Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

Sakurai took another step forward, and now the distance between him and the statue was only two meters.

He was so close to the statue that his eyes met.

If I'm not mistaken.

"You're [sealed], right? No..."

"To be precise, you are bound."

"You, who are the gods of the wilderness, chose to occupy this vanished village because you have no faith."

"If they were replaced, they would only be trapped here as well."

"The girls who lost their lives because of this village, and because of your deception."

Provocation, blatant and naked provocation.

The usually aloof Sakurai, contrary to his usual behavior, repeatedly provokes the Aragami, who is bound to the stone statue and unable to move.

It's like toying with a hungry, vicious dog locked in a cage.

however--

The ill-tempered Aragami made no other move except for his increasingly visceral gaze.

"Having said all this, are you still choosing to play dead?"

Knowing that the Aragami before him was simply unable to move, Sakurai further mocked him.

"Alright, since you're being so polite, then I won't be polite either."

"Thank me, you aragami who has been bound by your own stupidity and fear of death and lost your freedom, you will soon see the light of day again."

After taking one last look at the girls behind the statue, Sakurai, his eyes gleaming, approached the statue again and slowly raised his right hand.

The short dagger that slid into his palm gleamed with a cold light, and dark energy swirled and coiled around it, exuding a dangerous aura.

Just as the dagger was about to fall, Sakurai's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

He lowered his head, and several girls dressed in shrine maiden outfits, whose faces he couldn't see clearly, embraced him.

Without saying a word or making any unnecessary movements, she simply hugged him.

A chill ran through Sakurai.

they...

He was not allowed to proceed; he was stopped from destroying the stone statue that imprisoned the Aragami.

It's not about protecting the Aragami, but...

Protect Sakurai.

The dead did not want this deity to be released from its seal and see the light of day again.

They grabbed Sakurai's hand and hugged his body, preventing his hand from falling.

Even if...

The price they paid was that their already translucent bodies became even dimmer.

They did not harbor resentment towards the living for their unfortunate deaths, but instead silently protected more survivors.

This was their choice. In the end, they were "eaten" and their last wish was that such a thing would not happen to others.

Without exception.

Therefore, as humans, they created a miracle: this obsession sealed away the desolate god until now, before the supernatural descended upon the world.

What happened to them has never happened to anyone else since that day.

"It's okay, I won't let it hurt any more people."

Sakurai said this.

Sakurai slowly lowered his hand holding the dagger, concealing its sharpness.

This was the first time he did not raise a knife when facing someone who was different from him, but instead chose to persuade them with words.

He didn't want the last traces of the girls, who were already on the verge of disappearing, to vanish because of his own actions.

They showed no intention of letting go of him; the girls stubbornly clung to Sakurai's body, refusing to allow him to take even one more step.

They couldn't understand Sakurai's words. Over the long years, they hadn't been clear-headed to begin with, and all that remained was their obsession with not allowing the Aragami to see the light of day again.

I don’t know anything else.

Therefore, even if Sakurai makes this guarantee, they still won't understand.

Under no circumstances should this tragedy be allowed to repeat itself; this was the only thought these kind-hearted women had in their final moments before they died.

Indeed, it is just that these ordinary people, who do not possess extraordinary powers, are giving this world, the world that gave them their birth, their final gift.

“I think the reason I got lost in the ancestral hall was because of you, right?”

"Thank you, thank you so much that you, whose lives have ended, are still willing to think of me in this way."

"Thank you."

Sakurai expressed his sincere gratitude.

"But that's enough. You've already helped us so much."

"They've endured too much."

"This is not something you should be burdening."

"A young girl's eyes should hold the stars and the sea and the brilliance of the universe, not be filled with disappointment, pressure and the coexistence of nature."

From bud to bloom, from standing tall to withering.

"You've done enough to maintain a young girl's composure."

"You deserve more beauty, instead of being picked and destroyed when you are still in the bud."

Sakurai whispered his thoughts, wanting to convey his ideas to these respectable girls.

Unfortunately, the girls still showed no sign of letting go of Sakurai. They stubbornly clung to him, refusing to move.

Even if the price is that the already shaky body becomes even more transparent.

"Don't you understand? I think so too."

"How could supernatural beings understand human language?"

"Not to mention, you can't even be considered supernatural anymore; you're just dregs."

"But even so, you still protect the living in your own way."

Sakurai lowered his eyes and sighed silently.

Then he gripped the dagger tightly again.

"I am neither an Onmyoji nor a monk."

"I don't know the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, the Infinite Life Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra, or the Three Officials Sutra."

"I don't know anything about rituals to help the deceased find peace, let alone any methods to bring them relief."

He whispered as he was embraced by the spirits of the girls.

He doesn't possess that ability; the only thing he can do is...

"me--"

"This ignorant and incompetent guy's only way to deal with the supernatural is to fight."

"So I'm sorry, I don't know if doing this will bring you peace."

"But I think this is the only thing I can do."

Instead of using the happy smile he learned from Kirisu Mafuyu, Sakurai tried his best to force a smile.

His smile was awkward, but it was the best he could manage.

next moment--

The short dagger fell, slicing across the neck of the girl's spirit.

Sakurai's movements were light and quick.

He worried that he was using too much force, or that he was going too slowly, and that this would cause pain to the girls who shouldn't have died like this.

They had a future full of possibilities, but that future was taken away from them.

The hidden wild god within this stone statue.

The short daggers, gleaming with black light, sliced ​​across the girls' necks one by one.

A dim golden light flowed from her neck and dissipated into the air.

Sakurai closed his eyes.

70. War - The God of Wildfire (Third Update)

When Sakurai opened his eyes again, his body regained its freedom, and the girls who had been embracing him all turned into golden light and disappeared from the world.

Rest in peace. I hope you will have a brighter future if you have the opportunity.

In his heart, Sakurai, who was not good with words, sincerely offered his blessings.

This is the first time that a supernatural event that was "erased" by Sakurai has not left any corresponding remnants.

Perhaps it's because the presence of girls no longer allows such things to happen.

Or perhaps, they have already passed away.

Golden light shone on Sakurai, and the bodies of the girls kneeling in a row behind the stone statue turned to dust as their last lingering attachments vanished.

The pungent stench in the air disappeared, replaced by a faint cherry blossom scent.

Yes, the girls of this country should be like cherry blossoms.

Sakurai seemed to hear the girls thanking him, but he didn't pay attention.

It was as if they hadn't heard a thing.