Chapter 9
THE LIGHT BLOTTED OUT even the sun, and the shockwave spread in all directions, destroying everything in the path of the blast. A shrill sound like dying screams and extreme heat wove together into a burning tidal wave.
Finally, the storm of destruction passed. Despite being in the center of it, when Mira peeked out from beneath Pegasus’s wings, she was unwounded.
“Incredible… That was the Spirit King’s power indeed,” she muttered in awe as she checked the damage around her.
The sky remained that same perfect blue, yet her surroundings had transformed. The fallen remains of guardian spirits that had lain here and there had been erased without a trace, and the destroyed staircase had turned white. Likewise, the scorched ground beneath was white with ash.
It all gave Mira the impression that she’d been spirited away to another place.
“Drops of his power alone caused all this…”
Before Mira were her Holy Lords, also covered in ash after accomplishing their duty. These white knights held fortress-like shields in both hands to protect all behind them, but their upper halves were burned away. The ground at their heels was undamaged; not even a speck of soot fell at Mira’s feet.
“You did well.” Mira touched their backs gently and dismissed them. The ash covering them fell to the ground.
Suddenly, a shadow covered her surroundings, and a sudden wind whipped up the new-fallen ash like a blizzard. Pegasus used its wings to cover Mira and prevent any from touching her.
“Some timing you’ve got.” Mira looked up at the sky expectantly from between Pegasus’s wings and spotted a certain massive bird.
It was Garuda. She had summoned it far behind her in secret when the man began his attempted escape. And it seemed her plan was successful. When Garuda descended before her, it placed the bloody casket it held on the ground and offered something in its beak to Mira.
“Oho, now this… You’ve done a fantastic job!”
It was the jar that had been placed in the pouch. It seemed Garuda had caught them both in midair.
The Chimera elite’s last resort was using a spirit bomb’s powerful explosive wind to blast himself to safety and using the strength of his armor to protect him. Judging by the blood, he’d taken quite some damage despite the armor’s attempts to resist the Spirit King’s power…but he had nevertheless successfully escaped.
Yet he had made one miscalculation: Garuda. The wounded man was unable to resist the gargantuan bird and both lost the all-important jar and sacrificed the casket to escape death.
Not to mention the spirit blade and fogged sword still lying on the ground behind her… The elite might have gotten away, but she had managed to stop him from escaping with the Spirit King’s power. With luck, this loot might lead them to more of Chimera’s secrets.
“You’ve both done wonderfully.” Mira thanked and dismissed her summons.
Then, she picked up both swords and placed them next to the casket.
Spirit blades were fine weapons, but this one obtained from the Chimera Clausen elite was a yin weapon. It had certainly come from an unwillingly sacrificed spirit; no member of Isuzu would want to use it.
What really piqued her interest was the black fog.
Fogged sword, fogged golem…and the fogged skeleton from the chapel. There was something going on here.
A spirit-devouring curse, was it?
Back at the chapel, Wasranvel had called the black fog a curse. Did that mean that someone had cursed the spirit? Or was it a phenomena with no causal relationship? And how was Chimera Clausen able to use it?
She racked her brain, but none of the dots connected, so Mira abandoned this line of thought. What mattered most was the composition of the fog. Without that knowledge, the problem was unsolvable.
Mira turned back to the casket. It was locked. Instead of trying to force it open and possibly destroying it in the process, it would be best to leave it to a specialist.
Thinking she’d take it home, Mira tried to secure it for travel. But it seemed this casket was an item that could not be placed in the Item Box. She tried pulling the handle. It would not budge.
Should I summon Garuda again and have it carry it down? But just as the question occurred to Mira, the ashen world around her suddenly changed.
“What’s going on?!”
She whipped around in confusion. Millions of particles of light gleamed in the sky, and when she turned, a vast city resplendent with rainbows spread behind her. Ahead, a palace that sparkled like gemstones towered into the sky. It was like a land of dreams floating in outer space.
“Am I…dead?”
Who could blame her for thinking so? The motes of light ran through the sky all at once, creating countless beams. The sight was almost beyond human reckoning. This unfathomable situation gave even Mira pause. She began spinning around in circles out of confusion. But just then, a voice spoke:
“I suppose I’ve startled you. My apologies.”
With that, the palace gate opened. Behind it stood an enormous man with an awe-inspiring aura and striking appearance; he was clad in white vestments and was easily twice Mira’s size.
“What is going on here…?”
At first, Mira was puzzled. But another look at him told her all she needed to know. Her senses, her instincts, the situation… This was Spirit King Symbio Sanctius, the ruler of all spirits.
“I witnessed all of it—the bleeding of my power, and your efforts to stop it. On my name, Symbio Sanctius, I offer you my heartfelt thanks.” The Spirit King strode up to Mira and stooped down to thank her…though, even crouched, his face was still a head above the little summoner’s.
The Spirit King had thanked her! Though Mira was excited, she puffed out her chest, prideful as ever. “I only did what was natural.”
“What was natural, hm?” he murmured joyfully.
Mira’s words had contained the implicit claim that helping spirits was the natural thing to do. The Spirit King offered a faint smile as he emitted beaming light.
“Oh, right. Your power is sealed in here. I believe I should return it to you.” Mira opened the jar covered in mysterious symbols and offered it to the king. Light spewed forth. “Whoa?! My goodness…”
Mira watched, astounded, as the unstoppable current of light filled the air around them, like a waterfall flipped upside-down. Had so much power been stuffed in this tiny jar?
As soon as the current calmed, the jar shattered into sand and disappeared. Then, the lights sprang up and arced like shooting stars into the Spirit King.
“I should have expected no less from the Spirit King’s power.” Faced with the sight, Mira recalled the spirit bomb and chuckled to herself; she was amazed that her Holy Lords had stood up to such a blast.
“Power returned. I must thank you.”
After the Spirit King absorbed all the light, and tranquility returned, the sky was spangled with stars again. Overwhelmed by all of the sights she’d seen so far, Mira simply muttered again, “I only did what was natural…”
“Of course, of course,” the Spirit King grinned. He looked upon Mira with the warm fondness of a grandfather. Seeing the many spirits’ blessings residing within Mira, the Spirit King added happily, “It seems you are beloved by my kin, as well.” Then, as if remembering something, he added, “Oh, yes. There is a reason I’ve called you here: I would like to aid you in your struggle against those evildoers.”
“Really?!” She could never have dreamed of such an offer. The man with the spirit equipment was strong, and he wielded weapons like the spirit bomb that were downright unfair. Mira imagined that he had plenty of other weapons that exploited spirits’ power, as well. How much power did Chimera Clausen conceal? Having the aid of the Spirit King himself would be a major boon in the war against them.
“I saw that you used my daughter’s power, did you not?”
“Hm…? Who?” Mira had never heard that the Spirit King had a daughter, but he spoke as if she was common knowledge.
“Sanctia. You’ve met?”
“Goodness… Just the other day, yes! But I only remember her as a weapon spirit…”
Mira had seen her as just a holy sword’s weapon spirit. Weapon spirits were just spirits that resided in weapons, and therefore essentially weapons first. That a relationship existed between Sanctia and the Spirit King was surprising…and a little befuddling. Was every spirit his child in some grand sense? After thinking about it, that seemed to make the most sense.
And yet, she was wrong.
“Do you recall the holy sword she resides in? That was fashioned from my own finger bone. That was the moment of Sanctia’s birth.” The Spirit King showed Mira his left hand. Indeed, his pinky finger looked a little short.
“A holy sword made from the Spirit King himself… That is astounding.”
It was also a much less esoteric conclusion than Mira had reached. She was amazed by both their relationship and the rarity of the holy sword itself. The apex of all spirits—perhaps equal to a god!—had created that sword. It was far beyond any of the holy or demonic swords that Mira knew of. It wasn’t just a holy sword; it was a godly sword. She couldn’t help her shock at this revelation.
“Normally, my spiritual power is something that humans cannot wield. But as you are already connected to my daughter, who is a part of me, you ought to be able to control some of it if you combine your power with hers.” At that, the Spirit King held out his right hand. Mira’s clothes suddenly fell from her body, as if every button and clasp had been undone.
“Eh?!” Mira gasped at the sudden sensation of being fully naked.
“You will now receive my blessing. Stand still.” The Spirit King put a fingertip on Mira’s chest; heat ran through her body.
She promptly stopped moving and replied, “Understood! I deeply appreciate it!”
Each spirit’s blessing came with a different symbol that would be etched invisibly into the receiver’s body. This one was no exception, and the Spirit King etched his symbol into Mira. But one thing was different: it extended all throughout her body from her chest, like roots spreading deep within the earth.
Mira gazed at the symbol and gasped happily, “This is really on another level…”
The Spirit King pulled his hand away. “Through this blessing, you should be able to use my power as it resides in Sanctia. It will be burdensome until you are used to it, but I trust you can manage.”
Then, he held out his left hand, and Mira’s clothing magically rose and covered her again.
“By the way, my daughter… Erm, how is she? Is she well?” The Spirit King straightened up and glanced down nervously. Despite his massive, awe-inspiring form, his consideration was truly that of a father.
“Rest easy. She is smiling and blessed with friends.”
Mira saw no reason to mention the fact that she’d been trapped by a spirit-devouring black fog until just yesterday. That situation was resolved.
“I see. Good, good!” The Spirit King smiled in relief and added, “Thank you.”
***
As their conversation continued, Mira recalled something. “Incidentally, I have a question for you. Do you mind?”
“Of course not. Ask me anything,” the Spirit King agreed sincerely.
“It’s…about the fight before. That man’s sword, his golem… They had the power to eat through spirits. Do you know the composition of that black fog, Your Majesty?” Mira almost brought up the fight at the chapel, but steered the question back to the Chimera Clausen man’s tools as examples.
He slowly closed his eyes and replied, as if seeing into the distant past, “Indeed, I know of it. That mist is the residual emotion of oni, a hatred that lives on even after death.”
“Oni? You mean like…?” Mira stuck her pointer fingers out and held them up like horns overhead.
“That’s right. Oni do have two horns.” The Spirit King laughed at her silly imitation, then told her of the history.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the oni had fought against spirits. Oni devoured and ravaged nature selfishly, multiplying and destroying the land over time. Due to their nature, they clashed with spirits without cease and caused trouble at every turn.
However, the spirits eventually compromised, and the species decided to live segregated from one another. But soon, the oni broke their promise and began robbing the spirits of their homes. The conflict worsened over time until it turned into all-out war between oni and spirits.
Obviously, the spirits had emerged victorious. But the ending was tragic. Great swathes of nature had been lost, and the spirits’ numbers had been thinned terribly. And because he had used forbidden magic that interfered in the natural world, the Spirit King himself had been exiled from the mortal world.
As for the losers, the oni lost their food source and died out.
“But their hateful emotions live on even today as curses,” the Spirit King said, wrapping up the story.
“Oni, hm? I didn’t know they had such a history…” It was so long ago, and on such a scale, that Mira was astonished.
“Anyway, it’s in the past now. Let us discuss the curse itself. Sanctia’s power combined with mine should be able to eliminate it. Too late now, perhaps, but I’d like you to destroy it if you happen to see it again anywhere. You will be rewarded.”
“I can do that now? I swear, I will deal with it!”
It seemed she held the keys to defeat the spirit-nullifying curse. Mira rejoiced at this good news and gladly accepted the task.
***
The Spirit King faced Mira and said in parting, “Now, I leave my kin to you.”
“Indeed. I will do all I can,” she replied firmly, standing straight and meeting his gaze head-on.
My daughter has a good eye, after all, the Spirit King thought to himself. He recognized Mira’s love for spirits.
He added, “Oh, by the way. Come back once the blessing has settled into you.”
Those words caused a sudden change in Mira’s attitude. Once the blessing has settled into you—that meant once she could use his power to the fullest. In stories, those words would mean that he was promising her greater power in the future.
“Goodness! I most certainly will!” she said gleefully.
“You sound a lot more enthusiastic now.” The Spirit King seemed to enjoy the sudden joy that swept over her.
“You’re imagining it, I’m sure. I simply love spirits.” Mira feigned ignorance and puffed out her chest.
The Spirit King smiled at her confident act and gently tousled her hair. “May we meet again.”
The world changed again—she had been returned to the ashen gate.
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