'It doesn't seem special at all!' Shiki carefully examined the warding item, but couldn't discern anything.
Hana Sanri remained silent for a long time, finally speaking to Shiki with an uncertain tone: "Are you… Shogun?"
"Hm?" Shiki turned around, her eyes showing some confusion.
"Ah, I apologize, I mistook you for someone else."
Hana Sanri took a deep breath, as if to calm himself. Although Shiki couldn't see the face behind the mask, she knew it must be an expression of shock.
Had Hana Sanri mistaken her? Of course not. Even if he only had that small portion of memory now, even if he was now a body of defilement, he could not forget Raiden Makoto's dazzling electro element.
'No mistake, this is the Shogun's power, but the Shogun is already…'
Although both Electro Archons were not in Inazuma when he died, through the Ley Line, he learned that the war had taken one of them.
But what was going on with this human in front of him? Why did she possess the Shogun's power?
No matter how weak, the essence within would not change. He was not so corrupted that he couldn't distinguish this.
Furthermore, besides that one, whose electro element would be golden?
Slime doesn't count!
"If it's you, then perhaps it really is possible," Hana Sanri said, changing his tone.
"Hm? How do we do it? Tell me," Shiki asked.
"My body is composed of defilement. If you can make the Divine Sakura believe I am not defilement, or separate me from the defilement, then you might be able to save me."
Shiki thought about it upon hearing this. It seemed the only method she currently knew was to sever the connection between Hana Sanri and the defilement.
From the game's storyline, Hana Sanri could be said to be defilement itself. Every exorcism would affect Hana Sanri, and when fighting the tumor, Hana Sanri didn't appear at all until the very end to say goodbye.
When the defilement disappeared, this consciousness would also dissipate.
The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception appeared silently. Shiki tried to find the line connecting the two, but she quickly gave up.
How to put it, she found it, but not completely. That line was very, very faint, almost invisible, and its existence was intermittent.
That line of death was like a bad signal; the probability of cutting it was too small.
So, Shiki decided to wait. After completing the five Great Cleansing Rituals, when the signal was good, she would sever the connection between the two in one fell swoop.
"The Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual will be performed by me and Ioroi, and a Miko will accompany us. So, unless that Miko has already left, you should not come out."
"Ioroi?"
Hana Sanri was stunned to hear this familiar name. Wasn't that silly Tanuki sealed by Tadatsune Harunosuke?
But then he understood. If it was the Shogun… releasing the silly Tanuki wouldn't be difficult.
Shiki looked at the silent Hana Sanri, feeling as if the other party had misunderstood something.
"Never mind. In any case, if we need to meet, it's best when that Miko isn't around, understood?"
"Understood…"
No sooner had Hana Sanri's voice faded than a strong gust of wind blew past. And when the wind stopped, Ioroi's voice entered both their ears.
"Stupid fox!?" Ioroi's words were filled with disbelief.
"Since you're fine, why didn't you come find me? Have you forgotten our duels?"
"I haven't forgotten, it's just… there were some things I had to do, I'm sorry," Hana Sanri apologized.
"And now I am not Kitsune Saiguu; I have only gained some of that great one's memories."
Ioroi finally understood why it felt strange. Because the other party couldn't really be called Kitsune Saiguu!
Moreover, Ioroi also felt that Hana Sanri's aura was very similar to the Thunder calamity at the base of Mt. Yougou.
'No, no, that stupid fox often cleaned up defilement. Even if it's memories, it shouldn't turn into the defilement she always cleaned up!'
However, the truth was just that. It was just that Ioroi had always been unwilling to believe it, just as he was unwilling to believe that Kitsune Saiguu had died.
"Ioroi, the truth is often the fact we are least willing to believe. I am very sorry for hiding these things from you."
Shiki walked to the Tanuki and spoke softly, though she didn't reveal the method to save Hana Sanri.
In this situation, as long as hope was given, no matter how small that hope, Ioroi would unhesitatingly bet all its chips.
And most importantly, once this hope was shattered, the resulting despair would be stronger than if there had been no hope at all, and it might even lead to hating everyone because of it.
Giving hope is not wrong, but giving it and then taking it away is your fault.
"Never mind, you and Hana Sanri should have a good talk. I'm going back first. Don't forget the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual the day after tomorrow. That's the only thing you can do for him, isn't it?"
Shiki decided not to linger here. She came here to see if she could save Hana Sanri. Now that she had an idea, she naturally had to go back and thoroughly study its feasibility.
Based on her observation just now, her development of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception had not yet reached the point of severing concepts. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been intermittent like a bad signal.
Being able to kill only tangible things isn't enough. It's a bit regrettable, but everything needs to kill intangible things to be salvaged!
...
The next day, Shiki slowly woke from her sleep. As soon as she got up, she saw Ioroi sleeping on the blanket.
Ioroi seemed to be having a good dream, a silly smile playing on its lips, but the tear stains at the corners of its eyes made the content of the dream somewhat contradictory.
"Sigh…"
Shiki sighed, deciding not to disturb Ioroi, who was still asleep. Perhaps these lost things could only be seen again in dreams?
After washing up, she came to the living room for breakfast. Tejima, who was still holding an egg roll in his mouth, asked, "Where's Ioroi? Still sleeping?"
"Yes, he remembered some beautiful things, so let's not disturb him," Shiki nodded gently, then opened her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and looked at the steaming egg roll on the plate.
She wanted to try to see the death of some more abstract things, such as this hot egg roll.
Can temperature also be killed? This was a very abstract question, at least until Shiki gave herself a clear direction, she couldn't see the line of death within it.
But all things in the world have their moment of death. Perhaps the death of temperature is its assimilation by nature?
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