Despite its name, the Oni no Kuni wasn't really different from other countries, it had green forests, rivers, clear skies, and the sounds of birds and insects, as normal as could be.
Beside an ornamental pond, a blonde girl sat watching the fish moving in the water. Her gaze revealed an infinite loneliness, something she reserved for when she was alone.
Shion wasn't thinking about anything in particular, thinking about anything would bring back bad memories, so sometimes she liked to simply sit here and look at the fish, letting her mind wander for a while.
At that time, Shion, the Priestess of the Land of Demons, was no longer there.
Only Shion, the lonely girl.
However, as Shion gazed at the lake, the irises of her violet eyes changed into a purple mandala.
She trembled as she had a vision, the strangest vision she had ever had in her life. There was no scenery, just a dark background, but in the center, there was something, something darker than the background around it, it seemed somewhere between liquid and gas, constantly undulating.
Shion knew that thing had no eyes, but she could feel as if it were looking directly at her! The worst part was the malice, an endless malice, it was extremely evil, so much so that Shion froze in fear.
On her shirt, a small bell attached to it began to emit a pink glow. In Shion's vision, a pink glow appeared, and when she came to, she was once again sitting on the banks of the lake.
Shion almost jumped away, looking around as if she could still feel that evil close to her, she trembled continuously, fear appearing in her eyes.
'What the hell was that?!' - Shion thought, but there was no answer. She almost thought it had been a dream. She wanted to forget it, but she couldn't. Instead, she felt as if it was getting closer and closer to her, as if it were going to swallow her whole at any moment!
-Hey, are you alright?- A male voice pulled Shion from his reverie.
Perched atop a tree not far away, a man appeared, with black hair and eyes, staring directly at her.
Shion took two steps back, startled, looking at him with obvious surprise. -Who are you?!
-Toji, Fushiguro Toji. - Toji said, looking at the girl with growing curiosity.
From the moment he arrived here, Toji could sense the danger.
It wasn't just any feeling, it was a warning of what was to come. The girl in front of him, incredibly enough, represented a threat to him.
Although the feeling wasn't absurdly strong, it was there, faint, Toji could feel it coming from her, or rather, from the small bell attached to her clothing.
For Toji to sense such a clear threat, he knew there must be an intention to attack, however, Shion didn't seem to have that intention, so it was likely that the intention came from the bell itself, or rather, from the souls of the ancient priestesses trapped within it.
Interesting, truly interesting.
Although he felt that the power contained within that thing was at most level 5 and the harm it could cause him was regrettable, the fact remained that there was danger, so this made Toji increasingly certain that he had found the right target.
He could feel the connection between that bell and the girl, as if they were one and the same.
The conclusion Toji drew from this was... what a waste.
The power of that thing was extremely close to that of a demigod, this was only half of its power, the other half was Moryo.
The first priestess not only separated herself, weakening herself, but also bound her power to humans. He couldn't tell if she had transformed into a human, assumed a human body, or simply transmitted her power to a human, passing it on indefinitely through that lineage.
Perhaps in its complete form, this being could reach a higher level, which is why Toji felt this was a waste from beginning to end.
However, this was also a good thing for Toji, if this being were still a complete entity, the power of purification probably wouldn't exist.
This separation essentially created a division between light and darkness, and as for Moryo... Toji had no doubt that he was truly a devil.
After they separated, they transformed into different beings, although still connected, which is truly an extreme situation and difficult to recreate.
The fact is that Moryo, full of negative energy, became a true devil, while this girl... there wasn't a clear definition for extreme positivity like demons or devils, but if he had to use a symbol, she would be a pure angel.
Even the form she assumed when power filled her possessed wings and a halo.
What kind of beings would they have been in the beginning? Really interesting.
However, that didn't matter, what mattered was the conclusion Toji reached.
If they are still connected and Moryo almost devoured Shion, it means the opposite is completely possible.
If Shion devours Moryo, not only will her positivity remain unaffected, but it will become even stronger! If Shion didn't have a human body, this would be very easy to handle, Jugo could perfectly help her move forward, but because she has a human body, it complicates things.
Trying to get rid of the human body is a possibility, but the connection is extremely strong, especially after repeating the 'resurrection' process dozens of times, tearing it away from Shion could weaken and even destroy that power.
Toji had reached an impasse, he couldn't withdraw the power, nor could he increase it without the little girl exploding.
Although the bell seemed to seal the priestess's power, it wasn't that simple. The bell only sealed Shion's own power, but the power itself remained within her. The bell could serve as a conduit for her to use her powers, but that was all.
Toji sighed, he already knew what he had to do. He needed to help this little girl get stronger before anything else.
-What are you doing here?! No civilians are allowed in here!- She shouted, her expression turning completely enraged.
A spoiled brat, besides being lonely, she learned to hide her true emotions behind a layer of petulance.
Toji didn't answer immediately, instead, he smiled slightly. -Girl, do you wish to be free?