The white light, like daylight, gradually dimmed, and the three wild auras that had been on the Vermilion Bird altar now dissipated into nothing. The two blades no longer trembled as before; they now floated quietly before Miketsu, seemingly waiting for someone to pick them up.
Seeing the miraculous weapons he had longed for day and night finally forged, Totosai instinctively wanted to go and pick them up, but unexpectedly, Fujiwara no Kanehira, who was beside him, held him back.
“Don't panic… that esteemed one hasn't made a move yet…”
Hearing Fujiwara no Kanehira's reminder, Totosai immediately stopped. He then realized that, besides the successful forging of the blades, what had just happened was that the one they initially thought was the yokai Owl had revealed her true identity.
A deity, and not just any wild god, but a true god possessing pure divine power! A true god descended from the heavens into the mortal realm! In the magnificent golden aura just now, they clearly felt that pure, vibrant energy.
At this moment, Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai's feelings were indescribable. Originally, they thought it was impossible to obtain the power of a true god, so they hadn't even tried. But unexpectedly, they didn't seek out a deity, yet a deity came to them!
Facing Miketsu, who had revealed her identity, Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai were momentarily at a loss. However, the etiquette of his noble birth told Fujiwara no Kanehira not to act rashly when dealing with an unfathomable superior, lest he overstep and anger her.
Just as Fujiwara no Kanehira and Totosai were pondering how to approach Miketsu, a sudden commotion erupted from below the Vermilion Bird altar. They turned their gaze to see a giant, charred leopard cat slowly rising. The large wound on its chest had stopped bleeding due to the residual blood mist and was slowly healing. Miketsu's Golden Light Spell had not hit a vital spot!
“That's Torin… it's the power of Blood Sacrifice!” As a yokai from Harima, Totosai quickly recognized the true form of the giant leopard cat before him and the sinister power on its body.
Torin let out an animalistic roar, then used all his remaining strength to rush towards the top of the altar, his target none other than Miketsu in the center of the bronze disc and the two blades before her.
Miketsu, busy bandaging her hand to stop the bleeding, suddenly felt a familiar sound and demonic power erupt behind her. When she turned, she found Torin had already reached the top of the altar, needing only a few more seconds to charge forward and tear her apart.
Seeing this, Miketsu panicked. Just as she began to think of a counter-strategy, Fujiwara no Kanehira, standing nearby, shouted loudly.
“Please use the sword!”
Use the sword?
Hearing Fujiwara no Kanehira's words, Miketsu instinctively grabbed one of the blades beside her, gripping the part that was originally meant for wrapping the hilt and guard.
When Miketsu touched the blade, forged with her blood and infused with her divine power, she instantly understood its general nature, including… how to use it.
This blade can transform into the Power of the Three Realms!
Transformation, Sword of the Yokai.
The blade in Miketsu's hand erupted in a dazzling light. In this burst of light, the blade, originally the size of a normal katana, suddenly expanded. In an instant, it grew into a massive blade disproportionate to Miketsu's figure, seemingly weighing tens of kilograms. Yet, this enormous blade felt incredibly light in Miketsu's hand, effortless to wield.
Miketsu infused her divine power into the blade. The powerful divine power was transformed into demonic power within the blade and released from its edge.
With a swing in the air, a wave of demonic energy slash burst forth, striking the attacking Torin directly. The giant leopard cat was instantly cut in half before it could react, falling heavily to Miketsu's sides under its own momentum, completely losing its life.
Demonic power. Miketsu discovered that she could actually release demonic power through the blade in her hand. This sword had the effect of transforming her divine power into demonic power or spiritual power!
This was different from when she wore the Qin Xin mask. At that time, the demonic power Miketsu released came from Qin Xin; ultimately, it wasn't her own power, merely borrowed. But now it was different; the demonic power in the recent slash truly originated from herself, from the transformation of her own divine power. This process required no spell support.
With one strike, Torin, whom even exploding talismans couldn't defeat, was cleaved in two. Both Totosai and Fujiwara no Kanehira, as its creators, and Miketsu, as its wielder, were momentarily astonished by this blade. Miketsu, moreover, knew that the attack just now was only a fraction of the blade's power…
“That form is… the Sword of the Yokai?”
“Yes, judging by this, it should have two other forms…”
Just as Totosai and Fujiwara no Kanehira were discussing the changes in the blade in Miketsu's hand, Torin's corpse, lying nearby, suddenly changed. From it, countless crimson blood mists, mixed with resentment and pain, seeped out.
Seeing this, Miketsu immediately held the blade defensively. At this moment, Totosai spoke, respectfully addressing Miketsu.
“Please do not worry, these are the Blood Sacrifice Souls they previously devoured, now escaping.”
Hearing Totosai's words, Miketsu's heart eased slightly. She watched as more and more blood mist continuously gathered from Torin's body, eventually forming a pillar of blood mist that shot upwards, piercing through the rock layers and vanishing without a trace.
“Where did these sacrificed souls go? Did they go to the Underworld for reincarnation?” Fujiwara no Kanehira asked, looking at the disappearing Blood Sacrifice Souls.
“No, these sacrificed beings ultimately did not go to the Underworld. The Shugenja of Harima once invited an Itako from Mount Osore to perform spirit communication, but the result was that these sacrificed souls could not be communicated with, nor could their whereabouts even be determined.”
“Such a thing exists…”
Miketsu watched the Blood Sacrifice Souls vanish into nothingness, various thoughts swirling in her mind. This power of Blood Sacrifice was truly too mysterious and sinister. Miketsu wanted to know: what was the source of this power? Who created it? Why was it given to the leopard cat yokai? Where did those sacrificed souls ultimately go?
Just as Miketsu was pondering, another surge of power seeped from Torin's corpse. These were icy blue auras, which Miketsu recognized as demonic power—Torin's demonic power.
Torin's demonic power emanated from his corpse, but this time, instead of vanishing like the Blood Sacrifice power, it seemed to be drawn by something, coiling around the blade in Miketsu's hand. After the blade in Miketsu's hand automatically absorbed it, tiny cold crystals appeared on its surface.
Rate on N.U.
