"As a neighbor, it's really rude of me never to have visited Shion-san before."
Koyuki's attitude was polite and courteous, a warm smile on her face.
And being a few years older than Shion, she looked like a gentle older sister.
But Shion had no intention of bonding with Koyuki at the moment.
She just wanted to seal Moryo as soon as possible and fulfill her duty.
Faced with Koyuki's greeting, she just glanced at her casually and gave a light, unenthusiastic hello.
It seemed very rude.
"Shion-sama, your attitude towards the leader of another country is far too rude right now."
Taruho, riding on horseback beside the carriage, saw Shion like this and immediately corrected her attitude.
Then he bowed his head to Koyuki in apology. "I'm very sorry. Shion-sama is preoccupied with the innocent people attacked by Moryo, so she neglected..."
"It's fine."
Koyuki raised her hand to stop Taruho, and under Shion's astonished gaze, got up and sat down beside her.
"You don't mind, do you?"
Koyuki asked with a smile.
'If I said I minded, would you go back?'
Shion thought to herself but said nothing.
"Since you didn't say anything, I'll take it as you don't mind."
Koyuki smiled very naturally.
After all, she was a famous actress, and her acting was flawless.
With a girl like Shion putting on a facade of coldness, Koyuki saw right through her at a glance.
"I don't know what the Miko's duties are, but I don't think you should put all that burden on yourself."
Koyuki reached out, gently put her arm around Shion's shoulder, and softly pulled her into a hug. The gentleness in her eyes was like that of a true mother.
"You have to trust the people around you, trust everything they are willing to do for you."
What she said was very heartfelt.
She had once been so similar to Shion.
But Shion didn't escape her responsibilities, while Koyuki, after her tragic childhood experiences, had lived a life on the run.
Although fate had guided her back to the Land of Snow, she still couldn't trust others in between.
If not for Takumi, in the end, making her confront her past and her dreams,
She might still be on the run, working as an actress.
And now, she trusted others, trusted the people of the Land of Snow, trusted Takumi.
She knew that only trust could bring people closer; on the contrary, it would only make the distance between them increasingly far.
In the end, she would face universal opposition and desertion.
At first, Shion resisted being held by Koyuki.
But she quickly calmed down.
At this moment, Koyuki reminded her of her mother, the previous Miko, Miroku.
If her mother were still here, she would surely have such a warm embrace.
Unfortunately,
Her mother had sacrificed herself to seal Moryo when Shion was little.
And now, it was her turn to make this decision.
After so many years of suffering, Shion was somewhat impatient in her heart.
She knew that the only way to escape her current fate was this one path.
Sacrifice herself to seal Moryo.
Only then would she no longer foresee the deaths of those around her, no longer witness their deaths.
For so many years, she had had enough of this life.
Although she wanted to refute Koyuki's words, when she opened her mouth, Shion didn't know what to say.
And she was a bit reluctant to leave Koyuki's embrace, not wanting to come out.
Gradually, she fell asleep in Koyuki's arms.
"I'm so sorry."
Taruho apologized softly, looking at Shion with eyes full of pity.
Clearly he was the one whose death had been foretold, the one who should be pitied.
But having watched Shion grow up and knowing her inner thoughts deeply, he understood how heavy the Miko's responsibility weighed on Shion's heart.
"It's okay."
Koyuki gently stroked Shion's hair, softly patting her body, like a mother coaxing her child to sleep.
Although Koyuki herself wasn't much older, as an actress, she had seen a lot and knew how a mother should act in such a moment.
"She must have a lot of pain in her heart, right?"
A soft sigh made Taruho's eyes redden.
As Shion's personal guard, he was the most qualified person to speak on this issue.
Since childhood, he had watched the once lively and cheerful girl gradually become the silent person she was now.
He had also tried to make the girl return to her former self, but he soon knew it was impossible.
He couldn't do it.
Because of the Miko's responsibility.
For a time, the group fell into silence.
And on the other carriage, the Director had filmed all of this.
"Koyuki's acting is getting better and better."
The Director watched the footage of the gentle Koyuki and couldn't help sighing.
"I think Koyuki-san wasn't acting. She seemed to be showing genuine emotion."
The cameraman expressed a different opinion.
Shion felt that this was the most comfortable sleep she had ever had.
No nightmares, no prophetic dreams.
Sinking deep into her consciousness, relaxing her mind.
When she woke up, she saw Koyuki's anxious face.
"What's wrong?"
She immediately woke up and sat up straight.
But Koyuki quickly pulled her back into her arms. "Don't look."
This situation immediately made Shion understand that things were not optimistic.
At this moment, the sounds of battle also reached her ears.
Various explosions and the shouts of the Shinobi came through.
"Could it be Moryo?"
Her expression changed, and she struggled out of Koyuki's embrace, leaning out the carriage window.
"Wait!"
Koyuki reached out to stop her, but it was too late.
From the speeding carriage, Shion looked behind and her expression changed.
Countless terracotta soldier armies were flanking them from both sides.
Although the terracotta soldiers moved slowly, the encirclement was still deadly.
If they were surrounded, they would have no escape.
Fortunately, the carriage was fast enough, and the terracotta soldiers were slow enough.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"
Invisible Chakra blasted out, destroying a terracotta soldier puppet. Neji moved closer to Takumi, his expression grave. "I feel like the enemy is deliberately guiding our direction."
"Your guess is correct."
Takumi confirmed his idea, then spewed a large fireball, destroying hundreds of puppets.
But facing the endless army of terracotta soldiers, a mere few hundred meant nothing.
And in the blink of an eye, they recovered.
As long as Moryo, which controlled these terracotta soldiers, wasn't dealt with, they could revive infinitely.
That was what made them so troublesome.
A Shinobi's Chakra would eventually run out, but they would never feel tired.
"Although it looks like it intends to annihilate us here, if it had prepared for this, it would have surrounded us long ago."
Takumi squinted, destroying nearby terracotta soldiers with a few punches. "The route it deliberately left is definitely guiding our direction."
"Could it be a trap?"
Neji said worriedly. "Considering the safety of the VIP, shouldn't we break out?"
"No."
Takumi shook his head. "We'll play along. With me here, the situation is under control. Besides, since the enemy has already set up an ambush, even if we retreat now, we'll have to come back here later anyway."
"Since you're confident."
Neji said no more.