One-way traffic

Click——! !

Then, that swift and decisive strike was caught by a hand that was frighteningly pale.

"?!"

The swordswoman showed surprise for the second time.

Her arm, just like before, directly bore the full force of her attack.

The girl's body was sent flying backward by the force, while the white figure slowly walked in front of Alice.

"So, in other words, I've definitely found the right path, right?"

The voice of the driver was incredibly calm.

"Since we can see troublemakers like these guys in a place like this, it means the source of the anomaly is indeed above these steps, right?"

"...So you really are the people who came to investigate the strange events surrounding Spring Snow."

The girl holding the sword seemed to have a particularly young voice.

Although his strength and speed do not suggest his youth, his voice and posture give the impression of that level.

Her body remained frozen on the steps behind her, yet she was not wounded by the two reflected attacks.

On the contrary, her body was completely unharmed.

“There will be people who come here to investigate the truth… Although I had considered that, I never expected that there would be ordinary people mixed in with them.”

"Ah, although he is indeed human, in what way can he be considered 'ordinary'?"

"Hmm...that seems to make sense, and their aura also seems different from that of ordinary humans..."

They've actually become unusually concerned about this kind of issue.

The girl who should have been their enemy was standing there motionless, contemplating such a trivial joke—something Accelerator and Alice hadn't anticipated at all.

"You seem pretty straightforward, don't you?"

"Huh? Me? This is something I really didn't notice... No! Now is not the time to talk about this!"

It seems the girl has finally realized her current position.

Swish—!! The blade flashed, and she defiantly unfolded her long-bladed sword.

“You two, I don’t know where you come from, but this place is called the Underworld.”

"If you are killed here, whether you are human or demon, your souls will never be able to attain Buddhahood. So, I'll give you one last plan: leave this land of the underworld before I make my move!"

They actually called it the underworld...

Accelerator was completely at a loss for words when it came to complaining.

First there were monsters, then the dead, and then places like the underworld.

Even if you told him now that zombies, mummies, vampires, and other creatures actually exist in this world, it wouldn't be too surprising.

"Where exactly is this place... I don't care about such trivial matters."

He widened his eyes again and stared directly at the girl in front of him.

"Who exactly are you? And why do the seasons in the outside world never change?"

"Don't you know? It's only natural that you don't know. You're not from the underworld, so naturally you wouldn't know about the existence of the young lady and the Saigyou Ayakashi."

"what?"

With Accelerator looking stunned, the girl floated slightly into the air.

"I am Youmu Konpaku, and my identity is the gardener of this White Jade Tower in the Underworld."

"A gardener... that's why he was carrying two long knives? Oh, they were actually scissors."

"...Please don't interrupt me. Even if you are enemies, you should at least be considerate of other people's feelings!"

The girl glared at Alice with displeasure.

"Is the season outside always winter?"

"There's no need to repeatedly confirm things that are obvious at a glance; there's too much unnecessary talk."

"That was precisely the young lady's intention... Yes, to reduce everything to desolation, to completely steal away their 'spring,' and then to merge them into that tree called 'Saigyou Ayakashi.'"

The girl, who called herself Youmu Konpaku, explained the root causes of everything in a calm tone.

"All the plans and actions are just to let the young lady see the scene of the demon tree called Saigyou Demon absorbing enough spring and blooming."

Everything has become clear.

The reason why the seasonal temperature in Gensokyo remains in winter is because someone in this underworld used a strange spell to completely steal away the vitality and life force of the seasons—the so-called 'spring'.

Judging from her words, it seems that all of this was just preparation for a tree called Saigyou Ayakashi to bloom.

"Just to make one tree bloom and bear fruit, you actually intend to affect the temperature of the entire Gensokyo?"

“That’s right, is there a problem? This is the wish of Lady Yuyuko, the lady of the underworld, and as her subordinate, I am working hard to fulfill her plan in order to realize this wish. What’s wrong with that?”

There is absolutely no problem, at least not in terms of status.

only…

"This guy is way too blunt..."

No matter what you are asked, answer without hesitation, without holding back your true feelings and real intentions.

Although they had only met for less than ten minutes, Accelerator had already basically determined what kind of personality the girl named Youmu Konpaku had.

"It certainly looks much the same as we expected."

"In fact, that's how it should be... Alright, all the boring information has been confirmed, so it's clear what to do next."

So, the topic returned to the very beginning.

Ability users and puppeteers, as well as a half-human, half-spirit gardener.

The two sides remained in opposition.

"Oh, I see. It seems my advice ultimately failed to work."

"Since we've come all this way, we certainly won't leave empty-handed. This is such a simple thing, even a child should be able to understand it, right?"

"That's true, so I know exactly what to do next."

Click.

She placed her hand on the hilt of the knife at her waist.

The air velocity changed briefly in an instant.

then.

"Please forgive my rudeness."

Youmu closed her eyes tightly.

Subsequently.

The moment it opened its eyes, its sharp aura was revealed without reservation.

"The long-bladed sword is called the Louguan Sword, and the short-bladed sword is called the Bailou Sword..."

"Before my Louguan sword, there is nothing that cannot be cut."

Faster than a sound, something attacked directly.

Whoosh—! That was sword energy faster than the wind.

A powerful sword aura, over a meter in length, released in an instant, seemingly capable of tearing apart everything.

Boom—!! The deafening roar plunged the air into a state of mournful lament.

Alice and Accelerator, however, had already prepared a countermeasure.

The white figure turned its head slightly to the side to dodge the seemingly powerful attack.

Alice, on the other hand, made the dolls around her take shape while she flew up and dodged.

"Spell Card—!"

"Innocent."

The moment Alice released the spell card, the enemy's attack was already in place.

As a result, the dolls' attack was forced to stop.

The released laser was cut in halfway by the slash, and after the attack ended, the figure returned to its original position in an instant.

"What you're using seems to be a series of power techniques called Spell Cards? In that case, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine!!"

Boom! An invisible aura exploded from Youmu's entire body.

"Spell Card - Hungry Ghost Sword 'Hungry Ghost Path Paper'!!"

It was a horizontal slash.

He concentrated an unknown power into the scabbard, and then, in that instant, drew his sword with lightning speed.

A spiritual energy projectile, composed of spiritual energy, shot out.

Then, in an instant, that spiritual energy blast was sliced ​​apart by the endless Zhanjia.

It looks like a single strike, but it is actually a series of countless slashes released in an instant.

The pale white barrage exploded outwards in all directions.

Alice's body moved back and forth within this scene, while the puppets flashed back and forth with bullets and lasers of the same scale.

A new conflict has arisen between the bullet comments.

For Alice, even if the opponent's power is strong, she still can't defeat her puppet faction with just these bullet patterns.

But the problem is not with strength.

No matter how powerful she is, the one who controls that power is always Alice herself.

She couldn't channel her power into speed.

"...Does this mean that even if we could devise a countermeasure, there wouldn't be enough time to implement it?"

Alice had already come up with about fifteen plans and methods to deal with Youmu Konpaku.

However, every plan relies on a combination of speed and responsiveness; without either one, it cannot be accomplished.

"Too thin! These bullet comments can't stop my Louguan Sword!"

"What a load of empty talk! Since that's the case—!"

Alice brought the dolls back to her side.

Since small attacks are considered weak points, let's try a wide-range beam.

The magic was condensed to its extreme, and then the puppets were made to unleash a destructive light powerful enough to destroy everything.

"too slow."

However, the sound arrived even faster than his actions.

In the blink of an eye, I felt a cold and sharp sensation on my neck.

Clang——! !

However, Lou Guanjian's blade did not pierce Alice's body.

It was forcefully stopped by something that was coming straight at it.

It was a blade of crimson flame.

No, to be precise, it is a scythe of death wreathed in karmic fire.

"Huh...?!"

Youmu Konpaku couldn't help but be surprised.

She tried to raise her sword again, but she couldn't budge the opponent's weapon in the slightest.

"How boring."

A person who speaks in a lazy tone is pure white and ominous.