Japan's Slayer headquarters was located in Nijo Castle, a beautiful castle on top of a Leyline, a power spot where Nature power gathered.
On top of the main Nijo Castle, a girl with long black hair and closed eyes was sitting in front of a number of people in the room. She was sitting in a position higher than the rest, on top of the stairs, looking like an important person with her white and red kimono.
She was Miko. Not the usual Miko, but the one loved by Shinto Gods, the oracle bringer, the Loved One. She was called many names, but one stood out.
The Prophet.
The people in the room looked at her with respect. All of them were waiting for her to say something.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, revealing a pair of beautiful obsidian irises with some golden glitter. They were like staring at the abyss; then she opened her mouth.
"A King has arrived."
Her voice was clear and carried dignity. The people in the room stared at her closely, trying their best to listen to her words.
"A RULER. The old and the ancient, but young. He who carried the blood of the strongest has arrived in Japan."
A few gulps were heard. The atmosphere suddenly tensed as the girl was talking.
"A ruler…"
"Blood of the strongest?"
Some mutterings were heard here and there, but no one ever spoke out loud.
"With him was a flaming bird. A bird of Myth."
She continued.
"Unbound and bound. Mortal and Immortal. The RULER has returned."
Once she finished her sentences, the glitter around her eyes disappeared. Then her body slowly fell as if the string that moved it was cut off.
However, she had never touched the ground. A girl dressed in all black with tanned skin and white hair appeared by her side. She had two red horns jutted out of her forehead. Her red eyes looked at the prophet worriedly. She was a part of the Oni races.
"Take Chigusa-sama to her room!" The elderly man sitting nearest the stairs shouted, ordering the Oni.
The white-haired Oni nodded slightly before disappearing with the Prophet called Chigusa. As soon as they were gone, unrest invited itself to the room.
"We need to understand what Chigusa-sama just told us." The same elderly man proposed to the others. "I think it is of the utmost importance."
The others showed their agreement by nodding their heads.
***
"This is Fushimi Inari Shrine?"
"Yes. Spirit Foxes are often spotted here because this place is close to the leyline."
Kai and Amber walked in the middle of the street with stalls filled with food and entertainment on the sides. They were in the Fushimi Inari shrine to satisfy Kai's curiosity about Spirit Fox.
Coincidentally, this place held a festival this night, so they weren't too bored after arriving in Japan and had a little entertainment.
"Leyline? Is this the same one I often read in books about supernatural things?" Kai asked, looking at Amber. She wore a red Yukata rented by the ryokan and did her hair when they mentioned they were about to visit the shrine.
The atmosphere in the shrine was lovely, with a crowd of people walking around in a festive mood. Unlike Amber, Kai only wore black pants and black shirts and slicked his hair back.
"Indeed. You're really knowledgeable about the supernatural already, so it's not hard to teach you. Ah, talking about it, look that way."
They stopped at an intersection. On their right were red gates called Torii gates. It made a path extending long to the top of the main shrine area.
Amber especially pointed her hand toward the path that was lit by various yellow lights. In the middle of the path between Torii gates was a small fox. It was no bigger than half a meter and had beautiful white fur; the tip of its tail was decorated in red fur, creating an image similar to a flame.
When Kai looked at the fox, it looked back at him before scurrying away deeper into the path.
"Ah…" Kai let out a voice full of disappointment as he tried to reach the fox with his hand. It was the first Supernatural creature he saw besides Amber and Malice. It was also beautiful, so he couldn't really express how disappointed he was when it ran away.
"Shall we follow it?" Amber suggested, chuckling slightly at Kai's disappointed face.
"Can we?" Kai asked, filled with hope. He didn't really want to bother the creature, but he wanted to see it again.
"Of course. I think it was only a bit confused looking at you when a lot of Nature power automatically gets absorbed by your body."
"Huh? I didn't realize it." He replied, looking at his body. "There is no light dot entering my body, though?"
"There is not." She confirmed. "But Supernatural beasts can somehow feel it. So it got confused and ran away."
"Is that so?"
That was something new he didn't know before. Still, it was good he didn't scare it.
"Then let's chase after it."
Both of them walked down the path through the thousands of red Torii gates, taking one step each time. They weren't really in a rush, so they decided to enjoy the scenery provided by the long Torii path. Kai didn't know how to really call the path, so he gave it a random name.
It was beautiful. Amazing, even. The scenery looked out of the world.
That was why they immediately noticed it. Something was wrong.
After walking for a while, they passed through something. Like a wrapper, but thin enough that Kai almost failed to recognize it if not for his connection with Amber.
"Amber." He whispered to the Phoenix beside him, and she nodded.
"We are inside a barrier. It seems someone invited us in." She replied in the most casual tone as if something like this wasn't a problem at all. "Shall we see who invited us?" She asked, smiling at Kai.
"I thought you were going to say let's go back." Kai grinned. This was what he wanted. A supernatural experience. "Whoever invited us, it is only polite to at least greet the host."
"You're right."
They continued walking toward the path. It was shined by blue light as floating orbs appeared between the Torii gates. If before, the scenery was amazing, then it was now Mystical. Kai looked around like a child but still kept his guard up in case something happened.
After a while, they reached the top. He looked at two fox statues with shining blue eyes staring down the stairs as if they were the guardian of this place.
Then when he looked forward, he was greeted by a house. A temple. A grand temple with a lot of light illuminating it.
In front of the temple, at the yard, many Spirit Foxes ran around, chasing each other's tails. They were playing around.
But Kai's attention was immediately grabbed by something else. A fox bigger than the other stood in the middle of the path leading to the temple. It had three tails moving around excitedly as its golden canine eyes stared at him.
"Welcome, human. And also welcome, mighty Phoenix. I, Rena, the descendant of Kyubi, welcomed you to our shrine."
To Kai's surprise, it spoke, unlike Amber, who used telepathy to talk to him when she was in her bird form. He blinked a few times before Amber tugged his sleeves.
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your welcome." He answered with a smile. "This is a beautiful shrine."
"I agree," Amber added.
"Thank you for your praise, traveler," Rena said. It had a foxy grin, seemingly proud because Kai and Amber had just praised the shrine. Then the smile dropped as Rena narrowed its eyes slightly.
"However, I must say. I advise you to leave shortly after enjoying the festival in this shrine, oh kind traveler. Otherwise, you will be in danger."
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