Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

Haruhiko followed behind her, lost in thought.

It must be some kind of detection method.

He remembered the purification talisman he had made, took it out, and used it.

It really didn't work.

Tachibana Yui glanced at him, somewhat surprised.

Although I knew Haruhiko was a talisman master, it was still quite rare for him to be able to make purification talismans.

"It's pointless to use it here."

Tachibana Yui adopted a teacher's demeanor, adjusted her non-existent glasses, and said, "Even if there are impurities, they cannot be detected in such a dense spiritual energy."

"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Wei."

Haruhiko bowed slightly and said.

"Hmph, it's too late to be so eager to curry favor now!"

Tachibana Yui put on a stern face, but her blinking eyes betrayed her true feelings.

Haruhiko suddenly had the illusion that he could control this rich loli's... personality.

The two continued walking forward.

A dozen minutes later, we reached the end.

Haruhiko looked up and saw an invisible barrier above him, blocking the lake water.

He could clearly see the schools of fish in the water.

Hey, a school of fish.

Haruhiko immediately thought of his ventriloquist.

But at this moment, Tachibana Yui found herself in an awkward situation.

Because she didn't notice anything unusual.

She had just made a boast, but unexpectedly, she was proven wrong in the blink of an eye.

Tachibana Yui coughed lightly and said, "There shouldn't be any problem with this spiritual vein."

Haruhiko subconsciously looked at her and saw a faint blush appear on her pretty face in the dim light.

He immediately understood the reason.

"The construction of large-scale magic arrays has strict requirements for lines and nodes."

Tachibana Yui turned her face away somewhat embarrassedly and said, "There are many disturbances near the spiritual vein, so the location is very important."

She wasn't trying to make amends; that's just the way it is.

Haruhiko pointed to the ceiling and asked, "What if we build a magic circle on top of it?"

Tachibana Yui suddenly raised her head, her eyes fixed on the lake.

A moment later, she raised her hand, and her psychic energy spread silently.

Two transparent bubbles appeared.

Haruhiko was shocked.

Can spells be cast without chanting?

"Let's go up."

Tachibana Yui entered the bubble in front of her.

The bubble immediately rose, carrying her through the barrier.

Seeing this, Haruhiko curiously poked the bubble, and a suction force pulled him in.

Then, he appeared in the lake.

Tachibana Yui looked around, already inspecting the area.

Haruhiko took a few steps away, creating some distance between them.

He was certain there was something wrong with the lake water because of these fish.

He now needs more accurate intelligence.

About half a month ago, seven people set up a magic array here and then used the barrier to draw in the spiritual veins.

Tachibana Yui hadn't considered the lake; she was simply blind to what was right under her nose.

Or perhaps, being in an awkward mood, they overlooked the possibilities outside the barrier.

Haruhiko frowned slightly.

Because of the long time elapsed and the fact that fish are different from humans, their descriptions of appearance are basically of little reference value.

Just then, Tachibana Yui began to chant.

Haruhiko looked over subconsciously.

The psionic energy around her was visibly accelerating.

After splitting several times, it stirred up the lake water, turning it into dozens of long, snake-like streams that spread out into the distance.

The barrier was revealed.

However, it only occupies one-third of the area, and the rest is the normal lake bottom.

The area was originally covered in silt, but it has now been washed away.

Tachibana Yui crouched down and touched the marks on the surface.

"Did you find anything?"

Haruhiko stepped forward and asked.

“Each family has its own unique traditions and spells.”

Tachibana Yui suddenly started talking about something unimportant, "For example, the Utsunomiya clan possesses a spell called Tengoku."

Tianquan?

Isn't that one of the seven stars of the Big Dipper?

Haruhiko was puzzled, but he didn't speak, instead waiting for what would happen next.

"Tianquan is a fifth-order spell, and its spell is composed of stars and power."

Tachibana Yui narrowed her eyes and said, "The greater the power, the greater the influence; it is a rather mysterious spell."

Haruhiko suddenly remembered Hoshino Rin's evaluation of Utsunomiya Mina, the head of the Utsunomiya clan: "She is an extremely capable woman."

He probably understands it now.

But how did Tachibana Yui know about this secret?

What exactly is her identity?

"Most magic arrays are related to stars, mimicking their orbital trajectories to better align with the universe."

Tachibana Yui stood up, palms down, and red psionic energy covered the ground.

The lakebed trembled slightly, and countless rays of light rose up, forming a star map like lines.

It's the solar system.

But the core is not the sun, but the moon.

The strangest thing is that the moon appears dark red.

"It's a total lunar eclipse."

Haruhiko raised an eyebrow and said.

"Ah."

After responding, Tachibana Yui said, "This is a really interesting magic circle."

"Was this done by the Utsunomiya clan?"

Haruhiko remembered that she had just mentioned the Tianquan Curse.

"more than."

Tachibana Yui chuckled and said, "And the Yagyu family too."

Kensuke Yagyu.

Haruhiko immediately made a connection.

The only psychic from the Yagyu family he came into contact with.

It happened exactly two weeks ago.

"The essence of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu is no-sword take-off, which means taking the opponent's weapon first and then subduing the opponent with bare hands."

Tachibana Yui pointed to the moon and said, "A total lunar eclipse is similar to the moon being covered by the Earth's shadow."

What is the purpose of this magic circle?