Chapter 173: Arriving at the Land of Demons in an Instant

Mōryō could not break the seal imprisoning his physical body through the power of his soul alone.

Only the Priestess could release it.

What Shion herself didn’t know was that the Priestess’s power was extraordinarily strong.

Especially hers.

Among all the Priestesses throughout history, she possessed the greatest spiritual power.

However, that immense power had been sealed away by her mother.

The reason was simple.

That power had already surpassed Mōryō’s.

Shion’s mother feared that such overwhelming strength would bring disaster upon her daughter, or even plunge the world into a catastrophe worse than Mōryō’s rampage.

Naturally, Kai could see this.

The power within Shion had been sealed.

If it were ever fully released, it would rival the chakra of the Nine-Tails.

However, Kai had no interest in that power.

To him, it held little value.

But if one of the Hidden Villages were to obtain control over it, it would greatly increase their military strength.

The only reason Shion wasn’t already that powerful was because her mother had never trained her to wield that power in battle.

Had she been properly trained from childhood, Shion’s current strength would be no weaker than that of a Kage-level shinobi.

And that would merely be the minimum.

With proper guidance, her potential ceiling would undoubtedly surpass even ordinary Kage, reaching an entirely different realm.

Still, Kai could understand her mother’s decision.

The Land of Demons was only a small nation.

As long as Mōryō remained a threat, the Five Great Nations had little interest in interfering with it.

Besides, the country itself possessed little strategic value.

But if word spread that Shion possessed power comparable to the Nine-Tails, she would immediately become the target of every great nation.

Her mother had sealed away her power precisely because she didn’t want anyone else to exploit it.

Mōryō possessed the power to overturn the world.

Yet Shion’s own power actually surpassed his.

If she ever chose to conquer the world herself, it would be even easier.

And if she and Mōryō ever joined forces...

The consequences would be unimaginable.

Originally, the Priestess and Mōryō had been two halves of the same existence.

Whenever they confronted one another, one always risked being consumed by the other.

When Shion’s mother sacrificed herself to seal Mōryō years ago, it meant that her own body had been sealed alongside Mōryō’s physical body.

Perhaps...

Her greatest wish had been for Shion never to rely upon the Priestess’s power for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately...

There would always be ambitious people determined to release a monster like Mōryō.

Outside the volcano, the Army of the Dead had completely surrounded the area.

Countless terracotta soldiers stood guard, preventing anyone from entering.

Inside the chamber where Mōryō’s body was sealed, Yomi sat cross-legged upon the ritual altar.

His lifespan was nearly exhausted.

Mōryō’s immense power had placed an unbearable burden on his body.

The reason Mōryō remained here was simple.

He knew Shion would inevitably come to seal him.

The moment she activated the sealing ritual, the altar itself would awaken.

At that point, he and the Priestess would begin consuming one another.

Only the victor would leave alive.

What Mōryō didn’t realize, however, was that Shion’s latent power had already surpassed his own.

He assumed she possessed strength comparable only to her mother’s.

If Shion truly wished to devour Mōryō instead...

The one who would ultimately be consumed would be Mōryō himself.

Of course, that assumed Shion had the resolve to do so.

Without that determination, she might instead become Mōryō’s prey.

Meanwhile, Mōryō’s Army of the Dead had already spread across the entire world.

The Five Great Nations were all resisting its advance.

Those terracotta soldiers knew neither pain nor death.

Even after being smashed to pieces, they rapidly regenerated.

They were an incredibly troublesome enemy.

Unless Mōryō himself was sealed...

The Army of the Dead would never stop advancing.

The following morning...

While everyone was still asleep...

Kai quietly appeared inside Shion’s room.

Startled awake, Shion nearly screamed.

For a split second, she thought he had come with improper intentions.

Seeing the frightened expression on her face, Kai could only sigh helplessly.

Keeping his voice low, he said,

"Lady Priestess, it’s time to leave."

Shion glanced outside.

The sky was still completely dark.

Dawn hadn’t even begun.

"Now?"

she asked in confusion.

After a moment’s thought, Kai nodded.

"Yes."

"We’ll leave now."

"There’s no need to bring Temari and the others."

"It’ll only complicate things."

"B-But..."

Shion hesitated.

The whole situation felt rather strange.

The truth was simply that Kai found traveling with Temari and the others unnecessarily troublesome.

Of course...

He couldn’t exactly say that out loud.

After thinking for a moment, he explained,

"You saw what happened yesterday."

"Protecting everyone at once would only divide my attention."

Shion blinked.

Looking into Kai’s clear, unwavering eyes...

She ultimately chose to trust him.

"...All right."

The moment she agreed—

Kai immediately activated his Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Shion’s vision blurred.

An instant later...

She found herself standing inside a volcano.

A wave of scorching heat washed over her.

Startled, she instinctively grabbed Kai’s arm.

Meanwhile, Kai looked toward Yomi, who was calmly meditating atop the ritual altar.

Yomi had already sensed Shion’s chakra.

Yet the sudden appearance of the two of them left him utterly bewildered.

Opening his eyes, he stared at them.

"The current Priestess..."

"How did she suddenly appear here?"

"I didn’t sense anything at all..."

Their arrival had been so abrupt that he hadn’t detected the slightest disturbance.

Hearing his voice, Shion also looked toward him.

Thanks to her sensitivity to Mōryō’s power, she immediately recognized the truth.

The soul of Mōryō was inside that man.

Her eyes widened in shock.

She quickly turned toward Kai, silently asking how this had happened.

Only moments ago, they had still been in the Land of Demons.

How had they suddenly arrived before Mōryō?

Understanding her confusion, Kai explained,

"I use Space-Time Ninjutsu."

"We’re now at the site where Mōryō’s body is sealed."

Of course, Shion recognized the place.

She had studied sealing techniques for years.

She had seen this ritual altar countless times during her training.

But...

The distance between the Land of Demons and this location was over a thousand kilometers.

Several countries lay between them.

Yet Kai had transported her here in a single instant.

Just how powerful was he?

His Space-Time Ninjutsu was simply beyond comprehension.

She hadn’t even seen him form hand seals.

Once again, Kai’s abilities exceeded everything she had imagined.

Her confidence only grew stronger.

Kai spoke calmly.

"Lady Priestess."

"You can begin sealing him now."

"He hasn’t been able to break the previous Priestess’s seal, so he’s been waiting here this entire time."

Shion nodded.

She couldn’t help feeling surprised.

Kai seemed to know an incredible amount about the Priestess’s sealing techniques.

Steeling herself, she walked toward the ritual altar.

Yomi made no attempt to stop her.

Although he had no idea how she had appeared here...

He needed her to activate the altar.

Only after the ritual began could he devour Shion and break the previous Priestess’s seal.

Even so...

Shion was still afraid.

Although she had rehearsed the sealing ritual countless times in practice...

This was the real thing.

Beneath her feet, the molten lava churned violently.

The scorching heat rising from below made her increasingly nervous.

But she knew Kai was standing behind her.

She didn’t want him to see her lose her courage.

So despite her fear...

She gritted her teeth and slowly continued toward the altar.

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