Fantasy Library.

Chapter 491 Two People in Trouble

Let's go back to a short time ago.

In a secluded mountain path, Chihaya, dressed as a shrine maiden and holding a horn, was jogging at a steady pace.

"Ha ha……"

Perhaps because she was running too fast, Yoshino Asagi's breathing was already a little erratic, but her steps were not hesitant. Although she couldn't be said to be running like the wind, she was still moving forward with ease.

This suggests that Yoshino Asagi is not unfamiliar with this remote, deserted path in the deep mountains; at the very least, she comes here often, which is why she can move forward without any confusion.

Otherwise, on this rugged mountain path where it's almost pitch black, even the most agile person wouldn't dare to move forward so quickly.

"Hahaha……"

Asagi Yoshino's stamina was clearly running out. As she ran, her pace slowed down, and her breathing became rapid, making it difficult for her to continue.

"Mr. Aize... just how deep has it gone?"

Unable to catch up with Aize for a long time, Asatake Yoshino could no longer suppress her anxiety.

"No... We must catch up with Mr. Aize quickly and bring him down the mountain."

With a tenacious, or rather stubborn, personality, Yoshino Asagi took a deep breath and prepared to continue forward.

"rustle……"

However, at that moment, unusual noises began to appear in the bushes near Yoshino Asagi.

"------!"

Asahi Yoshino's expression changed, and a bitter look finally appeared on her face.

She knew very well that something had appeared and was approaching her.

And that thing is precisely what I least want to encounter at this moment.

"rustle……"

The grass swayed and moved slowly, allowing a beast-shaped mass made of filthy black mud to emerge from it.

If it's not a demon, what else could it be?

"Of all times...!?"

Asahi Yoshino stopped in her tracks and subtly retreated.

But as Chao Wufang retreated, the black mud lump seemed to be stimulated and suddenly pounced forward.

"ah!"

Asatake Yoshino seemed to have anticipated this move. As the black mud lump lunged at her, she raised the horn in her hand and thrust it straight at her opponent.

The hoko bell, officially called the hoko-sen-rin, is used for the Kagura dance, just like the Kagura bell. It is one of the props for the Kagura dance.

The front of the horn, resembling a dagger, symbolizes the Kusanagi Sword, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. The middle section, resembling a handguard, is where the bell is located, symbolizing the Yata no Kagami, another of the Three Sacred Treasures. The tail, resembling a handle, symbolizes the Yasakani no Magatama, another of the Three Sacred Treasures. Therefore, it is an instrument that embodies the symbolism of the Three Sacred Treasures.

Yoshino Asatake always carries a hoko bell when performing dances and purification rites. Because it has been an important prop for Kagura dances offered to the gods for many years, it has also carried some mysterious power.

This means that although Yoshino Asatake's Hoko Bell is not like Murasame's, which can freely exert divine power as long as Murasame resides in it, it can still be used to deal with evil spirits and perform purification rituals on them.

"puff!"

Under Asagi Yoshino's attack, Hoko Rin's dagger-like part, symbolizing the Kusanagi Sword, pierced through the body of the black mud lump, causing one side of its body to suddenly dissipate like black smoke.

"Oops!"

Despite having achieved a significant victory with her attack, Asahi Yoshino's expression changed again, and she exclaimed in surprise.

This was because Chao Wufang had aimed her attack at the head, but it only struck the body of the evil spirit.

In other words, Yoshino Asagi's attack missed its mark.

"Oh!"

The demon, its body half-disintegrated, continued its rampage without slowing down, crashing into half of Yoshino Asagi's body.

Before Yoshino could even cry out in pain, her body was thrown uncontrollably, rolling down the path into the nearby bushes and quickly tumbling down.

Asahi Yoshino's remaining consciousness suddenly understood.

The grass beside this path doesn't cover the ground, but rather a cliff.

In other words, she fell down the mountain.

"...!"

In the instant she realized it, Yoshino Asagi ignored the pain in her body, grabbed a tree, and hung in mid-air.

"Shh!"

Unfortunately, the enemy had no intention of giving her a chance to live. Even though half of her body was disintegrating, she still extended long and thin tentacles, cutting through the air as she lashed out at Yoshino Asagi.

Just as Asahi Yoshino stared blankly at this scene, feeling as if time itself had slowed down, a gust of wind howled in.

"Oh!"

A figure suddenly rushed out from the side with the speed of the wind, and kicked the evil god hard, sending the half of the disintegrating black mud lump flying.

"Yono!"

An anxious voice reached Yoshino Asagi's ears, finally bringing her back to her senses after her mind went blank.

"Lord Congyu?"

Upon seeing that figure, Asahi Yoshino subconsciously uttered that name.

However, Yoshino quickly realized that the voice just now was indeed that of Lord Murasame, but the owner of the figure was not.

"How will you be here?"

Holding the divine sword with its cool, gleaming light, the boy, who seemed like a god of war descending from the heavens in the darkness, turned around and looked at Yoshino Asabu.

"Mr. Aize?"

Asahi Yoshino called out to the other person in a daze.

"Master! Quickly save Yoshino!"

Cong Yu's voice came from Cong Yu Wan, still filled with anxiety.

Aize knew this wasn't the time to question anything, so he quickly went to the edge of the bushes, seemingly preparing to lie down and pull Asagi Yoshino back.

"Quick! Give me your hand!"

Aize extended a hand to Asagi Yoshino.

"Well……"

Asahi Yoshino bit her lip, then laboriously freed one hand and reached out to Aize.

Their hands quickly touched and clasped tightly.

"Owner!"

At this moment, Cong Yu's voice rang out, becoming even more anxious.

"Oh!"

Suddenly, black tentacles attacked from the darkness, slamming down on Aize like scythes with a muffled thud.

"Gu...!"

Aize felt as if his back had been scalded by a blazing fire, and a sharp pain shot through him, causing him to groan involuntarily.

"Mr. Aize!"

Chao Wufang exclaimed in surprise.

"Come up quickly!"

Aize gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain in his back, and prepared to pull Asagi Yoshino up.

But the half-disintegrated black mud mass dragged its remains closer, its tentacles whipping out like black whips, and once again slammed heavily onto Aize.

"Oh!"

A dull thud, like a hammer striking a human body, made Aize shudder and almost let go of Asagi Yoshino's hand.

"No!" Asagi Yoshino's face turned pale, her eyes filled with tears, and she cried out with all her might, "Mr. Aize! Let me go!" Aize ignored Asagi Yoshino's cries and tightened his grip on Murasame's hand.

The black mud mass, half of its body disintegrated, raised its tentacles high, and like a butcher, mercilessly swung its knife.

"Owner!"

Cong Yu let out a scream.

"Mr. Aize!"

Asahi Yoshino's voice echoed continuously through the mountains and fields.

But just as the two cried out at the same time, and the tentacles of the evil god were about to fall, Aize moved.

"Shh!"

The sound of wind cutting through the air appeared once again.

This time, however, the sound of wind cutting was not caused by the tentacles flung out by the evil god, but by the Murasame that Aize had released from his hand.

Aize then threw the Murasame in his hand with all his might, and the Murasame was transformed into a cold flash of light, shooting out like an arrow.

"Pfft!"

The divine sword, imbued with divine power, pierced the body of the evil spirit, leaving it frozen in place, its raised tentacles unable to swing any further.

Before long, the evil spirit turned into ashes and disappeared, causing Congyu Maru to fall from mid-air and land upside down in the soil.

As Aize threw the Murasame with all his might, he lost his balance and was dragged down into the bushes by Asagi Yoshino, falling down with her.

"Master! Yoshino!"

Cong Yu's terrified screams came from above, but Aize and Asagi Yoshino could no longer hear them.

The two people who fell from the cliff passed through numerous trees and jungles before crashing into a river and falling into the water.

"Wow!"

The sound of splashing water was extremely inconspicuous in the darkness.

When the water droplets subsided, the river returned to its original state, but the figures of the man and woman were no longer visible.

…………

Deep in the mountains, a little-known corner.

This place seems to be a very remote and secluded spot.

The surrounding area consisted of nothing but trees and grass, with no mountain paths in sight and no sign of human habitation. The wild growth of the plants indicated that no one ever passed through this place, and it was practically uninhabited.

The river flowing from the mountain here seems to slow down, the current is no longer so fast, so only the sound of trickling water echoes here, which is particularly clear in the dark night.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, two people emerged from the water, creating a splash and a sound.

Aize then held onto Asagi Yoshino tightly, surfaced from the water, and swam rapidly toward the shore, panting greedily.

Before long, Aize swam out of the water and onto the shore, leading Asagi Yoshino to a tangled thicket.

"Cough cough..."

After putting Asahi Yoshino down, Aize coughed several times and took several breaths.

Clearly, even he was exhausted and choked with sore throat at this moment, having been thoroughly worn out.

As a result, Aize collapsed onto the dirty ground and gasped for breath for a while before recovering.

"Thank goodness, I survived..."

Aize, unsure whether to be happy about the result, wiped the water off his face, feeling only a bit weak.

But the next second, Aize felt a sudden tightness in his chest.

Because, the woman lying next to him, Yoshino Asagi, was not only completely still, but also not breathing, as if she had already stopped breathing, just like a corpse.

"Hey! Are you alright? Hey!"

Aize quickly got up, first patting Asagi Yoshino's wet face, and then checking her breath.

Upon this inquiry, Aize's expression immediately changed.

Asatake Yoshino is already dead.

"whispering sound……!"

Aize clicked his tongue, then lifted Asagi Yoshino's chin, pinched her nose, took a deep breath, and poured it into her mouth.

The touch of the girl's lips, both cold and soft, was instantly transmitted to Aize's nerves through their contact.

Unfortunately, Aize had no time to enjoy the touch of the girl's soft lips; he was inflating her chest while simultaneously pressing on her breasts.

Fortunately, Aize studied in China. During his military training, he not only learned how to shoot, but also how to bandage, perform first aid, and perform artificial respiration. He remembered these skills and knowledge, unlike others who forgot them all along with their military boxing skills after the training.

Therefore, Aize's artificial respiration and chest compression techniques were quite professional, and he quickly brought the girl back to life after she stopped breathing.

"Cough...! Cough cough...!"

Suddenly, Yoshino Asagi started coughing violently, spitting out water as she coughed, looking like she was in pain.

"Miss Asagi! Miss Asagi! Wake up!"

Aize breathed a sigh of relief and quickly continued patting Asagi Yoshino's face and calling her name.

It took Asagi Yoshino a while to recover. She opened her eyes with difficulty and saw Aize.

"...Mr. Aize?"

Her voice was weak and hoarse, as if she were dying. Her delicate face was not only wet but also frighteningly pale, making her look pitiful.

"It's me." Aize nodded and asked, "Are you alright?"

Asahi Yoshino weakly shook her head, trying to get up, but seemed unable to do so.

"W-Where are we...?" Asagi Yoshino asked weakly, "Where is the...the spirit of the spirit?"

Upon hearing this, Aize gave a wry smile.

"Stop thinking about them at a time like this, okay?" Aize said helplessly. "If one of those monsters called 'Spirit Gods' were to emerge at this moment, we would be truly doomed."

This is not a joke.

Cong Yuwan is no longer with Aize; Aize has lost the means to deal with the evil god.

Asatake Yoshino also lost her hoko bell, and was severely injured, falling into a completely weak state.

If another evil spirit were to appear at this moment, they might lose their lives on the spot.

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

Asahi Yoshino apologized, but she seemed to have no strength left to speak, and her face grew paler and paler.

"You'd better not say anything for now and save your energy," Aize said immediately upon seeing this. "Let's find a suitable place to rest first, and then we can talk about the rest."

Asahi no Yoshino nodded, struggling to get up, but failed repeatedly.

"Come here, let me help you."

Aize took Asagi Yoshino's hand and helped her up.

"No...I..."

Asagi Yoshino wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Aize.

"Now is not the time to be stubborn or polite. If you don't want to drag me down, then you should obediently accept my help."

Upon hearing Aize's words, Yoshino Asahi shut up.

"Walk."

Aize then took one arm from Yoshino Asagi's arm and put his other arm around her shoulder, and left the place.

The night continues.

(End of this chapter)