening to him."
Ryogo gritted his teeth, as he tired to reassure his brothers in his usual voice, "I'm... fine."
Tired too...
"You're obviously not fine!" Shinnosuke shouted in anger.
"Hold on!" Atsushi quickly reached for a talisman. "I have something that can stabilize injuries!"
"Use it!"
The spiritual markings continued spreading.
Ryogo's breathing became rough.
"Urgh...!"
Rokuro stared helplessly. "No... no, this can't be happening."
The markings began to formed a strange pattern across Ryogo's body.
A dark spiritual aura began to emerge.
"That's..."
The same kind of power had been connected to the tragedy of Hinatsuki.
"Why?" Rokuro voice trembled. "Why is it appearing on Ryogo?"
In the midst of several noisy voices, a powerful burst of spiritual energy erupted.
Everyone instinctively stepped back.
The markings expanded.
Ryogo's form began changing as he let out a cry of pain with the sound of his bones and muscles twisting and breaking on it's own. His clothes torn, he was the one tearing it as the bloody scratch marks appears on his flesh.
A massive silhouette gradually emerged from the spiritual darkness — It's a hideous and filthy figure with a height of more than ten meters, the creature towered over the battlefield, its presence causing the remaining Kegare that was to retreat. With strange cross like cuts on his chest and arms.
Hayasaka stared upward. Her expression was completely blank — the thing were processing so quickly that it didn't even gave her the time to be scared.
"...What?"
She had already seen monsters, just today!
She had already witnessed supernatural powers — their fight, their strength.
But this was different.
This was a human being transforming into something else.
Shinnosuke dropped to his knees in despair.
"Ryogo..." His voice was barely audible under the sniffing noise, his expression miserable, "That's... Ryogo, isn't it?"
Atsushi's face had gone pale.
"No!" He shook his head. "This isn't possible."
In denial.
Rokuro stood motionless the entire time — the thing were progressing very quickly.
His eyes trembled,
"Ryogo..."
He had known him for years.
They had lived together, trained together.
They had shared countless ordinary days.
And now—
Ryogo Nagitsuji had become something that should never have been possible.
A Kegare!
A Fallen Impurity that crave for human flesh and spirit.
His breathing became increasingly unsteady.
"This can't be happening..."
Shinnosuke looked at him. "Rokuro..."
He didn't respond.
His mind had returned to the past.
The tragedy.
The fear.
The helplessness.
The power he had once sworn never to use again.
His fingers tightened around the talisman in his hand, it was there from earlier — he was determine to used it but couldn't due to Benio's timely arrival.
He was relief — that he didn't had to used that cursed power again.
Then why!
Whyyyyy!
Why is it forcing him to used that power!
Why is the world so against him!
...
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,925