Chapter 868: Chapter 34: Witch and Wraith_4
The calm words came from Mire’s mouth.
The ancient stone gate slowly closed, and all the phenomena of the world suddenly returned to peace, the darkness vanished into ashes.
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The spirit was sealed again, but the subsequent issues still need to be addressed.
Because during the battle with the spirit, the ghost legion it controlled caused severe damage to many areas of the Land of Demons.
In particular, the main roads of some important towns were trampled by stone soldiers, causing the roads to collapse.
Some towns were also invaded by these stone soldiers; it was difficult for the ninjas stationed there to defend, and they could only abandon the towns, taking the residents with them to seek refuge and escape.
These damaged towns also need to be restored and rebuilt as soon as possible.
For other countries, this might be a daunting project that consumes a lot of manpower.
But for the Land of Demons, it isn’t much of a problem.
A special ninja engineering team was established within the Land of Demons quite early on.
The ninjas in this engineering team are not skilled in combat but excel in various techniques beneficial for construction, with up to ten years of rich construction experience.
Their speed in rebuilding far surpasses that of ordinary people.
Working together with ordinary workers, they significantly increase the efficiency of road and town reconstruction.
Outside the Shion City Shrine.
When Hakushi arrived here, the air was already refreshed, with none of that oppressive atmosphere.
This might be because the spirit was sealed again.
Moreover, its darkness had been divided, so naturally, it couldn’t extend its tentacles back into the human world through the Sealed Stone Gate.
In the stone ravine behind the shrine, Mire Witch stood there alone, her solitary figure exuding a sense of desolation over the world.
For some reason, Hakushi felt that the presence of Mire Witch had become extremely thin at this moment.
Even her silhouette had become much more illusionary.
Is it because of the seal? Hakushi thought to himself.
However, rather than the seal, Hakushi preferred to see Mire Witch’s state as the price for counteracting the spirit’s darkness.
Though the spirit had said that the witch and it were the same kind.
Nonetheless, their roots were completely different.
The spirit was born from the darkness of the human heart, with chakra giving rise to the demon.
The witch, in her most original form, was truly human.
The reason they were considered the same kind was merely because they both had unique power specificities formed in such a way that they could resonate with each other.
This was also why the spirit was fixated on the witch.
Even demons would feel lonely, desiring someone who could understand them.
For it, the witch was a special being who could pry open its heart.
It couldn’t kill the witch, and the witch couldn’t kill it.
It was merely a repetitive cycle of fate, entangled with each other.
No one in this world understood the essence of the witch better than the spirit.
"Mr. Hakushi, have those two’s conditions improved?"
Mire turned around and asked.
Hakushi knew that Mire was referring to Ruri and Ayane.
Due to absorbing the darkness of the spirit, they were currently in a peculiar state of deep unconsciousness, undergoing some unknown metamorphosis.
Hakushi had no way to help them with this.
The only thing he could do was ensure their full retreat if they failed in their struggle against the darkness.
"So far, nothing unexpected has happened. But whether they’ll succeed, I can’t be entirely sure. Even though I had them undergo simulation training with Zero-tailed’s negative energy in advance, the darkness of the spirit isn’t comparable to the Zero-tailed, which is still a juvenile demon."
In order to deal with the spirit, Hakushi had long ago given Ruri and Ayane targeted training.
Demons were not easy to find within the Ninja Realm.
Holding onto a demon was even rarer, with only the one Zero-tailed available.
Although their birth methods could be said to be similar, Zero-tailed was discovered and mastered by the people of the Land of the Sky decades ago. Back when it was discovered, its power was very weak, and it was conceivable that Zero-tailed was still a juvenile demon.
Compared to a demon like the spirit that has survived for a millennium, there’s an immense difference.
Even if Hakushi used various methods to stimulate Zero-tailed’s power enhancement, achieving the spirit’s magnitude might not be possible even if he spent his whole life.
There is also a fundamental distinction between different demons.
Nonetheless, this opened a perspective for Hakushi back then.
Both utilized darkness to influence the human heart, so Hakushi more than once cut Zero-tailed’s body into pieces, creating willpower training potions from these body fragments, allowing Ruri and Ayane to adapt to what was called ’darkness’ in advance and cultivate an unparalleled resolute willpower to resist the demonic essence of darkness.
Other than consuming some of Zero-tailed’s body, overall, his conjecture wasn’t wrong.
"I see, the root consciousness of the spirit has been sealed in a Different Space-Time by me, but the darkness left on the human world remains a dangerous force for ordinary people. If possible, Mr. Hakushi, please don’t misuse this power; not every life can withstand the erosion of darkness."
Mire’s gaze was profound, looking directly at Hakushi.
Hakushi nodded.
"Rest assured, I know how to deal with that part of darkness."
"If that’s the case, then I’ll leave it to you, Mr. Hakushi."
Mire slightly smiled, exuding a sense of ease.
Hakushi was moved, looking at Mire’s gentle and benevolent face.
"Are you... leaving?"
Mire nodded, yet still showed no signs of sorrow on her face.
"For a witch, life is merely a cycle of repeated rebirths. My life’s mission has come to an end; the future duties, I’ll let Shion continue to bear as the witch. That child might be a bit willful, but she’ll definitely excel at fulfilling the witch’s duties."
Born on this land, Mire didn’t know if her daughter Shion was lucky or unfortunate.
But before the arrival of a new path, the witch must bear such responsibility.
"I see, then... I wish you a safe journey."
Hakushi slowly exhaled and decisively left with his back to Mire.
Mire, who had seen all the phenomena of the human world, didn’t need any sentimental comfort from an outsider.
For her, quietly resting in the land that fostered her was the best farewell ceremony.
Where the witch would go after death, Hakushi didn’t know and didn’t want to know.
Because the truth might be quite cruel.
In this world, some people will always choose to bear the weight and move forward.
