One-way traffic

"you--"

"That will make things clear."

Accelerator looked in the direction of the gap, and Kaito was also surprised.

Because it's obvious to everyone that this gap wasn't created directly by Accelerator's attack.

This is a cave entrance that has existed for a long time.

In other words, there has always been a secret passage hidden beneath this so-called sacred tree.

It leads to the deepest part of this sacred tree.

"Once we get inside, I think we'll find the answer to our questions."

Chapter 849 Purifying the Corrupted Divine Tree

The group carefully entered the dug-out hole.

However, as soon as they entered the cave entrance, they felt a chilling aura that penetrated to the bone.

"Well…?"

The soldiers from the capital who followed them entered the cave, where a cold wind blew in from its depths.

Not right.

As a sacred domain equivalent to the entire capital city, and almost existing as a kind of faith or a divine object, the "Senbonzakura" tree should exude an aura that warms people's hearts at all times.

This can be seen from the light it emits on ordinary days.

However, a completely opposite, chilly wind is now blowing from inside the cave.

It was just like—

Beneath its glamorous and beautiful exterior lies something terrifying.

This seems to be telling them that there is definitely some unspeakable secret hidden at the very bottom and deepest part of this sacred tree, "Senbonzakura".

And this so-called secret is by no means something that brings joy.

"Captain, this..."

"keep going."

Aone Kaito seemed to have noticed how the team members felt, but he still gave the order.

"If something happens to the sacred tree of the capital city, the very foundation of the capital may be disrupted."

After hearing what he said, the team members understood how important this matter was.

They stopped saying anything and silently accepted the order.

The members walked at the very back, forming a queue, while Accelerator and Kaito were at the very front.

The cave was almost completely dark.

Fortunately, Accelerator has vector operations.

Even without using flashlights or similar means of illumination, they could still see the road clearly because the first person, through remote vector control, had extended the outside light all the way to the end of this passage, filling the entire passage with moonlight.

This truly surprised the team members and Kaito for quite a while.

"Why would someone dig a tunnel here?"

"How would I know? This should be a matter for your capital city."

The two walked side by side.

In response, Haidou questioned Accelerator a few times.

"Your capital city... So you're not a resident of the capital city after all?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it? Does being from the capital mean you can't stay here?"

"Legally speaking, it requires identity registration and various certificates, and then you have to go to the messenger at Senbon Shrine... Never mind, now is not the time to talk about such things."

Haito shook his head and continued looking into the deepest part of the road.

"It stretched for a long time, and we walked for almost several minutes without reaching the end."

"Speaking of which, this is your sacred tree, isn't it? Since it's a place equivalent to a holy domain, it should be strictly guarded by your country's people. Why is it that someone managed to carve out such a long road here?"

"...This was indeed our mistake."

It shouldn't actually be said that it was Kaito's mistake, because he wasn't in charge of the security work around Senbon Shrine and the sacred tree "Senbonzakura".

There should be a special team specifically assigned by the military.

but…

“Normally, even the military’s special team to guard Senbon Shrine and the sacred tree cannot manage them 24 hours a day.”

"And why?"

"It's...because of the Divine Messenger."

Divine messenger.

Although it wasn't the first time he'd heard Kaito use that title, Accelerator still felt a strange curiosity about the person holding that position.

"The Divine Envoy has always emphasized that Senbon Shrine and the Sacred Tree are the most sacred places in the Empire. If people are allowed to walk around here at will, it will have unimaginable consequences."

"That's old-fashioned nonsense, which is why so many dark monsters have appeared near your sacred tree."

What a ridiculous theory.

The first person couldn't help but spit. Just because this area is sacred, doesn't mean the military shouldn't be allowed to guard it? What kind of bullshit logic is that? It's just superstition stemming from outdated ideas.

but.

What if, in some sense, this is not simply... an act caused by superstition?

What if this was a choice made subjectively by someone?

pat.

At this moment, both Kaito and Accelerator stopped in their tracks.

"Captain? Is something wrong?"

The team members behind them seemed a little puzzled as to why the two had stopped there.

Followed by.

The moonlight that was supposed to illuminate the entire tunnel.

In that instant, it vanished into nothingness.

"coming."

Haidou's eyes widened, and the team members behind him also realized what was going on.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!

The sound is made by something flapping its wings.

Deep within the dark tunnel, a faint crimson glow flickered.

Immediately following, countless red lights flashed like raindrops!

"Fully armed! It's a Shadow Phantom!"

Haidou immediately gave the order, and the soldiers behind him all took out their weapons.

You can now see what's flying out.

There were countless bats, their bodies covered with purplish-black maggots. Their already ferocious appearance was now no different from that of monsters.

In terms of sheer numbers, it has far exceeded fifty.

"Captain! This tunnel is too small for our battle!"

"I know!"

Haidou looked warily into the air, while simultaneously drawing his beloved sword, Xueqing.

Just when he and his teammates had resigned themselves to the possibility of returning unscathed.

A gust of wind, which shouldn't have been there, began to blow.

boom--! ! !

A violent wind filled the entire tunnel.

It was a wind that was blowing in rapidly from the outside. Surprisingly, when the wind blew past the soldiers behind them, it wasn't strong enough to hurt them.

But the moment the wind blew over the soldiers' bodies, it transformed into the sharpest weapon in the world.

The Spear of the Gale.

The welding energy, generated by the high-concentration compression of the incoming wind, was instantly unleashed upon all the Shadow Bats in a massive burst.

The monsters howled, but they couldn't escape the massive barrage of fire.

In less than five seconds, it was all over.

"Okay, so awesome..."

"They actually wiped out all the Shadow Pirates in such a short time?!"

The soldiers looked at the shadows that had fallen to the ground, thinking they would rise again, but not a single one of them came back to life.

"How on earth is it done?"

Without the power of a divine being, it would be impossible to completely kill the shadow possession; however—

Kaito looked at Accelerator beside him again.

"Captain, what just happened... could it be..."

"...Don't ask any more questions."

With just one simple sentence, Haidou made the soldiers understand the situation.

Although they all stared in astonishment at the white-haired, red-eyed man beside Haidou, they dared not utter a single word.

"Thank you very much for your help just now."

While thanking Accelerator, Kaito planned to put away his beloved sword, Yukisei.

The first person reached out and stopped him.

"Even the roots are rotten."

"what?"

"Now that the monster you call Shadow Token has appeared here, I probably don't need to say anything more about what will happen next."

Haidou paused for a moment, then immediately understood what he meant.

"...Everyone, do not put away your weapons, and remain vigilant at all times."

If shadows are already appearing in tunnels like this, then the situation at the end of tunnels is even more concerning.

They followed closely behind the two leaders, and afterwards dealt with many more enemy agents along the way.

then.

When they arrived at the final destination, everyone was stunned.

"Death, a dead end?"

At the end of the tunnel was a solid dead end.

To be precise, the wall is formed from the branches of the sacred tree "Senbonzakura".

"How is this possible? If this is a dead end, then how did the wind just now, and all these shadows..."

"Captain!"

The team members all looked at Haidou, and Haidou knew that this couldn't possibly be a dead end.

"No matter the circumstances, we cannot generalize based on a single set of ideas."

Accelerator spoke these words as if talking to himself.

He walked up to the wall in front of everyone and placed his hand on it.