Desolate Echo 04
"Ms. Meibuki, you've worked hard today. The hotel we booked for you is...ah, our special car has arrived. Please get in first, I'll take care of all the other matters..."
The agent was interrupted by a sudden ring of a cell phone.
You frowned when you saw the caller's name, but you managed to keep a smile on your face. "I'm so sorry, could you hold on for a moment? I'm on the other side of the phone."
The agent rests his hands on his chin, a circle of heart-shaped bubbles forming above his head. As the bubbles burst, and seeing you're not around, the agent takes out a pen and paper and writes: "On the evening of August 24th, at 9:15 PM, Miss Mebuki smiled at me for the fifth time today. I have no regrets in my life and death..." Who on earth would call Miss Mebuki at such a time? Don't you know Miss Mebuki needs a break?
The agent bites his handkerchief.
It's Zenin Ryoko...
Strange, why such panic?
You try to stay calm.
"Ryoko, is there a problem with the mission?"
"As expected of Ms. Wakaba, you immediately understood the reason why I called." Zenin Ryoko took a deep breath before continuing, "As you said, there was a problem with the mission. The "window" made an observation error, and the second-level case became a first-level case." Zenin Ryoko observed the situation of the two sorcerers in the "tent" while talking on the phone.
くそ!
It's easy for a Level 2 sorcerer to exorcise a Level 2 cursed spirit. Furthermore, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, two Level 2 sorcerers were assigned to this mission, so exorcising a Level 2 cursed spirit shouldn't be a difficult task at all. But who could have imagined this would happen? After I made the call, I had to go in and support them, otherwise they wouldn't be able to hold out until Miss Ruoye arrived...
"I'm the closest sorcerer you can contact? Give me the address and I'll be there right away." You thought for a moment and continued, "Don't act rashly. Don't enter the barrier."
Zenin Ryoko was shocked: "Ms. Ruoye... No, it's too late..."
"Follow my instructions." You clicked on the message from Zenin Ryoko, wondering how to get there as quickly as possible. Those two second-level sorcerers were incredibly capable for holding out for twenty minutes against a first-level cursed spirit... "Follow my instructions," you emphasized again, not wanting to lose anyone else.
"Ryoko still needs to continue studying barrier techniques."
"So, not now?"
"No, not now. Your voice is shaking. Don't be afraid. Trust me, I'll be there soon. I won't let anyone die."
I'm bragging again.
The raging tide of darkness threatens to sweep you away. Even if you can clearly see what's happening inside the tent, rescue won't always arrive in time. Time ticks by, second by second, and with each second, there's hope that it will slip away from you, drifting away into the inky black of the night sky.
Why is the world so dark? Why are there no neon lights in downtown areas?
The spell of "Grabbing Light" was chanted over and over again. You didn't actually activate it.
You don't have enough mana. With the mana you have now, you can't use "Rapid Light" to quickly reach your destination. Even if you could reach it, I don't know if you would faint first or exorcise the cursed spirit first.
What should I do, what should I do, what should I do… Using normal means, the bodies of the three people are already cold as hell… Using abnormal means… What abnormal means do I have?
"Miss Mebuki, Miss Mebuki..."
"Excuse me, what can I do for you?" You really can't smile at your agent anymore.
"I saw you standing here in a daze after hanging up the phone, so I came to check on you." Miss Meibuki was very sensitive to people approaching her, and she hadn't noticed her standing nearby. The situation was serious, and she had to—"You look really bad. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Thank you for your concern—" You pulled your agent behind you. "Ms. Mebuki—what happened?" Your agent was completely bewildered, and you took a combat stance, forming a palm seal, ready to deploy your domain—at this point, there was no way to imagine how long the domain would last. You pursed your lips, staring intently at the boy in front of you holding a transparent umbrella.
The boy waved and smiled at you, the tip of his umbrella touching the ground, and he turned lightly before continuing to wave and smile at you.
"Wen..." No sutures... twins? The possibility is too low, I have to—
"Did you miss me, Doctor?"
PhD! ?
Your pupils constrict.
"I'm so sorry." You turned around and supported your agent. "Please tell the driver not to wait for me. I'll be back tomorrow morning, so don't worry about me. Okay? Okay. Go ahead."
He poked the ground with his umbrella a few times and said longingly, "Is that the doctor's technique? It looks very useful. It can turn bad guys into good guys and make them behave obediently."
"Suiyue."
You recognized who he was instantly.
"Yeah." Shuiyue nodded several times. He said happily, "On the way here, I was worried that the doctor wouldn't recognize me. I didn't expect the doctor to recognize me right away. I'm so happy."
His smile was sincere and bright.
Completely different from that sinister guy.
Countless questions arose as his thoughts raced, but the most pressing issue was this: "The doctor looks troubled. Leave everything to me. I'm available anytime."
"I'm on a very urgent rescue mission right now. The distance is too far, and I can't get there."
"Hmm. What does the Doctor need me to do?" He spoke before you could explain. "Doctor, you lack a kind of energy called 'curse power', right? No problem, I have plenty."
What can I do?! Curse power cannot be transferred!
No, that's not right.
Suigetsu took your hand and pressed it against his chest, close to his heart.
His heart was beating so fast.
"That's too little. Not enough." You calmly break free from his grip. Maybe I should have used "Snatch" from the beginning, so I could still deceive myself that I was trying my best.
"Doctor, how can you know how deep my feelings for you are if you don't try? Maybe they're stronger than those of tens of thousands of people combined." Shuiyue didn't take your hand directly this time, but instead extended his own. You glanced at him, and he was looking at you with a smile.
Put your right hand on it.
"Activate the technique, Doctor."
Give it a try, there's no other way.
You close your eyes: "Mirror"
Huge waves tens of meters high surged onto the sea, and then in a flash the sea became calm, sparkling in the sun.
What can be transformed into "curse power" are negative emotions.
Why does love breed darkness? Is love about possession or letting go, sacrifice or preservation?
Who can answer this question?
No one.
Shuiyue was right. You relaxed a little, and even had the energy to say a few words to him: "It's a little less than tens of thousands of people, but it's enough. You've helped me a lot, thank you."
"Oh my." Shuiyue touched the back of his head and said embarrassedly: "It's good to be able to help the doctor."
"Is the Doctor leaving?"
You glance at your watch: 9:21. It'll still take a few minutes. No time to lose.
"Yeah. Can I talk to you later?"
"Doctor, I'm always welcome to see you~"
Shuiyue blinked once, and you disappeared from where you were.
“…”
We haven't exchanged contact information yet.
【Would you like to follow? 】
【I don't know where the doctor is going. 】
[Can be found.]
【We've already met.】
【I still couldn't help but meet you. 】
If we don't meet, the time we can spend together will become less and less.
[We don't have much time left, Doctor.]
Shuiyue felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and saw it was the agent.
"Still a child? A middle school student or a high school student?" The agent smacked his lips and then asked softly, "Sir, have you seen..."
The doctor only told her to tell the driver not to wait any longer, but didn't tell her what to do. She'd already said she'd see him tomorrow, and yet, as soon as she woke up, she came to see him...
It's really troublesome~
Let me help the doctor clean up the mess.
I also know a little bit about disrupting cognition.
"Ms. Agent, please go to the hotel you've booked and wait for the doctor to come back."
*
arrive.
You try to suppress the discomfort in your body. Not everyone can move from one place to another in a split second like Gojo Satoru without feeling anything.
Dizziness, weakness in the limbs, and a little nausea.
""delirium""
The discomfort is forced down and you begin to observe the current situation.
The night sky was clear, cloudless and windless, with only a full moon. All I could see were dead branches, their dark shadows on the ground.
Am I really looking in the right place?
You rejected this thought. You would never make a mistake in your calculations. Even the slightest error in teleporting with a barrier spell would be fatal. The fact that you're still standing here proves that your calculations were all correct.
You walk a few steps forward, past the dense woods, and suddenly the view opens up. You see a series of jagged peaks. Below them are divided fields.
It is a fairly prosperous village.
Yes, otherwise it would not be marked on the map and you would not be able to find it based on longitude and latitude.
Walking is too slow. You use a barrier technique to speed along while using a spell to sense Ryoko's whereabouts. You don't know who the other two sorcerers are, so you can only rely on Ryoko's mood swings to find them.
You braked suddenly and almost fell flat on your face.
The other two magicians are Haibara and Nanami.
It's an acquaintance.
Now it’s easier to find.
You continue teleporting, and soon you see the tent that almost blends into the night. Ryoko is about to reach inside when you call out to her.
"Miss—" Ryoko seemed to have not expected you to arrive so quickly. She froze for several seconds before asking you anxiously, "Are you okay? Are you okay? Can your body withstand so many long-distance transmissions—"
You cover her mouth. "There are other people in the tent. Also, from what I perceive, the entire tent is filled with cursed spirits. Explain the situation." You let go, smiling, and say, "They're not in immediate danger. Ryoko, you can talk more."
"Yes." Zenin Ryoko bowed, "It's the Udonami."
"The Earth-Borning God?" You rested your chin on your hand and chuckled. "So this whole area is its own god. No wonder."
"We explained the situation to the village chief, and he tried to get as many villagers as possible to leave, but some still refused to move. We had no choice but to set up a 'tent' to reveal the cursed spirit so we could exorcise it as quickly as possible."
"It's always difficult to determine the level of a 'cursed spirit' that has fallen from a 'god.' We only discovered it was at level one after it materialized. After that, Mr. Haibara and Mr. Nanami were locked in a tough fight. Now..." Zenin Ryoko walked a few steps around the "tent," "They are on guard."
"Then I'll go in."
"The 'tent' hasn't disappeared. Didn't Miss Wakaba exorcise the cursed spirit?"
"That's a bit troublesome. This is the God of the Land, a god created to protect the land and bless mankind."
Hearing your words, Zenin Ryoko murmured to herself, "Protecting the land, blessing humanity..." Then she smiled bitterly and said sarcastically, "Several people have died in the village."
"Forgetting the gods and blaspheming them is a grave sin, punishable by death. The wrath of the gods—" You didn't want to continue, so you touched the "account": "Is it because these people didn't come out? Ryoko, look, there are fewer."
Zenin Ryoko counted them. "Hmm, quite a few. They're all standing on the edge of the tent."
You walked into the tent as if you were taking a leisurely stroll in the garden, and went straight to where Haibara and Nanami were.
It wasn't long before you found Haibara and Nanami. You tried to wave at them, but they attacked you with their weapons, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
"Ahh! Why is it different from before?"
"Haibara! Why do you keep making mistakes?!"
"Nanami, you still have the nerve to say that to me, aren't you the same?"
There are thousands of moves, and when two people attack at the same time, you don't need to dodge at all. Just make them make mistakes, or even let them hit each other accidentally.
"Ouch! That hurts! Why did you hit me, Nanami!"
"You don't even have skin—" Nanami Kento finally realized something was wrong. He ignored the yelling Haibara and stood respectfully beside you, bowing his head and calling out, "Zenin-senpai."
"Is Nanami blushing?"
“…”
"Assault on senior..." Nanami Kento wanted to turn his head away, but was pulled back by Haibara Yu: "Nanami, an apology should be made in front of Zenin senior." Haibara Yu bowed to you with a bright smile on his face: "Zenin senior~" Haibara Yu was beaten by Nanami Kento.
"Would you like to say thank you first?"
"Oh." Huiyuan Yu pursed his lips in grievance, then looked at you: "Zenyuan--" You patted his shoulder, "No need to thank me. This is what I should do." Nanami obviously had something to say, and you patted his shoulder as well: "No need to apologize. Nanami and Huiyuan did the right thing."
"You are not hurt?"
"Nanami, take care of yourself first. Everyone, get down, I'll give you emergency treatment."
Nanami and Haibara sat down against the wall while you took out medicine and bandages from your bag.
"Eh, eh, eh?" Huibara was surprised. "Zenin-senpai even brought this bag to a concert!?"
"Huh? How did Huiyuan know I had a performance today?"
"My sister is a fan of Zenin-senpai—that's not right," Huiyuan said seriously, "How did Zenin-senpai get here so quickly? It takes at least—"
"I'm a very capable senior." You want to brush it off, so you act like a senior: "Habara, stop moving."
You tied a beautiful bow for Huibara.
"We've arrived at Nanami."
"Senior...can I not have that?" Nanami said, pointing at the bow on Haibara.
"sure."
"Nana! This is so cute!" Haibara stood up and danced with joy. Nanami said expressionlessly, "Your wound has opened. Don't add to Zenin-senpai's workload."
It's great to see the two of them jumping around.
Nanami isn't a talkative person, so you bandage him silently. Suddenly, Nanami asks, "Senior, it won't take even a minute to exorcise the cursed spirit, will it?" His implication is why he's still keeping the cursed spirit.
"Nanaha hates that cursed spirit."
"Is my expression that obvious?" He reached out and touched his face.
"Haibara's face is full of everything. Nanami is also very simple." Nanami was not satisfied with what you said. Haibara pointed at herself and said, "I am just like that."
"The Uzumi God passed the judgment of 'Ai Rong Dan'."
"What!?" Nanami even pinched your shoulder in surprise.
"Nanami, can you let go? It hurts."
Nanami Kento let go of you and took several deep breaths before calming himself down. “That’s ridiculous.”
"What's so funny?"
"There's nothing we can do about it, Nanami." You and Nanami ignored Haibara's puzzled expression. You figured Haibara must understand and was just playing dumb.
"I've controlled the cursed spirit, and I thought you were probably badly injured, so I came to find you first."
Nanami smiled wryly and said, "Chanyuan-senpai is really calm."
"Oh, yes. He didn't change his expression when Nanami and Haibara suddenly attacked him together." Nanami lowered her head in shame when she mentioned this, and whispered again: "I'm so sorry--"
"I'm not saying you don't need to apologize. Do you want me to emphasize this again? Haibara and Nanami did the right thing. I should even praise you for staying alert despite being so badly injured. Thank you for your hard work."
"Of course—" Haibara began to complain. "That cursed spirit is so small and runs so fast, Nanami and I can't catch it! And yet it always knows where we are! It's so unfair!" Haibara amused you. Seeing you laugh, Haibara rubbed the back of his head and smiled, then pretended to be angry: "To make matters worse, it can make people out of mud! Nanami and I were surrounded by mud figures. We can't beat them at all..."
"Is the clay man very strong?"
"Some are strong and some are weak," Nanami added.
"So 'I' am the weak type?"
Nanami tilted her head and pretended to cough, and Huiyuan gave her a thumbs-up: "That's right!"
That shouldn't be the case... You fell into deep thought. I've never been here before, so how could this cursed spirit know my appearance? Shouldn't the person it wants to mold from clay be a villager who has lived here for a long time?
"Anyone else?"
"And there's Geto-san and Gojo-san! They're so strong! We can't beat them! Nanami and I can only run away in panic!"
"Are there no villagers?"
"Really? I didn't notice. Did Nanami notice?"
"Ah...that's the weakest."
"Is there anyone among the villagers that Haibara and Nanami haven't met?"
Nanami followed your train of thought: "No."
"Is it an illusion?"
"It's most likely." What Ryoko saw was probably a bunch of weird clay figures surrounding and beating up these two people.
"Am I weak in Nanami and Haibara's eyes?"
Ah this... Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu were both speechless.
Nanami Kento stole a glance at you who was pretending to be angry, then looked back at himself.
I never met the Zen temple senior at all.
No, I did.
[Nana, can you let go? It hurts.]
That kind of strength——
"I trust Nanami and Haibara." I also trust Wu, Jie, and Nozomi.
"You can't do this."
"Why, Nanami?"
"If, if——"
"Can you still walk?"
"able!!!"
"I haven't said anything yet, Haibara."
"Zenin-senpai, are you going to exorcise the cursed spirit? I want to go and see!"
"Come if you can."
If you hadn't successfully used "Ai Rong Dan" to exorcise most of the cursed spirits in Tokyo, you would have doubted whether this skill was still useful.
As Haibara said, this cursed spirit is very small and it looks like a raccoon cat.
The one with Iwate… You shook your head, throwing away those messy thoughts.
"Is Zenin-senpai's explosive barrier comparable to Gojo-senpai's 'Ao'?"
"I'd really like to be able to do that." Wu was also growing stronger. With your current abilities, "Sanctuary" can't completely neutralize "Cang" at full power, and "Trance" can only output half of "Cang" at best.
Nanami never expected that you couldn't do it.
"I'm not the damage dealer in the team."
Is this a way to save face? No, it's not.
The "special grade" rating is not exaggerated.
"With Senior Zenin here, even Nanami and I can fight at the special level!" Haibara said with snorts puffing out air, speaking proudly.
"That's not a matter of course." Nanami said coldly, "Senior Zenin can fight the special level himself."
"Nanami——!"
The disappearance of the "tent" means that the cursed spirit has been exorcised.
You saw Zenin Ryoko running towards you from a distance.
"Haibara, Nanami and Ryoko should go back to the technical high school to recuperate. There's still one show left on the tour, and I need to go back to continue preparing--" Your fate was strangled by Zenin Ryoko.
How can this woman run so fast!
"Ryoko, are you trying to strangle me?"
"Don't worry miss, I didn't use any force at all. Look, these two guys didn't try to stop me."
"My concubine and I have known each other for several years. Isn't it clear to me what kind of personality you have? My concubine should just come with me back to the Polytechnic to recuperate."
Zenin Ryoko gave you a forced smile, staring at you with dead eyes: "If you don't behave, I'll tell Tsu Miki. You can expect to be nagging by the kids for three days and three nights."
"Ah..." Zenin Ryoko tilted her head. "Besides, Miss, you don't want to be criticized and scolded by Hui, right?"
"I'll go back with you." You are at a loss for what to do with Zenin Ryoko.
"Zenyuan, Zenyuan..." Haiyuanxiong stretched out two fingers.せんぱい、さん?
Zenin? As the most useful maidservant to Zenin's immediate family, Zenin Ryoko has always been very sharp-eyed and sharp-eared.
"You didn't tell them..."
The “I” they know is just “I.”
【I see. 】
【How long can はつちゃん last? 】
【I can’t hold on much longer】
Let them be afraid for you.
【Ryoko should have let me leave alone. 】
【You must go to Miss Jiarui for treatment. 】
You fastened your seatbelt and said to Huibara beside you, "I need to rest for a while. Can you wake me up when we get to the station?"
Huibara stretched out her arms: "No problem! Zenin-senpai!!"
You fell asleep, or rather, you fainted very quickly.
"Zenyuan, Miss."
"What's up Mr. Nanami?"
"Is Zenin-senpai okay?" Zenin-senpai was sitting in the middle. This position was too awkward. Huiyuan should have sat in the middle...
"It's nothing serious. You came here so quickly, and since you're not a god, of course you'll be tired too."
Is it really nothing serious? Nanami Kento tried hard to convince himself, but he couldn't believe it no matter what.
He is too weak.
Both him and Huibara.
There were only a few first-level magicians. Nanami Kento originally thought that being a second-level magician would be good enough.
He laughed at his past self in his heart. If Zenin-senpai hadn't arrived, he and Huibara would have died.
To become stronger...
Nanami Kento did not experience the joy of surviving the disaster. All he felt was endless anger and shame.
He was a burden to others.
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