Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

Takahashi Kisaragi spoke first.

"Are you Takahashi Kisaragi of the Edo Archaeological Bureau?"

The old man shifted his gaze and recognized her.

My attention was focused on Tsuchimikado Mari before, so I didn't observe the other two closely.

He glanced at Haruhiko; hmm, he didn't recognize him.

"You are indeed very knowledgeable."

Takahashi Kisaragi smiled faintly and said, "But it doesn't matter."

She had frequent dealings with the snake spirit and had long since accumulated many grudges with it.

Therefore, they didn't give them a friendly look.

"I don't recall having a great demon like Shiranui in the Edo Archaeological Bureau."

The old man paid no attention to her attitude and turned his gaze back to Tsuchimikado Mari, asking, "I wonder what your decision is? There are many things in the ruins that are difficult for outsiders to find if we don't tell them."

"Is there a bamboo here that symbolizes a woman with auspicious destiny?"

"I asked Tsuchimikado Mari in a calm tone."

"Where did you hear this rumor, sir?"

The old man frowned upon hearing this and asked.

"No?"

Tsuchimikado Mari's lips curled slightly as she asked, "Is it that you don't have it? Or are you unwilling to give it to me?"

"Indeed, there isn't."

The old man quickly smiled apologetically, "You are at the fifth level, how could I dare to deceive you?"

Tsuchimikado Mari simply watched him quietly.

"Alright, I'll report to the Serpent Spirit immediately. I guarantee we'll have news soon."

The old man felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze and quickly said something.

Flames flickered in Tsuchimikado Mari's eyes.

The temperature in the vicinity began to rise again, and a heat wave swept through.

"Damn it!"

The old man gritted his teeth, took out his magic sword, and swung it forcefully.

Dark purple psionic energy unfolded before him, creating a fissure resembling an abyss.

Mari Tsuchimikado's flames were absorbed as soon as they appeared.

She gave a soft hum and merely flicked her finger.

The flames surged up like a tsunami, creating waves several meters high.

The abyss was destroyed, and finally, like torrents, it surged forward.

Screams sounded.

Under such a large-scale attack, only the elderly and middle-aged men survived.

The remaining members of the Serpent Spirit all turned to ashes.

It wasn't that they didn't fight back, but that it was futile.

As the massive wave of flames crashed down, it flashed with various forms of psionic light.

But they were all submerged in the sea, without causing any waves.

"asshole!"

Upon seeing this, the old man's eyes turned red.

He gripped the magic sword, and the raging psionic energy whipped his black robes, causing them to flutter wildly.

Although I knew I couldn't beat a fifth-tier opponent, I didn't expect the gap to be so large.

However, it is impossible for the bamboo belonging to the woman with the Heavenly Star to be handed over.

The best course of action now is to buy time.

The old man's magic sword trembled instantly.

Before him, dark purple light bands surged like countless tentacles, then shot out all at once, like man-eating flowers opening their gaping maws.

Another middle-aged man took out a samurai sword.

As the old man attacked, he flashed and appeared behind Tsuchimikado Mari.

His blade gleamed with a dark purple light, and he slashed out with lightning speed.

Takahashi Kisaragi clasped her hands together, and golden light enveloped Tsuchimikado Mari.

An additional layer of defense was added to her body.

She is a monk, and although she is a Vajra, she also has several buff skills.

In fact, Tsuchimikado Mari doesn't need it at all.

She raised her hand, and her psionic energy instantly transformed into flames.

The flames danced and, in an instant, solidified into butterflies.

As the butterfly flew out, it encountered a band of dark purple light and immediately shone like the sun, illuminating the entire space as if it were the middle of the day.

The old man's attack was like ice meeting fire, melting away as dark purple water droplets fell, instantly creating countless pits on the ground.

The middle-aged man quickly stepped back.

Several butterflies chased after him.

He swung his katana rapidly, forming an arc.

In an instant, the butterfly burst open.

Flames engulfed him.

Just then, a suit of armor appeared on his body.

Even so, it was thrown out by the powerful explosion.

Upon landing on the ground, the beautiful armor had mostly melted away.

But the middle-aged man did not die; he was lucky enough to survive.

Just as he was about to get up, a dozen talismans fell on his head.

The continuous explosions resembled firecrackers during the Lunar New Year, creating a festive atmosphere.

Haruhiko cleverly stole the kill and gained 320 points of spiritual energy.

Although it's an assist, it's still a fourth-tier skill, so it has more psionic energy than a third-tier skill.

Now only the old man remains.

Despair was written all over his face.

But to Haruhiko's surprise, he still did not run away.

Are all snake spirits this loyal?

Or is there something down there that prevents him from leaving?

Haruhiko prefers the latter.

There was a click.

The magic sword in the old man's hand broke.

His expression shifted from despair to madness, with a hint of fanaticism.

Haruhiko was shocked.

This is most likely a super move.

The next moment, the broken magic sword flew into the sky and finally stopped above the old man's head.

Space suddenly paused for a moment.

The old man instantly became emaciated, all his spiritual energy being absorbed by the magic sword.

The sword fragments began to expand rapidly, and a rich, dark purple light appeared on their outer edges.

In the blink of an eye, a giant snake over ten meters long materialized.

With a roar, an unimaginable sense of oppression swept over us.

Haruhiko fell straight down.

The snow cinnabar on his body flashed intensely.

This brought him back to his senses for a moment, and he rolled over to avoid falling flat on his face.

Takahashi Kisaragi was unable to dodge in time and fell face-first to the ground.