Chapter 113: The Wind

Chapter 113: The Wind

People poured out water from buckets, but it didn’t stop the fire that threatened to burn everyone alive.

Kiyori ran toward the exit; her arrows pierced through the flames, pushing it away and creating a path outside. "Go through there."

Her voice caught their attention as they looked at the path where flames had been extinguished and rushed toward it to escape. Their hurried steps echoed throughout the silence of the night, which was broken by the cracks of the flames burning the wood.

Kiyori exited last and turned toward the estate behind, which crumbled under the flame bursts.

She turned toward the servants and nodded. "I’m sorry for the loss caused by the demon. I take the blame of not being able to exorcise the demon sooner."

One of the servants shook his head and bowed down. "It wasn’t your fault, priestess. We only lost furniture and just a lifeless castle; souls are still alive, which is because of you."

Kiyori gave them a small smile and bowed, then turned toward the very end of the village. "I’ll take the leave now."

The general called her out. "Don’t go without your reward."

Hearing that, she paused for a moment and said in her usual tone. "I can’t take it. You have already lost most things, and I don’t take a price from someone who can’t."

The general paused for a moment before continuing in a determined tone. "No. I’m a warrior myself; if I back down on the promise, that’d be a shame on my pride. Please take your reward." He walked forward and extended his hand toward her, which held a pouch of gold coins.

At that moment, she paused and thought of it carefully while looking at the pouch filled with gold.

A voice echoed through her mind. "Great Mistress, you shouldn’t deny something that is given with their hearts out. It’d be an insult to their thoughts."

She blinked, finally taking the pouch in her hand, and bowed again gently. "That’s a generosity I’d not forget, general. I’d always ask this world to be kinder than it is; that’d be enough in return."

General stepped back as she walked away from the place, leaving behind them looking at the burnt estate.

It’d have been only a few moments of her exiting the village; just then the wind howled, and a large hurricane appeared, rushing toward her. It approached her with an intense wave, then stopped near her, tearing the trees around.

Just as the wind slowed, multiple feathers rushed toward her.

Kiyori twisted her bow as the wind rippled and scattered the feathers around. Her gaze hardened as she looked ahead when a figure emerged from the wind. A woman stood there, holding a fan in her grip.

"Who are you?" Kiyori squinted her eyes as she looked ahead.

The wind symbol robe woman spoke. "I’m the wind, Shiromi. I’ll say once, give me that shard you got."

The priestess stared at her without speaking for a while; she quietly pulled out an arrow and put it in the string and whispered. "If I say no?"

"I’ll take it with force then."

The woman swung her fan as the wind rushed toward Kiyori, who pointed her arrow, which glowed silver from the edge, and the sacred arrow tore through the wind; the control of the air shifted as it flowed naturally again.

Shiromi narrowed her eyes and walked sideways. ’What’s with that ridiculously high spiritual presence... she can’t be just a priestess.’ She muttered underneath, preparing for another strike.

Kiyori nocked another arrow.

The woman dissolved into the air, and from behind her, the wind rushed in as she spun to look behind. A gust slammed into her, but she moved her bow forward, trying to resist the wind, yet the pressure sent her stumbling backward as her sandals skidded through the crushed leaves and dirt.

​Shiromi’s laughter whistled through the wind. "You still have time to give the shard."

​Before Kiyori’s feet could settle to balance, three crescent-shaped blades of air sheared through the treeline, flattening everything in their path.

​Kiyori drove the lower tip of the bow directly into the earth and chanted. "Barrier."

​

​A ring of silver spiritual energy curled around her, clashing against the wind blades, which quickly slowed down the wind, making the wind blade dissolve back.

​Through the howling dust, Shiromi reappeared above, suspended on a vortex. She snapped her fan open, her eyes gleaming. "As I thought, of course you can do that." With another swing, she shot multiple gusts that rushed in from eight directions at once, closing in on Kiyori.

​She pulled out her bow, making the wind hit, then reflected it toward Shiromi; without wasting a moment, Kiyori shot an arrow, which stabbed the woman directly into the heart.

Shiromi’s body appeared with a hole in her chest, but inside there was no heart. "Tch..."

Kiyori’s fingers found the bowstring. She drew back three arrows.

The woman stepped back as a vast hurricane of wind erupted from the ground, pushing Kiyori backward, crashing her down into the tree behind.

Shiromi pulled out a black feather from her silver hair, growing it large as she jumped into it. Another strong gust circled through the entire place as the woman flew away using the feather, leaving Kiyori behind groaning.

Kiyori heaved a long breath and grunted. "Ohw, that hurts really good."

The shards were still with her as her gaze lay on the ground beneath the coins that were spread across the ground. She quickly moved, taking each one back into the pouch and heaving a sigh of relief, then looked at the sky where the woman had left and muttered. "She was a demon, but her presence felt similar to the thing that was following us."

She turned toward the pathway and watched the destruction around where trees were broken down.

***

However, Shiromi moved through the air with her feather vehicle and clenched her chest. "Grgh, even without a heart, I still feel pain there."

Her eyes narrowed forward. "Tch, that bastard has my heart. Is it wrong to not follow him just because I’m him?" She paused and pressed her palm. "I’m wind, a free wind, but it’s pointless; I can’t defy him and have to find the shards nonetheless."

Her eyes widened for a moment. Wait, the shards... if I collect them and use them... no, no. Before I could even snatch them, he’d smash my heart.

She looked at the few shards in her hand, which she collected for him. Her hands gripped them tightly, closing into a fist. ’Maybe I can use them to get someone else to do the work...’

Shiromi looked down at the forest beneath. "Someone who is capable enough..."

Her memory shifted to the Ruler of the West. "That man is strong... but he won’t help for sure." She shook her head and grunted. "Argh, I can’t —"

Her gaze shifted around where a few wasps flew by. "Tch, I should not say anything."

She quietly flew and noticed a large dragon-looking demon with seven heads moved toward her. Shiromi shifted her feather and moved away from its direction as it flew by. The dragon demon with six heads and four legs passed by her, descending toward the forest.

It reached down as she was already far now. The demon stopped near Kureha and Ryotsu; the short demon swung his staff and walked toward it. "Finally you are here; I believed you were dead."

The dragon demon roared and stomped its leg on the ground.

Kureha walked forward and jumped on its back; Ryotsu jumped a few times, trying to reach its back. Kureha tilted his head and gave him a look that clearly seemed disappointed before jumping back down and kicking the short demon on his back hard. The demon landed on its back, rubbing his back from the pain while Kureha watched for a moment, and was ready to jump again.

Just then, the grass behind shifted. Someone was there.

Kureha turned toward the sound, his pointy ears twitching at the sudden noise.

From behind, a priestess walked in, holding a ripe, orange persimmon that she grabbed from a nearby tree to eat.

Kiyori’s hands froze as she looked at the scene ahead of her.

A tall man stood near two demons, a dragon demon and a... short... goblin? Oh, possibly a bird-beaked demon, perhaps. Her gaze focused on both of them.

Kureha looked at her in disinterest, but even then his eyes flickered from the recognition of her immense spiritual pressure, which could crush any average demon; even a high-ranked would face severe wounds just by being close to that.

His gaze watched her every movement without moving.

Kiyori examined the man; within a few moments, she understood that he wasn’t a human.

That strap on both of his cheeks and the half crescent moon on his forehead, moreover, those pointy ears like elves, gave away his identity as she pulled out her bow.