At the foot of the mountains, a flight of stone steps heavily eroded by time led upward toward the summit, winding like a pale python into the depths of the quiet and treacherous forest.
The stone steps were in a state of ruin, with moss covering most of the surface and a thick layer of withered leaves spread over them. It was clear that no one had visited this place for a very long time.
Halfway up the mountain.
Miko Yotsuya gripped a blooming lily tightly with both hands, her eyes darting toward the woods on either side from time to time.
She constantly felt as though several pairs of eyes were staring at her from the shadows of the trees.
"Are you alright?"
Mitsue Takeda came to her side and handed over a palm-sized teddy bear with a kind expression, introducing it:
"Please accept this. It can block a disaster for you once at your moment of greatest peril. This is the masterpiece I, this old woman, am most proud of in my life. Although it cannot compare to the tools crafted by Gabriel, it is somewhat useful after all."
The Substitute Doll's function was simple and crude; it could die in one's place once, effectively giving the owner an extra life.
However, this Substitute Doll also fell under the category of exorcism tools, so it could only be used to save one's life from the hands of evil spirits.
Otherwise, Mitsue Takeda would have long been wealthy and hailed as a godmother in her own right, rather than being a third-rate charlatan just to make a living.
"Such an important thing... are you really giving it to me...?"
"This is the only thing I have that is worthy of presentation. Consider it a thank-you gift for you."
Mitsue Takeda pressed the Substitute Doll into Miko Yotsuya's hands.
The Mountain God had nothing to do with Miko Yotsuya originally, and involving her was a last resort.
Since she herself was already an old hag with one foot in the grave while Miko Yotsuya was still very young, giving her an extra life-saving tool was for the best.
As Gabriel would put it, this was called preparing for a rainy day—playing it safe above all else.
Mitsue Takeda led Miko Yotsuya further up the steps.
Two pure white feathers floated around her, several guardian crosses hung around her neck, and the Eye of Truth was on her right wrist.
She watched the surroundings with a vigilant gaze.
Before long, the two reached a relatively flat area on the mountain where the steps ended. Further up was a very narrow and steep mountain path.
Rom, who had set out ahead of them, had been waiting here for a long time.
A group of ill-intentioned evil spirits surrounded him.
Their bulging eyes stared intently at Rom, their mouths open as they incessantly tested with words to see if he could see them.
After years, decades, or even centuries of observation, they had found that people who actively came here had a high probability of possessing Yin-Yang Eyes.
Swish!
A light feather suddenly swept past, and a large hole the size of a washbasin instantly exploded in the chests of several evil spirits. Their bodies subsequently dissipated into countless particles of light.
"What?!"
Seeing several of their kin instantly killed, the surviving evil spirits immediately realized Rom was not simple. Just as they wanted to turn and flee, another snow-white feather lightly swept over their heads.
Accompanied by several cries of resentment, all the evil spirits surrounding Rom were purified by the holy light.
However, in the shadows of the forest, several more twisted figures were approaching.
The eyes on the Eye of Truth bracelets on Mitsue Takeda and Rom's wrists opened slightly, taking in all the evil spirits that had been drawn by the noise.
"...There really are quite a lot of them."
Mitsue Takeda frowned slightly.
In the past, she could only see a rough outline and sometimes had to rely on intuition to make judgments.
Only after receiving the Eye of Truth crafted by Gabriel did she truly understand what a clear-sighted experience was like.
Mitsue Takeda could not help but glance at Miko Yotsuya beside her, recalling their conversation from not long ago.
"Miko, why did you only bring the guardian cross and this lily? The Eye of Truth could also help you; after all, some evil spirits look truly terrifying."
"Um... because the cognitive filter is useless on me. Gabriel said my Yin-Yang Eyes are of such a high grade that even she has no way to deal with them for the time being."
Miko Yotsuya had answered, ready to burst into tears.
That one simple sentence had left Mitsue Takeda somewhat speechless with shock.
No wonder Gabriel was temporarily staying at Miko Yotsuya's house. If it were her, she certainly would not leave Miko Yotsuya to die without help.
"Is something wrong with me?"
Miko Yotsuya naturally withdrew her gaze. Seeing Mitsue Takeda looking at her, she checked her body uneasily.
"No, it is nothing. I was just surprised that the number of evil spirits is even higher than I imagined—so high it is a bit abnormal."
Mitsue Takeda shook her head, refocusing her attention on the several evil spirits approaching from ahead.
"It is the Mountain God's territory, after all. Because it is abnormal, it is normal."
Rom also approached, staring at the empty space ahead as he said seriously, "The Mitsuko Valley Shrine is hidden within a barrier. We need to open the entrance to the barrier to get there."
"I just destroyed a fulcrum of the barrier, so it has become very unstable. In a little while, we will be able to open the entrance."
Hearing this, Mitsue Takeda nodded silently.
Just as the two were waiting for the moment to arrive, the feathers beside them suddenly flickered twice.
As if sensing something, Mitsue Takeda and Rom exchanged a glance.
Two spirits had taken the initiative to reach out, asking if they needed help.
Mitsue Takeda glanced at the evil spirits that were about to surround them and made a decision: "This is the first time he has proactively contacted us. We cannot be discourteous, so let's try to summon him over and see."
Having an extra hand right now was not a bad idea.
With that, Mitsue Takeda focused her mind, and one of the feathers floating beside her suddenly lit up with a brilliant glow. A golden summoning circle formed beneath it in the blink of an eye.
Immediately after, a strange man with a goat-headed skull wearing a clean, neat suit appeared out of thin air within the circle. Crouched behind him was a huge, three-headed monster.
"First meeting. It is an honor to work with you."
The goat-headed spirit bowed politely to the group with an elegant posture.
Mitsue Takeda, Rom, and Miko Yotsuya were all stunned.
They did not expect this spirit to be so elegant; he gave off the feeling of a noble butler.
"Thank you very much for being willing to help," Mitsue Takeda responded quickly after snapping out of it.
"There is no need for such courtesy. This is our duty to begin with."
The goat-headed spirit turned his head to scan the evil spirits around them who were intimidated by their arrival.
At the same time, the three-headed monster at his feet opened its large mouths one after another, adopting a posture for feeding.
It had not worked for several days and was feeling a bit hungry.
What drew attention was that these three mouths were each different.
The mouth on the far left had two rows of sharp teeth, the teeth in the middle were flat, and the last one had large mouth with no teeth at all.