The Great Master of Gensokyo

The reality he witnessed left Saigyouji Habu with no sympathy for yokai.

After all, the real world of yokai was opened up before Saigyouji Habu.

At the mountain shrine, Ushi no Toki had just run up to the shrine.

This place holds young girls who could become qualified priestesses. As virgins and pure children, they are of great importance to a yokai like Ushi no Toki.

She will gain terrifying power from them.

"Just you wait, you wretched humans! Once you cross that ladder, you'll be no match for me!" The Ugly Woman laughed maniacally, her excitement overflowing.

For monsters, the strength of their own power is fundamental.

According to legend, a woman who lost her virginity and was abandoned by her lover died and became a vengeful ghost. This is the origin of the woman of the hour of the ox.

She is a demon born of jealousy and resentment, so the fear and hatred of the girl's death will become the best nourishment for her, allowing her to transform into a more perfect, higher-level demon.

"They're coming, be careful!" A little girl's voice whispered in the night.

call out! !

An arrow suddenly shot towards the woman of the hour of the ox from elsewhere, its terrifying power of exorcism gathering on the arrow.

"Who?!" The woman of the Hour of the Ugly was startled. A giant straw doll appeared and blocked the arrow for her.

...

Chapter Thirteen: Mountain Shrine

The main skill of Ushi no Toki is the ability to create substitute dolls to take the hits in her place.

The attack of the Demon-Slaying Arrow became ineffective at this moment.

"Did we fail?" The girl's voice remained undiminished even in the dim moonlight, as if she had anticipated the situation.

"What should we do? We failed."

"Can we handle her? She's a high-level demon. With our mediocre abilities, we can't possibly deal with these monsters."

"And then there's Hyakume and Jorogumo. If they show up, we're doomed."

A sense of fear and unease continued to spread. The Ushi no Toki was one of the high-ranking yokai, her unique abilities no less than those of other high-ranking yokai.

High-level monsters are not so easy to deal with, otherwise they wouldn't be high-level monsters.

That was a demon that was just one step away from becoming a great demon. Panic was inevitable; how could human abilities possibly contend with a demon?

Only a high-ranking priestess or a great sorcerer could possibly deal with a high-level demon, let alone the fact that they were just priestess seeds and had not yet truly become priestesses.

"It's alright. As long as it's dark, she won't notice us. And didn't you notice that the monster is injured?"

The girl's words dispelled much of the fear and anxiety in the hearts of the others.

Are monsters scary?

Of course, monsters are terrifying, horrifying, alluring, and frightening – that's the perception humans have of them.

Japanese religions hold that all things possess a soul, which explains the existence of yokai (supernatural beings). However, by overcoming the unknown and fear associated with yokai, one can actually deal with real yokai.

Under the premise that one is able to control the power of monsters.

"Set up a spell array."

Under the girl's command, figures from the shadows quickly flashed outside the shrine, and the others immediately took action.

They are the seeds of a priestess. Although they are seeds, they have the ability to use spiritual power, which means they can cast spells.

Cui Zi had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and she was not about to let it slip away.

All for the sake of taking revenge on the monster.

"A shrine maiden!!" Ushi no Toki finally understood what was going on. It was because the girl who had been captured at the shrine was actually a shrine maiden.

"Demon-Slaying Arrow!!"

Another arrow shot out from the shadows, heading straight for the woman of the ugliness.

The wind has stirred.

At Midori's call, the rest of the girl's followers sprang into action and came into view of Ushi no Toki.

In their hands, each held a talisman, which burned as it touched the ground.

Then, crimson flames enveloped the woman of the hour of the ox from all directions.

Fire, since the beginning of recorded human civilization, has been a power capable of dealing with ferocious beasts and all unknown things. Moreover, the fire created by a priestess, a fire formed from spiritual power, possesses an even greater power to destroy the unknown.

"Humans, they're all an ungrateful bunch, damned humans!!"

"Why can't you just obediently submit to me? Why do you have to be more beautiful than me? Your very existence is a mistake!!"

The woman of the Hour of the Ugly had a strange and distorted expression on her face.

Anger and jealousy intensified the demonic aura emanating from her. The power of the flames mysteriously dissipated at that moment, and four or five straw dolls appeared directly on the ground around Ushi no Toki.

"Get out of the way!"

The cursed fire attack failed, and the enraged Ushi no Toki had completely lost her mind. The scarecrow's shadow under the moonlight turned blood red. The blood-red shadow stretched long in the moonlight, like a demon's claw suddenly extending from the ground, reaching out to grab the human who had wrapped it.

"No, save me."

"The monster's hand is about to reach out."

Just as the monster's blood-red shadow was about to touch it, Midori, holding a samurai sword, its blade gleaming like jade in the moonlight, suddenly severed the tentacle that was extending from the ground.

"It's you!"

The woman of the Hour of the Ugly immediately recognized who the attacker was: the shrine maiden, or rather, the prospective shrine maiden, of the shrine on this mountain.

A girl who is just a little while away from inheriting the identity of a shrine maiden and becoming a true shrine maiden.

"If it weren't for you, Grandma wouldn't have died." Upon seeing Ushi no Toki, Midori's eyes flashed with anger. However, this anger quickly vanished from her eyes.

The curse cone belonging to the woman of the hour of the ox suddenly shot towards Midori.

clang!

With a flick of the katana, the curse cone of the Ushi no Toki was instantly shattered.

"Demon-Slaying Slash!"

The raging spiritual energy transformed into a straight sword beam, but it quickly dissipated amidst the grotesque laughter of the Ugly Woman. The Ugly Woman's figure had transformed into a scarecrow doll.

The straw doll substitute has been activated.

"Humans are always bound by trivial emotions, what pathetic people." The laughter was full of resentment. "Your face is so beautiful that I hate it."

In the hands of the woman of the Hour of the Ugly, a scarecrow appeared, modeled after Midori.

"I can't move..." Midori's face suddenly turned pale. The scarecrow that Ushi no Toki was holding transformed into a giant, illusory scarecrow substitute. And beneath Ushi no Toki's feet, a blood-red shadow appeared out of nowhere, taking control of Midori's body.

The scarecrow was held in her left hand, while the woman of the ox held a hammer in her right.

"Let me torture you properly. Your resentment at death and your hope for life will become my greatest source of strength."

"She has truly remarkable potential as a shrine maiden."

The woman of the Hour of the Ugly stared at Midori in front of her, becoming more and more satisfied with her.

"Please save Midori..."

"That's a high-level youkai! If even Midori can't handle it, how could we possibly manage..."

At this moment, they seemed to have fallen into a state of true despair.

"Issue them, then lift them!"

Like thousands of petals falling, streams of spiritual energy formed incantations descended, instantly heading towards the woman of the hour of the 11 o'clock.

The Word of Power - First Form has been activated!

The main feature of this skill is that it can form basic runes in a short time and instantly detonate the spiritual power of the basic runes to interfere with the enemy.

"Boom!" The sudden attack directly caused the scarecrow prepared by the Ugly Woman to collapse.

Saigyouji Hanyu's figure appeared in Midori's field of vision.

"It's you all again." At this moment, the voice of the woman of the Hour of the Ugly sounded even more resentful.

Author's message:

P.S.: I'll add an extra chapter later.

Chapter Fourteen: The Shrine Maiden Midori

"You are…"

Cui Zi, who was standing there in a daze, had no idea what was going on.

The appearance of Saigyouji Hanyu interrupted Ushi no Toki's cursed attack. Relying on the power of the straw doll, Ushi no Toki was able to directly harm Midori's body.

This is the power of the straw doll substitute of the Ugly Hour Girl, the ability wielded by a yokai.

Because the woman born at the hour of the ox is a vengeful spirit formed from curses and resentment.

"Saigyouji Hanyu, nice to meet you." Saigyouji Hanyu nodded slightly to Midori, somewhat surprised that the shrine maiden before him could actually hold off the Ushi no Toki for a while.

The traces of the battle around them were clearly visible.

“My name is Midori,” Midori replied, regaining her composure. She felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by Saigyouji Hanyu. A cute blush appeared on the fourteen-year-old girl's face. “Are you an Onmyoji?”

Saigyouji Hanyu's attire is exactly that of an Onmyoji.

However, in this day and age, Onmyoji are nobles; how could they possibly appear in rural areas?

This made Midori's expression somewhat incredulous.

“Midori…” Saigyouji Yuzuru’s lips twitched. What kind of world was this again?

Have all the priestesses of the Shikon Jewel from the Inuyasha world appeared?

In this world where demons and monsters run rampant, Saigyouji Hanyu is no longer surprised to see any familiar faces.

But it's probably just that they have the same name.

"Be careful, that's the Ugly Hour Woman, the most skilled yokai in legends when it comes to curse magic," Midori couldn't help but warn. "Don't be careless."

Midori's reminder did not make Saigyouji Hanyu feel nervous at all.

"I understand." Nodding slightly, the fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from Saigyouji Yuusuke became even clearer.

"Damn it!!" You've ruined her plans time and time again, even when she was so close.

Ushi no Toki was just a little short of advancing further, but she was thwarted again by that damned human Onmyoji.

"Human, it's you again, you annoying Onmyoji." The venomous Ushi no Toki glared at Saigyouji Hanyu with hatred. Saigyouji Hanyu raised an eyebrow, his expression playful. "I don't expect to be liked by an annoying yokai."

"Die! Die!!" Without another word, the enraged Ushi no Toki grabbed the straw doll with her left hand and a straw hammer in her right, which looked more like an iron hammer than an iron one, and smashed it down on the straw doll.

The spell cones formed by the straw dolls suddenly shot towards Saigyouji Hanyu.

The three candles above his head made the ghostly flames appear slightly brighter.

In her eyes, her emerald green eyes displayed a distorted expression.

"Spell to exorcise demons, may your wishes be fulfilled!" With a light laugh, Saigyouji Yuusuke chanted the incantation.

The function of basic talismans is demonstrated at this moment.

A massive, azure-blue basic talisman appeared before Saigyouji Hanyu. The talisman directly neutralized the attack of the Ushi no Toki's curse cone as it struck.

It can drive away evil spirits, subdue monsters, and also provide defense.

Basic talismans are the source of the main skills that Saigyouji Hanyu currently possesses.

"Spirit Bind, Imprison!" In an instant, Saigyouji Yuusuke pointed his finger, and a huge pentagram array appeared on the ground, the spell array forming and directly covering the Ushi no Toki.

Blue chains shot out from the ground like dragons, directly imprisoning the Ugly Woman's movements.

"Do not…"

A terrifying demonic aura ignited at this moment, and the woman of the hour of the ox still tried to put up a final resistance.

Saigyouji Hanyu did not intend to stop Ushi no Toki directly, because his binding spell might only last for a few seconds.