Hum~
The two of them each placed a crucial item into the stone stele. After a crisp, clear sound rang out...
The stele began to radiate a vast expanse of violet light.
The light scattered like mist, spreading across the entire sky of Yashiori Island and merging into the thick thunderclouds above.
Splash~
Before long, the results appeared.
The torrential downpour that had never ceased finally began to weaken, slowing more and more until the rain stopped altogether. Even so... the gloomy black clouds did not disperse, still lingering directly above Yashiori Island.
"Hoo... at least we achieved some results. This trip wasn't in vain."
The Shogun looked up at the now rainless sky and could not help but sigh softly, a faint smile of relief appearing at the corner of her lips. It seemed their approach had been the right one.
"Mm... really a good omen."
Kokomi also looked up and smiled.
"Wow~! You two really know your stuff!"
Tap tap~!
At this moment, that worker uncle hurried over once again. Looking at the still gloomy yet rainless sky above, he could not help but exclaim in amazement.
"Pfft..." ×2
Seeing this, the two beauties exchanged a tacit glance, then could not hold back a light laugh.
"The clouds have clearly dissipated quite a bit. Looks like my guess was right!"
With a pa sound, the man clapped his hands.
"Since they haven't fully dispersed, that means there are still similar seals at other locations, correct?"
The Shogun asked.
"Exactly! Next are the three suppression objects at Serpent's Head, Jakotsu Mine, and Fort Mumei. If the two of you don't mind, I hope you can continue just like this!"
He bowed deeply to them.
Three places...
A trace of helpless nostalgia surfaced in her heart, making her recall how she had once purified the Sacred Sakura alone. Looks like this would take the whole day. But unlike before, at least this time Kokomi was by her side. Otherwise, doing it alone would have been quite boring.
"No problem. Repairing the suppression objects is the very reason we came here."
She cast those thoughts aside and answered with her arms folded.
"Thank you very much! Although I'm not some wealthy person, I promise that once everything is done, I will repay you both!"
He vowed.
"Sir, there's no need to go to such expense. This is our duty. There's no need for compensation."
Kokomi interjected to politely refuse.
"Indeed. If we were to accept your things... then the meaning would change. That would not be appropriate."
The Shogun seamlessly followed up Kokomi's words, agreeing with her viewpoint as they dissuaded him together.
"Alright... as expected, you two are different from other adventurers... true experts! Then I wish you both a smooth journey once again. I'll head to the final location, the small beach at Fort Mumei, and wait for your arrival there!"
He waved at the two of them and left once more.
"..." ×2
The two continued watching his back until it disappeared...
"Has this guy gotten a bit too familiar with us?"
The Shogun narrowed her eyes and could not help but comment.
"Hehe... quite an energetic uncle. That's not a bad thing. Let's go as well, Shogun-sama."
Kokomi was amused by her remark and suggested as much.
"Mm... alright."
After speaking, the two set off again, heading toward the next locations in order—Serpent's Head, Jakotsu Mine, and Fort Mumei.
First was Serpent's Head, followed by Jakotsu Mine. The two were not far apart and could be reached on foot.
They were still the same stone pillar-type mechanisms as before, but the scale and overall terrain were clearly far more complex than those at Fort Fujitou earlier. Just their arrangement alone spanned several layers—on cliffs, within jungles, between gorges, and even on the water's surface. It took quite a bit of effort.
But regardless, they made it through. The decryption process did not take too long. With her remote control and Kokomi's guidance, they smoothly resolved the second location at Serpent's Head.
Of course... the third location—Jakotsu Mine—was much the same.
By placing the two energy-infusing orbs and the suppression stones onto their respective stone pillars in sequence, the mechanisms could be reactivated.
However, strangely enough, the second and third locations did not cause any changes to the surrounding weather at all. The skies remained overcast, dark clouds still piling up, exactly the same as before at the first location.
They had originally thought they could rely on these two places to change the environmental effects, but that assumption was ultimately overturned. With no other choice, they could only place their hopes on the third site, which was also the final mechanism array—Fort Mumei. This was a set of ruined remains that had sunk into the sea, with only a small portion still exposed above the water's surface.
When the two arrived, they discovered that the worker uncle had already been waiting there for quite some time. He stood alone by the shoreline, waving toward the two girls.
"Could it be that you know some kind of teleportation technique?"
The Shogun walked over and asked bluntly before he could even speak.
"Hah? What teleportation technique?"
The uncle froze for a moment, then scratched his head in confusion.
"She's asking how you managed to keep up with us so quickly."
Kokomi kindly explained.
"Oh, me? Actually, I've been waiting here the whole time. I didn't go anywhere. I figured you'd definitely pass through this place. Didn't I say before? I'd be waiting for you here."
The uncle replied.
"Enough. Then what did you want to say?"
The Shogun asked.
"Look over there. Just now, I heard some kind of heavy rumbling sound. It seemed to be coming from Fort Mumei's direction."
He pointed toward the distant ruins submerged beneath the sea.
The two looked over...
Rumble~!
In the next instant, as if confirming his words, the entire region of Yashiori Island began to tremble gradually. Soon after, from beneath the seawater at the center, a circular patch of ground slowly rose up. It aligned perfectly with the stone pathways on both sides, fitting together seamlessly and leaving enough space for the two of them to pass through.
"You should step back for now."
The Shogun told the uncle to retreat, then passed through the narrow passage together with Kokomi, finally arriving atop the newly risen platform.
There were no visible stone pillars around, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that the pillars were currently hidden beneath the sea, not exposed above the surface. Judging by the situation, there were six in total. This made things rather troublesome.
With a troubled expression, she walked to the edge by the sea. Looking down at the seawater reflecting her own figure, as well as the dark high-heeled shoe tip resting at the edge, she could see the silhouettes of stone pillars several meters below the surface. The surroundings beneath the water were pitch-black and eerily deep.
"Hoo..."
With a helpless sigh, she prepared to bend down and remove her shoes and stockings, even her outer clothing. She intended to enter the water. Her fingers had already untied the ribbon around her ankle, and just as her warm stockinged foot was about to be exposed to the air, a slender white-silk-covered hand stopped her movement.
"...?"
She froze for a moment and looked toward the owner of the hand. Kokomi had crouched down and carefully retied the thin strap connecting her ankle to the high heel into a neat bow. Then, still squatting, she looked up and met her gaze.
"What are you doing...?"
She asked in confusion.
"There's no need to trouble you by going into the sea..."
Kokomi smiled gently at her, then directly sat down at the edge. Her shapely, white-stockinged legs decisively slipped beneath the water, and as her hands released their hold—
Splash~
Like a mermaid, the girl dove straight into the sea, then surfaced and floated there, looking back at her.
"Leave the mechanism below to me, Shogun-sama."
Kokomi said with a smile as she poked her head above the water's surface. The feathered garment drifting on the water was as dreamlike and beautiful as a fish's fins, while beneath the surface, her white-stockinged legs swayed gently against each other.
"...Be careful."
The Shogun gathered her skirt and crouched at the edge, softly reminding her. A trace of gentle concern had appeared in her beautiful eyes.
She extended her hand, wanting to touch the water's surface. Seeing this, Kokomi swam over with a smile, letting her head meet the approaching fingers. She held the slender hand that reached out, and while floating in the water, gently pressed her soft, cherry-colored lips against the woman's fingertip. The scene looked exactly like a mermaid offering her affection to a woman on land.
Then, with a captivating blush blooming on her face, she gently nodded toward the violet-haired beauty on shore.
Splash~
In the next second, this "mermaid" slipped smoothly back into the depths of the sea, leaving behind only a pale splash of water.
The sea surface returned to calm.
"..."
The Shogun remained frozen in the posture of reaching out for a moment. Slowly, she withdrew her fingers and looked at the fingertip that had just been kissed.
"...///"
Not knowing what she thought of, her face flushed red.
...
This was an endless, gray, gloomy seabed. Profound and deep, with nothing around except for some microorganisms that occasionally emitted specks of light. What echoed in her ears was a dull, oppressive sound, as if only the sensation of her limbs moving through the water could assure her that she was continuously descending, rather than being swallowed by the abyss.
Splash~
Kokomi, who had already reached the deep seafloor, slowly opened her eyes... allowing her beautiful eyes, now glowing with a bluish sheen, to sweep across her surroundings.
A stretch of deep, dark blue. Other than darkness, there was still darkness... all around, beneath her feet as well. There was no telling how much deeper it went below.
"Haa..."
She gently exhaled, lifting her gaze to glance at the sea surface above, where only a faint glimmer of light remained.
Her pink long hair floated smoothly in the water, and the feathered mantle behind her also emitted a bluish glow. Her slender, white-stockinged legs slowly swam below her.
At this moment, she had no idea how deep she had already gone. Her only goal was to search for the stone pillar mechanisms hidden on the seabed, arrange them properly, and activate them. That was all she needed to do, and she had to be fast.
"Where are they?"
Her eyes had mostly adapted to the underwater light. Unlike ordinary people, she could move freely underwater without worrying about oxygen loss, as if she naturally possessed gills. From this alone, one could tell that she... was not human. Even so, her body structure was identical to that of humans. She had a heart and lungs and could even fall ill. From her relatively weak constitution, this point was quite obvious.
Her delicate body lay horizontally in the water, her slender waist twisting like waves. Her legs were held together, swaying smoothly along with the motion, while her hands wrapped in feathered sleeves gently paddled forward.
Huff huff~
After a muffled sound... her body suddenly shot forward, her speed resembling that of a nimble swimming fish.
The surrounding light was extremely dim. She kept her brows furrowed as she observed her surroundings, searching for her target.
After about a minute—
"!"
She finally saw, several dozen meters away, a stone pillar that flickered in and out of view due to the lighting. Like prey gradually being swallowed by this nightmarish seabed, it looked ethereal, as if it would disappear if she did not hurry.
Splash~
Without hesitation, she swam straight toward it. However—
Huff huff~!!
In the next second, a huge shadow suddenly flashed behind her, accompanied by a dull, heavy sound.
"!"
Hearing the disturbance behind her, she immediately turned around to look, instinctively tensing up.
"Just now... there was something."
She murmured softly. Underwater, her voice sounded somewhat ethereal, like a pure crystal drifting through the pitch-black sea.
However, the space around her was extremely dark. She did not see anything...
Huff huff~!
Yet the shadow flashed past her side once more.
"!"
She immediately looked to the side. There really was something there, eyeing her intently, and its size was enormous.
"Haa... does it have to be at a time like this?"
She frowned and muttered softly in a slightly cold tone.
Forget it. She could not afford to waste time.
She ignored whatever was behind her and swam toward her destination again. During this process, she could clearly feel that the shadow had been following her.
Perhaps because the feathered mantle behind her emitted blue light, her position was very obvious at the moment, like a living target. But she had no choice. This was the effect of her ability, and it had to be this way.
Splash~
After several seconds, she finally reached the stone pillar. She instinctively placed both hands against its surface and took a breath. The shadow behind her was closing in rapidly.
This was the first one.
She secretly marked it with a Hydro element symbol, then sensed that the shadow was about to crash into her.
"!!"
She hurriedly shifted her position, swimming to the other side of the stone pillar.
Boom~!
In the next instant, the water current churned violently as the other party passed by.
"Ngh~!"
She hugged the stone pillar in front of her to avoid being blown away. During that moment, her narrowed eyes finally saw the passing shadow clearly. It was a... gigantic... dolphin.
Why would it attack her?
Could it have been corrupted by the Tatarigami's power?
No time to worry about that for now... the mechanism was the priority. Shogun-sama was still waiting for her return on the shore. She could not afford to delay.
After marking the stone pillar in front of her, she observed the movement pattern of the shadow and once again swam toward the second stone pillar in the distance.
Along the way, she passed by five stone pillars arranged in different positions and marked their order one by one. During this time, the frenzied, mutated dolphin continued to attack her relentlessly. However, each assault was evaded by her skilled and agile movements, using the stone pillars as cover in a manner akin to circling around a pillar. Not only that, every time she passed a pillar, she carefully memorized its orientation, making preparation for solving the mechanism later.
Even though the situation was extremely dangerous, her mind remained calm and clear.
The first pillar's orientation was already correct, so it could be ignored...
Kokomi swam to the side of the second pillar and attempted to rotate it using her own strength. However, no matter how much force she exerted, it did not budge at all.
"Nngh—! Ugh~!"
She held her breath until her cheeks puffed up red, yet it still did not move even slightly.
"Screee!!"
Behind her, the dolphin let out a sharp cry and seized this opportunity to lunge at her again. Perhaps due to mutation, its teeth were as terrifying as a shark's.
No. She could not let it damage the mechanism.
Her mind reacted swiftly. She turned her body and placed herself in front of the stone pillar, raising her hand to gather Hydro elemental energy.
Bang!
The Hydro element was abundant within the sea. In an instant, a bluish barrier formed. In the very next moment, the massive dolphin slammed into it mercilessly.
Bang!
A violent shockwave erupted. Although the barrier blocked the impact, her body was still forced backward slightly. Fortunately, her other hand managed to grab onto the stone pillar.
After this strike, the dolphin seemed to grow enraged and began ramming her repeatedly.
"Ngh~! Please don't do this. Don't... force me."
Kokomi resisted the dolphin's assaults, her brows knitting slightly as she warned it in a troubled voice.
What it did while being corroded by the Tatarigami was not its own will. In the water, this was her domain, but she did not want to hurt it. Please, just let her finish the mechanism.
"Rrrgh!"
However, the dolphin still roared loudly and prepared to charge again.
"Please!!!"
Kokomi closed her eyes and shouted at it with all her strength. At the same time, a warm bluish glow of light particles radiated from her body. The particles enveloped the dolphin, filling the space with warmth.
"...!"
In that instant, the dolphin stopped attacking. Its movements slowed slightly, and the originally murky eyes regained a hint of light.
"Chirp..."
Its once sharp cries softened as well.
"?"
Kokomi opened her eyes in confusion and looked at the dolphin in front of her, then sadness surfaced on her face.
"It must be very painful, right? I'm sorry... this is all my fault."
If not for her negligence, the Tatarigami would not have been...
In the next moment, she thought of the violet-haired woman on the shore. The sadness in her expression gradually turned into determination, and she shook her head, steadying herself.
The dolphin in front of her seemed to grow restless once more, its movements becoming more intense as it struggled back and forth, yet it still did not attack her.
"Thank you..."
Kokomi smiled gently at it, then decisively turned her gaze back to the stone pillar.
No. She could not turn this thing earlier. Perhaps...!!
She had it.
Noticing the mechanism above, she quickly reached out and pulled it down.
Clack!
After a dull sound echoed, the stone pillar rotated clockwise, aligning itself with the third pillar.
So that's how it is. She understood.
Kokomi suddenly realized. It was not that her strength was insufficient, but that there was a mechanism involved. Honestly... why hadn't she noticed that from the start?
She touched her forehead in self-reproach, then used the same method to adjust the remaining three pillars in sequence. During this process, the dolphin did not attack her. It was still struggling desperately against the corrosion.
Kokomi looked at it with heartache. Marine animals were very special to her, like friends. Seeing this scene, she could not help but feel sorrow.
She returned to the position of the first pillar and activated her elemental power, causing it to fire a sphere of light.
The light sphere moved somewhat slowly underwater, passing through the remaining pillars and reflecting at perfect angles before finally striking the barrier at the sea's surface.
Hum~
The barrier dissipated instantly, revealing the two suppression objects within.
Seeing this, the Shogun on the shore let out a slight sigh of relief. Then, worry filled her eyes as she looked downward, crouching and gently touching the water's surface.
Kokomi... please be safe.
She did not know when it began, but this girl had already claimed a place in her heart, enough to make her worry.
Even though...
Even though it had only been two days...
Was she being too sentimental?
"!"
In the next second, unable to endure it any longer, she pulled Musou Isshin from her chest, intending to raise the blade and split the sea apart.
She was afraid the other would not return.
Fifteen seconds. If she did not come out by then, she would strike.