Chapter 10: The Great Cherry Blossom War

Tokyo Tower, at 332.6 meters high, is the third tallest self-supporting steel tower in the world.

And at this moment, before Minamoto Kiyomoto’s eyes, there were giant beasts as tall as Tokyo Tower everywhere.

The divine breath spewing from the mouths of the giant beasts was like pink pillars supporting the sky, standing tall on the earth.

“I have to fight this kind of thing?” he asked Kamibayashi Miko in disbelief.

Kamibayashi Miko turned her head and looked at Minamoto Kiyomoto. Her soft lips opened and closed, seeming to say something, but Minamoto Kiyomoto could no longer hear.

“Roar—”

Roars from all directions, layered on top of each other, echoing through the clouds, vibrated everyone’s eardrums.

Tension, fear, excitement, worry—all these messy emotions rushed up at once.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart raced, his blood boiled. He immediately tore off the tennis bag and held Polaris in his hand.

“Hoo—” he took a deep breath, trying to bring himself to the balance point between calm and excitement.

“Snap out of it!” a human roar suddenly came.

Minamoto Kiyomoto followed the sound and saw a person in Sengoku period samurai armor, roaring at a group of people.

This group of people had immature faces. Looking at their expressions now, one could tell that their minds were blank, unable to think of anything.

No matter how many curses and sword styles they had practiced, they would probably just swing their swords wildly now.

“What are you afraid of!” another reprimand came, this time from a female cultivator.

The three newcomers she was leading also showed symptoms of their consciousness disconnecting.

Minamoto Kiyomoto retracted his gaze, ignored them, and quickly thought about how he should survive in the face of a four-hundred-meter behemoth.

In any case.

“Surging waves, protect my body!”

A water mirror like the surface of an umbrella appeared in front of him.

In any case, defend first.

Then, look for an opportunity. If he could go up, he would; if he couldn’t, he would run.

Just as he was so nervous that he didn’t dare to blink, a sweet fragrance suddenly came from behind him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head. Himemiya Izayoi, who claimed to be one of the Twelve Miko, was hiding behind him.

“How are you more scared than me!” he blurted out subconsciously.

“Look ahead, don’t let it come over!” Himemiya Izayoi’s soft fingers poked his face, making him face the four-hundred-meter-long giant cherry blossom python.

She then explained, “This is my first time participating in a subjugation too, so I’m scared.”

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto was speechless.

If you looked closely, you could see that this woman’s eyes were full of amusement as she looked at the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python. It was as if she were watching a circus performance. Where was the fear?
“Roar—” another series of beast roars.

The giant beast stopped spewing divine breath at the sky. Its house-sized eyes turned from the sky to the ground, looking down at the ant-like cultivators before it.

“Get—ready—” the person holding the shield shouted.

Everyone was poised for action.

“Thump, thump, thump.” Minamoto Kiyomoto heard his own thunderous heartbeat.

“You’re so nervous,” Himemiya Izayoi whispered in his ear from behind him.

“Are you annoying or what?” Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t turn his head, staring intently at the giant beast before him, which he had to crane his neck to see in its entirety.

“…You’re being fierce with me? In all my life, no one has ever dared to be fierce with me! I’m telling you, I’m angry!”

Minamoto Kiyomoto suppressed the urge to turn around and chop off her head with his sword.

“Roar—” the four-hundred-meter giant beast let out a huge roar, and a visible sound wave of energy came rushing over like a tidal wave.

The umbrella-like surface of water in front of Minamoto Kiyomoto rippled, blocking the impact.

When the ripples on the umbrella surface disappeared, countless weakened roars sounded.

From both sides of the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python, countless one-meter, two-meter, three-meter, ten-meter… fifty-meter demonic beasts separated.

These demonic beasts rushed towards the cultivators like a tidal wave.

A leading cultivator swept his long spear, and a wave of earthy yellow divine power surged out, rolling with energy.

This wave of energy crashed into the demonic beasts, exploding like a burst of rosy light.

“Boom!”

The demonic beasts in the front row instantly exploded, turning into countless cherry blossoms.

“Wow!” On the surface of Chidorigafuchi, the tourists on the boats cheered.

They looked at the cherry blossoms falling from the sky, couldn’t help but reach out to catch them, their faces showing happy smiles.

Amidst the falling cherry blossoms, the spear-wielding cultivator raised his long spear high, his face full of killing intent.

“Kill!” he roared.

“Kill!” everyone roared in response.

The shikigami followed with excited roars.

The demonic beasts and the cultivators crashed into each other, like a surging sea wave crashing against a breakwater, or like a raging flood hitting a dam.

Looking at the great wave of demonic beasts before him, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s whole body felt hot. Something inexplicable was burning his body.

“Ah!” he couldn’t help but let out a roar.

Black divine power swelled, and Polaris became as black as ink. The Big Dipper pattern, which was usually not very clear, lit up.

Just as he was aiming at a one-meter demonic beast, and his “Thunder Fire Slash” was ready to be unleashed, a golden river suddenly flowed out from beside him.

It was Kamibayashi Miko’s “Divine Miko’s Damask.”

Whether it was the sharp claws of the demonic beasts or the powerful curses of the cultivators, these powerful attacks, when they hit the light and airy “Divine Miko’s Damask,” were like stones thrown into the sea, not stirring up any waves.

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could react, the “Divine Miko’s Damask” had already formed a circle.

Inside the circle, there were only Minamoto Kiyomoto, Kamibayashi Miko, Himemiya Izayoi who was clinging to Minamoto Kiyomoto, and opposite them, a three-meter-tall deer-shaped cherry blossom demon.

The shouts of killing and the roars of beasts shook the heavens outside, but inside the circle, it was as calm as the eye of a typhoon.

The deer-shaped cherry blossom demon opposite them suddenly lost its companions, stopped its charging momentum, and stared at the three of them, kicking its long hooves uneasily.

Minamoto Kiyomoto turned his head to look at Kamibayashi Miko, and Kamibayashi Miko was also looking at him.

He understood her meaning.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a deep breath, slowly walked out, and came to the center of the circle formed by the “Divine Miko’s Damask.”

The deer-shaped cherry blossom demon stared at him, and as if realizing something, it also slowly took a few steps forward.

One person and one demon, in the center of the arena-like circle, faced each other.

Cherry blossoms fell one after another. Minamoto Kiyomoto knew that even if he lost, he wouldn’t die, but in a battle, was it enough to just not die?
To work so hard to absorb experience, to strive for a stalemate?

No.

“I will win!” Minamoto Kiyomoto shouted.

At the same time, the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon raised its front hooves, roared, and rushed towards Minamoto Kiyomoto like an arrow released from a bow.

“Thunder Fire Slash!”

A black wave rolled, carrying fire and lightning, and crashed hard against the deer’s antlers.

“Roar—” the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon let out a painful cry, its charging momentum was interrupted.

“I will win!” Minamoto Kiyomoto shouted again, mustering his courage, casting aside all fear, and flew forward like a gust of wind.

The deer-shaped cherry blossom demon lowered its head, aiming its sharp, stiff antlers at Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“Clang!”

The sword and the antlers collided, creating sparks.

This was just the beginning. Polaris was like an endless falling wood, one slash after another.

The deer-shaped cherry blossom demon also didn’t give an inch.

No matter from which angle Minamoto Kiyomoto attacked, it could accurately block with its antlers.

Black waves rolled, and cherry blossoms danced.

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s arm began to go numb, but his spirit was extremely excited, and his gaze became sharper and sharper.

Divine power surged and circulated. Facing the sharp antlers and the huge body, he had no fear.

“Roar—” the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon suddenly roared, its antlers flicking away Minamoto Kiyomoto. It raised its front hooves and stomped down like Mount Tai.

“Ha!” Minamoto Kiyomoto was not to be outdone and also let out a loud roar.

The attack in his hand, which was originally like a thunderstorm, suddenly turned into a gurgling stream.

Polaris, at a strange angle, avoided the cherry blossom demon’s attack and heavily chopped at the deer’s neck.

“Roar—” the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon howled.

Like a spray of fresh blood, a large handful of cherry blossom petals fell from its neck.

The ear-piercing howl exploded in his ears. Minamoto Kiyomoto felt dizzy, and for a moment, he couldn’t hear anything.

He wanted to ignore everything, and in one go, chop off the cherry blossom demon’s neck, but he felt the sensation of hitting a neck bone.

“Roar—” the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon suddenly threw its huge head back, and Minamoto Kiyomoto was thrown out, Polaris still stuck in its neck.

Kamibayashi Miko, who was watching the battle, was already preparing to save him.

Most of Minamoto Kiyomoto’s attack methods were with his sword. Without Polaris, with his current curse casting speed, he would be directly rammed to death by the deer-shaped cherry blossom demon.

Minamoto Kiyomoto flew high and fell heavily behind the deer demon.

A sharp pain, his internal organs churned, as if they were being stirred in a washing machine.

The more it hurt, the more ferocious he became, the more he wanted to win.

Lying on the ground and looking up, the deer demon’s tall figure was like a small tree.

Minamoto Kiyomoto had a flash of inspiration. He flicked his left hand, then switched to his right. His body, as if climbing a tree, shot up onto the deer demon’s back in an instant.

“Oh!” Himemiya Izayoi exclaimed as if watching a play.

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t dare to blink, afraid that something would happen to Minamoto Kiyomoto, and also afraid that if she acted too quickly, Minamoto Kiyomoto would miss the opportunity to train.

In their eyes, the deer demon kept jumping, and Minamoto Kiyomoto’s body was lying on the deer’s back, his hands tightly gripping the antlers, his body bouncing and fluttering like a flag.

The sky and the earth shook. Minamoto Kiyomoto felt as if the bones in his body were being shaken loose.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, “I will win!”

Relying on this self-propelling cry, he woke up from his dizziness and forced himself to concentrate.

“Thunder and fire, arise swiftly, might of the crimson sky!”

Black light swelled, and the sound of thunder cracked. The Great Thunder of the Eight Divine Thunders struck the deer demon’s head at almost zero distance.

Without even a cry, with a “bang,” the deer demon’s head exploded, and cherry blossom petals rushed towards his face.

Losing its head, the deer demon’s body slowly collapsed, turning into a pile of cherry blossom petals on the ground.

“Clang.” Polaris fell, its sharp blade sticking into the cement road. Minamoto Kiyomoto lay weakly on the pile of cherry blossom petals.

After panting hard for a while and swallowing with difficulty, he slowly stood up.

“I won,” he said to Kamibayashi Miko in the distance.

Kamibayashi Miko nodded lightly and said, “Keep it up.”

Golden waves rolled, and the “Divine Miko’s Damask” turned back into a sash and flew back to Kamibayashi Miko’s side.

Multicolored divine light shone from all around, and countless beast roars entered Minamoto Kiyomoto’s ears.

“Hahaha!” he pulled out Polaris with high spirits.

He turned his head sharply and shouted, “I will win!”

His gaze began to search for a new target!
A thirty-meter-tall bear-shaped cherry blossom demon, not yet recovered from the disappearance of the strange golden wall, looked at the shouting human before it with some bewilderment.

“My god!” Minamoto Kiyomoto almost fell to the ground.

“Miss Kamibayashi—!” he turned and ran, at a speed he had never had before, towards Kamibayashi Miko.

“Hahahahaha!” Himemiya Izayoi clutched her stomach and bent over.

Kamibayashi Miko also smiled.

She raised her hand and lightly slapped out a palm. The bear-shaped cherry blossom demon, which had just recovered its senses, turned into a sky full of petals with a “bang.”

The petals fell one after another, landing on the sidewalk.

A cute little girl danced happily in the cherry blossom rain. Her mother, standing by, happily took pictures of her daughter with her phone.

“Be careful yourself!” after a simple instruction, a golden light burst from Kamibayashi Miko’s body and shot up into the sky.

The sound of thunder boomed, shaking the heavens and the earth.

The clear sky suddenly darkened, and from time to time, a golden lightning bolt as sinuous as a dragon would strike down.

Kamibayashi Miko turned into a golden light, flying low along the riverbank. Wherever she passed, the yokai were shattered and turned to dust.

A gust of wind blew, blowing down a large number of cherry blossom petals, which in a blink of an eye covered the surface of Chidorigafuchi.

The tourists held down their hair, which was being blown by the wind, and醉心地 admired the dreamlike scene before them.

“Divine Miko! Divine Miko!” the cultivators shouted in unison, their morale high.

“Roar—” the next second, a roar from the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python suppressed everyone’s roars.

The sound wave was like a tidal wave, and the immense divine breath was like a hurricane, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.

The golden light paused, revealing Kamibayashi Miko’s figure.

Amidst the falling cherry blossoms, she was suspended in mid-air. Compared to the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python, she seemed to be the cherry blossom goddess.

In the sea of flowers, Minamoto Kiyomoto could only see her profile and the magnolia flowers on the sleeves of her miko outfit.

The spring wind blew, and her beautiful black hair flew back. Countless butterflies flew out from between her hair.

These butterflies seemed to be condensed from golden light. With every flap of their wings, they scattered countless light particles.

The butterflies flew towards the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python. The light particles landed on the giant python’s body, corroding holes in it.

“Roar!”

The four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python let out an extremely painful wail.

Its huge body twisted, and countless cherry blossom petals scattered from it, as if a person had been doused with hot oil.

The speed at which it split into smaller cherry blossom demons suddenly slowed down.

“I finally know why you have to wear pants under a miko outfit,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, looking up.

Retracting his gaze, he asked Himemiya Izayoi, “Do you wear them?”

“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” Himemiya Izayoi rested her fan on her forehead, looking at Kamibayashi Miko’s display of power as if admiring the scenery.

Chidorigafuchi had now become the main stage for the golden lightning. Occasionally, a golden light would flash, its strong light overpowering the sun, and everyone couldn’t open their eyes.

Before they could open their eyes, their faces were blown with cherry blossom petals. These were the corpses of the yokai.

“When don’t you wear them?” Minamoto Kiyomoto moved his wrist, which was still a little numb.

“When I’m taking a bath.”

“Disappointed,” he looked at the demonic beasts in the distance and began to search for a suitable target—the vicinity had been cleared by Kamibayashi Miko.

“What’s wrong with you?” Himemiya Izayoi suddenly got angry, her tone full of questioning.

“What’s wrong with what?” Minamoto Kiyomoto was taken aback and turned to look at her delicate little face again.

“The Eight Divine Thunders, Shinto-ryu, and this!” she glanced at Polaris. “What have you been doing with her behind my back?!”

What was with this tone of a girlfriend catching her boyfriend cheating?

Who are you?
“…Lady Miko, we are in the middle of a subjugation. Aren’t you going to make a move?” Minamoto Kiyomoto dared to provoke Kamibayashi Miko, but he didn’t dare to provoke Himemiya Izayoi—this was his intuition.

“Hmph!” Himemiya Izayoi turned her head away, putting on an angry and ignoring look.

“…” Minamoto Kiyomoto raised his hand, and an umbrella-shaped water shield appeared out of thin air, blocking a sneak attack from a one-meter cherry blossom demon.

With a flash of black light from Polaris, this earth dragon-shaped cherry blossom demon turned into a pile of petals.

“You’re not going to comfort me?!” Himemiya Izayoi looked at him in disbelief, as if Minamoto Kiyomoto had done something terribly wrong to her.

“Lady Himemiya, can’t you see?” Minamoto Kiyomoto pointed at the “wave of demonic beasts” that was still constantly crashing against the “cultivator breakwater.”

Himemiya Izayoi glanced at it, raised her hand, and the fan in her hand turned into a burning bow.

Her slender fingers drew the bowstring into a full moon, and a flame-like divine power condensed into a demon-breaking arrow.

With a “swoosh,” what shot out was a fire dragon.

The fire dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, and in a blink of an eye, it became four hundred meters long. The fire waves churned, and it bit hard on the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python.

“Roar!” The giant python, which had been tormented by butterflies and lightning, crashed to the ground, letting the flames burn and the lightning entwine it.

Along the way, all the yokai, big and small, one meter, two meters, three meters, four meters… fifty meters, were either burned to death or blown apart by the lightning.

Flames burned, butterflies scattered light, and golden lightning streaked across the sky.

Under the colorful spring day, wails rose one after another.

Looking at the human purgatory before them, all the cultivators were stunned.

“Explain,” the bow and arrow disappeared. Himemiya Izayoi fanned herself vigorously, as if she were extremely angry and could only restrain her anger this way.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was dumbfounded.

One Kamibayashi Miko, one Himemiya Izayoi, why were there always inexplicably strange miko entangling him, and he couldn’t beat any of them.

“I—”

Before he could speak, Himemiya Izayoi suddenly looked up. Kamibayashi Miko, who had landed beside them, also looked up at the sky.

“What’s wrong?” Minamoto Kiyomoto followed their gaze and looked up.

The pink divine breath that covered the sky suddenly gathered, turning into a long celestial road.

The celestial road stretched from south to north, spanning across the sky of Tokyo.

A Sanskrit sound suddenly appeared between heaven and earth. From the distant south, a pink figure slowly walked over.

Under the cherry blossom tree, a mother opened a bento for her whole family. Inside were fluffy-looking omelets, neatly arranged sweet and sour boiled shrimp, silver salmon, Saijo persimmons, and rice that glittered with a crystalline white light.

“Wow, how luxurious!” the daughter and son, who had just started elementary school, clapped their hands happily.

Sitting on the riverbank, an elderly husband peeled an orange, carefully removed the white pith from the segments, and then handed it to his wife, who also had white hair.

At the wedding banquet, the bride and groom happily accepted the blessings of their friends and family.

The pink figure finally drew near.

A magnificent pink long robe, a waterfall of black hair, a noble and grand figure.

The four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python of Chidorigafuchi, the thousand-meter giant bird of the Imperial Garden, the three-thousand-meter water dragon of Meguro River—these huge demonic beasts were like a small snake, a small bird, to the figure walking on the celestial road.

Konohanasakuya-hime.

The name of the pink figure popped into Minamoto Kiyomoto’s mind.

This was a real yokai!
What one meter, two meters, ten-odd meters, including the debilitating four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python, were not worthy of being called yokai at all!
At this moment in Tokyo, ordinary people were immersed in the happiness of the cherry blossoms in full bloom; the cultivators had fallen into a dead silence, not daring to make a sound under the divine might of Konohanasakuya-hime.

“Haha, scared silly?” At this time, Himemiya Izayoi’s voice was like a clap of thunder.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was startled and subconsciously wanted to cover her mouth, afraid of attracting the attention of Konohanasakuya-hime.

But after meeting Himemiya Izayoi’s teasing and slightly mocking gaze, he suppressed his impulse.

Beside him was Kamibayashi Miko. She looked at Konohanasakuya-hime, who occupied the sky of Tokyo, her eyes showing no fear, but shining with a determined light.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took a deep breath and looked at Konohanasakuya-hime on the celestial road again.

‘In this life, as long as I can kill her, there’s nothing worth clinging to even if I die,’ he fiercely set a goal in his heart.

With the sound of Sanskrit, Konohanasakuya-hime slowly disappeared to the north.

The celestial road scattered, turning back into divine breath and returning to the bodies of the cherry blossom demons.

“Roar—” before everyone could recover, the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python, which had been lying on the ground without moving, suddenly shot a divine light at the sky after receiving the divine breath.

The divine light split into three.

One fell towards the family of four eating bento under the cherry blossom tree;
One rushed towards the elderly couple on the riverbank;

One crashed into the bride and groom who were toasting.

The “Divine Miko’s Damask” on Kamibayashi Miko’s body flew out, blocking the divine light for the family of four;
Himemiya Izayoi fanned her fan, and a fire phoenix snatched away the divine breath rushing towards the elderly couple on the riverbank.

Apart from the two of them, no one among the cultivators present reacted in time. Even if they had, they probably couldn’t have blocked it.

Minamoto Kiyomoto watched with wide eyes as the pink divine breath fell on the bride and groom.

Cherry blossoms fell slowly, the petals landing in the wine cups they were about to drink.

The crowd saw it and thought it was a good omen. Amidst the blessings of the crowd, the bride and groom drank it down along with the cherry blossom petals.

“Good!” the guests cheered, happy for the newlyweds.

The bride held the groom’s arm tightly, and the groom considerately took the wine cup for the bride.

They prayed in their hearts: Gods, please let time stop forever, stop at the happiest moment of our lives.

The bride and groom looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

A powerful divine might erupted from Kamibayashi Miko’s golden divine power, making everyone feel suffocated.

She turned her head sharply and looked at the four-hundred-meter giant cherry blossom python with a cold expression.

But, where was there any giant python?

The surface of Chidorigafuchi was already covered with cherry blossom petals, so many that the river water could not be seen.

There was only a four-hundred-meter cherry blossom path, scattering petals one after another, waiting for next year’s full bloom.

(End of Chapter)