Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

In his presence, she rarely expressed her opinions, letting him take the lead.

In fact, given her personality, she was only slightly surprised when she met Hoshino Risa, but she has since returned to normal.

While Izumo Shrine was important to her, it wasn't time for her to fulfill her mission; she cared more about Haruhiko.

After all, time is passing.

"what's up?"

Hoshino Aoi saw the two people and spoke in a calm tone.

Haruhiko was used to it.

She always behaves the same way; it's rare to see any other expression on her face, almost identical to Hoshino Hotaru.

"Aunt Kui."

After greeting everyone, Haruhiko got straight to the point and said, "We met Aunt Riri."

Hoshino Aoi's face showed a rare hint of surprise.

She really hadn't expected it.

How did you find her?

After a moment of silence, Hoshino Aoi asked, "Neither Rin nor Hotaru know about that; it's a secret passed down through generations of priests."

"It's the snake spirit."

Haruhiko explained, "We obtained the location of the ruins from the Serpent Spirit headquarters."

Hoshino Aoi's expression changed slightly.

She also participated in the attack on the Serpent Spirit headquarters.

However, the final distribution process was led by the Tsuchimikado clan.

Without the intelligence they provided, we wouldn't have achieved this.

Tachibana Yui took the ruins first, without telling the other factions their specific location and details.

After all, the fewer people who know, the safer it is.

The Imperial Palace appears united, but in reality, it is a complex and intertwined society, and it is unlikely that they would share generously.

Hoshino Aoi is worried that the Serpent Spirit knows the location.

Although Haruhiko beat him to it, there are still risks involved.

The Serpent Spirit has now been confirmed to be related to the Yamata no Orochi.

Therefore, the demons in the underworld are definitely their targets.

As a deity, one could normally enter the underworld directly.

But after sealing the demon a thousand years ago, all the passages were blocked.

To enter, you must find the entrance to the underworld, which is the ruins of the god Ōkuninushi.

"It seems we need to intensify our pursuit of the Serpent Spirit."

Hoshino Aoi's tone turned icy cold, filled with murderous intent.

Once the Serpent Spirit discovers the entrance to the Underworld, it will spare no effort to try and unlock it.

That will be very troublesome.

The best approach is undoubtedly to eliminate them while they are still unaware.

The only pity is that the few fifth-tier psionicists who escaped from the Serpent Spirit headquarters have disappeared without a trace.

As long as they live, the serpent spirit will continue to exist.

Haruhiko understood her thoughts upon hearing this.

However, there's nothing he can do to help with this.

The Utsunomiya clan is currently weak, so there's no need for them to spare manpower to deal with the Serpent Spirit.

The Imperial Palace will handle it anyway.

With Hoshino Aoi and Tachibana Yui leading the way, it will be very difficult for the Serpent Spirit to escape this calamity.

In terms of overall strength, the Serpent Spirit is no stronger than the Izumo Shrine or the Tsuchimikado Clan.

Their problem is that they have been operating in the shadows for a long time.

In particular, they planted spies in various factions.

But it's different now.

At the Serpent Spirit headquarters, a large amount of personnel information was obtained.

At the very least, it rendered all their years of hard work futile.

While it may not be a complete collapse, it will still suffer significant losses.

Did Pear tell you the truth?

Hoshino Aoi has returned to normal.

"Ah."

Haruhiko nodded.

However, he keenly noticed that Hoshino Aoi's attention was mainly on Hoshino Hotaru.

Are you worried about what she might do after discovering the truth?

"Originally, I was supposed to tell you this after Rin became the priest of Izumo Shrine."

Hoshino Aoi paused for a moment and said, "Now that you know, there's no need for you to feel pressured."

Haruhiko was slightly startled.

He suddenly realized that his mother-in-law, Hoshino Aoi, was actually quite nice.

This statement undoubtedly shows concern for them.

This was completely different from her usual cold words and actions.

Haruhiko felt that Hoshino Aoi and Hoshino Hotaru were very similar.

She's the type who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

"I don't feel any pressure."

Haruhiko replied with a smile.

Without game cheats, he might be extremely anxious.

After all, the enemy they were facing was far too powerful.

He was only at the third level and couldn't get involved at all.

Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be better not to tell them.

When pressure is too great, some people become more courageous and determined, but many more may break down because they cannot bear it.

"You look a lot like your mother."

Hoshino Aoi glanced at him and said.

There was a hint of nostalgia in his words.

Haruhiko was stunned.

Are you also very familiar with my mother?

It's really strange.

Why does he feel like his dad has no presence at all?

What kind of person is my mother?

For a moment, Haruhiko couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"What you need to do now is to increase your strength."

Hoshino Aoi continued, "You don't need to worry about the Yellow Springs for now."

"Ok."

Haruhiko nodded.

He came over to confirm whether what Hoshino Rin was saying was true.

In retrospect, they were not deceived.

But we're still missing one.

"Aunt Li said my parents are now in the underworld. Aunt Kui, do you know the details?"

Haruhiko asked directly.

"..."

Hoshino Aoi was silent for two seconds before saying, "I don't know why the underworld is sealed, but they are carrying divine artifacts given to them by the Great God of the Ninja Kingdom, so they should be safe."