Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

Perhaps because there were guards outside, no one was stationed in the passageway inside, which made things easier for them.

Two people and a fox walked into the passage.

A dozen seconds later, the passage split into seven, creating seven branching paths.

"Are there seven fragments?"

Haruhiko was thoughtful.

He was controlling a game character back then, so he wouldn't have noticed that Izuminokami Kanesada would be shattered into pieces.

However, based on Tsuchimikado Mari's statement, it can be inferred that there are a total of seven pieces.

But now they face a problem: which path should they take?

Haruhiko subconsciously looked at Jinguji Fuyumi.

Although Hotaru Hoshino is at the fourth rank, she is clearly inferior to the fifth rank.

"Wait for me a moment."

Jinguji Fuyu raised his forelegs, and white fox fur fluttered down, transforming into seven white foxes.

Haruhiko was stunned.

This spell is quite interesting.

It reminded him of Sun Wukong's monkey hair in "Journey to the West".

The seven white foxes each ran into a passageway.

Half a minute later, Jinguji Fuyumi spoke up: "Come with me."

Haruhiko and Hotaru Hoshino followed closely behind.

They entered the seventh passage.

After walking a few steps, the view suddenly opened up.

A huge underground cavity has appeared.

The rest of the Miyamoto clan are here.

Haruhiko glanced at them and saw that there were more than thirty people.

The aura emanating from them was powerful.

The worst are all at the third level.

He quickly located the central altar.

Because the ceremony was not quite what he had expected.

One by one, the wooden stakes were arranged in a special way, eventually forming a pattern similar to a pentagram.

In the middle lay a young man, his limbs bound by chains.

Haruhiko's first reaction was to offer a sacrifice.

But something felt off.

A spirit possession ritual is not a summoning of gods, so why offer sacrifices?

"They wanted to seal the summoned spirits inside his body."

Hotaru Hoshino tugged at Haruhiko's sleeve to get his attention.

Her lip reading was perfectly suited to this environment and wouldn't be noticed.

Upon hearing this, Haruhiko immediately understood their plan.

The summoned spirits have a time limit.

But if you give him a body, he can exist for a very long time.

The only drawback is that the young man who is the vessel will die, or rather, his soul will die.

Because one body cannot contain two souls.

In particular, Hayate and Hijikata Toshizo are both powerful souls.

It must be said that the Miyamoto family was indeed well-prepared.

"We may be in trouble."

Hotaru Hoshino frowned slightly and said, "I saw Noriyuki Miyamoto."

Haruhiko remained silent.

The worst-case scenario has occurred.

The head of the Miyamoto clan, a fifth-tier swordsman, Miyamoto Kiyuki, was also present.

Previously, he thought that the fragments of Izuminokami Kanesada were not enough to attract him.

But unexpectedly, their target wasn't the fragments, but Hayate and Hijikata Toshizo.

The weight of these two individuals made Miyamoto Kiyuki uneasy.

Over thousands of years, many sword techniques have been lost to time.

This includes the Miyamoto clan.

Their ancestor, Miyamoto Musashi, did not leave behind all of his swordsmanship skills.

But the wind knows.

According to records, he was proficient in all schools of swordsmanship, including Miyamoto Musashi.

"Let's see what's going on."

Haruhiko replied in lip reading, "If there is danger, I will naturally leave."

Hotaru Hoshino nodded.

However, my worries remained.

But she was prepared to give it her all.

Haruhiko watched quietly from a distance, neither approaching nor interfering.

His current goal is to await Miyamoto's summons.

Time passes slowly.

Night fell quickly.

Just when Haruhiko thought it wouldn't start until tomorrow, things changed.

Miyamoto walked up to the altar.

He was dressed in samurai attire and looked quite energetic, but he still couldn't hide the signs of his age.

If Haruhiko remembers correctly, Miyamoto Kiyuki is already sixty-three years old this year.

However, the lifespan of the fifth stage is extended, so he can be regarded as a young man.

Miyamoto Kiko stopped in his tracks.

The young man in front of him had already fallen into a deep sleep.

But he didn't die.

He was a loyal follower of the Miyamoto clan, so it was voluntary.

Miyamoto Noriyuki raised his hand.

Seven fragments floated in front of him.

It was Izumi no Kami Kanesada's sword.

They were temporarily pieced together under Miyamoto Kiyuki's psychic manipulation.

A katana appeared.

The sword is thin and white, but there are faint patterns at the edge.

Apart from that, there was nothing particularly special about it.

Haruhiko had originally planned to bring Izumi along to help him search for the fragments.

But after hearing about Miyamoto's actions, she lost her effectiveness.

For safety reasons, we didn't let her come along.

The appearance of Izumi no Kami Kanesada triggered a chain reaction.

The wooden stake on the ground suddenly trembled, and then countless streams of spiritual energy surged into the young man's body.

Screams sounded.

The young man was awakened and struggled in agony, but the chains were there and it was no use.

The psionic energy erupted with a milky white light, engulfing him.

Izumi no Kami Kanesada, on the other hand, floats in the air.

Invisible ripples surged into the light.