No matter how you looked at it, with the abundance of manpower, Inazuma's affairs had finally gotten back on track.
The small wooden house where he had once lived had been converted into a shrine, and it was still bustling with people coming and going.
Inside Inazuma City it was noticeably livelier than before, and quite a few foreigners could be seen.
Outside Inazuma City things had at least calmed down a fair bit. People had begun trading with one another, and at the very least they no longer had to worry about whether they would have food to eat the next day.
On Yashiori Island, the environment of Kannazuka had also started to be managed by assigned personnel, and the overall surroundings were beginning to improve.
The old uncle once again arrived beside the fox statue from the time he had first set foot on Narukami Island.
This was different from the leisurely mood last time when little Eula had been by his side.
This time the old uncle was alone.
"Hmm. According to the fluctuations of the Ley Lines, this is indeed a key Ley Line node."
Yes, he was alone.
Nahida inside the Akasha Terminal was a god.
Miss Aurora Mamoru Mei behind him was the Raiden Shogun.
Little Sara at his side was a youkai.
Truly, apart from himself, not a single one of them was human.
Purple Electro elemental energy that kept flickering appeared in the old uncle's hand.
After obtaining the [Gnosis], the old uncle had naturally begun studying the new element together with little Eula.
For the time being, being able to release Electro could already be counted as some progress.
Although his control was still limited, he could manage a portion of it.
As the Electro in his hand sank into the celestial fox statue, a person Cid had long wanted to meet finally appeared.
"I pay my respects to Lord Shura Anyakonsen-shou. I pay my respects to Lord Raiden Shogun…"
A shrine maiden wearing a fox mask appeared before the Shura Anyakonsen-shou's Divinity Training Class.
"The Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism… is it about to begin? Allow me to lead the way for you."
Hanachirusato's attitude was extremely respectful.
"No rush. Nahida, analyze the connection between Miss Hanachirusato and the Ley Lines."
The main reason the Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism was necessary was because the roots of the Sacred Sakura Tree were somewhat like sewer pipes. Normally, when filth was cleared away, some residue would remain. Once too much of this residue accumulated, it would affect the Sacred Sakura Tree's ability to remove filth.
Under ordinary circumstances it was enough to deal with small amounts of filth at certain points. However, after long accumulation, large filth would appear, and at that time it became necessary to activate the Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism to handle it.
Hanachirusato was part of that filth — the filth that had inherited Kitsune Saiguu's memories.
Purifying the filth away also meant Hanachirusato herself would be purified away along with it.
In other words, there was no way to remove the filth while still preserving Hanachirusato.
Therefore, the old uncle had come up with an extremely creative solution to this problem.
It was very simple: dig out the portion of filth that represented Hanachirusato and purify the rest. Wouldn't that solve everything?
After all, this filth had no sense of pain. Only filth that actually harmed the land deserved to be called filth. Those who could selflessly sacrifice themselves for Inazuma's sake were called Inazuma's citizens.
Although, from the perspective of the Shura Anyakonsen-shou, this approach did seem somewhat risky.
But one must not forget — there was already precedent for purifying the filth while leaving Hanachirusato untouched.
The Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism had several hundred years of history, and the minor Sacred Sakura Exorcism was performed every few years.
Five hundred years ago, a white-haired old uncle known as "Only God" had even encountered Hanachirusato, yet he had not removed her during the Great Exorcism.
Moreover, with the Sacred Sakura Tree — the natural enemy of filth — standing watch, there was no need to worry too much about the filth causing any real trouble.
All things considered, the theory was sound and could be put into practice.
First, they would materialize the filth that constituted Hanachirusato and force it out…
With Nahida, who had the deepest connection to the Ley Lines, present, carrying out the procedure was not an overly difficult task.Chapter 321: Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism
No matter how you looked at it, with the abundance of manpower, Inazuma's affairs had finally gotten back on track.
The small wooden house where he had once lived had been converted into a shrine, and it was still bustling with people coming and going.
Inside Inazuma City it was noticeably livelier than before, and quite a few foreigners could be seen.
Outside Inazuma City things had at least calmed down a fair bit. People had begun trading with one another, and at the very least they no longer had to worry about whether they would have food to eat the next day.
On Yashiori Island, the environment of Kannazuka had also started to be managed by assigned personnel, and the overall surroundings were beginning to improve.
The old uncle once again arrived beside the fox statue from the time he had first set foot on Narukami Island.
This was different from the leisurely mood last time when little Eula had been by his side.
This time the old uncle was alone.
"Hmm. According to the fluctuations of the Ley Lines, this is indeed a key Ley Line node."
Yes, he was alone.
Nahida inside the Akasha Terminal was a god.
Miss Aurora Mamoru Mei behind him was the Raiden Shogun.
Little Sara at his side was a youkai.
Truly, apart from himself, not a single one of them was human.
Purple Electro elemental energy that kept flickering appeared in the old uncle's hand.
After obtaining the [Gnosis], the old uncle had naturally begun studying the new element together with little Eula.
For the time being, being able to release Electro could already be counted as some progress.
Although his control was still limited, he could manage a portion of it.
As the Electro in his hand sank into the celestial fox statue, a person Cid had long wanted to meet finally appeared.
"I pay my respects to Lord Shura Anyakonsen-shou. I pay my respects to Lord Raiden Shogun…"
A shrine maiden wearing a fox mask appeared before the Shura Anyakonsen-shou's Divinity Training Class.
"The Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism… is it about to begin? Allow me to lead the way for you."
Hanachirusato's attitude was extremely respectful.
"No rush. Nahida, analyze the connection between Miss Hanachirusato and the Ley Lines."
The main reason the Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism was necessary was because the roots of the Sacred Sakura Tree were somewhat like sewer pipes. Normally, when filth was cleared away, some residue would remain. Once too much of this residue accumulated, it would affect the Sacred Sakura Tree's ability to remove filth.
Under ordinary circumstances it was enough to deal with small amounts of filth at certain points. However, after long accumulation, large filth would appear, and at that time it became necessary to activate the Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism to handle it.
Hanachirusato was part of that filth — the filth that had inherited Kitsune Saiguu's memories.
Purifying the filth away also meant Hanachirusato herself would be purified away along with it.
In other words, there was no way to remove the filth while still preserving Hanachirusato.
Therefore, the old uncle had come up with an extremely creative solution to this problem.
It was very simple: dig out the portion of filth that represented Hanachirusato and purify the rest. Wouldn't that solve everything?
After all, this filth had no sense of pain. Only filth that actually harmed the land deserved to be called filth. Those who could selflessly sacrifice themselves for Inazuma's sake were called Inazuma's citizens.
Although, from the perspective of the Shura Anyakonsen-shou, this approach did seem somewhat risky.
But one must not forget — there was already precedent for purifying the filth while leaving Hanachirusato untouched.
The Great Sacred Sakura Exorcism had several hundred years of history, and the minor Sacred Sakura Exorcism was performed every few years.
Five hundred years ago, a white-haired old uncle known as "Only God" had even encountered Hanachirusato, yet he had not removed her during the Great Exorcism.
Moreover, with the Sacred Sakura Tree — the natural enemy of filth — standing watch, there was no need to worry too much about the filth causing any real trouble.
All things considered, the theory was sound and could be put into practice.
First, they would materialize the filth that constituted Hanachirusato and force it out…
With Nahida, who had the deepest connection to the Ley Lines, present, carrying out the procedure was not an overly difficult task.