"Oh~"
Falling cherry blossoms, white cranes, mountain streams, a solitary peak.
The moon-white shrine maiden attire, woven from silk, featured exquisite embroidery that was a testament to its supreme craftsmanship and staggering cost. In an Empire where daily life was fully covered by "energy-to-matter" conversion technology, the value of such a garment was imaginable.
"Am I the first one here?"
A dense flurry of cherry blossom petals was stirred by the spring breeze as Rin's figure quietly materialized in a corner of the world.
The year was around 1500 AD. The location: Yae Village, Shinano, Japan.
"Honkai Consciousness..."
"Let me take a little peek."
This was one of the several "singularities" the Monarch had derived from the "origin point of time." A so-called "singularity" is a critical node that can significantly influence the flow of time. A butterfly's wings cannot truly stir up a storm on the other side of the ocean; time is a formidable power capable of "self-healing" to a great extent. Merely tossing pebbles into a river will never block its flow. Only by prying at a "singularity" and forcing it to change course can one alter time according to their own will.
Of course.
With the Monarch's current power, he could only meddle with this "tributary with loose soil." The true, great river of time was not something he could covet or set foot in.
Rin's objective here was for the sake of "bloodline."
The Yae family, a line of shrine maidens, possessed the ability to communicate with the divine (the Honkai Consciousness).
The specific reason was unknown.
Yae Sakura and Yae Rin, born here with the bloodline and talent of a shrine maiden, were undoubtedly the counterparts of the Previous Era's sisters, Sakura and Rin.
That's right.
What Rin had to do was simple:
Assuming the identity of her counterpart, she would covertly usurp this shrine maiden "coordinate," creating a cover for the plans to come... The "Honkai Consciousness" in this civilization was far inferior to the Monarch. Its "true form" would allow her [Authority of Erosion] to be effective to the maximum extent.
"Oh my~"
Rin did not spread out her perception.
She walked directly toward the most populated area in the center of the village.
Evidently, not everyone in Yae Village had gone to attend the "lively" festival. There were always the poorest at the bottom rung of society who had to toil exhaustively just to survive.
Stacked stone walls, only half a meter high, served as "territorial dividers," separating the houses and fields of different families.
In the 15th century, Yae Village (Japan) lacked any form of widespread agriculture (large-scale land cultivation only began in the mid-16th century). A few garden plots per family, ranging from half an acre to an acre and a half, was the limit.
Walking along the somewhat rugged dirt path, Rin quickly attracted the attention of the villagers who had not joined the festival. In a feudal society, the lavishness of one's clothing directly represented their social class. If Rin had been accompanied by attendants or guards, the village chief would have had to rush over and bow in greeting upon seeing her, whether he recognized her or not.
Provided that...
These people could ignore her pair of drooping, soft, large ears.
"A demon..."
"A demon!"
Humans do not lack courage.
But as social creatures, most individuals often struggle to directly manifest the will to fight known as "courage."
The few villagers who saw Rin certainly didn't have the guts to grab their farm tools and fight a demon to the death. Instead, they bolted towards the center of the village!
"A demon?"
"How rude~"
A small, exquisite folding fan flowed out from her sleeve. With a crisp snap, it opened before Rin's beautiful, high-bridged nose.
Her round eyes contracted for an instant, and her dark golden, slit pupils flashed for a fleeting moment.
Ding.
"..."
"A demon!"
"There's a demon!!"
As a parallel world, this country called Japan clearly bore many shadows of Yingzhou.
And regardless of the region or the emotion, that person reminded Rin of some very unpleasant memories—memories from when she was still "human."
Therefore, she gave him a small "punishment":
Become an oni.
The "become an oni" effect could be spread through contact. There were no physical or mental changes, except for one to three horns growing on the forehead.
And then...
"As expected, it descended into chaos so quickly~"
Rin's pace was not fast, but she walked with an ethereal lightness.
And in her field of vision, besides the great cherry blossom tree that first caught her eye, were corpses lying in pools of blood.
"..."
Rin had seen such scenes far too many times.
Even after several millennia, she never regretted the choice she made back then. See? Ignorance lays bare the inferior nature of humanity. Merely because of a few horns on their foreheads, their own kind, living under the same blue sky, would beat them to death as outsiders.
And then...
The foreheads of the assailants slowly began to bulge.
The "become an oni" trick was a joke in the truest sense. The use of the [Authority of Erosion] was strictly controlled within the Empire, but a "procedure" like [growing horns on the forehead] was considered nothing more than an outdated "moe modification" among young students.
But here...
"Ah!"
"Stay away!"
"Don't panic!"
Thump!
"Pfft—"
---o---
The ritual site was in chaos.
Rin carefully sidestepped the mud and pools of blood on the ground.
She had indeed come here with the mindset of a tourist, but this all-too-familiar scene had soured her previously good mood.
Not many villagers were left standing.
Only a few able-bodied warriors, holding tridents (pitchforks), were panting and squatting on the ground.
Surrounding the ritual grounds, the only one who had not "become an oni" was a priest whose face looked far older than his actual age.
"Not bad."
The little trick from before was just a simple application of Honkai energy.
Being able to block it meant this fellow could genuinely control Honkai energy—his identity was self-evident.
However...
Rin paid the man no mind.
As a male priest, he could only control Honkai energy. His proficiency was even less than that of a newborn infant in the Empire.
Rin's target...
...was the little girl tied to a jet-black stake in front of the great cherry blossom tree.
And just at that moment—
"Don't come any closer!"
"..."
Now there were two targets. Standing in front of the little girl was a young maiden with a similar face, gripping a tachi as long as she was tall.
"Oh~"
A slight glimmer appeared in Rin's eyes.
To see such a small-sized version of the "older sister" who had become blurry in her memory was quite a novel experience for Rin.
Moreover.
This young girl, standing before her younger sister, daring to face a "demon" even while her whole body trembled (from fear and the weight of the sword)—
Compared to those so-called adults...
She was countless times more adorable.