Chosen Evolution: I can load the protagonist template

Chapter 460 The Guardian Spirit - Kagura Manki

"Is this right?"

Wiping away the blood of the Kagura Foundation guards that had accidentally gotten on his abs, Nanakaseshi pointed in the direction of an ancient shrine surrounded by greenery.

"right here."

Chris, who had the strongest sense of the serpent's aura, smiled and nodded. The bloodstains on his face, which he hadn't wiped off, only added to the cruelty of his smile.

"Mortals are really useless. Such a large conglomerate's headquarters doesn't have a single person who can stop us."

With her eyes completely covered by her bangs, which exposed the valley entirely, Sharmi casually shoved the stun baton she had snatched from the guard into her palm and then pressed the stun switch.

Despite the sizzling sound of the stun gun, a smile of pleasure curved at the corners of Sharmi's mouth.

Not far in front of the three people, in the very center of the main building of Kagura Taisha Shrine, a mirror that looked a bit gray from a distance was placed there openly.

Yashiro strode forward, leading the charge and barging directly into the shrine. But the moment his large foot stepped through the shrine gate, the dim gray mirror suddenly shone brightly.

On the Yata no Kagami, a divine artifact that exists in physical form, a phantom image that is almost identical to Kagura Chizuru suddenly appeared.

This situation startled the Hell Band trio. They had just witnessed Chizuru Kagura collapse with serious injuries. Could it be that she had already woken up ahead of time?!

Yashiro's first reaction to this was to fight!

It was still almost without warning, but the final strike, one of the best moves in the entire '97 universe that combines speed and power, was launched directly at the divine artifact mirror with absolute decisiveness.

But at the very moment he threw the punch, the Yata Mirror, held in the arms of Kagura Maki's soul, reflected his own image, and it was a reflection of him throwing the exact same punch...

A fist, identical in both speed and power to Yashiro's original body, burst out of the mirror and clashed directly with the original body!
hum!
The violent shockwave, centered on the collision of the two fists, instantly swept across the entire shrine, blowing away a large number of objects, including the Hell Trio themselves!
Yashiro, who was sent flying by the attack, managed to adjust his posture in mid-air and land with a thud, looking at Yata no Kagami with a look of surprise and uncertainty.

The mirror image of the punch exchange with Yashiro Nanakase had already shattered when the punch was completed.

The Yata no Kagami can create mirror images, and it doesn't just create mirror images of itself.

As one of the divine artifacts used to seal Orochi, the Yata Mirror has a special ability to sense the bloodline of the Heavenly Gods. Kagura Chizuru's coma triggered the automatic defense mechanism of the soul of Mankiri, who was sleeping in the mirror, and he briefly woke up.

In fact, according to the original game setting, there is no clear explanation of where Kagura Maki's soul went. It was only when Kagura Maki was killed in 96 that it was clearly mentioned that "the body was destroyed", but there was no mention of where the soul went afterward, nor was it clearly stated that Maki's soul resided in the Yata no Kagami.

At this point, the players become especially important.

In particular, individuals with enough strength or influence to affect the dungeon settings can provide valuable reference for the automatic improvement of dungeon settings.

Cheng Tian is that being.

The Angry Team, who should have known nothing about Cheng Tian, ​​gained prior knowledge and understanding of him simply because of his Metal Slug save file experience and legendary status. Other players, on the other hand, were not quite qualified to know him.

Cheng Tian not only connected some SNK backgrounds, but also brought a series of soul-side rules.

Among them, the derivative rule "Guardian Spirit" of "Soul Salvation" has the greatest impact.

This rule, which preserves the soul intact by residing in some object and can even manifest in battle when necessary, is very suitable for explaining the reason for the preservation of Kagura Maki's soul.

Currently, Saultoba and Vega are typical Guardian Spirits, although the latter still refuses to be used by Cheng Tian.

To take it a step further, a Stand can, in a sense, be considered a guardian spirit. Furthermore, several important NPCs in King of Fighters '97 possess varying degrees of home-field advantage, thus Kagura Maki's soul appeared in the form of residing within the Yata Mirror.

It's unclear about other worlds, but at least here, Kagura Maki is real, though Kagura Chizuru herself is unaware of this.

By possessing the divine artifact, Kagura Maki can unleash a greater power than her sister to some extent, but only if her weakness is not discovered... a very fatal weakness.

Yashiro, whose temper was flaring up, tried to make another move, but was immediately locked in place by Shermie, who was extremely skilled in grappling and throwing techniques, with a neck lock.

It was Chris who instigated it.

"What are you doing, staring at yourself in the mirror? I think your muscles have been trained into your brain."

Chris, known for his sharp tongue, rolled his eyes at Yashiro.

Chris's innocent cruelty stems from his personality, but the pure blood of the heavenly gods flowing through his veins, enough to withstand the descent of the great serpent, also indicates that Chris actually has the potential to become a well-rounded warrior.

In just one exchange, Chris caught a key point: the character "mirror" in the name of the Yata no Kagami.

A mirror reflects everyone's image indiscriminately. From this, it can be inferred that anyone who attacks a mirror may create a mirror image of equal strength to retaliate.

In other words, as long as you can avoid being reflected in a mirror...

Under Chris's instructions, Yashiro and Shermie, now free, attempted to go around to the back of the Yata no Kagura from either side of the suspended mirror, right in front of Kagura Maki.

Kagura Manki's expression remained unchanged, but she was clearly very anxious inside.

The Yata no Kagura's greatest weakness was exposed in a single encounter, putting Kagura Maki in a difficult situation.

If Chizuru were still conscious, she could have directly used the power of her bloodline to summon the Yata no Kagami, which is a physical entity, back to her side. This is the greatest reason why Chizuru Kagura dared to enshrine the sacred artifact within the shrine.

But now, it seems that only a terrible ending remains: the mirror is destroyed, the soul dies, and the seal of the great serpent is greatly weakened.

"I'm sorry, Chizuru..."

With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, Kagura Maki sighed. A wave of guilt towards her ancestors washed over her, but in the end, it settled on her apology to her younger sister.

But at the same time, her eyes became unusually firm.

Since we can't escape the fate of the mirror being destroyed and our souls dying, at least let me take you, the great serpent's lackeys, with me!
Fists, feet, and palms; earth, thunder, and fire—three different elements—were attached to the attacks of Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris, all simultaneously hurtling towards the Yata Mirror!
The light emanating from the Yata no Kagami was also brighter than ever before.

But at that moment, a passionate voice seemed to transcend time and space, echoing above the shrine.

"Smash! Varudo!"

Time stood still at this moment.

One second later, it started flowing again.

The souls of Yata no Kagami and Kagura Maki have vanished without a trace, and in the eyes of the three members of the Eight Heroes, only each other remains.

Meanwhile, the Stand World, which holds the soul Kagura Manki and the divine artifact Yata Mirror, is looking down at the Eight Orochi Warriors clashing below.

(End of this chapter)