In Tokyo, building the Holy Light Girls team

The girl suddenly understood why Sayuri couldn't help but like men; even she herself felt a long-lost stirring within her at that moment...

While she was still lost in thought, Natsuki's next words suddenly brought Rika back to her senses: "Sayuri and the others might have encountered the Illuminati. We need to find them quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Rika shuddered. Recalling the scenes of Illuminati members appearing in the past, some ominous thoughts immediately surfaced in her mind, and she nodded emphatically.

"We'll split up. If you encounter any members of the Illuminati, you can contact me directly using the [Holy Relic]. Remember, don't go alone, understand?"

Natsuki earnestly instructed Rika, his gaze falling on the whale clip above her head, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.

If it were Sayuri and Shiroshima, their enhanced powers would be sufficient to deal with most dangers. However, Rika's [Sacred Artifact] has not yet been enhanced and developed. When encountering a ghost with a level 3 soul power, it is already at its limit!

Xia Mu originally planned to strengthen Li Xiang's [Sacred Artifact] over the next two days. However, the ghost he encountered yesterday still consumed a lot of his Holy Light. Even though he recovered some through Soul Crystals, it still did not meet the standard for strengthening again, so he had no choice but to use this method.

Rika didn't doubt Natsuki's words. After nodding in response, the girl walked in the opposite direction. Natsuki didn't stop either. He turned around, and a cross-shaped stigma appeared faintly in his eyes. He was using his senses to search for information related to Sayuri and the others.

The aura of holy light in the air hadn't dissipated yet; this trajectory should still be in the vicinity...

As he pondered this, he used the torrent of holy light that automatically appeared in his mind to search for the possible locations of the girls.

"This isn't the place..."

"It's not here either..."

"Where are Sayuri and the others...?"

"..."

The more Natsuki searched, the more anxious he became. Thinking of his promise to Mikiko, he quickened his pace.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. He was wearing a gray robe and stood quietly in the crowd. Pedestrians kept passing by, but they seemed not to notice anything unusual about him.

However, in Xia Mu's eyes, it seemed as if he saw some kind of terrifying creature. The cross necklace trembled slightly, as if it could sense his emotions. If Xia Mu hadn't forcibly suppressed it, it probably would have automatically unleashed holy light power!

This feeling was definitely not something I should have experienced with the Illuminati members I had encountered before—

Xia Mu felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart. Especially under the perception of the holy light, the other party's aura was as vast as the sea. He simply stood there, but it seemed that everything around him was included in the "domain", as if it was about to collapse at any moment!

Thinking of the memories of those deceased Illuminati members within the soul crystal he had devoured, Xia Mu suddenly understood why he had such feelings—

The beings before me must be those five members of the Illuminati who possess forbidden species and are terrifyingly powerful enough to control them!

Why is this guy here?

Were Sayuri and the others taken away by him?

……

A variety of thoughts raced through Xia Mu's mind. He frowned, and finally spoke, "You—"

……

Chapter 147 Prophecy

"you--"

"Time...we're running out..."

"?"

"...It needs to be...as soon as possible..."

What does this guy mean?

Natsuki frowned, but still patiently asked, "Did you take Sayuri and the others away?"

"...It's too late...You...you need to become stronger as soon as possible...otherwise..."

Xia Mu glanced at the pedestrians around him. They seemed to have no reaction to the gray-robed figure's words until he saw a pedestrian walk past him. Only then did he realize that perhaps at this moment, he was the only one who could see the other person!

"What's too late?"

He finally couldn't help but ask, but He only repeated the words from before: "...it's too late...that prophecy..."

"What exactly are you talking about?"

Xia Mu took a step forward, but the other person swayed and appeared more than ten meters away in the next moment. Xia Mu couldn't see how the other person moved at all!

"This guy..."

Xia Mu narrowed his eyes, and the cross necklace moved slightly. A faint holy light seeped out from the necklace and then landed on his legs.

Enhanced by the holy light, Xia Mu's figure disappeared from the spot. The surrounding pedestrians only felt a gentle breeze, and when they looked closely, they showed puzzled expressions.

"Strange, did something just pass by?"

On the other side, Xia Mu was already using the power of holy light to quickly weave through the passersby. However, he was surprised to find that no matter how close he got to the other party, He could always take a step back a great distance in advance. As time went by, the two even became more and more distant!

Should we use that skill?

The thought of releasing [Sacred Mark Resonance] flashed through Xia Mu's mind. He looked up again at the figure that was almost completely dissipating, and without further hesitation, he silently murmured, "Sacred Mark—"

Snapped!

A fair hand suddenly patted Xia Mu's shoulder. He subconsciously turned around and saw a familiar face. The charming and seductive smile on her face was none other than Kato Yuri!

"Oh, it really is Teacher Xia Mu! What happened to you? Why are you here?"

"Miss Lily?"

Xia Mu blinked, then, as if remembering something, he quickly turned his head to look. He found that the gray-robed figure in a certain direction had completely disappeared. All he could see were passersby, nothing else.

"Damn it, that guy still got away!"

Natsuki said something in a low voice, and the expression on his face for that instant made Kato Yuri look at him with some concern: "Natsuki-sensei? Are you alright? If you need me, I can take you there..."

"It's nothing, thank you for your concern, Miss Lily."

"On the contrary, I remember you said before that you couldn't come to the celebration for the time being because of things at the store. Does that mean it's all taken care of now?"

Xia Mu waved his hand, casually asking a question, but the words of the gray-robed figure still echoed in his mind—

What exactly did that guy mean?

Why do you say it's too late?

There were also prophecies...

And most importantly, why did they have to say all this to me...?

Xia Mu felt as if some important information had flashed by, but as he pondered it, certain vague fragments gradually faded away, leaving him unable to sort out his thoughts.

"...Of course I've taken care of everything at the shop!"

"Also, as the children's teacher, you should at least keep an eye on things. If I hadn't shown up in time, those children would probably have been ripped off by that shop owner. The quality of her stuff is terrible. Luckily, I had something much more suitable..."

Kato Yuri spoke confidently, unaware that Natsuki, upon hearing her words, suddenly realized something, his gaze falling on her gray kimono, and he couldn't help but ask, "So, Miss Yuri, it was you who took Sayuri and Nanako away just now?"

"Of course!"

Kato Yuri crossed her arms and winked at Natsuki as much as she could, her expression seeming to say, "How did I do? Come and praise me!"

"..."

Natsuki then realized that he had mistaken Kato Yuri for a member of the Illuminati, and couldn't help but smile wryly: "So that's how it is..."

He never expected that the person who took Sayuri and the others away was actually Kato Yuri. Even more unexpectedly, his search following this misunderstanding led him to encounter the true Illuminati, and not just any Illuminati, but someone who was—

"Alright, the children should be trying on clothes at the shop I recommended now. Since we've found Teacher Xia Mu, I'll take you there with me!"

Before Natsuki could reply, Kato Yuri took his hand and led him through the crowd toward a certain place. The smiles that occasionally shone as she turned back dispelled some of the gloom in Natsuki's heart. When she came to her senses, they had already arrived in front of another shop.

"Big brother is here!"

"Ms. Natsuki, come and take a look! Isn't Sayuri's outfit beautiful? Isn't it the kind of outfit that makes your heart flutter at first glance?"

Upon seeing Natsuki arrive, Nanako and Sayuri immediately put down the clothes they were holding and moved closer to him. The two of them showed off their clothes in the same way, which surprised Kato Yuri. Then, her gaze fell on the group of people and flickered slightly, as if she was thinking about something.

"Phew, I've finally found you all. By the way, please don't disappear so suddenly next time. Even with a [Sacred Artifact], I'm still worried if an insurmountable danger arises..."

Xia Mu stroked their hair, and his strange words made them both look puzzled.

Immediately, the man's gentle actions captivated them, and the expressions on their faces were exactly like those of some adorable cats.

"Speaking of which, what about Shiroshima..."

As Xia Mu spoke, she looked around and soon spotted a white-haired girl squatting in front of a stall.

She held a small net in her hand, catching fish in the basin. Judging from the small bucket next to her that was already full of squid, and the occasional cheers of children, she knew that she had a good catch. The girl's face was constantly radiating a smile, clearly showing that she was quite pleased with herself.

"Thank goodness, the child is here too. Wait, I think I forgot something important. What is it...?"

As Natsuki pondered, an image of a certain shrine maiden flashed through her mind, and she suddenly exclaimed, "That's right, and Rika-san too!!!"

……

Author's Note on the Launch of Chapter 148

It will be available for purchase tomorrow. If you like it, please support it with a first-day subscription. Thank you! For those who don't support it, the author wishes you all happiness every day. That's all!

Chapter 149 Eternal Protection!

A series of light, cheerful laughs drifted from the road ahead. Sayuri, Shirashima, and Rika walked side by side, discussing what they had seen and heard that day, their faces radiating youthful energy.

In front of the three girls were Kato Yuri and her daughter Nanako, holding hands and smiling as they looked around.

Although yesterday's events had somewhat affected the mother and daughter's emotions, the arrival of this celebration brought them back to their previous state.

At least their happy and peaceful appearance made the passersby around them chuckle, and they seemed to be infected by it as well.

At the very back was Xia Mu, who was silently following behind. At this moment, his expression was solemn, as if he was pondering something.

"prophecy……"

He spoke again, words only he could hear, and the laughter and chatter around him did not distract him.

In fact, ever since then, Xia Mu has been pondering the meaning behind the words spoken by that person, who was most likely a member of the Illuminati, whom he had encountered earlier...

From that unprecedented perception, Xia Mu had no doubt about the opponent's strength, because among the enemies he had encountered before, the aura released by dangerous demons had never made him feel that kind of near-death despair!

Xia Mu even felt that the other party seemed to have suppressed most of his aura, only letting some of it out. If it were fully released, the joyful laughter at the celebration would probably turn into a scene of carnage and bloodshed. This was the only thing he was certain of!

Unfortunately, the memories of the soul crystals that devoured enemies in the past did not contain much information about members who could control forbidden ghosts.