"Follow me."
Yuzuru's voice came from ahead. Shion snapped out of her thoughts and quickly hurried after him.
The shrine had been built against the mountainside, and beneath it lay a massive cave.
The interior of the cave was pitch black, yet it gave off an intensely scorching sensation.
After walking deeper for a while, patches of fiery red light appeared within the darkness.
The ground inside the cave was covered with dense cracks, and beneath those cracks flowed molten lava.
Seeing this scene, Shion felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.
Suddenly, an inhuman voice echoed throughout the cave.
"Priestess… I have been waiting for you for a long time."
As the voice fell, a violent gale swept through the cavern.
At the same time, the scorching air suddenly gained a chilling undertone.
A dark purple monster covered in writhing tentacles appeared out of thin air, its gloomy eyes locked tightly onto Shion below.
Upon seeing the creature, Shion couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"Mōryō?!"
"Hehehehehe… That's right, it's me."
"After all these years, I have finally broken free from the seal."
"As long as I kill you, there will be no one left in this world who can stop me."
"I will destroy this boring shinobi world!"
Mōryō burst into triumphant laughter.
Only then did Shion notice that the seal that had once been inside the cave had already been destroyed.
She took a deep breath, her eyes turning resolute.
"Mōryō, even if you've reclaimed both your body and your soul, I will still seal you away."
"Just like my mother did back then. Our line of shrine maidens will never allow you to run rampant!"
Hearing this, Mōryō suddenly stopped laughing and spoke in a mocking tone.
"Don't pretend to be so noble. Do you know where I came from?"
Shion frowned.
"Aren't you a monster formed from the evil in human hearts?"
"Wrong."
Mōryō replied coldly.
"I was separated from your shrine maiden lineage."
"My evil originally belonged to you!"
"Every generation of shrine maidens has simply been a group of hypocrites."
Shion froze, disbelief written across her face.
"You… were separated from the power of shrine maidens?"
"How is that possible?"
Mōryō snorted.
"Then tell me, why do you think only shrine maidens can seal me?"
"Come here. Use your body and merge with me. Together we will regain our ultimate power!"
Shion involuntarily took two steps back, momentarily stunned.
If what Mōryō said was the truth, didn't that mean the shrine maidens themselves had created this monster?
Just as she stood there at a loss, a pair of warm hands rested gently on her head.
Yuzuru lowered his head with a smile.
"Don't let it fool you. If it really were power separated from a shrine maiden, how could it possess its own physical body?"
Shion's eyes lit up and she nodded firmly.
"That's right! It's trying to disrupt my state of mind!"
Seeing this, Mōryō roared in anger.
"You despicable human! How dare you ruin my plans! I'll kill you!"
With that, it controlled its massive body and charged straight toward Yuzuru.
Yuzuru pushed Shion behind him.
"Be careful."
In the next second, he rushed toward Mōryō as well.
"Flames!"
"Gale!"
"Lightning!"
"Stone!"
"Water!"
Accompanied by Mōryō's chant-like voice, all kinds of attacks surged forward like a tidal wave toward Yuzuru, swallowing his figure in an instant.
Mōryō couldn't help but laugh arrogantly.
"Hahahahaha… See that? This is the power I will use to destroy the world."
"Humans are destined to be utterly defeated before such power."
"And by the way, my power is infinite—endless and inexhaustible!"
Looking at the apocalyptic scene before her, Shion's heart couldn't help but tighten.
Although she had already witnessed Yuzuru's strength, could he really survive such terrifying attacks from Mōryō?
After thinking for only a moment, Shion pulled out the bell she carried with her.
It was left to her by her mother and contained a portion of her mother's power.
If she combined her own strength with the bell's power, she should be able to eliminate Mōryō.
The price would be her life.
But no matter what, Shion no longer wanted others to sacrifice themselves for her sake.
She would perish together with Mōryō.
Just as Shion was about to act, a domineering gust of wind suddenly blew everything apart.
Yuzuru stood calmly atop a stone platform, holding a gunbai fan, a hint of interest in his eyes.
"You just said… your power is infinite?"
The power Mōryō had just used clearly didn't belong to chakra. If he captured it and studied it properly, he might discover something new.
"You're not dead?!"
"How could you not be dead?! How dare you not die!"
Seeing Yuzuru completely unharmed, Mōryō flew into a furious rage.
The tentacles covering its body transformed into sharp blades and pierced toward Yuzuru simultaneously.
Seeing this, Shion—who had just relaxed slightly—became tense again.
"Be careful!"
Yuzuru glanced back and smiled.
"Don't worry. It's no match for me."
With that, a bone spike condensed in his palm, and he slashed at the incoming tentacles.
Puchi!
Puchi!
Puchi!
...
With dull tearing sounds echoing repeatedly, Yuzuru quickly closed the distance and arrived right in front of Mōryō.
A massive Rasengan formed in his palm.
"Super Great Spiralling Ring!"
Boom!
With a thunderous explosion, Mōryō's body twisted under the overwhelming force before shattering into dust.
"Did we win?"
Shion stared forward nervously, gripping the bell tightly in her hand.
A few seconds later, Mōryō's arrogant laughter echoed once again.
"I told you, I am an immortal existence. You will never be able to kill me!"
As the voice faded, Mōryō's body reappeared within the cave.
Yuzuru's expression remained calm, showing no reaction to its return.
Since ordinary attacks were ineffective, he would simply use Sage Arts.
Sage Arts could even harm the Six Paths. He didn't believe Mōryō was stronger than that.
Just as he was about to attack again, Shion's voice suddenly rang out.
"Mōryō, don't you want my body?"
"I'm right here. Come and take it if you can!"
At some point, Shion had already run directly in front of Mōryō, gripping the bell tightly in her hand.
Hearing her words, Mōryō was instantly overjoyed.
Without wasting a single moment, it swallowed Shion directly into its body.
After devouring the shrine maiden's body, its power would undoubtedly reach an even greater level.