Fantasy Library.

Chapter 533 Nightmare Scene
That evening, after dinner and a bath, everyone drifted off to sleep, still feeling excited.

Even Hitachi Mako said that she would be staying at Asatake's house for the time being and would not be going back to her own home for the time being.

With the hope of lifting the curse that has tormented them for centuries, everyone is certainly having a hard time calming down.

Aize, Yoshino Asagi, Mako Hitachi, and the others have already decided not to go to school for a while, and they will probably ask for leave until they collect all the tokens.

With Wu Anqing in charge of speaking, the school won't have any objections, so Aize and the others can focus on this matter without worry.

"It shouldn't be long, I should be able to go back to school next week, right?"

Back in his room, Aize looked at a large fragment of a shard on the table, next to which was Muramasa on a sword rack.

Stretching out his fingers and stroking the outline of the vessel, Aize could clearly feel the power within growing stronger, making the white haze thicker within it.

“The more complete the artifact is, the stronger it will be. When it is restored to its original state, it may become a divine artifact that is no less powerful than Murasame.” Aize muttered to himself, “At that time, I may also gain some unexpected benefits.”

With this expectation, Aize returned to his bed, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to Aize, shortly after he fell asleep, the fragments of the tablet placed on the table suddenly changed.

"Zheng..."

A faint red light emanated from the fragment, turning the entire fragment red.

At the same time, a strange power fluctuation emanated from the fragment of the artifact, spreading outwards and quickly enveloping the entire Chaowu family.

"Well……"

At this moment, Yoshino Asagi, who was fast asleep in her room, suddenly let out a somewhat distressed sound.

A moment later, she threw off the covers, opened her eyes, and stood up.

"...Yoshino-sama?"

Mako Hitachi, who slept in the same room and even the same bed with Yoshino Asagi, sensed something, opened her eyes, and sat up sleepily.

However, Yoshino Asagi completely ignored Mako Hitachi and staggered out of the room, leaving the still not fully awake Mako Hitachi stunned.

Asahi Yoshino walked out and soon arrived at the door of Aize's room.

The next second, Yoshino Asagi opened the door without hesitation and walked into Aize's room.

Aize seemed to sense something and immediately opened his eyes.

"Yono?"

Aizawa was stunned when he saw Asagi Yoshino walk in from outside the door.

"Why did you come here?"

Aize stood up, somewhat surprised, and asked the question.

Is it because I'm too excited that I can't sleep?

Or... has this girl gotten a taste for it and is now trying to ambush him at night?
That... isn't impossible.

In the past, Aize would never have thought that way. After all, Asabu Yoshino was Hoori's priestess, a priestess, and had a serious and earnest personality. She seemed quite innocent and would never do such a thing.

However, after a passionate night, Aize has learned that this seemingly innocent priestess is actually quite greedy, a stark contrast to her usual image.

Perhaps due to her background, she has always lacked a sense of security, often feeling uneasy and inferior, and hesitant to interact with others. Once this priestess falls in love, she unexpectedly becomes excessively eager and thirsty for the warmth brought by others, and also becomes surprisingly bold. Even if Aize tries to stop, the other party will be immersed in it and unable to extricate herself.

Having witnessed this side of her, Aize felt that this seemingly innocent priestess might actually be capable of a night raid.

But the next moment, Aize dismissed the idea.

Because he saw that when Asagi Yoshino entered his room, her eyes were completely unfocused and appeared unusually empty.

This situation is clearly not right.

"What's wrong, Yoshino?"

Aize frowned, and subconsciously got up, about to touch Asagi Yoshino.

Asagi Yoshino acted before Aize, ignoring his presence and going straight to the table.

Immediately, she reached out and picked up the fragments of the document on the table.

"This is……?!"

Aize then clearly saw the appearance of the fragment, and his expression changed slightly.

The fragments of the artifact, now entirely red, radiated an eerie light, appearing both sinister and alluring.

"How could this be?"

Aize's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Before he could figure out what was going on, Asahi Yoshino, holding the reddish fragment of the token, moved again, turning around and leaving the room.

"........."

Aize's eyes flashed, and he immediately changed his clothes, picked up the Murasame from the sword rack, and followed Asagi Yoshino.

"Lord Aize!"

At that moment, Hitachi Mako also ran over, her face full of panic and anxiety.

"Owner!"

Cong Yu also appeared out of nowhere, clearly sensing something.

"W-What's going on, Lady Aize!" Hitachi Mako looked at Asatake Yoshino, who was walking out with a blank expression, and quickly followed Aize while asking, "What's wrong with Yoshino-sama?"

“I don’t know.” Aize shook his head, then turned to Yoshino without turning his head and said, “But Yoshino is clearly acting without consciousness. It must be the work of that fragment.”

“It is indeed a shard.” Cong Yu, who was standing next to Aize, said seriously after hearing Aize’s words, “It wasn’t very obvious at first, but as time went by, a huge aura gradually appeared on the shard fragments.”

"The aura was very obvious and was constantly spreading outwards, as if it were sending out some kind of signal."

"The Hōshiro is the source of the curse. As the object of the curse, Yoshino was affected by the aura released by the Hōshiro and was manipulated by the fragments of the Hōshiro."

Cong Yu was startled by the gradually increasing aura, which is why she suddenly appeared.

"Should we wake Yoshino-sama up?"

Hitachi Mako watched Asatake Yoshino walk away and spoke with some concern.

"Let's see how things go first." Aize said without turning around, "I want to see what this Yoshino is planning to do by manipulating Yoshino."

Aize kept a distance from Asagi Yoshino and followed closely behind her.

Seeing this, Cong Yu and Hitachi Mako followed closely behind, even showing serious expressions as if they dared not even breathe.

The three of them lost consciousness and were controlled, becoming puppets. They moved forward and soon passed through Kenji Shrine and entered the mountains.

"So you're planning to go up the mountain?"

Cong Yu spoke in a low voice.

"Going up the mountain at this time would be too dangerous."

Hitachi Mako's face showed even greater worry.

Aize didn't say anything, and without hesitation continued to follow Asagi Yoshino up the mountain with her.

Cong Yu and Hinoki Mako had no choice but to follow suit.

"------"

The mountain was as quiet and dark as ever at night, especially tonight. For some reason, not only were there no birdsong, animal calls, or insect chirps, but the sky was also covered by dark clouds, with no moonlight at all, making the mountain forest utterly desolate.

The mountain was now pitch black, so much so that even Hitachi Mako, who had trained her vision in the dark for years, could barely see the road. She could only hold onto Aize's clothes and follow him.

Aize was almost blind, but he slightly activated the divine power within him, causing his eyes to glow with a faint golden light, and his sensory nerves were also strengthened, which allowed him to see the road clearly.

In contrast, Yoshino Asagi's eyes remained lifeless, empty like dark reefs, yet her steps showed no hesitation. She traversed the complex mountain paths with remarkable ease, arriving at the deepest part of the mountain.

"Clang—" As Asagi Yoshino arrived at the deepest part of the mountain, the fragment of the token in her hand suddenly emitted an even more dazzling, brighter, and more eerie light.

“Its aura has grown stronger!” Cong Yu said quickly. “Hikari is still emitting some kind of signal, as if it is calling for something!”

Aize sensed this as well.

However, his heart did not beat faster, nor did it quicken as before, making him realize that the fragments of the vessel were not calling out to him.

So, if it's not calling upon itself, what else can it be calling upon?

Aize already guessed it.

"You all, get ready," Aize said calmly. "There may be a tough battle ahead."

"what?"

Cong Yu and Chang Lu Mozi were both taken aback.

"rustle……"

Just then, a series of rustling sounds appeared.

This is a very familiar voice to everyone.

The surrounding bushes were gradually parted.

A deeper darkness gradually appeared.

Its entire body was covered in filthy, pitch-black clumps, resembling rotting black beast carcasses, and it parted the bushes, emerging from the darkness.

Those empty eyes immediately fell on Aize, bringing a deadly sense of crisis.

"A malevolent spirit!"

Hitachi Mako cried out.

"We understand!" Cong Yu exclaimed in surprise, "The fragments of Pingdai are calling for other fragments!"

"It wants to become complete as soon as possible!"

"That's why it manipulated Yoshino, making her bring it up the mountain!"

As a result, the other fragments that were summoned absorbed the filth, transformed into evil spirits, and actively moved closer to this side.

"Hitachi, protect Yoshino."

Aize seemed to have anticipated this situation and spoke without any surprise.

"Cong Yu, possess me."

""yes! ""

The two girls immediately obeyed. One drew a kunai and came to Asagi Yoshino, protecting her behind her as she held the statue with lifeless eyes. The other disappeared in a flash of light and took possession of Murasame.

"Shh!"

Almost at the same time, the evil spirit moved, rushing straight towards the direction of Takeshi Yoshino, seemingly attracted by Yoshino.

Unfortunately, as soon as it moved, Aize rushed out as well, and they engaged in close combat.

"Oh!"

The attacking evil spirit crashed into the raised scabbard, its momentum successfully halted by Aize.

The demon, though stopped, did not give up. It wriggled and soon extended its tentacles.

However, before the evil spirit's tentacles could be flung out, the cold light of the blade had already pierced the darkness.

"Pfft!"

The lightning-fast strike landed on the evil spirit, severing it in two.

"------!"

The evil spirit seemed to let out a silent scream before its entire body turned into black smoke and dissipated.

Aize held a knife in one hand and a scabbard in the other, his eyes still gleaming with a faint golden light as he gazed at the spot where the evil spirit had vanished.

This time, under Aize's deliberate observation, he did indeed see a transparent, crystal-like fragment fall from the vanished evil spirit.

Aize swiftly caught the fragment in his hand.

"Success!"

Hitachi Mako, who was protecting Asagi Yoshino, immediately let out a joyful cry.

"Watch out!" Aize remained vigilant, saying in a deep voice, "It's not over yet!"

It's definitely not over yet.

Because the rustling sound from the surrounding bushes was still coming and going, and it was getting louder and louder.

The commotion was as if a large pack of wild beasts were hiding there, constantly treading on the wild grass, withered branches, and leaves as they made their way over, far surpassing the noise of past evil spirits appearing.

"No way……"

Hitachi Mako's face had already started to turn pale.

"shit!"

Cong Yu's exclamation echoed in Aize's mind.

"Zheng——"

Asagi Yoshino's eyes remained vacant as she silently held up the tablet, allowing red light to continuously emanate from it.

In other words, the call for fragments continues.

So, it's not hard to guess what will happen next.

As darkness descended upon them, a nightmarish scene unfolded before Aize and the others.

One by one, the evil spirits parted the bushes, trampling the dry branches and leaves, and appeared around Aize and the others.

They all have the same appearance, with empty eyes that look like they were copied and pasted together. The filth emanating from their bodies gathers together and forms a roaring shape like black waves, turning the nightmare into reality.

"how so……"

Hitachi Mako's hand, holding the kunai, was trembling.

"How many evil spirits are there?!"

Cong Yu even screamed in Aize's mind.

Aize's expression gradually became serious.

In the past, only one or at most two evil spirits would appear, but this time they appeared in groups, forming an encirclement and tightly surrounding Aize and the others.

That scene was just like a wolf pack hunting, and Aize and the others had become the wolf pack's prey.

How many evil spirits are there?
Even Aize couldn't count them all.

"Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!" "Swish!"...

The next moment, countless tentacles tore through the air and merged into the darkness, like the scythe of death, attacking Aize, Hitachi Mako, and Asatake Yoshino who was holding the fragment of the token.

"Lord Aize!"

Hitachi Mako only had time to let out a scream before Aize shoved her away, and she fell into the bushes.

Asahi Yoshino was also pushed away by Aize and fell into the bushes.

As for Azer himself, he charged forward without hesitation, facing the countless tentacles that came at him.

(End of this chapter)