Honkai Impact

The girl's sweet voice sent a chill down Yae Ji's spine, causing him to pull his hand away from the girl he didn't know very well.

"Oh dear~ Now that Lord Ji has returned victorious, it's only right to celebrate. Why don't you go take a bath first? We ladies have already..."

"Yes, yes!" Nozawa smiled warmly and chimed in.

Yae Ji remained expressionless. He knew exactly who Nozawa was. Despite his seemingly honest appearance, Nozawa was quite shrewd and knew how to cultivate his position. When they were digging the well, Nozawa was just a junior patrol member. Through his interactions with Nozawa, Nozawa gradually rose to become a squad leader and then an elite member.

Since the patrol captain and several other elites died, Yae Ji had heard that he had temporarily taken over the patrol team. His promotion was so rapid that it exceeded the expectations of the other patrol members.

As for Hiyoshimaru's sister, the more he looked at her, the more awkward he felt.

The two figures twisted and turned in front of him like demons and monsters.

"Something unusual must be going on."

Words popped into his mind, and with Yaeji's current level of knowledge, he could barely understand the meaning of these words and sentences.

He hadn't paid attention to it before, but now it seems...

Nozawa's exaggerated movements and tone made it seem like he was putting on a meticulous performance, but his nervousness caused him to mess up the whole play.

The sweat beading on his forehead and the tip of his nose, along with his darting eyes, made him look exactly like a clown who had failed in a theatrical performance in a big city.

Nozawa was looking in the direction of the castle tower!

A sense of unease rose in Yaeji's heart. He had come in a great hurry. He was skilled and daring, and he even dared to take Sakura down the back mountain via a shortcut.

Thinking back, she realized she hadn't even heard Rin cough when she passed the house.

The two men's exaggerated and comical acting, along with their subtle surrounding of him, strongly suggested they were stalling for time.

Is it

"Get out of the way!"

Yaeji withdrew his hand and sliced ​​past the two of them.

"Stop Lord Ji!"

Nozawa's exaggerated acting disappeared, and he let out a loud shout!

In the blink of an eye, several figures flashed out from the council hall and several other side halls.

They were all members of the patrol team.

"Snapped!"

Powering from the calves, the Instant Step technique is used to its current extreme!

Yaeji soared into the sky like a flying arrow, instantly leaping onto the roof.

From this angle, he can clearly see the houses on the side of the shrine.

The small black cloth bag fell to the ground, and the room was dark inside the wide-open doorway.

But Yaeji is certain that there is absolutely no one inside!

Turn your gaze downwards.

The expressions on the faces of the patrol members froze.

They had never seen such a look in their eyes before.

Even on the ferocious wolf demon, they had never seen such murderous intent.

Chapter 46 Rin

Yaeji's body trembled uncontrollably; at this moment, he could no longer maintain his composure.

Her eerie, pinkish-purple eyes resembled the most exquisite, crystalline part of a monster's body.

Her originally delicate face gradually became ferocious, as if she were a real high-level demon. The fierce aura emanating from her body made the patrol team members breathless.

Nozawa was covered in sweat, the muscles around his eyes tense, as he looked again at the ghosts and demons surrounding Yae!

"If anything happens to Rin, you will all have to die for her!"

Yaeji gazed towards the direction of the castle tower. The shrine was the highest point in the entire Yae Village, and he was standing on the top of the shrine. From here, he could vaguely see figures moving around in the castle tower in the far distance.

'cold! cold! cold! '

Memories of Rin flooded his mind, and Yae Ji leaped forward with all his might, his entire body transforming into a blur above the temple as he charged towards the Tenshukaku (temple tower).

Seeing Yaeji leave, Nozawa clutched his heart and gasped for breath.

"Puff~"

Terrified, Hiyoshimaru collapsed to the ground, losing all will to resist. A foul odor emanated from his groin.

The patrol members were still in a daze, and it took them a while to come to their senses.

They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with fear.

"Don't worry, Lord Ji just went to the canyon to clear out the demons this morning, so it's understandable that he's carrying a strong killing intent. Now! Hurry up and catch up with Lord Ji! Have you all forgotten what the Divine Lord instructed you to do?!"

Nozawa roared, waking them up.

Several patrol members' faces twitched. Had they just cleared out the monsters in the canyon this morning? Was it only natural for them to exude a murderous aura?

It would have been better if you hadn't said anything, because once you did, they felt their calves go weak.

If they remembered correctly, there were at least twenty monsters in the canyon.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Nozawa was the first to rush over, and the other patrol members had no choice but to follow him.

Hiyoshimaru, with his vacant stare and body covered in urine, was ignored.

Castle Keep.

A large crowd gathered, a dense, dark mass, as if most of the entire village had come.

Yae Rin, still wearing that cherry blossom-colored kimono, knelt in the very center of the altar.

The little hands were tightly bound together with thick black and white ropes and held in front of her chest.

If you look closely, it's not hard to recognize that it's the thick rope that cinches the waist at the back of a shrine maiden's outfit.

A hint of worry lingered on her small face, her eyes tightly closed. It was unclear whether she didn't want to put too much pressure on her older sister, or if she was afraid of having to serve the Fox God.

"Lord God."

"Sakura-sama."

The villagers made way for them, each one showing the utmost respect.

Yae Sakura followed behind her father, her whole body ice-cold.

At midday, the ultraviolet rays from the sun during a severe drought were absolutely unbearable. Yet everyone remained dressed in formal attire, and even though they were soaked in sweat, they dared not utter a single complaint.

In front of the altar.

Yae no Kami, expressionless, patted Yae Sakura on the back with his large hand.

"Go up, the time has come. Offer Rin as a sacrifice to the great fox god."

The leaders of the surrounding clans bowed slightly; Yae Sakura had never seen them so docile. This morning in the council hall, their noisy argument over the ritual had nearly escalated into a full-blown brawl.

Now, however, they act like respectable people, showing the highest reverence for the gods.

Yae Sakura didn't know how she climbed the steps, and her small hand holding the scabbard trembled from time to time.

With her head slightly lowered, her long, cherry-colored bangs concealed Sakura's expression.

He didn't dare look at Rin, who was kneeling in the very center of the altar.

Yae Rin heard the sound, but even at the very last moment, she did not open her eyes.

Instead, it raised its little head, exposing its fragile neck.

Yae Sakura's hands trembled even more violently.

She knew that Rin always complained about her own uselessness and even secretly shed tears in the dead of night.

Rin did her best not to cause trouble for her and her brother.

Even though she was a sacrificial offering, Rin was afraid of holding her back and always thought of her best interests.

Her exposed neck was as white and slender as a swan's neck.

From this angle, you can even see the tiny bluish blood vessels on it.

Rin in front of me seemed as fragile as a dreamlike glass artifact.

Just a light touch of the hand

"Ah-"

The sound of the blade being drawn from its sheath was no longer as crisp and clean as it used to be; instead, it sounded like an old antique covered in rust.

Rin still didn't open her eyes, her eyebrows slightly drooping downwards, and her raised neck tilted even higher.

Now, with just a slash of his sword, Rin will offer sacrifices to the gods. And the fox god, having calmed his anger, will bestow rain upon Yae Village.

Yae Sakura gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands and raised the blade high.

The villagers in the open space of the castle tower knelt down and chanted some incomprehensible words, as if they were praying to a great god.

'Brother, brother, what should I do?'

A sharp glint flashed in Yae Sakura's eyes, as if she had made up her mind, and she slashed down fiercely with her sword!

Upon noticing the sound of wind being cut, Rin's small face finally showed fear. Even so, she remained kneeling in the center of the altar without changing her posture.

"bass--"

As her hands, which had been bound by thick black and white ropes, came loose, Yae Rin opened her eyes.

The broken rope fell to the ground in two pieces, and the thing that had bound her was completely gone.

"cold!"

Yae Sakura cried out, "Quick, grab my hand! Let's escape! My brother is outside. As long as we can escape the castle tower, everything will be alright!"

A layer of tears welled up in Yae Rin's healing azure eyes, and her small lips pursed slightly.