"That's not it." A rather lazy female voice spoke up in his mind.
Seiji paused in surprise for a moment when he heard this voice. Only then did he realize who this voice belonged to.
This was his bonded spirit!
Apart from saying a few words during the summoning, this mysterious female spirit had been "sleeping" the entire time. Summer Night recalled that she was...
"Tamamo-no-Mae?"
"Hmm? Do you think that I'm that nine-tailed golden fox? "The female spirit chuckled lightly." That's not it either. "
"If you're not Tamamo-no-Mae, then just who are you …"
"My name isn't important. What's important right now is this beautiful little girl."
Seiji fell silent.
"You believe that that spider is an existence that's intimately connected to this little girl, and that killing that spider caused this little girl to become like this … Heh heh, although that seems to be the result, it's actually not what you think."
"What do you know?"
"I only know what I know. I can't guarantee that I'm absolutely correct. Even so, would you like to hear me out?"
"… Please enlighten me."
"That spider is the incarnation of the 'mystical connection' that this little girl possesses. If this little girl faced it by herself and defeated it, she should have been able to awaken a corresponding power, "the female spirit explained.
"However, she didn't. Instead, she asked you for help, and you answered her call for help and killed the spider. Although you defeated the incarnation in this way, you didn't receive the 'mystical connection''s recognition.
In the end, the spider judged that this little girl lost and punished her, which caused her to become like this. "
Seiji was rendered speechless.
"Did you not understand?"
"No … I understand what you mean, but there are still many things I don't understand." Seiji sighed. "Can I ask some questions?"
"Go ahead."
"First of all, what exactly is a 'mystical connection'?"
"You can understand it as karma, or connection, with demons and ghosts."
"Could you explain it in more detail?"
"Actually, I don't really understand it either. I don't know how to explain it."
"… Alright, the second question. Why did the 'mystical connection' transform into a spider to harm Genji?"
"Because it was awakened."
"Awakened?"
"Yes, all humans are more or less related. Once this type of thing is awakened, it will affect humans. It can be a form of harm, a trial, or something else, "the female spirit explained." This little girl isn't facing harm, but a trial. "
Seiji's eyes flickered.
"How was the 'unusual affinity' awakened?"
"I don't know."
"… You said that Genji is facing a trial, and if she wins, she can awaken to a corresponding power. Are you referring to Spiritual Abilities?"
"Yes."
"I lost — I was judged to have lost, and I became like this … Is there a way to cure it?"
"This is the punishment of the 'unusual affinity'. If you want the little girl to recover, you can negotiate with the original body."
"Where … is the main body?"
"If you want, I can help you open the path to it, but going to see it might be very dangerous."
"I'll die … right?"
"Hmm, if I'm not careful, my soul might sink in the darkness forever."
Seiji looked at the face of the girl in his arms, felt her coldness, and made a decision.
"I want to go, please help me!"
"You've resolved yourself quite quickly … Heh heh, I like men like you." The female spirit chuckled.
And then, Seiji received the message and understood what he needed to do.
He gently placed Genji on the ground, placed his right hand on her head, and his left hand on her abdomen. He circulated his Mana and uttered an incantation.
"The body of the Yang Realm, the soul of the Yin Realm …
"The aura of the current world, the aura of another world …
"The cycle of the five elements, the six paths of reincarnation …
As he uttered the incantation, Genji's body gradually glowed red. Blood-red complex runes appeared on her body, and she slowly floated up into the air.
Seiji stood up, retracted his hands, and continued forming hand seals.
The cluster amaryllis flowers around him lost their light, and the entire area returned to darkness.
"… The path to the other side of the world, open!!"
Seiji finally opened his hands.
Blood-red runes appeared on Genji's body. They shone with a blinding red light in the darkness, forming an incredibly complex oval spell formation that resembled a gigantic red eye.
Seiji hugged Genji again and flew into the spell formation.
The spell formation then closed up, as if it was closing an eye, and disappeared into the darkness.
…
Fire Illuminated Road.
According to the legends, this was another name for the Yellow Springs Road. This was because the Yellow Springs Road was filled with a large number of cluster amaryllis flowers. The cluster amaryllis flowers were as red as fire, making it seem as if the road was burning with crimson flames.
Seiji was currently walking on the "Fire Illuminated Road."
He carried the purple-haired girl in his arms like a princess as he walked on the road filled with large amounts of red flowers, heading into the distance.
Apart from this road filled with cluster amaryllis flowers, everything else was dark. Anyone who walked out of this road would sink into oblivion.
Seiji wanted to say something to the female spirit, but she fell silent again.
He was even beginning to suspect that he had fallen into a trap. But as his spirit, she probably wouldn't scheme against him.
If it wasn't Tamamo-no-Mae, then who was she?
To be able to open up such a road … could it be …
Seiji suddenly thought of a name.
If that was her name … if she was the incarnation of that Concept, then that would be incredible …
Seiji kept thinking about it as he walked.
Apart from the identity of his spirit, he was more concerned about Genji's condition. He thought about this a lot …
By the way, just how long would this road take?
He couldn't see the end at all … wait, he thought he saw it!
Seiji immediately quickened his footsteps.
He hugged the girl in his arms tightly and started running.
There was a large hole at the end of the road. The hole was filled with a dazzling golden light.
Seiji jumped into the hole while hugging Genji.
He felt his body spinning as everything before him turned golden. He heard faint noises by his ears, and his consciousness became hazy …
Then, he suddenly fell down!
He adjusted his posture in midair and landed safely. However, the girl that he had been hugging the entire time had disappeared!
"Genji …" Seiji became nervous as he looked all around him.
This place seemed like a forest.
A silver full moon hung in the sky. The moonlight illuminated the forest, and cluster amaryllis flowers grew on the ground … apart from this, there was nothing but darkness and silence.
"Walk in the direction where there are many flowers," the female spirit spoke up.
"You're finally talking again. Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Seiji asked as he started walking.
"I don't like to talk when I'm doing things."
"Oh …" She probably meant that it wasn't easy to talk when she was "opening up a path."
"You've guessed my name. Heh heh … I wanted to keep it a secret for a little longer."
Seiji paused in his footsteps.
"You … are really …"
"That's indeed my name, but I'm not the type of existence that you think I am. It's just that someone gave me this name." The female spirit chuckled lightly.
"Gave you a name? Could that person be … "
"Heh heh … let's focus on what's in front of us first."
Seiji walked deeper into the forest.
The ground was filled with cluster amaryllis flowers. There were giant spider webs between the tall trees. The bones of many creatures could be seen on these webs, including those of humans.
A purple-haired woman was lying on one of the spider webs. She was bathed in the moonlight as she quietly slept.
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