Supernatural/Anime Crossover: Where Did My Romantic Comedy Go?

Asahi Yoshino was somewhat surprised.

This thing doesn't seem to be a seal, so it can maintain its effectiveness for a long time.

Turning to look at his side, Kujo Toru looked thoughtful, then, under the girl's gaze, he stretched out his right hand and slammed his fist heavily on the door.

Whoosh!

The crisp sound of glass carrying far and wide.

The barrier, along with the gate, was violently smashed open.

The girl's expression was somewhat subtle.

Isn't this method of cracking a bit too simple and crude?

However, she soon lost interest in thinking about these things.

The interior of the shrine's main hall was not dark as she had imagined; instead, it was brightly lit.

The candlelight was somber, as if frozen in time, silently emitting light, but Yoshino Asatake felt no warmth from it.

One figure after another stood in the hall, dressed in priestly robes of various colors, with their backs to the two people, looking up at the front.

Even though Kujo Toru caused such a commotion, these people still didn't make a move, like one puppet after another.

The light pierced through their bodies without restraint, leaving not a single shadow.

"It's a remnant."

Kujo Toru explained one sentence.

These figures were the same remnants that he had found possessing Kobayashi when he visited him at Aoba Mental Hospital.

It looks like a spirit, but it is actually an empty shell left behind after the spirit dies.

They lack not only consciousness but also instinct; they simply act in fixed ways.

Using games as an example, it would be simply NPCs.

Asagi Yoshino nodded. Reminded by Kujo Toru, she relaxed her guard and began to examine the remnants.

Judging from their clothing and appearance, they are probably not from the same era, but rather span a wide period of time. They are likely priests from the Kurokawa Shrine throughout history.

But why are these remnants gathered here, and what are they looking at?

Yoshino Asagi was very curious and looked in the direction of their gaze.

That was originally the altar in the shrine used to enshrine the main deity.

The main hall of Kensei Shrine also has this, but the one on the altar is the sacred sword Muramaru.

But Kurokawa Shrine has no deities, so who is it enshrined for?

The candlelight was dim, and she squinted, trying to see what was on the altar. Before she knew it, she had taken a step forward.

Just then, a cold, clear light suddenly shone in the hall, tearing through the darkness.

The blade cleaved through the oppressive air, the resulting gusts of air whipping up her long, silvery-white hair.

By the time she realized what was happening, Kujo Toru had already sheathed the sacred sword again, his expression unchanged, as if nothing had happened.

"……Thanks."

The girl's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Just as she focused her attention on the altar, two remaining figures silently appeared behind her, wielding daggers and stabbing her in the chest and abdomen.

If it weren't for Kujo Tetsu's intervention, even if she had reacted in time, she would have been injured.

"Ah."

Kujo Toru didn't pay any attention, responded, and walked forward.

They encountered no further attacks and made their way through the pile of rubble to the altar, where they saw what was being worshipped.

An empty box and an old book with an untitled cover.

Has anyone been here?

Kujo Toru could see clearly that the box was placed in a somewhat messy position, with a few drops of bright red blood scattered around it. The blood had not dried; rather, it looked as if it had just been spilled.

This is because once the blood leaves the body, it dies under the influence of the aura of the underworld.

The exact time when Kurokawa Shrine was completely tainted by the aura of the underworld is unknown, but it certainly couldn't have been before the burning ceremony ten years ago.

Because at that time, Daimura was still doing well.

In other words, the owner of the blood could only have recently arrived.

Kujo Toru closed his eyes and combed his hair.

The person pushed open the door and barged in, then deliberately took the contents of the box.

He hadn't expected the vengeful spirit to attack from behind, and he was caught off guard and injured, knocking over the box and dripping blood. He then quickly fled.

I suddenly remembered the neat red handwriting in that travel brochure.

Could it be that person? Asano Nana's friend, and also the owner of the Misaki Doll shop, is suspected to be the only survivor from back then.

Is the other person still inside Kurokawa Shrine?

"Help me check if there are any other bloodstains on the ground."

Looking at the young shrine maiden beside him, Kujo Tetsu gave her a task.

That person must have a lot of information; they might even know the locations of Yatogami and Yomi.

After Asahi Yoshino responded, she looked at the ancient book on the altar and picked it up.

I turned right to the first page.

Somewhat to his surprise, this was neither a secret record nor a divine formula, but an ordinary list.

It was filled with densely packed names, each beginning with "Kurokawa," essentially serving as a roster for the Kurokawa family.

Each page begins with the year, followed by the names of the people and their ages, the youngest being only fourteen and the oldest only eighteen.

Kujo Toru flipped through the pages; they were basically arranged in ten-year increments, and on each page, a circle was drawn around one of the names in red ink.

Judging from the timeline above, the earliest record can be traced back to the third year of the Taisho era, which means it started from the time when the stone tablet recorded the encounter with the so-called benefactor.

It has been a hundred years since then.

The problem is that, although it's not very obvious, the number of names on almost every adjacent page is gradually decreasing.

When the Heisei era arrived, not only were there only a handful of names, but even the red circles in red ink disappeared.

Until the very last page, the date written on it was ten years ago, and there were only two names, the same age, and quite unusually, both were circled.

"Kurokawa Kiritsuki, and Kurokawa Ritsuki?"

Kujo Toru pondered for a moment.

Sure enough, the "Rizuki" mentioned in red ink in the travel brochure was the shrine maiden of Kurokawa Shrine back then.

So this list contains the shrine maidens and candidates selected throughout history?

If that's the case, then this list is indeed worth placing on the altar for worship.

After all, given the situation at Kurokawa Shrine, the shrine maiden is essentially a deity who protects the entire Daimiya and Misaki Town.

Moreover, according to the owner of that handwriting, the current shrine maiden, Kurokawa Ritsuki, seems to still be alive and is currently at the Kurokawa Shrine.

Otherwise, the other party wouldn't have said they would come to Daimyo Village to find her before the moonless night.

This also explains why the barrier of this temple can still function.

So, the shrine maiden Kurokawa Ritsuki probably sensed that she had forcibly broken the barrier.

Who is Kurokawa Kiritsuki, who is the same age as Kurokawa Ritsuki and is also a shrine maiden? Is she still alive?

Furthermore, since the shrine maiden of Kurokawa Shrine has always been there, why did such a calamity occur during the mountain-burning ceremony ten years ago? Could it be that her power was no longer sufficient to seal Yato-gami?

Kujo Toru was meticulously processing the information in his mind when he was suddenly interrupted by Asagi Yoshino's voice:

"Lord Kujo! Come quick!"

The girl's voice was full of nervousness. Kujo Tetsu casually stuffed the list into his backpack, turned around and walked out of the main hall.

Once he was back outside, he immediately understood why.

Outside the torii gate of the shrine, fireflies have already lit up the approach.

Countless figures crowded towards the shrine on the mountain, carrying snow-white paper lanterns that glowed with a faint blue light.

From a distance, it looks like a fiery dragon winding its way up the mountain.

Silent.

Despite being merely a remnant of a spirit, it exudes an eerie sense of solemnity.

"The burning mountain ceremony..."

Kujo Toru frowned, turned to Asagi Yoshino, and inquired about the situation on her end:

Did you find any bloodstains?

"Yes!" The girl nodded quickly. This was the only place she could finally help, so she hurriedly shared her discovery:

"The bloodstains continued all the way to the rear shrine of the shrine."

"Alright, let's go!"

Volume 1: Chapter 195 (4K) Heaven and Man and the Five Hells

The rear shrine of Kurokawa Shrine is a rather large Japanese garden.

The stark white exterior walls were also painted with scarlet bird patterns, creating a solemn yet somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Asagi Yoshino glanced back and saw the dark blue fire dragon slowly approaching the shrine.

The remnants were moving very slowly; I don't know if that's just how they are.

I estimate we should arrive at the shrine in about ten minutes.

She didn't know what would happen then, but she had a feeling it would be something major.

It's possible that Yatogami and Yomi have been suppressed again, or it's possible that they have been completely broken free.

Is it really possible to find the location of the seal in time?

The girl felt uneasy, especially as the increasingly thick foul odor in the air made it hard for her to breathe.

However, compared to Yoshino Asatake, who was experiencing this kind of scene for the first time, Toru Kujo was much calmer.

He had been prepared for a fight from the very beginning when he arrived in Fukuoka Prefecture, and the situation couldn't be worse than it was now.

However, it is indeed time to speed things up.

Arriving at the tightly closed door, he raised his foot and kicked the two heavy, sturdy wooden doors.

During this time, several snow-white figures appeared and blocked his way.

Those were human pillars that the Kurokawa family drove into the building when they were building the rear hall. They were originally bound spirits, but under the erosion of the underworld, their spirits had long since died, leaving only empty shells.

A semi-circular beam of light descended, enveloping the entire rear hall.

The protective barrier also activated spontaneously.

They were trying to stop the uninvited guests.

However, none of this had any effect on Kujo Toru.

Without the slightest change in his expression, the barrier shattered instantly, followed by the remaining empty shells of those human pillars, which instantly broke apart and scattered into simple particles in the air.

Finally, it landed on the gate.

boom!

With a loud bang, Asahi Yoshino felt her ears go numb.

The heavy solid wood door flew far away and landed in the dry landscape garden in the courtyard, completely smashing the carefully arranged artificial mountain to pieces.

"go!"

After greeting the girl, Kujo Toru stepped inside.