Chapter 130: The Mastermind After The Tunnel, Rikishi, Come Out!
Snow Woman remembered it very clearly.
This Four-Tailed Fox… this Four-Tailed Fox named Shangshan Che was indeed killed by her.
She had felt a bit regretful at the time, so she deliberately left behind a small piece of ice.
Snow Woman silently pinched a crystal-clear Ice Crystal from her Kimono with her fingers, on which there was still a faint trace of Shangshan Che’s Qi that she had painstakingly preserved.
—It was exactly the same as the Qi of that guy standing in front of the Inn not far away.
Intuition told Snow Woman that this Four-Tailed Fox named Shangshan Che was fundamentally different from both the Demons in this Kisaragi Station and the ordinary Demons who had mistakenly entered here.
She rubbed the Ice Crystal with her nearly pure white fingers, her cold eyes half-lowered, and for the time being did not act rashly, choosing neither to call out nor to sneak attack and kill that Four-Tailed Fox again.
Instead, she restrained the chill and Qi surging from her body outward, standing like an ice sculpture behind a thick tree, silently observing Shangshan Che.
Since she came to this land, this Mountain Forest, it had already been a full three or four hundred years.
Even Snow Woman, who was naturally aloof and fond of quiet, couldn’t help but occasionally have a slight thought of “going out to see the outside world.”
But Snow Woman herself still didn’t know how to leave this special land.
Since that was the case, she was happy to see what surprises this Shangshan Che could bring her.
—If he only did nonsensical things, it wouldn’t be too late to act then.
……
In the Mountain Inn, Ye Chun, with vacant eyes, was hugging her head and cowering on the bed.
It had been more than a full month since that Four-Tailed Fox promised to take her away.
Before this, she would poke her head out the Window countless times every day, hoping that one time when she opened the Window and looked out, she could see that calm and composed figure.
But no.
Not to mention the Four-Tailed Fox, Ye Chun hadn’t even heard any news related to the Four-Tailed Fox.
It was as if he had been killed by the Innkeeper of this Inn, that unpredictable Snow Woman, on that night.
“I want to go home…”
Ye Chun murmured softly, and for the umpteenth time, the thought of escaping the Inn rose in her mind.
—But in these days, she had already seen too many people with the same idea as her escape from the Inn, only to reappear in the Inn unknowingly after not too long.
Being frozen to death by an angry Snow Woman on the halfway road, killed by wandering translucent souls, or even starved to death alive…
As long as they left this Inn, the ways for these ordinary people without any weapons to die were simply countless.
Ye Chun didn’t want to die.
Because she didn’t want to forget those important memories for her, those memories that couldn’t be forgotten.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have believed him that day.”
Ye Chun numbly got out of bed, preparing to routinely open the Window and glance outside as usual.
She no longer held any hope for the appearance of that Four-Tailed Fox.
Creak~
The faint twisting sound of the wooden Window rang in Ye Chun’s Room.
The Girl lay on the Window sill, silently lifting her gaze from the wooden floor in the Room.
Then, she saw it.
—In the dark Mountain Forest covered with light frost, the Four-Tailed Fox wearing a red-and-white Priest’s Robe, with four fluffy long tails swaying behind her, was shaking a Folding Fan and grinning at her.
“Eh?”
Ye Chun froze in shock in place.
Her first reaction was that she was too expectant, leading to an Illusion appearing before her eyes.
This kind of situation had happened before, so rubbing her eyes would dispel it.
Ye Chun closed her eyes tightly as before, lifted her hand and rubbed her eyes hard for a while, then looked outside the Inn again.
That Four-Tailed Fox, with a unique appearance and temperament that no one else could impersonate, was staring intently at her, even waving at her.
Real.
It was real.
The numbness, hardship, and anxiety accumulated on Ye Chun’s face over a long time instantly turned into immense Joy, washing away her original expression like a Tide.
She immediately raised her hand, wanting to loudly greet Shangshan Che below,
“Fi—”
But the moment the first word left her mouth, Ye Chun immediately covered her mouth, realizing she couldn’t speak loudly in the silent Mountain Forest.
Although Snow Woman had left the Inn, who knew if shouting would attract some unexpected trouble that wasn’t there before.
—Shangshan Che saw Ye Chun utter only one word and hurriedly cover her mouth, and he gently breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Ye Chun controlled her Emotions.
But it was also his fault.
If he could sneak into Ye Chun’s Room quietly from outside, he could have covered her mouth himself.
Then there wouldn’t be any accidents.
With a fleeting thought, Shangshan Che controlled his volume and direction of voice, activated his Breathing Technique, and said toward Ye Chun’s Room: “Hurry up, just jump down directly.”
That gentle voice crossed twenty or thirty meters and reached Ye Chun’s ear, as if the Four-Tailed Fox was whispering right beside her.
Without thinking, Ye Chun unhesitatingly lifted her leg onto the Window sill, then jumped out from the Window.
Whoosh!
The cold night wind whistled past her ears, and only when an intense sense of weightlessness swept over her whole body did she suddenly realize what stupid thing she had done.
She dazedly lowered her head and immediately saw that she was still a full twenty meters from the ground.
Ye Chun felt her Heart was about to stop beating.
Such a distance, even if the Four-Tailed Fox could catch her, she would probably be snapped in half at the waist.
After all, she wasn’t one of those physically strong Demons, just an ordinary person who would be out of breath after running a few hundred meters.
But how could the Four-Tailed Fox think of these? He probably measured it by his own physical fitness, so he told her to jump down.
In an instant, intense Fear and regret surged from the Girl’s heart.
Done for, she’s going to die.
Ye Chun clenched her Fists and closed her eyes tightly, only hoping the Pain would be lighter when it came.
Since it was already certain she was going to die, better to die quickly!
Pat.
But the anticipated Pain didn’t come; instead, the warmth from someone else’s body at her thigh bottom and back made Ye Chun shudder.
I… didn’t die?
Ye Chun tremblingly opened her eyes, and saw that face calm yet seemingly containing a smile.
“Ye Chun, long time no see.”
She heard him say,
“I’ve come to fulfill the promise.”
Shangshan Che gazed at the Girl in his arms, who was shrinking in fear like a helpless little rabbit: “I’ve come to take you…”
But before his words finished, he felt himself being hugged tightly by Ye Chun, followed by very low sobs and cries coming from within his Robe.
“Four-Tailed Fox, I’m so scared, I’m really so scared…”
“I waited for you so long, so long, and you didn’t come… I’m afraid you’d just forget what you said to me, afraid I’d die here like this, and like others, gradually forget all my past bit by bit, making myself no longer myself…”
Shangshan Che listened quietly, while holding Ye Chun and quickly heading toward the SUV at the Foot of the Mountain.
Just holding one Ye Chun alone didn’t affect Shangshan Che’s travel speed at all.
—If he didn’t even have this bit of balance and load-bearing ability, then his Breathing Technique and Natural Reason School would have been practiced in vain.
By the time Shangshan Che reached the Foot of the Mountain, the Ye Chun in his arms had finally vented all the suppressed Emotions accumulated until now.
However, even when her Emotions collapsed, she consciously kept her voice to the minimum.
Shangshan Che looked down at Ye Chun in his arms, who had turned her head away from sobbing, with red eye sockets and teardrops still lingering at the corners of her eyes, and held up two fingers to her,
“First, my name is Shangshan Che.”
He gently wiped the teardrops from the corner of Ye Chun’s eye with the back of his finger, saying calmly yet extremely seriously,
“Second, I will take you away from Kisaragi Station.”
Shangshan Che opened the passenger door of the SUV, gently placed Ye Chun into the soft Seat, stared into her eyes and said: “I promise you.”
Ye Chun didn’t reply, as if she hadn’t recovered yet, just dazedly keeping her gaze following Shangshan Che.
Shangshan Che sat in the driver’s seat, turned the Key, and floored the accelerator.
The SUV started like a beast unleashed, charging toward Isanuki Tunnel.
Ten-odd seconds later.
In the Mountain Forest, a corner of the white Kimono was revealed.
Snow Woman quietly gazed at the SUV’s departure: “As expected, he came for that Girl…”
In the long time after becoming the Innkeeper, Snow Woman naturally knew the special nature that Ye Chun possessed.
Likewise, she knew that after Ye Chun died, this entire “World” would undergo a strange restart, causing time to flow back to a certain point.
Snow Woman, as a Demon who mistakenly entered Kisaragi Station, would also be affected by the restart, but in contrast, her memory would not be affected at all.
And she had also discovered that other Living Souls would lose part of their Souls after death, but Ye Chun would not.
No matter how many times Ye Chun died, how many times this World restarted, when Snow Woman saw her again after a long time, this Girl still possessed a complete Soul.
The reason for this, Snow Woman didn’t want to investigate.
She only wanted to manage her own and the Inn’s plot of land well, that was enough.
“But if his actions can end the endless cycle brought by this Girl, I have no objection…”
Snow Woman murmured softly.
—As for the consequences brought by the guests in the Inn realizing how much time had actually passed and the truth behind it, she would bear them.
“This way, they can all rest in peace.”
Snow Woman gently closed her eyes, bits of frost and snow falling from the tips of her eyelashes, dropping into the leaves and soil at her feet.
Such an ending seemed not bad.
……
On the way to Isanuki Tunnel, the SUV was hardly affected much.
Because Two-Foot Adult could poke her head out the sunroof and beat the Life and Death Taiko Drum, easily driving away the blocking Sea of Chi.
And in Kisaragi Station, where all other three Supernatural Phenomena had been exorcised by Shangshan Che, there really were no other threats besides the Sea of Chi.
So without taking much time, Shangshan Che brought Ye Chun to just in front of Isanuki Tunnel.
The SUV slowed down at the Tunnel entrance.
Shangshan Che turned his head, toward Ye Chun who was startled by the speed and clenched her Fists, but still stared straight ahead with wide eyes, and said,
“The next section is an unknown road, where anything could happen. So Ye Chun, remember no matter what happens, don’t open the car door…”
Shangshan Che sat in the driver’s seat, chattering on about some things.
A few minutes later, he realized many of his words were unnecessary, so he sighed,
“Anyway, get mentally prepared first.”
“Mm!”
Ye Chun nodded heavily, checking if the seatbelt was fastened.
Although she didn’t know why not wait for the Train at Kisaragi Station, but drive the car into this deep Tunnel.
But Ye Chun wouldn’t question the man… um, male Yokai beside her who rescued her from the Inn.
Shangshan Che then took out various equipment from the storage space, hanging the Koma-inu Bell at his waist, wearing the Cold Steel Armguards on his arms, and the Shattered Diadem on his ear.
Of course, there was also the trump card—Rikishi Talisman.
Shangshan Che solemnly tucked the Yellow Talisman into his waist lining, confirming it could be used at any time in emergencies.
And also…
Shangshan Che took out Pure Imperial Hina and handed it to Two-Foot Adult who was stepping on the Seat, making the latter stunned, her little face instantly flushing red.
No need to say, Shangshan Che knew what was in her little head.
“This is equipment.” He emphasized the word “equipment” in pronunciation, “Try wearing it to see the compatibility.”
“Po… Okay!”
Two-Foot Adult took the white Pure Imperial Hina-like item, fumbling a bit clumsily to put it on.
Ye Chun sat in the passenger seat watching this scene, her gaze shifting back and forth between the obviously adult Shangshan Che and the petite Two-Foot Adult.
Could Shangshan Jun like this super petite type?
She hesitated for a moment, then asked,
“Shangshan… Jun, among you Yokai, is it okay to casually marry underage Lesser Demons as wives?”
Hearing this, Shangshan Che’s face darkened, he rubbed his temple, and explained to Ye Chun: “This is Two-Foot Adult, you can think of her as my Shikigami—that is, partner.”
“Wearing this set of white Pure Imperial Hina now is purely because this set of clothes has been consecrated by the Master, so it has some magical effects, unrelated to its own meaning.”
“Oh…”
Ye Chun nodded as if understanding, grasping one point.
—This pink-and-jade carved little Girl was not Shangshan Che’s wife.
That was enough.
Soon after, as Two-Foot Adult put on the automatically resizing white Pure Imperial Hina, a Prompt popped up before Shangshan Che’s eyes—
【Your Shikigami·Hachishaku-sama has equipped Pure Imperial Hina.】
【Current compatibility: 30%】
【Current compatibility not reaching 100%, hidden effect cannot be triggered.】
【Current compatibility too low, all effects of Pure Imperial Hina reduced by 30%.】
Shangshan Che: “…”
As expected, Two-Foot Adult’s personality didn’t match this equipment well.
But no matter, just a slight reduction in effects.
Its two very good effects could still be used normally, and Pure Imperial Hina’s own defense was sufficient; better than nothing.
“Popo! Che Adult, I suddenly feel full of Power all over my body!”
Two-Foot Adult raised her little hand, clenched her Fist, her face surprised.
“That’s why I wanted you to wear it.”
Shangshan Che waved his hand: “Alright, get ready to beat the Taiko Drum in your hand later, don’t think about anything else.”
“Po!”
Two-Foot Adult nodded seriously, poking her little head out from the SUV’s sunroof again, somewhat nervously looking toward the pitch-black Isanuki Tunnel.
“I’m stepping on the accelerator, you two get ready.”
After notifying, Shangshan Che slowly pressed the accelerator, letting the SUV slowly drive into the Tunnel.
As soon as the SUV entered the Tunnel, a strange feeling faintly rose in Shangshan Che’s heart.
Heartstrings stirred, indicating Two-Foot Adult felt it too.
Looks like the method of driving the SUV into Isanuki Tunnel was correct.
After confirming, Shangshan Che began to floor the accelerator.
Amid the resounding drumbeats of the Life and Death Taiko Drum, the SUV plunged straight into the pitch-black Isanuki Tunnel, like charging headlong into the mouth of an abyss.
Buzz buzz buzz.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Ever since driving into Isanuki Tunnel, a series of strange, meaningless sounds had been coming to Shangshan Che’s ears one after another.
He asked Two-Foot Adult and Ye Chun, and found that the three of them heard different sounds.
Two-Foot Adult frowned tightly, saying constant gunfire was coming from outside, the noise those Factory Owners would make before establishing the Factory.
Ye Chun said the outside was filled with calls from parents and family, saying as long as she got out of the car, she could see her family.
“Don’t believe it.”
Shangshan Che spoke, his vast Spirit, Energy, and Vitality, along with the Spirit Condensing Technique’s convergence and Internal Qi’s release, instantly filled the car, temporarily pushing away the sounds in the other two’s ears.
“No matter what comes from outside—even if it’s my voice—don’t open the car door.”
Before Shangshan Che finished speaking, he saw the originally pitch-black Tunnel sides begin to undergo extremely eerie changes.
Starry sky, seawater, city, continent, crowds, battlefield…
Those scenes originally unrelated to the Tunnel continuously surged to the sides of the car like murals, rising clearly like ripples then fading.
Immediately after, countless distorted faces and countless sharp wails appeared above the car, even suppressing the sound of the Life and Death Taiko Drum in Two-Foot Adult’s hands.
“It hurts so much!”
“So painful!”
“Come accompany us!”
“Come! Come! Come!”
Two-Foot Adult dazedly looked up, feeling her Soul was about to be drawn out by those wails and screams and fly away.
“Two-Foot! Guard your mind!”
Shangshan Che’s angry shout brought Two-Foot Adult back to her senses.
She shuddered violently, then began to beat the small Taiko Drum in her hand with all her might: “Damn it! Who’s going to accompany you ugly things! For tricking me! For tricking me!”
Even though Shangshan Che had floored the accelerator, they still hadn’t broken free from the surrounding bizarre scenes.
He turned his gaze to scan around—these scenes, real or fake?
Intuition told Shangshan Che the former.
So even more, they couldn’t let the car’s direction go wrong…
Before Shangshan Che’s thought settled, an old Train swiftly approached from behind, brushing past the SUV.
Clang clang—
The sound of wheels intersecting the Railroad Track passed by his ear.
Shangshan Che originally thought this was just another of the countless scenes that would pass soon.
But the next moment, three familiar figures slowly crawled out from that old Train.
Shockingly—
Horse-Brained Music, Taiko Bell, and the limping High-Speed Grandpa!
What!?
Shangshan Che’s Pupils contracted sharply; he saw the three extremely familiar Demons standing on the Train’s Carriage, then all turning to look at them in unison.
In an instant, countless thoughts surged in Shangshan Che’s mind, myriad ideas flashing through his sea of thoughts.
Moments later, he narrowed his eyes and immediately said to Ye Chun beside him: “Ye Chun, you take the Steering Wheel, keep the accelerator floored.”
The Girl was stunned by the sudden command.
She hurriedly waved her hands, her voice almost crying: “Shangshan Jun, I’m just a high school student, I can’t drive…”
“Grip the Steering Wheel tight, floor the accelerator!” Shangshan Che stared at the three Demons that had approached within ten meters of the SUV, finally saying to the Girl who had unfastened her seatbelt: “I believe in you!”
The instant Shangshan Che’s hands left the Steering Wheel, a pair of seemingly weak and powerless small hands took over and gripped it tightly.
The SUV’s speed slowed instantly, but even so, the relative distance between the three Demons on the car side and them didn’t change at all.
As if someone was manipulating the Train beside them.
Shangshan Che jumped out through the sunroof, landing on the car roof with plenty of footing spots.
He drew Kaga Kiyomitsu, and flicked its Blade: “Little Jia, don’t affect the footing below.”
Kaga Kiyomitsu vibrated slightly, then the domain of Sorrow of Parting contracted to the sword Blade, making the originally thread-hung pale white Blade pure white.
“Alright.” Shangshan Che transformed into White Hannya, the Evil Spirit grinning sinisterly at the defeated foes he had once slain before him, “Who wants to come die?”
Thud.
Thud…
Taiko Bell’s jade mallet hadn’t even struck the huge Taiko Drum twice before it turned into rustling fragments under a wisp of pale Blade light, instantly drifting away with the wind.
Meanwhile, the Horse-Brained Music on both sides and High-Speed Grandpa chose to ignore it, shrieking as they charged at him.
—Can’t let these two Demons land on the car.
Shangshan Che’s mind turned.
Corona Breathing Technique·Fifth Form!
He exhaled scorching breath, Lightning surging on his body surface, splitting two massive bolts of Lightning in a flash of electricity to strike the two Demons pouncing from mid-air toward the SUV.
The Lightning’s damage was negligible, but what mattered was—
It made Horse-Brained Music and High-Speed Grandpa’s movements pause.
In the next instant, pure white thin lines shredded the ashen mist, slaying both Demons that had troubled him for quite some time together.
Blood and limbs splattered down, instantly thrown to the edge of sight by the SUV.
“Phew…”
Shangshan Che wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, about to return to the car, but the same Train traveling sound came from behind again.
“Endless, huh!”
White Hannya cursed angrily, turning his cold gaze toward the second Train gradually catching up to the SUV.
In that narrow Carriage, countless translucent shadowy figures surged, even crowding every Carriage Window, causing fine cracks to burst out.
Among them, evidently packed with countless Chi.
Those Chi unusually stretched out hands and heads toward their SUV, wanting to crawl out of the Carriage toward them.
“This quantity is a bit tricky.”
Shangshan Che looked down, seeing Two-Foot Adult sweating profusely, desperately beating the Life and Death Taiko Drum.
But the Life and Death Taiko Drum seemed to have lost its original effect, useless against the Chi gradually climbing to the Carriage exterior and top.
“Looks like someone behind the scenes is manipulating these two Trains, the eerie appearance of the three Demons, and these Chi.”
Shangshan Che thought expressionlessly.
—But the more the Mastermind didn’t want them to do something, the more it proved they were doing the right thing!
“Don’t think only you can call reinforcements.”
Shangshan Che switched back to Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation, shook the Bell, and simultaneously injected Spiritual Power into the Hina Crown above his head.
Clap clap clap.
Three massive armored Koma-inu and five Ashigaru-dressed Hina humanoid holding Daito and Spear landed on the SUV’s roof, even causing the car’s speed to drop sharply.
Shangshan Che looked at the Koma-inu and humanoids landing like dumplings.
—【Koma-inu Kumigashira（Two-Star）】.
—【Ashigaru Humanoid（One-and-a-Half Star）】.
Two-Star and One-and-a-Half Star—very good, already a considerable force.
“Go occupy the enemy’s Carriage roof!”
With Shangshan Che’s command, the Koma-inu let out fierce roars together, leaping high like armored Giant Beasts and smashing onto the Carriage roof.
The Ashigaru Humanoids silently followed, wielding sharp Blades and Spears to slay head after head of Chi intending to Attack the Koma-inu.
Shangshan Che remained on the car roof, slaying all the stragglers.
For a time, the eight summons and Shangshan Che actually suppressed the thousands-strong Sea of Chi firmly inside the Carriage; any Chi poking out would be miserably slain.
“But how much longer until they drive out of the Tunnel…”
Shangshan Che glanced toward the still endless Tunnel ahead.
If this were the real Isanuki Tunnel, they should have reached the end five or six times over.
But now, they couldn’t measure by common sense.
“Awoo—”
Shangshan Che turned back, seeing a fatigued Koma-inu grabbed from the roof by over a hundred translucent hands, then vanishing instantly after falling into the Train bottom.
One leads to two; soon, an Ashigaru Humanoid carelessly lost a leg, crashing into the Railroad Track and shattering.
Even though the summons’ average quality and Strength far exceeded these mostly Zero-Star or Half-Star Chi, the Chi were endless and fearless of death.
At this rate, the summons would be wiped out soon.
Tsk.
Shangshan Che suppressed the urge to leave the car roof, raising his hand with an orange-red fireball lighting at his fingertip.
Whoosh!
One large fireball fell into the Carriage, turning most of the Chi inside along with the furnishings to ashes.
Then, Shangshan Che saw the Train accelerate, bringing the next Carriage level with the SUV.
He looked back again, seeing Carriages stretching endlessly.
“Want to use these Chi to wear me down, huh.”
Shangshan Che’s eyes flashed coldly; he had ample reason to suspect this was the Mastermind at the other end of the Tunnel trying to deplete his physical strength and Spiritual Power.
—The appearance of these Chi or High-Speed Grandpa-like Demons could be explained as natural Tunnel phenomena, but replacing a Carriage when the Chi numbers decreased—what was that?
Undoubtedly, at the other end of the Tunnel, there was someone closely watching their group, wanting to bury them here.
If he personally went to slay these endless Chi after the summons were depleted, he would absolutely fall into the opponent’s set trap.
Since that was so.
Then he, Shangshan Che, absolutely wouldn’t continue following the opponent’s script!
With that thought, Shangshan Che drew the baleful aura-filled Yellow Talisman from his waist, unhesitatingly injecting Spiritual Power into it.
“Yellow Scarf Sumo Wrestler! Come forth!”
Sizzle sizzle sizzle!
Spiritual Power lit the winding incantation, the Yellow Talisman slowly burning to ash in mid-air.
The next instant, blinding Golden Light illuminated the entire Tunnel.
