Chapter 406: The Alert Disaster Group, and Honey Qing Being Approached

The shrine maiden lowered her eyes to look at the wooden bucket, which was full of ice. Two bottles of sake and cups that had been chilled earlier were on top. Cold air and mist rose together. She poured a cup for herself and Honey Qing.

Chu Yuanqing took the porcelain cup. The clear, transparent sake gently moved with the ripples, giving off a faint scent of rice. She took a sip. It was not spicy but purely soft and sweet, cool on the tongue, very nice. It felt more like a drink than alcohol.

Hmm, the alcohol level isn’t high. Among people I know, maybe only a certain green-eyed cat could get drunk on this.

The shrine maiden carefully sipped the sake, like a small animal licking salt. She hadn’t drunk sake much before.

Though she was the Saiō King, to adults who worshipped the Tenno-Gochu and credited all blessings to them, she and the sake used for the gods were just tools.

In her past life, after being taken to the shrine, she never saw Yuki or her parents again. It was only when the young savior brought her out of the heartless, demon-filled Dongliu Island that she learned the truth.

Outside the shrine, the land had no living people left.

After the first fights, battles, and defeats, the emperor, politicians, and other leaders in the capital, to buy time, betrayed the rest of the people. They gave all areas outside Tokyo as a sacrifice to the Calamity God. In return, they were spared from the black snow’s corruption and demon attacks.

Hokkaido, her hometown, was the first place covered by the black snow.

After that, the leaders built many shrines in the land and brought one lucky child after another who held blessings, making them shrine attendants, while lying to others that they would be offered as sacrifices to the eight million gods.

At first, the sacrifices were just a cover story to help the Dongliu’s flames slowly grow.

But later, except for the fire of the Saiō King at Ise Shrine, the other flames were eaten away completely by gods and monsters through many compromises.

When the boy arrived at Dongliu, the highest leaders led by the emperor had already understood Kirimi Miyuki’s blessing and made a plan called “Godslaying,” deciding to forge this shrine maiden herself into a legendary weapon.

It sounds funny, but later, the shrine maiden created Ame no Habakiri, Futsunushi no Mikoto, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, and finally Levatin; their ideas, origins, and making all came from the evil woven by many people.

But…

Chu Yuanying helped her escape from the fate set for her.

Even though they faced many hardships, chases, tests, and life-and-death dangers, he never hesitated, never gave up, and never wavered, bringing her to the City of the Sky, where she was born again from a lost, unknown tool into a real living person.

So, for the shrine maiden, falling in love with that young boy was only natural.

In this way, she was very much like the Demon King; both were like birds with broken wings, trapped by fate. But because of him, they were freed from their chains and could fly freely again.

The shrine maiden sipped her sake and looked at Honey Qing’s profile, her thoughts drifting far away.

Maybe that was why she always felt shy and unsure around Charlotte. After she had forged three Mythical Armaments with her own body and became almost no longer human, that feeling of not being good enough only grew stronger.

The Last Diva was such a strong rival in love that even if she was a childhood friend, a role that usually made someone seem like an underdog, she was still impossible to beat.

Because of this, later on, when she became close to Charlotte and was clearly invited to join the “big family,” the shy shrine maiden always quickly changed the subject and never gave a straight answer.

Thinking back now, that was probably fine. For her, saying yes wouldn’t have changed anything. Dying in that sea of fire after forging the Levatin was the best way to go.

The shrine maiden made the best weapon for the one she loved and also successfully avenged her family. In those days, she could not imagine a better way to die.

“Are you drunk? Why are you spacing out after just one cup of sake?”

Pure White Witch lifted her face and brushed the hair by her ear. She leaned closer, and with the splash and ripples spreading, the towel could not fully wrap around her full curves. The scent of the flowers and her smooth white skin filled the senses.

Looking down, the loose towel soaked by the hot water gently stuck to her waist and hips, showing more clear curves than when wearing clothes, and you could barely see the shape of her belly button under her tummy.

Chu Yuanqing tilted her head and watched the shrine maiden. She poked the hand of Nostalgia, who should never get drunk, and when she poked her face, the other grabbed her wrist, making a splash of water.

The shrine maiden smiled with her lips curled up. She happily leaned closer and lightly kissed the sake on Honey Qing’s lips. Then she took the porcelain cup from her hand, hugged the shaking wooden tub from behind, quickly poured two cups, and said:

“Tastes good. Let’s have another cup.”

Chu Yuanqing didn’t feel like she was taken advantage of; she just thought the shrine maiden seemed more lively. She took the sake, clinked cups with her, and slowly sipped the sweet drink like cats drinking water, enjoying the feeling of the hot spring and feeling calm and relaxed.

Though the curse did not fade away, the more the Void took over, the pain born from the Sea of Truth became lighter and lighter.

In the past, with her sense of taste and the constant suffering she faced, maybe she couldn’t even taste the sweetness of sake anymore.

This was a sign she was close to death and slowly disappearing, but it let her find a little bit of simple joy that ordinary people feel on her final journey.

Chu Yuanqing listened to the birds singing and insects chirping in the early morning, along with the soft murmurs of the person beside her. She relaxed a little, feeling the warmth of the hot water soak through her towel and warm her skin. She looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and suddenly felt a bit dizzy.

So… everyone is usually this happy.

So many years had passed that she had forgotten what it felt like to be an ordinary person, not burned by lingering flames, not eaten away by power, and not worn down by curses.

The Pure White Witch came back to her senses, finished the last bit of sake in one gulp, and smiled without any clear reason, saying:

“After this, things should be even happier.”

The shrine maiden hugged Honey Qing’s soft waist and rubbed her face against the other’s neck, smiling as she said:

“If Little Qing is happy, then I feel happy too, so that means twice the joy. Let’s enjoy this moment well, okay?”

But soon after, wanting to take advantage of Honey Qing, enjoy the hot spring, and “digest” the sake, the shrine maiden, who had taken shape for a long time, turned back into a pure ghost. She could no longer hold Chu Yuanqing and fell into the hot spring.

When she popped her head back up, her body, which had been all wet and full of tempting beauty, was instantly back to its dry state.

The shrine maiden said with a hint of regret:

“I can’t use my powers anymore. Later when we go skiing, I still need to take pictures of you.”

Chu Yuanqing also felt a bit disappointed. She hadn’t even gotten to pinch the shrine maiden’s cheeks, but the shrine maiden flew away like a glowing butterfly.

Fortunately, after a short while, the shrine maiden who was playing outside saw a few visitors walking down, ready to enjoy the hot springs.

So she quickly flew back and told Honey Qing to stick to her duties, protect Liuli, Charlotte, Little Sakura, and Honey Xuan’s belongings, and not let other women take advantage.

Chu Yuanqing thought the shrine maiden’s words were a little strange, but considering her own past and how it wouldn’t be right to bathe in the hot springs with other women, she quickly wrapped herself tightly in a towel, went to the changing room, changed clothes, dried her hair, and ended her hot springs visit.

The hotel price included breakfast.

The Pure White Witch and the ghost sat facing each other. They picked up chopsticks and ate white rice, miso soup, seafood sashimi, and vegetable salad. Maybe because her taste had become a little sharper than before, she ate more slowly than usual, looking especially elegant.

During this time, Chu Yuanqing, without trying to hide herself, was approached more than ten times with greetings like, “Are you alone now?”, “Are you alone now?”, “Are you alone now?”…

Is it maybe someone? Are they waiting for someone? Should we go play together later? Or maybe they just want to be praised, like being called a star or something.

Even though most people were polite and left after being gently refused, the lingering looks still made Chu Yuanqing feel uncomfortable.

Thinking carefully, when she traveled to Austria with the little idols, she had faced many similar moments.

But back then, the Flower of the Soul was still normal, the lantern hadn’t broken like now, and it showed the soul’s true nature, like a savior’s gift, making others feel shy and ashamed, so those who said hello would just leave after giving flowers or presents.

On the other hand, Xie Qingxuan’s strong presence kept things calm; Little Sakura, the cute daughter, helped say no, even the green-eyed cat would glare to help.

But now, the shrine maiden was very angry, yet even if she blew up like a pufferfish, she wouldn’t use her Mythical Armament to scare or bully ordinary people; she could only sit across and watch, invisible and useless like a ghost.

So, halfway through the meal, Honey Qing went back to eating like usual, then quickly left the restaurant to return to the room, narrowly escaping trouble for the moment.

Chu Yuanqing felt tired inside; she remembered two weeks ago at Sea City subway station, being bothered by a group of young “kids” asking for her contact. She picked up her instrument case, put on sneakers, walked down slowly, and whispered:

“Miyuki, do you think I should dye my hair black? That way, maybe I won’t attract so much attention?”

Shrine maiden, “…”

The girl wanted to speak but hesitated, thinking for a moment before sighing and saying sharply,

“Little Qing, even if you shave your head bald, it won’t help. Instead of that, why not just wear a mask?”

Chu Yuanqing was silent for a moment and then said,

“But before, when I wore a mask and a hood, as soon as I stepped off the platform, the media surrounded me. It was terrifying.”

The shrine maiden remembered what had happened. That time, some media had found out about a star’s plans early and wanted to get some photos. The Pure White Witch, standing out so clearly, was mistakenly thought to have been attacked and had very bad luck.

“No matter what, you must not use [Void] recklessly.”

The shrine maiden thought hard and suggested,

“You can try to enjoy it like Charlotte does. Just pretend you’re playing hide and seek with the fans.”

“… Then I’d better buy a mask.”

Chu Yuanqing thought this kind of thing depended on talent. Charlotte was a remarkable example in this area that she felt she could never match in her life.

The girl reluctantly spent money to buy a pack of masks and then bought discounted cable car tickets at the hotel. Only then did she follow the flow of travelers, leaving the small town and arriving at the Tanigawa Plateau.

Riding the cable car here only took 7 minutes to reach the top, and along the way, she could enjoy views from the Uonuma Plain to the Furukawa mountain range.

Chu Yuanqing picked a spot with few people and sat down. Because of her winter clothes, mask, and hat, she did not attract much attention.

The shrine maiden, along with her phone, became invisible. She laughed as she watched Honey Qing wrapped up like a little penguin, gazing out the window at the lovely mountains. This made her heart very happy.

Although she couldn’t hug Honey Qing close or eat much, as a Nostalgia, just being with her and observing her was already a great blessing.

If she could, she liked days like this, wishing they could last longer and longer.

…

…

Deep within the dense layers outside the planet, a hidden place drew energy from the vast emptiness of space through many tiny “holes,” stacking spiral stairs to build an endless ancient tower.

— Babel Tower.

This military fortress, home to thirteen sects, still hid countless followers moving like ants.

Although the Sea City battle wiped out all the top fighters here, turning the thirteen sects’ dimensional bases into drifting ruins in the universe, and making them unusable, losing much of their strength,

The Babel Tower still stood. It appeared faint and ghostly because it was undergoing self-repair after paying a great price to cross the Intracastral Sea and enter the Ideal State.

Right now, all the disaster aura in the world flowed backward here. The will of the twelve Calamity Gods gathered Calamity Seeds, disaster beasts, and extra chaotic forces, all converging and intertwining at the temple of Babel Tower, where power was reborn and apostles were created anew.

This did not take a long time.

Even though the power of Pure White was shifting, as long as Chu Yuanqing lived and Chu Wang Shu had not fully inherited this power, its weakening was still inevitable, and the disaster group’s recovery was unstoppable.

So, no matter how peaceful the world was, the Disaster group would sooner or later tear it apart, trample it, and destroy it, devouring all hope and light in the wasteland, enjoying the excitement and surprises brought by civilization, and stepping forward once more toward evolution.

At this moment, the flames in the temple were ignited one after another, illuminating the deep blue Liuli bricks, the radiant golden walls, and the thirteen seats belonging to the archbishop, each filled with vast, terrifying, indescribable power that swayed with the towering, noble will.

When the brilliance of [Pure White] faded away, even still in an unborn embryo state, during their prime, these [Calamity Gods], known as disasters of civilization, could traverse heaven and earth with a single thought; now, by sharing their power, they could send down a thread of their consciousness.

This was certainly a fearsome and ominous sign.

But right now, the thoughts of the twelve [Calamity Gods] swept over that still empty, silent, echo-less seat, falling into silence.

Now, one thing was billions of times more important than all of humanity’s salvation plans.

That was the whereabouts of the thirteenth [Calamity God]—the [Son of Mankind]!!!