Chapter 126: But, I Refuse!
It was anger.
The raw, possessive fury of someone watching a rival attempt to steal what was irrevocably hers.
Uesugi Kenshin's gaze remained fixed on the arrow. A sphere of pure white light, no larger than a fist, had coalesced at its tip. It pulsed with a transparent, searing intensity; even from several paces away, one could feel the destructive spiritual power contained within that condensed point of light. If that arrow were loosed, even a mighty Great Yokai would be blasted into nothing more than scattered fragments.
But Uesugi Kenshin was no Great Yokai. Nor did she make any move to dodge.
She didn't even assume a defensive posture.
She simply stood there, her long, silver-white hair cascading down the sides of her simple monk's robe. The night wind brushed against the edge of her veil, revealing the delicate line of her jaw. Her eyes, placid as ancient wells, regarded Kikyo with a deep peacefulness, utterly devoid of hostility or disdain.
She was merely observing.
Observing something interesting, but not particularly important.
"Priestess," she spoke, her voice retaining that same flat, emotionless tone, like an old monk chanting sutras in a distant temple. "I have heard your name, Kikyo. It is said that your innate spiritual power is exceptionally strong and pure. It seems the rumors are true."
"If we speak only of the strength and purity of one's innate spiritual power, you could likely be called the strongest in this era. Even those great Onmyoji in the capital would be no match for you."
"But spiritual power restrains demons, not me. The power I wield, on the other hand, can suppress the likes of you!"
She raised a hand, palm facing upward.
It was not the start of an attack, just a simple, unassuming gesture.
Yet, in that instant, the very air changed.
It was not the oppressive weight of Yao Qi, nor the crackling collision of spiritual power. Instead, something far more fundamental spread from within Kenshin, like silent ripples expanding across the surface of a pond. It was soundless, yet everything within a radius of several dozen meters grew impossibly heavy.
The gravel on the ground began to vibrate. The massive wooden pillars of the torii gate emitted a faint, groaning creak. Under Kikyo's feet, fine cracks spiderwebbed through the packed earth.
This was… the power of gods and Buddhas.
It was the embodiment of faith itself.
It was the 'weight' and 'suppression' forged from the prayers, offerings, and awe of millions of Echigo's common folk, all converged upon this single person in reverence to Bishamonten.
It suppressed all that was extraordinary.
In that regard, Yao Qi and spiritual power were one and the same.
Neither belonged to the mortal, mundane world.
Standing behind Kikyo, Hikaru felt the pressure just as keenly. It was a tangible force, as if an invisible mountain were slowly descending upon them. The sense of oppression was immense.
'Although it doesn't reach the level of pressure Kidomaru exuded, it already surpasses that of an ordinary Seventh Transformation demon,'Hikaru judged internally.'It's equivalent to the Yao Qi of an Eighth, or perhaps even a Ninth Transformation demon.'
Kidomaru was a demon of the highest order, a being who had surpassed the Twelfth Transformation and was infinitely close to becoming a Great Yokai. He was the ultimate master of the Transformation of Speed, and the strongest entity Hikaru had ever witnessed. Within his innate barrier, Rashomon, his speed likely exceeded that of an average Great Yokai who did not specialize in it. The memory of their confrontation that night was still seared into Hikaru's mind.
The woman before him, the reincarnation of a divine incarnation, was naturally no match for such a monster.
However, to surpass an ordinary Seventh Transformation demon was already astonishing. After all, the young woman before him was, in the end, still in a human body. The pressure she projected seemed to stem purely from her physical form, yet it was infused with an incomparably pure power.
It was a natural, indisputable will from on high.
The so-called equality of all beings before the gods and Buddhas.
'Truly worthy of being called the reincarnation of a god's incarnation,' Hikaru thought. To manifest such pressure with a body like that was incredible. If she were to truly go all out, it probably wouldn't be a fight he and Kikyo could end quickly. After all, Kikyo's spiritual power had no restraining effect on her, and he himself was, at best, on par with her. Overpowering her would be difficult.
But even though her power was being suppressed, Kikyo did not retreat.
The bowstring was drawn even tighter.
The arrow remained as steady as a nail driven into the air, and the sphere of spiritual light at its tip swelled, growing a fraction larger.
"You are quite right…" Kikyo's voice was still calm, but it was a different sort of calm from Kenshin's. Kenshin's was the detached calm of a being looking down from above. Kikyo's was the stillness before a blade is drawn, the gathering of power before a mountain torrent is unleashed. "My spiritual power can indeed only restrain demons. But that does not mean my arrows are only effective against demons."
She was speaking the truth. The essence of spiritual power was the condensation of pure energy, capable of purifying the turbid qi of demons. But it was still an extraordinary power, and thus, it was being suppressed by the authority of gods and Buddhas.
However, Kikyo's arrows were not weak.
Just as Hikaru could use a simple bone blade to slash the incarnation of a divine artifact, Kikyo, a marksman who never missed and could directly amplify her own output with spiritual power, could do the same. Her spiritual reserves were immense; even if her attribute was suppressed, it didn't mean she couldn't rely on sheer, overwhelming force to crush her opponent in turn.
So-called suppression was always relative, never absolute.
If the two of them were to clash—
It was still difficult to say who would win and who would lose. If they truly fought, it would devolve into a war of attrition.
Of course, that assumed it was a one-on-one duel between Kikyo and Kenshin. But right now, Kenshin was alone, while they were two. With Hikaru and Kikyo joining forces, their chances of victory were high. His assessment that they couldn't resolve it in a short time didn't mean they couldn't resolve it at all.
Kenshin seemed to have realized this as well.
Her gaze shifted from Kikyo's fully drawn bow to Hikaru, who stood silently behind the priestess.
She was silent for a moment.
Then, she withdrew.
The oppressive weight that permeated the air, the force that would make an ordinary person want to fall to their knees, dissipated as quickly as a receding tide. The gravel stopped vibrating, the torii's pillars fell silent, and the cracks in the earth ceased to spread.
Kenshin retracted her hand into her wide sleeve, a composed movement that carried an almost formal hint of courtesy.
"Forget it," she said, her voice still without a single ripple.
"It seems I cannot force the issue tonight. But what I said remains valid."
She turned around.
Her silver-white monk's robe gleamed with a soft luster under the moonlight. Her veil hung down, obscuring half her face, revealing only those deep, well-like eyes.
"I will come again, and I will bring all my 'divine artifacts'… If you refuse me then, the outcome will not be the same as tonight."
"You may consider it more carefully."
Her final words drifted back, falling behind her as she walked away.
Just like that, she left.
Her footsteps were neither fast nor slow as she followed the mountain path she had come from, vanishing alone into the northern night. Her retreating figure was solitary but not lonely, like a living Buddha statue that felt no need to ever look back.
Kikyo did not immediately lower her bow. Only when Kenshin's figure had completely disappeared beyond the range of her perception did she slowly release the tension on the string. The sphere of spiritual power at the arrow's tip dissolved, the white light shattering into countless tiny motes that drifted away on the night wind.
She lowered her bow and let out a long, slow breath.
Her breathing was slightly more rapid than usual. The anger from before, the feeling of having her most treasured possession threatened, was only just beginning to recede from her blood.
"She's gone," Hikaru's voice came from behind her.
Kikyo nodded. She didn't turn around, merely glancing sideways, her clear, pitch-black eyes shimmering in the moonlight. Nothing needed to be said. Neither of them had given chase. They couldn't have caught her, and there was no need to.
Two against one, they were confident they could suppress the lone Kenshin and win. But if their opponent was determined to leave, they couldn't stop her. In the end, Kenshin was not a demon, but a human—a reincarnation of a god. Kikyo's abilities could not be used to their full effect.
Hikaru walked to Kikyo's side, the crimson demon mask already removed from his face, revealing his pale, handsome features. His eyes were still fixed on the north.
But it was Kikyo who spoke.
"She came alone, which shows she was confident she could retreat unscathed. But if she truly wanted to fight, she wouldn't have come armed only with words."
"So, what she said earlier—at least half of it was sincere."
"She truly wants you to be her divine artifact."
Kikyo turned, her dark eyes looking straight at him. "Have you considered agreeing?"
Her tone was perfectly flat, so flat that one could not discern a single trace of emotion.
But Hikaru knew her too well.
Behind that placid facade was a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Hikaru was momentarily speechless, but he still answered frankly. "But, I refuse."
It was the truth.
Objectively, Uesugi Kenshin was not unattractive; she even fit his aesthetic. But Hikaru despised that high-and-mighty attitude. He had absolutely no interest in being someone else's dog. Even if it could grant him power, any power not under his own absolute control held no value for him.
Kikyo stared at him, and for a moment, another ripple disturbed the surface of her pitch-black eyes.
A very shallow, fleeting softness.
Then, just as quickly, she suppressed it.
"Hmph."
He only received a soft sound in response.
But the fingers hanging by her side brushed against the back of his hand once more. Her skin was still slightly cool, but this time, Hikaru's hand closed around hers.
The tips of Kikyo's ears turned a faint shade of red, but her expression remained unchanged.
"There is one more thing." She did not pull her hand away, though her voice had already returned to its usual cool cadence. "There is a large army stationed to the north."
Hikaru's gaze tightened. "How do you know?"
"I did not sleep tonight."
Because she hadn't slept, she had been able to arrive in time.
Kikyo's gaze shifted northward. "Before Uesugi Kenshin arrived, the warning layer of my barrier had already reacted. It wasn't Yao Qi, but a human presence—a massive, dense human presence pressing in on the northern wind."
"I walked north, along the edge of the barrier's perception."
She paused.
"About a hundred miles away, at the mountain pass, an army is making camp."
"They fly the 'Bi' flag."
"Their numbers… are at least three thousand."
"Twice as many as last time."
Hikaru fell silent.
The thousand men who came last time were led by Kakizaki Kageie. They had retreated after he beheaded their commander with a single strike.
This time, three thousand had come. And it was at this exact moment that Kenshin had appeared alone to extend her "invitation."
In other words, if he had agreed, those three thousand men would have become his comrades.
If he refused—those three thousand men would be an invading army.
"Courtesy first, force later," Hikaru spat out the four words.
Kikyo did not speak, but she slung her longbow back over her shoulder.
That single action meant everything—she was ready.
The two of them stood beneath the torii gate, the moonlight stretching their shadows long behind them.
A north wind began to rise.
It carried the cold scent of iron and blood.
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