"I thought they'd at least throw out a few threats before fleeing," Ruri remarked, retracting the swirling demonic vortices around her. Watching the retreating figures of the Panther Devas, she shook her head lightly.
"Cats are creatures that hold grudges," Satsuki said calmly. "One day, they'll come for revenge—whether in ten years or twenty."
Her gaze then turned toward Sesshōmaru. Around the elegant yet terrifying noble, the poisonous storm and his immense demonic energy still raged rather than fading.
He stood silently, his entire body radiating power, his golden eyes locked on Satsuki with unmistakable killing intent.
With a gentle motion of her hand, Satsuki released a wave of repelling force. The emerald poison surrounding them dispersed instantly, vanishing as effortlessly as dust swept from the air.
Afterward, she walked past Sesshōmaru as though she hadn't noticed his hostility. As they passed each other, he spoke in a low, cold voice. "Were you serious about what you said earlier?"
"Mm."
"I didn't say which sentence."
"It doesn't matter. I mean every word I say."
At that, Sesshōmaru's grip on his sword tightened unconsciously. His golden eyes followed Satsuki's retreating figure, his expression unreadable.
"Lord Sesshōmaru," Ruri said quietly as she came to his side, "if you plan to attack Lady Satsuki now, you already know how that will end. But if one day you can draw out the power within you... perhaps then, you might defeat her."
The power within me...
Sesshōmaru sheathed his sword and stared at his hands, clenching them tightly as if in deep thought. A moment later, his usual cold indifference returned, and he silently followed after Satsuki.
Seeing his reaction, Ruri sighed inwardly. "Another tsundere, huh? Birds of a feather, indeed."
...
Their next destination was Yasaka Shrine.
Among the Four Great Shrines, Yasaka was the only one situated within yokai-controlled territory. To the priestesses of other shrines, it was revered as a place of great holiness and courage.
Unlike the shrines devoted to divine worship and blessings, Yasaka was home primarily to exorcist priestesses and dark priestesses. Few among them were pure white priestesses devoted solely to prayer.
Rather, wielding sacred weapons and talismans to protect the surviving humans scattered across the war-torn lands—that was their form of prayer.
In the Western Lands, traces of battle were everywhere. The corpses of humans and yokai littered the wilderness, their shattered armor and bones abandoned to the open air. The scent of death and war never truly faded.
Above them circled flocks of carrion crows, their grotesque forms black as pitch, their three red eyes gleaming as they shrieked and followed Satsuki's group from one battlefield to the next.
Each time she came across such a place, Satsuki felt a strong urge to offer salvation to the wandering spirits.
Was it some remnant of compassion within her? Or perhaps even the Demon Buddha had a side that pitied the dead?
She didn't know—but neither did she resist that impulse that welled up from her heart.
No matter what lives these scattered souls had once lived, now they had returned to nothingness—to the void where all karma dissolved.
Such was the natural end for all beings.
For the dead, perhaps this was release at last—a reprieve from an age of ceaseless war, where they no longer feared being torn from sleep by yokai or having their homes razed by bandits.
But for the living, these remains only deepened their yearning to survive. Even in despair, they clung to that final thread of fear toward death—and the faint hope of life.
...
Their quiet journey continued until, at last, they caught sight of a distant village nestled amidst the ruins of the West.
Sesshōmaru, harboring his innate disdain for human settlements, had no intention of entering. He planned instead to stay outside for the night.
For a yokai of his power, nothing nearby could possibly threaten him.
However, Satsuki turned to him and said, "You're coming in with us."
Sesshōmaru frowned slightly, not understanding her intent—but since she had spoken, he didn't bother to argue.
Ruri followed silently at Satsuki's side as the three of them reached the outskirts of the human village.
On either side of the narrow dirt path stood two massive stones wrapped in sacred ropes, covered with incantations carved by spiritual tools.
Satsuki stepped forward and raised a hand, tapping lightly in the air.
A vast barrier shimmered briefly before them and vanished.
"As expected of the priestesses of Yasaka Shrine," she murmured. "The scope and precision of their barrier are quite impressive."
She then infused her Tenseigan with energy.
Through her enhanced vision, she could see that there were exactly eighty-one such stones arranged around the village, forming an intricate array. Each acted as a node, together weaving a grand barrier encircling the settlement.
It was this spiritual formation that allowed the village to survive amidst the territories of countless yokai.
However, judging by the barrier's strength, it was sufficient to repel low-level yokai—but it would falter against multiple high-tier ones. To resist a great yokai like Sesshōmaru was utterly impossible.
After all, creating a barrier strong enough to withstand such power would require either a priestess of the Katori Shrine's caliber or someone whose spiritual might rivaled legends like Suiko—and only with ample preparation could such a feat be achieved.
To Satsuki and Ruri, however, this barrier was meaningless.
A formation designed to ward off malevolent energy and yokai posed no obstacle to them. As for Sesshōmaru's demonic aura, Satsuki could easily suppress it with a single command of her Energy Control authority.
Having confirmed the nature of the barrier, Satsuki and Ruri proceeded inward, Sesshōmaru following close behind.
Though the barrier offered no resistance, believing they could slip past undetected would have been naive.
By the time they had taken their fifth step inside, Sesshōmaru's sharp nose picked up the scent of at least two priestesses rapidly approaching.
Clearly, the shrine maidens here relied on more than just barriers.
In an era such as this, one had to defend not only against yokai but also against ruthless bandits and marauders.
Once through the barrier, Satsuki halted and stood silently, waiting.
She had read records from Katori Shrine detailing the other major shrines' customs. The priestesses of Yasaka Shrine, raised amidst the constant warfare of the Western Lands, were known for their vigilance and discipline.
Soon enough, two armored priestesses appeared before them.
One carried a long naginata, while the other held a kagura bell, a sword sheathed at her waist.
Were it not for the faint spiritual aura emanating from their weapons and bodies, they might easily have been mistaken for female samurai.
Their eyes were sharp, filled not with warmth or gentleness like those Satsuki had seen in Katori Shrine, but with determination and battle-hardened resolve.
"Who are you? Why are you here so late at night?"
The shrine maiden wielding a naginata stepped in front of the other, her long, fiery red hair tied in a high ponytail—a rarity in this era. The blade in her hands was clearly no ordinary weapon. Exquisitely crafted and engraved with exorcising runes, its edge gleamed faintly with golden light, resembling a flame.
The other maiden, with violet hair and a black kimono, wore a string of spirit-beads around her neck. Her emerald-green eyes turned toward Sesshōmaru at Satsuki's side as she spoke: "A strange pair—human and yokai. What business brings you here?"
Though the two shared no resemblance, Satsuki's Tenseigan revealed something remarkable: both women were wreathed in dense divine blessing and traces of godly blood. Yet on each of their foreheads glimmered an identical green gem, exuding an ominous aura.
At their questioning, Satsuki observed them quietly, then—unlike her usual detached demeanor—placed her hands together and bowed respectfully.
"I am a wandering shrine maiden from the Kantō region," she said solemnly. "I have come to fulfill a mission assigned by Katori Shrine. It's late, so I seek only to stay here for the night before proceeding to Yasaka Shrine tomorrow."
"A shrine maiden, you say? Then why do you travel with a yokai?"
"Because he is my mission target," Satsuki replied without hesitation. "This is under direct order from the High Priestess herself."
At this, Ruri couldn't help but smirk inwardly. Though she didn't understand why her host was being so polite to these two shrine maidens, she couldn't help admiring Satsuki's effortless way of shifting the situation to her advantage.
Sesshōmaru, meanwhile, remained silent. To him, these two possessed power—but nowhere near enough to contend with him. What puzzled him was why Satsuki showed such uncharacteristic courtesy.
"The Kagura lineage of Katori Shrine?" the red-haired maiden said with faint surprise. "They used to scorn the idea of using yokai power. It seems even they've learned pragmatism. Perhaps the recent disturbances have forced their hand."
Perhaps because of Suiko's precedent, the idea of working alongside yokai wasn't so taboo among priestesses who had long fought on the front lines. In fact, many of Yasaka Shrine's dark priestesses drew strength from yokai to combat greater demons.
Satsuki's answer eased the tension somewhat, though the sisters remained cautious.
"I can allow you and your familiar into the village," said the red-haired one, "but the yokai stays out."
"Reasonable," Satsuki agreed, turning to Sesshōmaru. "Stay here. Don't wander."
Sesshōmaru's golden eyes swept over her once before his figure blurred and vanished into the night, his aura completely disappearing.
"He won't enter the village," Satsuki said calmly.
Though startled by the yokai's speed, the priestesses recovered quickly. The one with the naginata lowered her weapon slightly. "Then please, follow us."
Under the moonlight, the four made their way along a forest path toward the village. After crossing three additional barriers marked with sacred ropes, the air grew thick with divine and spiritual energy.
In such a sanctified place, an ordinary yokai would barely be able to move.
As they walked, the sisters' attitudes softened. The red-haired maiden's aura of sharp vigilance lessened, though a quiet intensity remained—it was simply part of who she was.
"My apologies for earlier," she said. "We're often attacked by unidentified yokai or bandits. My behavior was a bit harsh."
The violet-haired sister added softly, "I also apologize for my earlier words."
Satsuki shook her head. "Given the dangers around you, your reaction was perfectly reasonable. I would have done the same."
"I'm glad you understand," said the red-haired shrine maiden with a small smile. "My name is Masaya Sakura, and this is my younger sister, Chizuru Sakura."
"My name is Satsuki, and this is my shikigami, Ruri." After a brief pause, she added, "As for the yokai who came with me—there's no need to worry about him."
Priestess Masaya Sakura nodded seriously. "His demonic aura and evil energy aren't overwhelming, but judging by his eyes and movements, he's certainly a powerful yokai."
"Yes," her sister, Chizuru Sakura, agreed in her husky voice. "My kagura bell has been warning me ever since we met him."
"Rest assured," Satsuki replied calmly. "As long as I'm here, he won't bring harm to your village. We'll leave at dawn."
"Let's hope so."
...
As they conversed, the group gradually reached the village's inner edge.
After passing through a tall torii gate, stone lanterns appeared on both sides of the path, their faint candlelight flickering gently. Soon, they arrived before a small shrine—barely thirty square meters in size. Beside it stood a massive sacred tree, its trunk wrapped densely with countless kotodama sealing talismans.
These so-called words of life were, in truth, the final incantations or dying vows of priestesses and exorcists—each one infused with immense spiritual power and protection, carrying the last wishes of those who had perished. It was because of this that such a strong spiritual domain existed here.
"This is where my sister and I live," Masaya said softly. "You and your shikigami may stay here tonight."
Satsuki glanced briefly at the shrine's interior, then nodded. "Thank you both for your hospitality."
"It's no trouble," Chizuru said with a faint smile. "We still have to continue our night patrol, so we'll take our leave."
With that, the two sisters departed into the night.
The village was small, but it often attracted wandering yokai, leaving the priestesses with endless nightly patrols to conduct.
Ruri sat cross-legged on a tatami mat, finally breaking her silence. "Lady Satsuki, it's rare to see you being polite to strangers. Did you notice something special about them?"
"Yes."
That answer instantly stirred Ruri's curiosity. Her host was usually cold and indifferent to everyone; such courtesy was completely out of character.
"Host, can you at least tell me what it is?"
"No."
"Tch~ you're no fun."
Rolling her eyes, Ruri leaned back against the wall and shut her eyes, slipping into standby mode.
Satsuki's golden eyes, however, remained open. She sat motionless, her gaze distant and thoughtful, lost in quiet contemplation of something far beyond the moment.